Lurk: A Disturb Ink Books Anthology

by H. Dair Brown, Kieran Marsh, F. Malanoche

The line between innovation and terror is razor-thin.

Lurk, the sixth and final installment in Disturb Ink Books’ Sinister Century series, explores the eerie intersection of horror and artificial intelligence. As technology becomes ever more intertwined with daily life, these stories shine a light on the darker side of innovation, where reliance on AI can lead to unsettling consequences.

In a high-tech facility designed to house asylum seekers, an advanced AI system takes on an unexpected and chilling roleA religious leader discovers that placing trust in an AI savior comes with unforeseen dangersA grieving teenager tries to reconnect with her lost sibling using an experimental AI program—with unnerving resultsA letting agent faces the grim past of a luxury penthouse, where technology and tragedy seem to be intertwinedEdited by H. Dair Brown, this anthology weaves together spine-chilling horror and thriller tales from acclaimed and emerging authors, Kieran Marsh, F. Malanoche, Kassidy VanGundy, and Mark Robinson.

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Disturb Ink Books publishes fiction that lurks in the haunted land where quiet horror and psychological thrillers meet.

72 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2024

About the author

I write dark, genre-blurring fiction where secrets and dark deeds rarely stay buried forever. My novels and stories contain wily characters moving through the hidden currents of decades past and present. I strive to craft stories that unsettle without chasing jump scares or gore for shock’s sake. If you’re drawn to stories that echo instead of scream, give my work a look.

In addition to writing, I also edit anthologies, curating collections of quiet horror, twisty thrillers, and literary suspense that bring together a wide range of voices. I love shaping volumes where each story sharpens and deepens the others.

Find me on BookBub, Pinterest, Substack, and ReamStories, or listen to my audiobooks free on YouTube.

Thanks for stepping into the shadows with me.

—Dair (rhymes with “scare”)

Reviews

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Lurk (AI Apprations_The 202s)" is the 6th book in the Sinister Century anthology series, and it's probably the best of the six books, at least for me. It touches directly on matters of AI, and the four horror stories it contains are embedded in a science-fictional setting. The first story, "Resi" by Kieran Marsh, was an absolute nightmarish take on AI homes, when they are glitching (a heartbreaking vignette of this type opens the story) or when they are employed as hosts of refugee homes. The tale is gutsy, challenging, original, totally aware of the world we live in! The second story, "Excommunicated" by F. Malanoche, was another story about AIs invading our life, this time the religious life - essentially with an AI as a cult leader, though one who can actually answer prayers and give you more followers, more likes, better mortgage terms, and so on. A brilliant story. "Inactive" by Kassidy VanGundy goes for the AI models of actual people, in this case a teenager who died. His sister finds herself getting calls from him, and the tale goes crazy when she answers! A very entertaining and thoughful story. Finally, "Autocorrect" by Mark Robinson is a great ghost story about a haunted building. Despite its apparent distance from the anthology's theme, I enjoyed it immensely. I'm a bit at a loss about the story's title, I have my suspicions (a haunting and a smart house may be more similar than we think?), but never mind.

A terrific anthology about the potential impact of AI, through smart and well-written horror! Recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mark Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

At a time when the future of AI is a scary concept, along comes an anthology that encapsulates those fears.

Four very different stories, by four indie writers (myself included) all with very individual takes on the horrors of technology.

Kieran Marsh foresees a bleak future where the elderly and asylum seekers are housed in AI assisted living controlled by AI. What could go wrong, you ask, when computers learn from right-leaning media…

F. Malanoche shows us the future of an AI God who can answer all our prayers in an instant. When does a new religion become a cult?

Kassidy Vangundy takes a swipe at social media and how AI could let the dead continue to influence us.

My take examines whether there is really a difference between ghosts and AI in a modernised haunted house.

[F. Malanoche · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories in Lurk are clever and make me want to throw away my computer. I didn't like AI before, and I certainly detest it after reading these stories. Give it a read!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.