Dark Bites: Four Tales of Horror

by Robert Ropars

This collection combines Dark Bites 1-4 & includes an exclusive bonus Part 5 - As the Crow Flies (sequel to Part 1-Windy City of the Dead). Enjoy true horror as 4 women in Chicago from 1979 to the far future face zombies, were-wolves, vampires and ghosts. New twists on old stories, strong female leads & plenty of spine-tingling, bloody horror.

Nook

First published December 3, 2010

About the author

I was born in NJ, grew up in OH and have lived in the Chicago suburbs since 1986.

I write predominantly horror fiction and some poetry, enjoy photography, early tech adopter, movie lover and aspiring filmmaker.

Contact me with any of your questions, comments, or feedback:
robropars@gmail.com

Reviews

[Ben Mizrahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice collection of five interrelated stories. The stories themselves are very well written, but somewhat unremarkable.

[Liz Sanquiche · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a horror book in quite awhile. I'm a huge fan of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I've read 10 of Stephen King's, so I have a lot of catching up to do. Mostly the original and most well known like: The Shining-Carrie-Cujo-Fire Starter-Pet Sematary-It-Dream Catcher-The Dark Half-The Stand-The Dead Zone. It...scared the crap out of me, that was no joke!!! The kind that makes it difficult to sleep at night. As to movies, not a fan of bloody gore like Friday the 13th. I prefer movies that actually scare the crap out of you, the intelligent suspenseful way. I mention all of this because I believe that it takes talent and finesse to achieve this result, maybe even a severely warped mind. I would imagine lots of research, seclusion and getting into a zone. Something that comes with years of doing and perfecting.
I started reading this book at night after I climbed in bed to go to sleep, best time to read horror.
It consists of five stories. Windy City of the Dead: zombies, Like Cats and Dogs: werewolves, Red Planet: a vampire, 848: a sadistic killer, and As the Crow Flies: sequel to Windy City. I enjoyed that the protagonists were all women. They are diverse as each story and the stories don't all end in happily ever after, which is cool and realistic. Windy City I felt was the scariest story and led me to read this book during the day only, okay so maybe I'm a scarey cat. I was also surprised at how it ended. Like cats and dogs was one of my two favorites, interesting... the concept of were animals, not all wolves and the legend behind it. 848, was my other favorite. Terrifying because it was realistic. Showing how vulnerable we can really be when we trust others and how warped some individuals are in this world. Red planet was cool, set in a futuristic setting and a vampire who is the last of her kind. Devising a plan to prevent extinction and the irony as to how it evolves. This could have actually been a novel in itself, if the author had chosen to do so. Plenty of vampire stories out there but they are not set in the future. As the crow flies shows how we can take fate in our own hands and look fear in the face. Dire times, are when we prove to be our best and find the courage to get past our fears.
I enjoyed this book. If you love to get scared senseless in an intense way, this book won't do it for you...if scare factor is all you seek. However, you will feel fright, alarm, anticipation, compassion, curiosity, sadness and certainly empathy/sympathy for the characters. This book will only take a small bite out of your time and pocket. And...it didn't hurt, not one bit!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a horror book in quite awhile. I'm a huge fan of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I've read 10 of Stephen King's, so I have a lot of catching up to do. Mostly the original and most well known like: The Shining-Carrie-Cujo-Fire Starter-Pet Sematary-It-Dream Catcher-The Dark Half-The Stand-The Dead Zone. It...scared the crap out of me, that was no joke!!! The kind that makes it difficult to sleep at night. As to movies, not a fan of bloody gore like Friday the 13th. I prefer movies that actually scare the crap out of you, the intelligent suspenseful way. I mention all of this because I believe that it takes talent and finesse to achieve this result, maybe even a severely warped mind. I would imagine lots of research, seclusion and getting into a zone. Something that comes with years of doing and perfecting.
I started reading this book at night after I climbed in bed to go to sleep, best time to read horror.
It consists of five stories. Windy City of the Dead: zombies, Like Cats and Dogs: werewolves, Red Planet: a vampire, 848: a sadistic killer, and As the Crow Flies: sequel to Windy City. I enjoyed that the protagonists were all women. They are diverse as each story and the stories don't all end in happily ever after, which is cool and realistic. Windy City I felt was the scariest story and led me to read this book during the day only, okay so maybe I'm a scaredy cat. I was also surprised at how it ended. Like cats and dogs was one of my two favorites, interesting... the concept of were animals, not all wolves and the legend behind it. 848, was my other favorite. Terrifying because it was realistic. Showing how vulnerable we can really be when we trust others and how warped some individuals are in this world. Red planet was cool, set in a futuristic setting and a vampire who is the last of her kind. Devising a plan to prevent extinction and the irony as to how it evolves. This could have actually been a novel in itself, if the author had chosen to do so. Plenty of vampire stories out there but they are not set in the future. As the crow flies shows how we can take fate in our own hands and look fear in the face. Dire times, are when we prove to be our best and find the courage to get past our fears.
I enjoyed this book. If you love to get scared senseless in an intense way, this book won't do it for you...if scare factor is all you seek. However, you will feel fright, alarm, anticipation, compassion, curiosity, sadness and certainly empathy/sympathy for the characters. This book will only take a small bite out of your time and pocket. And...it didn't hurt, not one bit!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent anthology of short stories about the paranormal. :)

[Beutow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book. I like how all the stories referenced back to the previous ones. I usually don't read about zombies and vampires but this was a good read.