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Engines of Ruin
A rock star living in excess is called home after the disappearance of his son and must atone for past sins. A bartending ex-preacher becomes an accessory to murder. A suicidal writer spending a winter weekend at the Jersey Shore is snowed in with a cult and its strange goddess.
In the new edition of Lucas Mangum's debut collection, these stories and more plunge head-first into darkness both human and paranormal.
Lives and whole worlds end.
Rebirth leads to a second death.
These stories are both terrifying and transformative, and after reading them, you won't be the same.
Stories included in this collection:
Ghost Music
Hell and Back
Our Lady of the Sea
Worlds Colliding
Video Inferno
Offerings
Hayride
Worm Magic
Occupy Babylon
The World Asunder
A Killing Back Home
Waters of Ruin
The Last Easy Rider
In the new edition of Lucas Mangum's debut collection, these stories and more plunge head-first into darkness both human and paranormal.
Lives and whole worlds end.
Rebirth leads to a second death.
These stories are both terrifying and transformative, and after reading them, you won't be the same.
Stories included in this collection:
Ghost Music
Hell and Back
Our Lady of the Sea
Worlds Colliding
Video Inferno
Offerings
Hayride
Worm Magic
Occupy Babylon
The World Asunder
A Killing Back Home
Waters of Ruin
The Last Easy Rider
176 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 5, 2018
3 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Lucas Mangum
49 books129 followersLucas Mangum is an author currently living in Austin, TX.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 16, 2019
I originally read and greatly enjoyed the first edition of this collection of stories. The new edition offers five new stories and other material by the author. It was a chilling experience reliving these edgy and often twisted tales, and the new material added dread and monsters. It's a dark world out there, and Lucas Mangum is more than happy to guide us through hell. The final story in the collection wraps it all together perfectly.
December 17, 2017
Lucas Mangum is a new author for me, and I eagerly dipped into the first story in this collection. It is quite good. The second story has more of a supernatural twist. The narrator, a struggling soul, adds pathos to the hallucinatory circumstances surrounding him. The third story sucked me in and at the last story, I was spit out, reeling. The characters in each tale are skewed and damaged, either craving or fending off danger. The attraction to chaos and darkness is magnetic, and the narratives intrigue with elements of voyeurism, guilt, loss of identity and betrayal. Aspects of the unreal are revealed along with human flaws and obsessions. The author's own words provide the best summary: "I used to think I wanted to fix people, that some noble, chivalrous spirit propelled my every action. I learned otherwise a long time ago. I just like to watch shit burn." Delicious.
Want to read
August 24, 2018This hardcover is copy V of 36 and is signed by Lucas Mangum.
Contents:
007 - "The Sweetest Pervert" by Shane McKenzie (2017)
011 - "Hell and Back"
021 - "Our Lady of the Sea"
039 - "Worlds Colliding"
955 - "Video Inferno"
071 - "Occupy Babylon"
089 - "The World Asunder"
107 - "A Killing Back Home"
151 - "Waters of Ruin"
169 - Authors Notes
Contents:
007 - "The Sweetest Pervert" by Shane McKenzie (2017)
011 - "Hell and Back"
021 - "Our Lady of the Sea"
039 - "Worlds Colliding"
955 - "Video Inferno"
071 - "Occupy Babylon"
089 - "The World Asunder"
107 - "A Killing Back Home"
151 - "Waters of Ruin"
169 - Authors Notes
September 16, 2018
Thunderstorm Edition
Copy X of 36
Copy X of 36
December 28, 2017
Lucas Mangum is a writer who has been on my radar for a long time. I only know him from social media, his opinions on fiction, horror, food are all ones I tend to agree with. I was excited to first sample his work with this collection featuring eight tales and an introduction from extreme horror author Shane McKenzie.
The length of the stories range from very short to several novella length pieces. It comes with detailed story notes at the end. I do this in my collections and I love when authors do it. I think those of us introduced to short horror fiction by Stephen King learned so much from reading these. The notes provide insight for sure into the creative process. It is clear Mangum is a thoughtful writer very dedicated to the art of storytelling.
That is important when you read a collection. A few of the stories were experiment like "A Killing Back Home" which was a very effective murder mystery, played more straight forward. The story hinged on characters and it is clear from the first story that Mangum is very interested in the details that make characters.
"Hell and Back" the first story is very effective with character beats and the whole story centers around a Preacher turned bartender who goes a little to far to help a friend. "Occupy Babylon" was cool story that explored the occupy movement that was hot when the story was written. The story lost me a little men it went to classic horror monster. None the less the story was strong enough to justify the use of said monster. That made sense because said monster is not really the point."Our Lady of the Sea" was the best example of setting in the story. It was one of my favorites in the book.
Lucas is a author who writes with confidence, one of my favorite things about this collection is how sure of his abilities he is. Even when experimenting, you feel like you are in the hands of a gifted storyteller. This is uncommon for a self-published author. I don't say that as a insult but a strength. I know this from following Mangum on facebook/twitter he has only weakness. His patience to get his stories out there. This is filled with wild and entertaining stories but is wrapped in a super vanilla cover that says nothing about the style or tone of the book. We all know not to judge a book by the cover, but it is also hard when you are competing with every form of entertainment in the world to separate yourself if you don't take that seriously.
I am however completely and totally sold on Lucas Mangum the storyteller. I will be reading his longer work. There is plenty of grizzly and weird moments but it is the sure hand of master story-teller growing into his strength. This is the kinda book that if you get it now you can say you read that author before the world caught on.
The length of the stories range from very short to several novella length pieces. It comes with detailed story notes at the end. I do this in my collections and I love when authors do it. I think those of us introduced to short horror fiction by Stephen King learned so much from reading these. The notes provide insight for sure into the creative process. It is clear Mangum is a thoughtful writer very dedicated to the art of storytelling.
That is important when you read a collection. A few of the stories were experiment like "A Killing Back Home" which was a very effective murder mystery, played more straight forward. The story hinged on characters and it is clear from the first story that Mangum is very interested in the details that make characters.
"Hell and Back" the first story is very effective with character beats and the whole story centers around a Preacher turned bartender who goes a little to far to help a friend. "Occupy Babylon" was cool story that explored the occupy movement that was hot when the story was written. The story lost me a little men it went to classic horror monster. None the less the story was strong enough to justify the use of said monster. That made sense because said monster is not really the point."Our Lady of the Sea" was the best example of setting in the story. It was one of my favorites in the book.
Lucas is a author who writes with confidence, one of my favorite things about this collection is how sure of his abilities he is. Even when experimenting, you feel like you are in the hands of a gifted storyteller. This is uncommon for a self-published author. I don't say that as a insult but a strength. I know this from following Mangum on facebook/twitter he has only weakness. His patience to get his stories out there. This is filled with wild and entertaining stories but is wrapped in a super vanilla cover that says nothing about the style or tone of the book. We all know not to judge a book by the cover, but it is also hard when you are competing with every form of entertainment in the world to separate yourself if you don't take that seriously.
I am however completely and totally sold on Lucas Mangum the storyteller. I will be reading his longer work. There is plenty of grizzly and weird moments but it is the sure hand of master story-teller growing into his strength. This is the kinda book that if you get it now you can say you read that author before the world caught on.
December 7, 2017
This is fiction how I like it: gritty, punchy, and deviant. There's a hunger behind Lucas Mangum's words that is refreshing and exciting to read. One of my favorite collections of the year.
January 22, 2019
I loved writing these stories. Hope you enjoy reading them!
October 8, 2018
My first time out with this writer. I purchased the book on the strength of (for this edition anyway) the publisher, Thunderstorm Books. I buy everything they publish and have found that I am thrilled with at least 90% of it.
This collection was no different. It's a little bit of a slow start, but ramps up quickly and, once it does, is exceptionally punchy and engaging. I couldn't put it down and finished the whole stack of gritty, harrowing tales in one go. All of the stories were at least good, with several standouts approaching 'absolutely great.'
Glad I read them, may read them again, and will definitely be seeking more of this author in the future.
This collection was no different. It's a little bit of a slow start, but ramps up quickly and, once it does, is exceptionally punchy and engaging. I couldn't put it down and finished the whole stack of gritty, harrowing tales in one go. All of the stories were at least good, with several standouts approaching 'absolutely great.'
Glad I read them, may read them again, and will definitely be seeking more of this author in the future.
February 27, 2018
Some really good work. Too good to hit him with. Three star. The metaphors he used can be very very heavy handed. He’s a standout amongst his bizarro brothers. The stories read like an accomplished writers . The foreword by Shane does him a disservice. It’s like Paul McCartney having Justin Bieber write a liner note. It’s crass and juvenile.
November 24, 2019
People are in no way perfect. This collection of short stories demonstrated the human need of absolution for past transgressions. Although a compilation of short stories, every one of these tales could easily be turned into a novella. I found myself after many of the stories wondering what could have happened next. Magnum created characters that are imperfect beings such as ourselves. It was easy to identify with these characters because their flaws were real and believable. Mortals with skeletons in their closet, fight their inner demons to overcome their fears. Some conquer those inner demons, while others do not. These tales have many genres. Horror, mystery, and crime are just a few exhibited in this book. Magnum has proven with this compilation that he is a versatile writer with an abundance of talent! I cannot wait to read more from this gifted author.
October 3, 2019
Lucas is a spectacular author. Each of these stories are not only unique but are exquisitely written and will blow you away. The way this book is written makes you feel as if you are within each environment. Our Lady of the Sea and Waters of Ruin are some of my favorites from this collection, however, every single one of the stories are painted beautifully and you will feel connected to the characters in each. If you're into creepy, sexy, and dark stories- look no further than this book. 5 stars!
August 26, 2020
Great title. Very dark stories and not everyone has a happy ending. Sexually graphic, especially how woman are treated in most of the stories, which is not nice. Time-jumps in a few stories, as though a transition was missing.
October 22, 2020
Engines of Ruin is a collection of thirteen short stories from the writer of Gods of the Dark Web (one I particularly enjoyed from him) and Saint Sadist (one I didn't as much) and contains stories covering everything from serial killers to Lovecraftian sea-goddesses and a whole lot in-between.
This review is going to be one that is glowing with faint praise, mainly because - even though I like Lucas Mangum's work quite a lot and I've even found him to be a bit of an inspiration - he often wanders off in a direction that doesn't directly appeal to my own sensibilities.
I'll be honest with you here and tell you that this is because of my own hang-ups and should be taken very lightly by others looking to read his work.
Mainly my issues lie with his depiction of sex, and we're often not talking about coy references, but sometimes in a rather graphic sense, and his use of religion, specifically Christianity.
If like me you find depiction of sex more squirmy than you find extreme violence then these moments have the affect of making you want to mentally fast-forward, which spoils the over all affect of his work, and I personally found that the stories that shied away from the use of sex worked better and seemed far less contrived.
The other issue that bothered me was the "Christianity as villain" angle the stories often took, sometimes explicitly and sometimes more subtly. I've always found this cliché to be a little lazy and often added nothing to the resulting story other than a handy excuse (as in "The World Asunder") or served no purpose at all (as in "Worlds Colliding").
All that being said I quite liked Lucas Mangum's Engines of Ruin. For the most part the stories are well drawn with a solid atmosphere and oddly believable situations, in addition to my "pet peeves" (which you shouldn't let influence you one way or the other) my only genuine criticism is that the stories in Engines of Ruin have a slightly "truncated" feel to them. Sometimes they seem to be unfinished, perhaps ending too early or sometimes not quite "complete" in their message.
This could be deliberate stylistic intent of course, and some readers may completely disagree of my analysis, but I personally thought his more long-format work fares better but it was very interesting to get the chance to hear his first work.
Ah yes, hear... because this was an audiobook version from the always dependable Sean Duregger, a name that always makes a book a little better by his presence. His productions are clean and lacks any of the bells-and-whistles some producers add that - in my opinion - more often detracts than adds to the resulting audiobook.
In my opinion the team of Mangum and Duregger makes this one a must-have, and I'm very pleased I had the opportunity to experience it and I'm looking forward to their next release.
This review is going to be one that is glowing with faint praise, mainly because - even though I like Lucas Mangum's work quite a lot and I've even found him to be a bit of an inspiration - he often wanders off in a direction that doesn't directly appeal to my own sensibilities.
I'll be honest with you here and tell you that this is because of my own hang-ups and should be taken very lightly by others looking to read his work.
Mainly my issues lie with his depiction of sex, and we're often not talking about coy references, but sometimes in a rather graphic sense, and his use of religion, specifically Christianity.
If like me you find depiction of sex more squirmy than you find extreme violence then these moments have the affect of making you want to mentally fast-forward, which spoils the over all affect of his work, and I personally found that the stories that shied away from the use of sex worked better and seemed far less contrived.
The other issue that bothered me was the "Christianity as villain" angle the stories often took, sometimes explicitly and sometimes more subtly. I've always found this cliché to be a little lazy and often added nothing to the resulting story other than a handy excuse (as in "The World Asunder") or served no purpose at all (as in "Worlds Colliding").
All that being said I quite liked Lucas Mangum's Engines of Ruin. For the most part the stories are well drawn with a solid atmosphere and oddly believable situations, in addition to my "pet peeves" (which you shouldn't let influence you one way or the other) my only genuine criticism is that the stories in Engines of Ruin have a slightly "truncated" feel to them. Sometimes they seem to be unfinished, perhaps ending too early or sometimes not quite "complete" in their message.
This could be deliberate stylistic intent of course, and some readers may completely disagree of my analysis, but I personally thought his more long-format work fares better but it was very interesting to get the chance to hear his first work.
Ah yes, hear... because this was an audiobook version from the always dependable Sean Duregger, a name that always makes a book a little better by his presence. His productions are clean and lacks any of the bells-and-whistles some producers add that - in my opinion - more often detracts than adds to the resulting audiobook.
In my opinion the team of Mangum and Duregger makes this one a must-have, and I'm very pleased I had the opportunity to experience it and I'm looking forward to their next release.
January 20, 2025
I can already say with certainty this book doesn’t get enough love! I am just starting my Lucas Mangum journey and this is my second book by him and I truly enjoyed it. I know short story collections are not for everyone but to me it is always such a great place to start when you’re getting to know an author’s writing. You get to see their range and all the different ideas in their head.
The edition I read had 13 stories and I enjoyed all of them. Lucas is truly a storyteller and has a way of bringing me through smoothly to the end of each story. I like the themes throughout - like the sacrificing rockstar or the lovers who maybe weren’t supposed to be together or the way we can all have such a different perception of religion or spirituality. It can be so screwed up and also somewhat beautiful. There’s sex, drugs and rock and roll. There is loneliness and fear. There are monsters - real ones and of the supernatural kind. A little bit for all of us.
I loved being able to read at the end of the book the inspiration Lucas had for each story. If you’re an author with a short story collection and you aren’t doing this in your books, please reconsider! It helps readers feel like they can relate better to you. I have to say A Killing Back Home was one of my favorites in this collection and I am in awe that this was the first story Lucas wrote that was a whodunnit murder mystery. So good!
Highly recommend this collection and I look forward to my next Lucas Mangum read. 📖
The edition I read had 13 stories and I enjoyed all of them. Lucas is truly a storyteller and has a way of bringing me through smoothly to the end of each story. I like the themes throughout - like the sacrificing rockstar or the lovers who maybe weren’t supposed to be together or the way we can all have such a different perception of religion or spirituality. It can be so screwed up and also somewhat beautiful. There’s sex, drugs and rock and roll. There is loneliness and fear. There are monsters - real ones and of the supernatural kind. A little bit for all of us.
I loved being able to read at the end of the book the inspiration Lucas had for each story. If you’re an author with a short story collection and you aren’t doing this in your books, please reconsider! It helps readers feel like they can relate better to you. I have to say A Killing Back Home was one of my favorites in this collection and I am in awe that this was the first story Lucas wrote that was a whodunnit murder mystery. So good!
Highly recommend this collection and I look forward to my next Lucas Mangum read. 📖
February 21, 2018
I have to be honest... I nearly put this down after the first story. I wasn't feeling it. But I stuck with the collection and continued. The second story wasn't any better and possibly worse.
For some reason I kept reading and made it through the rest of the book. I'm glad I did. The last three stories were great, specifically the last. Waters of Ruin really saved this one. If it weren't for that story I would have rated this lower.
For some reason I kept reading and made it through the rest of the book. I'm glad I did. The last three stories were great, specifically the last. Waters of Ruin really saved this one. If it weren't for that story I would have rated this lower.
June 26, 2018
Best short story collection I've read this side of Edward Lee's Brain Cheese Buffet.
October 15, 2020
***ATTENTION: I'm a killjoy. That is all.***
I love scary and weird stories, so when I come across a collection, I’m all for it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan of the majority of stories. Maybe it’s because I felt some were too short, or because most seemed to revolve around sex (a subject I’ve gotten so bored reading about) or have a lot of lip chewing, or are just meh stories.
Overall I think the narrator did a good job. There were times when he'd add emphasis to a word for whatever reason that I couldn't pick up on. I'd listen to him again.
I’ll probably come across as a prude for this comment (oh well) but starting a story with two characters having sex is one thing, but when they’re “f*cking” and the word is repeatedly used with the narrator adding emphasis to it all within the first five minutes of the story...? It just seemed a bit crass to me. I don’t know how to describe it but I wasn’t a fan.
“Ghost Music” 1/5
“It was as if their genitals were meant for each other.” Seriously? I can’t think of how many times an author has referenced a male and female character, whether it’s their bodies matching up (like a puzzle piece) or their neither regions. This is a reason I avoid strictly romantic stories. I’m so over this description. Bring on something new! This is a perfect reason as to why I’m tired of reading sex scenes… they’re all the same. As for the story itself? I honestly wasn’t even sure what was going on.
“Hell and Back” 2/5
This might have been a good story, but it was way too short.
“Our Lady of the Sea” 1/5
Sorry, but this story bored me.
“World’s Colliding” ?/5
I wasn’t sure how to rate this one. I felt it was all over the place and confusing, weird (in a bad way). I did find it funny that the author thinks a female (with a v*gina) can pee out semen. Please tell me why that doesn’t work, why it’s not possible? LOL
“Video Inferno” 1/5
Again, I was bored.
“Offerings” 5/5
I found this one to be the most interesting and entertaining of the batch.
“Hayride” 1/5
I didn’t think there was much to this story.
“Worm Magic” 1/5
I didn’t understand what was happening.
“Occupy Babylon” 4/5
This was the next best story. I honestly wasn’t 100 percent sure what was happening, but I love zombies!
“World Asunder” 1/5
This story made me think of the movie “Spit on Your Grave” with the young, “special” fella who hangs out with the a**holes of the town. They get into trouble, this time wanting to rape a female. They force the “special” guy to do the deed even though he doesn’t want to. Afterward, he lies in the fetal position and cries because it was so traumatizing for him; the other guys laugh, of course. Anyway, the fact he ends up getting his nose shattered and acts as though nothing happened? Yeah…
“A Killing Back Home” 3/5
There was a description around the part when the female protagonist goes to visit her father. She describes the air as smelling like semen due to some type of pear. Can I ask why when male writers write about a female character, there’s usually sex involved, or overly graphic descriptions used for her, or what she does is described in a sexually manner? No? I didn’t think so. My comment has me thinking about an article I read recently in which a female writer was questioning the descriptions some male writers tend to use when describing scenes with female characters. Picture this: a woman is running for her life. She’s heading to a man (the main protagonist) who is waiting for her on the other side of a field. He’s watching her scream in terror, crying, and of course trip. “She was a beautiful woman. Her large jugs bounced as she ran in my direction.” Yeah… nothing wrong with that description.
“Waters of Ruin” 2/5
I wasn’t really sure how I felt about this story. A part did catch my… ear though. “The cries came from above. The bathroom light flowed faintly from above like the sun above the sea.” Tells me what’s wrong?
“The Last Easy Rider” ?/5
Again, I have no clue how I felt about this story. What was the point of it exactly? I’m not always the best person when it comes to reading into something. To me, it was about a girl who dreamed about her gay (or something gay/bi) friend.
I received a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I love scary and weird stories, so when I come across a collection, I’m all for it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan of the majority of stories. Maybe it’s because I felt some were too short, or because most seemed to revolve around sex (a subject I’ve gotten so bored reading about) or have a lot of lip chewing, or are just meh stories.
Overall I think the narrator did a good job. There were times when he'd add emphasis to a word for whatever reason that I couldn't pick up on. I'd listen to him again.
I’ll probably come across as a prude for this comment (oh well) but starting a story with two characters having sex is one thing, but when they’re “f*cking” and the word is repeatedly used with the narrator adding emphasis to it all within the first five minutes of the story...? It just seemed a bit crass to me. I don’t know how to describe it but I wasn’t a fan.
“Ghost Music” 1/5
“It was as if their genitals were meant for each other.” Seriously? I can’t think of how many times an author has referenced a male and female character, whether it’s their bodies matching up (like a puzzle piece) or their neither regions. This is a reason I avoid strictly romantic stories. I’m so over this description. Bring on something new! This is a perfect reason as to why I’m tired of reading sex scenes… they’re all the same. As for the story itself? I honestly wasn’t even sure what was going on.
“Hell and Back” 2/5
This might have been a good story, but it was way too short.
“Our Lady of the Sea” 1/5
Sorry, but this story bored me.
“World’s Colliding” ?/5
I wasn’t sure how to rate this one. I felt it was all over the place and confusing, weird (in a bad way). I did find it funny that the author thinks a female (with a v*gina) can pee out semen. Please tell me why that doesn’t work, why it’s not possible? LOL
“Video Inferno” 1/5
Again, I was bored.
“Offerings” 5/5
I found this one to be the most interesting and entertaining of the batch.
“Hayride” 1/5
I didn’t think there was much to this story.
“Worm Magic” 1/5
I didn’t understand what was happening.
“Occupy Babylon” 4/5
This was the next best story. I honestly wasn’t 100 percent sure what was happening, but I love zombies!
“World Asunder” 1/5
This story made me think of the movie “Spit on Your Grave” with the young, “special” fella who hangs out with the a**holes of the town. They get into trouble, this time wanting to rape a female. They force the “special” guy to do the deed even though he doesn’t want to. Afterward, he lies in the fetal position and cries because it was so traumatizing for him; the other guys laugh, of course. Anyway, the fact he ends up getting his nose shattered and acts as though nothing happened? Yeah…
“A Killing Back Home” 3/5
There was a description around the part when the female protagonist goes to visit her father. She describes the air as smelling like semen due to some type of pear. Can I ask why when male writers write about a female character, there’s usually sex involved, or overly graphic descriptions used for her, or what she does is described in a sexually manner? No? I didn’t think so. My comment has me thinking about an article I read recently in which a female writer was questioning the descriptions some male writers tend to use when describing scenes with female characters. Picture this: a woman is running for her life. She’s heading to a man (the main protagonist) who is waiting for her on the other side of a field. He’s watching her scream in terror, crying, and of course trip. “She was a beautiful woman. Her large jugs bounced as she ran in my direction.” Yeah… nothing wrong with that description.
“Waters of Ruin” 2/5
I wasn’t really sure how I felt about this story. A part did catch my… ear though. “The cries came from above. The bathroom light flowed faintly from above like the sun above the sea.” Tells me what’s wrong?
“The Last Easy Rider” ?/5
Again, I have no clue how I felt about this story. What was the point of it exactly? I’m not always the best person when it comes to reading into something. To me, it was about a girl who dreamed about her gay (or something gay/bi) friend.
I received a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews