Hallowed

by Donald White

Cloaked figures gather around a stone table, perusing ancient parchments. It is All Hallows’ Eve, and they have come to hear tales of great terror. How a ghostly seduction drives a man to madness. Another walks the world of dreams and must come to face his nightmares. A child braves the dark of night, seeking out the place of friendship lost. There is the tale of foul murder, frustrated by forces beyond the mortal ken. Finally, they will hear the story of a wicked man, who faces monstrous vengeance. What is sacred? And to what purpose do we dedicate our lives? For only through the shedding of blood, can we be truly clean…

69 pages, ebook

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

Donald White grew up on the coast of North Carolina with his mother and father, an older and a younger sister. He has a degree in Information Systems, having graduated with honors. He is also an avid reader of classical and modern literature. After ten years in the IT business, he decided to focus on writing. His work can be seen in the June 2012 issue of Down in the Dirt Magazine; the winter 2013 issue of Cemetery Moon Magazine; and the Grave Robbers and Memento Mori anthologies edited by James Ward Kirk. The following books are available: Hallowed: the Collection, Tales of Faygaea, Otherplace, Getaway and Afterworld.

Reviews

[Michael S. Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donald White has done it again. HALLOWED, his first collection of shorts (two of which I have previously reviewed), doesn't disappoint. Each tale brings forth elements of horror that keeps the pages turning. My personal favorite was The Golden City, a story which brought me back to my early days of reading Lovecraft and King - though not necessarily written in their 'style,' it took me back to when I was first introduced to horror. I really enjoyed the imagery Mr. White brought to this one. My second favorite was The Thing in the Shadows. I'm not much into spoilers, but I'll just say that these two are indeed fun tales. It's hard to have an anthology, be it a collection from a single author or a group of writers, that's full of good stories. I praise Mr. White for putting together this chilling collection. I've said this before, but with each new story that comes from this writer, I've seen an overall improvement in his ability to craft a decent tale. I recommend HALLOWED to anyone looking for a quick, memorable read.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever been camping and exchanging haunting ghost stories by the bonfire, these are "those" stories.This collection of short stories is compiled of different, yet captivating pages of suspense, twists and turns. No story is like the other, so if you want to dive into a "brainpool" of never knowing what will happen next,read this anthology it is sure to catch you by surprise, I know it did me.

[Chantal Noordeloos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've only read the first story of this anthology so far, and it was a ghostly tale. The beginning had me stumped for a moment, but then I realised it was all part of the plan. The story of David is a haunting tale. The love of his life is a little `different'. I liked this story, I think it could have potential to be a novella instead of a short story, that way we get to know a little more about David and his ethereal mistress.