Amaranthine and Other Stories

by Erik Hofstatter

"This collection will worm its way into your nightmares." -Sèphera Girón, author of A Penny Saved and the Witch Upon a Star

Amaranthine and Other Stories serves up nine schlock horror slices, sprinkled with quirk and humour.

Forget vampires. Forget werewolves. Forget ghosts. Humans are the ultimate grotesques. Variant flavours of woe sift through these pages. The results are sometimes hilarious, sometimes outright hair-raising!

As a bonus, the collection also includes story notes, offering the reader a rare glimpse into the inspiration behind each tale.

Genres: Horror

63 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 18, 2016

About the author

Erik Hofstatter is a dark fiction writer, born in the wild lands of the Czech Republic. He roamed Europe before subsequently settling on English shores, studying creative writing at the London School of Journalism. He now dwells in Kent, where he can be encountered consuming copious amounts of mead and tyrannizing local peasantry. His work appeared in various magazines and podcasts around the world such as Morpheus Tales, The Literary Hatchet, Wicked Library, Manor House Show, and The Black Room Manuscripts Volume IV. Other works include The Hurricane Caged Inside of Her and Stone Martyrs.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here you get a collection of nine stories that describe the torment of everyday life: In 'The Birthing Tub' you see Sean who was left by his woman. Now his body is fading away. Can you guess the reasons? 'Tristan's Equation' is about the failure of a boy who's gifted in maths. 'Amaranthine' shows who to contact when looking for a special bound book. 'The Wandering Pilgrim'? Yes, it's about Rasputin. 'The Deep End' describes the experience of a Bulgarian au-pair with Morgens (kind of Sirens). 'The Eucalyptus Grove' features a Satanist who can't stop killing after listening to Slayer (the metal band). In 'Akona' you learn to be aware of snakes when you're out with a little girl. A couple is spending a day at the beach in 'The Green Tide'. He knows she's unfaithful to him. Imamu, the new superior, seems to be into Voodoo in 'Pins and Needles'. If you're a friend of realistic horror you definitely should have a look at those stories!

[Frank Errington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review copy

I'm somewhat wary when I'm contacted by an author asking if I would read his or her work and provide and honest review. Partly because I nearly always have a TBR list that's longer than a country mile and I know it's going to take me a long time to get around to reading it.

Fortunately, Erik Hofstatter caught me at the right time with a novella-length collection of short stories which I was able to squeeze in between some other books.

Amaranthine and Other Stories was a bit of a mixed bag for me. A good number of the stories were very short, sort of the flash fiction variety. I'm not a big fan of the style, I prefer to read tales with a bit more meat on the bones, rather than "Bam. Boom. Bang. Next." I guess you could say I prefer to savor the story. That being said, Erik's tales of horror, although quick, certainly provided some punch.

The Birthing Tub - An unexpected sexually deviant and violent story of a pet parasite coming into the world in a most unusual way.

Tristan's Equation - A rather strange little story about a brilliant boy locked in a room and asked to solve a complex mathematical equation.

Amaranthine - "What if cremation wasn't the only method of keeping your loved ones with you?"

The Wandering Pilgrim - A somewhat erotic tale which came from the author's fascination with Rasputin.

The Deep End - One of my personal favorites in the collection happened to be the author's least favorite story. You just never know.

Eucalyptus Grove - A virgin who likes to hang with a group of guys trying to be a heavy metal band. Oh, they're also into satanism. What could possibly go wrong?

Akona - A quick yet terrorizing story of every parent's worse night mare.

The Green Tide - Ever read a news story and think, "Wow. That would make a good horror story." That's precisely how this tale came about. Makes me want to rethink my next trip to the beach.

Pins and Needles - A viscous tale of racism and voodoo.

Nine quick tales of terror. Great for reading right before bed...if you enjoy inducing nightmares.

Amaranthine and Other Stories is published by Creativia and is available in both e-book and paperback formats. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read this book at no additional charge and if you are an Amazon Prime member you can read it for FREE through the Kindle Owners Lending Library.

Erik Hofstatter is a schlock horror writer and a member of the Horror Writers Association. He lives in Kent, where he can be encountered consuming copious amounts of mead and tyrannizing local peasantry. His work has appeared in various magazines and podcasts around the world such as Morpheus Tales, Crystal Lake Publishing, The Literary Hatchet, Sanitarium Magazine, Wicked Library, Tales to Terrify and Manor House Show.

[Angela Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this collection in exchange for an honest review. This is in no way reflected in my opinion of these stories.

Amaranthine and Other Stories is a mixed bag of mostly real life horrors. Some of these stories are truly disturbing and not for the weak of heart, or stomach. Others are more psychological in nature. A few of them will stick with me for a long time. I won't go into all of the stories but here are a few of my favorites. I think I threw up a little while reading The Birthing Tub, a tale of an unusual birth and the relationship between Sean and his "son" Eli, enjoyable for those not easily grossed out. Amaranthine tells the story of a bookseller who also binds books as keepsakes for loved ones, I really liked this one. The Deep End was one of the only supernatural stories in this book and one of the best in my opinion. The Eucalyptus Grove and Akona were both twisted and disturbing. The story notes at the end were a lot of fun to read and a great bonus for people who want to know where an authors ideas come from. A fast and fun 3.5 star read.

[Nev Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

"To summarise: a collection of shorts that you will probably read in double quick time. Some enjoyable, some not so. This will not stop me reading Erik Hofstatter again but I have a request for you Mr Hofstatter; please give me something in the style of The Pariahs again. That, for me, is your true style and your most enjoyable to read."

See here for the full review:

Amaranthine and Other Stories

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

From time to time I like to dip my toes in the waters of short fiction. Horror always lends itself well to this particular format, so when the latest collection from Erik Hofstatter arrived in my mailbox who was I to refuse? So sit back and relax as we enjoy nine different interpretations of the purest evil.

The Birthing Pool – Sean suffers a horrible break up. He becomes obsessed with filling the void that has been left behind. First story in the collection and were already in utterly gross territory. Those with a delicate constitution, beware. This one is proper nasty! You’ll never look at undercooked food in quite the same way again, I can guarantee it.

Tristan’s Equation – More obsession, but this time it is a mathematical problem that plagues Tristan’s every waking moment. What does it all mean? Where are his family and why has he been left utterly alone?

Amaranthine – How best do you change/reverse the fortunes of a failing independent bookshop? It turns out the answer is some creative lateral thought and specialising in a very particular type of tome. I’m impressed that this story manages to be both horrific and educational at the same time. I’ve just learned what anthropodermic bibliopegy is. Thinking about it I’m pretty sure part of me never wanted to know!

The Wandering Pilgrim – . Ra, Ra, Rasputin lover of the Russian Queen (oh yeah, I’ll channel my inner Boney M appreciation when it comes to a review). A short, sharp and decidedly sleazy look into the political manoeuvrings of “The Mad Monk”.

The Deep End – Eva learns the hard way that you shouldn’t ever go swimming in the deep end of the local pool. What can I say, jealousy can be a terrible and deadly thing.

Eucalyptus Grove – James, Jason and Randy want fame, and perhaps something just a little bit darker. This is undoubtedly the most gruesome story in the collection. Probably because it is the most likely it could actually happen. Disturbingly real and shocking, this was the standout tale for me. Be warned This is dark with a capital D.

Akona – Giant snake eats baby. If that’s not a tabloid headline right there I don’t know what is?

The Green Tide – I’ve always struggled to adequately define why I don’t like to swim in the ocean. I always thought it was a fear of sharks. Turns out I’m wrong. It’s the murderous toxic seaweed, that’s the reason why I’m not a fan of the beach.

Pins and Needles – This final tale seems eerily topical due to current events in the UK. Small minded bigots are given a dose of their own medicine. Good news everybody – voodoo vengeance can be fun! Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of people.

Dark and often downright devilish, this latest collection by Hofstatter is sure to be a winner if you like your shocks hardcore. I’ll happily admit that I’ve enjoyed all this author’s work I’ve read so far. I’m looking forward to the day when we get a full length novel and we really get to experience him flexing his creative muscles. The nine stories in this short anthology deliver exactly what was promised – conclusive evidence that humanity, when it chooses to be, can be capable of great malevolence.

[K.R. Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Moribund Tales and The Pariahs, I couldn’t resist this author’s latest release, Amaranthine and Other Stories. As expected, I was not disappointed with Hofstatter’s work. His writing is fantastic and these nine stories are each unique, ranging from real human afflictions to voodoo and mythology. I enjoyed each story but my favorite (or most disturbing might be a better description) has to be the first one, The Birthing Tub. As with horror, disturbing is usually the intent of the author, and Hofstatter nailed it. The first story hooked me, but the following eight kept me reading. It’s a great little collection.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monsters and horrors are sometimes easy to spot and at other times they come in inconspicuous forms in Erik Hofstatter's Amaranthine and Other Stories. 

To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.

This collection of short stories is comprised of tales that are primarily creepy though still have humorous moments that easily capture your attention over the course of their brief page counts. From narratives that are plain disturbing or disgusting to ones that are more psychological, the writing was easy and quick to read. The stories varied in length and subject matter, but they lacked an element of depth and development, due in large part to the short story genre, yet they all managed to entertain and provide eerie concepts to ponder further from the broad scaffolding provided. Going into the Halloween season, these nine stories are a good way to get into the proper holiday spirit of horror.

Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

[Tina Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun spooky short stories

A quick fun read by Erik Hofstatter. Stories that will make you Ewwww, some will make you wonder, and all of them will make you think! My personal favorite story .... The Deep End. Water has always terrified me. Buy it! Great fun.

[David Dubrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erik Hofstatter’s Amaranthine and Other Stories is an anthology of horror shorts that tackles a number of themes: child care, racism, infidelity, sex, and death. Hofstatter paints in broad strokes with his writing, leaving the reader appreciative of his descriptive power. Referring to itself as “schlock horror,” the collection lacks depth, which is likely the point: you’re not meant to read too deeply. Just hold on and enjoy the journey.

CjLCAk9XEAErDIQThe first story, The Birthing Tub, is a stomach-turning tale of heartbreak and parenthood, of a sort. Easily the best in the collection, you’re best off not reading it during lunch.

Tristan’s Equation, the eponymous Amaranthine, and The Wandering Pilgrim are flash fiction pieces: disturbing situations rather than actual stories.

Both The Deep End and Akona address the theme of caring for a child that isn’t your own; Akona ends on a somewhat humorous note, while The Deep End is rather longer and more complicated than it needed to be.

Eucalyptus Grove recounts terrible brutality without the benefit of catharsis at the end; it was apparently inspired by true events.

The Green Tide is also flash fiction, though it tells a complete story.

Most disappointing was the last piece, Pins and Needles, which purported to address the controversial topic of racism, but didn’t quite get there: the framework of the story couldn’t support the intended theme, and wound up as a ho-hum tale of over-the-top revenge.

Like his short novella Katerina, also reviewed at The Slaughtered Bird, Hofstatter’s Amaranthine and Other Stories is missing a narrative core, something for the reader to hold onto after the book is closed. Consider it a light, if macabre read.

[Asahi88 · Rating 1 out of 5]

1) La vasca ☆☆
2) L'equazione di Tristan ☆ (non ho capito il finale)
3) Amaranthine ☆ (e menomale che prende il titolo di questa raccolta, perchè è una vera stronzata!)
4) Il pellegrino errante ☆ (cos'è un porno?)
5) Profondità massima ☆☆
6) Il boschetto di eucalipti ☆
7) Akona ☆
8) La marea verde ☆
9) La bambola ☆

Di tutta la raccolta si salva solo la fine dove l'autore spiega da che cosa è stato ispirato per ogni storia.

opinione scritta il 05\12\18