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Dark Roads Traveled: Four Novellas
J.R. Tolkien once wrote that the road goes ever on and on. Tony Tremblay examines the darker side of Tolkien’s quote with four novellas ranging from the soul-sucking isolation of identity loss to the horrifying specter of mass annihilation.
Orange Eyes: A taxi driver with amnesia attempts to determine who he is and why he has orange eyes. His answers come when a woman calls for a cab and relates to him a story about her sister—a woman with amnesia and orange eyes. The three of them engage in a psychedelic journey of horror to discover the answers they seek.
The Cabin on The Mountain: There is a log cabin in the mountains of Goffstown, New Hampshire, where lost souls travel—and are never seen again. The cabin has a caretaker who oversees the property, but he cannot interfere with those who seek refuge. That all changes when a young boy, a husband seeking his wife, and a wife seeking her husband descend on the cabin.
Ghosts: A middle-aged woman purchases a home, unaware that it is the site of multiple murders. After several life-threatening instances, she turns to her neighbors, the local gas station owner, and the police chief for help. She soon learns that ghosts are quite different than what she has been led to believe.
The Tempest: With a sound that kills, the end of the world begins locally for an older man and a young woman. As they navigate their environment in the hopes of survival, additional catastrophes batter them to the point of hopelessness. When it appears their lives are over, salvation comes in the form of a hole in the ground. Or does it?
Orange Eyes: A taxi driver with amnesia attempts to determine who he is and why he has orange eyes. His answers come when a woman calls for a cab and relates to him a story about her sister—a woman with amnesia and orange eyes. The three of them engage in a psychedelic journey of horror to discover the answers they seek.
The Cabin on The Mountain: There is a log cabin in the mountains of Goffstown, New Hampshire, where lost souls travel—and are never seen again. The cabin has a caretaker who oversees the property, but he cannot interfere with those who seek refuge. That all changes when a young boy, a husband seeking his wife, and a wife seeking her husband descend on the cabin.
Ghosts: A middle-aged woman purchases a home, unaware that it is the site of multiple murders. After several life-threatening instances, she turns to her neighbors, the local gas station owner, and the police chief for help. She soon learns that ghosts are quite different than what she has been led to believe.
The Tempest: With a sound that kills, the end of the world begins locally for an older man and a young woman. As they navigate their environment in the hopes of survival, additional catastrophes batter them to the point of hopelessness. When it appears their lives are over, salvation comes in the form of a hole in the ground. Or does it?
262 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 17, 2025
2 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 28, 2025
Tony Tremblay is one of my favorite authors. He may not be as well known as some, but he deserves to be. His work always contains a level of empathy and hope, even if the work itself is often dark and sometimes gory. Here, four novellas are collected, showcasing Tony’s writing skills and creativenes.
ORANGE EYES was a strange piece featuring a man and a woman, both with amnesia and orange eyes. These two are forced to make a tough sacrifice in the name of saving humanity. Will they succeed?
THE CABIN ON THE MOUNTAIN: This may have been my favorite of the four. The first part of the tale starts with an older man and woman, the man suffering from dementia. Realizing he has become a burden to his wife, on one hand he wants her to be free of the responsibility that he poses, while on the other, he wants her beside him forever. The second portion of the story involves a guardian of sorts, watching the road that leads to a …mysterious place. This was both heartbreaking and hopeful, and I just loved it.
GHOST was so much fun for me! In this tale we’re back in Goffstown, New Hampshire. (In Tony Tremblay’s literary world, Goffstown is akin to King’s Castle Rock). Strange things are always happening there, not the least of which is its pawnshop, which seems to be capable of moving from time to time. A recent transplant to Goffston named Eloise is beginning to believe that the house she just purchased is haunted. Her neighbors seem to think she’s right. Eloise is plucky and doesn’t give up easily, but Goffstown is a wily, dangerous foe.
THE TEMPEST: A deadly sound of some kind basically kills everything that hears it. A few people survive, but perhaps the folk that died were the lucky ones? What waits in this world where the animals and humans are all gone? Perhaps you don’t want to know?
I enjoyed every single story here; they’re all so different from each other. From real-life scares like dementia, to chilling things like vengeful ghosts, to mysterious caves and guardians, Tony maintains a level of writing that is compelling and engaging, and I simply adore it. Whatever Tony is writing, sign me up to read it!
My highest recommendation!
*ARC from author
ORANGE EYES was a strange piece featuring a man and a woman, both with amnesia and orange eyes. These two are forced to make a tough sacrifice in the name of saving humanity. Will they succeed?
THE CABIN ON THE MOUNTAIN: This may have been my favorite of the four. The first part of the tale starts with an older man and woman, the man suffering from dementia. Realizing he has become a burden to his wife, on one hand he wants her to be free of the responsibility that he poses, while on the other, he wants her beside him forever. The second portion of the story involves a guardian of sorts, watching the road that leads to a …mysterious place. This was both heartbreaking and hopeful, and I just loved it.
GHOST was so much fun for me! In this tale we’re back in Goffstown, New Hampshire. (In Tony Tremblay’s literary world, Goffstown is akin to King’s Castle Rock). Strange things are always happening there, not the least of which is its pawnshop, which seems to be capable of moving from time to time. A recent transplant to Goffston named Eloise is beginning to believe that the house she just purchased is haunted. Her neighbors seem to think she’s right. Eloise is plucky and doesn’t give up easily, but Goffstown is a wily, dangerous foe.
THE TEMPEST: A deadly sound of some kind basically kills everything that hears it. A few people survive, but perhaps the folk that died were the lucky ones? What waits in this world where the animals and humans are all gone? Perhaps you don’t want to know?
I enjoyed every single story here; they’re all so different from each other. From real-life scares like dementia, to chilling things like vengeful ghosts, to mysterious caves and guardians, Tony maintains a level of writing that is compelling and engaging, and I simply adore it. Whatever Tony is writing, sign me up to read it!
My highest recommendation!
*ARC from author
June 24, 2025
Dark Roads Traveled by Tony Tremblay contains four novellas in one fantastic book by one of my favorite authors, and I have been dying to talk about it for months!
Orange Eyes
A lonely woman brings a stranger back to her apartment and then goes missing. When she is found, she is no longer the woman she used to be. A man with amnesia and orange eyes will help to find the reasons why. This story went off in a shocking and brutal direction I was not expecting.
The Cabin On The Mountain was my favorite part of the book. In it, a guardian and his dog greet visitors who will walk up a mountain path and never return. It is not known how these visitors mysteriously find their way to this guardian. Only those who have been called may walk the path. There is a remarkable depth and pulse to these characters with themes of abuse and dementia that drive this intricately woven tale with a focus on the darker side of human nature. There is much trauma and grief among these complex characters in this well-crafted literary fiction. I would love a novel-length sequel.
Ghost A woman moves into a house in a town where there have been several murders and strange suicides. Her friendly neighbors know more than they're telling in this twisty and surprisingly touching story.
The Tempest is about a storm of epic proportions with hail like ice picks and winds that lift homes and people alike into a black hole, wild fires, lightning, a sound that knocks you unconscious, and then kills you. All over the world, the apocalypse is upon us. Who will survive? Here, the author has created a multiverse that even Lovecraft would be proud of.
These imaginative and well-crafted stories are presented with a rich and nuanced narrative that evoke a range of emotions. Dark Roads Traveled has landed firmly on my best horror of the year list.
My thanks to Tony Tremblay for the ARC
Orange Eyes
A lonely woman brings a stranger back to her apartment and then goes missing. When she is found, she is no longer the woman she used to be. A man with amnesia and orange eyes will help to find the reasons why. This story went off in a shocking and brutal direction I was not expecting.
The Cabin On The Mountain was my favorite part of the book. In it, a guardian and his dog greet visitors who will walk up a mountain path and never return. It is not known how these visitors mysteriously find their way to this guardian. Only those who have been called may walk the path. There is a remarkable depth and pulse to these characters with themes of abuse and dementia that drive this intricately woven tale with a focus on the darker side of human nature. There is much trauma and grief among these complex characters in this well-crafted literary fiction. I would love a novel-length sequel.
Ghost A woman moves into a house in a town where there have been several murders and strange suicides. Her friendly neighbors know more than they're telling in this twisty and surprisingly touching story.
The Tempest is about a storm of epic proportions with hail like ice picks and winds that lift homes and people alike into a black hole, wild fires, lightning, a sound that knocks you unconscious, and then kills you. All over the world, the apocalypse is upon us. Who will survive? Here, the author has created a multiverse that even Lovecraft would be proud of.
These imaginative and well-crafted stories are presented with a rich and nuanced narrative that evoke a range of emotions. Dark Roads Traveled has landed firmly on my best horror of the year list.
My thanks to Tony Tremblay for the ARC
July 23, 2025
Never fails to surpass my expectations
I travel dark roads in search of excellent horror to read, and when I scare up a Tony Tremblay book, I know I'm going to be savoring some of the best writing around. But this collection far exceeds my Tremblay tastes. Each novella reflects something new about Tony's masterful skills. The subtle movements in his tales that suddenly thrust you into the
unknown and probably fatal. The crafty concealment of characters' motives, agendas, and plans for disaster and death. The pretzel twisting of tropes to develop heart stopping ending. All of these and more are found in Tremblay's Dark Road Traveled. I do believe it's his best work yet.
I travel dark roads in search of excellent horror to read, and when I scare up a Tony Tremblay book, I know I'm going to be savoring some of the best writing around. But this collection far exceeds my Tremblay tastes. Each novella reflects something new about Tony's masterful skills. The subtle movements in his tales that suddenly thrust you into the
unknown and probably fatal. The crafty concealment of characters' motives, agendas, and plans for disaster and death. The pretzel twisting of tropes to develop heart stopping ending. All of these and more are found in Tremblay's Dark Road Traveled. I do believe it's his best work yet.
September 2, 2025
An enjoyable collection that further explores Tony's supernatural epicenter of Goffstown, NH, mostly through a unique cast of characters from his regulars. I'm now to the point where when Tony publishes a new book, I leap and ask questions later. He's yet to disappoint... and often leaves me lots to mentally linger over and savor.
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September 4, 2025Unveiling the horrors of Goffstown.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews