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PAY BACK
Stephen Hill has been heaping abuse on poor Joe King since second grade. Now they're grown men with nothing in common, and Joe still patiently endures Stephen's unrelenting ridicule. But when friendship is only a matter of perspective, PAY BACK might be just around the corner in this irreverent and darkly humorous tale of revenge.
- GenresShort StoriesHorror
Audible Audio
First published June 3, 2012
1 person is currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Evans Light
35 books415 followersEvans Light is author of Screamscapes: Tales of Terror, the upcoming I Am Halloween, and more. He is editor of
Doorbells at Dusk
and the ongoing
In Darkness, Delight
horror anthology series, and is co-creator of
Bad Apples: Halloween Horrors
and Dead Roses: Five Dark Tales of Twisted Love.
Evans lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, surrounded by thousands of vintage horror paperbacks.
Author links:
Amazon Author Page: https://tinyurl.com/EvansLight-AmazonUS
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheEvansLight
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvansLightAu...
Corpus Press: https://www.corpuspress.com/authors/e...
Evans lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, surrounded by thousands of vintage horror paperbacks.
Author links:
Amazon Author Page: https://tinyurl.com/EvansLight-AmazonUS
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheEvansLight
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvansLightAu...
Corpus Press: https://www.corpuspress.com/authors/e...
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
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April 24, 2016PAY BACK is back in print as a stand-alone Kindle Short after a long hiatus! Get it here for only $.99: http://www.amazon.com/PAY-BACK-ebook/...
This story was my attempt to write something completely unique and original, even though I think a little bit of Joe R. Lansdale (author of Bubba Ho-Tep) might have found its way in.
PAY BACK is told from the point of view of an unlikable protagonist, Stephen Hill - a total idiot with a narrow-minded view of the world, to put it mildly. Stephen Hill is a fictional narrator, not the author of this story. The character was purposely written to offend, and I NEVER promise a happy ending. I think happy endings are illegal in this state, anyway.
For you remaining bold readers who dare risk offense - Enjoy!
This story is one of my favorites so far. Over the top, sure - but that's kind of the point.
-Evans Light, June 2012
-This story was originally titled "Me and the Nard", but "Pay Back" seems to sell a whole lot faster. Original titles are great, but sometimes make for a tough sell.
This story was my attempt to write something completely unique and original, even though I think a little bit of Joe R. Lansdale (author of Bubba Ho-Tep) might have found its way in.
PAY BACK is told from the point of view of an unlikable protagonist, Stephen Hill - a total idiot with a narrow-minded view of the world, to put it mildly. Stephen Hill is a fictional narrator, not the author of this story. The character was purposely written to offend, and I NEVER promise a happy ending. I think happy endings are illegal in this state, anyway.
For you remaining bold readers who dare risk offense - Enjoy!
This story is one of my favorites so far. Over the top, sure - but that's kind of the point.
-Evans Light, June 2012
-This story was originally titled "Me and the Nard", but "Pay Back" seems to sell a whole lot faster. Original titles are great, but sometimes make for a tough sell.
October 7, 2012
Let me say I sadly was not paying attention and was suckered into reading this. Now it was my fault for not paying attention, and I could have stopped and not read this once I realized my mistake but I am stubborn and have to finish what I start. Evans Light knew exactly what he was doing by making the cover of this novella look like Throttle. By switching the names of two amazing authors he is able to grab readers he probably never would have. So in that respect I must say, bravo Mr. Light. I was browsing amzon and saw this while looking at the new Stephen King and Joe Hill short story. I was so excited to find what I thought was another short by them. So I went ahead and sent it to my kindle. All I can say is I am so glad I am a Prime member and didn't have to pay for this. I still have to say it was my fault for not paying closer attention. The picture looked off to me but all I saw was HILL and KING.
Now I didn't hate this book but it was just ok. The main character is one I hated through the whole story. He was vulgar, uncaring, and just a massive A hole. I kept reading because I wanted to see just how this guy got his payback. Because from the title, and the fact this is one of the least likeable characters I have ever read you know he is going to go down for something. The ending was not plausible at all but again this is fiction so if you suspend reality it works well for this story. Again, you will probably cheer when you read it.
I was not a fan of this story but in no way will I say Mr. Light is a bad author. He was very clever with his cover design. I never would have read it had I not mistaken it for a Stephen King Joe Hill story. More people are going to read this review and know about this story whether they read it or not. The writing wasn't bad either, it is tough to put yourself out their as a writer and I commend him for that. This story was just not for me. Who knows, maybe I will read one of his other stories and like it better.
Now I didn't hate this book but it was just ok. The main character is one I hated through the whole story. He was vulgar, uncaring, and just a massive A hole. I kept reading because I wanted to see just how this guy got his payback. Because from the title, and the fact this is one of the least likeable characters I have ever read you know he is going to go down for something. The ending was not plausible at all but again this is fiction so if you suspend reality it works well for this story. Again, you will probably cheer when you read it.
I was not a fan of this story but in no way will I say Mr. Light is a bad author. He was very clever with his cover design. I never would have read it had I not mistaken it for a Stephen King Joe Hill story. More people are going to read this review and know about this story whether they read it or not. The writing wasn't bad either, it is tough to put yourself out their as a writer and I commend him for that. This story was just not for me. Who knows, maybe I will read one of his other stories and like it better.
February 17, 2013
Pay Back, for one reason or another, is one of my favourite stories by Evans Light.
The whole narrative plays on events that are all too normal. However, that normality is smothered in the most thick, cloying, sense of dramatic irony ever. Stephen is an absolute dick. I rather enjoyed the characterisation, and the way in which Stephen is presented as so egocentric and narcissitic; an author has done a great job when they can make me loathe a character like this!
The tension within the story is built up very slowly (or at least slowly in terms of a short story), subtly and cleverly. My mind was reeling with horrible imaginings, trying to work out what was being planned for the ending.
All I can say is that I'd never in a millon years have imagined what actually happened - karma really is a bitch.
The whole narrative plays on events that are all too normal. However, that normality is smothered in the most thick, cloying, sense of dramatic irony ever. Stephen is an absolute dick. I rather enjoyed the characterisation, and the way in which Stephen is presented as so egocentric and narcissitic; an author has done a great job when they can make me loathe a character like this!
The tension within the story is built up very slowly (or at least slowly in terms of a short story), subtly and cleverly. My mind was reeling with horrible imaginings, trying to work out what was being planned for the ending.
All I can say is that I'd never in a millon years have imagined what actually happened - karma really is a bitch.
January 29, 2013
I had some free time today, so I decided to give this a quick read. I have had it on my Kindle for a while, but kept putting it off due to other reads I had planned. This is a short story, so I knew it would come in handy if I just had a few minutes to kill without getting involved in a novel.
I have to say that Mr. Light wrote an excellent little story that I considered to be a fast fun read. There were a couple of editing issues, typos, that sort of thing, but it didn't take away from the story at all. The main character, Stephen, is a complete ass and I couldn't stand him from the very first page. If Mr. Light wrote this story with the intention of writing the single most horrible, pathetic, waste of a human being possible, I think he did a great job!
I found the story entertaining and humorous, not to mention a tad bit nostalgic, who didn't love the Super NES? Oh and I must say, that the Scrambler was always one of my favorite rides.
I have to say that Mr. Light wrote an excellent little story that I considered to be a fast fun read. There were a couple of editing issues, typos, that sort of thing, but it didn't take away from the story at all. The main character, Stephen, is a complete ass and I couldn't stand him from the very first page. If Mr. Light wrote this story with the intention of writing the single most horrible, pathetic, waste of a human being possible, I think he did a great job!
I found the story entertaining and humorous, not to mention a tad bit nostalgic, who didn't love the Super NES? Oh and I must say, that the Scrambler was always one of my favorite rides.
October 24, 2012
Some people didn’t like the cover art. When you read the story, look at it again. It fits!
This guy, Stephen Hill, is a perfect example of a loser. He has no redeeming qualities and nothing in his noggin. He’s ignorant, lazy and heaps verbal abuse on all of those around him. His pathetic attempts at belittling Joe, his only friend, to make himself look better, made me angry.
We’ve all known someone like Stephen. He’s a mental bully. His mouth spews out put downs like shit through a goose. All because he’s angry. Angry at the world.
Now Joe is not what you expect. He’s intelligent, well actually he’s a genius. So why does he put up with the abusive Stephen? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
The title “Pay Back” gives you a clue. I was “fist pumping”, saying “Oh Yeah!’
This guy, Stephen Hill, is a perfect example of a loser. He has no redeeming qualities and nothing in his noggin. He’s ignorant, lazy and heaps verbal abuse on all of those around him. His pathetic attempts at belittling Joe, his only friend, to make himself look better, made me angry.
We’ve all known someone like Stephen. He’s a mental bully. His mouth spews out put downs like shit through a goose. All because he’s angry. Angry at the world.
Now Joe is not what you expect. He’s intelligent, well actually he’s a genius. So why does he put up with the abusive Stephen? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
The title “Pay Back” gives you a clue. I was “fist pumping”, saying “Oh Yeah!’
August 1, 2012
Where do I begin? This short story has a bit of vulgarity in it, but that is okay. Vulgar is a good way to sum up the main character Stephen Hill. It is a well-written, imaginative, and descriptive story. The author leads you somewhere you may not be totally prepared for. The story actually reminds me of something Stephen King might have written earlier in his career. Perhaps the similarity is just the power of persuasion, since the author has fun with a play on names, calling his one character Stephen Hill and the other Joe King, a nod to horror writers Stephen King and Joe Hill (King’s son). But, frankly, the story held my interest and I couldn’t wait to see how exactly the title “Payback” would play out in the end. I was not disappointed.
July 11, 2012
This story is included in the Stories, Inc compilation, and after reading Black Door, I wasn't really sure if I would like this one. I was pleasantly surprised that it was nothing like the other. This is not at all a teen book, and the main character is perfectly hate-able. It's a little over the top, but I enjoyed it thoroughly for a quick read. I got through it in about 20 mins.
April 24, 2016
I read this in Light's "Screamscapes" collection and thought it worthy of a review. This short story had me laughing and wondering what the hell was going on. I was confused a few times in a good way because the ending was unexpected. I thought it was going in a partially different direction, but I thought it was great. I loathed and loved the character of Stephen, such an a hole. Great.
October 12, 2012
Stephen was a complete asshole and deserved everything he got. I think he lived in some delusional world where HE was the normal one and Joe the "nard", when it was really the other way around. Very interesting story and a quick read.
December 12, 2013
Fantastic story of a man getting revenge on an idiot that desperately deserved it. Very good.
October 3, 2014
Evans was not kidding, this might be the most detestable main character I've ever read. A fun story, not horror, but you gotta keep reading to see if this guy finally gets whats coming to him.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews