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A Flutter of Darkness: 15 Dark Tales
A flutter is a gathering of butterflies. Elegant, ethereal, inspiring joy and wonder. But not all butterflies feed on flowers and light. Some are drawn to decomposing bodies and trickling pools of blood. Some, are drawn to darkness. This collection of short stories and novellas is the perfect place to admire those creatures. Whimsical and beautiful, splattered with terror, these stories show the darkness that lays hidden within us all.
474 pages, Paperback
Published May 19, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 1, 2019
"Writing my synopsis for A Flutter of Darkness by Jason LaVelle would never equal that of the author's own as it appears on Amazon's book page. "A flutter is a gathering of butterflies. Elegant, ethereal, inspiring joy and wonder. But not all butterflies feed on flowers and light. Some are drawn to decomposing bodies and trickling pools of blood; some are drawn to darkness. This collection of short stories and novellas is the perfect place to admire those creatures. Whimsical and beautiful, splattered with terror, these stories show the darkness that lays hidden within us all."
There are fifteen short stories, "short" being relative, that span the entire horror genre scope. From a dystopian world where overpopulation calls for extreme measures to a magical garden full of buried books to a story with strong impressions of William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the imagination of Jason LaVelle knows no bounds. In A Flutter of Darkness, everyday occurrences become anything but ordinary, dreams become nightmares, and whimsical beginnings morph into dramatic and often violent horror. LaVelle's writing style varies with each of the stories, but one skill is constant among them all... his ability to lead the reader into the mind-boggling, yet believable characters and situations that are never as they originally appear. Twists and turns are par for the course and the conclusions of each story are always surprising. A Flutter of Darkness is a not-to-be-missed short story anthology guaranteed to excite and win new fans for this very talented author."
There are fifteen short stories, "short" being relative, that span the entire horror genre scope. From a dystopian world where overpopulation calls for extreme measures to a magical garden full of buried books to a story with strong impressions of William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the imagination of Jason LaVelle knows no bounds. In A Flutter of Darkness, everyday occurrences become anything but ordinary, dreams become nightmares, and whimsical beginnings morph into dramatic and often violent horror. LaVelle's writing style varies with each of the stories, but one skill is constant among them all... his ability to lead the reader into the mind-boggling, yet believable characters and situations that are never as they originally appear. Twists and turns are par for the course and the conclusions of each story are always surprising. A Flutter of Darkness is a not-to-be-missed short story anthology guaranteed to excite and win new fans for this very talented author."
May 18, 2020
'Honey, sex, fire, vengeance’
Michigan author/photographer Jason LaVelle is an animal advocate, working in a veterinary clinic during the day and caring for his own menagerie at night – along with composing some of the finest dark short stories this reviewer has read!
Jason sets a tone that indicates the mind behind these tales in his dedicatory opening: ‘This book is dedicated to all those who are different, those who are strange, those who are misunderstood, or who often misunderstand. We are not alone, not now and not ever. Join me, and in the darkness we will shine.’ Granted, those thoughts are particularly poignant during this time of isolation, but the atmosphere for the tales that follow somehow now seems more congenial!
The fifteen selected stories in this collection range from frightening to violent to bizarre to tongue-in-cheek humorous (in a dark sort of way), and without exception, each story is successful. Jason’s skill in creating richly colorful prose includes some appropriate off-color passages that add a sense of immediacy to the stories he is weaving. The note left to encourage readers relates the tone of the stories well – ‘A flutter is a gathering of butterflies. Elegant, ethereal, inspiring joy and wonder. But not all butterflies feed on flowers and light. Some are drawn to decomposing bodies and trickling pools of blood. Some, are drawn to darkness.’
The variety of subject matter is broad; the places the author takes us are dark but related with such fine prose that even the horror can be whimsical in his hands. Jason LaVelle is stepping solidly into that circle of like authors such as Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury et al. Keeping the sections of his stories in flight are the ever-present images of butterflies that serve as visual reminders of the books title and demeanor.
The length of the stories varies from quite short to novella format, and the themes coincide with the size of the tale. This is an exceptional collection of ‘things that go bump in the night’ type tales and an encouragement to seek out Jason’s other novels and anthologies. Very highly recommended.
Michigan author/photographer Jason LaVelle is an animal advocate, working in a veterinary clinic during the day and caring for his own menagerie at night – along with composing some of the finest dark short stories this reviewer has read!
Jason sets a tone that indicates the mind behind these tales in his dedicatory opening: ‘This book is dedicated to all those who are different, those who are strange, those who are misunderstood, or who often misunderstand. We are not alone, not now and not ever. Join me, and in the darkness we will shine.’ Granted, those thoughts are particularly poignant during this time of isolation, but the atmosphere for the tales that follow somehow now seems more congenial!
The fifteen selected stories in this collection range from frightening to violent to bizarre to tongue-in-cheek humorous (in a dark sort of way), and without exception, each story is successful. Jason’s skill in creating richly colorful prose includes some appropriate off-color passages that add a sense of immediacy to the stories he is weaving. The note left to encourage readers relates the tone of the stories well – ‘A flutter is a gathering of butterflies. Elegant, ethereal, inspiring joy and wonder. But not all butterflies feed on flowers and light. Some are drawn to decomposing bodies and trickling pools of blood. Some, are drawn to darkness.’
The variety of subject matter is broad; the places the author takes us are dark but related with such fine prose that even the horror can be whimsical in his hands. Jason LaVelle is stepping solidly into that circle of like authors such as Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury et al. Keeping the sections of his stories in flight are the ever-present images of butterflies that serve as visual reminders of the books title and demeanor.
The length of the stories varies from quite short to novella format, and the themes coincide with the size of the tale. This is an exceptional collection of ‘things that go bump in the night’ type tales and an encouragement to seek out Jason’s other novels and anthologies. Very highly recommended.
January 16, 2020
From the author's blurb: "A flutter is a gathering of butterflies. Elegant, ethereal, inspiring joy and wonder. But not all butterflies feed on flowers and light. Some are drawn to decomposing bodies and tricking pools of blood. Some, are drawn to darkness."
This is the perfect summation for this collection of short stories/novellas. From horror to sci-fi, dystopia to thriller, this collection has something for anyone who enjoys stories that are just a little different. You can truly feel the darkness in these tales and the author has managed to evoke a range of emotions.
Mr. LaVelle is a truly great author and really draws the reader into these stories. You will feel the emotions of the characters as the stories evolve and these emotions definitely range across the board. From horror, terror, sadness, depression, disappointment and more....you will feel them all.
As is usual with a collection of short stories, I enjoyed some more than others, but each of these tales had their own appeal. I know that more than one will stick with me for a long, long time, maybe even causing some nightmares. And, really, that is what I am looking for when I read a collection like this.
Truly imaginative, emotionally draining at times, and memorable......in other words, GREAT! I was given the chance to read this book through Booksprout and chose to review it.
This is the perfect summation for this collection of short stories/novellas. From horror to sci-fi, dystopia to thriller, this collection has something for anyone who enjoys stories that are just a little different. You can truly feel the darkness in these tales and the author has managed to evoke a range of emotions.
Mr. LaVelle is a truly great author and really draws the reader into these stories. You will feel the emotions of the characters as the stories evolve and these emotions definitely range across the board. From horror, terror, sadness, depression, disappointment and more....you will feel them all.
As is usual with a collection of short stories, I enjoyed some more than others, but each of these tales had their own appeal. I know that more than one will stick with me for a long, long time, maybe even causing some nightmares. And, really, that is what I am looking for when I read a collection like this.
Truly imaginative, emotionally draining at times, and memorable......in other words, GREAT! I was given the chance to read this book through Booksprout and chose to review it.
January 22, 2020
Loved the books they were great, the stories were well written and the characters were interesting. They were unique stories, awesome characters in each story. The darkness challenging at times but still worth reading this book.
Thank you for you allowing me to review your book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.Loved the books they were great, the stories were well written and the characters were interesting. They were unique stories, awesome characters in each story. The darkness challenging at times but still worth reading this book.
Thank you for you allowing me to review your book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Thank you for you allowing me to review your book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.Loved the books they were great, the stories were well written and the characters were interesting. They were unique stories, awesome characters in each story. The darkness challenging at times but still worth reading this book.
Thank you for you allowing me to review your book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 14, 2020
A Flutter of Darkness is a thrilling collection of 15 short stories/novellas that are mind-bendingly chilling, vastly varied, disquieting and yet profoundly human. From the duplicity of Utopia, to the heart wrenching beauty of Searching For Forever, the sad horror of Roan And Peters, the cruelty portrayed in The Life Of Pets and scary evil of Lot 187. These stories capture your imagination, can make your hair stand on end, pull at your heartstrings or send chills down your spine. Some have twists you don’t see coming, many show the darkness that can be man, while others are just plain scary, but one thing they all are, is well written and thoroughly enjoyable.
January 12, 2020
Each of the short stories takes you on either a creepy, horrifying or a bit of a mental twisting ride. Some are short like Teddy Bear Picnic whereas for me Searching For Forever dragged on a bit. Each has their own flavor and you do get sucked into some of them more than others. Great set of stories that make you look at things a bit differently.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 29, 2020
This had a lot of stories so you are bound to find at least a few that you like. My personal favorites were Dementia, Lot 187 and the one that sounded a lot like H.H. Holmes and the brilliant story about pets. These stories are not for children. A lot of adult language and situations. A fun collection of sci fi, horror, and mystery.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 29, 2021
This is a book of dark, weird stories for weird people like me. I love this collection of stories the entire collection being an awesome group of reads. I cannot even say which was my favorite because I really loved them all.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews