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When Darkness Loves Us
Sally Ann and Martha. Two women, searching for love. Finding terror.
During a terrifying storm, a gentle childhood is destroyed by a twisted man who promises love but delivers nightmare.
In the lightless depths of an underground labyrinth, unseen creatures lie in wait for an innocent traveler, cold skeletal hands stretched out in welcome.
There is horror in darkness - horror made greater When Darkness Loves Us.
This long-awaited reissue of Elizabeth Engstrom’s 1985 horror classic features a new introduction by Paperbacks from Hell author Grady Hendrix as well as the original foreword by SF legend Theodore Sturgeon and the original cover painting by Jill Bauman.
During a terrifying storm, a gentle childhood is destroyed by a twisted man who promises love but delivers nightmare.
In the lightless depths of an underground labyrinth, unseen creatures lie in wait for an innocent traveler, cold skeletal hands stretched out in welcome.
There is horror in darkness - horror made greater When Darkness Loves Us.
This long-awaited reissue of Elizabeth Engstrom’s 1985 horror classic features a new introduction by Paperbacks from Hell author Grady Hendrix as well as the original foreword by SF legend Theodore Sturgeon and the original cover painting by Jill Bauman.
230 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
101 people are currently reading
6890 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Engstrom
65 books455 followersElizabeth (Liz) Engstrom grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois (a Chicago suburb where she lived with her father) and Kaysville, Utah (north of Salt Lake City, where she lived with her mother). After graduating from high school in Illinois, she ventured west in a serious search for acceptable weather, eventually settling in Honolulu. She attended college and worked as an advertising copywriter.
After eight years on Oahu, she moved to Maui, found a business partner and opened an advertising agency. One husband, two children and five years later, she sold the agency to her partner and had enough seed money to try her hand at full time fiction writing, her lifelong dream. With the help of her mentor, science fiction great Theodore Sturgeon, When Darkness Loves Us was published.
Engstrom moved to Oregon in 1986, where she lives with her husband Al Cratty, the legendary muskie fisherman. She holds a BA in English Literature with a concentration in Creative Writing, a Master’s in Applied Theology, and a Certificate of Pastoral Care and Ministry, all from Marylhurst University. An introvert at heart, she still emerges into public occasionally to teach a class in novel or short story writing, or to speak at a writer’s convention or conference.
After eight years on Oahu, she moved to Maui, found a business partner and opened an advertising agency. One husband, two children and five years later, she sold the agency to her partner and had enough seed money to try her hand at full time fiction writing, her lifelong dream. With the help of her mentor, science fiction great Theodore Sturgeon, When Darkness Loves Us was published.
Engstrom moved to Oregon in 1986, where she lives with her husband Al Cratty, the legendary muskie fisherman. She holds a BA in English Literature with a concentration in Creative Writing, a Master’s in Applied Theology, and a Certificate of Pastoral Care and Ministry, all from Marylhurst University. An introvert at heart, she still emerges into public occasionally to teach a class in novel or short story writing, or to speak at a writer’s convention or conference.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 465 reviews
December 5, 2016
Reading horror paperbacks from the 80s is like buying drugs off the street. You wind up with so many bags of oregano that you lose hope, and then, suddenly, you’re clutching the real deal and the top of your head is lifting off and you can’t remember your name, your address, or whether you’re biologically human.
But finding the real deal brings its own flavor of depression because it raises questions like, “Why isn’t this author better known?” and “What happened to their careers?” Which is exactly how I felt when I stumbled across Elizabeth Engstrom’s When Darkness Loves Us and realized I had never heard of them, or their author, before. It made me want to scream to the heavens, “Who’s responsible this???”
Read more gushing at the full review which is here.
But finding the real deal brings its own flavor of depression because it raises questions like, “Why isn’t this author better known?” and “What happened to their careers?” Which is exactly how I felt when I stumbled across Elizabeth Engstrom’s When Darkness Loves Us and realized I had never heard of them, or their author, before. It made me want to scream to the heavens, “Who’s responsible this???”
Read more gushing at the full review which is here.
May 15, 2019
WHEN DARKNESS LOVES US gets ALL the stars and maybe even a few planets!
I'm going to keep this review short and I'll tell you why. A friend has been telling me for years how great this book is, but I didn't know anything about it, other than it contained two novella length stories. I think "going in blind" is the best way to attack this volume. I had no preconceptions as to what was going to happen, what the stories were about or anything at all, really.
I will say the following: both of these tales feature women as the protagonists. These women are tough, they're fighters, and they're brave. They make the most of what they have and try not to complain. Which makes it all the more difficult for the reader when the stories turn, as they both do.
A word about the writing-it was beautiful at times. Often, it was beautiful and horrific all at once, which must be a hard thing to pull off, because even reading as much as I do, I rarely come across that perfect, vivid style. I'm not usually a fan of flowery writing but I submit this as a perfect paragraph, descriptive but not overly so, resulting in a tight little description of the seasons on a rural farm:
"Winter was a mean ogre, dangerous and ugly, yet his reign was oddly cozy and comfortable as they rested during this respite from the sweltering summer. Spring was a baby bunny, soft and warm, but skittish, and able to dash into frantic motion in less than a heartbeat of time. Spring was clean. Then summer again, a paper queen of vivid reds, purples and greens, fading in the sunlight, turning all the colors a sickly yellow while the paper itself became crisp and brittle. Autumn was a deer, beautiful and swift. And winter had come again."
This book was like autumn, actually, (at least it is the way Ms. Engstrom described it), beautiful and swift. And horrific and heartbreaking. And all the other words that describe the type of read that never leaves you. I don't know what else to say other than:
My HIGHEST recommendation!
*Thank you to Valancourt Books for the e-ARC for review consideration. I considered it and said Hell, yeah!*
I'm going to keep this review short and I'll tell you why. A friend has been telling me for years how great this book is, but I didn't know anything about it, other than it contained two novella length stories. I think "going in blind" is the best way to attack this volume. I had no preconceptions as to what was going to happen, what the stories were about or anything at all, really.
I will say the following: both of these tales feature women as the protagonists. These women are tough, they're fighters, and they're brave. They make the most of what they have and try not to complain. Which makes it all the more difficult for the reader when the stories turn, as they both do.
A word about the writing-it was beautiful at times. Often, it was beautiful and horrific all at once, which must be a hard thing to pull off, because even reading as much as I do, I rarely come across that perfect, vivid style. I'm not usually a fan of flowery writing but I submit this as a perfect paragraph, descriptive but not overly so, resulting in a tight little description of the seasons on a rural farm:
"Winter was a mean ogre, dangerous and ugly, yet his reign was oddly cozy and comfortable as they rested during this respite from the sweltering summer. Spring was a baby bunny, soft and warm, but skittish, and able to dash into frantic motion in less than a heartbeat of time. Spring was clean. Then summer again, a paper queen of vivid reds, purples and greens, fading in the sunlight, turning all the colors a sickly yellow while the paper itself became crisp and brittle. Autumn was a deer, beautiful and swift. And winter had come again."
This book was like autumn, actually, (at least it is the way Ms. Engstrom described it), beautiful and swift. And horrific and heartbreaking. And all the other words that describe the type of read that never leaves you. I don't know what else to say other than:
My HIGHEST recommendation!
*Thank you to Valancourt Books for the e-ARC for review consideration. I considered it and said Hell, yeah!*
July 15, 2019
This is a collection of 2 novellas. The first, "When the Darkness Loves Us," is canon horror. Totally bonkers, off the wall creeptastic. I went into it without knowing anything and loved being blindsided. I'd suggest you do the same. Every word is a twist. You will say "WTF!!??!!"at least a dozen times. Could've been longer, but I think Engstrom was smart to end things before the premise got old.
