Psyche Horror: Five Short Works by Joshua Scribner

by Joshua Scribner

These stories blend psychological suspense with horror in a style reminiscent of Joshua Scribner's Novels FEAR AND REPULSION and SEED.

Genres: Short Stories, Horror

Nook

First published April 27, 2011

About the author

Joshua Scribner is the author of the novels Mantis Nights, The Coma Lights and Nescata. His fiction won both second and fifth place in the 2008 Whispering Spirits Flash Fiction contest. Up to date information on his work can be found at joshuascribner.com. Joshua currently lives in Michigan with his wife and two daughters.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joshua Scribner is a sick and twisted individual with a warped mind - and that's a good thing in the context of this short story collection!

I've read a lot of Scribner's short stories over the past month, and liked most of them, but I thought this collection was very good. I think as a writer the short story concept has to be the hardest of all: unlike a novel , where you can write a hundred thousand words or so to make your point, a short story writer has to quickly grab your attention and get you involved in the plot, characters, and story lines. Scribner hits it on all fronts with this five story collection.

Unlike a lot of collections where you enjoy some but not all, I thought each of these was very good - at the conclusion of each I felt wanting just a little more, and I also thought each of these could be great outlines for full-length novels (Scribner, if you're reading this that was a hint!).

If you're looking for a quick and enjoyable read say during your lunch break at work, I highly recommend picking this one up and giving it a shot.

[Wulfwyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of chilling horror stories. I would venture to call it a sampler of this author. In the first story a young unattractive man suddenly finds himself attracting the attention of a pretty girl. But where are the voices he hears coming from and what do they want? In the second A man and women argue with the result of his past coming to haunt him. The third story a wife murders her abusive husband. Is that really what happened? The fourth story brings us a military man who is given the choice to die or just possibly die. The final story tells of a young man in the counselor's office telling a shocking story of abuse while from the door comes the sounds of terror and chaos. I enjoyed the stories in this book. They are short stories so the terror comes fast and hits hard. This is a good book for a camp out or those times when you want to read creepy stories out loud. Good choice for when you want a little horror but don't have a lot of time.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five short stories:
Lifeless: You have no life. Do you want the life that's being offered?
Bringing It Up: Don't bring up past mistakes when having an argument unless your past is blameless.
You Remember: Hypnosis in the wrong hands.
The Soup Experiment: Finding ways to win a war.
Web: (Frankly, I didn't understand this one.) High school student with strange powers.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird little stories with weird endings. I liked it!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very creative short stories. Expertly written. Can't wait to read more by this author.