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The Chapel by the Sea and Other Tales of Terror
A collection of short horror stories in the style of a Lovecraft or Poe with a couple stories delving into the Cthulhu mythos.
In "The Chapel by the Sea" a man awakes alone on a train bound for Germany and soon discovers the nightmare he awoke from pales in comparison to the living nightmare he awakes to find.
In "Adrift" a few survivors of a sunken ship battle the elements to stay alive.
In an Attic Revelation the tables turn for two strangers for find themselves face to face one late night in war torn Germany.
Several other tales are all woven together to paint a horrendous picture of terror and horror from published author Michael Dortmundt.
In "The Chapel by the Sea" a man awakes alone on a train bound for Germany and soon discovers the nightmare he awoke from pales in comparison to the living nightmare he awakes to find.
In "Adrift" a few survivors of a sunken ship battle the elements to stay alive.
In an Attic Revelation the tables turn for two strangers for find themselves face to face one late night in war torn Germany.
Several other tales are all woven together to paint a horrendous picture of terror and horror from published author Michael Dortmundt.
100 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2010
About the author
Michael Dortmundt
1 book14 followersI write short horror fiction stories mostly. I have a few publications lurking around out there. The latest of which is my first book "The Chapel by the Sea and Other Tales of Terror" which is a collection of the short horror stories I have written and compiled over the last year. It is available among other places on Amazon.com. I am currently at work on my second book entitled "What Horrors Await" which will be available October 31st 2011.
I love to read and enjoy most any genre, provided it is well written or can retain my interest. I am relatively new to the whole writing thing and write mostly in the styles of Lovecraft, Machen and Poe. I am interested in meeting fellow writers and readers and sharing works amongst us. I will be working to update this site as I am new to Goodreads and still don't have a full feel of the site yet. I look forward to being a part of it though and always welcome comments and suggestions.
I have a newborn baby daughter with my beloved fiance Kathleen and currently live between Switzerland and Florida.
I love to read and enjoy most any genre, provided it is well written or can retain my interest. I am relatively new to the whole writing thing and write mostly in the styles of Lovecraft, Machen and Poe. I am interested in meeting fellow writers and readers and sharing works amongst us. I will be working to update this site as I am new to Goodreads and still don't have a full feel of the site yet. I look forward to being a part of it though and always welcome comments and suggestions.
I have a newborn baby daughter with my beloved fiance Kathleen and currently live between Switzerland and Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 10, 2010
If you like your reads dark, and deep, and filled with creeping terror, then Michael Dortmundt is your man.
This collection delivers all that it promises and more.
Read at your peril.
Martin Treanor
This collection delivers all that it promises and more.
Read at your peril.
Martin Treanor
December 5, 2010
The writing style of the author brings me back to some of the classic horror writers like Edgar Allan Poe. I found the style to be beautiful, and it brought a lot of flavor to the stories. Speaking of which, here are the stories you'll find in this collection:
1. The Chapel by the Sea: A man riding a train wakes up to find that he's alone and the train has stopped. He gets out and finds that the only living person in town is an old man who runs a creepy hotel. What I liked most about this story was the creepy old man and the pictures that seemed to get more monstrous the more the man looked at them. It set the tone for the rest of the story.
2. The Clumphill Diaries: This was spooky. There were noises from the pipes, scratching behind a wall, a putrid odor coming from a well that got worse and worse, and then the man's wife did a weird vigil by the well. I really liked the way this one ended.
3. The Horror in Cell 18: The prisoners in this cell end up getting cuts all over them. This was okay. I enjoyed it enough, but it's not among my favorites. I would have liked to have seen the source of the attack, but maybe that is part of the mystery behind it (so we'll have to use our imagination).
4. A Night Forgotten: A woman who just gives birth is convinced her baby is the spawn of Satan. What I enjoyed most about this one was her thought process as she recalled the baby's conception and debated on what to do with the 'monster' child.
5. Adrift: This was my favorite one of all the stories because of how easily the hero went from being a civilized man to a barbarian. I particularly enjoyed his rationale as he and the other three men who escaped from a drowning ship turned to the dreadful task of cannibalism. Warning: this one is not for the faint of heart. But the ending, even while it made me queasy, was terrific. Had it ended any other way, it would have lost its impact.
6. Forbidden Love: A man notices a woman giving him the 'let's meet up later' look, and without spoiling the story, it is not at all what you think it's going to be. Excellent job with this one.
7. The Attic Revelation: WWII Germany just fell and the Nazi soldier hides out in the attic of Jews. In many ways, this was a redeeming story since the soldier began to see things from the other side. I did like this for the moral lesson involved in how we view our 'enemies'.
8. The Cabin Manuscript: A college student ends up hiding from 'them' in a cabin and writes down his final thoughts before his certain death. Without being able to spoil this, all I can say is that the panic in the main character was very well done.
9. Ghost Ship: This is a beautifully worded poem about death and the seas.
Overall: This book was a treat to read, and I'd give it six stars if I could. The author is able to get into the head of all of his characters, and even the most ghastly deeds are explained well enough so as to be believable. Some of the twists and turns were unexpected, which I thoroughly enjoyed. And the key here is horror, so if you're expecting a book that is fluffy and cheery, don't buy this one. However, if you're looking for something that exposes the darker side of our existence, then by all means, check it out. Much of the horror is psychological but there are some physical horror elements too. I'm looking forward to reading this author's future works.
1. The Chapel by the Sea: A man riding a train wakes up to find that he's alone and the train has stopped. He gets out and finds that the only living person in town is an old man who runs a creepy hotel. What I liked most about this story was the creepy old man and the pictures that seemed to get more monstrous the more the man looked at them. It set the tone for the rest of the story.
2. The Clumphill Diaries: This was spooky. There were noises from the pipes, scratching behind a wall, a putrid odor coming from a well that got worse and worse, and then the man's wife did a weird vigil by the well. I really liked the way this one ended.
3. The Horror in Cell 18: The prisoners in this cell end up getting cuts all over them. This was okay. I enjoyed it enough, but it's not among my favorites. I would have liked to have seen the source of the attack, but maybe that is part of the mystery behind it (so we'll have to use our imagination).
4. A Night Forgotten: A woman who just gives birth is convinced her baby is the spawn of Satan. What I enjoyed most about this one was her thought process as she recalled the baby's conception and debated on what to do with the 'monster' child.
5. Adrift: This was my favorite one of all the stories because of how easily the hero went from being a civilized man to a barbarian. I particularly enjoyed his rationale as he and the other three men who escaped from a drowning ship turned to the dreadful task of cannibalism. Warning: this one is not for the faint of heart. But the ending, even while it made me queasy, was terrific. Had it ended any other way, it would have lost its impact.
6. Forbidden Love: A man notices a woman giving him the 'let's meet up later' look, and without spoiling the story, it is not at all what you think it's going to be. Excellent job with this one.
7. The Attic Revelation: WWII Germany just fell and the Nazi soldier hides out in the attic of Jews. In many ways, this was a redeeming story since the soldier began to see things from the other side. I did like this for the moral lesson involved in how we view our 'enemies'.
8. The Cabin Manuscript: A college student ends up hiding from 'them' in a cabin and writes down his final thoughts before his certain death. Without being able to spoil this, all I can say is that the panic in the main character was very well done.
9. Ghost Ship: This is a beautifully worded poem about death and the seas.
Overall: This book was a treat to read, and I'd give it six stars if I could. The author is able to get into the head of all of his characters, and even the most ghastly deeds are explained well enough so as to be believable. Some of the twists and turns were unexpected, which I thoroughly enjoyed. And the key here is horror, so if you're expecting a book that is fluffy and cheery, don't buy this one. However, if you're looking for something that exposes the darker side of our existence, then by all means, check it out. Much of the horror is psychological but there are some physical horror elements too. I'm looking forward to reading this author's future works.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews