Stork

by Shane McKenzie

It's said that storks bring the souls of children to good, loving parents. Suzey was sent to live with her grandma after her mother, a prostitute, was murdered. Grandma tells Suzey that storks would never bring a child's soul to a whore, and convinces Suzey that she is soulless and evil. Now Suzey is grown, is married to a nice and successful man. She wants to have a normal life, wants a family of her own, but every attempt to become pregnant has ended in miscarriage. Was Grandma right? Is Suzey unable to bear children because the stork refuses to bring the soul of a child to an impure mother?

A tale of loss, longing, and madness by Shane McKenzie.

Genres: Horror, Abuse, Splatterpunk, Adult, Fiction, Thriller Suspense, Short Stories

63 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 20, 2013

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this was one hell of a psychological horror story! Suzey and Eddie go through so much pain here. Having experienced some similar circumstances personally, my heart went out to them on their struggle to conceive. The entire opening sequence, specifically, made me very uncomfortable. You spend most of this story wondering what’s really happening versus what is trauma-based hallucinations, and it makes your head spin. It is a short read, but don’t let that fool you. It’s got a great pace to it, and you just maintain a general uneasiness throughout, even to the last line of the strong conclusion. A very strong showing from an extremely talented writer!

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book five years ago, and my Swiss cheese brain didn't remember the content, so I read it again this afternoon. Holy guacamole! This was a brutal and well-written story that had me squirming at the violent twists and turns. it's a good thing I have a bad memory, because every page was a dark surprise, and the ending was a shock. I will surely read this book again in another five years. Recommended!

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Stork' is a sad and sombre tale involving the legend of storks and babies, but given a dark and hard-hitting greek mythological twist to unfolding events.

After being physically and mentally abused as a child by her grandma, Suzey marries Eddie, the man of her dreams, and now they are both desperately trying for a baby. But after several miscarriages Suzey is beginning to wonder whether she will ever be 'good enough' to become a mother, or will her present misfortune and despair just continue to be the case for the foreseeable future. Then again, perhaps the memories of her wicked grandma, who brought her up to become the person who she is, may have more to do with matters than meets the eye?...then again, maybe not.

Wonderfully original, this short psychological tale of horror is most definitely not one too be missed.

Rating: 4.7 pure dark stars of magical genius.

[Slim Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. Shane does a great job building the manic and sense of stress within this book. Loved the characters and their interactions.

Ending is gut retching. You can really feel it. -go give someone a hug-

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Shane McKenzie takes the fairy-tale story of a stork bringing babies to couples, and twists it into an obscene parody. There isn't a whole lot I can say about this novella without giving away the plot, so I'll focus on the writing instead. McKenzie has created some intense, memorable characters that are incredibly believable! This story grabbed me from the start and didn't let go until the brutal end. This man has an absolutely insane imagination, and I can't wait to read more from him!

Recommended to fans of extreme horror!

[Becks! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Psychologically twisted, and not for the faint of heart!

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Crap, I wasn’t expecting that ending, but a great read nonetheless.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this back in 2021 and just reread it because Shane put it out in this pretty little pocketbook that I had to have. This story still hits me just as hard today as it did back then. The ending will rip your heart out!! The pocketbook comes with an added story in it and a teaser of his upcoming book Monsters Don't Cry. Which I have already ordered and can not wait to get my hands on.

The ending of this one was brutal. Just pull out your heart and stomp on it. You will be better off.

For fucks sake. This one packs a nice little punch at the end. I mean what could go wrong with a stork and horror? A beautiful white bird and babies go hand and hand. But, do they????

Happy Reading and Splatter On.....

[Renée · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, fuck. I can’t see through my tears to say anything more than this.

[renee w · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!? That was by far one of the most disturbing books I have ever read. This one will have me saying wtf?! For the rest of my life. An outstanding yet heartbreaking story.

[Corrina Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woah! I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but it wasn't that!! Brutal, shocking, brilliant!! Shane's writing keeps you turning the pages and wanting more!! 5 evil storks from me!! 🖤

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story centers around a couple trying to have a child and the Grandma. By the title you can see it brings in the tale of how the Stork delivers the baby to couples. But with Shane's stories he takes things to the extreme. Don't want to say a lot about the story and ruin it for you. But it is a very good quick read. This is the third book(Bleed On Me & Jacked)by Shane I have read and it won't be the last. If you are a fan of over the top extreme horror you should add Shane to your list. I gave Stork 4 stars.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

[Chandra Claypool (WhereTheReaderGrows) · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many things I want to say about this book but alas, you’ll have to wait for my full review in Scream Horror Magazine. But absolutely please read this novella. That final scene had my face in somersaults. 😳

This also includes a short story that pairs amazingly with this read and the afterword of where Shane explains where he got these ideas… absolutely you should read as well. PLUS there an excerpt for the next novel he’s putting out. I mean, bonus city y’all!

So yeah, add this to your tbr as fast as you can!

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second book by Shane McKenzie (the first being All You Can Eat) and this one was deeply depressing.

We all know the story of the stork that brings you babies, take that tale with a slight splatter-twist and you have a phenomenal book.

This was so sad from beginning to end, from the flashbacks of our main character to the gut-wrenching ending!

4/5

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Jeremy Maddux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ended too suddenly. Was just getting good after all the build up. Not saying this as a compliment. I'm saying Shane goofed by wrapping things up in a climax too fast. What she does with the dead stork was shocking enough to warrant five stars for me, personally.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great novella.It is safe to say that the future of hardcore horror is safe with people like Shane Mackenzie around.This story is brutal. I loved it.

[Eve Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE BIRD BEAK WENT WHERE
HUH
I AM SPEECHLESS

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely twisted twist of a popular fairy tale.

🔸 4 stars🔸

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, but I would have liked it better as an episode of MASTERS OF HORROR or FEAR ITSELF. The story is ham-handed and the character of the grandmother grossly underdeveloped, giving it a B-movie type of feel. Entertaining, yes. Well-written, yes. But the author unfortunately turns a promising psychological thriller into your typical horror-story bloodbath. Not so much scary as just depressing.

[Steph's_Creepy _Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shane is definitely now one of my favourite extreme horror authors after this and Stab The Rabbit. Fantastic descriptive writer.
I wasn't expecting this ending. I mean we knew she was a lil cuckoo but 🤯

[Veronica ☠️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suzey and Eddie are married and trying to have babies. Unfortunately, they've been dealing with back to back miscarriages and it's really got them down. After their last miscarriage they decide to move to a new place and start fresh. Suzey gets pregnant again and this time she feels it's going to be different. That is until her past starts to haunt her mind.

Suzey was raised by her grandmother and she wasn't the nicest parent. She treated her very bad and called her evil. She would constantly tell her about the old Stork tale and scare Suzey. Finding a window out, Suzey left that house at a young age and decided to live a new life. Unfortunately, that let to her living a really hard life that would eventually haunt her.

This story was bleak and overall a sad tale. We watch Suzey become extremely mad and fight to understand what's reality and what's made up. We also see Eddie and his fears of becoming a dad and taking care of his family. Shane did an excellent job at making you feel dread, pain, and overall madness. This was a great story!

The arc copy that I received had a bonus short story called I'm On My -
We follow Morris who just got a really nice promotion at his job. He's finally in a position where he can take care of his wife and child. He's so excited when he gets off work that he goes and buys some food, drinks, and flowers to celebrate. On his way home he hits something and changes his whole night, and life, around.

This story makes you question, what would you do to keep your happiness? What secrets would you hide to make sure your future is bright? I'm a big fan of Shane's writing and I can't wait for more bleak, maddening stories like these two! Highly recommend!

[Lia's Haunted Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly fun and unsettling little story. Suzey has had a long stretch of bad luck trying to have a baby with her husband, and the novella follows her as she’s forced to confront the life she had, the life she wants, and the weight of past trauma. What begins as grief and longing slowly spirals into a shit show.

Have you ever believed the story of the stork? Let’s just say I am profoundly grateful my mother (or grandmother for that matter) spared me that particular fairytale, because this book takes that myth and twists it into something horrifying. And that ending? I loved it.

[Nicole Rubbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the death of her parents Suzey went to live with her abusive Grandmother. Grandma loved to read Suzey stories about storks who will never bring children to souless women Suzey being one of them. When she is grown she is in a loving and happy marriage. After numerous miscarriages Suzey starts to wonder if her grandmother was telling the truth about the stork. This novella was disturbing and sad, but a truly great read.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Crap.

I would leave my review at those two words, but I feel the desperate need to cannonize Shane McKenzie into the grand hall of great horror writers. Having penned my favorite read of 2013, MUERTE CON CARNE, I followed up with McKenzie's novella, STORK. I am prepared to announce him as my current favorite horror writer based on those two works alone.

That's right Brian Keene, have a seat, Shane McKenzie is the new king. His writing leaves stone cold ice in my blood. My stomach churning and quesy. Every ounce of me begging for more. Never have I read horror so real. So little, if any, supernatural forces drive the terror. In the twisted mind of Shane McKenzie, we, the everyday Dick and Jane, are the real terror.

Read Shane McKenzie. Every last blood dripping, bone cracking, bile inducing ounce of his writing. All hail the new king. I stick by what I said before...

Holy crap.

[Made DNA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enter a young couple trying to have a child; a hidden, dark past; and psychological trauma that one cannot run from -- combine it all for a creepy, on-the-edge-of-your-seat read.

I'm a not a fan of psychological-trauma horror to honest. It sits on that level that disturbs and makes me uncomfortable. That, however, is the power of Shane McKenzie's writing. It is what also kept me turning page after page, reading to an inevitable ending that I knew I could not escape with this short story.

Dark, haunting and not for the faint of heart.

[Douglas Castagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sharp and visceral. Stork has a short page length, but it is long on horror. The blood, the pain, the madness begins right away and we soon care for Suzey, who has hard a difficult upbringing by an emotionally abusive grandmother. Suzey and her husband love each other and have hopes of starting a family, but the emotional scars and damage seem to be popping back up despite best efforts. The writing is crisp and unrelenting. Another great story by McKenzie.

[Dan Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A crescendo of violence

This is the best short story ever conceived. Perfectly paced with a brutal, yet oddly cathartic ending. I give much praise to Shane McKenzie for this horror gem. This has usurped Abed and Jasmine and Garlic as my favorite horror shorts.

[Roland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerhouse of skillfully written remarkably brutal horror story.
It built steadily, the twists were paced carefully, the characters were believable, everything was well crafted except the final moments of the last scene, which was bit of a rash for me.