Dark Chronicles

by Zachary D. Ayers

Dark Chronicles is 21-year-old Zachary D. Ayers' second collection, featuring thirteen bone-chilling short stories that demonstrate his unique imagination.

223 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 2, 2025

About the author

Zachary Ayers is currently a 22-year-old indie author who lives in Buffalo, NY. Zachary's writing journey started during his junior year of high school, when he was only 18 years old. However, what separates Zachary from his peers is his fast-paced writing style, unique imagination, and the way he creates the covers for his books. Zachary works with his fiancée and cousin to create his covers through the use of costumes and horrific makeup. When Zachary is not writing, he spends his time working, studying, and spending time with those around him.

Reviews

[Sarah Between the Lines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definite read, creepy, eerie, insane and has me second guessing things now.
If you can get past any editing issues, this is a spectacular collection of short stories.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4

This collection of short stories was pretty fun, and I loved the pictures included in each one. A lot of them had good vengeance themes and there were some pretty unique ideas. I usually go easy on indie authors if there are some editing errors, but I feel like this book could have used at least a couple more rounds of proofreading. There were a lot of obvious typos and possibly auto-correct mistakes. For example, "Italy" when it was clear the author was trying to say "initially," and "gave me the ice" when I think he was going for "gave me the ick." Also, there were some words that were used a bit too often, such as "anyway" and "hence" in some of the later stories. I think it's pretty clear that the author has a good grasp of grammar and spelling. I honestly think that it wasn't proofread enough. Other than that, it was a pretty solid collection of short stories for being written by a young author.

[Audrey Bonfig · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love horror short stories, but these really missed the mark for me. Rarely do I DNF a book, but these were just so bad I couldn’t continue.

I noticed various spelling and grammatical errors, which I tend to be more lenient on with indie authors, but the writing and dialogue just felt clunky and didn’t flow well.

I want to be unnerved and invested when I read a horror short story, but none of these gave me that feeling. I know the author’s very young, so I believe with time his craft could improve. I would recommend studying the works of some of today’s great horror writers such as Stephen Graham Jones, Grady Hendrix, and Paul Tremblay and see how they utilize dialogue and setting the scene in their horror stories.

[Breanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Chronicles is a chilling collection of short stories that dive deep into fear, guilt, and the darker parts of human nature. Each story stands on its own, yet together they create a haunting atmosphere that lingers long after you’ve finished reading. Zachary Ayers has a knack for sharp twists, unsettling imagery, and characters that feel disturbingly real. Whether it’s psychological horror or supernatural dread, every tale hits hard. A must-read for fans of dark fiction and bite-sized nightmares

[Angie Frakes · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. The author had some good story ideas in this collection. I enjoyed Mother, Farewell, Pork Grind, A Death to Celebrate, and Snitches Get Stitches. However, I think this book seriously could have benefited from some editing. There are way too many typos, repeated words, and spelling and grammatical errors for this to have gone through a thorough editing process. The collection has good bones, just maybe needs a revision or two and then to be re-released.

[Ali O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Chronicles by Zachary Ayers
🌟🌟🌟🌟(3.5 rounded up)

This is a collection of 13 dark and creepy stories.
Each story is unique and brings a level of spook to it. They are hauntingly entertaining!

A few of my favorite stories are:

•Road kill
•Fallen Angel
•Plague
•Check up
•Snob

*Check this out for an exciting horror collection!*

[Lora · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a creative horror debut with some eerie, original ideas. You can tell Zachary's passion for the genre runs deep, and I'm curious to see how his style develops over time. Although this book could have used some additional editing, it's a promising start.

[Anna Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it.

This was awesome. No loved the different stories. It you enjoy splatterpunk type books you should give this a try.

[Kylee Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5
Dark Chronicles is the perfect short story collection for anyone wanting to explore new types of horror. From grief and body horror to an Appalachian tale and more, this collection highlights the incredible range and depth that horror (and the author) can take on.

One thing I absolutely loved about this book is the inclusion of photographs. Each story opens with an image taken by the author, perfectly setting the tone and helping to visualize what’s to come.

This is Ayers' best set of stories yet, and I can't wait to see where he goes from here!