What do you think?
Rate this book
Obsession
Fans of H.P. Lovecraft and M.R. James are in for a treat with this novelette inspired by Poe's Tell Tale Heart.
It had never occurred to me that so many forbidden and unimaginable desires lurked beyond the veil of existence. For years, I had suffered in ignorance of this revelation, allowing my forgotten appetites to rot away within the depths of my blood. Although blind within the darkness, these cravings desperately longed to be observed. But now they stirred. Now they danced gracefully on the surface of my sanity, having floated up from depths unexplored.
You can be assured that the words I speak about the unpredictable brutality of my nature are sincere. I also wish you to understand that I do not consider myself as mad.
The following recollection may inspire you to open your eyes to the secrets I am now accustomed to. You may even share the same notions and illicit urges as I. We are all creatures of flesh, you see.
Follow me into the darkness, and I will share with you my story.
I am Daniel Lorn.
Welcome to Obsession.
WARNING: This book contains elements of psychological and physical horror, which some readers may find disturbing.
It had never occurred to me that so many forbidden and unimaginable desires lurked beyond the veil of existence. For years, I had suffered in ignorance of this revelation, allowing my forgotten appetites to rot away within the depths of my blood. Although blind within the darkness, these cravings desperately longed to be observed. But now they stirred. Now they danced gracefully on the surface of my sanity, having floated up from depths unexplored.
You can be assured that the words I speak about the unpredictable brutality of my nature are sincere. I also wish you to understand that I do not consider myself as mad.
The following recollection may inspire you to open your eyes to the secrets I am now accustomed to. You may even share the same notions and illicit urges as I. We are all creatures of flesh, you see.
Follow me into the darkness, and I will share with you my story.
I am Daniel Lorn.
Welcome to Obsession.
WARNING: This book contains elements of psychological and physical horror, which some readers may find disturbing.
50 pages, Unknown Binding
First published May 21, 2022
1 person is currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Lorn
7 books77 followersDaniel has been obsessed with horror since childhood and is particularly interested in the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Charles L Grant, H.P. Lovecraft, and M.R. James.
With his spine-chilling debut, Obsession, in 2022, Daniel marked his entry into the world of horror literature. The resounding acclaim for his unique brand of horror quickly fuelled his creative drive, leading to the release of PACT, See You Later, RED, Sins of the Wronged, and Formulation.
Daniel has been commended on his ability to transform the ordinary into the monstrous. While he has primarily delved into psychological horror, his true passion lies in supernatural horror. This genre will be the key focus of his future works, and Daniel promises many more spine-tingling tales to come.
With his spine-chilling debut, Obsession, in 2022, Daniel marked his entry into the world of horror literature. The resounding acclaim for his unique brand of horror quickly fuelled his creative drive, leading to the release of PACT, See You Later, RED, Sins of the Wronged, and Formulation.
Daniel has been commended on his ability to transform the ordinary into the monstrous. While he has primarily delved into psychological horror, his true passion lies in supernatural horror. This genre will be the key focus of his future works, and Daniel promises many more spine-tingling tales to come.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 25, 2025
Open Your Eyes...
OBSESSION: A Psychological Horror Novelette by Daniel Lorn
5 stars. This is easily one of the best stories I've read so far this year. The main character isn't named, so I will refer to him as MC for this review...
Many forbidden and unimagined desires hide behind the veil of existence, causing forgotten appetites to rot away...
Those are the findings of MC...
His unpredictable brutality wanted to be seen... it was his nature, but please understand: He isn't crazy...
Open your eyes...
We are all creatures of flesh, and pain is just a sensation. Any person would do the same things he did, MC reasons...
If the time and circumstances were right...
You couldn't blame his upbringing or his environment...
He was just naturally a loner, not easily making friends, and he eventually faded into the background of life...
Until last year...
When an odd couple moved in nextdoor. They had frequent violent, boozy arguments, and MC would wait anxiously for their nightly performances...
Flesh being slapped or a fist to the wall...
