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The Pariahs
Two siblings are torn from their beds at night by The Government and transported into an isolated stronghold hidden in deepest Siberia. Friendships will be formed and loyalties tested as the siblings struggle to locate one another, but tragedy lurks within the compound and blood relation does not always mean family. Destinies are interwoven and fates collide in The Pariahs, the explosive novella from Erik Hofstatter, author of the acclaimed Moribund Tales.
108 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 2014
About the author
Erik Hofstatter
40 books46 followersErik Hofstatter is a prose poet of brutality and elegance. He explores the darkest depths of what we're capable of without flinching. 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. His work appeared in various magazines and podcasts around the world such as HWA Poetry Showcase XII, The Literary Hatchet, Wicked Library, Manor House Show, and The Black Room Manuscripts Volume IV. Other works include The Hurricane Caged Inside of Her, Stone Martyrs, Bankrupting Sky Banks, and Pain Is a Chain. Move, and I’ll Hear You.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 25, 2022
3.7 stars. Not much horror and light with tension. But I enjoyed this novella anywho. Eerie and atmospheric
September 4, 2015
3.5 stars!
"I was asleep when they came in." So starts Erik Hofstatter's novella.
A boy and his sister are kidnapped and awaken in cells with no idea what's going on. They both suffer from birth defects from Chernobyl and soon, they find themselves the subjects of some nasty experiments. The boy soon has had enough of his sister's suffering and endeavors to take her and escape. That's all I can say about the plot.
I enjoyed this story. I thought it was a good idea and the author brought all the threads together in an enjoyable way. The writing, however, could use a little work and some polish. I found the sentences to be rather short and blunt, and the characters could have had a litte more complexity and depth to them. There were a few twists towards the last third of the book and I thought the author handled those fairly well.
Overall, I liked the originality of this tale and I feel that Erik Hofstatter is a dark fiction author to keep an eye on in the future.
Recommended for fans of short, brutal fiction!
"I was asleep when they came in." So starts Erik Hofstatter's novella.
A boy and his sister are kidnapped and awaken in cells with no idea what's going on. They both suffer from birth defects from Chernobyl and soon, they find themselves the subjects of some nasty experiments. The boy soon has had enough of his sister's suffering and endeavors to take her and escape. That's all I can say about the plot.
I enjoyed this story. I thought it was a good idea and the author brought all the threads together in an enjoyable way. The writing, however, could use a little work and some polish. I found the sentences to be rather short and blunt, and the characters could have had a litte more complexity and depth to them. There were a few twists towards the last third of the book and I thought the author handled those fairly well.
Overall, I liked the originality of this tale and I feel that Erik Hofstatter is a dark fiction author to keep an eye on in the future.
Recommended for fans of short, brutal fiction!
July 26, 2015
The Pariahs by Erik Hofstatter is an intriguing novella set in the years following the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. The story starts with the kidnapping of two children, Demyan and Akilina by Kalashnikov wielding men in radiation suits. Descendants of the disaster both children live with the abnormalities caused by radiation poisoning.
Seventeen years had passed since the disaster, there had been rumours of the government taking children but after all this time? They wake in a cell, in the cold hell of Siberian. Separated, frantic with worry, the older brother Demyan is desperate to see his sister again, to make sure she's ok.
Someone in the cell below starts to communicate with Demyan, conversations of the damned, a girl named Taisiya who claims she was born in this prison and can take him to see his sister, help him escape. The children are unwittingly part of an experiment in a biomedical research facility, in a setting that screams horror, friendships are formed but who can you really trust? Your family? Those you rely on with no question, or new friends? Trust no-one.
The same timeline is told from three perspectives, one after the other so there is an air of repetition as the story threads its path via each protagonist. The story is well written, a little predictable to some extent, heartless and touched with a sadness built from despair and false hope. There was also an incredulous moment when a confession of betrayal is quickly forgotten and trust established a little too easily, or maybe not as regards the end result. The story offers little character depth which in my opinion would have enhanced the story significantly considering the harsh lives the children must have lived, the balance is a difficult one to obtain but would have made you care about the children and their plight.
The Pariahs was provided by the author in an exchange for an honest review and that's what you have.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
Seventeen years had passed since the disaster, there had been rumours of the government taking children but after all this time? They wake in a cell, in the cold hell of Siberian. Separated, frantic with worry, the older brother Demyan is desperate to see his sister again, to make sure she's ok.
Someone in the cell below starts to communicate with Demyan, conversations of the damned, a girl named Taisiya who claims she was born in this prison and can take him to see his sister, help him escape. The children are unwittingly part of an experiment in a biomedical research facility, in a setting that screams horror, friendships are formed but who can you really trust? Your family? Those you rely on with no question, or new friends? Trust no-one.
The same timeline is told from three perspectives, one after the other so there is an air of repetition as the story threads its path via each protagonist. The story is well written, a little predictable to some extent, heartless and touched with a sadness built from despair and false hope. There was also an incredulous moment when a confession of betrayal is quickly forgotten and trust established a little too easily, or maybe not as regards the end result. The story offers little character depth which in my opinion would have enhanced the story significantly considering the harsh lives the children must have lived, the balance is a difficult one to obtain but would have made you care about the children and their plight.
The Pariahs was provided by the author in an exchange for an honest review and that's what you have.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
June 11, 2015
Review copy
I was contacted directly by the author for a fair and honest review of his novella The Pariahs. Having just completed one book and having yet to start a new one from my ever increasing TBR list, I took a chance.
Sometimes such risks pay off with the discovery of something special, this was not one of those times. Don't get me wrong, there were a number of positives here. A haunting cover, a quick read, and Erik Hofstatter certainly has a capable writing style. The problem for me was the story. It lacked background, there was little in the way of character development, and in the end, nearly everything was left unresolved, making for a somewhat unsatisfying reading experience.
Disappointing, all the more so, because it all started with a damn fine paragraph...
"I was asleep when they came. Two of them armed with Kalashnikovs, dressed in radiation suits. One grabbed my hair and dragged me out of the warm bed, the last time I would ever sleep on a soft mattress. The other man aimed a rifle at my face before turning it around and knocking me out with the butt."
What follows is a mishmash of imprisonment of, and experimentation on, a pair of siblings suffering from the after effects of radiation deformity, the result of some unexplained apocalyptic event.
The Pariahs is available now through Amazon.com. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read it at no additional charge and if you have Amazon Prime you can read it FREE as your monthly selection through the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
I can't recommend this one, but as usual in such situations, your mileage may vary and if you can take advantage of Kindle Unlimited or the Kindle Owners Lending Library, then there's certainly no harm in checking it out.
I was contacted directly by the author for a fair and honest review of his novella The Pariahs. Having just completed one book and having yet to start a new one from my ever increasing TBR list, I took a chance.
Sometimes such risks pay off with the discovery of something special, this was not one of those times. Don't get me wrong, there were a number of positives here. A haunting cover, a quick read, and Erik Hofstatter certainly has a capable writing style. The problem for me was the story. It lacked background, there was little in the way of character development, and in the end, nearly everything was left unresolved, making for a somewhat unsatisfying reading experience.
Disappointing, all the more so, because it all started with a damn fine paragraph...
"I was asleep when they came. Two of them armed with Kalashnikovs, dressed in radiation suits. One grabbed my hair and dragged me out of the warm bed, the last time I would ever sleep on a soft mattress. The other man aimed a rifle at my face before turning it around and knocking me out with the butt."
What follows is a mishmash of imprisonment of, and experimentation on, a pair of siblings suffering from the after effects of radiation deformity, the result of some unexplained apocalyptic event.
The Pariahs is available now through Amazon.com. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read it at no additional charge and if you have Amazon Prime you can read it FREE as your monthly selection through the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
I can't recommend this one, but as usual in such situations, your mileage may vary and if you can take advantage of Kindle Unlimited or the Kindle Owners Lending Library, then there's certainly no harm in checking it out.
April 16, 2015
A copy of The Pariahs was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author Erik Hofstatter in exchange for an honest review. This is said review.
Erik Hofstatter – what a fantastic name. Say it again Erik Hofstatter? Ever heard of him? I hadn't although I bet many had. This my friends is the best part of being a book reviewer and having your own blog open for review submissions. Every now and again someone actually comes along and takes a gamble that you will pick their book up and read it for them. I learnt a while ago that when a well-known name comes along and asks you for a review, you jump at the chance. I have also learnt that when someone you have never heard of comes along like Mr Hofstatter, you again jump at the chance to review it. You never know when you might pick up a little gem. Like this one.
Demyan and Akilina are brother and sister. They have been born in a radiation ravaged Russia after a nuclear disaster has left many, including themselves, severely disfigured and disabled from birth. In the middle of the night they are attacked, gagged and kidnapped and wake up in a cold dark cell. Demyan sets about trying to figure out where exactly they are and how they are going to escape. His only hope is a girl called Taisiya who he can talk to through a sewer pipe in the ground. He needs to escape this hell, before they all die.
This is a debut novella from Mr Hofstatter and quite a debut it is too. I’ve had to think about this one for a while because it’s quite hard to put into a category. It is horror but which type of horror? I would plump for psychological due to the immense strain the characters are put under.
Characters wise, you have the elder brother Demyan. He is only seventeen but already feels the pressure of being the man of the family after growing up with just his mother and sister. His disabilities don’t make this easy. Akilina is only 12. She is also quite mentally strong for her age but physically the weaker of the two. Taisiya is a different kettle of fish. You know nothing of her other than she has been in this prison for years. You don’t know her age or her medical condition. You know that mentally she is stronger than both Demyan and Akilina. She is able to roam free in the prison for some reason. She………nah, can’t tell you anymore.
You can tell this is a debut novella. The writing sometimes lets the story down but only in the way it’s put together. Sometimes it feels a bit rushed. Almost as if it could have been stretched out a bit more. This, though is the only complaint I have.
The eBook is beautifully put together so I can only imagine the paperback is as nice. Even though it is a short book, there are thirty eight chapters in it. They are short and to the point. Each chapter has its own title and it all fits together perfectly in describing the story.
It is split into three parts, telling the story from the point of view of Demyan then Akilina and finally Taisiya. The writing itself is almost gothic in style. You can imagine the story taking place during the time of the Russian Civil War even though it is quite clearly not. The chapters are punchy. They leave you asking for more as each one ends almost too quickly.
Suspense and seriously messing with your head is the name of the game in this one. The descriptive writing is fantastic in giving you a feel of the cold dark cells Demyan and Akilina are kept in. The feeling of hopelessness is immense and you just can’t see a way out of it for anyone.
And then comes the killer twist. The “totally out of nowhere” chapter that makes you want to throw your Kindle out the window. If you see this coming you should be writing books yourself. It totally changes the story and has you wondering what the hell is going on. Not long after that comes killer twist number two! If you thought the first was good then this is outstanding. It totally changes the story again and leaves you absolutely hating a character and basically wanting to punch their lights out. And then the end, sudden, leaving you screaming. You need to read it yourself to find out why.
To summarise: It’s a debut novella so it is going to have flaws. Every writer has to start somewhere. Don’t be looking for newbie mistakes. Look past them and lose yourself in the story. It is very well written and in a style that I loved from start to finish. It’s harrowing. It’s mentally horrific. If you look deeper it leaves a lot of unanswered questions about us as humans and our society worldwide. All in all this is very enjoyable. I will definitely be looking out for more from Mr Hofstatter.
General rating:
★★★★ Nearly perfect for a debut.
Horror rating:
★★★ Very creepy in parts.
Erik Hofstatter – what a fantastic name. Say it again Erik Hofstatter? Ever heard of him? I hadn't although I bet many had. This my friends is the best part of being a book reviewer and having your own blog open for review submissions. Every now and again someone actually comes along and takes a gamble that you will pick their book up and read it for them. I learnt a while ago that when a well-known name comes along and asks you for a review, you jump at the chance. I have also learnt that when someone you have never heard of comes along like Mr Hofstatter, you again jump at the chance to review it. You never know when you might pick up a little gem. Like this one.
Demyan and Akilina are brother and sister. They have been born in a radiation ravaged Russia after a nuclear disaster has left many, including themselves, severely disfigured and disabled from birth. In the middle of the night they are attacked, gagged and kidnapped and wake up in a cold dark cell. Demyan sets about trying to figure out where exactly they are and how they are going to escape. His only hope is a girl called Taisiya who he can talk to through a sewer pipe in the ground. He needs to escape this hell, before they all die.
This is a debut novella from Mr Hofstatter and quite a debut it is too. I’ve had to think about this one for a while because it’s quite hard to put into a category. It is horror but which type of horror? I would plump for psychological due to the immense strain the characters are put under.
Characters wise, you have the elder brother Demyan. He is only seventeen but already feels the pressure of being the man of the family after growing up with just his mother and sister. His disabilities don’t make this easy. Akilina is only 12. She is also quite mentally strong for her age but physically the weaker of the two. Taisiya is a different kettle of fish. You know nothing of her other than she has been in this prison for years. You don’t know her age or her medical condition. You know that mentally she is stronger than both Demyan and Akilina. She is able to roam free in the prison for some reason. She………nah, can’t tell you anymore.
You can tell this is a debut novella. The writing sometimes lets the story down but only in the way it’s put together. Sometimes it feels a bit rushed. Almost as if it could have been stretched out a bit more. This, though is the only complaint I have.
The eBook is beautifully put together so I can only imagine the paperback is as nice. Even though it is a short book, there are thirty eight chapters in it. They are short and to the point. Each chapter has its own title and it all fits together perfectly in describing the story.
It is split into three parts, telling the story from the point of view of Demyan then Akilina and finally Taisiya. The writing itself is almost gothic in style. You can imagine the story taking place during the time of the Russian Civil War even though it is quite clearly not. The chapters are punchy. They leave you asking for more as each one ends almost too quickly.
Suspense and seriously messing with your head is the name of the game in this one. The descriptive writing is fantastic in giving you a feel of the cold dark cells Demyan and Akilina are kept in. The feeling of hopelessness is immense and you just can’t see a way out of it for anyone.
And then comes the killer twist. The “totally out of nowhere” chapter that makes you want to throw your Kindle out the window. If you see this coming you should be writing books yourself. It totally changes the story and has you wondering what the hell is going on. Not long after that comes killer twist number two! If you thought the first was good then this is outstanding. It totally changes the story again and leaves you absolutely hating a character and basically wanting to punch their lights out. And then the end, sudden, leaving you screaming. You need to read it yourself to find out why.
To summarise: It’s a debut novella so it is going to have flaws. Every writer has to start somewhere. Don’t be looking for newbie mistakes. Look past them and lose yourself in the story. It is very well written and in a style that I loved from start to finish. It’s harrowing. It’s mentally horrific. If you look deeper it leaves a lot of unanswered questions about us as humans and our society worldwide. All in all this is very enjoyable. I will definitely be looking out for more from Mr Hofstatter.
General rating:
★★★★ Nearly perfect for a debut.
Horror rating:
★★★ Very creepy in parts.
March 10, 2017
This book keeps you wondering until the end. Why were the children kidnapped, and what is going to happen next.
Could have fleshed out the characters more, but I understand that this was a shot story without the time to do that. Even with the characters a little flat, the plot more than makes up for it, thanks to the surprise twist at the end.
Could have fleshed out the characters more, but I understand that this was a shot story without the time to do that. Even with the characters a little flat, the plot more than makes up for it, thanks to the surprise twist at the end.
December 8, 2014
Review copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review
This summer I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of Erik Hofstatter's debut short story collection, Moribund Tales. Hofstatter's old-school writing style was a blast of fresh air and while some of the stories lacked the same emotional punch as others in the collection, it was clear that he was a talented author that had some interesting story ideas floating around in his imagination.
The Pariahs tells the story of two disfigured siblings who were torn from their homes in the middle of the night and transported to a stronghold deep in the hostile environment of Siberia. Part 1 starts off with Demyan, the older brother who plays his role well while trying to keep his sister Akilina safe in their dire predicament. He remembers being ripped from his home by two men dressed in radiation suits and armed with rifles before being knocked unconscious and awakening in a bleak concrete cell. The cell is devoid of any comforts; cracked walls surround him and the only source of light is a barred window that is well out of his reach. His only sense of hope is the fact that he shares the cell with his sister and they were not separated after their abduction. Akilina is in rough shape however, suffering from an extreme fever and being unable to move due to sheer exhaustion.
While Demyan paces his cell thinking of an escape plan, he ruminates on the events that landed him and Akilina in this hellish prison. They were both born with deformities after a nuclear disaster that happened over 17 years ago. Demyan suffers from a hip injury while Akilina has facial deformities. Their father seemingly died while they were younger, leaving them to be raised by a mother who hated them and frequently mentioned how she wished they were both never born and tormented them with tales of an asylum where the government would store naughty children. It seems that place truly does exist.
His reflection is shattered when the guards come in and take his sister despite his attempts to stop them. The loss of his sister strips away what little hope Demyan has left and he simply bides his time until the men come for him as well. All of that changes however, when he hears a faint whisper coming from the drain telling him that his sister is still alive.
Demyan begins to converse with the mysterious voice and discovers her name is Taisiya, a girl who claims to have been born at the facility. Demyan derives hopes from his conversations with Taisiya, who seems to have a vast knowledge about the workings of the facility and his only source of information on what is happening to his sister. He develops an intimate connection with her and begins to view her as his only hope for escape. Despite Taisiya's willingness to help Demyan, it seems that she is hiding something and Demyan takes a huge risk in trusting her. Can Taisiya be trusted? What exactly is her history with the mysterious facility? These are all important questions that linger throughout the story as Demyan sets out to save both himself and his sister from the sinister experiments taking place in the facility.
Hofstatter takes a bit of a different approach structurally in his new novella. He abandons the straightforward approach his stories followed in Moribund Tales in favor of a narrative built from the viewpoints of the three main characters. We follow each character through the evolution of their storyline before switching to the narratives of the other characters, but Hofstatter manages to weave these narratives together flawlessly. It would have been easy to lose focus throughout the novella, but Hofstatter never drops a plot thread and manages to connect the different viewpoints together to form an engaging story.
What I loved most about The Pariahs were the plot twists that Hofstatter sprinkles throughout the novella. When I first began reading, I thought I had a pretty good idea of where the story was going and this is one time where I was happy to be proven wrong. Hofstatter does a great job at creating characters that the reader can't help but root for in their quest to escape the hellish confines of the facility. Despite being facing numerous hardships throughout their lives, Demyan and Akilina both display a remarkable resiliency and determination. Hofstatter's characterization shines brightest in the section dedicated to telling Taisiya's story. I don't want to divulge too many details for those who have yet to read The Pariahs, but Taisiya is a very intriguing and complex character.
The only issue I had with The Pariahs is a relatively minor one. Despite an interesting premise and effective plot twists, the novella's conclusion is pretty abrupt and leaves a lot of unanswered questions. I really hope that Hofstatter has plans to continue the story established in The Pariahs, because there are definitely interesting paths the story could take. I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Pariahs, a well-written and heartbreaking horror tale from one of my favorite up and coming writers who continues to grow with every new story.
This summer I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of Erik Hofstatter's debut short story collection, Moribund Tales. Hofstatter's old-school writing style was a blast of fresh air and while some of the stories lacked the same emotional punch as others in the collection, it was clear that he was a talented author that had some interesting story ideas floating around in his imagination.
The Pariahs tells the story of two disfigured siblings who were torn from their homes in the middle of the night and transported to a stronghold deep in the hostile environment of Siberia. Part 1 starts off with Demyan, the older brother who plays his role well while trying to keep his sister Akilina safe in their dire predicament. He remembers being ripped from his home by two men dressed in radiation suits and armed with rifles before being knocked unconscious and awakening in a bleak concrete cell. The cell is devoid of any comforts; cracked walls surround him and the only source of light is a barred window that is well out of his reach. His only sense of hope is the fact that he shares the cell with his sister and they were not separated after their abduction. Akilina is in rough shape however, suffering from an extreme fever and being unable to move due to sheer exhaustion.
While Demyan paces his cell thinking of an escape plan, he ruminates on the events that landed him and Akilina in this hellish prison. They were both born with deformities after a nuclear disaster that happened over 17 years ago. Demyan suffers from a hip injury while Akilina has facial deformities. Their father seemingly died while they were younger, leaving them to be raised by a mother who hated them and frequently mentioned how she wished they were both never born and tormented them with tales of an asylum where the government would store naughty children. It seems that place truly does exist.
His reflection is shattered when the guards come in and take his sister despite his attempts to stop them. The loss of his sister strips away what little hope Demyan has left and he simply bides his time until the men come for him as well. All of that changes however, when he hears a faint whisper coming from the drain telling him that his sister is still alive.
Demyan begins to converse with the mysterious voice and discovers her name is Taisiya, a girl who claims to have been born at the facility. Demyan derives hopes from his conversations with Taisiya, who seems to have a vast knowledge about the workings of the facility and his only source of information on what is happening to his sister. He develops an intimate connection with her and begins to view her as his only hope for escape. Despite Taisiya's willingness to help Demyan, it seems that she is hiding something and Demyan takes a huge risk in trusting her. Can Taisiya be trusted? What exactly is her history with the mysterious facility? These are all important questions that linger throughout the story as Demyan sets out to save both himself and his sister from the sinister experiments taking place in the facility.
Hofstatter takes a bit of a different approach structurally in his new novella. He abandons the straightforward approach his stories followed in Moribund Tales in favor of a narrative built from the viewpoints of the three main characters. We follow each character through the evolution of their storyline before switching to the narratives of the other characters, but Hofstatter manages to weave these narratives together flawlessly. It would have been easy to lose focus throughout the novella, but Hofstatter never drops a plot thread and manages to connect the different viewpoints together to form an engaging story.
What I loved most about The Pariahs were the plot twists that Hofstatter sprinkles throughout the novella. When I first began reading, I thought I had a pretty good idea of where the story was going and this is one time where I was happy to be proven wrong. Hofstatter does a great job at creating characters that the reader can't help but root for in their quest to escape the hellish confines of the facility. Despite being facing numerous hardships throughout their lives, Demyan and Akilina both display a remarkable resiliency and determination. Hofstatter's characterization shines brightest in the section dedicated to telling Taisiya's story. I don't want to divulge too many details for those who have yet to read The Pariahs, but Taisiya is a very intriguing and complex character.
The only issue I had with The Pariahs is a relatively minor one. Despite an interesting premise and effective plot twists, the novella's conclusion is pretty abrupt and leaves a lot of unanswered questions. I really hope that Hofstatter has plans to continue the story established in The Pariahs, because there are definitely interesting paths the story could take. I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Pariahs, a well-written and heartbreaking horror tale from one of my favorite up and coming writers who continues to grow with every new story.
December 10, 2014
Demyan and his sister, Akilina, have been different since birth. They were born victims of radiation and have had to live with their disfigurements for the whole of their short lives. Without warning, they are taken from their home and placed in a remote facility deep in the heart of Siberia. Their story is split into three separate parts and each part focuses on the perspective of a different character. The first part follows Demyan, the second on Akilina and the final part follows Taisiya, a person they meet while detained. Hofstatter plays around with the timeline in each of the three sections, but there is some overlap. Key scenes are revisited on a couple of occasions showing events play out from a differing perspective.
The Pariahs is that subtlest of things; it’s the horror of suggestion. Hofstatter sets the horrific scene and often lets the reader’s imagination fill in many of the gruesome blanks. There is an underlying sense of tension that pervades the entire novella. The threat of brutality, torture and violence feel like they are always there, bubbling away just under the surface of the narrative. The two children are ripped away from everything they know and forced into their own living hell. Hofstatter explores that primal fear of the unknown. Just imagine being locked up in single room, on your own, never knowing why you’ve been put there. I’m a great believer that the most effective horror tales are those stories that come across as believable and real.
There is also a nice feeling of ambiguity at the core of this novella. There are so many questions that Demyan and Akilina need to try and answer if they are going to survive. Can their new friend Taisiya be trusted? Is she a force for good or is she just playing her own twisted games? Who can the siblings trust? Where is their mother? And can something as fragile as hope really exist in such brutal surroundings? That uncertainty continues throughout the entire plot, right until the story’s end. There are a handful of questions left deliberately unanswered. No doubt some readers may find this a little infuriating, and I’ll even admit part of me wanted to know what happens next, but the rest of me was happy that things played out the way that did. If I’m honest I rather like it when writing makes me feel this way. I take it as a sign that I have connected with the text at some level.
At around only eighty pages this is a short, sharp shock of a tale. If you enjoy your horror fiction in the short form then you could do far worse than picking this up.
The Pariahs is that subtlest of things; it’s the horror of suggestion. Hofstatter sets the horrific scene and often lets the reader’s imagination fill in many of the gruesome blanks. There is an underlying sense of tension that pervades the entire novella. The threat of brutality, torture and violence feel like they are always there, bubbling away just under the surface of the narrative. The two children are ripped away from everything they know and forced into their own living hell. Hofstatter explores that primal fear of the unknown. Just imagine being locked up in single room, on your own, never knowing why you’ve been put there. I’m a great believer that the most effective horror tales are those stories that come across as believable and real.
There is also a nice feeling of ambiguity at the core of this novella. There are so many questions that Demyan and Akilina need to try and answer if they are going to survive. Can their new friend Taisiya be trusted? Is she a force for good or is she just playing her own twisted games? Who can the siblings trust? Where is their mother? And can something as fragile as hope really exist in such brutal surroundings? That uncertainty continues throughout the entire plot, right until the story’s end. There are a handful of questions left deliberately unanswered. No doubt some readers may find this a little infuriating, and I’ll even admit part of me wanted to know what happens next, but the rest of me was happy that things played out the way that did. If I’m honest I rather like it when writing makes me feel this way. I take it as a sign that I have connected with the text at some level.
At around only eighty pages this is a short, sharp shock of a tale. If you enjoy your horror fiction in the short form then you could do far worse than picking this up.
June 1, 2015
I received this eBook in exchange for an honest review. This is in no way reflected in my opinion of this novella.
The Pariahs is a very sad and disturbing story. It show the inhumanity that people can have toward those who are considered different. Akilina and her big brother, Demyan, are taken in the night by sadistic government agents who want to experiment on people who suffer deformities from the Chernobyl disaster. The way Erik Hofstatter wrote these characters was brilliant. I really cared about what was happening to them. Not an easy thing to accomplish in a 90 page novella. This is a fast read not only because of the length but because the story moves quickly and I wanted to know what happened next. The only thing I didn't like about this story was the ending. I wanted more! What happens to Akilina? What is the experimental drug supposed to do? I need the rest of the story!! This is a great story and I plan to read more from Erik Hofstatter in the future. A solid 4 star read.
November 14, 2014
Terrifying, chilling and I couldn't tear myself away!
Devour this book if you dare, but savor its unique flavor. The Pariahs will spin you around so fast that it causes you to fall! Erik Hofstatter has created a beautifully terrifying masterpiece that has also managed to reach the frightened child I hid years ago. Chilled my soul and brought me to tears all at once. I recommend The Pariahs to absolutely everyone, even my son is eagerly awaiting his chance to read it!
Devour this book if you dare, but savor its unique flavor. The Pariahs will spin you around so fast that it causes you to fall! Erik Hofstatter has created a beautifully terrifying masterpiece that has also managed to reach the frightened child I hid years ago. Chilled my soul and brought me to tears all at once. I recommend The Pariahs to absolutely everyone, even my son is eagerly awaiting his chance to read it!
December 8, 2014
The Pariahs is a gripping short story! Two innocent siblings are taken from the only home the know and are thrown into an experimental hell.
This story chilled me and broke my heart. I almost cried for the brother and sister who are forced to trust their lives to a total stranger, while at the same time suffering from an act of ultimate betrayal.
Well done Mr. Hofstatter. I would love to see a sequel to this one.
This story chilled me and broke my heart. I almost cried for the brother and sister who are forced to trust their lives to a total stranger, while at the same time suffering from an act of ultimate betrayal.
Well done Mr. Hofstatter. I would love to see a sequel to this one.
November 15, 2014
Excellent
This book is simply amazing, the twists and the turns, leading you down a carefully constructed maze, the end left me baffled. Everything about this book is excellent from the writing down to the scene construction, I certainly hope that mister Hofstatter intends to do more with this world that he has constructed. Can't wait for more.
This book is simply amazing, the twists and the turns, leading you down a carefully constructed maze, the end left me baffled. Everything about this book is excellent from the writing down to the scene construction, I certainly hope that mister Hofstatter intends to do more with this world that he has constructed. Can't wait for more.
September 28, 2015
What the?
The wrong was ok, not great but, ok. I thought Demyan was a girl, no impression he was male. Atrocities to children, evil women, then the book just ended. That's it. Finite. Thank god it was short.
The wrong was ok, not great but, ok. I thought Demyan was a girl, no impression he was male. Atrocities to children, evil women, then the book just ended. That's it. Finite. Thank god it was short.
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