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Burning Down Paradise
Timothy has lived his life not knowing much about his sordid and violent past and how he came to be on this Earth. He’s a loner, never staying in one place for long, and the reason is simple. Timothy is a serial killer. He gets his kicks from the deaths of others. He chooses a particular looking woman each time and the more brutal and bloody the killing is, the more he feels alive.
But there is something which haunts even him. A woman, who drifts in and out of his consciousness and is always lurking in the shadows. She is his ideal victim, but he knows little about her, except that she is from his past.
When Timothy eventually makes the wrong choice with his final victim, he loses his own life in the process and is sent to Hell. Now it becomes apparent to him that death is simply just the beginning of his journey and that his true destiny awaits. A devastating war between Heaven and Hell is coming. It threatens to engulf everything and Timothy is right at the center of it.
And when he discovers the true identity of the mystery woman, it is a shocking revelation which will consume him even quicker than the fires which are already licking at his feet. He’s in for a Hell of a time.
But there is something which haunts even him. A woman, who drifts in and out of his consciousness and is always lurking in the shadows. She is his ideal victim, but he knows little about her, except that she is from his past.
When Timothy eventually makes the wrong choice with his final victim, he loses his own life in the process and is sent to Hell. Now it becomes apparent to him that death is simply just the beginning of his journey and that his true destiny awaits. A devastating war between Heaven and Hell is coming. It threatens to engulf everything and Timothy is right at the center of it.
And when he discovers the true identity of the mystery woman, it is a shocking revelation which will consume him even quicker than the fires which are already licking at his feet. He’s in for a Hell of a time.
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
59 pages, Paperback
Published February 14, 2017
About the author
Eric Kapitan
10 books37 followersEric Kapitan fell in love with the horror genre at a young age. Binge watching Horror Movies such Halloween and Night of the Living Dead. It wasn't long before Kapitan wanted to tell Horror stories of his own. Never afraid to push the boundaries, Kapitan believes Horror should be hard hitting and leave an impression.
Eric Kapitan currently resides in Vermont. He enjoys spending time with family/friends, drinking a nice cold Vermont beer, and going to Horror conventions.
Eric Kapitan currently resides in Vermont. He enjoys spending time with family/friends, drinking a nice cold Vermont beer, and going to Horror conventions.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 1, 2025
This was a very different horror experience. The entire short story was delivered in the form of a poem. I didn’t dislike the format and rather enjoyed the unique take, but it felt extremely abbreviated and underdeveloped in several areas. This was no fault of the author as they were just adhering to the chosen form for the story. But, with such strong ideas and plot points introduced, I yearned for the more traditional type of horror story. I wanted all those unspoken details to do a deeper dive into Timothy and the vivid, terrifying experiences that he found himself in. Still a very beautiful horror story, but it left me wanting a lot more.
March 10, 2017
Burning Down Paradise by Eric Kapitan
Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy
About the book: Timothy is a serial killer who chooses a particular victim. One victim finally costs him his own life and he is sent to Hell. Who is the woman that inspired his preference of victim and what connection does she have to him?
Review: To start off with, I love when authors write their books in the form of poems. The author did not disappoint me by using this format. The book was very fast paced and short but still told the whole story. It was dark and twisted without making it uncomfortable to read.
Author Page/Website: https://www.facebook.com/Eric.kapitan
Link where you can purchase:https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/153534...
Overall Rating (Out of 5 stars): 5 out of 5
Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy
About the book: Timothy is a serial killer who chooses a particular victim. One victim finally costs him his own life and he is sent to Hell. Who is the woman that inspired his preference of victim and what connection does she have to him?
Review: To start off with, I love when authors write their books in the form of poems. The author did not disappoint me by using this format. The book was very fast paced and short but still told the whole story. It was dark and twisted without making it uncomfortable to read.
Author Page/Website: https://www.facebook.com/Eric.kapitan
Link where you can purchase:https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/153534...
Overall Rating (Out of 5 stars): 5 out of 5
June 14, 2017
Genre: Short story horror/dark fantasy
Pages: 56
Received an e-copy of “Burning Down Paradise” by Eric Kapitan from the author for which I am so very grateful. I was pondering earlier in the day the idea of walking so long in the darkness that you may not recognize the light when you came upon it. And then I started reading “Burning Down Paradise” and found out that, indeed, yes that is a possibility. After having recently read “As the Blade Cuts” by Eric, a collection of dark fantasy/horror poetry I was curious how he would approach a novella. I must say I was not disappointed. He stayed true to his poetic format, and this dark fantasy/horror short story read like warm blood dripping off a rusty razor blade...it was that good. If you’ve ever read William Cook you may find Eric Kapitan a very close comparison. William Cook will always be my favorite horror poet master, but Eric is fast catching up and joining that club. I look forward to many more hours of horror, gore and the unimaginable from Eric.
