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Dark Matters
A young boy's faithful St. Bernard is far more than he appears to be. An icy winter road becomes the scene of unspeakable violence and retribution. A simple day trip leads one man on an unexpected odyssey of heroism and horror. These tales and more await in T. Joseph Browder's short story compilation "Dark Matters," a journey into the darker side of man, myth, and legend
- GenresHorror
144 pages, Paperback
First published April 21, 2012
8 people want to read
About the author
T. Joseph Browder
5 books31 followersT. Joseph Browder was born in Lima, Ohio in 1969, and is the author of 'Dark Matters,' 'Plague,' 'Infernal,' 'Nobody,' and the forthcoming 'Bark at the Moon,' a no holds barred werewolf novel in the vein of 'The Howling' and 'The Wolfen.'
Of writing, T. Joseph Browder says: "I'm an addict. Some people are addicted to alcohol, some to marijuana, coke, or heroin. I'm addicted to writing. It's my drug of choice, and like the monkey on the back of the heroin user, it compels me to sit down at my computer every day and check out of reality. If I don't 'use' often enough I suffer withdrawals. The pain is tangible. For me, writing is a high like no other. It's one helluva buzz."
A student of Psychology, T. Joseph Browder also holds Doctorates in Divinity, Metaphysics, and Religious Humanities. "I'm an ordained minister," Browder says, "but that's a prerequisite for the education I was pursuing. I've performed a wedding ceremony or two, but have never felt the urge to preach before a congregation."
Like his education, Mr. Browder's writing is driven by an insatiable curiosity for what makes people behave the way they do, make the choices they make, and feel the way they feel. Drawing on an intimate knowledge of the evil alive in humanity, his work centers on the darker aspects of life, the sudden changes and left turns life throws at all of us, and how we react to those things that lurk around the next corner and go bump in the night.
Mr. Browder currently lives in Kansas with his wife, Marie, and is hard at work on a new novel.
Of writing, T. Joseph Browder says: "I'm an addict. Some people are addicted to alcohol, some to marijuana, coke, or heroin. I'm addicted to writing. It's my drug of choice, and like the monkey on the back of the heroin user, it compels me to sit down at my computer every day and check out of reality. If I don't 'use' often enough I suffer withdrawals. The pain is tangible. For me, writing is a high like no other. It's one helluva buzz."
A student of Psychology, T. Joseph Browder also holds Doctorates in Divinity, Metaphysics, and Religious Humanities. "I'm an ordained minister," Browder says, "but that's a prerequisite for the education I was pursuing. I've performed a wedding ceremony or two, but have never felt the urge to preach before a congregation."
Like his education, Mr. Browder's writing is driven by an insatiable curiosity for what makes people behave the way they do, make the choices they make, and feel the way they feel. Drawing on an intimate knowledge of the evil alive in humanity, his work centers on the darker aspects of life, the sudden changes and left turns life throws at all of us, and how we react to those things that lurk around the next corner and go bump in the night.
Mr. Browder currently lives in Kansas with his wife, Marie, and is hard at work on a new novel.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 23, 2013
These 7 short stories take a ride on the wild side. They are dark, creepy, and end of the world scary, except for the first one, which I think T. Joseph put in just to mess with us.
TOBY
Stock Image Saint Bernard dog My father got me a Saint Bernard, Toby, when he was a puppy. He saved my life when I was only eight years old. Little did I know, that when he passed away, it would not be the last time I saw him.
A touching and uplifting story for the paranormal lovers. Just because someone is gone, it doesn't mean that they aren't looking out for you.
A personal note from the author:
"Toby is my personal favorite, possibly because most of it, right down to the boy falling off the roof, being punctured through the leg, and being saved by the dog, is true. And yes, I did bury him at the base of a lightning split elm in the back yard."
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ROUGE
When Jessie crashed his truck and rolled over the cliff, he thought the worst thing he would have to worry about was the freezing cold weather. Think again Jesse. You may wonder, what does a bear have to do with a car accident?
What goes around comes around and sometimes it is worse than you can imagine.This was my favorite story of the book. I guess it is probably because I love any kind of horror story that includes a creature of a critter of some kind.
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HAMMERFALL
He heard a voice, but didn't hear it clearly. Where was he? It was the Livestar operator. She said no one could respond at this time because of Hammerfall, an asteroid. Everyone had disregarded the Mayan prophecies. would they pay the price now?
Well, you'll have to read the story to find that out. What do you think would be the end result? Would there be anyone left? Would you want to be one of them or be taken out in the first BIG BANG?
****************************************************************************************************************************
THE VISITOR
Lucas had a run in with Nicholai before, thus his ill-health. Lucas' plan to destroy him was so out of the ordinary, that he felt Nicholai would never see it coming.
Just goes to show how far some people will go to see justice served.
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THE CONTRACT
He hired me to kill him. I thought he was out of his mind, but when I heard the price, I jumped on it. I wasted no time, I shot him on the spot. Uh-0h. I should have waited until he told me the details.
I sure didn't see the ending coming on this one.
****************************************************************************************************************************
AFTER HAMMERFALL
What do you think would be left? How many humans would survive? How many plants? How many animals? And what would they be like?
****************************************************************************************************************************
EDUCATOR
I was beaten nearly to death, stomped on, then shot in the face. No one knew why it happened. I kept secret, that I no longer needed the cane. I did not want people to know what I was really capable of, because I had a mission to fulfill.
How far would you go to seek revenge for the death of a loved one?
****************************************************************************************************************************
4 STARS - Would Highly Recommend To Others
It's funny how many of the books I review have trees on their covers, in some shape or form. This cover is beautiful and fits in with the season. It brings back many memories, of when I lived in the wintry, northern states.
The stories were well written and flowed smoothly, making them very easy to read. Pick it up at lunch time, while waiting at the doctor's or dentist's office, anywhere you are when you have 10, 15, maybe even 20 minutes. Depends on how fast you read.
The characters are easy to love, hate or feel like they got what was coming to them.
The first story is a "make me feel good", lovely story. I think T. Joseph Broder did that to set us up for what was to come, because he quickly moves on to things that are not so pleasant, in fact they are down right horrific..
I always find short stories very hard to review. I want to get across how interesting and unexpected so many of the stories are without giving away the good stuff. So how do you do that? I hope I did it well enough to peak your interest and wonder, "What in the **** is she talking about?" ^_^ Then pick up your copy to find out.
Dark Matters
T. Joseph Browder
TOBY
Stock Image Saint Bernard dog My father got me a Saint Bernard, Toby, when he was a puppy. He saved my life when I was only eight years old. Little did I know, that when he passed away, it would not be the last time I saw him.
A touching and uplifting story for the paranormal lovers. Just because someone is gone, it doesn't mean that they aren't looking out for you.
A personal note from the author:
"Toby is my personal favorite, possibly because most of it, right down to the boy falling off the roof, being punctured through the leg, and being saved by the dog, is true. And yes, I did bury him at the base of a lightning split elm in the back yard."
****************************************************************************************************************************
ROUGE
When Jessie crashed his truck and rolled over the cliff, he thought the worst thing he would have to worry about was the freezing cold weather. Think again Jesse. You may wonder, what does a bear have to do with a car accident?
What goes around comes around and sometimes it is worse than you can imagine.This was my favorite story of the book. I guess it is probably because I love any kind of horror story that includes a creature of a critter of some kind.
****************************************************************************************************************************
HAMMERFALL
He heard a voice, but didn't hear it clearly. Where was he? It was the Livestar operator. She said no one could respond at this time because of Hammerfall, an asteroid. Everyone had disregarded the Mayan prophecies. would they pay the price now?
Well, you'll have to read the story to find that out. What do you think would be the end result? Would there be anyone left? Would you want to be one of them or be taken out in the first BIG BANG?
****************************************************************************************************************************
THE VISITOR
Lucas had a run in with Nicholai before, thus his ill-health. Lucas' plan to destroy him was so out of the ordinary, that he felt Nicholai would never see it coming.
Just goes to show how far some people will go to see justice served.
****************************************************************************************************************************
THE CONTRACT
He hired me to kill him. I thought he was out of his mind, but when I heard the price, I jumped on it. I wasted no time, I shot him on the spot. Uh-0h. I should have waited until he told me the details.
I sure didn't see the ending coming on this one.
****************************************************************************************************************************
AFTER HAMMERFALL
What do you think would be left? How many humans would survive? How many plants? How many animals? And what would they be like?
****************************************************************************************************************************
EDUCATOR
I was beaten nearly to death, stomped on, then shot in the face. No one knew why it happened. I kept secret, that I no longer needed the cane. I did not want people to know what I was really capable of, because I had a mission to fulfill.
How far would you go to seek revenge for the death of a loved one?
****************************************************************************************************************************
4 STARS - Would Highly Recommend To Others
It's funny how many of the books I review have trees on their covers, in some shape or form. This cover is beautiful and fits in with the season. It brings back many memories, of when I lived in the wintry, northern states.
The stories were well written and flowed smoothly, making them very easy to read. Pick it up at lunch time, while waiting at the doctor's or dentist's office, anywhere you are when you have 10, 15, maybe even 20 minutes. Depends on how fast you read.
The characters are easy to love, hate or feel like they got what was coming to them.
The first story is a "make me feel good", lovely story. I think T. Joseph Broder did that to set us up for what was to come, because he quickly moves on to things that are not so pleasant, in fact they are down right horrific..
I always find short stories very hard to review. I want to get across how interesting and unexpected so many of the stories are without giving away the good stuff. So how do you do that? I hope I did it well enough to peak your interest and wonder, "What in the **** is she talking about?" ^_^ Then pick up your copy to find out.
Dark Matters
T. Joseph Browder
November 17, 2012
I received this book from the author in exchange for the review. It's an excellent way to discover new authors and this author is definitely worth discovering. This slender volume of short stories about things that go bump in the mind is aptly named, well written, well edited (which is always a plus with a small or self publisher) and a very entertaining read. The narration is strong and confident and bespeaks of a new talent in the genre of dark fiction. Recommended.
September 18, 2012
Disclosure: I did receive a review copy of this book from the author.
I enjoyed the majority of the stories in this collection. Some of them could have been expanded, to give more insight about the characters; Hammerfall and After Hammerfall are good examples of this. Rogue, The Visitor, The Contract - all of these stood out to me, though I felt the ending of The Visitor felt like an abrupt change that was out of place. Toby was good, but seemed a little too predictable.
Overall, a good set of short fiction.
I enjoyed the majority of the stories in this collection. Some of them could have been expanded, to give more insight about the characters; Hammerfall and After Hammerfall are good examples of this. Rogue, The Visitor, The Contract - all of these stood out to me, though I felt the ending of The Visitor felt like an abrupt change that was out of place. Toby was good, but seemed a little too predictable.
Overall, a good set of short fiction.
September 15, 2012
Dark Matters is an interesting collection of stories all horrific in their own way. My favorite story from the collection was Toby, a story about a St Bernard. The others were enjoyable too. An unusual cast of heroes and villans including a bear, vampire, and contract killer, accountants and comets. I would have liked to have seen some of the stories fleshed out a little more but overall the book kept my interest and I will give an extra star for that. I would read more from this author.
November 13, 2012
After receiving a copy from the author to write an honest review, and I was skeptical at first, and to be honest I did not think highly of it, but was I wrong.
It would be tough to select a favorite, but the ones I have enjoyed was "Rogue", "Hammerfall", and "The Visitor". I do feel some of the stories could have been extended, and some could be a full length novel on there own.
Overall awesome read,and would enjoy reading more from T. Joseph Browder.
It would be tough to select a favorite, but the ones I have enjoyed was "Rogue", "Hammerfall", and "The Visitor". I do feel some of the stories could have been extended, and some could be a full length novel on there own.
Overall awesome read,and would enjoy reading more from T. Joseph Browder.
November 18, 2012
I received this in return for an honest review. I enjoyed all the stories though Toby and The Educator were my favorites. The stories all had great detail and showed imagination on the author's part. It was a quick read too !
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews