A Variable Darkness: 13 Tales

by John M. McIlveen, Tony Tremblay (Introduction)

From the award-winning, Stoker Award-nominated author of Hannahwhere and Inflictions, John McIlveen offers his latest collection A Variable Darkness, thirteen tales of his trademark blend of heartache, humor, horror, and a ton of humanity. Inside these pages, you will meet a captivating girl who is the embodiment of all female youth and the registrar of broken hearts. You will travel to 1693 Massachusetts, where a suspected witch mentors a teenager. You will meet Ricky Briggs, who wakes up without a spine, join in on the craziest Yankee Swap imaginable, and ride along with a cantankerous old spirit in a 1994 Mercury Grand Marquis. Including an introduction by Tony Tremblay and an afterword by Izzy Lee. "John McIlveen has a gift for the sinister--for the chilling, the thought-provoking, and the double and triple twist. These stories are the mesmerizing work of a master of suspense, and they will haunt you long after you close the final mind-blowing page. The writing is so elegant--I can almost hear Rod Serling narrating!" -- Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of THE FIRST TO LIE

Genres: Short Stories

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 4, 2021

About the author

John M. McIlveen is the author of GIRL GONE NORTH, nominated for the Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation Award, and the paranormal suspense novel HANNAHWHERE, winner of the Drunken Druid Award (Ireland), and nominated for the Bram Stoker Award (HWA). He has also authored three story collections, A VARIABLE DARKNESS, INFLICTIONS, and JERKS and Other Tales from A Perfect Man.

He works at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and is CEO and editor-in-chief at Haverhill House Publishing.

John lives on the Massachusetts North Shore with his wife, Roberta Colasanti.

http://haverhillhouse.com
https://www.facebook.com/mcilveen

Reviews

[Linda McGuire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually do not enjoy reading short story collections but this one gave me nightmares! Every short story in this collection is scary , a little demented, horrific and kept me awake and biting fingernails.
McIlveen truly put the scare into these stories. Some had a funny twist to them but still eerie. The characters whether it was human, animal or whatever were well thought out. I would recommend this to anyone wanting quick scary reads.

[Katherine Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! Such a dynamic collection from John McIlveen, encompassing the breadth of human emotions through thirteen horrific short stories. Revenge, lust, heartbreak, and trauma are woven expertly throughout each story. This is definitely worth a second read through just to re-experience each emotional nuance again.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book