Despair: A Collection of Horror Short Stories

by Relvin Gonzalez

Seven stories, seven horrors.

They didn't say anything about the departure stage of parenthood.

And now we can't let go.

They raised us with the instinct of survival.

And now we'll do anything to survive.

They sold us haunted homes.

And now we obsess over every sound.

They told us time would cure all grief.

And now time won't pass fast enough.

They built dystopia as an upgraded future.

And now we're separated by fences.

They lied to us in fairy tales.

And now we see there's no fantasy world.

They gave us lives of quiet desperation.

And now we're unhappy with not much time left.

A Collection includes the following short stories from author Relvin
To Be a Father
Piddling Zephyr
Downstairs
Death Trap
Ash
The Butcher
The Gray

Get it Now.

Genres: Horror

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2023

About the author

Get your FREE copy of Hefnd – a prequel story from Relvin Gonzalez's epic fantasy series, 444 – when you sign up for his mailing list:
www.relvingonzalez.com/subscribe

Reviews

[Milt Theo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had great difficulty in following what happened, the stilty dialogue sounded totally unnatural to my ears, and the author offered absolutely no help in minimizing the overall confusion (e.g., by giving short recaps of what happened in one story, so that we'd know where we stand with another, through clever dialogue, perhaps, or the introduction of relevant characters who needed the necessary information). Everything felt bland, dry, almost entirely performative. I admit I got lost, and had to force myself to finish the book - which I picked up believing it was a horror or dark fiction collection; it's not - it's dark fantasy, with some occult and sci-fi elements. I still have no idea how such disparate elements are supposed to fit in. I leave it to others, more capable than me, to decipher what the story's about or what's the point supposed to be.

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seven stories, seven nightmares.


Despair is a small collection of short dark stories by Relvin Gonzales. This was my first time reading anything by this author, and so I went in blind. These stories aren't full of the stomach turning gore and excessive violence like most the horror I have been reading lately. These stories are bleak and poetic. They seem to rely on the feelings of unease and despair that they evoke within the readers.

Of all the short stories, "To be a father', Downstairs' and 'The Butcher" were the three a most enjoyed. 'To be a father' was just so bizarre and ending that had me shook. I enjoyed "Downstairs" because I am a sucker for a good haunted house story. And then I enjoyed 'The butcher' because it was an interesting retelling of a classic fairy tale, a dark red riding hood.

Something else I really enjoyed about this little collection was that Gonzales included in his authors note some of the why and inspiration behind a few of these shorts. I always love getting a glimpse into the authors' mind. Knowing where they were at during the time they wrote something helps further my understanding and appreciation of their work.


Overall, these books are a decent teaser and a good introduction to this authors writing style. I definitely will be checking out more from them very soon!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Robin Ginther-Venneri · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a memorable collection of short stories with many tales. My favorite was the retelling of The Little Red Riding Hood, a classic fairy tale. This is the 2nd reimagined "Red" story I have read, and I enjoyed it immensely, but this one, "The Butcher," takes the cake. I like the feeling of connection with the author when he wrote some of the behind-the-scenes stuff—a fun and entertaining quick read.

It was my pleasure to receive a free copy of this book, but that does not in any way affect my opinions in this review of this entertaining story.

[Saulėtoji Vapsva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ieškojau knygos pabaigti šiuos metus ir niekaip nesugalvojau, ką noriu skaityti. Prisiminiau, kaip per Kindle dienas greitomis atsisiunčiau šitą. Patiko viršelis, nors retai renkuosi knygas pagal viršelius.
Visgi man turbūt reikia pasiieškoti ką reiškia siaubo žanras, nes šitoje trumpų istorijų rinkinyje nei vienos nepriskirčiau šiam žanrui. Aš jų nesupratau, bet tikrai sunkiai nesiskaitė.
Mech

[Rainbeaux Harvest · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of seven stories that have some part of horror involved. I was not a fan of this book overall. There were a couple of good stories, my favorite being The Butcher. It was difficult to finish because one story would be good, the next better, then bad, and then great. I finished the book because I wanted to see the outcome of everything.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a strong collection of stories, it had that element that I was expecting and enjoyed from this genre. The overall concept and theme worked overall and was invested from the first story, I enjoyed the way Relvin Gonzalez wrote this and am excited for more.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despair

Was a good read. A couple of the stories were great! Not sure that it was my exact type of book, sometimes there just wasn’t enough story for me. Still good and still worth a read!

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection is in desperate need of an editor. So many grammatical errors it was hard to understand at times.

[elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

sykd

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bei “Despair” handelt es sich um eine Sammlung von Kurzgeschichten.
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In der Sammlung sind insgesamt sieben Kurzgeschichten enthalten, aber die sind wahnsinnig kurz. Das gesamte Buch hat nicht einmal 60 Seiten und ist somit eher etwas für zwischendurch. Geschrieben ist alles in einem angenehmen Schreibstil, aber inhaltlich konnten mich die Geschichten leider überhaupt nicht überzeugen.
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Nicht mein Fall