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Insides
The seven stories collected in this volume explore the world of darkness - the outer darkness which surrounds us and where all the monsters live… and the inner darkness where all your secret demons dwell and fester undisturbed, feeding on your soul.
If a novel is a long and torrid love affair, full of ups and downs and highs and lows, then a short story is merely a kiss from a stranger in the dark - a fleetingly intense experience that grips the heart, ignites the blood and lingers in the memory.
If a novel is a long and torrid love affair, full of ups and downs and highs and lows, then a short story is merely a kiss from a stranger in the dark - a fleetingly intense experience that grips the heart, ignites the blood and lingers in the memory.
190 pages, Paperback
Published September 6, 2022
45 people want to read
About the author
Emil Minchev
49 books365 followersЕмил Минчев е роден в София. Завършил е Първа английска гимназия и Софийския университет. Превел е над 50 книги от английски език, сред които творби на Артър Конан Дойл, Оскар Уайлд, Брам Стокър, Джейн Остин, Маргарет Мичъл, Мери Шели, Шарлот Бронте, Ръдиард Киплинг, Р. Л. Стивънсън и др. Автор е на девет романа, три сборника с разкази, аудиосериал, статии по проблеми на изкуството и един киносценарий.
Emil Minchev was born in Sofia, Bulgaria and has published nine novels in his native country, ranging from horror to sci-fi and everything in between. He has also translated more than fifty books from English into Bulgarian, among them Arthur Conan Doyle's Hound of the Baskervilles, Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind, Bram Stoker's Dracula, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jane Austen's Emma, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, Diana Wynne Jones’s Castle in the Air and Guillermo Del Toro’s The Fall. In 2018 his horror novella Children of the Night was included in the collection Dracula: Rise of the Beast and in 2019 his first collection of short stories, A Coffinful of Nightmares, was published on Amazon, followed in 2022 by his second, Insides.
Emil Minchev was born in Sofia, Bulgaria and has published nine novels in his native country, ranging from horror to sci-fi and everything in between. He has also translated more than fifty books from English into Bulgarian, among them Arthur Conan Doyle's Hound of the Baskervilles, Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind, Bram Stoker's Dracula, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jane Austen's Emma, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, Diana Wynne Jones’s Castle in the Air and Guillermo Del Toro’s The Fall. In 2018 his horror novella Children of the Night was included in the collection Dracula: Rise of the Beast and in 2019 his first collection of short stories, A Coffinful of Nightmares, was published on Amazon, followed in 2022 by his second, Insides.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 12, 2022
Marvelously written! Interesting, good pacing and keeps you on your toes all the time.
May 31, 2024
Ще започна така:
"Емо, мили, какво се случва в твоя ум?!?"
Дори и да не продължа това ревю, горното изречение е абсолютно достатъчно да опише цялостното усещане за книгата.Но все пак...
Имаме седем разказа, които за мен лично са повече "spooky", а не "scary". Но това си е до лично усещане. Описанията, сюжетите- всичко те кара да изпитваш целия спектър от емоции. Затваряйки книгата, можеш единствено да седиш и да се изумяваш какво прочете току що.
Последният разказ е черешката на страшната торта и въпреки, че разказите не са свързани помежду си, се усеща градацията. След всеки следващ разказ искаш още и още...и накрая се озоваваш пред книжарницата, купувайки си следваща книга на Емил Минчев.
Абсолмтно майсторски написани истории, без излишни допълнения, но с много точни и красиви описания. Категорично 5 от 5 звезди, заслужава си да се прочете.
"Емо, мили, какво се случва в твоя ум?!?"
Дори и да не продължа това ревю, горното изречение е абсолютно достатъчно да опише цялостното усещане за книгата.Но все пак...
Имаме седем разказа, които за мен лично са повече "spooky", а не "scary". Но това си е до лично усещане. Описанията, сюжетите- всичко те кара да изпитваш целия спектър от емоции. Затваряйки книгата, можеш единствено да седиш и да се изумяваш какво прочете току що.
Последният разказ е черешката на страшната торта и въпреки, че разказите не са свързани помежду си, се усеща градацията. След всеки следващ разказ искаш още и още...и накрая се озоваваш пред книжарницата, купувайки си следваща книга на Емил Минчев.
Абсолмтно майсторски написани истории, без излишни допълнения, но с много точни и красиви описания. Категорично 5 от 5 звезди, заслужава си да се прочете.
October 18, 2022
I love me a book written by an author who actually reads a lot. You can always tell. And I loved that Minchev trusted his reader has also read quite some, because there are certain things in these stories which only fans of horror, crime fiction and sci-fi would appreciate.
I loved the style. I loved the characters. I loved the plot-twists. I loved the imagery and the ideas. I loved the places the stories are set. Maybe I'm a little biased because I definitely have a thing for anything American, but duuuude.
I wouldn't say all these short stories are exactly the horror genre - in fact, most of them seemed like a mixture of crime fiction/noir and sci-fi with strong elements of the grotesque and cynicism. Perhaps the second and the fifth story were most successful in creating horror. Here are very brief reviews on the stories separately:
The first story kind of had a Bradburian taste. The main character reminded me of the one in Death Is a Lonely Business. May be just my huge fan consciousness, though.
I LOVED the second story. Probably my favorite in terms of voice and plot evolution. I might have found the ending perhaps a little too "happy" and I definitely didn't expect the sci-fi, I'd say, elements. But this was the story I read even while I was walking. So much anticipation.
I was quite impressed with the third one. Very good characters and very good plot development. Very plausible setting, very reliable storyline. Yet not a cliche.
I found the fourth story a bit predictable.
The fifth story might be my personal favorite in terms of ideas - though quite directly, it gives moral instructions and makes quite smart moral observations. Wow. I loved the idea of the museum. Maybe I expected it to turn out a hundred times more grotesque, but it had an interesting outcome.
The sixth story was a great one to take me on a little old-school theme of spectres. I quite liked the author's semantic observation that "ghost is such a pejorative word" and that the main character prefers "specter or apparition". Kudos, because I literally thought the SAME thing just a month ago contemplating on the topic.
I think the last story is legit sci-fi. A good piece of sci-fi. It is totally plausible, a good modern reading of a classic theme of "a creature to sell your soul to".
And once again, I truly am impressed with the style - the stories are masterfully written. The anticipation that the short sentences create, the beautifully dangling modifiers, the descriptions that involve the different senses. The realistic dialogues.
P. S. Proud to hold the same major with the author :) I could definitely tell that we studied (almost) the same curriculum
I loved the style. I loved the characters. I loved the plot-twists. I loved the imagery and the ideas. I loved the places the stories are set. Maybe I'm a little biased because I definitely have a thing for anything American, but duuuude.
I wouldn't say all these short stories are exactly the horror genre - in fact, most of them seemed like a mixture of crime fiction/noir and sci-fi with strong elements of the grotesque and cynicism. Perhaps the second and the fifth story were most successful in creating horror. Here are very brief reviews on the stories separately:
The first story kind of had a Bradburian taste. The main character reminded me of the one in Death Is a Lonely Business. May be just my huge fan consciousness, though.
I LOVED the second story. Probably my favorite in terms of voice and plot evolution. I might have found the ending perhaps a little too "happy" and I definitely didn't expect the sci-fi, I'd say, elements. But this was the story I read even while I was walking. So much anticipation.
I was quite impressed with the third one. Very good characters and very good plot development. Very plausible setting, very reliable storyline. Yet not a cliche.
I found the fourth story a bit predictable.
The fifth story might be my personal favorite in terms of ideas - though quite directly, it gives moral instructions and makes quite smart moral observations. Wow. I loved the idea of the museum. Maybe I expected it to turn out a hundred times more grotesque, but it had an interesting outcome.
The sixth story was a great one to take me on a little old-school theme of spectres. I quite liked the author's semantic observation that "ghost is such a pejorative word" and that the main character prefers "specter or apparition". Kudos, because I literally thought the SAME thing just a month ago contemplating on the topic.
I think the last story is legit sci-fi. A good piece of sci-fi. It is totally plausible, a good modern reading of a classic theme of "a creature to sell your soul to".
And once again, I truly am impressed with the style - the stories are masterfully written. The anticipation that the short sentences create, the beautifully dangling modifiers, the descriptions that involve the different senses. The realistic dialogues.
P. S. Proud to hold the same major with the author :) I could definitely tell that we studied (almost) the same curriculum
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2024
Perfect for Halloween 👻🎃
Was it spooky? Yes! This book delivers a chilling atmosphere and eerie moments that set the perfect tone for the season. While there were a few instances where I found myself more confused than genuinely scared, the engaging writing style kept me turning the pages. The characters are well-developed, adding depth to the haunting narrative. Overall, it’s a captivating read that balances suspense and intrigue. You should definitely add it to your October/fall TBR; it’s a perfect blend of thrills that will keep you on your toes during those cozy, candle-lit evenings!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Перфектна за Хелоуин 👻🎃
Беше ли страшна? Да! Тази книга предлага ужасяваща атмосфера и зловещи моменти, които задават перфектния тон за сезона. Въпреки че имаше няколко случая, в които се чувствах повече объркана, отколкото уплашена, увлекателният стил на писане ме накара да продължа да чета. Героите са добре развити,въпреки кратките истории, което добавя дълбочина на зловещия наратив. Като цяло, това е завладяващо четиво, което балансира между напрежение и интрига. Определено трябва да я добавите към вашия ТБР за октомври/есента; това е перфектна комбинация от вълнения, които ще ви държат нащрек през уютните, осветени с ароматни свещи вечери!
Was it spooky? Yes! This book delivers a chilling atmosphere and eerie moments that set the perfect tone for the season. While there were a few instances where I found myself more confused than genuinely scared, the engaging writing style kept me turning the pages. The characters are well-developed, adding depth to the haunting narrative. Overall, it’s a captivating read that balances suspense and intrigue. You should definitely add it to your October/fall TBR; it’s a perfect blend of thrills that will keep you on your toes during those cozy, candle-lit evenings!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Перфектна за Хелоуин 👻🎃
Беше ли страшна? Да! Тази книга предлага ужасяваща атмосфера и зловещи моменти, които задават перфектния тон за сезона. Въпреки че имаше няколко случая, в които се чувствах повече объркана, отколкото уплашена, увлекателният стил на писане ме накара да продължа да чета. Героите са добре развити,въпреки кратките истории, което добавя дълбочина на зловещия наратив. Като цяло, това е завладяващо четиво, което балансира между напрежение и интрига. Определено трябва да я добавите към вашия ТБР за октомври/есента; това е перфектна комбинация от вълнения, които ще ви държат нащрек през уютните, осветени с ароматни свещи вечери!
January 16, 2025
I couldn't sleep for two nights! Beware!
December 15, 2024
A very cool book with spooky short stories. It's difficult to point out my favorite, honestly - when I look back to all of them, each had a special charm to it.
I love the language that is used, very intricate as well as the mysteries that were incorporated! As a reader, I could easily distinguish between the different stories and the different places they take place thanks to some genius linguistic choices!
Definitely worth a read!
I love the language that is used, very intricate as well as the mysteries that were incorporated! As a reader, I could easily distinguish between the different stories and the different places they take place thanks to some genius linguistic choices!
Definitely worth a read!
Read
November 1, 2023I devoured this in just a couple of sittings! I don't pick horror or contemporary or scifi stories that often even though I like them, and this was all three... But it was also exactly what I needed right now. I had a blast, the stories were fast and addicting, the writing vivid and alive.
My favorite story and the one I will remember the most was
My favorite story and the one I will remember the most was
March 13, 2024
Great quick read!
November 19, 2022
Old Stephen King short stories vibe makes this a fun read
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews