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Mosquitos
Los mosquitos solo viven durante un día, Nacho recordaba que la señorita Mercedes se lo había explicado en el colegio. Aunque tal vez estuviera equivocada, porque el mosquito que se escondía en su habitación regresaba noche tras noche al apagarse la luz: se posaba en un dedo y comenzaba a ascender, cada vez un poco más pesado, por el envés de la mano, sobre la piel fina y sensible del brazo, arriba, cada vez más arriba, antes de picarlo...
Sí, tal vez su profesora estuviera equivocada. Ojalá lo estuviera, porque Nacho anhelaba aquellos picotazos.
Los necesitaba.
Mercedes, por su parte, necesitaba otras cosas. Recuperar a su marido, por ejemplo. Y silenciar a aquella voz desquiciada de su pasado, que susurraba, desde lo más profundo de su ser "vuelve, sabes que deseas volver...". Cada vez más alto. Más fuerte.
Y así transcurren los días en una tranquila población costera donde la oscuridad acecha bajo disfraces inofensivos: un niño tímido, una mujer que mira el teléfono, el zumbido nocturno de un mosquito, una picadura sin importancia... hasta que el horror por fin se desencadene en una noche de pesadilla.
Sí, tal vez su profesora estuviera equivocada. Ojalá lo estuviera, porque Nacho anhelaba aquellos picotazos.
Los necesitaba.
Mercedes, por su parte, necesitaba otras cosas. Recuperar a su marido, por ejemplo. Y silenciar a aquella voz desquiciada de su pasado, que susurraba, desde lo más profundo de su ser "vuelve, sabes que deseas volver...". Cada vez más alto. Más fuerte.
Y así transcurren los días en una tranquila población costera donde la oscuridad acecha bajo disfraces inofensivos: un niño tímido, una mujer que mira el teléfono, el zumbido nocturno de un mosquito, una picadura sin importancia... hasta que el horror por fin se desencadene en una noche de pesadilla.
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
73 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2012
12 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 3, 2013
This was a SUPERIOR horror novella!
Mosquitos is not the creature-feature story that I was expecting. It was nothing like what I expected at all. I consider myself to be a seasoned horror fan and for a novella to surprise me as this one did is a rare, rare thing.
I don't want to give anything away, but I will just say that I think that any fan of horror stories will enjoy this fast paced, fascinating novella. HIGHLY recommended!
Mosquitos is not the creature-feature story that I was expecting. It was nothing like what I expected at all. I consider myself to be a seasoned horror fan and for a novella to surprise me as this one did is a rare, rare thing.
I don't want to give anything away, but I will just say that I think that any fan of horror stories will enjoy this fast paced, fascinating novella. HIGHLY recommended!
August 6, 2016
Relato incluido en la Antología "El hombre divergente".
-Diferentes formas de horror, diferentes aproximaciones, palpable calidad.-
Género. Narrativa fantástica.
Lo que nos cuenta. Relatos del autor (alguno parece más una novela corta) agrupados sobre la narración de uno de ellos, “El hombre divergente”, que nos cuentan, entre otras muchas cosas, cómo una mascota puede generar celos patológicos, el amor que siente un niño por su profesora y la inquietante transformación que este va sufriendo, los rastros que deja una antigua pareja en una mujer que ahora está con otro hombre y un atraco callejero que no sale demasiado bien. Aunque la obra en mi poder cita 2004 como fecha de copyright, parece que el libro en realidad ha sido publicado en 2008 recopilando relatos del autor escritos entre 1993 y 2008.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
-Diferentes formas de horror, diferentes aproximaciones, palpable calidad.-
Género. Narrativa fantástica.
Lo que nos cuenta. Relatos del autor (alguno parece más una novela corta) agrupados sobre la narración de uno de ellos, “El hombre divergente”, que nos cuentan, entre otras muchas cosas, cómo una mascota puede generar celos patológicos, el amor que siente un niño por su profesora y la inquietante transformación que este va sufriendo, los rastros que deja una antigua pareja en una mujer que ahora está con otro hombre y un atraco callejero que no sale demasiado bien. Aunque la obra en mi poder cita 2004 como fecha de copyright, parece que el libro en realidad ha sido publicado en 2008 recopilando relatos del autor escritos entre 1993 y 2008.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
October 19, 2020
Very unique vampire story!
Mosquitoes by Mark R. Soto is a very unique vampire story! It has a mosquito as the vampire! Weird but it totally works!
Mosquitoes by Mark R. Soto is a very unique vampire story! It has a mosquito as the vampire! Weird but it totally works!
January 19, 2017
4 1/2 Stars
This is a short story which I just learned was originally written in Spanish and translated. I would’ve never realized this because the translation was so smooth. Thinking on it, this story definitely has that slowly growing sense of dread, no child is safe, dream-like vibe down perfectly. If you’ve seen some of my favorite Guillermo del Toro films “The Orphanage”, “The Devil’s Backbone” or “Pan’s Labyrinth” you’ll know what I mean. If you haven’t, and you like this sort of thing, you should give them a watch. They’re awesome, amazing, creepy and emotionally devastating.
Now back to Mosquitoes.
David is a ten year old boy who is bitten by a mosquito. Stroking the bug bite distracts him all day while at school. Later that evening, when the itch has started to ease, he hopes the mosquito comes back to give him a new bite because that tingling felt really good. It’s all a bit weird and a little off and quietly disturbing, if you ask me. Anyway, David gets his wish and a whole lot more and that’s all I’m saying about that.
David fancies himself in love with his favorite teacher Miss Marcano. Miss Marcano has been very upset this past week because she has discovered her husband is a cheating whoreson. She stews in her grief and anger rather than confronting him. That’s never a good plan, ladies.
Things come to a horrifying and startling conclusion. I highly recommend this strange little story, with its unsettling sexual undertones and unpredictable plot. It’s bloody and nasty and features an imperfect protagonist with a dark past (which I always enjoy) and it was like nothing else I’ve read recently.
This is a short story which I just learned was originally written in Spanish and translated. I would’ve never realized this because the translation was so smooth. Thinking on it, this story definitely has that slowly growing sense of dread, no child is safe, dream-like vibe down perfectly. If you’ve seen some of my favorite Guillermo del Toro films “The Orphanage”, “The Devil’s Backbone” or “Pan’s Labyrinth” you’ll know what I mean. If you haven’t, and you like this sort of thing, you should give them a watch. They’re awesome, amazing, creepy and emotionally devastating.
Now back to Mosquitoes.
David is a ten year old boy who is bitten by a mosquito. Stroking the bug bite distracts him all day while at school. Later that evening, when the itch has started to ease, he hopes the mosquito comes back to give him a new bite because that tingling felt really good. It’s all a bit weird and a little off and quietly disturbing, if you ask me. Anyway, David gets his wish and a whole lot more and that’s all I’m saying about that.
David fancies himself in love with his favorite teacher Miss Marcano. Miss Marcano has been very upset this past week because she has discovered her husband is a cheating whoreson. She stews in her grief and anger rather than confronting him. That’s never a good plan, ladies.
Things come to a horrifying and startling conclusion. I highly recommend this strange little story, with its unsettling sexual undertones and unpredictable plot. It’s bloody and nasty and features an imperfect protagonist with a dark past (which I always enjoy) and it was like nothing else I’ve read recently.
September 18, 2013
Everybody hates mosquitos. I know I do. I live in the south and we have them to spare here.
This novella will certainly reinforce the negative feelings towards these nasty little blood-suckers. This is a story that goes for the jugular in more ways than the obvious one. I was definitely not taken completely off-guard by the twist toward the end, but I was pleasantly surprised by the sharp character development. I was expecting a quick mutant bug story or something along that line, but what I got was far better. I would recommend this to any horror that is looking for a little something different.
This novella will certainly reinforce the negative feelings towards these nasty little blood-suckers. This is a story that goes for the jugular in more ways than the obvious one. I was definitely not taken completely off-guard by the twist toward the end, but I was pleasantly surprised by the sharp character development. I was expecting a quick mutant bug story or something along that line, but what I got was far better. I would recommend this to any horror that is looking for a little something different.
December 5, 2012
This was recommended to me by several of my Goodreads friends and when I caught their reviews, I just had to check it out. Glad I did! Mosquitoes is a quick read and one hell of a great novella. There is a lot going on here in a short time, but the plot lines and characters don’t get muddled up and the story line is kept sharp. My first work by Mr. Soto, but not the last. Crisp writing and clean prose kept this moving along at a brisk pace. Highly recommended. 4.5 Stars
December 9, 2012
4.5 Stars
A boy who's infatuated with his teacher also enjoys the bite of a mosquito. A teacher who suspects her husband of cheating is determined to find out the truth. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say that I will think of this novella the next time I see a mosquito. A Recommended Quick Read. JOB WELL DONE, Marc~
A boy who's infatuated with his teacher also enjoys the bite of a mosquito. A teacher who suspects her husband of cheating is determined to find out the truth. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say that I will think of this novella the next time I see a mosquito. A Recommended Quick Read. JOB WELL DONE, Marc~
February 10, 2015
Short, dark, and disturbing. I enjoyed it very much.
May 28, 2019
I live in South Carolina, where our state bird is the mosquito. They are everywhere. And much to my chagrin, they find me delectable.
Hence why I bought this book. If there is one thing that can get under my skin --
it's mosquitoes.
A mosquito comes to David's room one night and bites him, leaving a big welt. David gets an odd charge from the bite, enjoying the scratching throughout the day a bit too much. Excited to be bit some more (seriously, what is wrong with this kid?!), he tries to recreate the atmosphere in his room so the mosquito will return. It does, and with each night there are more bites and more of both pleasure and pain. Not to mention that with the bites comes a knowledge of things he shouldn't know - his teacher's husband is having an affair, his mother is worried about his bite marks, his father is imaging having sex with the new intern at work.
Eventually the mosquito gets to be big - "the size of a ripe and juicy plum."
And things only get worse from there.
This is a totally unique story. Definitely worth the read!
Hence why I bought this book. If there is one thing that can get under my skin --
it's mosquitoes.
A mosquito comes to David's room one night and bites him, leaving a big welt. David gets an odd charge from the bite, enjoying the scratching throughout the day a bit too much. Excited to be bit some more (seriously, what is wrong with this kid?!), he tries to recreate the atmosphere in his room so the mosquito will return. It does, and with each night there are more bites and more of both pleasure and pain. Not to mention that with the bites comes a knowledge of things he shouldn't know - his teacher's husband is having an affair, his mother is worried about his bite marks, his father is imaging having sex with the new intern at work.
Eventually the mosquito gets to be big - "the size of a ripe and juicy plum."
And things only get worse from there.
This is a totally unique story. Definitely worth the read!
November 18, 2012
This novella is just another example of the tremendous horror stories (novels and films) being produced in Spain.
A completely original treatment of the vampire myth. I never once felt that I was treading on familiar territory. Lyrical yet savage; hypnotic and dream-like. Definitely of the Spanish horror style. Primal and deeply disturbing. I want to read more by this author.
A completely original treatment of the vampire myth. I never once felt that I was treading on familiar territory. Lyrical yet savage; hypnotic and dream-like. Definitely of the Spanish horror style. Primal and deeply disturbing. I want to read more by this author.
May 1, 2014
it's realy horrendous!
April 17, 2013
Review from the wife.
She really enjoyed it. She said the writing was very direct, understandable, but had a very flowing tone that made it go quickly, and underscored some of the horror of the concept. She wasn't totally sold on some of the unusual sexual elements to it, but found the creepy progression more than enough to engage her. She's VERY severely arachnophobic, and said that some of the descriptions about the mosquito bites, and David's initial fascination with them gave her the chills.
I'm waiting for her to start crying that the spiders will do the same, the next time she sees one on the ceiling and freaks out. Thank you, Marc Soto for giving my wife ANOTHER imaginary reason to be afraid of spiders. I'm being a little sarcastic, but I have to say-he should be proud of having a concept that evocative, regardless of my mental annoyance at her phobia.
She really enjoyed it. She said the writing was very direct, understandable, but had a very flowing tone that made it go quickly, and underscored some of the horror of the concept. She wasn't totally sold on some of the unusual sexual elements to it, but found the creepy progression more than enough to engage her. She's VERY severely arachnophobic, and said that some of the descriptions about the mosquito bites, and David's initial fascination with them gave her the chills.
I'm waiting for her to start crying that the spiders will do the same, the next time she sees one on the ceiling and freaks out. Thank you, Marc Soto for giving my wife ANOTHER imaginary reason to be afraid of spiders. I'm being a little sarcastic, but I have to say-he should be proud of having a concept that evocative, regardless of my mental annoyance at her phobia.
January 8, 2014
The subject matter we can all relate to; mosquitoes. But none too favorably; thus David's interest becomes intriguing. David is the ten year old young boy who upon experiencing some mysterious nightly bites undergoes some rather disturbing changes. This story moves at a very good pace driving one to keep turning those inviting pages of this novella until, before you know it, your through. The characters are well established; contributing strongly to an engrossing plotline. My first read by Mr. Soto but not my last. Highly recommend to all looking for a quick read between some of those big books or just want to read a darn good story.
March 23, 2013
this is one of the better freebies I have found and would have been well worth paying for. without giving anything away I will just say it was original and well written. my only complaint is that it wasn't longer, a couple things could have used a little more explanation. I would love to see a sequel to it.
September 26, 2014
3 and 1/2 stars
This book was recommended to me by several friends and Goodreads reviews.
Glad I did check it out!
July 30, 2024
Vale, dejando de lado las implicaciones incómodas que puedan causar al lector el hecho de usar como protagonista a un niño de diez años en una novela de terror con poco filtro, mucha sangre y contenido sexual... me ha parecido que este relato largo (o librito corto) propone un enfoque muy interesante y fresco en lo que a historias de vampiros se refiere, recurriendo a los vampiros más odiados a nivel mundial: los mosquitos (de las narices). Y qué mejor momento que el verano para tenerlos bien presentes mientras leía la historia (aunque esta se desarrolla en febrero).
Extremadamente ágil de leer, turbia y con un final apoteósico, me he leído esta cortísima novela de una sentada. Aún así, creo que falta pulir algunas cosas y, sin duda, aviso que no va a ser una historia para todo el mundo (sobre todo si sois aprensivos en cuanto al tema niños + sangre)
En cualquier caso, me ha resultado curiosamente entretenida, rápida de leer y con dos puntos de vista bien diferenciados. Por supuesto, al ser un relato largo, no hay explicaciones del por qué ocurre lo que ocurre pero, sinceramente, tampoco me han hecho falta.
Extremadamente ágil de leer, turbia y con un final apoteósico, me he leído esta cortísima novela de una sentada. Aún así, creo que falta pulir algunas cosas y, sin duda, aviso que no va a ser una historia para todo el mundo (sobre todo si sois aprensivos en cuanto al tema niños + sangre)
En cualquier caso, me ha resultado curiosamente entretenida, rápida de leer y con dos puntos de vista bien diferenciados. Por supuesto, al ser un relato largo, no hay explicaciones del por qué ocurre lo que ocurre pero, sinceramente, tampoco me han hecho falta.
March 16, 2019
Bien que ce soit une histoire très courte, j'ai vu beaucoup de potentiel dans l'idée. Les moustiques pour souche de vampirisme? Quelle idée à la fois terrible et effrayante. Sérieusement, je sens que je ne verrais plus jamais les moustiques de la même manière... 👀
Après, j'ai bien aimé David. Ses passages démontraient bien son âge, quoi que je lui aurais peut-être même donné moins... Plutôt 7 ans que 10 ans. (Ma fille a 10 ans et elle n'est pas aussi naïve...) Son rapport avec sa prof était même plutôt amusant. Quant à cette dernière, ça allait, même si c'était un peu confus... Après je blâme la barrière de la langue. Bien que je sois habitué de lire en anglais, les passages la concernant était moins.. Fluide?
Cependant, la finale a été un peu bâclé. Terminé trop vite, sans grande explication (et ça, ça me tue à chaque fois ahem...) ni réelle conclusion. Ce qui est fort dommage... J'aurais aimé qu'on nous laisse côtoyer les voix en David plus longtemps. Qu'on en fasse un prédateur. Bref... Le potentiel était génial, l'exécution, plutôt tiède.
Après, j'ai bien aimé David. Ses passages démontraient bien son âge, quoi que je lui aurais peut-être même donné moins... Plutôt 7 ans que 10 ans. (Ma fille a 10 ans et elle n'est pas aussi naïve...) Son rapport avec sa prof était même plutôt amusant. Quant à cette dernière, ça allait, même si c'était un peu confus... Après je blâme la barrière de la langue. Bien que je sois habitué de lire en anglais, les passages la concernant était moins.. Fluide?
Cependant, la finale a été un peu bâclé. Terminé trop vite, sans grande explication (et ça, ça me tue à chaque fois ahem...) ni réelle conclusion. Ce qui est fort dommage... J'aurais aimé qu'on nous laisse côtoyer les voix en David plus longtemps. Qu'on en fasse un prédateur. Bref... Le potentiel était génial, l'exécution, plutôt tiède.
June 8, 2019
Well, it started out strong. While well written for the most part, some of the adult subject matter involving a 10 year old boy, was uncomfortable. Repetitious in explaining the boys "zoning out" whenever he touched the bug bite. Then, near the end of the story, it just got weird.
Spoiler alert!
The coil... unrealistic in use. They are very small and unlikely to hold up against all she used it for. Then, the cop tells her to not talk and then immediately asked her a question. To finish, the story just ended. Abruptly. This was a 3-4 star book up until the last 1/2-1/4 of it. Plus, mosquitos... really?? Sorry. Not a fan of this book.
Spoiler alert!
The coil... unrealistic in use. They are very small and unlikely to hold up against all she used it for. Then, the cop tells her to not talk and then immediately asked her a question. To finish, the story just ended. Abruptly. This was a 3-4 star book up until the last 1/2-1/4 of it. Plus, mosquitos... really?? Sorry. Not a fan of this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2017
No me ha gustado del todo, es una historia que no te terminas de creer, me hubiera gustado que se hablara más del origen de los mosquitos, y por qué se comportan así. ¿Mosquitos poseídos por demonios? No me convence.
Igual supongo es suficiente para un cuento.
Esto es un cuento, ¿no?
No lo recomiendo, pero he de confesar que si veo a los mosquitos con cierta más repugnancia que antes.
Igual supongo es suficiente para un cuento.
Esto es un cuento, ¿no?
No lo recomiendo, pero he de confesar que si veo a los mosquitos con cierta más repugnancia que antes.
January 20, 2019
Pretty good
Good story . Cool concept with the bugs as vampires. Written well and a quick read. Would read more by this author.
Good story . Cool concept with the bugs as vampires. Written well and a quick read. Would read more by this author.
February 12, 2017
Uh no.
The cover was cool but honestly I'm sitting here wondering what the heck I just read. The writing was good but the story itself was disturbing and not in a good way.
The cover was cool but honestly I'm sitting here wondering what the heck I just read. The writing was good but the story itself was disturbing and not in a good way.
May 12, 2016
This was a straight, fast-forward story that took no detours but delivered with each sentence. The author did a great job describing the confused thoughts and mixed feelings of a ten-year-old boy. However, I would have loved if the author had put more focus on David's internal struggle between his own conscience and the mosquito's presence instead of just letting it take over.
I also missed some explanation of the origin of the mosquito and its motivation (besides the obvious...). I imagined something like an alien force or the ghost of an ancient creature that took hold of the little bloodsucking pest, or maybe even a hive-like collective mind. But I will never know for sure...
Still, Mosquitos is a recommendable, original horror novella which I enjoyed very much.
I also missed some explanation of the origin of the mosquito and its motivation (besides the obvious...). I imagined something like an alien force or the ghost of an ancient creature that took hold of the little bloodsucking pest, or maybe even a hive-like collective mind. But I will never know for sure...
Still, Mosquitos is a recommendable, original horror novella which I enjoyed very much.
April 30, 2013
Crazy. By about half way through, I couldn't stop and had to finish it. I'm glad I didn't read some of the Amazon reviews that spoil it - it was much more interesting to learn as it progressed.
I liked the book and it sucked me in, but I didn't love it (hence the 3-star rating - I'd give it 3.5 if I could). While I wanted to know what would happen, the ending was disappointing in some ways, particularly with how quickly it came. I just feel like there could've been a little more to the ending.
I liked the book and it sucked me in, but I didn't love it (hence the 3-star rating - I'd give it 3.5 if I could). While I wanted to know what would happen, the ending was disappointing in some ways, particularly with how quickly it came. I just feel like there could've been a little more to the ending.
January 24, 2014
I gave this story 4 stars. The story was entertaining and easy to get into. Once started, the book was difficult to put down as I kept going wondering what was going to happen next.
I wished the ending had been flushed out a little better and been a little clearer. But, that's just me and, I guess, that was the author's intent.
I wished the ending had been flushed out a little better and been a little clearer. But, that's just me and, I guess, that was the author's intent.
July 3, 2014
Good horror story
imaginative vampire tale, which I wasn't quite expecting . Well written. Interesting plot. Good characterization. Enjoyed this one and would read his stuff again.
imaginative vampire tale, which I wasn't quite expecting . Well written. Interesting plot. Good characterization. Enjoyed this one and would read his stuff again.
Want to read
May 9, 2015I chose this book because I like to learn about bugs
May 20, 2015
Good read
Very good read, very interesting really enjoyed if you like a thriller you'll love this book I definitely would recommend
Very good read, very interesting really enjoyed if you like a thriller you'll love this book I definitely would recommend
April 9, 2016
I was torn between wanting to abandon this book and needing to find out the ending. This book was so weird...
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews