Moths: A trio of dark novellas

by Sam Kates

A collection of three dark novellas that delve into the nature of memory, madness and the afterlife.

The Goldfish Syndrome: a mystery takes a sinister turn—some secrets are best left undiscovered…

Moths: when the line between reality and fantasy grows blurred, tragedy beckons.

Returned: a soul dragged from the afterlife, an ancient secret and a race against time to thwart evil.

Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2023

About the author

My name is Sam Kates, at least when it comes to writing fiction. If there’s a photo on this page of a middle-aged bloke with a hair shortage, that’s me.

I live in Wales, a small constituent country of Great Britain and the U.K. Like many of my fellow countrymen, I possess a fondness for rugby union (though these days only as a spectator) and a good pint of beer. Usually the two go hand in hand.

My tastes in reading and film tend toward the darker side of life and the fantastic. Little surprise, then, that the fiction I write is usually science fiction and fantasy with a decidedly dark flavour, or outright horror.

Outside of writing, my main ambition is to see Wales beat the New Zealand All Blacks to win the Rugby World Cup. A forlorn hope, I suspect, but if you're going to harbour ambitions, they might as well be lofty, right?

Reviews

[myreadingescapism · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I had started this, didn’t really enjoy the first story. Thought oh I’ll DNF and then I didn’t know where to put it on Goodreads (I’m an avid non-DNFer) I looked and noticed I was 49% of the way through. I stepped away from it, listened to music. Thought maybe I was just grumpy and needed a palate cleanse.

No I didn’t need a palate cleanse, this was just mid. I struggled through to finish…

But I could also just be grumpy (extreme cold giving me insane neck pain)

[Tom East · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novellas are an interesting form, occupying a happy niche between the short story and novel. I do like short stories myself if they’re good, although am aware many people are less keen. They see shorts as over before they’ve properly begun. A novel, or even a trilogy or some other form of series is what many people prefer. The trouble is, more than a few novels are not well written, even boring. You can waste a lot of time by choosing badly.

There’s nothing remotely boring about ‘Moths’, Sam Kates’ latest, incorporating three ‘dark’ novellas in a substantial volume. The writing, too, is a treat. All three stories move along at a commendable pace.

‘The Goldfish Syndrome’ opens the book with an atmospheric scene in a village at the edge of Dartmoor, when one wet and windy night a young woman clad in a rain-sodden nightdress knocks on the door of an elderly couple, only to faint away when they eventually answer. She knows nothing more than her name. Over the 120 pages of the story the mystery deepens and becomes darker than the night on which the story opens.

In contrast, the title story takes more time to build up a picture of a young life, a difficult one in which the moth motif appears throughout. Just how difficult that life has been is only fully revealed in the disturbing ending.

As you might guess from the title ‘Returned’ is about a return from the grave and from this you might assume this is a dark story following a well-worn path. Not so; with relentless logic rather than the expected shock-horror this story focuses upon the reception of the reanimated corpse in the modern world. And if you think I’m giving too much away in my brief summary, this isn’t true either. The real horror of the story is in what returns with the dead one,

[Joyce James · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no doubt about the quality of Sam Kates' writing. The words flow across the page. He portrays ordinary people in extraordinary situations. We are led along bizarre, often horrific, paths. This book, 'Moths’, consists of three novellas that push to the limit our boundaries of belief. It demonstrates how we can accept the seemingly unacceptable when it is presented in a deceptively simple and logical manner.

The first story opens with a stormy night in the Dartmoor area. A young woman, exhausted and soaked with rain, collapses on the threshold of a lowly farmhouse. The old couple care for her and a young reporter bears witness to the events that follow.

The second story appears to be a straightforward memoir of a boy's life into early manhood. It moves on in an interesting way until, nearing the end, we are stunned by a thumping jolt that challenges any ideas we have of truth and imagination. It left me gasping with much to ponder.

The third story is my favourite. I'm not a fan of horror tales and surprised myself at being fascinated by this one. A man comes back from the dead - not merely disappeared or reported missing. His close friends saw him in his coffin and carried it to the newly-dug hole in the churchyard. Their later acceptance of this abnormal happening and the straightforward way they deal with it is delightful. I felt I knew these men and could imagine being there discussing how best to handle this unexpected problem. Should his wife be told? Should a doctor be called? The dialogue is natural, absolutely authentic. The explanation of how and why this has occurred gives it a frightening credibility. The end is perfect.

Moths flutter around for a brief period. This book will be remembered for much longer

[Kath Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The three novellas in this collection are all dark, as the subtitle says, but in very different ways.
In the first, a young woman comes down off Dartmoor with amnesia. Her story is followed up by a trainee reporter who finds more than he expected. This one I found very readable but deeply unsettling. Could it happen?
In the second – the title story, Moths – I began by sympathising with a youngster who had little in his life but one best friend. This story left me wondering what is true and what is in the mind. A really thought-provoking story.
The final one was more like a traditional horror story but, as often with Sam Kates, taken from a different perspective. Very dark humour in places and an exciting denoument. I loved this book and if your tastes lean towards the dark side, it’s the book for you, without a doubt.

[Richard Batt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable read

Found each individual story well paced & well constructed. Looking forward to reading the next set of novellas as author has a great ability to develop characters that are both believable & relatable.