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Darkness Within, A Collection of Horrorific Short Stories
These bone-chilling, mind-wrenching short stories will leave you wondering about the people around you...and yourself.The OwnersWhat happens to us when the original owners of the planet finally show up?More To MeWhen the ugly truth is too much to bear, some people make their own truth...and it can get even uglier.PopcornCats are the most lovable of companions...until you cross them.Kings MountainThree points of view spanning one Town’s story of treachery and murder.JuniePlumb the depths of what a woman is capable of when everything she knows is threatened.No ForwardingCrazy is catching.PLUS three more and the first chapter of the novel "The Devil Stood Up" and the first three chapters of "Messages"...also by Christine Dougherty
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 17, 2011
About the author
Christine Dougherty
26 books51 followersChris Dougherty writes from a secluded haven in southern New Jersey at the edge of the Pine Barrens.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 21, 2019
Keep the lights on when reading.
A selection of dark, tense, spine-tingling and varied tales.
The last one, Victoria Dean - Serial Clerk, was a particular treat.
See my review also at:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
A selection of dark, tense, spine-tingling and varied tales.
The last one, Victoria Dean - Serial Clerk, was a particular treat.
See my review also at:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
October 12, 2012
"Darkness Within" by Christine Dougherty is a collection of short stories of a horrifying nature. I've previously read her novel "The Devil Stood Up" and the first three chapters of the novel are included in this collection. Dougherty has a dark style and the stories are suspenseful and disturbing. I'll highlight a few of my favorites.
In 'The Owners' the original owners of the planet have returned and have set child against parent in the slow methodical murder of the human race. Edgy and disturbing.
'More to Me' is about a woman visiting her 'inner child' on the advice of her therapist. It turns out her inner child is a brat and doesn't like her very much.
'Kings Mountain' takes three different points of view on two mysterious deaths that span decades.
One of my favorites was 'Victoria Dean - Serial Clerk' about a woman who surreptitiously destroys the career of anyone who comes into conflict with her at We Mean Business, Inc., a division of Big, Big Business, Co. I loved the company name and how she made the careers blow up. Disturbing in it's own way.
There are more stories and all are bound to set you thinking and give you a chill or two. If you are a fan of dark horror stories this is for you.
In 'The Owners' the original owners of the planet have returned and have set child against parent in the slow methodical murder of the human race. Edgy and disturbing.
'More to Me' is about a woman visiting her 'inner child' on the advice of her therapist. It turns out her inner child is a brat and doesn't like her very much.
'Kings Mountain' takes three different points of view on two mysterious deaths that span decades.
One of my favorites was 'Victoria Dean - Serial Clerk' about a woman who surreptitiously destroys the career of anyone who comes into conflict with her at We Mean Business, Inc., a division of Big, Big Business, Co. I loved the company name and how she made the careers blow up. Disturbing in it's own way.
There are more stories and all are bound to set you thinking and give you a chill or two. If you are a fan of dark horror stories this is for you.
April 5, 2019
As I have mentioned before I love a good anthology (movies and books). Darkness Within was a thrill to read from beginning to end. The writing is crisp and has plenty of twist and turns.
I find it hard not to say what I liked about each and every story, but that would ruin the reading. I would like to mention "The Owners", a scary story that starts off by letting you know whats happening and makes clear how the story will end and then gets darker and darker till it gets you to the end you knew was coming without loss of suspense or terror. Then there is "Popcorn" I can only say I have never been a cat person and this story reinforced my phobia of the demon creature we call "cat". I don't want to leave out "Crown Vic", besides the fact that I own a Crown Vic, the story starts off friendly enough, quickly escalates into a journey of terror and then (unlike most horror stories) ends on a sad note.
The other stories all have great themes and are also told well. Darkness Within is a most read if a quick paced scary story is your cup of tea, this one will not disappoint ...
I find it hard not to say what I liked about each and every story, but that would ruin the reading. I would like to mention "The Owners", a scary story that starts off by letting you know whats happening and makes clear how the story will end and then gets darker and darker till it gets you to the end you knew was coming without loss of suspense or terror. Then there is "Popcorn" I can only say I have never been a cat person and this story reinforced my phobia of the demon creature we call "cat". I don't want to leave out "Crown Vic", besides the fact that I own a Crown Vic, the story starts off friendly enough, quickly escalates into a journey of terror and then (unlike most horror stories) ends on a sad note.
The other stories all have great themes and are also told well. Darkness Within is a most read if a quick paced scary story is your cup of tea, this one will not disappoint ...
July 16, 2015
As I’ve mentioned countless times before, I’m not really into the whole anthology thing. But, I was pleasantly surprised by this collection of short stories and found myself captivated and enthralled by this author’s dark imagination.
I enjoyed every story and don’t have any particular favorites. However, two stories that stood out for me above the rest are Popcorn (because I love cats and can easily believe that they can be manipulative and evil), and also Crown Vic (because of the twisted humor found in the way it is written, as well as the narrative itself).
Each story offers something new and chilling, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this compilation of horror novellas to anyone looking for a read that is worth every cent!
I enjoyed every story and don’t have any particular favorites. However, two stories that stood out for me above the rest are Popcorn (because I love cats and can easily believe that they can be manipulative and evil), and also Crown Vic (because of the twisted humor found in the way it is written, as well as the narrative itself).
Each story offers something new and chilling, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this compilation of horror novellas to anyone looking for a read that is worth every cent!
Want to Read
October 21, 2013Read the story Popcorn, which I had downloaded as a freebie. Turns out I also have this collection it came from, must've grabbed it as a freebie too at some point, so I will definitely be getting to the rest of the stories soon.
As for Popcorn, I thought it was a pretty good story. I guessed early on what Popcorn's deal was, but I liked seeing where it went. I love cats, but I admit sometimes they can look at you with those eyes, and yea, they can look mean. Ha! I enjoyed how the woman and the cat's interactions escalated. I even had to gasp in shock at one or two points. I'm not going to be afraid of my cat, but this was a fun little short.
As for Popcorn, I thought it was a pretty good story. I guessed early on what Popcorn's deal was, but I liked seeing where it went. I love cats, but I admit sometimes they can look at you with those eyes, and yea, they can look mean. Ha! I enjoyed how the woman and the cat's interactions escalated. I even had to gasp in shock at one or two points. I'm not going to be afraid of my cat, but this was a fun little short.
January 2, 2015
I do not like "horror" fiction. I needed a fast read with the word "popcorn" for a scavenger word hunt and this one fit the bill. The fact that it was a short story collection made it even better because it was really fast to read front to back…
The stories were clever, I thought, and Dougherty has a knack for an unusual twist at the end, so this might be right up some other reader's alley. Just not the kind of stuff I care for, particularly.
The stories were clever, I thought, and Dougherty has a knack for an unusual twist at the end, so this might be right up some other reader's alley. Just not the kind of stuff I care for, particularly.
May 13, 2013
Some of the stories were okay but most were either too short so you were left wondering exactly how the story was supposed to end because it was left up in the air and not an author I would bother to read again unless she did a novel as this collection of stories were just not that good, a quick read but not very interesting in my opinion.
December 1, 2012
So far, so good...I'm about halfway through the book. I was only disappointed in one story so far.
March 29, 2013
It was okay. Some of the stories were a little dry and predictable but it was a decent book.
April 11, 2013
Stories in this were not very interesting and way too many typos and errors.
July 7, 2013
A collection of short stories.Most were good. Two of them I couldnt keep straight and didnt understand.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews