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The Looking Glass: Tales of Light and Dark
Are you prepared to look in the mirror? Are you ready to look deep inside yourself?
Eleven stories, light and dark, stand ready to guide you through the dark caverns of the heart, through the bizarre corridors of the mind, down into the cell of your soul’s fears.
In GOODMAN, the Devil takes on an unexpected form to torture his prey… in SKEEVE!, a thousand inhuman heartbeats seize the night… in BLOOD MOON, a fraternity hazing takes a monstrous turn… in WRAITH, frightful apparitions deliver a ghastly truth… in NIGHT AS WE KNOW IT, lies and deception underscore a reunion between two old friends… in WAKE THE DEAD, grave robbers discover that evil never really dies… in MIDNIGHT, a handsome playboy has the worst birthday ever… in YOU WON’T FORGET ME, a serial killer plans an elaborate trap for his unsuspecting third victim, his wife… in DAYTRIPPERS, teens take a field trip they’ll never forget… in THE FURY, a devastating betrayal sends a marriage spinning irreversibly out of control, and in THE LOOKING GLASS, flirtation takes an unusual route to love.
Are you ready to gaze into The Looking Glass?
Eleven stories, light and dark, stand ready to guide you through the dark caverns of the heart, through the bizarre corridors of the mind, down into the cell of your soul’s fears.
In GOODMAN, the Devil takes on an unexpected form to torture his prey… in SKEEVE!, a thousand inhuman heartbeats seize the night… in BLOOD MOON, a fraternity hazing takes a monstrous turn… in WRAITH, frightful apparitions deliver a ghastly truth… in NIGHT AS WE KNOW IT, lies and deception underscore a reunion between two old friends… in WAKE THE DEAD, grave robbers discover that evil never really dies… in MIDNIGHT, a handsome playboy has the worst birthday ever… in YOU WON’T FORGET ME, a serial killer plans an elaborate trap for his unsuspecting third victim, his wife… in DAYTRIPPERS, teens take a field trip they’ll never forget… in THE FURY, a devastating betrayal sends a marriage spinning irreversibly out of control, and in THE LOOKING GLASS, flirtation takes an unusual route to love.
Are you ready to gaze into The Looking Glass?
405 pages, Paperback
First published November 11, 2018
4 people are currently reading
1712 people want to read
About the author
H.L. Sudler
18 books89 followersH.L. SUDLER was born in 1967 and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has served as publisher of Café Magazine, editor of the Rehoboth Beach Gayzette, as well as a contributing writer for numerous anthologies and such publications as Page & Author, Nuance Magazine, Au Courant Magazine, A&U Magazine, and the Lambda Book Report.
He has been published in Spirited: Affirming the Soul and Black Gay/Lesbian Identity (Redbone Press), Mighty Real: An Anthology of African American Same-Gender Loving Writing (Lulu), Off the Rocks: An Anthology of GLBT Writing, and Darker Than Night: An Anthology of Horror.
His short story The Way of All Flesh was selected for the PATHS Humanitarian Writing Award and he is the author of a collection of essays titled PATRIARCH: My Extraordinary Journey from Man to Gentleman, as well as a thriller novel series titled Summerville, and Return to Summerville. From Man to Gentleman: A Beginner's Guide to Manhood is a coffee table styled book that teaches young men how to become gentlemen, while his fifth book, The Looking Glass: Tales of Light and Dark, is a collection of short stories. His sixth is a recipe book titled CafeLiving's Favorite Cocktails (written with Keith Vient), and his first novella is titled Sandman. He is currently at work on a novel called Mayhem.
Sudler resides in Washington, D.C.
He has been published in Spirited: Affirming the Soul and Black Gay/Lesbian Identity (Redbone Press), Mighty Real: An Anthology of African American Same-Gender Loving Writing (Lulu), Off the Rocks: An Anthology of GLBT Writing, and Darker Than Night: An Anthology of Horror.
His short story The Way of All Flesh was selected for the PATHS Humanitarian Writing Award and he is the author of a collection of essays titled PATRIARCH: My Extraordinary Journey from Man to Gentleman, as well as a thriller novel series titled Summerville, and Return to Summerville. From Man to Gentleman: A Beginner's Guide to Manhood is a coffee table styled book that teaches young men how to become gentlemen, while his fifth book, The Looking Glass: Tales of Light and Dark, is a collection of short stories. His sixth is a recipe book titled CafeLiving's Favorite Cocktails (written with Keith Vient), and his first novella is titled Sandman. He is currently at work on a novel called Mayhem.
Sudler resides in Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 12, 2021
Fun compilation of stories!
July 14, 2021
Very dark set of stories, some were quite disturbing. Took a while to get through this one. I enjoyed Night as we Know it the most
November 21, 2018
The Looking Glass: Tales of Light and Dark
By H.L. Sudler
Genre - Fiction
Category - Horror/Dark Fiction/Psychological Thriller/Short Story
Pages - 405
Publication Info -Archer Publishing - November 2018
Format - Digital
Rating - 📙📙📙📙📙
There really should be a warning sign before you take a look into this looking glass. The Looking Glass: Tales of Light and Dark by H.L. Sudler is a collection of eleven thought provoking and deeply disturbing and visceral short stories. Horror as H.L. Sudler so aptly describes in these tales comes sometimes not from the usual places but from a place deep in the human psyche. From a place of hate and intolerance, bigotry, fear and evil. When the horror is something like say a werewolf, or a vampire we can supply ourselves with silver bullets or garlic and crosses to ward off the danger we know that comes from these creatures. But when the horror comes from a person’s admiration and love of hate for his fellow man we are hard pressed to figure out how to ward off and protect ourselves from that type of horror. I actually finished reading these tales a few days ago but have been sitting with them in my mind and heart for those few days. This is not an easy read and will most likely touch each reader in a totally different place. These stories are gritty, honest and in-your-face. Some seem to terrible to be believed but if your are any one of the folks that H.L. Sudler writes about you will find yourself very easily in any one of these situation. As difficult as it was to finish reading some of these stories, I am grateful for having had the opportunity to read them. This is a book that will stay with you for some time and touch you to the very core of your soul. Highly recommend and totally unforgettable. (Also, the Introduction by Daniel W. Kelly is quite compelling.)
Publisher description: Are you prepared to look in the mirror? Are you ready to look deep inside yourself?
Eleven stories, light and dark, stand ready to guide you through the dark caverns of the heart, through the bizarre corridors of the mind, down into the cell of your soul’s fears.
In Goodman, the Devil takes on an unexpected form to torture his prey…in Skeeve!, a thousand inhuman heartbeats seize the night…in Blood Moon, a fraternity hazing takes a monstrous turn…in Wraith, frightful apparitions deliver a ghastly truth…in Night As We Know It, lies and deception underscore a reunion between two old friends…in Wake the Dead, grave robbers discover that evil never really dies…in Midnight, a handsome playboy has the worst birthday ever…in You Won’t Forget Me, a serial killer plans an elaborate trap for his unsuspecting third victim, his wife…in Daytrippers, teens take a field trip they’ll never forget…in The Fury, a devastating betrayal sends a marriage spinning irreversibly out of control, and in The Looking Glass, flirtation takes an unusual route to love.
Are you ready to gaze into The Looking Glass?
About the Author: H.L. Sudler was born in 1967 and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has served as publisher of Café Magazine, editor of the Rehoboth Beach Gayzette, as well as a contributing writer for numerous anthologies and such publications as Page & Author, Nuance Magazine, Au Courant Magazine, A&U Magazine, and the Lambda Book Report.
He has been published in Spirited: Affirming the Soul and Black Gay/Lesbian Identity (Redbone Press), Mighty Real: An Anthology of African American Same-Gender Loving Writing (Lulu), and Off the Rocks: An Anthology of GLBT Writing.
His short story The Way of All Flesh was selected for the PATHS Humanitarian Writing Award and he is the author of a collection of essays titled PATRIARCH: My Extraordinary Journey from Man to Gentleman, as well as a thriller novel series titled Summerville, and Return to Summerville. From Man to Gentleman: A Beginner's Guide to Manhood is a coffee table styled book that teaches young men how to become gentlemen, while his fifth and sixth books, CafeLiving's Favorite Cocktails and The Looking Glass: Tales of Light and Dark, will be released Fall 2018. He is at work on a novel titled Mayhem.
Sudler resides in Washington, D.C.
Other Works from H.L. Sudler: Summerville, Return to Summerville, Patriarch: My Extraordinary Journey from Man to Gentleman and From Man to Gentleman: The Beginner’s Guide to Manhood.
By H.L. Sudler
Genre - Fiction
Category - Horror/Dark Fiction/Psychological Thriller/Short Story
Pages - 405
Publication Info -Archer Publishing - November 2018
Format - Digital
Rating - 📙📙📙📙📙
There really should be a warning sign before you take a look into this looking glass. The Looking Glass: Tales of Light and Dark by H.L. Sudler is a collection of eleven thought provoking and deeply disturbing and visceral short stories. Horror as H.L. Sudler so aptly describes in these tales comes sometimes not from the usual places but from a place deep in the human psyche. From a place of hate and intolerance, bigotry, fear and evil. When the horror is something like say a werewolf, or a vampire we can supply ourselves with silver bullets or garlic and crosses to ward off the danger we know that comes from these creatures. But when the horror comes from a person’s admiration and love of hate for his fellow man we are hard pressed to figure out how to ward off and protect ourselves from that type of horror. I actually finished reading these tales a few days ago but have been sitting with them in my mind and heart for those few days. This is not an easy read and will most likely touch each reader in a totally different place. These stories are gritty, honest and in-your-face. Some seem to terrible to be believed but if your are any one of the folks that H.L. Sudler writes about you will find yourself very easily in any one of these situation. As difficult as it was to finish reading some of these stories, I am grateful for having had the opportunity to read them. This is a book that will stay with you for some time and touch you to the very core of your soul. Highly recommend and totally unforgettable. (Also, the Introduction by Daniel W. Kelly is quite compelling.)
Publisher description: Are you prepared to look in the mirror? Are you ready to look deep inside yourself?
Eleven stories, light and dark, stand ready to guide you through the dark caverns of the heart, through the bizarre corridors of the mind, down into the cell of your soul’s fears.
In Goodman, the Devil takes on an unexpected form to torture his prey…in Skeeve!, a thousand inhuman heartbeats seize the night…in Blood Moon, a fraternity hazing takes a monstrous turn…in Wraith, frightful apparitions deliver a ghastly truth…in Night As We Know It, lies and deception underscore a reunion between two old friends…in Wake the Dead, grave robbers discover that evil never really dies…in Midnight, a handsome playboy has the worst birthday ever…in You Won’t Forget Me, a serial killer plans an elaborate trap for his unsuspecting third victim, his wife…in Daytrippers, teens take a field trip they’ll never forget…in The Fury, a devastating betrayal sends a marriage spinning irreversibly out of control, and in The Looking Glass, flirtation takes an unusual route to love.
Are you ready to gaze into The Looking Glass?
About the Author: H.L. Sudler was born in 1967 and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has served as publisher of Café Magazine, editor of the Rehoboth Beach Gayzette, as well as a contributing writer for numerous anthologies and such publications as Page & Author, Nuance Magazine, Au Courant Magazine, A&U Magazine, and the Lambda Book Report.
He has been published in Spirited: Affirming the Soul and Black Gay/Lesbian Identity (Redbone Press), Mighty Real: An Anthology of African American Same-Gender Loving Writing (Lulu), and Off the Rocks: An Anthology of GLBT Writing.
His short story The Way of All Flesh was selected for the PATHS Humanitarian Writing Award and he is the author of a collection of essays titled PATRIARCH: My Extraordinary Journey from Man to Gentleman, as well as a thriller novel series titled Summerville, and Return to Summerville. From Man to Gentleman: A Beginner's Guide to Manhood is a coffee table styled book that teaches young men how to become gentlemen, while his fifth and sixth books, CafeLiving's Favorite Cocktails and The Looking Glass: Tales of Light and Dark, will be released Fall 2018. He is at work on a novel titled Mayhem.
Sudler resides in Washington, D.C.
Other Works from H.L. Sudler: Summerville, Return to Summerville, Patriarch: My Extraordinary Journey from Man to Gentleman and From Man to Gentleman: The Beginner’s Guide to Manhood.
December 23, 2018
I received this book as an ARC from a giveaway via Goodreads in exchange for an honest review...
Unfortunately, this is my first “DNF” ARC so far, and hopefully my last. This book contains 11 “novellas”, in which I finished 3. The writing itself is solid, but the plot and story lines are just way too “different” for my liking. I always try to keep reading even if I don’t care for something (especially when it is an ARC), in hopes that maybe my opinion will change. However, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get into this one for some reason.
One of the reasons why I’m sad I couldn’t get into this is because I actually really enjoyed the authors style of writing...and really would’ve liked to have gotten a better idea of how his work is...but like I said, I just can’t handle the plots in this...to be fair though, the 8 remaining “novellas” might be right up my alley...but I have lots of other books waiting and can’t waste time reading things I’m not interested in.
Unfortunately, this is my first “DNF” ARC so far, and hopefully my last. This book contains 11 “novellas”, in which I finished 3. The writing itself is solid, but the plot and story lines are just way too “different” for my liking. I always try to keep reading even if I don’t care for something (especially when it is an ARC), in hopes that maybe my opinion will change. However, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get into this one for some reason.
One of the reasons why I’m sad I couldn’t get into this is because I actually really enjoyed the authors style of writing...and really would’ve liked to have gotten a better idea of how his work is...but like I said, I just can’t handle the plots in this...to be fair though, the 8 remaining “novellas” might be right up my alley...but I have lots of other books waiting and can’t waste time reading things I’m not interested in.
December 21, 2018
Some of the stories I liked and some I did not. They did remind me of Rod Sterling but some were too dark for his TV show!! My favorite was The Looking Glass closely followed by Night As We Know It and Midnight. All in all, a good collection of stories.
January 18, 2019
I love the book The Looking Glass: Tales of Light and Dark by H.L. Sudler its a very interesting and mysterious book.Its Eleven stories, light and dark, are both thrilling and disturbing.I liked these spooky stories they provoke your mind, you will be intrigued with this book its unique. These tales are different and they will stay with you till the end.thanks for my copy .
January 13, 2019
I received this as a free book from the publishers through an email from the author.
I don't particularly like short stories as you just get into one when it finishes and I like a break between different stories, different sets of characters.
This book was a little different as characters from one appeared in another or something that was mentioned in one story then became the complete story further in the book although this was not true of all the stories. I did feel that they could have been much darker but they were overall an enjoyable and easy read.
I don't particularly like short stories as you just get into one when it finishes and I like a break between different stories, different sets of characters.
This book was a little different as characters from one appeared in another or something that was mentioned in one story then became the complete story further in the book although this was not true of all the stories. I did feel that they could have been much darker but they were overall an enjoyable and easy read.
Read
March 10, 2019Hardboiled crime / horror by a queer Black author. I read this for Transcendent 4, but the only trans story ended up not being speculative at all. Overall I preferred the crime stories to the supernatural horror, though the werewolf story with the depictions of fraternity hazing was chilling even though the hazing was mostly only alluded to. I might write more about this later?
Source of the book: Anonymous benefactor (I know who, but they asked not to tell)
Source of the book: Anonymous benefactor (I know who, but they asked not to tell)
September 10, 2021
I won this book on Goodreads (Kindle version) for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book. The flow of the stories were fast and well written, fun and terrifying at the same time. The characters were well defined and enjoyable to read.
I enjoyed this book. The flow of the stories were fast and well written, fun and terrifying at the same time. The characters were well defined and enjoyable to read.
December 3, 2018
It was a good read.
April 7, 2020
3.5
A nice thriller/horror read that I imagine would be a perfect fit for a cool autumn evening with a nasty weather in the background.
It brings back classic horror (werewolves, cults, black widow, and more) with a modern twist.
There were a few hiccups, the two that bothered me the most were:
1) The intro/preword - a little too ambitious and loud. Chill, let the book speak for itself. It always makes me suspicious when an introduction feels the need to use phrasing like "you've never seen anything like this before".
2) The title story "The Looking Glass" - this was, in my opinion, the weakest of the whole anthology. Mostly because it just didn't fit in as I didn't find ANYTHING remotely horror/thriller-y about it. Therefore, I kept expecting a darker twist or ending.
Other than that, this is a cool, light read for those into horror. Could make a decent Netflix anthology series.
A nice thriller/horror read that I imagine would be a perfect fit for a cool autumn evening with a nasty weather in the background.
It brings back classic horror (werewolves, cults, black widow, and more) with a modern twist.
There were a few hiccups, the two that bothered me the most were:
1) The intro/preword - a little too ambitious and loud. Chill, let the book speak for itself. It always makes me suspicious when an introduction feels the need to use phrasing like "you've never seen anything like this before".
2) The title story "The Looking Glass" - this was, in my opinion, the weakest of the whole anthology. Mostly because it just didn't fit in as I didn't find ANYTHING remotely horror/thriller-y about it. Therefore, I kept expecting a darker twist or ending.
Other than that, this is a cool, light read for those into horror. Could make a decent Netflix anthology series.
October 28, 2019
I wasnt able to read this book far. For some reason when I entered for the giveaway I didnt realize it was mostly LGBT stories. Whatever the subtext is fine but this book is centered around just that. Not my cup of tea. I rated it 3 stars because the beginning was well written and I was initially excited to read this one. It may very well be worth more stars :) just not interested in the topic
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews