Whispers: A Collection of Dark Tales

by Alyssa Cooper

A loving mother returned from the grave. A vampire fallen prey to her own kind. A young girl who can set the night aflame. These are the whispered stories of the night's darkest creatures.

Zombies, werewolves, ghosts, and other things that never found a name; this collection of eleven short stories explores the darkest corners of the unknown. Complete with eleven illustrations by the author herself, Whispers finds the creatures hiding in the dark, and drags them into the light.


Contents

A Mother’s Love
Max only came home for the funeral; she never expected to stay. But when her mother returns from the grave to find the daughters she left behind, Max has no other choice. She must keep her family safe.

The Fever
A newborn werewolf's first transformation can be ecstasy, or it can be agony. For this newborn, tormented by the loss of her creator while still swimming in her memory, it just might be both.

The Motel Room
Since his death, this ghost has been trapped in a motel room. Only when a maid enters the room, and the two lock eyes, does he begin to discover the true power behind his ghostly form.

King of the Forest
A little girl sleeps in the forest, growing dark fruit from her night time thoughts as the tree's roots twist deeper into her heart. Only the King of the Forest can tear the two apart.

Fall From Glory
An alpha predator in her own mind, this vampire stalks through her city, taking any prey she chooses. When her guard slips, caution replaced by confidence, she will find herself on the opposite end of the chase.

The Drawer
Lost somewhere between real life and a nightmare, a little girl grows up in an old, crumbling bedroom. Although she has always longed for silence, when she is finally left alone in the quiet house, she discovers how horrifying solitude can be.

Pyromaniac
Tristan lives for the nightlife. When a dangerous man attempts to shatter her reverie, she's forced to teach him a lesson. Not your typical teenager, this girl will set the night on fire.

Whispering Peak
Martha and her brother were born in the Outlands. They have never seen the grand capital, Invictus City. But when their general is taken hostage, Martha and Asher have no choice but to make their way through the monumental steel gates that enclose the city, and bring him home.

Night Terrors
As a child, she dreamt of wolves. Growing into a woman, she left her wolf pack behind, forgetting the dreams that had shaped her so long. Tonight, the wolves will come to take their sister home.

Beggars
Shelley has always been little afraid of commitment; in almost a century of being a vampire, she has never longed for a companion. When she meets a young homeless boy with a sweet tooth, though, she begins to change her mind.

The Walkers
The walkers roam a desert of endless silver sand, under a sky that shines with the light of twin moons. When the smallest walker wanders away from her tribe and finds the first human ever seen in their desert, all of their lives will change forever.

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 24, 2014

About the author

Alyssa Cooper is a Canadian author and poet currently living in Kingston, Ontario. First published in 2008, she is the author of four novels, a short story collection, and two poetry collections. An active spoken word performer, she currently holds an executive position in the Kingston Poetry Collective and the Queen’s Poetry Slam planning committee.

Reviews

[Chris Eells · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would be easy to classify Alyssa Cooper's Whispers as horror, but her stories don't fall easily into that niche. Whispers is more a collection of perspectives, oddities even, rather than horror, though it does touch upon it right off the bat with her, somewhat predictable, but ever so disturbing short A Mother's Love. Cooper has the ability to slide you, ever so easily, in the thoughts/feelings/actions of our protagonists. You feel their confusion, their visceral thrills, sorrows, and longings. Some of her stories are almost ephemeral, such as King Of The Forest, while others, like Night Terrors almost spring from the page in their vividness.

Cooper remains my favorite author that I have found on GoodReads, and this collection of shorts lives up to my expectations!

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reviewing this book and giving an honest review for author Alyssa Cooper.

This is a collection of short dark stories and there are 11 short stories in this 1 collection by the author. Those of you who like dark tales will enjoy this read by the author.

With each story I found the interaction of characters and the story line flow equal for the amount of words. The stories are chilling and each 1 has a different subject for the tale.

This book of tales is a little too dark for my taste but for some people out there they will really enjoy this book. If you are not into the stories that are dark then this book is not for you.

[Erin Pemberton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whispers is a collection of very detailed and sometimes, morbid stories of all things from the underworld or other worlds altogether. Very well written stories that will keep the reader flipping the pages; wondering of what this author has in store for them next. Very detailed writings that describe perfectly what’s going on and also adds to the horror of the books. Perfect read for those that like zombies, werewolves, and all things that go bump in the night, leaving your skin crawling and your blood chilled.

[Christy Thornbrugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book full of short stories there were really good stories and i enjoyed the thriller in them once i got to reading them i had to keep going to the next story