The Illusion of Choice

Morbid Curiosities #2

by Aron Beauregard

Heather Mills has had a run of bad luck. After an obsessed stalker forces her to move East, her new apartment catches fire and she loses everything. She accepts a charitable offer that allows her to live in the basement of an old house awaiting renovation while she gets back on her feet. But what she finds in the dark cellar challenges the fabric of reality. A lost invention with the potential to elevate her from the slums—to re-decide her many poor life choices in the blink of an eye. Because her life couldn’t possibly get worse, could it? This volume contains 5 interior illustrations. This book contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

Genres: Horror, Splatterpunk, Audiobook

95 pages, Paperback

Published May 17, 2023

About the author

Aron Beauregard was born and raised in Central Falls, Rhode Island. He's been writing horror since the 6th grade and has now released over 25 books. An avid supporter of horror art and illustration, Aron has made it his standard to hire illustrators for every book that he puts out under his brand AB Horror.

His writing is dark and without boundaries. Known for creating a stir, his work has gone viral on several occasions. He's won the Splatterpunk Award twice after garnering four total nominations. As an independent artist, Beauregard's book "Playground" has achieved #1 Bestseller status under the category of horror on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, his work has been translated to multiple languages.

To get the latest updates about upcoming releases, signed books and merchandise, film news, and so much more, visit his website:

www.ABHorror.com

To subscribe to his free newsletter, join the AB Horror Maggot Mailing List at:

https://aronbeauregard.substack.com/

Reviews

[Mort · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review at The Mort Report:
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/the...

Yeah, baby!
I loved this one – a fresh spin on an idea that has been popularized in Science Fiction since 1895 by another legendary writer. That’s your only clue.

This one was darker than the first, but it completely fit with the world Aron created.

Can’t recommend this one enough.

Easy 5 Stars!

[Gohnar23 (hiatus but still reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books read & reviewed: 1️⃣4️⃣4️⃣🥖4️⃣0️⃣0️⃣


╔⏤⏤⏤╝❀╚⏤⏤⏤╗


5️⃣🌟, Aron Beuaregard should be a sci-fi author, this shit is really goooooood
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➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗

This is much less of a splatterpunk book but now more of a sci fi book, a girl discovers in a basement a single machine that can time travel you to another separate dimension or another separate timeline where literally everything can be random, your stalker, for your life direction, the entire world that you live in and the body that you're in. I mean...things couldn't get any worse right? (Right?)

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Date Read: Friday, March 28, 2025
Book Length: 18k words:
Disturbingness scale:Sci-fiiiiiii out of 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ potatoes 🥔: 5️⃣2️⃣

My 58th read of splatterpunk march ✨

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*Pre-Read✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The next installation in the very underwhelming series by aron

[Jason Nickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I enjoyed book one of AB's Morbid Curiosities, I was not expecting to like book two so much more. The main story (which is book ended by a smaller wrap around story to be continued in book three) was an awesome concept and a variation of one of my favorite story tropes. It's made clear in the first book that this series was his homage to Rod Serling, and he nailed the Twilight Zone feel in this story.

[Alenna Burleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heather has had a really hard time recently in her life, from losing all her belongings and house to having to move out of state due to a scary situation with a man, she’s been through the ringer. When she gets to a new place to stay with the help of her boss, she notices an undisclosed hatch on the floor of the basement she’s staying in, opening it to find an old room with lots of notes and stories of the “randomizer” she decides she can choose to change her situation.

This was a good read, the concept was very interesting, the characters were well thought out.

[R.J. Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twist after twist! Excellent reading material 💀

[John Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Morbid Curiosities book 2 is another great book. Very twilight zone ish, which was the authors intent, but this being an Aron Beauregard book, it gets violent and gross. As usual, I found myself gagging at a few parts. Beauregard really knows how to turn your stomach, something about his writing style is super visual. Highly recommend this book.

[your morbid obsession Minerva🖤 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strangely I read this book last, so the ending surprised me being connected with the third part.
This is a really great story, I enjoyed it a lot, as per usual Aron is amazing in his writing and mentally putting me inside of his worlds.

The first book is still getting the golden medal out of these three morbid curiosities.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series. I can't wait to read book #3. I really liked how this story unfolded.

[KillerBunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Is there a fate worse than death ? Yes, in "The Illusion Of Choice" by Aron Beauregard. Nothing compare to the horror, the main character experience.

I was not expecting to like the second story as much or even more than the first story, but here we are.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

In order to get away from a stalker, Heather Mills has to walk away from her life and start over. However, her bad luck continues when her new apartment catches on fire and she loses everything. A generous offer comes her way that allows her to live in the basement of an old house undergoing renovation while she gets back on her feet.

But there's something in the basement that has the power to change the course of Heather's life. Too bad Heather doesn't understand the old adage, "It couldn't get any worse, could it?" is only a rhetorical question.

This was the perfect blend of 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒁𝒐𝒏𝒆 and 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒍𝒚 𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕, reminding you that when you change one thing, you change 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. I was cursing Aron with everything I had when I got to the end. Come on, book three!

[Steph Kneeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story by Aron Beauregard!

What a wild ride Aron takes you on with Heather Mills. Heather has had a string of bad luck recently from having to relocate due to a stalker and then losing everything in an apartment fire. She is able to find an apartment, though it's in a basement and we'll, beggars can't be choosers...She stumbles upon a lost invention and from there she makes a decision that could change her life forever.

I really enjoyed this one. It picked up where the last one left off. It kept me wanting to read more, had just enough gore, but nothing over the top, thank goodness because I couldn't take another Playground right now 😉😂, and the story line was great! If you haven't read this series yet, please do yourself a favor and go out and grab it!

[James Seamone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This twilight zone like story tells a horrific tale of parallel worlds. No matter how bad things are, they could always be worse.
A great next chapter in this series.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Morbid Curiosities trilogy. A woman with a history of bad luck moves into the basement of a building where she finds a device that could change her life forever...

This one was SO good. Just like the first book, I was hooked all the way through and could not put this one down. The amount of twists all the way through was crazy.

Other readers have compared this story to The Twilight Zone and I can definitely see that. This was my favorite of the trilogy!

4/5

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars - I loved it.

I liked book two even more than the first, Black Mirror vibes. I had a lot of fun with how this story unfolded. Aron really has a way to make you gag but also to want to keep reading. This was a great novella but it was so good I wish it was longer. Can't wait to see where Book three takes me.

[Addy Krause · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a trip. Interested to see how the last boom wraps everything up

[Sam Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garry the retard and his fucking RED HARD HAT OF DOOM !!!!! Greatest character Aron has made in my opinion, the story is both fucked up and thrilling my favorite in the morbid curiosity trilogy

[Lindy Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing read! I couldn’t put it down. I cannot wait for book #3

[JoeBob Trash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book.

[mollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

devoured the arc in a day! the best in this series yet i can’t wait to dive into the third one! such a unique story i could not put it down for a second i was hooked

[Sharon Leung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I really enjoyed this read. It has me gripped from the get go, not knowing where it was heading. It has an excellent story intrigue an harsh reality on a young woman whom has come unto a awful situation, where we has had to relay o help to find a location. Unbeknownst to her things their have a few surprises. This has you glued to each word and your mind whirling with thoughts and horrors of different types. A fascinating insight on what maybe and could be. Definitely recommend.

[Shayla Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This installment I had a harder time staying focused. Still enjoyable though.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I'm not going to give you the 'what this book is about' blurb - you can read that elsewhere.


1. This installment of Aron Beauregard’s Morbid Curiosities gave me straight-up ‘Butterfly Effect’ vibes. You know, the one good movie Ashton Kutcher did? Okay, that was mean, but I truly enjoyed that movie when I was younger because of the philosophical implications. The first time I watched it opened up a whole new world for me, or more accurately, a deep rabbit hole I dove head first into. Either way, the moral, ethical, and philosophical conundrums this plot brings up for me is a nerdy introvert’s dream. I so enjoyed a throw-back to a very good time in my life as well as a refresher that led me to think about these concepts as an adult, with a much different worldview and much more experience. It's weird what books can do, isn’t it?!

2. Just as in Book 1 - this story opens and closes with Mia, but Mia is not the MC of the story itself. I’m hoping Mia becomes more relevant in book 3.

3. The last few chapters had a ton of good quotes/points – I highlighted quite a bit, but here are a couple of my favorites:

“This was not the America I knew. It was the confusion, violence, divisiveness, decay, and lies – but all out in the open.” *this just felt really pertinent to today and hit me in the feels.

“I had lived a hundred lives and there wasn’t a single life better than this place where I didn’t have to deal with anyone.” *um, sounds lovely, actually.

4. Piggybacking off the last quote above, and this could be a spoiler, so proceed with caution – there’s a part where the MC realizes that her best world was someone’s worst. This makes her realize that being alone isn’t always a bad or lonely thing; there are worse things in the world. And this got me spiraling on a whole new level. Thinking about how weird generations and aging are and how newborn babies are coming into someone’s worst version of the world every single day. As that baby grows up, year after year, the world decays, and as they leave their worst world – another baby is coming into their best. Just a crazy freaking cycle.

[Danny Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first installment in Aron Beauregard's Morbid Curiosities trilogy, a twilight zone inspired series that promises a lot of good ideas. The Illusion of Choice is one I've been really looking forward to. The premise for this one sounds not only incredibly disturbing but an important tale that should hopefully leave the reader thinking.

Heather Mills suffered a severe blow when her apartment burned down, rendering her homeless. Luckily, her boss has found a place for her to live in. But when Heather Mills discovers a hidden basement underneath her new place, she discovers a headset developed by a scientific genius can transport the user into other realities. Things can't be any worse in other realities, right? Unfortunately, Heather's about to find out it can always get worse.

Aron Beauregard has written a very haunting and disturbing story of a woman who gets the chance to explore alternative realities to live a happier life, only to find she's being flung from one nightmare to an even worse nightmare. It's a devastating narrative that brings up why changing your life in such a drastic way might not actually be a good idea despite our desires. We've all made mistakes, but they help us into the people we are today.

This novella continues the side-plot revolving around the Morbid Curiosities store, continuing a side narrative from the previous novella. The third and final installment promises how that plot is going to conclude and what it means to the overall trilogy.

Trigger Warnings: R*pe, inc*st, mutilation, child murder, gore, plenty of gore, psychological torture.

Overall: It's a brilliant novella that can be a little tricky to read at points due to how disturbing it is. 10/10

[stwdscrwdntat2d · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in the Morbid Curiosities series feels like it could be a movie.

Heather is tired, broke and just wanting a different life. She has a stalker, her apartment burned down and she ends up in a basement with limited options. This book gave me Bedazzled vibes (devil offers a new life with a few wishes but each life is not what the wisher expects).

When things escalate, she sees it to the end but this story is told by the shop keeper who is also in the first book, who sells the picture frame with that mysterious stock photo.

Mia, the new customer to enter the shop, gets full detail of what had happened to the previous owner of the machine but is also offered an olive branch to help straighten out her child who has been a handful himself. Book 3 continues this story.

I absolutely loved this book. If you could go back and change things, would you? Do you know if things would be better or worse? I guess the saying "I wish that I knew what I know now,when I was younger." doesnt always apply to living a different life.

[Sweet book of mine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una mujer pasando por un momento difícil en su vida, se muda al sótano de una casa. Dentro de éste, descubre una trampilla en el piso, es decir, un sótano dentro del sótano.

Llevada por su curiosidad, se adentra en este espacio y descubre una especie de casco y unos cuadernos de notas. Este casco es el Randomizer, un invento de un científico que terminó desviviéndose.

Según las anotaciones en los cuadernos, este artefacto promete llevar al usuario a una realidad alternativa en línea temporal diferente. Es decir, se puede experimentar qué habría pasado si se hubieran tomado decisiones diferentes con cada elección en la vida.

Sin embargo, en los cuadernos hay páginas arrancadas, algo que no se está contando acerca de estos cambios en la realidad. Pero, que podría salir mal?… TODO.

Este es el segundo libro de la trilogía Morbid curiosities. La historia comienza inmediatamente después del primer libro. Me gustó mucho más éste, el ritmo es muy buenos desde el principio y no lo pude soltar hasta que terminé.

[Alexis P · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was like a Black Mirror episode mixed with the usual extreme horror style of Beauregard. I really liked the concept of traveling to different timelines, and how psychologically damaged our main character gets as the story progresses.

My only complaint is the sometimes unnecessary shock value Beauregard adds, I mean, of all the stories I've read from him, most of them involve a woman getting sexually abused or raped at some point. I know what I'm getting into when reading his stories, but at the same time that same scene gets tiring. There are many ways to horrify and disgust readers, and Mr. Beauregard sometimes gets stale in that department.

[SeveredTherapy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was an improvement in ever conceivable way from the first one. Not that the first wasn't good, this just improved on it. The headset was a nice touch and the progression to the eventual ending was actually quite heart-warming. I will freely admit that I probably would have made the same choices.

This one also delved a little further into EH and had some more gore in it, but it wasn't something that detracted from the story, instead improving it.

My biggest complaint? I wanted to know more. I wanted to see the transitions she went through. Did this inspire an idea for a future story for me? Probably. But, we shall see.

4.75 out of 5 severed thumbs-up.

[Dan Gould · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love a dimension travel tale!

An interesting read that brought the 'sunk cost fallacy' to mind and made me wonder whether I might push on to the next dimension in hopes, to all contrary evidence, that the next one might be less hellish. I also wonder how one might cope with going to a pleasant alternate dimension - Could the temptation of going to another, possibly even better, dimension at the risk of going to a worse dimension be overcome? I think there was definitely scope to flesh this story out more in a longer novel.

[Spike Creamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book two of three in the Morbid Curiosities trilogy.

This story follows a down on her luck woman named Heather Mills. Stalked by a slow witted man, she is forced to move. Unbeknownst to her this move will prove to be the catalyst of a life she never expected.

If you had a chance to change your past or future, would you? And if you did, at what cost would you do so? These are the temptations and opportunities given to Heather.

Another great book in this series. I'm looking forward to seeing how this all unfolds in the final offering. #booksfromthedoomsaloon

[Rhonda Bobbitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 2 of the Morbid curiosities series... and it did not disappoint. Very intriguing story... makes you want to really think about your choices before making that final decision.  Anytime Aron uses the word gelatinous... you know it's nasty, lol. Excellent writing. I can't wait to read book 3... oh, and I loved seeing my name in the book... even though there is no relation, lol