Nyctophobia: Should You be Afraid?: A Dystopian Apocalyptic Horror Novel

by Charles Welch

Ethan Simmons wakes on a Saturday morning to an overcast sky, and a hangover. He has slept in his clothes and cannot recall the events of the night before. This isn’t the first time his partying lifestyle has caused him memory troubles; however, it is the first time those issues have placed a deep-seated fear in his heart.

As he takes in the neighborhood from his front porch, Ethan realizes the drinking from the night before isn’t the only thing that has escaped his memory.

Ethan can recall the names of three of his neighbors, but not much more about anything.
As his neighbors reacquaint themselves, Ethan is shocked to find that each of them suffers the same problem. They all know each other, but none is sure how.
This is only the first shocking discovery Ethan, and his neighbors make. Soon, they come to know they are stuck in their little town with no way to escape. Each night brings with it horrifying nightmares. Their dreams are trying to reveal to them a story, their story. It is an intermingled story of deceit and tragedy that none of them can entirely piece together.

Their neighborhood street is an unfamiliar place of mystery. They are stuck, and they are alone.

Until they meet someone special, someone who holds the key to understanding the very source of evil that has invaded their lives and stolen their pasts. Time is running short. Their lives depend on escaping the town that imprisons them.

They are terrified of the images of terror that come to them in their sleep.

They need to move, and they should run, but it’s hard to overcome Nyctophobia.

Should you also be afraid of the dark?

Genres: Horror

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 20, 2023

About the author

Charles Welch has been a home designer and builder, a middle school and high school teacher, education administrator, corporate learning and development professional and writer, previously publishing the spiritual book Walking Softly. His formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science Teaching, a Master of Education in Learning and Technology, and an Educational Doctorate in eLearning.

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was set on a 3.5 star rating, but the complexities that Charles Welch incorporated here deserved a lot of credit, bumping it to a solid 4. The entire thing felt like an old episode of The Twilight Zone, but with a more modern and horrorific spin. We meet these neighbors on a quiet street, all having terrible nightmares and waking at the same time each night. They also can’t remember much more than their own names. They begin to engage one another, in an attempt to figure out what the heck is going on. And what unfolds is something very unexpected and extraordinary. Now this story takes a long time to find its flow. The beginning portion leaves the reader a bit too disoriented at times, between the visions and nightmares, and the group trying to recall their histories. I feel that the author needed to keep things a bit more focused. Maybe progress the story with each one of those occurences in a more systematic approach, rather than just a blitzkrieg of seemingly random tidbits. After the early parts, the pace was pretty good, as was the character development. I also did enjoy the somewhat twisty ending, but if you paid close attention to some of the foreshadowing and hints, you could piece together where it was all headed. However, none of that took away from the desired impact that Welch was looking to achieve with his audience. But an overall great effort by the author here using a fairly original concept.

[NocturnalWolfsbane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is like a step down from Hellraiser! It was predictable but I did love the character development and the twist at the end was scary! Juana knew what was going on lol always trust a religious person in this scenario! Kept me on the edge of my seat. But the plot was desired more though for me.

[Ron D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just Okay

Predictable for me. The characters were just okay. The scene settings were sparse, and the plot left something to be desired.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great One

This was good and I always enjoy the stories featuring Lived.Definitely enjoyed getting more of him in this book.This was a good story and definitely kept me in my toes trying to puzzle it out...I had a suspicion when they were in the sewers but I wasn't sure . Definitely looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Julie Houser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nyctophobia: Should You be Afraid? by Charles Welch was a different horror story than I’ve ever read before. I did not care a lot for it, but it was written well and had a surprising ending. It does make you think about the consequences of your own sin.

[Tammy davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good luck figuring this one out!

Such an awesome story! The fun is in trying to figure out how we got from point A to number 33.I really had fun with this story, and I think you will too. This is also a thinker.. So imagine, think, and have fun, and scares.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 🌟 read rounded ⬆️ to 4 🌟.

I read the Kindle version of this book but the cover ⬆️ is the one I have.

This was a confusing little gem but definitely got you thinking. 🤔 One to mark off my "Have The Book - TBR" Goals list.

[Chrisanne Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nonstop Nightmare!!!!

Once again Charles Welch is amazing. I couldn’t put the story down as I had to know the true ending. The characters were great and I am on edge the whole time. Quick read n perfect ending !!!

[susan gobis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

Nyctophobia is a really good book. I enjoyed reading this book and I recommend this book. The book has a twist I didn't see coming.

[LORRIE · Rating 4 out of 5]

creepy and excellent

This was an amazing book. It got me from the start and never let go until the end. I loved it

[M.J. Schwer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling….kept me wondering until the end! A real page turner!