Fear of Free Standing Objects: A Collection

by Doug Rinaldi

What do YOU fear most?

Is it being locked up against your will never to see the sun again? Does the thought of being the last of your kind keep you up at night? Or perhaps you're afraid of the side effects of radical new surgeries.

Whether it's losing a loved one, being stuck alone in the dark, abandoning hope, or simply ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time, Doug Rinaldi's second collection of dark and curious fiction will show you all that there is to fear... and more.

This second edition also features "End_Game (Dementia Praecox)," an all new, unpublished tale of murder for hire gone wrong.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Dark Fantasy

268 pages, Paperback

Published January 21, 2020

About the author

Growing up in Connecticut, Doug Rinaldi was always a creative soul. From exploring the local library to the woods near his home, he was constantly envisioning otherworldly scenarios that sparked his imagination and led to the creation of terrifying tales about devious lunch ladies and monstrous creatures that threatened to devour the world.

As he grew older, Doug's love for creating never wavered. Whether it was through drawing, graphic design, or writing, art was always at the forefront of his life. In 1995, he received his degree in Computer Animation and Special Effects for stage and screen, but it was writing dark fiction that truly captured his heart.

At the turn of the millennium, Doug said goodbye to his home state and set out to hone his craft farther north. He has since spent years working to perfect his writing and artistic skills, bringing to life twisted and terrifying stories that keep readers on the edge of their seats. With a vivid imagination and a passion for the macabre, Doug's work is not for the faint of heart.

Reviews

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

FEAR OF FREE STANDING OBJECTS: A COLLECTION is an impressive and imaginative group of stories that swept through me like a slow moving storm and left me like jello, shivering on the floor.

I can't list my thoughts on all of them here, but the ones that blew me away were:

AN INCIDENT IN CENTRAL VILLAGE- Pond monsters!

THE YATTERING-A haunted bookstore. Already, with the title and subject alone, it screams my name.

THE SICKENING-At this point in time, what with COVID19 and its effects, this tale was even scarier than it otherwise would have been. At least COVID19 doesn't make us kill each other.
At least not yet.

AND THE HITS JUST KEEP COMING -A "tables are turned" type of story.

LOTUS PETALS: LIMINAL PERSONAE-Body Horror that put me in mind of Geek Love or some of Michael Blumlein's work.

SYBARITES (OR THE ENMITY OF PERVERSE EXISTENCE) I don't even know what to say about this other than that this was the tale that cemented my thoughts about how great this collection really was

To be honest, this was a collection where every story worked for me on some level or another. That's a rare occurrence, so I took my time savoring these tales and surrendered myself to whatever it was Mr. Rinaldi wanted to show me. I'm so glad I did!

My highest recommendation!

Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/3acgaiO

*Thanks to Doug Rinaldi for the paperback arc in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

[Warren Fournier · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a mixed bag for me. Horror short story collections are like special edition jelly beans. You've got your vomit-flavored ones that are clearly meant to be off-putting and are only there to entice the curious as a novelty. Then you have the grass-flavored ones that seem like they should be repulsive but somehow are oddly satisfying, though you won't be seeking to eat one again. Of course, you have your cherry-flavored beans, and you just love anything cherry, but these just don't work, leaving a medicinal, waxy bite in your mouth. Finally, you have your classics, sure to fit everyone's taste. I found the stories in Doug Rinaldi's collection "Fear of Free Standing Objects" to largely settle into the grass and cherry jelly bean categories.

There were many of the kinds of stories that would normally be right up my alley, with one-eyed pond monsters, vengeful witches, an eldritch over-sexed mountain kaiju, and a sword-and-sorcery dark fantasy à la Robert E. Howard. Rinaldi's stories all seemed to pay tribute to early pulp and comic horrors both in content and style while maintaining the freshness of originality. I really appreciated that. But somehow, his choices all seemed to knock the quality down a few pegs--not enough to ruin my enjoyment, but noticeable nonetheless. He walked when he should have run and he gave detail when shadow was necessary.

And sometimes it felt that he really didn't have a cohesive story idea in the first place. In places, it seemed he remembered the amorphous remnants of a bad dream and decided to weave a few pages around these horrific images and emotions, or perhaps he had an idea for a novel and was testing it out in a shorter format. Anyway, too often the result felt like my nine-year-old hyperventilating a scary story at a party: "And so this one time, this boy, he sees this monster, with really big scary teeth and slime and everything, and then aliens come down and take over all the people except for the boy, and he has to run away from all the zombies, the end." No logic or story arc necessary. Just good old fashioned horror tropes strung together to make a good time.

And a good time it was. Rinaldi knows how to deliver thrills. I also enjoyed how he could be darkly poetic and then turn on a dime and be comically juvenile. In all, I would say this collection would be sure to please most horror fans, especially of a younger crowd.

[Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rinaldi has put together an imaginitive collection of horrors ranging from terrors of the flesh, to labyrinthine nightmares, all told with conversartional ease.

[Daniel Bautz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fear of Free Standing Objects is a phenomenal collection of horror stories. Doug Rinaldi's voice as an author is like that of an old friend excited to see you and catch up on old times. It's earnest, familiar and congenial and all his own & disarming you that voice leads you into a sinister world of fear, blood, bile, evil and loathing. The language is vibrant and the imagery it conjures beautifully repugnant. From the first story, Unfurl, you plummet into a dark mind that is unrelenting and unrepentant. So if you are a fan of horror that takes the leap, you won't be disappointed.

[GD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doug Rinaldi’s short story collection Fear of Free Standing Objects gathers together stories previously available in chapbooks and anthologies, as well as ones previously unpublished. I had already read many of them, some as a beta reader. So my opinion of this collection was formed before it was ever released: Rinaldi is a helluva good horror writer and this book is well worth buying.

The previously unpublished stories in this collection are some of his finest. “Lotus Petals: Liminal Personae” is a particularly effective story of body horror.

I was given an advanced reader copy of this publication for the purposes of this review.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up to 5 for Goodreads.

Fear. We are all afraid of something. Be it something common like being afraid of spiders (arachnophobia), small spaces (claustrophobia), or heights (acrophobia). But maybe you have a deeper, darker, more irrational fear? What are you afraid of? What are your phobias? Fear of Free Standing Objects by Doug Rinaldi is a collection of short stories that explores the darkest recesses of the mind where these fears have burrowed down deep.

This is my second time reading Rinaldi. The first was a novella collaboration with Curtis M. Lawson called Those Who Go Forth into the Empty Place of Gods which I enjoyed so I was excited to read more from him. First off I dig the title of this collection. The lone wind turbine looming over and above the trees depicted on the cover is striking. After reading the afterword and learning that Rinaldi harbors a real life fear of free standing objects (cell phone towers, water tower, etc.) the title resonated with me even more so.

This collection runs the gamut and covers just about every type of horror you can think of. Home invasion, curses, hauntings, Lovecraftian abominations, cults, kidnapping, body horror, murder, assassination, religious zealotry, plagues, and so on. I thoroughly enjoyed every story collected here, and that doesn't happen very often. While reading this the term "smart horror" popped into my head. What do I mean by that? I'm not really sure to be honest. It was just a feeling I had that I am not sure I can put into words. There is a certain depth and nuance to Rinaldi's writing and storytelling that sets this above some of the other books I've been reading as of late. The prose felt clean and meticulous yet had a natural conversational flow at the same time.

There are fourteen stories collected here and it was tough to narrow it down to my top three but here it goes.

3: An Incident in Central Village - A boy comes home after wrecking his bike to discover that something is off. People are doing strange things in the woods and a presence lurks beneath the ground.

2: The Yattering - A haunted bookstore and one man's quest to uncover the origins of the ghost within.

1: End_Game (Dementia Praecox) - Murder for hire on the darkweb. I don't really want to say anymore about this one so I don't spoil anything but I really enjoyed the "fun" direction this story took.

Highly imaginative nightmare fuel. Fear of Free Standing Objects by Doug Rinaldi conjures forth a collection of gruesomely demented stories from the darkest fathoms of the human psyche to prey upon your fears. If you want to read a top notch horror collection that feels familiar yet different at the same time then I recommend checking this one out. Try to leave your phobias at the door though, you don't know what might be lurking on the next page.

I received an ARC of this book from the author for review consideration.

Video review: https://youtu.be/sE2W_vk9U90

[Dahne Yeager · Rating 5 out of 5]

......hints of Lovecraftian shadows.

This was my first exposure to Doug Rinaldi but it is definitely not going my last. The stories in this collection are uniquely original and some have hints of Lovecraftian shadows... The writing is extremely seductive with character development that is singular to each offering. I look forward to experiencing more from Mr. Rinaldi and encourage all of you to do the same.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

Phobias are fearsome, spine-chilling vehicles that drive us into mass hysteria. Some are avoidable for the most part (coprophobia-fear of crapping your pants), while others consume the nature of our well being and ruin our daily lives (anthropophobia-when in the company of only one other person). With that being said, Doug Rinaldi romanticizes the phobic phenomenon with this horror collection.

From a collective standpoint, this offering is more than just the standard scare. Rindaldi engages readers by utilizing every resource available that are scattered throughout the pages; the architecture, weather, and machines are all paramount features, and are just as crucial as the characters or setting in each title. The strange illustration preceding each story only confirms this idea, and I was constantly reminded of ‘The Mysteries of Harris Burdock’ each time I looked at them.

Favorites:

‘The Jatinga Effect’-An effective and luring ‘trapped in a building’ thriller with a strong magnetic pull to it.

‘END_GAME’(Dementia Praecox)-If there was a sixth installment (or however many there are) in the ‘Home Alone’ film series, there would be a screenplay based on this adaptation.

[Deborah Goulding · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Sea Caummisar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually in a collection of short stories, there's one or two that end abruptly or that I wish had been longer to explain a thing or two. That is not the case here. Honestly, there may have been one or two shorts that I felt dragged on longer than necessary, but overall, the whole collection is great.
The first story is very brief, a few pages or so. It's still interesting and exhibits that the author writes very well with crisp adjectives.
Topics range from surgeries gone wrong, ghosts, dark web, murder, fraternity pranks, etc.. So many that there are too many to list. My personal faves were about a man holding a doctor hostage to perform surgery on him, a fraternity prank that went horribly wrong (wasn't really a 'prank'), and a twisted dark web story.
This collection is like a grab bag. You never know what you're going to get in the next story

[Coffee with Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one to me . . . Felt a little . . . Off. But that is okay, because that is how the stories are. Gets you to really think about the stories. I think my favorite story in this one would be Bequeathed. I say this because I can kind of relate to the story, but not in the dramatic scary way. It is a reminder of something in your childhood that your mind just automatically blocks because it was so traumatic.

[Books, Booze, and Horror Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time rating this. There were a couple of stories that I positively adored, and then several that I just couldn't get into. A rule of thumb I'm starting to use when rating books is that when I find myself scanning quickly through parts of a book in an effort to get through it, it shouldn't be more than three stars. Given that there were some gems in there, I didn't feel that any less than three stars would be fair.

What I can say is that most, if not all of the stories seemed to start in an extreme close-up, catching a specific moment in time with no context, and then slowly backs up to show the full picture. Sometimes it's exciting, and sometimes it feels slow.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so ready to love this book but it just fell flat for me.