The Dark House

by A.C. Wise

A photographer’s obsession with an unsettled subject exposes two friends to a darkness that won’t be contained by frames…

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Ghosts, Audiobook, Paranormal

22 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2023

About the author

A.C. Wise's fiction has appeared in publications such as Uncanny, Shimmer, and Tor.com, among other places. She had two collections published with Lethe Press, and a novella published by Broken Eye Books. Her debut novel, Wendy, Darling, is out from Titan Books n June 2021, and a new collection, The Ghost Sequences, is forthcoming from Undertow Books in October 2021. Her work has won the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, as well as being a two-time Nebula finalist, a two-time Sunburst finalist, an Aurora finalist, and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. In addition to her fiction, she contributes review columns to the Book Smugglers and Apex Magazine, and has been a finalist for the Ignyte Award in the Critics category.

Reviews

[ren !! · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was weird. promising beginning, interesting enough middle and then.. barely any conclusion. that's really the worst part. the writing was good and i liked the concept; the execution was coming off strong and then the end is so lackluster and, as it seems to me, rushed. my own conclusion is that i'm not into these kinds of horror books in particular.

[John Wiswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A.C. Wise knows how to be creepy AF, I tell you what.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is really short and there's not much of a plot...but the vibes were definitely spooky. The ending left things pretty open and unresolved...so if you don't like that then maybe skip this one...but some of the visuals this gave me were genuinely creepy. I'd read it again and would recommend if you're just looking for something short and quick with creepy vibes.

[luna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think that this was a case of getting super into a concept, but absolutely hating the execution of it. I don't think that the author's style of writing was for me. It felt very ... dry? That's the closest term to how I felt about it that I can think of at the moment. And, despite it being a short story, I found myself being extremely unmotivated to read it, and was very close to a DNF. I probably should have, tbh. I couldn't get myself invested in any of the characters, and I found the flashback/going back in time scenes to be too jarring.

*1.5 stars

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

very atmospheric

[Beth Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfectly creepy short story. I love how this author incorporates art themes into many of their stories. The tone of this is perfect and haunting.

[Tom A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2024 #6: The Dark House by A. C. Wise

The burden on modern ghost stories. What else about hauntings can you write in this new era that won't be considered cliche or broken down by the nitpickiest horror fan? A. C. Wise navigates these turbulent waters as best she can but the result needs a little more horror, especially the ending. The idea behind the Dark House was great but as soon as the ahem True Detective Season 1 flat circle reasoning rears its ugly head, the whole thing loses its immediacy. More ambiguity perhaps? Something akin to THE GRIP OF IT?

Good entertainment nonetheless. Still, it could have been better.

[Amy Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-crafted horror story about a house that photographs oddly. The MC runs across a bunch of photos of it in an exhibit and decides to have an in-person look at it... and regrets it. I don't really want to say more than that, as it's a tale that's much more interesting the less you know going in, imo.

Looks like it's available on the web for free at reactormagazine, and it's also available to listen to for free on Wil Wheaton's "It's Story Time" podcast.

Recommended.

The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is that I like more definitive endings on things. YMMV.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this short story through the It's Storytime with Wil Wheaton podcast. In this eerie story, two friends attend a photography exhibit that showcases a house that they become intrigued by. They end up visiting the nearby house that has had tragedies associated with it, and one discovers hidden photos. The story had an atmospheric start and dealt with inevitability and time loops, but it didn't deliver at the end.

[Gonçalo · Rating 2 out of 5]

“There are too many shadows in the house. They fill all the corners. And she is there in every one of them. Waiting.”

Interesting ideas about the passage of time. Felt somewhat incomplete, though.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A famous photographer's obsession with a certain house causes two friends to investigate an old report of the house being haunted.

There is a nice, creepy, tang to this tale. Wise creates a great atmosphere and then pays the story off deftly.

[Dave Dando-moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very short yet engaging story which uses the idea of photography as a means to recast time in a nonlinear way (think Arrival, but with a child ghost and photos buried in the walls/floors....). The characters are deliberately vague, cast into their situation more as vehicles themselves than people, which serves to strengthen the sense of dread, inevitability and immanence in the narrative.

I personally loved it. It was one of the best short stories/novellas I've read in a while. WIll definitely be checking out more by this writer.

[✧˚ · meda * ˚ ✦ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hair-rising novella that will surely imprints on one's mind like a photograph.

This short story is right-of-the-bat engaging, the dialogue is quite realistic, and the imagery are both easy and satisfying to picture. So, it is definitely a positive thing to say that now I am very much scared of dark rooms. Uh huh.

Although the sudden shift of mood in the end may have slightly changed the supposed rising of the horror that I have been feeling, I believed it still did not disappoint for it still delivered what has to be delivered as a conclusion.

All in all, it is a solid 3 stars ★★★ for your girly right here.

[Corrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dark House by author A. C. Wise is a short story you can read for free on the Tor.com site https://www.tor.com/2023/03/15/the-da...

A photographer’s obsession with an unsettled subject exposes two friends to a darkness that won’t be contained by frames…

My ongoing quest to get current with the Tor short stories.

An old house, a photographer’s obsession. We get to know more through flashbacks.
I love A.C. Wise, and this is a perfectly crafted creepy short story.

4 Stars

[Ambrose Malles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea, and that's a plus considering I'm not usually into haunted houses. The problem I have is Dark House had a weak conclusion, and good endings are a NEED for a short story. It's too short to end without a bang. I have an ending myself that I think would have worked better.. but I'm not a published author. It was instead a gimmick that didn't turn out well. Wise did write some creepy prose but it wasn't enough for me. I think this will go down as forgettable.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the atmosphere of the story. Very creepy. I think the messaging was a bit heavy. About non-linearity and bad things always going to happen at the Dark House. I think this should really have been longer. Definitely feels like Jared wasn't 100% human and I wanted to see how it played out with Russ.

[S.M.]

Nicely creepy, though the ending petered out a bit.

[Heaven Ashlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm a good start but I feel like something is lacking in the ending.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting in the way it played with time and horror but it moved too slowly for me.

[Roland · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average horror short.

[Esha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read 2023: ⭐️⭐️.5

[poka · Rating 3 out of 5]

the writing is rlly good, spooked me for a bit but i wasn't really satisfied w how the story ended i think. but i adore the author's writing style.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

It never grabbed me but it is still a good story if that makes sense

[Steff Mother of Sphynx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, the story didn’t do much for me but I loved the writing style, I’ll definitely check out more of Wise’s books.

[Heni · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's creepy. The horror element is great and there's also an eerie time loops. My only issue is well... It's a haunted house again.

[umainthewild · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author sure knows how to write a creepy atmospheric story but the conclusion left me a bit dissatisfied.

[Demerothe · Rating 2 out of 5]

3/10
Not for me ig

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful writing. Perfectly spooky

[Per · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://reactormag.com/the-dark-house...

[Dua (in reading slump) ✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting premise, mediocre execution.

Flat writing, which utterly failed to convey the sense of dread, and lacklustre ending made this a disappointing read.

And all that "it's too late because time is cyclical" bullshit frustrated me af. I can see what the author tried (and failed) to do, but I am sure there are better ways to do that.

Read here: https://reactormag.com/the-dark-house...