Servants of Darkness
Mark Edward Hall
Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars
3.50
· 2 ratings · 365 pages · Published: 10 Feb 2010
Includes Hall’s first ever published short story, 1995s “Bug Shot”
“If you're not familiar with the fiction of Mark Edward Hall, SERVANTS OF
DARKNESS is a great opportunity to GET familiar with it. Thirteen chilling, creepy, occasionally horrifying tales in a $1.99 download, complete with outstanding, mood-setting original cover artwork, is a bargain no horror/dark fiction lover should pass up.
"The Comfort of a Stranger" leads the book off, and it's a perfect choice. A chance meeting at a cathedral's demolition site between a suffering young woman and a stranger morphs from unsettling to terrifying when you discover the stranger's identity. He is simultaneously more and less than he appears.
From there the reader is hooked, and Hall takes you on a meandering journey through a skewed world where nothing, not even a lowly can of bug spray, can ever be considered harmless or innocent. Some truly unique takes on dark fiction are offered up, including "Room Number 9," which any Beatles fan will appreciate while perhaps never looking at John Lennon in quite the same way again.
My two favorite stories are the last two, "The Breath of Life," an ambitious (for a short story) adventure in pre-World War II Egypt that spawns consequences in latter-day America, and "The Hero of Elm Street," a twist on the traditional ghost story that seems almost autobiographical.
If you enjoy dark fiction, you can't go wrong with SERVANTS OF DARKNESS. Mark Edward Hall serves up hours of enjoyment for less than the price of a large coffee.”
—Allan Leverone, Author
“Hall has an uncanny knack for blending vivid, almost poetic prose with visceral images of jaw-dropping horror to great effect.” —Vince Liaguno, The Literary Six
“Poetic and eerily seductive, Hall pushes you to the edge, until you get lost in the beautiful madness of his creations.” —Midwest Book Review
“Mark Edward Hall is a literary artist, a strong new voice in the horror genre.” —Lloyd F. Richey, Stormdragon
"Hall is an insightful author with the ability to craft a brilliant story.” —Dream Forge
Tagged as:
- horror 3
- supernatural 2
- suspense 2
- classics 2
- paranormal 1
- Add topics
- format - reader age
- anthology 3
- adult fiction 1