This time the heroes don’t rise, there are no knights in shining armour, and good doesn’t triumph. It is time for the villains’ story.
Craving a little blood or perhaps some horrific death? Slake your gruesome thirst for vicarious thrills with five chilling stories that go inside the twisted lives of serial killers and beyond to the dark, disturbing company of demons. Turn the pages and delve into the dark and murky world of evil.
The Tales:
A woman wakes up afraid, alone, and in complete darkness. A collector of hearts stalks Valentine’s Day. One man on the edge of being London’s most famous serial killer. Hell has a bounty hunter. Demon vs. knight with one soul as the prize.
Killers and Demons, where the macabre murderers don’t get caught and evil triumphs. Come watch the blood drip slowly, sweetly from their fingers.
I'm from Nova Scotia, Canada, and I write speculative fiction (fantasy, sci-fi, horror), as well as poetry. I have been plying the trade for several years, periodically interrupted by those pesky events from life. I have published independently and authored such books as the Saga of the Outer Islands series, the Killers and Demons series, Fairy Tale Fusion, and Ruined City. I've also had stories published in various anthologies, including Hell's Empire, A Twist of Fate, the Christmas Lites series and Mechanized Masterpieces from Xchyler Publishing.
Five short stories to chill your bones and feel blessed that you are not living the story unfolding before your eyes. Killers and Demons is an apt name for this book, every story centers around one or the other, and in many cases, they are one in the same.
Although not appropriate for anyone younger that high school age, I think this would still qualify as a great YA horror short story book. The tales are brief enough to capture their interest; short enough for them to learn to tell during sleepovers and over campfires.
Victorian shadows has the best feel to me, and I feel that one could easily be stretched into a novella at the very least, learning how one escapes Hell and lives on the run from a demon. The rest of the stories are sure to make your YA reader think twice before turning off the light or walking down a dark alley. For .99 cents on SmashWords, it is a great start to your high schooler's summer reading list! (flashlight and scary sound effects not included!!)
Short scary tales hook you from the first page in A. F. Stewart’s Killers and Demons. In classic short horror tradition, the tales evoke darkness with beautiful use of language, and twist the reader’s emotions onto a slippery, slithery slope. Reminding me of Ray Bradbury, the author sets up simple scenes—a dinner table perhaps, laid out for a gourmet meal, a faithful knight at prayer, or the haunting fog of Victorian London. Each tale is perfectly seasoned with surprising stings, leaving the reader haunted by the sort of questions horror is meant to leave. And the author wisely doesn’t give the background—who knows, this killer or demon just might live next door.
Delicious, perfectly fitting the scary book cover, ideal for a haunting evening’s read… but keep the lights on and play the music loudly.
Disclosure: I was lucky enough to get a free ecopy of this book, and I already knew I enjoy the author’s writing.
I absolutely LOVE it when you come across amazing reads that are offered as freebies via the author/Instafreebie - and this was certainly one of those! A collection of short stories featuring the chilling and eerie, it held you gripping the electronic pages from the first sentence. The novella was interestingly split into two parts, one for the Killers and one for the Demons. Highly recommended for horror short story aficionados.
If I thought I enjoyed A.F. Stewart’s book, Once Upon a Dark and Eerie, let me say I adored Killers & Demons. Comprised of five separate tales, Killers & Demons is a deliciously dark read that will have you glancing at the shadows between tales.
Where Dark and Eerie consisted of shorter vignettes that left me craving more, Killers was a more satisfying meal with plenty of old world flavor. Stewart’s writing is descriptive and reminds me of a Poe crossed Dickens.
My very favorite of the five tales was easily Victorian Shadows. The heroine, Sally, is an escape artist with a demonic hunter hot on her trail. I admired her clever, resilient nature and hope that her tale can travel on to more stories. Her hunter was impressively ominous down to the details; an alluring nightmare. Here’s a brief taste from Victorian Shadows:
“Sulphurous wind gusted in his wake; The dust of the street swirled and the folds of his black coat flapped against his thin body. He sauntered into the world with purpose, angry and proud.”
I read through Killers & Demons rather quickly, and that might be my only real critique of Stewart’s work, both Dark & Eerie and Killers. She plays with words elegantly, weaving them together into brilliant tapestry, but I want to know more. Does Sally try her old tricks again, giving Balthazar a new trail to follow? Why did the polite host from You’ve Got to Have Heart have such a grisly holiday tradition? Does Mr. Peter’s have a new hobby and career to add to his story?
Ms. Stewart has a beautiful sense of wordplay that I enjoy, and I find myself wanting more. I’ll be looking through her website looking for more of her works and hoping to find continuations of some of the tantalizing stories she has lit up in my mind.
If you find yourself lacking time and never read any of A. F. Stewart’s material, Killers and Demons I & II is a good start. I give this book a five out of five star rating for the genuine disturbing feeling I get from reading these shorts. It is a collection of short stories delving into the minds of literall killers and demons (the title says it all), and will leave you with hours of lasting entertainment, not to mention the lingering thoughts that will prevail there after. AF does such a great job exposing you to the will and testaments of some of the worlds most horrific mind sets. It was a hell of a good time.
If I were to choose a side that was my favorite, I would have to go with the “killer” stories. The stories themselves, wether killer or demon, told from their POV, progressively get more involved and more grotesque and more macabre and more, well, like I said, DISTURBING.
I’ve read some of AF’s different works and none display so keenly her ability to write then in this collection of horror. She effectively shows off her cunning and prowess and her amazing ability at wit. You really get a full taste of what she has to offer. Some of my favorite stories were Advent of Night, One night in London, and of course, Breakdown in Communication (on what a story!)
If you find yourself wanting a quick read here and there between those precious slivers of time in your day, look no further. Killers and Demons I & II will satiate the wettest of appetites (Family Trait) and have you craving for more blood.
If you are all about sweet little love stories and happy endings, Killers and Demons is not for you. But, if you want some gruesome, spine-chilling murders and merciless demons, look no further!
Killers and Demons is a collection of five short stories about, you guessed it, twisted serial killers and disturbing demons. From Valentine’s slayings to callous, vindictive soul-hunters, A.F. Stewart gets it right!
I was absolutely hooked from page one. Actually, make that the cover! Right away, you know what this book is all about, and you know it is going to be remarkable. Stewart has a fantastic writing style that gives the reader the haunting feel of the story immediately and portrays the terror of a full-length horror novel in just a few enthralling pages. Her characters are spot on, from the abrupt and heartless murderers of “Devoid,” “You Got to have Heart,” and “London, 1888” (which reminded me very much of Sweeny Todd) to her humanized yet pitiless demons in “Victorian Shadows” and “Advent of Night” (the latter two being my favorites).
I highly recommend this collection of stories as a quick and entertaining piece—for more mature readers!
This book is a short read and exactly what I needed in between my readings. It's disturbing in all the right ways and so beautifully written. This the first collection I've read by A.F. Stewart and it has me excited to read more.
I love this & I can't wait for more. I will be also leaving a review on Goodreads @ Amazon. And letting everyone know about it. So i gave it a 5 Stars.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed Killers and Demons. The short stories grabbed you and took you into dark places where the characters were intense. I was looking around the room, while reading, just to make sure I was not being watched. These stories definitely made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. This is one book not to be missed.