Different Faces

by Rory Say, Karmazid (Cover Artist)

Single author mini-collection containing 5 short stories

Genres: Weird Fiction, Horror

76 pages, Paperback

Published April 26, 2024

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rory Say's DIFFERENT FACES from Sam Cowan's Dim Shores is a bleak collection of five carefully wrought tales, whose commonality--beyond their superb craftsmanship--is the inescapable doom of at least one of the characters, usually the protagonist. In one, the guilt felt by a hit-and-run driver exasperates his schizophrenia to the point of no return; in another a child's obsession with a door only he can see ruins his parent's marriage and consumes the life of the adult he becomes; in another a shy artist is dispossessed by his doppelganger; in another a man grieving for his departed wife meets a man longing for death; and in the title piece, two hikers journey into the heart of their own private hell.

Well written and very dark.

[Donald Armfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stories of darkly happenings and well written. My favorite story The Penitent the protagonist finds a conversation with a man in the same building of his residence. Only to find the sorrow of his wife’s passing to be nothing of a comparison to the man’s longing death.

Recommended for dark horror fans!
Collector numbered 111.

[Danielle (Danni) Vinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Rory Say's writing through a friend's @booksasmeals recommendation. Thank you so much, Tessa, for bringing this author to my attention.
Different Faces contains 5 brilliant pieces of short fiction. The first one, Farrow, seemed very familiar, and it turns out that I had read it in an edition of Weird Horror by @undertow_books
The story got a star in my notebook. It's an excellent story about the ravages of guilt. The following 4 stories are all phenomenal. This is weird horror at its best. Each story is thoughtful, powerful, and thought-provoking, and the writing is absolutely stunning. The last story, The Different Face, is superb. Wow. I really hope that this author releases a full collection very soon. I need more. Very highly recommended.
Look at that cover artwork! 🖤🖤

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unsettling. Bizarre. Strange. Subtly dreadful. Unpredictable.
All of my favorite things in a book. There's not much to say about each story without spoiling them, since they are pretty short, but I loved each and every one! I don't even think I could choose a favorite.

My brother picked this up on a whim for me since he knows I love horror, and I was absolutely blown away by Rory's writing. While I was reading, I stopped to look the writer up and ordered his latest that that came out from Red Bird Chapbooks, "The Marksman", which can't get here sooner!

Limited edition #25 :)

[Joel Hacker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this chapbook as an unexpected gift accompanying some other items from Dim Shores.
This slim volume contains five short stories. They were all atmospheric, slow, and with one exception seem fall within the broad category of ghost story pieces. In many ways, this reminded me of (and no offense meant to the author of Irish descent) the British ghost story tradition.
That single exception, 'The Penitent,' along with 'Porlock's Last Picture' were my favorites among the collection. Porlock's, like several stories, strongly captures the bleakness of a northern seashore.

[Jean Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rory Say’s Different Faces completely blew me away. From the first line of each exquisitely wrought story I was hooked, and found myself completely immersed in Say’s twisted and thought-provoking tales. Each left me wanting more, and yet this is Say’s brilliance - endings that tantalize and intrigue, leaving you thinking about them for days afterwards. I can’t wait to read more of his work!

[Aksel Dadswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange, liminal stories reminiscent of Ligotti and Evenson. Beautifully written and richly atmospheric. Gorgeous cover art too. Another wonderful publication by Dim Shores.