The second novella, "Beauty Is...," starts incredibly slow and I struggled to keep up with the various character inter-connectivity. By the end things did start to click and I felt significantly more engaged, but for the first half I referred to it as my "Ambien" because it put me right to sleep after a few paragraphs. Overall, never bad but I don't think whatever symbolism Engstrom had in mind totally translated to the page. A lacking streamlined vision and too many ideas might have also created issues with the execution.
Though the enjoyability is starkly different between these two novellas, the quality of prose is delightful throughout. And "When the Darkness Loves Us" is so outrageously amazing that it more than makes up for the 2nd entry.
Thanks again for all involved who made this "Paperbacks from Hell" series possible!!
The second novella, "Beauty Is...," starts incredibly slow and I struggled to keep up with the various character inter-connectivity. By the end things did start to click and I felt significantly more engaged, but for the first half I referred to it as my "Ambien" because it put me right to sleep after a few paragraphs. Overall, never bad but I don't think whatever symbolism Engstrom had in mind totally translated to the page. A lacking streamlined vision and too many ideas might have also created issues with the execution.
Though the enjoyability is starkly different between these two novellas, the quality of prose is delightful throughout. And "When the Darkness Loves Us" is so outrageously amazing that it more than makes up for the 2nd entry.
Thanks again for all involved who made this "Paperbacks from Hell" series possible!!
May 7, 2023
“When Darkness Loves Us” by Elizabeth Engstrom is an amazing book with two short stories that grabbed my attention thanks to Grady Hendrix’s “Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction” book. The book cover was beyond creepy and the way Hendrix spoke about it made me want to check it out immediately.
Hendrix actually wrote an awesome intro to “When Darkness Loves Us” that explained everything that went into Engstrom’s career, impact, and the importance of these two short stories in horror. Just so you know, even though I loved Hendrix’s introduction, please note that he does spoil both of these stories so if you want to be pleasantly surprised, skip that, read both of these, then go back and read his intro.
This was the first time I’ve ever read anything by Engstrom as right off the bat, I loved her writing style. Both of these horror stories are unique and equally terrifying as her fast-paced writing made this a super quick and creepy read.
The first short story “When Darkness Loves Us” was pretty scary and I loved the atmospheric horror of it. My goodness, the shocking plot twists were insane and beyond creepy. I’m talking about making funny faces and re-reading things because they were that freaky. I was blown away at what happened and don’t worry, no spoilers here but I genuinely loved it. Sally Ann stole the show for me and was an incredible character due to how crazy, weird, and interesting she was. The ending was crazy but very satisfying, I was pretty shocked, to say the least.
The second short story “Beauty Is…” is on a whole other level of creepy and disturbing. This short story was another brilliant read due to all the depth and layers of Martha and why she was the way she was. Just like Sally, Martha was another incredible main character that this time around, pulls on the strings of your heart for sure.
This short story was very touching, sad, and I empathized big time with Martha. Even with such an emotional read, the horror in this one was still pretty wild. The plot twists were great and the insane ending was very well done as it was a powerhouse of a read. I didn’t expect that ending at all and I loved the tension and suspense leading up to it. I also thought Engstrom’s ability to weave in a backstory of Martha’s past and family through alternate timelines by chapters was perfectly done.
I’ve read entire novels that don’t even get alternating timelines done right and she did it flawlessly in a short story. I give her a ton of respect for achieving this as everything was seamless and again, it made for an excellent read. One thing I took away from both of these short stories besides the solid horror in them is the recurring theme of empathy. The way it touches upon mental health, family issues, and not being accepted due to how you look truly connected with me. If anything, it’s horror done right with some great underlying tones that kindness and understanding do indeed go a long way in life.
I give “When Darkness Loves Us” by Elizabeth Engstrom a perfect 5/5 for two top-notch horror short stories that were superb. They were creepy, disturbing, weird, and checked all the boxes for me. I’m beyond glad that I read “Paperbacks from Hell” by Hendrix to put this book on my radar because they were both outstanding. They undoubtedly have a permanent place in horror history as my only regret is not reading “When Darkness Loves Us” sooner.
Hendrix actually wrote an awesome intro to “When Darkness Loves Us” that explained everything that went into Engstrom’s career, impact, and the importance of these two short stories in horror. Just so you know, even though I loved Hendrix’s introduction, please note that he does spoil both of these stories so if you want to be pleasantly surprised, skip that, read both of these, then go back and read his intro.
This was the first time I’ve ever read anything by Engstrom as right off the bat, I loved her writing style. Both of these horror stories are unique and equally terrifying as her fast-paced writing made this a super quick and creepy read.
The first short story “When Darkness Loves Us” was pretty scary and I loved the atmospheric horror of it. My goodness, the shocking plot twists were insane and beyond creepy. I’m talking about making funny faces and re-reading things because they were that freaky. I was blown away at what happened and don’t worry, no spoilers here but I genuinely loved it. Sally Ann stole the show for me and was an incredible character due to how crazy, weird, and interesting she was. The ending was crazy but very satisfying, I was pretty shocked, to say the least.
The second short story “Beauty Is…” is on a whole other level of creepy and disturbing. This short story was another brilliant read due to all the depth and layers of Martha and why she was the way she was. Just like Sally, Martha was another incredible main character that this time around, pulls on the strings of your heart for sure.
This short story was very touching, sad, and I empathized big time with Martha. Even with such an emotional read, the horror in this one was still pretty wild. The plot twists were great and the insane ending was very well done as it was a powerhouse of a read. I didn’t expect that ending at all and I loved the tension and suspense leading up to it. I also thought Engstrom’s ability to weave in a backstory of Martha’s past and family through alternate timelines by chapters was perfectly done.
I’ve read entire novels that don’t even get alternating timelines done right and she did it flawlessly in a short story. I give her a ton of respect for achieving this as everything was seamless and again, it made for an excellent read. One thing I took away from both of these short stories besides the solid horror in them is the recurring theme of empathy. The way it touches upon mental health, family issues, and not being accepted due to how you look truly connected with me. If anything, it’s horror done right with some great underlying tones that kindness and understanding do indeed go a long way in life.
I give “When Darkness Loves Us” by Elizabeth Engstrom a perfect 5/5 for two top-notch horror short stories that were superb. They were creepy, disturbing, weird, and checked all the boxes for me. I’m beyond glad that I read “Paperbacks from Hell” by Hendrix to put this book on my radar because they were both outstanding. They undoubtedly have a permanent place in horror history as my only regret is not reading “When Darkness Loves Us” sooner.
July 28, 2019
Thanks to Grady Hendrix and his coffee table book, PAPERBACKS FROM HELL (published by the amazing Quirk)- horror paperbacks are having a revival. Valancourt Books (who also should get all the praise and props for reprinting older horror paperbacks and giving them fresh, modern covers and a new lease on life) did a spin-off series called "Paperbacks From Hell" in which they reprinted in a cute, throwback mass-market size, five books and charged one low price for all five to be shipped, one a month, to your house. It was the best investment ever. Of course, I signed up and I hear there might be a round two?? Check that out if you have the means. WHEN DARKNESS LOVES US is two novellas in one: The title story and another one titled, BEAUTY IS...
Oh my god.
Nothing could have prepared me for these two stories.
First of all, they are wildly different from each other except that they both have female protagonists who suffer great tragedy.
The author, Elizabeth Engstrom must have the most vivid imagination I've ever encountered. I am not likely to run across such unique and detailed events anytime soon. There's something special here. I was completely sucked into the narrative of both stories in a magnetic way. I thought about the stories whenever I was apart from them and while I was immersed in them, my reader's brain was a flurry of activity!
Basically, in the first novella, my brain wouldn't shut up. It was repeating the same message: What. The. HELL?!
In the second novella, again my brain was a broken record. This time it was shouting, "No! No! No! This is bad!"
I don't want to give away any important reading discoveries--I went into these almost blind (I did read the back when I first got it but I didn't remember anything other than it sounded really fucked up).
The big catalyst for story one happens right away--so no plot details from me except that this is psychological horror at its finest. I have no idea why I have never heard of this apart from Char (who helps run horror aficionados) recommending this to me.
The second story is a build to an insane finish. INSANE.
This story has balls, man.
It takes courage to write a story about a mentally handicapped woman--it's already so abrasive in the first like 10 pages I was just like, dude. I don't know if I can hang with this. But I did! Because YOU MUST!! So, trigger warnings galore if derogatory/inflammatory words towards the handicapped enrage you (they should) and also trigger warnings of abuse.
But the story is compelling and Martha is amazing and these characters that encounter her are so... different. They are all so different. Each one of them in the way they either support Martha or tear her down.
Just really great character study, insane tension and an unraveling psychological horror that is completely satisfying in every way. Crazy, crazy stuff.
Oh my god.
Nothing could have prepared me for these two stories.
First of all, they are wildly different from each other except that they both have female protagonists who suffer great tragedy.
The author, Elizabeth Engstrom must have the most vivid imagination I've ever encountered. I am not likely to run across such unique and detailed events anytime soon. There's something special here. I was completely sucked into the narrative of both stories in a magnetic way. I thought about the stories whenever I was apart from them and while I was immersed in them, my reader's brain was a flurry of activity!
Basically, in the first novella, my brain wouldn't shut up. It was repeating the same message: What. The. HELL?!
In the second novella, again my brain was a broken record. This time it was shouting, "No! No! No! This is bad!"
I don't want to give away any important reading discoveries--I went into these almost blind (I did read the back when I first got it but I didn't remember anything other than it sounded really fucked up).
The big catalyst for story one happens right away--so no plot details from me except that this is psychological horror at its finest. I have no idea why I have never heard of this apart from Char (who helps run horror aficionados) recommending this to me.
The second story is a build to an insane finish. INSANE.
This story has balls, man.
It takes courage to write a story about a mentally handicapped woman--it's already so abrasive in the first like 10 pages I was just like, dude. I don't know if I can hang with this. But I did! Because YOU MUST!! So, trigger warnings galore if derogatory/inflammatory words towards the handicapped enrage you (they should) and also trigger warnings of abuse.
But the story is compelling and Martha is amazing and these characters that encounter her are so... different. They are all so different. Each one of them in the way they either support Martha or tear her down.
Just really great character study, insane tension and an unraveling psychological horror that is completely satisfying in every way. Crazy, crazy stuff.
November 4, 2023
Cuánto me alegro de no haber pospuesto más la lectura de este libro de la siempre recomendable editorial @LabibliotecadeCarfax. Todas las buenas críticas que leí se quedaron cortas.
Fue su propio profesor Theodore Sturgeon, quien prologa la obra, quien la animó a publicarlas juntas en 1985 como él mismo nos cuenta en el prólogo de la presente edición.
Elizabeth Engstrom, con una prosa directa, evocadora y sin florituras innecesarias, nos narra dos historias a cual más absorbente y retorcida.
Nos hará partícipes de las desgracias y miserias de sus protagonistas, y será inevitable que suframos con ellos.
Aunque ambas están ambientadas en zonas rurales estadounidenses, en esencia son narraciones muy diferentes pero con algunos puntos en común, como las difíciles relaciones familiares que sobresalen en ambas y ese elemento fantástico que prima más en la primera historia sobre el costumbrismo salpicado de un elemento sobrenatural que destaca en la segunda.
En esta ocasión no me extenderé mucho con la reseña ya que parte de la magia de estas historias cortas reside en saber lo menos posible de ellas, solo unas breves pinceladas para que se hagan una idea de lo que se pueden encontrar.
Pero ya les adelanto que me han emocionado y puesto los pelos de punta con esos finales que nunca vi venir.
La primera de ellas es la que da nombre a la novela; "Cuando la oscuridad nos ama", este primer relato es más corto que el siguiente, pero es capaz de condensar en tan solo 80 páginas una atmósfera claustrofóbica y que produce en el lector una gran carga de desasosiego y desconcierto. No sabes hasta qué punto todo lo que se narra es verdad o producto de una mente enferma.
Túneles subterráneos, locura, desesperación y la nada más oscura e imperturbable se dan la mano para hacerte pasar un mal rato, que de eso se trata.
En el segundo relato; "La belleza es...", con el doble de extensión que la primera, conoceremos la historia de Martha, quien nació con algunos problemas.
La narración se irá intercalando con lo que ocurrió antes de que naciera, cómo se conocieron sus padres, la dura vida rural en la granja..., y su vida actual, con lo cual veremos su evolución y las duras vicisitudes a las que ha tenido que hacer frente a lo largo de su vida.
Ha conseguido estremecerme como pocas historias en tan pocas líneas.
Y del final por supuesto que no diré nada, solo que se te quedará grabado a fuego en la retina.
Es retorcido, macabro e imprevisible.
🔝Por lo tanto, no puedo hacer otra cosa que recomendarles esta obra.
Son solo dos historias cortas pero con mucha fuerza narrativa.
Engstrom consigue hacerte creer que estás leyendo sobre la vida en un paisaje en apariencia bucólico, para muy poco a poco irte metiendo el mal rollo en el cuerpo con situaciones muy visuales y de extrema dureza.
Me han encantado y me han sabido a poco, es una lectura ideal no solo en estas fechas, porque para los que amamos el género es Halloween todos los días del año 👌💀💜📖
No lo dudes y adéntrate en estas historias que no creo que dejen a nadie indiferente.
📖 Próxima lectura:
"Los últimos días de Clayton&Co" - Francisca Solar.
https://m.facebook.com/LaLocadelosLib... 💜 💀
Fue su propio profesor Theodore Sturgeon, quien prologa la obra, quien la animó a publicarlas juntas en 1985 como él mismo nos cuenta en el prólogo de la presente edición.
Elizabeth Engstrom, con una prosa directa, evocadora y sin florituras innecesarias, nos narra dos historias a cual más absorbente y retorcida.
Nos hará partícipes de las desgracias y miserias de sus protagonistas, y será inevitable que suframos con ellos.
Aunque ambas están ambientadas en zonas rurales estadounidenses, en esencia son narraciones muy diferentes pero con algunos puntos en común, como las difíciles relaciones familiares que sobresalen en ambas y ese elemento fantástico que prima más en la primera historia sobre el costumbrismo salpicado de un elemento sobrenatural que destaca en la segunda.
En esta ocasión no me extenderé mucho con la reseña ya que parte de la magia de estas historias cortas reside en saber lo menos posible de ellas, solo unas breves pinceladas para que se hagan una idea de lo que se pueden encontrar.
Pero ya les adelanto que me han emocionado y puesto los pelos de punta con esos finales que nunca vi venir.
La primera de ellas es la que da nombre a la novela; "Cuando la oscuridad nos ama", este primer relato es más corto que el siguiente, pero es capaz de condensar en tan solo 80 páginas una atmósfera claustrofóbica y que produce en el lector una gran carga de desasosiego y desconcierto. No sabes hasta qué punto todo lo que se narra es verdad o producto de una mente enferma.
Túneles subterráneos, locura, desesperación y la nada más oscura e imperturbable se dan la mano para hacerte pasar un mal rato, que de eso se trata.
En el segundo relato; "La belleza es...", con el doble de extensión que la primera, conoceremos la historia de Martha, quien nació con algunos problemas.
La narración se irá intercalando con lo que ocurrió antes de que naciera, cómo se conocieron sus padres, la dura vida rural en la granja..., y su vida actual, con lo cual veremos su evolución y las duras vicisitudes a las que ha tenido que hacer frente a lo largo de su vida.
Ha conseguido estremecerme como pocas historias en tan pocas líneas.
Y del final por supuesto que no diré nada, solo que se te quedará grabado a fuego en la retina.
Es retorcido, macabro e imprevisible.
🔝Por lo tanto, no puedo hacer otra cosa que recomendarles esta obra.
Son solo dos historias cortas pero con mucha fuerza narrativa.
Engstrom consigue hacerte creer que estás leyendo sobre la vida en un paisaje en apariencia bucólico, para muy poco a poco irte metiendo el mal rollo en el cuerpo con situaciones muy visuales y de extrema dureza.
Me han encantado y me han sabido a poco, es una lectura ideal no solo en estas fechas, porque para los que amamos el género es Halloween todos los días del año 👌💀💜📖
No lo dudes y adéntrate en estas historias que no creo que dejen a nadie indiferente.
📖 Próxima lectura:
"Los últimos días de Clayton&Co" - Francisca Solar.
https://m.facebook.com/LaLocadelosLib... 💜 💀
November 29, 2024
4.75⭐'s
Initial Thoughts
After reading Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix, at the start of 2026, I decided to go on a rampage for vintage horror paperbacks for the rest of the month. But what I found was that finding an absolute gem is like finding a needle in a haystack. And I'm not just talking any old haystack. This is the biggest pile of hay you ever laid your eyes on. Yes there was a lot of trash printed back then? But I know deep down that if I persevere, I'm going to strike gold.
Thanks to publisher Valancourt we've now got a range of Paperbacks From Hell that feature the most popular entries mentioned by Hendrix. And one of those that's most highly regarded is a collection of two novellas by Elizabeth Engstrom. I guess I'm not the only one who's never heard of her. But I've kind of got a feeling I should have. As Grady Hendrix talks her up big time. Published in 1985 the word is that it's horror with a little bit of something extra that's really well written. So time to find out for myself.
Let's go!
The Stories
When Darkness Loves Us
The first entry is the title story and my word is it messed up. Which is just what we all like!
Sally Ann Hixson, is a blushing, pregnant, sixteen year old farm girl who ventures into a series of undergrown caves below her family's farm and gets trapped. That's after she accidentally gets locked in by her idiotic husband. Then, having to survive in complete darkness, she quickly gets lost in the seemingly unending tunnels.
But as the title says, darkness loves us and Sally slowly adapts to life down there. Doing what she can to stay alive, she dreams of one day being reunited with her family. But will the dark ever let her go now that it has taken root in her soul? Things are going to take a very unexpected turn as we get dark and twisted, with plenty of moments we're I was having to remove my jaw from the floor. It's a fantastic start to the collection. .
Beauty Is
Up next is the longer story of the two where we follow Martha, a deformed, middle-aged woman suffering from arrested development. Living by herself on a large farm in Ilinois, she strives to discover herself after a miracle breakthrough.
The story flips between the present and her childhood as we begin to discover more about her background and why she is the way she is. It's expertly portrayed and loaded with drama and tragedy. But as with the last installment, the momentum in this one picks up towards the finale and begins to twist in a much darker direction after giving the reader a fair bit of hope. How cruel you are Engstrom.
The Writing
Elizabeth Engstrom plays with fear and the style of horror she's aiming at, if you can even call it horror, is psychological, unsettling and deeply disturbing. It digs away inside your mind and makes you think.
Both stories share a number of themes, damaged women struggling against societies expectations and life in general and the existential threat of loneliness , but aside from that they are utterly different. At certain points it was hard to believe they were by the same author.
When Darkness Loves Us is a wild ride that's dark and unsettling. It's permeated with a fantastically claustrophobic atmosphere that gave me the creeps. As the story moves it becomes a bit of a page-turner.
Beauty Is goes for a different kind of horror. It's more emotional and sentimental as the author found a way to pull on my heart strings. It has a noticeably slower pace than the first story but found a different way to hold my attention. I can appreciate how some readers may find such a drastic change distracting. But I loved it. Variety is the spice and all that.
Both stories are horrific in their own way but are beautifully written. Engstrom managed to horrify me while breaking my heart at the same time. Particularly in the second entry. The way she manages to navigate the reader through each story is impressive and is done with real skill.
Engstrom’s writing is articulate and eloquent, and as each story unravelled I couldn't tear my eyes away. I was left scratching my head, thinking 'how do more people not know about her'?
The Characters
The characters are at the heart of both of these stories and are incredibly unique in their own way. Engstrom is giving us a very human experience, which is a rarity in these vintage horror paperbacks. The way the two female protagonists are rendered is bloody fantastic. The emotions and behaviour are so well done that they become real people that I certainly won't forget in a hurry.
I've got to say that this author steps it up in the second novel and took it to a new level. It's a longer story and Engstrom gives herself more time to flesh them out. But for 80s horror, this is about as good as it gets.
Final Thoughts
Well, whatever I was expecting, it certainly wasn’t that. I got so much more than I was expecting and this definitely won't be my last novel by this author. An absolute gem. Just don't go in expecting happy endings. This isn't Thailand after all.
I absolutely loved Engstrom's style and tone, her fast pace, and how she delved into the dark recesses of human psychology and made me feel uncomfortable. I love it when someone can do that to me.
If you're wondering if this is a writer worth searching for, then I'm going to answer she most certainly is. But if you're wanting full on, balls to the wall horror then you might be disappointed. This is very clever and subtle and is difficult to pigeon-hole in a specific genre.
Everyone goes on about the first installment in this collection, but I've got to say... I actually enjoyed the second slightly more, if that's possible. The experience on offer is far more complete and rewarding. It's so tragically dark and beautiful.
So Miss Engstrom has got me in the mood for reading some more vintage horror. Thanks for that darling. Thats going to be me maxing out the credit card this month and probably the one after. Either that or I dip into my daughter's college fund. Choices, choices.
Thanks for reading and...cheers!
May 28, 2022
Book contains 2 stories, the first being the shorter and more compelling of the two. One a claustrophobic nightmare, the other an emotional, heart-wrenching horror. Both original and very disturbing with quality prose.
August 29, 2021
Portada, edición, traducción... todo: terror puro, terror sentido, conmovedor y maravilloso. ¡No esperéis más! Estas son las dos historias que andábais buscando.
November 24, 2019
the darkness loves them both and they will love the darkness back. Sally Ann must make the underground her friend, away from the beauty of the sunlight and the man above; Martha retreats to a mental underworld, all the better to escape cruel reality and the cruel yellow-eyed dog of a man that broke her. darkness traps and keeps, then comforts.
they will have their sojourns into the light: Sally Ann will discover the casual, cruel reality of time moving forward; Martha will find beauty and a man that will help fix what was broken. and both shall return home, into themselves, into darkness. away from beauty, from cruelty, from light.
the two tales face each other: the story "When Darkness Loves Us" and the novella "Beauty Is..." - one tale of a striving and a terrible acceptance, the other of a retreat and a beautiful resurfacing. Engstrom is a magical writer, but this is dark magic, all the better to trap the reader. her descriptions entrance, her metaphors for seasons and for the mind strike strange, resonant chords the likes of which I've seldom heard. Engstrom writes about things in a different way. just as her heroines are themselves quite different from most: tragic victims of terrible fates yet also deliverers of terrible fates to those around them.
Sally Ann plays a horrifying game: hide and go seek!
Martha plays another game: who's got your nose?
shudder! but a shudder full of pleasure as well. this is an original book full of original horrors. Engstrom is an idiosyncratic author whose acquaintance I look forward to deepening. I feel she has much more to show me... and there goes that shudder full of pleasure again.
they will have their sojourns into the light: Sally Ann will discover the casual, cruel reality of time moving forward; Martha will find beauty and a man that will help fix what was broken. and both shall return home, into themselves, into darkness. away from beauty, from cruelty, from light.
the two tales face each other: the story "When Darkness Loves Us" and the novella "Beauty Is..." - one tale of a striving and a terrible acceptance, the other of a retreat and a beautiful resurfacing. Engstrom is a magical writer, but this is dark magic, all the better to trap the reader. her descriptions entrance, her metaphors for seasons and for the mind strike strange, resonant chords the likes of which I've seldom heard. Engstrom writes about things in a different way. just as her heroines are themselves quite different from most: tragic victims of terrible fates yet also deliverers of terrible fates to those around them.
Sally Ann plays a horrifying game: hide and go seek!
Martha plays another game: who's got your nose?
shudder! but a shudder full of pleasure as well. this is an original book full of original horrors. Engstrom is an idiosyncratic author whose acquaintance I look forward to deepening. I feel she has much more to show me... and there goes that shudder full of pleasure again.
October 7, 2020
The two novellas in this volume are different, but are equally as affecting. Each deals with the horror of existence and of the difficulty of fitting in. The first story is physical in nature, and shows how a pregnant girl trapped underground survives. The effects of years away from light and other people are stunning and blood chilling.
The second story is a touching psychological drama that promises hope while human cruelty kills it. The characters are so well drawn that they become solid and believable.
Elizabeth Engstrom has penned a duo of stories that I will not soon forget. Her writing is clear and empathetic, rendering the series of events that occur both poignant and disturbing. Recommended.
The second story is a touching psychological drama that promises hope while human cruelty kills it. The characters are so well drawn that they become solid and believable.
Elizabeth Engstrom has penned a duo of stories that I will not soon forget. Her writing is clear and empathetic, rendering the series of events that occur both poignant and disturbing. Recommended.
August 2, 2013
UPDATED WITH A REVIEW OF THE SECOND NOVELLA, BEAUTY IS...
I don't even have a proper GR shelf to put this story in, it's that unique. I found this book (consists of two novellas: When Darkness Loves Us and Beauty Is) on Amazon when I was looking for some Theodore Sturgeon books. He knew the author and wrote the forward to the book.
When Darkness Loves Us
It's the sixties and Sally Ann is enjoying resting in the sun while her new husband rides a tractor on the family farm. She goes exploring and finds some steps that lead to an underground area where she and other children played, although it was deemed to dangerous and now has a wooden door with a padlock on it to keep future children from exploring. But the door is open and she goes exploring--too far in to warn her husband as he's padlocking the door that she's in there. She is two months pregnant when she is lost to the world above her.
Her husband and family assume she ran off, and she creates a life for her and her son, Clinton, in the darkness of the caves. There is an underground lake that provides water and they feast on moss, slugs, fish, and the occasional food that is washed in during a heavy rain.
Clinton loves the only home he has ever known, but Sallie Ann desires to feel the sun on her skin and breathe fresh air, and, most of all, to see her beloved Michael again. And so she sets out on a journey to find her way back to civilization, where much in her old world has changed.
The character development in When Darkness Loves Us is excellent and the menace mixed in with the sweetness of this story makes it hard not to read straight through in one sitting. Unlike a lot of the stories I read, I had no idea where this one was heading. I highly recommend this to anyone who's tired of the same old same-old plot and characterization in their fiction. I will definitely seek out this writer's other works and look forward to reading the second novella in this book.
Beauty Is...
Beauty Is is the second novella in the book, and it is more beautifully written than the first story, if that's possible.
This is the story of Fern, a good woman, mother, and wife who believes she has a gift from God to heal people of their sickness, and her retarded daughter Martha, born without a nose, a despicable act Fern's husband believes is punishment for Fern not letting sickness take its course in humans the way nature intends it to.
It's really hard to accurately describe just what this story is about and to explain the beauty of Engstrom's prose. The story is about a simple farm family's life and a couple's struggle to raise the "freak" of the town. Everyday life on the farm and in town is exquisitely revealed in each chapter, but there's a dark sense of foreboding from some of the shiftier characters in the story, like Leon, a young man who offers to help around the farm, and who starts to fall in love with the fiftysomething Martha; Leslie, a bitter, disliked town drunk who feels entitled to take what others work for; and Priscilla, a gold-digging hair stylist who befriends Martha for questionable reasons.
The only thing I didn't like about this story is the abrupt ending, which played more like an ending to a horror short story. As much as I like horror short stories, this story rises way above all that and I expected something more than this little shock of an ending that seemed out of place.
Why have I never heard of Elizabeth Engstrom before?
I don't even have a proper GR shelf to put this story in, it's that unique. I found this book (consists of two novellas: When Darkness Loves Us and Beauty Is) on Amazon when I was looking for some Theodore Sturgeon books. He knew the author and wrote the forward to the book.
When Darkness Loves Us
It's the sixties and Sally Ann is enjoying resting in the sun while her new husband rides a tractor on the family farm. She goes exploring and finds some steps that lead to an underground area where she and other children played, although it was deemed to dangerous and now has a wooden door with a padlock on it to keep future children from exploring. But the door is open and she goes exploring--too far in to warn her husband as he's padlocking the door that she's in there. She is two months pregnant when she is lost to the world above her.
Her husband and family assume she ran off, and she creates a life for her and her son, Clinton, in the darkness of the caves. There is an underground lake that provides water and they feast on moss, slugs, fish, and the occasional food that is washed in during a heavy rain.
Clinton loves the only home he has ever known, but Sallie Ann desires to feel the sun on her skin and breathe fresh air, and, most of all, to see her beloved Michael again. And so she sets out on a journey to find her way back to civilization, where much in her old world has changed.
The character development in When Darkness Loves Us is excellent and the menace mixed in with the sweetness of this story makes it hard not to read straight through in one sitting. Unlike a lot of the stories I read, I had no idea where this one was heading. I highly recommend this to anyone who's tired of the same old same-old plot and characterization in their fiction. I will definitely seek out this writer's other works and look forward to reading the second novella in this book.
Beauty Is...
Beauty Is is the second novella in the book, and it is more beautifully written than the first story, if that's possible.
This is the story of Fern, a good woman, mother, and wife who believes she has a gift from God to heal people of their sickness, and her retarded daughter Martha, born without a nose, a despicable act Fern's husband believes is punishment for Fern not letting sickness take its course in humans the way nature intends it to.
It's really hard to accurately describe just what this story is about and to explain the beauty of Engstrom's prose. The story is about a simple farm family's life and a couple's struggle to raise the "freak" of the town. Everyday life on the farm and in town is exquisitely revealed in each chapter, but there's a dark sense of foreboding from some of the shiftier characters in the story, like Leon, a young man who offers to help around the farm, and who starts to fall in love with the fiftysomething Martha; Leslie, a bitter, disliked town drunk who feels entitled to take what others work for; and Priscilla, a gold-digging hair stylist who befriends Martha for questionable reasons.
The only thing I didn't like about this story is the abrupt ending, which played more like an ending to a horror short story. As much as I like horror short stories, this story rises way above all that and I expected something more than this little shock of an ending that seemed out of place.
Why have I never heard of Elizabeth Engstrom before?
January 4, 2026
Las dos historias son buenísimas. No sabría con cuál de ellas quedarme cuando parece que la trama se va a dirigir hacia donde tú crees la autora le da la vuelta dejándote en shock.
Original, inquietante y con un trasfondo incómodo. Para darle más y más vueltas.
Me ha encantado, fichare a la autora para seguir leyendo más. Muy recomendable
Original, inquietante y con un trasfondo incómodo. Para darle más y más vueltas.
Me ha encantado, fichare a la autora para seguir leyendo más. Muy recomendable
February 4, 2020
i listened to the audio book which is read by Karly Hutchins. She did a great job reading these stories. I enjoyed the writing very much. It pulls you in right a way and doesn't let go. The stories were good, very original and each one different. I can see why Valancourt and Grady Hendrix wanted to reprint this and bring more awareness to this lady. I'm sure glad i bought Black Ambrosia as well.
December 23, 2025
3.5☆ Still processing this one...
December 2, 2020
Grady Hendrix is the horror gods’ gift to us all.
His coffee-table tome, ‘Paperbacks From Hell’ tread where few dare, and gives us the lowdown on literally hundreds of the pulp horror books of the 70s and 80s. Lurid, gory, and mostly terrible, Hendrix read them all and, thanks to his partnership with Valancourt Books, we are being treated to new reprints of the best of these decades-old, forgotten gems.
The second book in Valancourt’s recent reprints of lost classics of the era is Elizabeth Engstrom’s first book, ‘When Darkness Loves Us’. This is a collection of two novella-length works originally published in 1985. I had never heard of Engstrom before picking up this book and, having read this collection, I’m embarrassed it took me this long and amazed she isn’t better known.
The title novella is about Sally Ann, a newly-wed girl of seventeen who lives on her family farm with her husband. Finding herself bored one day, she decides to revisit a favourite childhood haunt of hers; an underground tunnel leading to a set of caverns. When she becomes trapped underground, alone and in the pitch black, becoming increasingly lost and disorientated, she fights to find her way out into the light to save both herself and her unborn child.
The above synopsis accounts for barely the first half dozen pages of this first story and less you know about the story going in, the better. Engstrom cleverly sets up expectations and subverts them, and you can never be sure where the story is taking you.
The story, clocking in at a slim 65 pages, wastes no time in getting started. The writing itself is equally lean. The style reminded me a lot of the late, great Jack Ketchum, who was a master of writing that seemed simple and straightforward but was incredibly honed with not a single word wasted. ‘When Darkness Loves Us’ pulls this off wonderfully. Much like Ketchum’s work, this story goes to (pardon the pun) some pretty dark places, and without falling victim to the absurd excess mass market horror often embraced. Powerfully bleak and brilliantly unpredictable, you couldn’t wish for a stronger opening statement from a new author.
The second, longer story of the two is ‘Beauty Is’ and focuses on Martha, a developmentally challenged woman of middle age, who lives alone after the recent passing of her mother and father. As Martha slowly grows accustomed to her new life on her own, she begins to unlock memories of a childhood that she had blocked out for forty years, and once those memories return her life, and those of the town that watch out for her, will be irrevocably changed.
This story had a lot to live up to after such an intense opening story but it managed to exceed even those lofty expectations and was probably the stronger story of the two. The focus here is character, and every person is the cast feels so well realised. ‘Beauty Is’ tells an interwoven story, switching each chapter to focus on Martha, and then her mother, effectively telling Martha’s story from birth by cleverly revealing snippets of Martha’s past that inform her actions, and those of the people around her, in the present. Much like the first story in this book, the story does not go where you expect it to, and being less overtly ‘horror’ than its predecessor, makes the story all the more harrowing when things take a dark turn. The ending will stay with you long after you put the book down. 5 Stars
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/category/...
His coffee-table tome, ‘Paperbacks From Hell’ tread where few dare, and gives us the lowdown on literally hundreds of the pulp horror books of the 70s and 80s. Lurid, gory, and mostly terrible, Hendrix read them all and, thanks to his partnership with Valancourt Books, we are being treated to new reprints of the best of these decades-old, forgotten gems.
The second book in Valancourt’s recent reprints of lost classics of the era is Elizabeth Engstrom’s first book, ‘When Darkness Loves Us’. This is a collection of two novella-length works originally published in 1985. I had never heard of Engstrom before picking up this book and, having read this collection, I’m embarrassed it took me this long and amazed she isn’t better known.
The title novella is about Sally Ann, a newly-wed girl of seventeen who lives on her family farm with her husband. Finding herself bored one day, she decides to revisit a favourite childhood haunt of hers; an underground tunnel leading to a set of caverns. When she becomes trapped underground, alone and in the pitch black, becoming increasingly lost and disorientated, she fights to find her way out into the light to save both herself and her unborn child.
The above synopsis accounts for barely the first half dozen pages of this first story and less you know about the story going in, the better. Engstrom cleverly sets up expectations and subverts them, and you can never be sure where the story is taking you.
The story, clocking in at a slim 65 pages, wastes no time in getting started. The writing itself is equally lean. The style reminded me a lot of the late, great Jack Ketchum, who was a master of writing that seemed simple and straightforward but was incredibly honed with not a single word wasted. ‘When Darkness Loves Us’ pulls this off wonderfully. Much like Ketchum’s work, this story goes to (pardon the pun) some pretty dark places, and without falling victim to the absurd excess mass market horror often embraced. Powerfully bleak and brilliantly unpredictable, you couldn’t wish for a stronger opening statement from a new author.
The second, longer story of the two is ‘Beauty Is’ and focuses on Martha, a developmentally challenged woman of middle age, who lives alone after the recent passing of her mother and father. As Martha slowly grows accustomed to her new life on her own, she begins to unlock memories of a childhood that she had blocked out for forty years, and once those memories return her life, and those of the town that watch out for her, will be irrevocably changed.
This story had a lot to live up to after such an intense opening story but it managed to exceed even those lofty expectations and was probably the stronger story of the two. The focus here is character, and every person is the cast feels so well realised. ‘Beauty Is’ tells an interwoven story, switching each chapter to focus on Martha, and then her mother, effectively telling Martha’s story from birth by cleverly revealing snippets of Martha’s past that inform her actions, and those of the people around her, in the present. Much like the first story in this book, the story does not go where you expect it to, and being less overtly ‘horror’ than its predecessor, makes the story all the more harrowing when things take a dark turn. The ending will stay with you long after you put the book down. 5 Stars
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/category/...
October 18, 2020
I wanted to read something a little different this October and this two novella collection easily falls into the most disturbing and horrific stories that I've ever read.
This is one of a selection of novels that featured in Grady Hendrix's Paperbacks from Hell and been reprinted under that banner.
The cover jumped out at me and whilst there's no creepy dolls, the lack of a nose is significant in the second story.
Out of the two it was the titular When Darkness Loves Us that contained the most horror, this was the most unrelenting with its sick creepy and chilling aspects.
The second was more melodramatic and slow burning, taking time to get to know the characters - but the final chapter easily had the most shocking section in the whole book.
I loved Engstrom style of prose and happy that another of hers has also been included in this collection.
My only gripe would be the order as the first was so quick and intense that I was still thinking about it during the second story. Switching them around would have fit the styles better.
When Darkness Loves Us: 5/5
Beauty Is: 4/5
This is one of a selection of novels that featured in Grady Hendrix's Paperbacks from Hell and been reprinted under that banner.
The cover jumped out at me and whilst there's no creepy dolls, the lack of a nose is significant in the second story.
Out of the two it was the titular When Darkness Loves Us that contained the most horror, this was the most unrelenting with its sick creepy and chilling aspects.
The second was more melodramatic and slow burning, taking time to get to know the characters - but the final chapter easily had the most shocking section in the whole book.
I loved Engstrom style of prose and happy that another of hers has also been included in this collection.
My only gripe would be the order as the first was so quick and intense that I was still thinking about it during the second story. Switching them around would have fit the styles better.
When Darkness Loves Us: 5/5
Beauty Is: 4/5
July 19, 2022
This book was mentioned in Paperbacks from Hell. Moreover, there was an odd introduction at the beginning of the book, which talked about how the author knew from the age of 8 that she’d be a published author one day, and then it continued on to note that this first novel of hers was worked over significantly in workshop, and all the other students on the read aloud had concluded that it was brilliant. Well, sure enough, it’s been published. It’s actually two disconnected novellas. And I’ll wrap up this review just by stating that it was terrible. Not scary, no surprises, and I wasn’t able to develop any concern for the main characters. Begs the question how something like this makes it to print.
June 28, 2019
When will GR let us give books infinity stars? Cause that’s what I’d give When Darkness Loves Us if I could.
This book, long out of print but brought back by the incomparable Valancourt Books, consists of two novellas and, boy oh boy, do they pack a punch. There isn’t really any way to describe what goes on between these covers without sounding like a lunatic (and I mean it—I tried to briefly run down the plot of the first novella to my family yesterday and they looked at me like I had lost my ever-lovin’) but trust me: if you like horror and you like weird and you like exquisitely good writing, then you’ll love this one. Highly recommended!
This book, long out of print but brought back by the incomparable Valancourt Books, consists of two novellas and, boy oh boy, do they pack a punch. There isn’t really any way to describe what goes on between these covers without sounding like a lunatic (and I mean it—I tried to briefly run down the plot of the first novella to my family yesterday and they looked at me like I had lost my ever-lovin’) but trust me: if you like horror and you like weird and you like exquisitely good writing, then you’ll love this one. Highly recommended!
June 29, 2021
El libro se compone de dos cuentos oscuros que me han dejado boquiabierta y con una sensación entre la fascinación, la rabia y el dolor. Y es que Elizabeth no es amable con sus personajes y el terror, la amargura y las pesadillas se irán abriendo paso conforme vas introduciéndote en ese mundo que ha creado.
Me han parecido dos historias brutales. En la primera de ellas, "Cuando la oscuridad nos ama", tendremos como protagonista a Sally Ann, una joven de apenas dieciséis años que acaba de casarse y siente que tiene todo el mundo a sus pies. Hasta que ese mundo se derrumba sobre ella. De pronto, sufre un incidente y se ve encerrada bajo tierra en una cueva, sin posibilidad de huida. Su nueva realidad es oscura y nauseabunda, pero ella es joven y fuerte y tiene un futuro allá arriba que la está esperando.
Siento pavor hacia los espacios cerrados así que lo he pasado bastante mal leyendo esta historia tan claustrofóbica. Pero aún así me ha parecido asombrosa.
En la segunda, "La belleza es...", nos encontramos con Martha, una mujer en la cincuentena que sufre un retraso mental y que, además, nació sin nariz. Sus padres acaban de morir y se ha quedado completamente sola e indefensa en uno de esos pueblos en los que todos se conocen. Ahora Martha deberá arreglárselas por sí misma para sobrevivir, ayudada por sus vecinos a los que tanta lástima y repugnancia inspira.
Este ha sido mi relato favorito, sin duda alguna. Y es que el título le va que ni pintado. La historia es hermosa, narrada con mimo y te atrapa de una manera que necesitas leerla del tirón. Porque sabes que dentro de tanta belleza hay algo que se te escapa, que está ahí, envolviéndolo todo y, eres consciente que en algún momento lo verás, aunque no quieras.
Me he quedado prendada de la pluma de la autora, de su manera de jugar con la belleza y lo grotesco, con el amor y la rabia, con la bondad y crueldad más descarnada.
Una auténtica delicia.
Me han parecido dos historias brutales. En la primera de ellas, "Cuando la oscuridad nos ama", tendremos como protagonista a Sally Ann, una joven de apenas dieciséis años que acaba de casarse y siente que tiene todo el mundo a sus pies. Hasta que ese mundo se derrumba sobre ella. De pronto, sufre un incidente y se ve encerrada bajo tierra en una cueva, sin posibilidad de huida. Su nueva realidad es oscura y nauseabunda, pero ella es joven y fuerte y tiene un futuro allá arriba que la está esperando.
Siento pavor hacia los espacios cerrados así que lo he pasado bastante mal leyendo esta historia tan claustrofóbica. Pero aún así me ha parecido asombrosa.
En la segunda, "La belleza es...", nos encontramos con Martha, una mujer en la cincuentena que sufre un retraso mental y que, además, nació sin nariz. Sus padres acaban de morir y se ha quedado completamente sola e indefensa en uno de esos pueblos en los que todos se conocen. Ahora Martha deberá arreglárselas por sí misma para sobrevivir, ayudada por sus vecinos a los que tanta lástima y repugnancia inspira.
Este ha sido mi relato favorito, sin duda alguna. Y es que el título le va que ni pintado. La historia es hermosa, narrada con mimo y te atrapa de una manera que necesitas leerla del tirón. Porque sabes que dentro de tanta belleza hay algo que se te escapa, que está ahí, envolviéndolo todo y, eres consciente que en algún momento lo verás, aunque no quieras.
Me he quedado prendada de la pluma de la autora, de su manera de jugar con la belleza y lo grotesco, con el amor y la rabia, con la bondad y crueldad más descarnada.
Una auténtica delicia.
August 2, 2019
This book is a collection of two novellas, When Darkness Loves Us, and, Beauty Is.
When Darkness Loves Us concerns Sally Ann, a newly married farmers wife, who becomes trapped while pregnant in the tunnels under her families land. Miraculously, she survives, gives birth and lives a life in darkness. This occurs all within the first twenty pages of the story, fulfilling the premise. What occurs next is twist after delicious twist that leaves the readers jaw dangling. When Sally Ann eventually finds a way to the surface she discovers twenty years have past. This is a twist that dominated by another, which is not only has her husband moved on with her sister, but her family want nothing to do with after she has lost twenty years of her life. Sally returns underground to her son, but not before having her revenge upon her selfish family.
The second novella, Beauty Is, I found to be the better of the two. I was hooked into it, wanted to spend all my waking hours exploring it. It concerns Martha, a woman who the reader is initial lead to believe is mentally handicapped and disfigured, as she begins to develop mentally after receiving some positive social interaction for once. The theme of the story is what creates a monster, or what is perceived as monstrous. It’s a excellent, riveting tale.
When Darkness Loves Us concerns Sally Ann, a newly married farmers wife, who becomes trapped while pregnant in the tunnels under her families land. Miraculously, she survives, gives birth and lives a life in darkness. This occurs all within the first twenty pages of the story, fulfilling the premise. What occurs next is twist after delicious twist that leaves the readers jaw dangling. When Sally Ann eventually finds a way to the surface she discovers twenty years have past. This is a twist that dominated by another, which is not only has her husband moved on with her sister, but her family want nothing to do with after she has lost twenty years of her life. Sally returns underground to her son, but not before having her revenge upon her selfish family.
The second novella, Beauty Is, I found to be the better of the two. I was hooked into it, wanted to spend all my waking hours exploring it. It concerns Martha, a woman who the reader is initial lead to believe is mentally handicapped and disfigured, as she begins to develop mentally after receiving some positive social interaction for once. The theme of the story is what creates a monster, or what is perceived as monstrous. It’s a excellent, riveting tale.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2025
I read just the novella When Darkness Loves Us
1985
Wow. Surreal, fairy-tale logic, dream fantasy…. I guess abject horror.
Involves a young woman who finds herself living in the darkness underground….
Hints of Styx, Hades and Ed Gein
1985
Wow. Surreal, fairy-tale logic, dream fantasy…. I guess abject horror.
Involves a young woman who finds herself living in the darkness underground….
Hints of Styx, Hades and Ed Gein
May 27, 2019
Holy shit, this book.
November 5, 2021
4.5
Ha sido un lujo para mi conocer a la autora a través de estos maravillosos cuentos de terror psicológico.
Son bastante diferentes entre sí: "Cuando la oscuridad nos ama" es bastante más opresivo, pero también más corto, lo que hace que te quede la sensación de que todo pasa demasiado rápido.
"La belleza es..." ha sido mi favorito. El ser un poquito más extenso hace que la autora se pueda tomar su tiempo para cocer la trama a fuego lento, para que empatices más con los personajes y quedes atrapado en las páginas, esperando el desastre que se avecina. La historia de Martha es cautivadora a al par de perturbadora, y yo al menos he estado todo el rato en tensión esperando que todo estallara. Y aún así... El final me ha sorprendido un poco y me ha parecido magistral.
Los dos cuentos son buenos, pero el segundo es el que realmente me ha conquistado. El estilo de Elizabeth me ha gustado mucho, perturbador a la vez que bello en los momentos en los que tenía que serlo.
No quiero decir mucho más para no estropearle a nadie los cuentos, sobre todo a aquellos a los que les guste iniciarse en una lectura sin saber nada. Con la novela corta pienso que es mucho mejor hacerlo así. Solo decir que es un terror mucho más sutil que el de otros autores, pero eso no quiere decir que deje de ser perturbador, tenebroso y macabro.
Ha sido un lujo para mi conocer a la autora a través de estos maravillosos cuentos de terror psicológico.
Son bastante diferentes entre sí: "Cuando la oscuridad nos ama" es bastante más opresivo, pero también más corto, lo que hace que te quede la sensación de que todo pasa demasiado rápido.
"La belleza es..." ha sido mi favorito. El ser un poquito más extenso hace que la autora se pueda tomar su tiempo para cocer la trama a fuego lento, para que empatices más con los personajes y quedes atrapado en las páginas, esperando el desastre que se avecina. La historia de Martha es cautivadora a al par de perturbadora, y yo al menos he estado todo el rato en tensión esperando que todo estallara. Y aún así... El final me ha sorprendido un poco y me ha parecido magistral.
Los dos cuentos son buenos, pero el segundo es el que realmente me ha conquistado. El estilo de Elizabeth me ha gustado mucho, perturbador a la vez que bello en los momentos en los que tenía que serlo.
No quiero decir mucho más para no estropearle a nadie los cuentos, sobre todo a aquellos a los que les guste iniciarse en una lectura sin saber nada. Con la novela corta pienso que es mucho mejor hacerlo así. Solo decir que es un terror mucho más sutil que el de otros autores, pero eso no quiere decir que deje de ser perturbador, tenebroso y macabro.
February 16, 2020
I loved this book, particularly the second story.
October 5, 2021
Este libro está compuesto de dos relatos. Me ha gustado mucho más el primero, el que da nombre a la obra, ya que es más de terror que el segundo llamado La belleza es...
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This book is made up of two stories. I liked the first one much more, the one that gives the work its name, since it is more terrifying than the second called Beauty is ...
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This book is made up of two stories. I liked the first one much more, the one that gives the work its name, since it is more terrifying than the second called Beauty is ...
May 5, 2024
It's two horror tales...one a rather long short-story with some supernatural touches...the other a crude novella-length study of psychosexual mania. When Darkness Loves Us is the shorter one. Sally Hixson is a 16-year-old pregnant farm-bride who becomes accidentally trapped in an underground cave. In the "cave-world", Sally Ann talks with the ghost of a dead sweetheart, gives birth to baby boy, Clint, and supposedly lives in this cave contentedly for 20 years. Then she returns to the upper world and learns that her husband has remarried to Sally Ann's awful sister. She steals a baby girl to become her Clint's "underworld" bride. After a doomed attempt to introduce her old husband to this wonderful cave-life, Sally Ann gives up on reconciling the above ground, and below ground worlds. The we find out that this may all be the dead or dying Sally Ann's dream. It's hard to tell if this is science or fantasy. It appears that the author herself isn't quite sure. Talk about something fitting for the "Twilight Zone.
The second story, Beauty, is a bit more coherent, but only slightly more. It features Martha Mannes, who is middle-aged, homely, and retarded but fairly self-sufficient, living alone on the family farm now that her very well-off parents have both died. Flashbacks give us the Mannes family-history. There are the faith-healer powers of Martha's mother, Fern, that her husband, Harry, wants nothing to do with, and besides he doesn't believe for minute that they are real. Seems that their daughter who is also named Martha, was born without a nose and attempts at surgery have failed. Harry is cruel and rejects "baby" Martha, who we soon learn he regards as brain damaged. Meanwhile, his wife, Martha is becoming "un-retarded"...is that even possible? Seems that the affectionate sexual attentions of her young handyman have worked some type of miracle. I tried to like the stories but only found the entire book to be...well... awkward. Nice cover though.
The second story, Beauty, is a bit more coherent, but only slightly more. It features Martha Mannes, who is middle-aged, homely, and retarded but fairly self-sufficient, living alone on the family farm now that her very well-off parents have both died. Flashbacks give us the Mannes family-history. There are the faith-healer powers of Martha's mother, Fern, that her husband, Harry, wants nothing to do with, and besides he doesn't believe for minute that they are real. Seems that their daughter who is also named Martha, was born without a nose and attempts at surgery have failed. Harry is cruel and rejects "baby" Martha, who we soon learn he regards as brain damaged. Meanwhile, his wife, Martha is becoming "un-retarded"...is that even possible? Seems that the affectionate sexual attentions of her young handyman have worked some type of miracle. I tried to like the stories but only found the entire book to be...well... awkward. Nice cover though.
October 23, 2021
Quan tens la sort immensa de topar amb una joia resplendent com és "La belleza es" no pots fer més que donar les gràcies a la literatura per aquest regal que t'ofereix, per les emocions que et desperta, per com t'omple l'ànima i escoltar el silenci que deixa la seva lectura quan gires l'última pàgina.
January 26, 2020
This is one of those books I knew I’d love, I just struggled with finding time to read it — I always seemed to grab something else off my shelf. I finally decided to give it a go, as it seems to receive lots of hype lately, and I was not let down.
When Darkness Loves Us is comprised of two novellas, and while both are strong I certainly preferred the title story: a strange, grimy, more “traditional” horror work with scary monsters (and super creeps!) and that classic horror trope: getting trapped.
“Beauty Is ...”, the other story in this collection, is longer and I wasn’t sure where, exactly, the story was going for quite a while. What must be commended here is Engstrom’s phenomenal character development, making the horrors of the climax all the more impactful for it.
When Darkness Loves Us deserves all the attention and praise it has received as of late thanks to it getting republished as part of the Paperbacks from Hell line. Any fan of thoughtful, carefully crafted horror would do well to check this out.
When Darkness Loves Us is comprised of two novellas, and while both are strong I certainly preferred the title story: a strange, grimy, more “traditional” horror work with scary monsters (and super creeps!) and that classic horror trope: getting trapped.
“Beauty Is ...”, the other story in this collection, is longer and I wasn’t sure where, exactly, the story was going for quite a while. What must be commended here is Engstrom’s phenomenal character development, making the horrors of the climax all the more impactful for it.
When Darkness Loves Us deserves all the attention and praise it has received as of late thanks to it getting republished as part of the Paperbacks from Hell line. Any fan of thoughtful, carefully crafted horror would do well to check this out.
June 26, 2021
La reseña completa en https://inthenevernever.blogspot.com/...
«Se convulsionó de miedo: los dedos rígidos, la espalda arqueada. Un espasmo muscular la hizo girarse boca arriba, los escalones de piedra se le clavaron en la espina dorsal y la oscuridad la envolvió y se apoderó de su mente».
¿Qué ocurriría si quedases atrapada en unas cavernas subterráneas? ¿Cómo sería tu vida si crecieras con lo que todo el mundo cree que es una discapacidad intelectual? Siempre que me toca reseñar una obra publicada por La biblioteca de Carfax me siento afortunada. Las historias, así como las autoras y autores que gracias a esta editorial especializada en literatura de terror he descubierto estos últimos años me han presentado universos fascinantes, crueles y aterradores. El libro que les quiero recomendar hoy no es la excepción. Cuando la oscuridad nos ama, de Elizabeth Engstrom, reúne dos novelas cortas que se han convertido en dos de mis mejores lecturas del año.
«Se convulsionó de miedo: los dedos rígidos, la espalda arqueada. Un espasmo muscular la hizo girarse boca arriba, los escalones de piedra se le clavaron en la espina dorsal y la oscuridad la envolvió y se apoderó de su mente».
¿Qué ocurriría si quedases atrapada en unas cavernas subterráneas? ¿Cómo sería tu vida si crecieras con lo que todo el mundo cree que es una discapacidad intelectual? Siempre que me toca reseñar una obra publicada por La biblioteca de Carfax me siento afortunada. Las historias, así como las autoras y autores que gracias a esta editorial especializada en literatura de terror he descubierto estos últimos años me han presentado universos fascinantes, crueles y aterradores. El libro que les quiero recomendar hoy no es la excepción. Cuando la oscuridad nos ama, de Elizabeth Engstrom, reúne dos novelas cortas que se han convertido en dos de mis mejores lecturas del año.
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