Synopsis (from back cover): Timothy has lived his life not knowing much about his sordid and violent past and how he came to be on this Earth. He’s a loner, never staying in one place for long, and the reason is simple. Timothy is a serial killer. He gets his kicks from the deaths of others. He chooses a particular looking woman each time and the more brutal and bloody the killing is, the more he feels alive.
But there is something which haunts even him. A woman, who drifts in and out of his consciousness and is always lurking in the shadows. She is his ideal victim, but he knows little about her, except that she is from his past.
When Timothy eventually makes the wrong choice with his final victim, he loses his own life in the process and is sent to Hell. Now it becomes apparent to him that death is simply just the beginning of his journey and that his true destiny awaits. A devastating war between Heaven and Hell is coming. It threatens to engulf everything and Timothy is right at the center of it.
And when he discovers the true identity of the mystery woman, it is a shocking revelation which will consume him even quicker than the fires which are already licking at his feet. He’s in for a Hell of a time...
Pages: 56
Received an e-copy of “Burning Down Paradise” by Eric Kapitan from the author for which I am so very grateful. I was pondering earlier in the day the idea of walking so long in the darkness that you may not recognize the light when you came upon it. And then I started reading “Burning Down Paradise” and found out that, indeed, yes that is a possibility. After having recently read “As the Blade Cuts” by Eric, a collection of dark fantasy/horror poetry I was curious how he would approach a novella. I must say I was not disappointed. He stayed true to his poetic format, and this dark fantasy/horror short story read like warm blood dripping off a rusty razor blade...it was that good. If you’ve ever read William Cook you may find Eric Kapitan a very close comparison. William Cook will always be my favorite horror poet master, but Eric is fast catching up and joining that club. I look forward to many more hours of horror, gore and the unimaginable from Eric.
Synopsis (from back cover): Timothy has lived his life not knowing much about his sordid and violent past and how he came to be on this Earth. He’s a loner, never staying in one place for long, and the reason is simple. Timothy is a serial killer. He gets his kicks from the deaths of others. He chooses a particular looking woman each time and the more brutal and bloody the killing is, the more he feels alive.
But there is something which haunts even him. A woman, who drifts in and out of his consciousness and is always lurking in the shadows. She is his ideal victim, but he knows little about her, except that she is from his past.
When Timothy eventually makes the wrong choice with his final victim, he loses his own life in the process and is sent to Hell. Now it becomes apparent to him that death is simply just the beginning of his journey and that his true destiny awaits. A devastating war between Heaven and Hell is coming. It threatens to engulf everything and Timothy is right at the center of it.
And when he discovers the true identity of the mystery woman, it is a shocking revelation which will consume him even quicker than the fires which are already licking at his feet. He’s in for a Hell of a time...
July 12, 2017
In Burning Down Paradise, Eric Kapitan brings us something pretty unique. The text is delivered entirely as a poem, and this was not a style I’d come across before. Before reading further, put away any preconceptions you have about poetry, because this is not what you might expect.
This story about evil, begins with the beginning of evil – with Lucifer cast out of heaven. There is a truce between Heaven and Hell, but the world of humans is fair game. We then follow the life, death, and beyond, of a wretched man named Timothy. He was born out of the worst possible circumstances and full of vengeance. His only pleasure comes from inflicting pain and killing, haunted by visions of his ideal victim. He is a serial killer, so as you would expect, there is plenty of brutal gore and sadism inflicted on his part. It will certainly make you wince. This story goes well beyond the confines of a traditional serial killer story. Again, the reader’s expectations are challenged and we’re given something different.
While the story and the concept are interesting, the strength comes from the language and the imagery created. The story is told concisely; what could have taken another author 20 pages to describe, is reduced in size (to a stanza) but not in effectiveness. The plot, the emotions evoked, and the gore are succinctly explored. It’s a tale that goes beyond the confines of our world and becomes something altogether grander. I really enjoyed this book, and despite being short, it delivers a great deal, and left me thinking about what I’d read. I’ve actually read it a few times. It does invite revisiting so as to be swept up in the dark world that the author has created for us.
This story about evil, begins with the beginning of evil – with Lucifer cast out of heaven. There is a truce between Heaven and Hell, but the world of humans is fair game. We then follow the life, death, and beyond, of a wretched man named Timothy. He was born out of the worst possible circumstances and full of vengeance. His only pleasure comes from inflicting pain and killing, haunted by visions of his ideal victim. He is a serial killer, so as you would expect, there is plenty of brutal gore and sadism inflicted on his part. It will certainly make you wince. This story goes well beyond the confines of a traditional serial killer story. Again, the reader’s expectations are challenged and we’re given something different.
While the story and the concept are interesting, the strength comes from the language and the imagery created. The story is told concisely; what could have taken another author 20 pages to describe, is reduced in size (to a stanza) but not in effectiveness. The plot, the emotions evoked, and the gore are succinctly explored. It’s a tale that goes beyond the confines of our world and becomes something altogether grander. I really enjoyed this book, and despite being short, it delivers a great deal, and left me thinking about what I’d read. I’ve actually read it a few times. It does invite revisiting so as to be swept up in the dark world that the author has created for us.
August 24, 2017
Thanks to the author for providing me a free copy in exchange for a honest review. If you are looking for a short review: great book, engaging plot, good writing definitely go for it! Now for the longer version!
This is a short story that packs a strong punch! It has Lucifer, Heaven, abominations what not. I am personally inclined towards plots involving serial killers. An obsession that seems to scare my family members even though I assure I am mentally stable and the obsession is a healthy one and not an admiration for them. But enough about me , the story is about the serial killer Timothy and his connection to a woman he has never known. This is straight off for the adults don't let a kid read this please. Ever!!!!!
The story has many moments that are cringe worthy but also put you in a dilemma of what is right and what is wrong and who are you routing for. It is just 40 pages and it wrung me so much that I wondered what a full fledged novel from this guy would feel like. I have read more appalling works like exquisite corpse but in that case I have only read it while actively being judgemental about the killer. In this case I was constantly in a dilemma and honestly struggling between disgust, fear and pity for the title character.
I am a horror fan myself and in the name of horror i have read many books that either rely on too much gore and violence to scare or are too mellow so they can squeeze into the teen/young adult range. This story however has just the right amount of gore, scares, thrills and emotion to keep me engaged. When I finished it I felt like I read a complete fulfilling story and was thoroughly impressed.
The 1 star i removed is solely because I am a wuss and very squeamish about
This is a short story that packs a strong punch! It has Lucifer, Heaven, abominations what not. I am personally inclined towards plots involving serial killers. An obsession that seems to scare my family members even though I assure I am mentally stable and the obsession is a healthy one and not an admiration for them. But enough about me , the story is about the serial killer Timothy and his connection to a woman he has never known. This is straight off for the adults don't let a kid read this please. Ever!!!!!
The story has many moments that are cringe worthy but also put you in a dilemma of what is right and what is wrong and who are you routing for. It is just 40 pages and it wrung me so much that I wondered what a full fledged novel from this guy would feel like. I have read more appalling works like exquisite corpse but in that case I have only read it while actively being judgemental about the killer. In this case I was constantly in a dilemma and honestly struggling between disgust, fear and pity for the title character.
I am a horror fan myself and in the name of horror i have read many books that either rely on too much gore and violence to scare or are too mellow so they can squeeze into the teen/young adult range. This story however has just the right amount of gore, scares, thrills and emotion to keep me engaged. When I finished it I felt like I read a complete fulfilling story and was thoroughly impressed.
The 1 star i removed is solely because I am a wuss and very squeamish about
February 22, 2017
This is a very differently written horror story,hell satan and everything you imagine in the deepest corner of your mind cannot compare with this version .Very interesting and dark.I received this book free as part of goodreads giveaways
May 3, 2020
I really enjoyed this. I loved how it flowed so well and kept me turning the pages so to speak.
February 5, 2017
The layout of this book reminds me of poetry. Line after line, telling a story through quick and decisive storytelling. I've only read one other book written in such a style, though it was nowhere near gore and extreme horror as Eric Kapitan's writing.
If you're looking for horror, this book is for you. If you're looking for an author not afraid to write about sensitive subjects, this writer is for you.
I don't want to go into plot details or such because that's what a summary is for, but for an avid horror lover like myself, these characters were perfect. They were horrible. They were pitied. They were psychotic. They were absolutely perfect. That mixed in with a different type of storytelling and plot line: bound for success.
My only issue is that I wish it were longer. I would have loved to have more words to read, but maybe that's a reader reflection rather than on the author.
If you're looking for horror, this book is for you. If you're looking for an author not afraid to write about sensitive subjects, this writer is for you.
I don't want to go into plot details or such because that's what a summary is for, but for an avid horror lover like myself, these characters were perfect. They were horrible. They were pitied. They were psychotic. They were absolutely perfect. That mixed in with a different type of storytelling and plot line: bound for success.
My only issue is that I wish it were longer. I would have loved to have more words to read, but maybe that's a reader reflection rather than on the author.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews