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The Dark Inside
Heartbreak, danger, lust, and betrayal blaze to life in this collection of stories that reveal the dark places hidden within us. When what you most desire is on the line how far will you go to get it, and what will you give up?
A young man desperate to leave a world that doesn't accept him–and a father who hates him. A tormented man imprisoned as a science experiment experiences love for the first time. A secret agent gives in to his carnal desires and risks exposing the one secret he wants to keep. A college freshman betrayed by her lover takes matters into her own hands. A young girl is determined not to suffer at the hands of her molester anymore. A sadistic leader who thrives on mind control leads his people into a new life. A teen seeks escape from his abusive foster father and faces a life-or-death situation to survive.
They must either fight the dark inside or embrace it. Which will they choose?
A young man desperate to leave a world that doesn't accept him–and a father who hates him. A tormented man imprisoned as a science experiment experiences love for the first time. A secret agent gives in to his carnal desires and risks exposing the one secret he wants to keep. A college freshman betrayed by her lover takes matters into her own hands. A young girl is determined not to suffer at the hands of her molester anymore. A sadistic leader who thrives on mind control leads his people into a new life. A teen seeks escape from his abusive foster father and faces a life-or-death situation to survive.
They must either fight the dark inside or embrace it. Which will they choose?
70 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 26, 2013
3 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Donna Galanti
14 books662 followersDonna Galanti is the author of the middle-grade Unicorn Island series, Joshua and the Lightning Road series, Loon Cove Summer as well as the Element Trilogy paranormal thrillers for adults. She has lived in fun locations including England, her family-owned campground in New Hampshire, and in Hawaii where she served as a U.S. Navy photographer.
Donna is an avid outdoor adventurer and nature lover. She volunteers for the Old-Growth Forest Network and with the National Audubon Society. When Donna’s not wandering the woods seeking magic and wonder, you can usually find her biking or kayaking. For more information on her books, school visits, and events, visit her at: www.donnagalanti.com.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DonnaGalantiA...
Donna is an avid outdoor adventurer and nature lover. She volunteers for the Old-Growth Forest Network and with the National Audubon Society. When Donna’s not wandering the woods seeking magic and wonder, you can usually find her biking or kayaking. For more information on her books, school visits, and events, visit her at: www.donnagalanti.com.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DonnaGalantiA...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 23, 2013
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way.
Disclaimer Part II: I am thanked in the acknowledgements! The thank you is based on a conversation where Donna mentioned she was writing these stories and I said “Write one about X-10 losing his virginity! That would be epic!” and she did. I did not help with the writing or plotting of this story at all. But what she came up with is like 10x (hehe) better than anything I could have thought up.
Review: The Dark Inside is a series of short stories based on the world of Donna Galanti’s book The Human Element (you can read my review of that HERE). This collection is a fantastic niblet of dark perversion. If you read The Human Element you will adore the insight you get into some familiar characters and a terrifying introduction into some new ones. If you haven’t, you can still enjoy these stories out of context. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself rushing to Amazon to buy the Novel!
From Abusive fathers to sex as a commodity, Galanti doesn’t spare you any of the character’s dark thoughts. Personally, I was the most struck by the first story. Caleb is a character I hadn’t met before so the story, the setting and the premise were entirely new to me (proving that you can enjoy this if you haven’t read The Human Element). His innocence in juxtaposition with his brutal existence struck me the hardest. I was glad there was a second, follow up story about him and his father and now I’m anxious to know more about them. I’m guessing they are a part of the next book in the series :)
The character of Felix also really touched me. I liked him in The Human Element but always felt like there was something about himself he was holding back. And look! Proof! He is holding back and for good reason. To find out about these aliens, alien hybrids, and human disasters, pick up The Dark Inside.
Disclaimer Part II: I am thanked in the acknowledgements! The thank you is based on a conversation where Donna mentioned she was writing these stories and I said “Write one about X-10 losing his virginity! That would be epic!” and she did. I did not help with the writing or plotting of this story at all. But what she came up with is like 10x (hehe) better than anything I could have thought up.
Review: The Dark Inside is a series of short stories based on the world of Donna Galanti’s book The Human Element (you can read my review of that HERE). This collection is a fantastic niblet of dark perversion. If you read The Human Element you will adore the insight you get into some familiar characters and a terrifying introduction into some new ones. If you haven’t, you can still enjoy these stories out of context. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself rushing to Amazon to buy the Novel!
From Abusive fathers to sex as a commodity, Galanti doesn’t spare you any of the character’s dark thoughts. Personally, I was the most struck by the first story. Caleb is a character I hadn’t met before so the story, the setting and the premise were entirely new to me (proving that you can enjoy this if you haven’t read The Human Element). His innocence in juxtaposition with his brutal existence struck me the hardest. I was glad there was a second, follow up story about him and his father and now I’m anxious to know more about them. I’m guessing they are a part of the next book in the series :)
The character of Felix also really touched me. I liked him in The Human Element but always felt like there was something about himself he was holding back. And look! Proof! He is holding back and for good reason. To find out about these aliens, alien hybrids, and human disasters, pick up The Dark Inside.
March 19, 2013
I love short stories and collections and was ecstatic when Donna published these! A Human Element still lingers with me and I’ve been waiting for a while now to read the sequel, A Hidden Element. The Dark Inside has me even more excited now. You get more of some of the old characters and are introduced to many new ones.
The Dark Inside
These short stories contain characters from A Human Element and the soon to be released sequel, A Hidden Element.
The Well
It seems like no matter how hard he tries, Caleb can never be good enough in his father’s eyes. When he hears about the mission to the new world, he jumps at the chance to escape the dying planet and maybe get out from under his fathers disapproving control.
When his hopes are crushed, he’s devastated. And then his mother goes missing.
She’s disappeared without a trace.
The Well starts out being about Caleb and his conflicts with his father and his peers, and deepens into a mystery when his mother just vanishes. The author does a great job of misdirecting me, and I rushed to a wrong conclusion. This one is a deep, emotional read.
The First Time
X-10 is not going to give in. He’s not going to let the twisted Dr. Bjord control this experiment.
He’s scared of the human girl. Not for the usual reasons, but because he’s afraid he’ll give in to the rip, tear, kill, urges that are the base part of him.
It’s the first time X-10 has coupled with a female and he experiences some human emotions like nervousness, lust, and excitement. But can he control the monster inside, the one that needs to rend?
Donna, through her characters conversations, made the tentative bond between the monster and the prostitute endearing for me. I wanted things to be okay, wanted both of them to survive this experiment.
But she’s a prostitute, he’s a monster, and this is an experiment. A deadly one.
The Job
Felix is a Seeker. His partner, Maria, is all woman, all human.
He’s never felt attracted to her before, but he’s made a mistake. He’s let his guard down and things got messy. Now he has to clean it up.
I was surprised a couple of times with this one. Had a few, ‘what the???’ moments. This is twisted fun. Can’t help it. I sometimes laugh at the dark stuff.
Frat Night
Tara’s so excited. Tonight she’s going to do it with Jonah. She’s been lying to him, telling him she’s a virgin, so he’ll woo her, romance her. But she’s ready now. Tonight they’ll finally be together.
It was a beautiful spring night.
Kind of saw some of this coming, but still got a shock. I was grinning and thinking, yes!
The Tree of Sheltered Secrets
She was going to kill whoever did it. Whoever cut down her tree.
She’d spent her childhood hiding in that tree, escaping into her own world. It was the only happy memory in her miserable existence. And now someone had hacked it down. It felt like she’d been cut down too.
Someone had to pay.
I felt sorry for Hilary. She had a horrendous life and now the only thing good was gone. I felt her rage build and as I read on, I wanted someone to pay. Pay big!
The Beginning
They were seventy-five strong. Adrian and his crew silently entered the chosen town and quickly got what they needed with mind persuasion. No one realized the strangeness of these visitors.
But that wasn’t enough for Adrian. Oh no. He had to go and make it nasty, make two people do despicable things just for his pleasure.
He also made his son Caleb and the others watch. It was a warning and a lesson.
This one is so twisted. Adrian is a sick twist and I feel so sorry for Caleb. His hate for his father is changing him. Molding him. I hope he doesn’t follow in his fathers dark footsteps.
A Lucky Strike
Ben is all alone with his foster-father now. His foster-mother is now buried and Frank expects him to take over her duties. All of them.
As Ben fantasizes about ways to kill Frank, he knows it’s only a matter of time before things turn real ugly.
It’s time to flee, but has he waited too long?
I forgot this part in A Human Element. It’s disturbing and sad. You see where Ben came from, what he endured, what shaped him.
I’m surprised he survived at all.
Excerpt – A Human Element ~ Ben
This is an excerpt from A Human Element. It’s another short about Ben taking place later than in A Lucky Strike. I’ll give a tease and tell you what I got from it.
Ben had no business being in Hud’s Place.
“North of Hotel Street in Chinatown, or NoHo as it was called, carried its distinction as the known spot for prostitute action any time of the week. He swallowed the last of his beer and laughed to himself. SoHo could be a better name for the so-many-ho’s that could be had around here.”
He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t have got so drunk. And he definitely shouldn’t have stepped into it with the Marines.
If he thinks the ass-kicking he just got from them was bad, the locals that get a hold of him, set him straight.
If it weren’t for the tall man, the familiar looking stranger with the bright green eyes, he’d be totally screwed.
Ben just keeps putting himself in bad situation after bad situation. I hate seeing him in the self-destruct mode.
I’m curious about the tall man, why is he always showing up at the worst times? Why is he following Ben?
Seeing a character falter, make bad moves and stupid ones, helps me connect with them, makes them human for me. I’m connected with Ben.
I enjoyed all of these stories. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be…..Ha! Not gonna tell ya!
The Dark Inside gets Five Stars from me. Each story is distinct and wrings out my emotions.
The Dark Inside
These short stories contain characters from A Human Element and the soon to be released sequel, A Hidden Element.
The Well
It seems like no matter how hard he tries, Caleb can never be good enough in his father’s eyes. When he hears about the mission to the new world, he jumps at the chance to escape the dying planet and maybe get out from under his fathers disapproving control.
When his hopes are crushed, he’s devastated. And then his mother goes missing.
She’s disappeared without a trace.
The Well starts out being about Caleb and his conflicts with his father and his peers, and deepens into a mystery when his mother just vanishes. The author does a great job of misdirecting me, and I rushed to a wrong conclusion. This one is a deep, emotional read.
The First Time
X-10 is not going to give in. He’s not going to let the twisted Dr. Bjord control this experiment.
He’s scared of the human girl. Not for the usual reasons, but because he’s afraid he’ll give in to the rip, tear, kill, urges that are the base part of him.
It’s the first time X-10 has coupled with a female and he experiences some human emotions like nervousness, lust, and excitement. But can he control the monster inside, the one that needs to rend?
Donna, through her characters conversations, made the tentative bond between the monster and the prostitute endearing for me. I wanted things to be okay, wanted both of them to survive this experiment.
But she’s a prostitute, he’s a monster, and this is an experiment. A deadly one.
The Job
Felix is a Seeker. His partner, Maria, is all woman, all human.
He’s never felt attracted to her before, but he’s made a mistake. He’s let his guard down and things got messy. Now he has to clean it up.
I was surprised a couple of times with this one. Had a few, ‘what the???’ moments. This is twisted fun. Can’t help it. I sometimes laugh at the dark stuff.
Frat Night
Tara’s so excited. Tonight she’s going to do it with Jonah. She’s been lying to him, telling him she’s a virgin, so he’ll woo her, romance her. But she’s ready now. Tonight they’ll finally be together.
It was a beautiful spring night.
Kind of saw some of this coming, but still got a shock. I was grinning and thinking, yes!
The Tree of Sheltered Secrets
She was going to kill whoever did it. Whoever cut down her tree.
She’d spent her childhood hiding in that tree, escaping into her own world. It was the only happy memory in her miserable existence. And now someone had hacked it down. It felt like she’d been cut down too.
Someone had to pay.
I felt sorry for Hilary. She had a horrendous life and now the only thing good was gone. I felt her rage build and as I read on, I wanted someone to pay. Pay big!
The Beginning
They were seventy-five strong. Adrian and his crew silently entered the chosen town and quickly got what they needed with mind persuasion. No one realized the strangeness of these visitors.
But that wasn’t enough for Adrian. Oh no. He had to go and make it nasty, make two people do despicable things just for his pleasure.
He also made his son Caleb and the others watch. It was a warning and a lesson.
This one is so twisted. Adrian is a sick twist and I feel so sorry for Caleb. His hate for his father is changing him. Molding him. I hope he doesn’t follow in his fathers dark footsteps.
A Lucky Strike
Ben is all alone with his foster-father now. His foster-mother is now buried and Frank expects him to take over her duties. All of them.
As Ben fantasizes about ways to kill Frank, he knows it’s only a matter of time before things turn real ugly.
It’s time to flee, but has he waited too long?
I forgot this part in A Human Element. It’s disturbing and sad. You see where Ben came from, what he endured, what shaped him.
I’m surprised he survived at all.
Excerpt – A Human Element ~ Ben
This is an excerpt from A Human Element. It’s another short about Ben taking place later than in A Lucky Strike. I’ll give a tease and tell you what I got from it.
Ben had no business being in Hud’s Place.
“North of Hotel Street in Chinatown, or NoHo as it was called, carried its distinction as the known spot for prostitute action any time of the week. He swallowed the last of his beer and laughed to himself. SoHo could be a better name for the so-many-ho’s that could be had around here.”
He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t have got so drunk. And he definitely shouldn’t have stepped into it with the Marines.
If he thinks the ass-kicking he just got from them was bad, the locals that get a hold of him, set him straight.
If it weren’t for the tall man, the familiar looking stranger with the bright green eyes, he’d be totally screwed.
Ben just keeps putting himself in bad situation after bad situation. I hate seeing him in the self-destruct mode.
I’m curious about the tall man, why is he always showing up at the worst times? Why is he following Ben?
Seeing a character falter, make bad moves and stupid ones, helps me connect with them, makes them human for me. I’m connected with Ben.
I enjoyed all of these stories. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be…..Ha! Not gonna tell ya!
The Dark Inside gets Five Stars from me. Each story is distinct and wrings out my emotions.
March 1, 2013
Galanti did it again! She gave me exactly what I was looking for from her book...more time with the characters. When I read a book, I like to live with the characters, so when I finish a book I always want a little more time with them. The Dark Inside gave me a chance to revisit with some of the characters from A Human Element. It was a glimpse into their lives and gave me insight into why they were the way they were. But better, Galanti introduces new characters, which made me look forward to getting to know them better in her up coming sequel A Hidden Element. I especially like Caleb, a young man living on a dying planet and the most important thing to him was what Serah thought of him after he lost the big game. Galanti brings to life a planet, and gives it a history and a present day that makes you believe you are there and going through their daily lives. I am really looking forward to spending more time with Caleb as his comes to earth with his people to try to save his race and planet.
April 19, 2013
These are dark shorts that I was able to read quickly. Having read A Human Element last year, I recognized several characters from that novel and was thrilled to delve deeper into their backgrounds. One story, in particular, I personally found very disturbing, but I think, as a whole the collection, is balanced, entertaining and renewed my sense of wonder. Donna writes descriptive, flowing prose that draws the reader into the action. Her characters seem to come alive. The stories are succinct but each shows the passion, fortitude, and aching desires that have shaped these individuals into either the heroes or villains they have become. It is not necessary to have read A Human Element before diving into these, but it was quite entertaining for me to have read the short story collection in the context of the original adventure.
This book was provided by the author at no cost in exchange for my honest review.
Reviewed by Laurie-J
This book was provided by the author at no cost in exchange for my honest review.
Reviewed by Laurie-J
February 19, 2015
This is a collection of short stories. Some of the characters I remember from Donna's book Human Element, which is also a good book.This book was named appropriately. Each story reveal the dark hiding places hidden inside all of us.Most of us wouldn't visit that dark place unless we were backed into a corner or someone we love was in danger. The treachery of man still has not been fully understood. WHy would one man kill and another would never even think of doing such a thing. In this collection you find titles such as The Well,The First Time X-10,The Job,Frat Night,The Tree of Sheltered Secrets,The Beginning and A Lucky Strike.There is also an Excerp for A Human Element.I don't want to give anything away.
Donna Galanti is a Brilliant writer and story teller.She bring each and every character to life and makes them and their plight relatable.Her story's are a delight to read. Well done and take a bow Donna Galanti! I look forward to reading more.
Donna Galanti is a Brilliant writer and story teller.She bring each and every character to life and makes them and their plight relatable.Her story's are a delight to read. Well done and take a bow Donna Galanti! I look forward to reading more.
February 28, 2013
I don't normally read short stories, but I really liked the author's book A Human Element and I know this had stories about some of the characters from it and her sequel, which I dont think is out yet. These stories are the same style of dark fiction with suspense and a smidge of horror and sci fi and some sex :). I loved the stories best with Caleb and the story of X-10 (the bad dude from A Human Element) really made me feel sorry for him! A couple of the stories are rather short and don't seem to quite fit in with the rest (one is first person unlike the 3rd person of the other stories), but were well written and I liked too - so that's only why I give it 4 stars vs. 5. If you like stories that always have a happy ending - these are not for you!
March 12, 2013
Eek! Definitely dark inside as the title states. This book of short stories delivers just what it promises in the description. Justice through revenge, icky/horrible things humans do to each other, sad love, sci-fi, and (more than I thought would be in the pages!) lust. The short stories of Ben made me sad and squimish in their honestly- probably from being a social worker. I loved Tara's story.. Sometimes it's fun taking naughty pleasure in the bad guy getting it! Quick read for those who like gritty stories about the darker side of human.. Or alien.. Love. Definitely an 18+ read.
I received this book free from the author. :)
I received this book free from the author. :)
April 10, 2013
Often when I read a book, I find my self wondering what happened to the characters before this story happened? The Dark Inside includes stories along these lines for characters from The Human Element. But that is not all that can be found in this excellent collection of short stories. I found the stories both entertaining and thought provoking. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone, either read before or after The Human Element. The experience in either instance would be equally rewarding.
March 7, 2013
In this collection of short tales, the beauty of Donna Galanti's word craft builds a world of horror anchored deeply in humanity. Fans of "A Human Element" will be rewarded with rich insights into beloved characters. This collection leaves me hungry for the sequel... bring on A Hidden Element!
July 6, 2013
An anthology containing eight stories, The Dark Inside provides a two-fold purpose. It offers glimpses into the backgrounds of selected characters from Donna Galanti's debut novel, A Human Element (reviewed here) while introducing new characters that will presumably appear in her forthcoming sequel, A Hidden Element.
Readers of A Human Element will find familiar faces among roughly half of the tales. In "First Time", the monstrous alien known as X-10, held captive for scientific experimentation by the US government, loses his virginity to a prostitute secured for him by his sadistic keeper, Dr. Bjord...the experience does not end well.
In "The Job", the half-human, half-Elyon government agent known only as Felix finds himself the target of his own partner, a gorgeous young seductress named Maria. Felix lets his guard down long enough to reveal a secret he had kept hidden from the US government for over 15 years. Might not have been the best decision he ever made...
Other stories, such as "The Well" and "The Beginning" examine beings from the planet Elyon, focusing on young Caleb and his hardened, brutish father, Adrian who eventually leads a crew of 75 to Earth. Their first interaction with humans does not bode well for us.
The book ends with an excerpt from the A Human Element, albeit the final story, "A Lucky Strike" is also an excerpt that introduces readers to the male protagonist Ben Fieldstone as he escapes his abusive foster father, Frank.
The Dark Inside serves as a bridge between first and second novels. In my review for A Human Element, I mentioned that it would have been interesting to delve a bit into X-10's background as a way of making him more sympathetic to the readers, rather than merely the intelligent but hateful killing machine that he had become. Donna Galanti delivered on that and a bit more.
Readers of A Human Element will find familiar faces among roughly half of the tales. In "First Time", the monstrous alien known as X-10, held captive for scientific experimentation by the US government, loses his virginity to a prostitute secured for him by his sadistic keeper, Dr. Bjord...the experience does not end well.
In "The Job", the half-human, half-Elyon government agent known only as Felix finds himself the target of his own partner, a gorgeous young seductress named Maria. Felix lets his guard down long enough to reveal a secret he had kept hidden from the US government for over 15 years. Might not have been the best decision he ever made...
Other stories, such as "The Well" and "The Beginning" examine beings from the planet Elyon, focusing on young Caleb and his hardened, brutish father, Adrian who eventually leads a crew of 75 to Earth. Their first interaction with humans does not bode well for us.
The book ends with an excerpt from the A Human Element, albeit the final story, "A Lucky Strike" is also an excerpt that introduces readers to the male protagonist Ben Fieldstone as he escapes his abusive foster father, Frank.
The Dark Inside serves as a bridge between first and second novels. In my review for A Human Element, I mentioned that it would have been interesting to delve a bit into X-10's background as a way of making him more sympathetic to the readers, rather than merely the intelligent but hateful killing machine that he had become. Donna Galanti delivered on that and a bit more.
March 13, 2013
I can't quite put my finger on exactly how I feel about this short story collection. I loved Ms. Galanti's book A Human Element and for me, this was just a little something to tide me over until the next book comes out.
So here are just a few thoughts on this collection. For the most part I didn't know who the characters in the stories were. There were a couple that I did know and because of that those stories were my favorite, especially the one with Felix. Every story dealt with pretty dark subject matter and while I realize that this is the point of the collection the fact that so many of them revolve around some sort of sexual abuse/assault bothered me.
I think that if you enjoyed A Human Element and you like Ms. Galanti's writing style then you may want to pick this one up. It's not detrimental to the story, although you do get a glimpse of previous, possibly life altering moments in the lives of both Felix and X-10. Each of the stories is well crafted, they are written from differing POV's and some are more in depth while some are just short little bursts of action. They are all steeped in darkness, though, so beware!
So here are just a few thoughts on this collection. For the most part I didn't know who the characters in the stories were. There were a couple that I did know and because of that those stories were my favorite, especially the one with Felix. Every story dealt with pretty dark subject matter and while I realize that this is the point of the collection the fact that so many of them revolve around some sort of sexual abuse/assault bothered me.
I think that if you enjoyed A Human Element and you like Ms. Galanti's writing style then you may want to pick this one up. It's not detrimental to the story, although you do get a glimpse of previous, possibly life altering moments in the lives of both Felix and X-10. Each of the stories is well crafted, they are written from differing POV's and some are more in depth while some are just short little bursts of action. They are all steeped in darkness, though, so beware!
August 21, 2021
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February 23, 2015I'm partial! :)
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