It was like watching a horror movie or a crime documentary, but one day, it came to an end when the police carted the couple off:
One to jail, one to the morgue...
Exposure to their nightly violence revealed something special to MC, which had been hidden in the vast ocean of his subconscious mind...
The sadistic violence...
... translated in MC's mind as wonderful and pleasing eroticism, and his mind took over...
He felt it odd...
... that he hadn't accessed this intoxicating sensation before, and he felt reborn...
His next logical step:
Take another person's life because it would be insane to allow this newfound pleasure to stagnate...
And he wasn't insane...
He just needed a deeper kind of fulfillment that voyeurism couldn't provide. He needed to willingly and personally send someone to the grave...
We are creatures of flesh, but something deeper connects us all. Something unseen by many...
This story was a great study of the origins of psychotic criminal behavior. The story was riveting as it progressed from the acceptable to the criminal.
It is remarkable how such an indepth profile could be done so concisely. I was thinking MC was a sociopath like Ted Bundy, but toward the end, I upgraded my assessment to psychotic.
This story is similar to GRAVEYARD LOVE by Scott Adlerberg, which is also an excellent read.
Highly recommended!
OBSESSION: A Psychological Horror Novelette by Daniel Lorn
5 stars. This is easily one of the best stories I've read so far this year. The main character isn't named, so I will refer to him as MC for this review...
Many forbidden and unimagined desires hide behind the veil of existence, causing forgotten appetites to rot away...
Those are the findings of MC...
His unpredictable brutality wanted to be seen... it was his nature, but please understand: He isn't crazy...
Open your eyes...
We are all creatures of flesh, and pain is just a sensation. Any person would do the same things he did, MC reasons...
If the time and circumstances were right...
You couldn't blame his upbringing or his environment...
He was just naturally a loner, not easily making friends, and he eventually faded into the background of life...
Until last year...
When an odd couple moved in nextdoor. They had frequent violent, boozy arguments, and MC would wait anxiously for their nightly performances...
Flesh being slapped or a fist to the wall...
It was like watching a horror movie or a crime documentary, but one day, it came to an end when the police carted the couple off:
One to jail, one to the morgue...
Exposure to their nightly violence revealed something special to MC, which had been hidden in the vast ocean of his subconscious mind...
The sadistic violence...
... translated in MC's mind as wonderful and pleasing eroticism, and his mind took over...
He felt it odd...
... that he hadn't accessed this intoxicating sensation before, and he felt reborn...
His next logical step:
Take another person's life because it would be insane to allow this newfound pleasure to stagnate...
And he wasn't insane...
He just needed a deeper kind of fulfillment that voyeurism couldn't provide. He needed to willingly and personally send someone to the grave...
We are creatures of flesh, but something deeper connects us all. Something unseen by many...
This story was a great study of the origins of psychotic criminal behavior. The story was riveting as it progressed from the acceptable to the criminal.
It is remarkable how such an indepth profile could be done so concisely. I was thinking MC was a sociopath like Ted Bundy, but toward the end, I upgraded my assessment to psychotic.
This story is similar to GRAVEYARD LOVE by Scott Adlerberg, which is also an excellent read.
Highly recommended!
April 6, 2023
Shrouded by a dark cloak of need that is both erotic and obsessive, a solitary man plans to evade the accepted notions of morality, life and death. Listening to his neighbors fight to the death behind his bedroom wall inspires him to fully experience the snuffing of another's life. The tenebrosity of a park at night provides the perfect opportunity. The living victim saturates the predator's senses and inspires rage. But who is hidden in the shadows? How far must the hunter go to achieve satisfaction rather than madness? Daniel Lorn will guide you through a psychological maze that has lost its own exit.
February 28, 2024
A very haunting story which was incredibly creepy. Obsessed with his obsession to murder someone made this book a really scary read.
It was only short... but...Boy Oh Boy...it's impact hits you like a ton of bricks heading for you at 100mph!
The ending was drastic, tragic and also sad.
A 4 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ read from me 👍
It was only short... but...Boy Oh Boy...it's impact hits you like a ton of bricks heading for you at 100mph!
The ending was drastic, tragic and also sad.
A 4 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ read from me 👍
April 26, 2023
‘Obsession’ by exemplary horror writer Danial Lorn is a short story that speaks to the lurking demon within us. Sometimes it surfaces and enters our otherwise mundane lives, but most of the time it lays hidden beneath layers of conscious and unconscious social conditioning. Dainel Lorn through his deluded protagonist brings alive this aspect in ‘Obsession’ which is inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe classic ‘Tell-Tale Heart’.
An unnamed male protagonist in this story of terror is obsessed and reflective. The world terms him as mentally deranged but he does not feel so even though he has wounded himself to the point of death. He then goes on to tell the reason for his predicament which is what one can find out by reading stellar writer Daniel Lorn’s ‘Obsession’. It is a story whose ultimate end will shock you and make you take notice of its exceptionally brilliant creator.
If you loved the Poe classic and wish to read something more sophisticated but with a similar theme, then you must check out ‘Obsession’. While reading this macabrely violent tale, one feels the same astonishment, shock, and thrill as one did while reading the Poe short story, if not more!
Daniel Lorn in his debut short story captivates the reader’s attention to not only the horror of one man’s erotic obsession with the forbidden but also the philosophy regarding why we as humans keep a control on our true feelings, desires, emotions and of course, obsessions. Lorn manages to engulf the reader into the mind and soul of the protagonist who gets sexually stimulated with something we all try to pretend not to be obsessed with. What is that element? Find out by reading Daniel Lorn’s well-crafted and almost gothic poetical tale. The story is fresh, unique, and has all the essential ingredients worthy of a well written horror story. Professionally written with clean and neat editing makes this Indie-horror story a winner in my eyes. The narrative prose in the form of a dramatic monologue is so beautifully penned that it at times seems to surpass ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’!
I could see not only shades of Edgar Allan Poe in this story but also that of H.P. Lovecraft and M.R. James. I especially felt that the ending of this extraordinary tale was penned in the suspenseful style akin to James. Having said that, it does not indicate that Lorn has mimicked these great masters of horror, but instead has reinvented their style in his own talented way to suit the modern reader of fiction. The story’s narrator becomes a living and breathing entity with a fascination most sinister that will stay with the reader after the story is done. I applaud Lorn on paying a great homage to the masters in this excellent specimen of his craftsmanship.
If you are interested in a new worthy horror story after being probably disappointed by the old-fashioned Poe tale, then read ‘Obsession. If you are an avid reader of all things bizarre but with an intellectual side to it, especially concerning psychology then this story is for you. If on the other hand you are a classic lover like me and want to read something like the James collection ‘Ghost Stories from An Antiquary’ but with no gentlemanly bashfulness to it, then ‘Obsession’ is the story you should be reading! Get your copy of this amazing story today and fear the darkness that lurks subdued by an illusion of light!
Daniel Lorn’s ‘Obsession’ gets 5 stars from me! I hope to read more of his stories in the coming days.
An unnamed male protagonist in this story of terror is obsessed and reflective. The world terms him as mentally deranged but he does not feel so even though he has wounded himself to the point of death. He then goes on to tell the reason for his predicament which is what one can find out by reading stellar writer Daniel Lorn’s ‘Obsession’. It is a story whose ultimate end will shock you and make you take notice of its exceptionally brilliant creator.
If you loved the Poe classic and wish to read something more sophisticated but with a similar theme, then you must check out ‘Obsession’. While reading this macabrely violent tale, one feels the same astonishment, shock, and thrill as one did while reading the Poe short story, if not more!
Daniel Lorn in his debut short story captivates the reader’s attention to not only the horror of one man’s erotic obsession with the forbidden but also the philosophy regarding why we as humans keep a control on our true feelings, desires, emotions and of course, obsessions. Lorn manages to engulf the reader into the mind and soul of the protagonist who gets sexually stimulated with something we all try to pretend not to be obsessed with. What is that element? Find out by reading Daniel Lorn’s well-crafted and almost gothic poetical tale. The story is fresh, unique, and has all the essential ingredients worthy of a well written horror story. Professionally written with clean and neat editing makes this Indie-horror story a winner in my eyes. The narrative prose in the form of a dramatic monologue is so beautifully penned that it at times seems to surpass ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’!
I could see not only shades of Edgar Allan Poe in this story but also that of H.P. Lovecraft and M.R. James. I especially felt that the ending of this extraordinary tale was penned in the suspenseful style akin to James. Having said that, it does not indicate that Lorn has mimicked these great masters of horror, but instead has reinvented their style in his own talented way to suit the modern reader of fiction. The story’s narrator becomes a living and breathing entity with a fascination most sinister that will stay with the reader after the story is done. I applaud Lorn on paying a great homage to the masters in this excellent specimen of his craftsmanship.
If you are interested in a new worthy horror story after being probably disappointed by the old-fashioned Poe tale, then read ‘Obsession. If you are an avid reader of all things bizarre but with an intellectual side to it, especially concerning psychology then this story is for you. If on the other hand you are a classic lover like me and want to read something like the James collection ‘Ghost Stories from An Antiquary’ but with no gentlemanly bashfulness to it, then ‘Obsession’ is the story you should be reading! Get your copy of this amazing story today and fear the darkness that lurks subdued by an illusion of light!
Daniel Lorn’s ‘Obsession’ gets 5 stars from me! I hope to read more of his stories in the coming days.
November 27, 2023
A Brutal, Disturbing Novelette!
My first read from Lorn, but certainly not my last. OBSESSION is fast, twisted, and left me eager for more. Lorn has crafted a seriously creepy horror story with this one. Highly recommended!
My first read from Lorn, but certainly not my last. OBSESSION is fast, twisted, and left me eager for more. Lorn has crafted a seriously creepy horror story with this one. Highly recommended!
February 24, 2023
I quite like this author's writing style but wasn't so enamoured with the story. I would definitely read more from him in the future and with the right story, I'm sure he could go far.
February 9, 2024
A Twisted Tale of Psychological Horror
Obsession by Daniel Lorn is a disturbing, twisted tale of a man’s descent into madness. His writing style drew me in from the start and kept me captivated throughout. This story will keep you looking over your shoulder for a long long time. Daniel Lorn is definitely a writer to watch.
Obsession by Daniel Lorn is a disturbing, twisted tale of a man’s descent into madness. His writing style drew me in from the start and kept me captivated throughout. This story will keep you looking over your shoulder for a long long time. Daniel Lorn is definitely a writer to watch.
June 10, 2025
So this was a very short read, but it was a short read filled with a lot of disturbing behavior. The story follows a man who right from the start, you know is ill. It doesn't dive into the "why" but it might have something to do with his parents or he might just have a sick mind. Even though he grew up in a decent neighborhood, lived a normal life, there was something within him that wasn't... stable. This is a story about your mind and how some thoughts may only be thoughts, and others may very well be what you truly want to do.
I came across this author over on X. Noticed he was a horror author and the covers looked interesting. Read the synopsis of this one and decided to give it a go. Daniel Lorn knows how to strike fear in you. Knows how to embrace evil. If you're looking for an author who will leave your stomach turning by the end, Daniel Lorn is that author. If you have a weak stomach, don't read this. This is the most disturbing novelette I've read this year and for that 5/5. I thought only movies could make my anxiety go... I was wrong.
I came across this author over on X. Noticed he was a horror author and the covers looked interesting. Read the synopsis of this one and decided to give it a go. Daniel Lorn knows how to strike fear in you. Knows how to embrace evil. If you're looking for an author who will leave your stomach turning by the end, Daniel Lorn is that author. If you have a weak stomach, don't read this. This is the most disturbing novelette I've read this year and for that 5/5. I thought only movies could make my anxiety go... I was wrong.
February 19, 2024
Creepy short read. Wish it was longer
August 12, 2022
Obsession is a beautifully written haunting tale as we witness a guys descent in to madness via unspeakable actions and twisted logic. The book is short and does a great job of leaving you wanting to read more from the author but not at the expense of the short story he told. A great story and look forward to reading more from him in the future.
January 20, 2024
Incredibly Creepy!!
Who knew such a short tale could leave you with such terror!
This novelette was so amazingly written as we follow the POV of the main character who answers the call of his deepest and darkest desires.
Psychological horror is my favourite type of horror and this author did not disappoint! Would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves horrific tales that'll keep them awake in the dark.
Who knew such a short tale could leave you with such terror!
This novelette was so amazingly written as we follow the POV of the main character who answers the call of his deepest and darkest desires.
Psychological horror is my favourite type of horror and this author did not disappoint! Would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves horrific tales that'll keep them awake in the dark.
May 10, 2023
Body horror is not usually my sort of thing as I tend to find the subgenre tends to be heavy on the gore and light on character. However, the writer's blurb and the praise showered on it across Twitter definitely piqued my interest.
So how did we do?
I'm glad I gave this a chance. In one short novella, Lorn overturns all my previous assumptions about body horror to make it not just heavy on character, but showing that body horror can be slow burning, effective, chilling, and of very high quality.
Fantastic job!
So how did we do?
I'm glad I gave this a chance. In one short novella, Lorn overturns all my previous assumptions about body horror to make it not just heavy on character, but showing that body horror can be slow burning, effective, chilling, and of very high quality.
Fantastic job!
April 14, 2023
I definitely enjoyed Obsession and appreciated the author’s style. He has a way with words, which is obviously a good thing. It’s written in a rather dark manner, with lots of internal musings and train of thought. There was a bit of a Poe feel. Would recommend Obsession and will also check out other works by this author.
January 6, 2024
I like the author's style, but I didn't find the story all that original. It felt divided into two parts, not connected properly into one. Domestic violence, and incitement to murder. How the one brought the other wasn't very convincing.
March 31, 2023
Oh this is great. The POV is superbly done, following the journey of the MC. It starts with a jolt and continues. Disturbing, excruciatingly good horror.
December 23, 2023
Damn! What a disturbing little gem. I absolutely loved it.
December 28, 2025
A short but not sweet story of obsession.
Wanting more at every step, leading to a madness of its own.
Really good read.
Wanting more at every step, leading to a madness of its own.
Really good read.
February 13, 2023
A Peeping Tom is so fond of domestic violence that he wants to murder a fellow man. Will he succeed in finding a proper victim? What happens then? Well, the tale definitely tries to bring Poe to a modern world but to me it wasn't completely convincing. The Night Has a Thousand Eyes, as we know from a famous songs, but what does our main character see? The light or something else... what about obsession? Entertaining tale with some horrific details and a severely disturbed stalker!
October 16, 2023
This is one hell of a debut. Gruesome, twisted and excellently written, Obsession tells the story of a man so disinterested in ordinary life that he falls into the grip of dark desires only death and blood can satisfy.
The occasional sex references were the only aspect to this short tale I wasn't keen on but aside from that I absolutely loved every page. If you want a book that will both horrify and thrill you in equal measure, look no further than the work of Daniel Lorn
The occasional sex references were the only aspect to this short tale I wasn't keen on but aside from that I absolutely loved every page. If you want a book that will both horrify and thrill you in equal measure, look no further than the work of Daniel Lorn
February 10, 2023
Whoa what did I just read?! This is a very dark short story about one man's descent into depravity. This story was a really thrilling read and did not go where I thought it would go! A short brutal read perfect for horror fans!
October 27, 2025
What if someone knew everything about you from your schedule down to the rhythm of your breathing?? AND then… Excellently written in first person, we follow the main character through the exploration and progression of his Obsession. Indulge your eyes with this fast-paced, intense, twisty, paranoia fueling read! Creepy Perfection!
February 18, 2023
I think the horror lovers should give this book a try.
Who knew obsession could be so dangerous.
Who knew obsession could be so dangerous.
December 31, 2023
See my RV at Our Connected Madness.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews