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The Devil Took Her: Tales of Horror
Melanie’s increasingly disturbing journal entries have to be delusional ravings—if they’re not, there’s something terrible out there, snatching runaways in the night and spiriting them off to somewhere unspeakable...
In his debut collection of horror stories, leading Kiwi short fiction writer Michael Botur takes us to the dark extremes of human behaviour through twelve terrifying tales.
• Two high school introverts bond as an ordinary morning of skipping school descends into something awful.
• A powerful, paranoid publisher makes a young man’s magazine internship a nightmare.
• And a woman trapped in a coal cellar finds she must die a little to live.
Botur’s mesmerising stories lead us through bad dreams invading a man’s office job, a young couple searching for atonement in Germany’s Black Forest, the saga of a teen prankster whose vicious joke against her computing tutor is going to earn her a very decisive reprisal, and many more…
• First horror short story collection by award-winning NZ author Michael Botur
• Launching in time for Halloween 2022
• Winner of the Australasian Horror Writers Association Robert N Stephenson Short Story Award for ‘Test of Death.’
“Botur has claimed for himself a piece of literary territory occupied by the desperate, downtrodden and damned.” – Paul Little
“One of the most original story writers of his generation in NZ.” – takahē 86
“Botur’s work grabs you by the throat and won’t let you go.” - NZ Listener
In his debut collection of horror stories, leading Kiwi short fiction writer Michael Botur takes us to the dark extremes of human behaviour through twelve terrifying tales.
• Two high school introverts bond as an ordinary morning of skipping school descends into something awful.
• A powerful, paranoid publisher makes a young man’s magazine internship a nightmare.
• And a woman trapped in a coal cellar finds she must die a little to live.
Botur’s mesmerising stories lead us through bad dreams invading a man’s office job, a young couple searching for atonement in Germany’s Black Forest, the saga of a teen prankster whose vicious joke against her computing tutor is going to earn her a very decisive reprisal, and many more…
• First horror short story collection by award-winning NZ author Michael Botur
• Launching in time for Halloween 2022
• Winner of the Australasian Horror Writers Association Robert N Stephenson Short Story Award for ‘Test of Death.’
“Botur has claimed for himself a piece of literary territory occupied by the desperate, downtrodden and damned.” – Paul Little
“One of the most original story writers of his generation in NZ.” – takahē 86
“Botur’s work grabs you by the throat and won’t let you go.” - NZ Listener
331 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2022
3 people are currently reading
1111 people want to read
About the author
Michael Botur
19 books101 followersMichael Botur, born 1984 in Christchurch, New Zealand, living in Whangarei, Northland, is the author of eight short story collections, five novels, a children's book and the poetry collection 'Loudmouth: Page & Pub Poems.' He has won awards for short fiction in the US, Australia and New Zealand. Botur has published journalism in most major newspapers and magazines in New Zealand and is an emerging screenwriter.
Botur has published creative writing in most NZ literary journals, has won various prizes for short stories and poems since beginning writing in 2005 and has been included in numerous anthologies.
Botur has published news articles in VICE World News, the Listener, New Zealand Herald, Herald on Sunday, Sunday Star-Times, The Spinoff, Noted, Mana and North & South.
In 2021 Botur was the first Kiwi winner of the Australasian Horror Writers Association Short Story Award for 'Test of Death' and has been runner-up twice since.
Botur has published creative writing in most NZ literary journals, has won various prizes for short stories and poems since beginning writing in 2005 and has been included in numerous anthologies.
Botur has published news articles in VICE World News, the Listener, New Zealand Herald, Herald on Sunday, Sunday Star-Times, The Spinoff, Noted, Mana and North & South.
In 2021 Botur was the first Kiwi winner of the Australasian Horror Writers Association Short Story Award for 'Test of Death' and has been runner-up twice since.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 22, 2022
The Devil Took Her offers up a diverse selection of horror and fantasy. From companion rats, to jail-house nightmares, to things that truly go bump in the night, this collection of horror stories is probably best NOT read just before bed, or while eating! These stories won’t be for everyone, the language and imagery is quite disturbing at times, but it is also compelling and I found with each tale, once I started I couldn’t put the book down until the story was done.
The writing is intense, and often graphic. Characters are brought to life on the pages of this book where bizarre doesn’t even begin to describe the tales that emerge from Michael Botour’s imagination.
I’ve only ever said this about one other favourite author, and now I’ll say it about Michael Botur, with respect. While I have recently become a fan of his writing, I wouldn’t want to live next door! Oh, the other author? Stephen King.
The Devil Took Her: Tales of HorrorMichael Botur is an amazing writer, creating characters believable and horrifying at the same time. He is adept at dialect and accent inflections to add more layers to those who inhabit his stories. This won’t be the last book of his I’ll read.
The writing is intense, and often graphic. Characters are brought to life on the pages of this book where bizarre doesn’t even begin to describe the tales that emerge from Michael Botour’s imagination.
I’ve only ever said this about one other favourite author, and now I’ll say it about Michael Botur, with respect. While I have recently become a fan of his writing, I wouldn’t want to live next door! Oh, the other author? Stephen King.
The Devil Took Her: Tales of HorrorMichael Botur is an amazing writer, creating characters believable and horrifying at the same time. He is adept at dialect and accent inflections to add more layers to those who inhabit his stories. This won’t be the last book of his I’ll read.
July 31, 2022
In terms of horror, I'm terrified and impressed by Michael Botur's ability to inhabit the teenage mind. My favourite story was 'The Day I Skipped School'. While it isn't the most original, the author nails it and I enjoyed the influence of Japanese horror. Away from the teenagers, 'The Hundred Club' about two men competing to sleep with 100 women on Tinder, is the most ambitious short. Tinder tales, while potentially very entertaining are hard to pull off. A couple of stories here could have been stripped back to their essence more.
Six months ago, I left Secondary School teaching and it felt like getting out of jail. Since then I've avoided our unpleasant pimpled brethren, even on the written page. Hell, I didn't like teenagers when I was one. I'm also not a huge fan of horror - although I think 'Psycho' is a five-star book. So this isn't my usual read. 'The Devil Took Her' reminded me of James Franco's Palo Alto. Whatever you think of the much-maligned Franco, he's a good writer with an ability to see into the brain of delinquent teenagers on par with Botur's.
I would recommend this to fans of horror fiction and my former students. Love the cover.
Six months ago, I left Secondary School teaching and it felt like getting out of jail. Since then I've avoided our unpleasant pimpled brethren, even on the written page. Hell, I didn't like teenagers when I was one. I'm also not a huge fan of horror - although I think 'Psycho' is a five-star book. So this isn't my usual read. 'The Devil Took Her' reminded me of James Franco's Palo Alto. Whatever you think of the much-maligned Franco, he's a good writer with an ability to see into the brain of delinquent teenagers on par with Botur's.
I would recommend this to fans of horror fiction and my former students. Love the cover.
June 25, 2024
This is a terrifyingly intense collection of horror stories, with some being downright gory and disturbingly violent, featuring diverse characters, settings, and creepy factors.
Let me just say that it takes a lot for a book to scar me, and I feel that I need to read some romcom to cleanse my mind after reading this collection.
Many thanks for the e-copy I received in a Goodreads giveaway. Publication date: May 2022.
Let me just say that it takes a lot for a book to scar me, and I feel that I need to read some romcom to cleanse my mind after reading this collection.
Many thanks for the e-copy I received in a Goodreads giveaway. Publication date: May 2022.
August 1, 2022
Spoilers: With few exceptions, the short stories of Michael Botur's The Devil Took Her: Tales of Horror, do not involve the supernatural. Instead they involve human monsters with all of their perversions, lusts, paranoia, and obsessions. And by the gods, they are graphic.
Even the few that do involve the supernatural, hint that what the protagonist encounters may not be real but could be instead the product of an unhinged mind who is suffering from a terrifying hallucination that forever changes them.
These stories come with the obligatory twist ending. However with the graphic horror that precedes them, they are not the Twilight Zone or Outer Limits endings that provide a sense of wonder and need to learn a lesson. Instead, they are more like Tales from the Crypt type of gut punch endings that leaves the Reader fainting or vomiting with the realization of how monstrous real life and real people can be.
The best stories in this anthology are:
"The Writing on the Rat"-Joyce Koh is an urban explorer who explores abandoned places and posts her findings on her social media account. Her latest interest is to examine St. James Church. Unfortunately, she falls into the cellar door and is locked inside.
Joyce's story turns from one of a foolish adventure into a fight for survival. Joyce remains for days inside the cellar reduced to the most savage acts to remain alive. She succumbs to insanity and self- mutilation until she is reduced to a bloody shell of her former daring self.
"The Devil Took Her" -This is one of the few short stories in this anthology that may involve the supernatural and despite or because of that, it's the best of the bunch.
Melanie, an investigative journalist, is missing and her husband, Patrick, hired a private investigator. In typical hard boiled detective noir narration, the detective cynically tells Patrick to put his money away and that he found Melanie's journal. Oh and he's not going to like what he's going to read.
The majority of the story involves Melanie's narration and her obsession with catching who she dubs the Golden State Dementor who potentially murdered eight people.
The book is an eerie cat and mouse chase as Melanie sneaks near dumpsters and dark alleys around fast food restaurants to catch her elusive prey. She goes through dangerous lengths and watches the most violent acts against humanity before she makes the fateful decision to set herself as bait and follow the Dementor into his lair.
The killer and Melanie's pursuit are terrifying as she puts her sanity and life on the line to capture something that behaves inhuman and might just be demonic.
"Fake ID"-There are a couple of stories in this anthology that take full advantage of the first person narration by having the narrator start as a sardonic worldly troublemaker that transforms into a barely functioning captive. This one is the better story.
Oliver, a student, buys a fake ID from rich kid Matt McAnulty to get some booze and coke. Unfortunately, he gets more than just Matt's ID. He gets all that comes with it including Matt's very eccentric neurosurgeon parents.
This story is sort of like Get Out Meets the Stepford Wives as Oliver struggles to leave a very terrifying situation before it transforms him forever. It's a scary prospect that if a child disappoints their parents, then they can make a new one as though they were buying a new toy or pet.
"The Strange Paper"-Think of this as QAnon Times Ten if such a thing is possible. While in high school, the narrator becomes obsessed with The Strange Paper, a periodical with stories of UFO's, Big Foot, Loch Ness Monster, Fairies, Secret Societies, and the like. He becomes so fascinated that as an adult, he goes to meet the editor, Maxwell Winckle, to work for him as a writer.
The Narrator's dream job turns into a nightmare as Max's articles go from harmless speculation to paranoiac fantasies. He is convinced that vaccines turn people into reptilian shapeshifters. By the time, the Narrator realizes that he is in the employ of a deranged lunatic and not the hero he thought, it's too late. Maxwell has millions of followers ready to do his bidding thanks to his protegee's articles that portray him in a leader like and cultist manner.
This story shows the gruesome danger of hero worship and cult of personality when one admires someone so much that they let them do the thinking for them. Sometimes when they surrender their free will, they can do the most unthinkable things that they would not have even dreamt of on their own.
"Mengistu"-Violence is the same the world over and anyone can get caught in it, whether they have lived in a country all their lives or are just visiting. While in Ethiopia, Kevin is court ordered to teach ESL to some young students. Through his students, Kevin becomes involved with the political struggles between various tribes and the remnants of leaders like Haile Selassie, the founder of the Rastafarian movement and Haile Mengistu Mariam, AKA The Butcher of Addis Ababa.
Kevin acts like the worst kind of visitor, acting like he knows everything from Wikipedia and lecturing the locals about their own history. He pays for his ignorance when he says the wrong things to the wrong people and gets swept up in historic violence that has been going on for decades.
"Itching"-This story features a prank war gone horribly horribly wrong.
Jasmine, a coding student, puts itching powder on Warwick, an obnoxious rival's seat. This immature stunt sets off a chain reaction of one upping that gets progressively weirder and more serious thanks to the pranksters' knowledge of hacking and coding.
Things finally come to a violent, gruesome, and considering the previous stories inevitable conclusion as Warwick's attitude changes from jocularity to sociopathic as Jasmine's daughter, Saffire gets caught in the middle.
Even the few that do involve the supernatural, hint that what the protagonist encounters may not be real but could be instead the product of an unhinged mind who is suffering from a terrifying hallucination that forever changes them.
These stories come with the obligatory twist ending. However with the graphic horror that precedes them, they are not the Twilight Zone or Outer Limits endings that provide a sense of wonder and need to learn a lesson. Instead, they are more like Tales from the Crypt type of gut punch endings that leaves the Reader fainting or vomiting with the realization of how monstrous real life and real people can be.
The best stories in this anthology are:
"The Writing on the Rat"-Joyce Koh is an urban explorer who explores abandoned places and posts her findings on her social media account. Her latest interest is to examine St. James Church. Unfortunately, she falls into the cellar door and is locked inside.
Joyce's story turns from one of a foolish adventure into a fight for survival. Joyce remains for days inside the cellar reduced to the most savage acts to remain alive. She succumbs to insanity and self- mutilation until she is reduced to a bloody shell of her former daring self.
"The Devil Took Her" -This is one of the few short stories in this anthology that may involve the supernatural and despite or because of that, it's the best of the bunch.
Melanie, an investigative journalist, is missing and her husband, Patrick, hired a private investigator. In typical hard boiled detective noir narration, the detective cynically tells Patrick to put his money away and that he found Melanie's journal. Oh and he's not going to like what he's going to read.
The majority of the story involves Melanie's narration and her obsession with catching who she dubs the Golden State Dementor who potentially murdered eight people.
The book is an eerie cat and mouse chase as Melanie sneaks near dumpsters and dark alleys around fast food restaurants to catch her elusive prey. She goes through dangerous lengths and watches the most violent acts against humanity before she makes the fateful decision to set herself as bait and follow the Dementor into his lair.
The killer and Melanie's pursuit are terrifying as she puts her sanity and life on the line to capture something that behaves inhuman and might just be demonic.
"Fake ID"-There are a couple of stories in this anthology that take full advantage of the first person narration by having the narrator start as a sardonic worldly troublemaker that transforms into a barely functioning captive. This one is the better story.
Oliver, a student, buys a fake ID from rich kid Matt McAnulty to get some booze and coke. Unfortunately, he gets more than just Matt's ID. He gets all that comes with it including Matt's very eccentric neurosurgeon parents.
This story is sort of like Get Out Meets the Stepford Wives as Oliver struggles to leave a very terrifying situation before it transforms him forever. It's a scary prospect that if a child disappoints their parents, then they can make a new one as though they were buying a new toy or pet.
"The Strange Paper"-Think of this as QAnon Times Ten if such a thing is possible. While in high school, the narrator becomes obsessed with The Strange Paper, a periodical with stories of UFO's, Big Foot, Loch Ness Monster, Fairies, Secret Societies, and the like. He becomes so fascinated that as an adult, he goes to meet the editor, Maxwell Winckle, to work for him as a writer.
The Narrator's dream job turns into a nightmare as Max's articles go from harmless speculation to paranoiac fantasies. He is convinced that vaccines turn people into reptilian shapeshifters. By the time, the Narrator realizes that he is in the employ of a deranged lunatic and not the hero he thought, it's too late. Maxwell has millions of followers ready to do his bidding thanks to his protegee's articles that portray him in a leader like and cultist manner.
This story shows the gruesome danger of hero worship and cult of personality when one admires someone so much that they let them do the thinking for them. Sometimes when they surrender their free will, they can do the most unthinkable things that they would not have even dreamt of on their own.
"Mengistu"-Violence is the same the world over and anyone can get caught in it, whether they have lived in a country all their lives or are just visiting. While in Ethiopia, Kevin is court ordered to teach ESL to some young students. Through his students, Kevin becomes involved with the political struggles between various tribes and the remnants of leaders like Haile Selassie, the founder of the Rastafarian movement and Haile Mengistu Mariam, AKA The Butcher of Addis Ababa.
Kevin acts like the worst kind of visitor, acting like he knows everything from Wikipedia and lecturing the locals about their own history. He pays for his ignorance when he says the wrong things to the wrong people and gets swept up in historic violence that has been going on for decades.
"Itching"-This story features a prank war gone horribly horribly wrong.
Jasmine, a coding student, puts itching powder on Warwick, an obnoxious rival's seat. This immature stunt sets off a chain reaction of one upping that gets progressively weirder and more serious thanks to the pranksters' knowledge of hacking and coding.
Things finally come to a violent, gruesome, and considering the previous stories inevitable conclusion as Warwick's attitude changes from jocularity to sociopathic as Jasmine's daughter, Saffire gets caught in the middle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2022
I received this book free from the author for an honest review.
Honestly, this book is a little hard for me to quantify and place in a simple category of "I liked it" and "I didn't like it". Sometimes you go into horror expecting not to like what you read, just going in so you can experience the way anxiety has permeated society. Honestly, when Michael Botur contacted me asking if I wanted to read either of his books, this was the one I was really excited to read. I previously read Crimechurch and fell in love with how he wrote his hateful characters in their grimy, downtrodden, and self-destroying setting. It was like reading something where a place, culture, and personal choice just ate away at people until they either self-destructed or found something to be truly passionate about.
But this is about The Devil Took Her, and all the wonderful highs and lows that an anthology can bring.
Let's start by looking at his writing style because this might make or break his work for you. It's not that it's not well written. No, he's much better at grammar, spelling, and word choice than I am, it's that he's not afraid to write out the vernacular of the people he's talking about, write in CAPITAL LETTERS when people are screaming for emphasis, or leave !!!!!! when underlining a critical WTF moment. His characters swear, they use derogatory and racist language. And honestly, this is one thing that I love about his writing.
There's something inauthentic about reading a "gritty" story that strays away from harsher language. Or that only use a couple of more racy words that I won't even write out. This one just writes it as the people in these situations would use it, whether those people should use that kind of language in real life or not. It gives the horror a realistic edge that I find lacking in stories that are about areas like Crimechurch.
The vernacular I could honestly take or leave. At best it takes me longer to figure out what the character is trying to say, but the capitalizing and ridiculous punctuation is spread out through the stories in a way that feels true to the characters and feel of the atmosphere.
The actual stories themselves are confusing and a grab bag of fun to horrifying to read. The fun ones to me are the ones that make me take a moment to wonder at the cultural anxieties coming through in a story about Itching where a prank war goes out of control and monstrous or The Strange Paper where a young man joins a paper he's been hooked on where the editor gets more and more insane until that ending hits you.
You'll find you're favorites, you'll be less impressed by some, but I always found something to think about in the pages of this story. Something to reflect back on and think about, even if I wasn't necessarily "enjoying" the ride.
While this might not be horror for everyone, for anyone who likes mostly down-to-earth, crazy, where is this going horror. I'd give these Tales of Horror a Read!
Honestly, this book is a little hard for me to quantify and place in a simple category of "I liked it" and "I didn't like it". Sometimes you go into horror expecting not to like what you read, just going in so you can experience the way anxiety has permeated society. Honestly, when Michael Botur contacted me asking if I wanted to read either of his books, this was the one I was really excited to read. I previously read Crimechurch and fell in love with how he wrote his hateful characters in their grimy, downtrodden, and self-destroying setting. It was like reading something where a place, culture, and personal choice just ate away at people until they either self-destructed or found something to be truly passionate about.
But this is about The Devil Took Her, and all the wonderful highs and lows that an anthology can bring.
Let's start by looking at his writing style because this might make or break his work for you. It's not that it's not well written. No, he's much better at grammar, spelling, and word choice than I am, it's that he's not afraid to write out the vernacular of the people he's talking about, write in CAPITAL LETTERS when people are screaming for emphasis, or leave !!!!!! when underlining a critical WTF moment. His characters swear, they use derogatory and racist language. And honestly, this is one thing that I love about his writing.
There's something inauthentic about reading a "gritty" story that strays away from harsher language. Or that only use a couple of more racy words that I won't even write out. This one just writes it as the people in these situations would use it, whether those people should use that kind of language in real life or not. It gives the horror a realistic edge that I find lacking in stories that are about areas like Crimechurch.
The vernacular I could honestly take or leave. At best it takes me longer to figure out what the character is trying to say, but the capitalizing and ridiculous punctuation is spread out through the stories in a way that feels true to the characters and feel of the atmosphere.
The actual stories themselves are confusing and a grab bag of fun to horrifying to read. The fun ones to me are the ones that make me take a moment to wonder at the cultural anxieties coming through in a story about Itching where a prank war goes out of control and monstrous or The Strange Paper where a young man joins a paper he's been hooked on where the editor gets more and more insane until that ending hits you.
You'll find you're favorites, you'll be less impressed by some, but I always found something to think about in the pages of this story. Something to reflect back on and think about, even if I wasn't necessarily "enjoying" the ride.
While this might not be horror for everyone, for anyone who likes mostly down-to-earth, crazy, where is this going horror. I'd give these Tales of Horror a Read!
September 17, 2022
This book is the perfect definition of modern horror. Each short story was masterfully written to invoke feelings of fear, horror, and disgust. The writing style changed according to the stories and their characters, and this book is one of the only books I’ve read that’s able to accomplish this without losing immersion. The topics of the short stories range from political issues to societal issues to even personal morals and goals.
There were only a couple of stories I wasn’t super thrilled with (out of TWELVE), but even these were well-written - I was just left in a state of wanting a bit more from them. Because each story focuses on different issues, there are a plethora of trigger warnings that vary for each one - if you’re planning to pick this one up, be sure to double-check the warnings.
Overall, Botur managed to have a powerful voice in all the stories, and I’ll definitely be looking up his other books later!
There were only a couple of stories I wasn’t super thrilled with (out of TWELVE), but even these were well-written - I was just left in a state of wanting a bit more from them. Because each story focuses on different issues, there are a plethora of trigger warnings that vary for each one - if you’re planning to pick this one up, be sure to double-check the warnings.
Overall, Botur managed to have a powerful voice in all the stories, and I’ll definitely be looking up his other books later!
October 17, 2022
Horror fans rejoice! Award-winning Kiwi horror author Michael Botur is back with this skin-crawling good collection of horror tales. Botur’s voicey style is filled with quintessential Kiwi flavour (and setting). The writing draws you in and doesn’t let you go, no matter what you think of the protagonist (of which many descend into hells of their own making—quite satisfyingly in some cases!).
The stand out stories for me include “The Writing on the Rat”, the closing image of this story still stands vividly in my mind; “The Day I Skipped School”, a haunting love story built on the bones of murder, monsters and a vow of secrecy; “The Strange Paper”, an all too topical—and cautionary—tale of the power we give to conspiracy theorists; and “Test of Death”, a touching story that explores the lengths we go to for friendship—and a chance to beat death. I still find myself thinking about these stories weeks after I turned the final page.
Another aspect I particularly liked in all of the stories of this collection is how they don’t just hold up a mirror to the flaws of humanity but explore them to the extreme. As characters succumb to their weaknesses—some of which are seemingly innocent at first—their stories become cautionary tales about letting our less-than-admirable traits rule us.
This collection is not just about humanity’s flaws, but of consequences; of mistakes (and lapses) in judgement coming home to roost one by one. If you relish stories that build with a slow rising dread before going for the throat, this is a must-read.
The stand out stories for me include “The Writing on the Rat”, the closing image of this story still stands vividly in my mind; “The Day I Skipped School”, a haunting love story built on the bones of murder, monsters and a vow of secrecy; “The Strange Paper”, an all too topical—and cautionary—tale of the power we give to conspiracy theorists; and “Test of Death”, a touching story that explores the lengths we go to for friendship—and a chance to beat death. I still find myself thinking about these stories weeks after I turned the final page.
Another aspect I particularly liked in all of the stories of this collection is how they don’t just hold up a mirror to the flaws of humanity but explore them to the extreme. As characters succumb to their weaknesses—some of which are seemingly innocent at first—their stories become cautionary tales about letting our less-than-admirable traits rule us.
This collection is not just about humanity’s flaws, but of consequences; of mistakes (and lapses) in judgement coming home to roost one by one. If you relish stories that build with a slow rising dread before going for the throat, this is a must-read.
July 16, 2022
The 12 bizarre stories in this debut collection from acclaimed New Zealand author Michael Botur are akin to watching a serious drama film in which almost every scene has overexposure and at the edge of the frame the viewer glimpses vaguely other worlds, other dimensions. While trying to concentrate on the "real" world, the Mundane plane, one is distracted constantly by these glimpses of worlds beneath and beyond. Just breathing the air of these stories transports readers to other worlds than ours.
August 11, 2022
These stories are definitely for the blood and gore type! I do like these kind of books but even this one made me cringe at times! Very graphic, descriptive and very gory!
The writing style was really good which made it believable and emotion provoking, the stories were completely different categories but some were very "Saw"-esque! I would probably look for more from this author but it may be a while as I need a little time to get these out my head!
The writing style was really good which made it believable and emotion provoking, the stories were completely different categories but some were very "Saw"-esque! I would probably look for more from this author but it may be a while as I need a little time to get these out my head!
November 2, 2022
I've read a couple of Botur's short story collections (True and Lowlife) and he's a masterful practitioner of the form. While the stories in these collections are eclectic, they are connected by both Botur's powerful and distinctive personal voice and a focus on life at the edges of contemporary society. The Devil Took Her is a little different in that it's Botur's first horror-themed collection. That organising principle alone makes it more focused than previous works, but Botur is certainly no one-trick pony and the eclectic nature of his imagination still shines, with the requisite monstrosity of the genre appearing in different guises, from actual monsters (most notably the giant and voracious spirit bird of The Day I Skipped School), through to monstrous people, and on to people trapped in monstrous situations.
In The Devil Took Her, the focus is again on characters operating (or perhaps struggling to operate) on the fringe, isolated from society proper. This makes sense, for isolation is one of the key conventions of the horror genre, and even in stories where the protagonists aren't physically isolated, they're psychologically or emotionally isolated; there's something about them that means they just don't fit in, no matter how desperately they might try.
Along with the monsters, the tone of these stories is also eclectic. Some are gross and gory, some are haunting, some are creepy, some are threaded with Botur's trademark black humour. All of them are disturbing. This is not a criticism. I enjoy watching horror movies, or at least ones fueled by good storytelling and genuine scares rather than blood and guts. Watching movies tends to be a social activity and in that environment, being scared can be fun. Indeed, that would be one of the major factors in my judgement of quality — that I enjoyed myself, that I had fun. I know I'm not alone in thinking that.
Reading, on the other hand, is not a social activity and (aside from Underground, the story of an ambitious record label exec's descent into hell), the stories in The Devil Took Her are not fun. What they are is disturbing. It's a mark of just how disturbing that my reaction to them was physical. At times, I found myself short of breath, mouth dry, skin literally itching, as if I'd been for a bush walk and brushed up against some evil, toxic plant. At other times I felt sick, my stomach clenched tight, on the verge of nausea. It got to the point where after a few daily sessions I had to take a break from reading because I couldn't deal with the physical symptoms anymore. Yet compelled, I returned a few days later to finish off.
So, in the end, it's a challenge to make a judgement call on The Devil Took her. Did I enjoy reading it? Ahhh... no, not really. Does that mean it's bad? Oh God no, quite the opposite. Would I read it to my kids before they went to bed? No I wouldn't, but then they're a little young. Your average older teenager, being the strange, twisted creatures that they often are, could get a real kick out of it. Do I want to read more short horror stories by Botur? Hell yeah, but not today, thanks. I'm more in the mood for something comedic, perhaps even with a touch of romance. I'm just gonna have a squiz in our DVD cupboard. I'm sure there's a copy of The 40-Year-Old Virgin in there somewhere.
In The Devil Took Her, the focus is again on characters operating (or perhaps struggling to operate) on the fringe, isolated from society proper. This makes sense, for isolation is one of the key conventions of the horror genre, and even in stories where the protagonists aren't physically isolated, they're psychologically or emotionally isolated; there's something about them that means they just don't fit in, no matter how desperately they might try.
Along with the monsters, the tone of these stories is also eclectic. Some are gross and gory, some are haunting, some are creepy, some are threaded with Botur's trademark black humour. All of them are disturbing. This is not a criticism. I enjoy watching horror movies, or at least ones fueled by good storytelling and genuine scares rather than blood and guts. Watching movies tends to be a social activity and in that environment, being scared can be fun. Indeed, that would be one of the major factors in my judgement of quality — that I enjoyed myself, that I had fun. I know I'm not alone in thinking that.
Reading, on the other hand, is not a social activity and (aside from Underground, the story of an ambitious record label exec's descent into hell), the stories in The Devil Took Her are not fun. What they are is disturbing. It's a mark of just how disturbing that my reaction to them was physical. At times, I found myself short of breath, mouth dry, skin literally itching, as if I'd been for a bush walk and brushed up against some evil, toxic plant. At other times I felt sick, my stomach clenched tight, on the verge of nausea. It got to the point where after a few daily sessions I had to take a break from reading because I couldn't deal with the physical symptoms anymore. Yet compelled, I returned a few days later to finish off.
So, in the end, it's a challenge to make a judgement call on The Devil Took her. Did I enjoy reading it? Ahhh... no, not really. Does that mean it's bad? Oh God no, quite the opposite. Would I read it to my kids before they went to bed? No I wouldn't, but then they're a little young. Your average older teenager, being the strange, twisted creatures that they often are, could get a real kick out of it. Do I want to read more short horror stories by Botur? Hell yeah, but not today, thanks. I'm more in the mood for something comedic, perhaps even with a touch of romance. I'm just gonna have a squiz in our DVD cupboard. I'm sure there's a copy of The 40-Year-Old Virgin in there somewhere.
September 18, 2022
A woman that enjoyed urban exploration, sometimes on her own, usually told her friends where and when she was going but one time she didn’t tell anybody……she came to regret that decision when she got locked down in a coal cellar.
Tsuru and Susan became friends after skipping school one morning and Susan saw the death of a man which brought them closer with a secret they shared that could never be told to anyone else or there would be consequences……
Two friends decide to set themselves the club 100 test to see who could bed one hundred women first. Little did they know the trouble that was in store for them.
Rachel makes sure everyone she knows is in a hip band or famous. A colleague of Rachels leaves the office to enter a never ending Auckland party scene so Rachel follows leaving everything behind her. She just knows the right party is around the corner.
Melanie is missing so her husband hires a private investigator to find her. All that happens is he reads her journals which are disturbing to read and if true, then someone is taking runaways and something could be happening to them.
One afternoon underage Oliver buys Matt McAnulty’s fake ID. All so he can buy some beers to drink. Then Matt’s parents pick Oliver up and offer him a ride, little do he know they want to test him as much as he wants to test them!
At age fifteen, my one real hobby was to read The Strange Paper which was published regularly every month and has very strange facts in it. I’m lucky enough to get a job working for the paper at twenty but the editor/owner is power hungry and manic with the workload. I last longer than some of the other assistants, get to travel etc but is it a good thing? Or is my luck running out?
These are just some tasters of the short horror stories that are in the book released by Michael Botur. This is his debut in Britain. The writing was horrifyingly good and gory, in some places a lot of detail! He is a new author to me and I would like to read more of his short stories. His style is certainly different to our British writers or it could just have been me! I have had a busy week, making reading hard but I was determined to get my review written! Loved the change to short stories and the difference in content. There are twelve stories to read and I love that there is a synopsis of each story at the beginning of the book. 4 out 5 stars from me.
Tsuru and Susan became friends after skipping school one morning and Susan saw the death of a man which brought them closer with a secret they shared that could never be told to anyone else or there would be consequences……
Two friends decide to set themselves the club 100 test to see who could bed one hundred women first. Little did they know the trouble that was in store for them.
Rachel makes sure everyone she knows is in a hip band or famous. A colleague of Rachels leaves the office to enter a never ending Auckland party scene so Rachel follows leaving everything behind her. She just knows the right party is around the corner.
Melanie is missing so her husband hires a private investigator to find her. All that happens is he reads her journals which are disturbing to read and if true, then someone is taking runaways and something could be happening to them.
One afternoon underage Oliver buys Matt McAnulty’s fake ID. All so he can buy some beers to drink. Then Matt’s parents pick Oliver up and offer him a ride, little do he know they want to test him as much as he wants to test them!
At age fifteen, my one real hobby was to read The Strange Paper which was published regularly every month and has very strange facts in it. I’m lucky enough to get a job working for the paper at twenty but the editor/owner is power hungry and manic with the workload. I last longer than some of the other assistants, get to travel etc but is it a good thing? Or is my luck running out?
These are just some tasters of the short horror stories that are in the book released by Michael Botur. This is his debut in Britain. The writing was horrifyingly good and gory, in some places a lot of detail! He is a new author to me and I would like to read more of his short stories. His style is certainly different to our British writers or it could just have been me! I have had a busy week, making reading hard but I was determined to get my review written! Loved the change to short stories and the difference in content. There are twelve stories to read and I love that there is a synopsis of each story at the beginning of the book. 4 out 5 stars from me.
October 18, 2022
As the season of all things macabre and spooky is approaching, I get the opportunity to receive some truly wonderful horror stories for review. 'The Devil Took Her', by Michael Botur, is a prime example.
Welcome to the terrifying and beautiful world Michael Botur has created for your reading pleasure in his debut collection of horrors . 'The Devil Took Her' packs 12 marvelously dark, bizarre and disturbing stories perfect for this season's creepings.
In here dear reader, the monsters do not lurk in a dark forest, a bottomless pit, a strange and dangerous realm, nor a hellish dimension.
In here, the monsters are of the most dangerous form. I'm talking about human monsters and monsters of the mind. Monsters that are slaves to their wildest and most primitive instincts.
So sit back, relax, open this portal to a world of sheer horror and prepare to be scarred at least for the rest of this year.
In here you will:
Follow an urban explorer's journey as it turns into a terrifying fight for survival.
Join the hunt for the Golden State Dementor and be truly horrified from what you'll come face to face with.
Discover the dreadful perks that come with acquiring a fake ID.
Take a wild ride at a dream job turned into full nightmare situation.
Get transported to Ethiopia and find out the rage and violence ignorance and being disrespectful causes.
Find out the hazardous implications when a prank war goes horribly wrong.
Learn about a weird competition aiming to go above 100, only to discover a brutaly savage world.
Experience the horrible situations skipping school can lead you to.
Discover the lengths people can go to when it comes to friendship and dire situations.
Taste the bitterness of retribution in its most terrifying form.
Get trapped in a job where you have to follow exact and terribly evil orders.
Find out what happens when partying too hard and with the wrong crowd...
The author has such a unique and utterly phenomenal way of transferring human emotions, bizarre and disturbing situations into written words that transform superbly into cinematic and grafic motion picture nightmares not only for the tragic and wonderfully penned characters but mostly for you dear reader.
Probably the most terrifying collection of chilling fiction I've read in 2022.
Trust me, you will not forget these stories before the end of the year.
'Fake ID' and 'The Strange Paper' are now scars on my psyche and Michael Botur my newly discovered horror hero.
Welcome to the terrifying and beautiful world Michael Botur has created for your reading pleasure in his debut collection of horrors . 'The Devil Took Her' packs 12 marvelously dark, bizarre and disturbing stories perfect for this season's creepings.
In here dear reader, the monsters do not lurk in a dark forest, a bottomless pit, a strange and dangerous realm, nor a hellish dimension.
In here, the monsters are of the most dangerous form. I'm talking about human monsters and monsters of the mind. Monsters that are slaves to their wildest and most primitive instincts.
So sit back, relax, open this portal to a world of sheer horror and prepare to be scarred at least for the rest of this year.
In here you will:
Follow an urban explorer's journey as it turns into a terrifying fight for survival.
Join the hunt for the Golden State Dementor and be truly horrified from what you'll come face to face with.
Discover the dreadful perks that come with acquiring a fake ID.
Take a wild ride at a dream job turned into full nightmare situation.
Get transported to Ethiopia and find out the rage and violence ignorance and being disrespectful causes.
Find out the hazardous implications when a prank war goes horribly wrong.
Learn about a weird competition aiming to go above 100, only to discover a brutaly savage world.
Experience the horrible situations skipping school can lead you to.
Discover the lengths people can go to when it comes to friendship and dire situations.
Taste the bitterness of retribution in its most terrifying form.
Get trapped in a job where you have to follow exact and terribly evil orders.
Find out what happens when partying too hard and with the wrong crowd...
The author has such a unique and utterly phenomenal way of transferring human emotions, bizarre and disturbing situations into written words that transform superbly into cinematic and grafic motion picture nightmares not only for the tragic and wonderfully penned characters but mostly for you dear reader.
Probably the most terrifying collection of chilling fiction I've read in 2022.
Trust me, you will not forget these stories before the end of the year.
'Fake ID' and 'The Strange Paper' are now scars on my psyche and Michael Botur my newly discovered horror hero.
September 19, 2022
The Devil Took Her is a collection of horror stories ranging from absurd to strange to downright creepy. And while a few of the stories sometimes read like their characters are a bit off their rockers (and some of them are a bit wild), there's definitely something for every horror fan within these pages.
From a story about an urban explorer getting trapped to a high school student with a fake ID, and even a story about a man who just might come to regret dumping a German exchange student, there are some interesting and unique stories here.
I think my favorite one is the titular story, The Devil Took Her. It's a fascinating story about a woman who goes missing, and her husband hires someone to look into her disappearance. But when the investigator finds her journal, the truth is definitely not what anyone could have ever imagined. I honestly would love to see this one fleshed out a bit more and turned into a full-length novel. I think that could be really intriguing and fun to read.
Also, strangely enough, the story that bothered me the most (aka creeped me out more than anything else) wasn't the one I expected. I honestly thought story number one--The Writing on the Rat--would get under my skin, and while it did a little bit, the second story--The Day I Skipped School--was the one that really got to me. Something about that one (no spoilers!) just freaked me out more than anything else. Maybe because realistically, the one "character" in the story shouldn't be the size they are, and I think that's why it spooked me more than anything else. I blame seeing the movie Night of the Lepus when I was just a little kid.
Overall, this was a fascinating collection of horror tales, and I would definitely say give it a go if you're a fan of short horror stories like I am. While not every story may be your cup of tea, you'll be sure to find something to enjoy.
4 stars.
From a story about an urban explorer getting trapped to a high school student with a fake ID, and even a story about a man who just might come to regret dumping a German exchange student, there are some interesting and unique stories here.
I think my favorite one is the titular story, The Devil Took Her. It's a fascinating story about a woman who goes missing, and her husband hires someone to look into her disappearance. But when the investigator finds her journal, the truth is definitely not what anyone could have ever imagined. I honestly would love to see this one fleshed out a bit more and turned into a full-length novel. I think that could be really intriguing and fun to read.
Also, strangely enough, the story that bothered me the most (aka creeped me out more than anything else) wasn't the one I expected. I honestly thought story number one--The Writing on the Rat--would get under my skin, and while it did a little bit, the second story--The Day I Skipped School--was the one that really got to me. Something about that one (no spoilers!) just freaked me out more than anything else. Maybe because realistically, the one "character" in the story shouldn't be the size they are, and I think that's why it spooked me more than anything else. I blame seeing the movie Night of the Lepus when I was just a little kid.
Overall, this was a fascinating collection of horror tales, and I would definitely say give it a go if you're a fan of short horror stories like I am. While not every story may be your cup of tea, you'll be sure to find something to enjoy.
4 stars.
September 15, 2022
An exquisite collection of 12 horror stories which I enjoyed. Horror stories but not from hell or the supernatural, they're the humankind which in some cases are really more creepy than other realms.
My favourites were:
The Writing on the Rat: is quite graphic but couldn't stop reading it.
The Devil Took Her: A private investigator is hired to find a missing reporter, what he finds shakes him to the core.
Fake Id: A student acquires a fake id from his rich friend to buy booze but he gets more than he bargains for, especially from his friend's neurosurgeon parents.
The Strange Paper: A boy growing up reading a magazine about UFOs, conspiracies, cryptozoology you know the stuff kids love to read. He's now an adult and an opportunity presents itself as a chance to meet the editor and a position is offered to him but is he ready to give his all even his sole to the course?
"The Devil Took Her" is my first read by Michael and really enjoyed it, liked his writing style and especially how his mind works. Would love to know from where he gets his inspiration to write some twisted tales.
Many thanks to Henry Roi PR for my spot on the tour.
My favourites were:
The Writing on the Rat: is quite graphic but couldn't stop reading it.
The Devil Took Her: A private investigator is hired to find a missing reporter, what he finds shakes him to the core.
Fake Id: A student acquires a fake id from his rich friend to buy booze but he gets more than he bargains for, especially from his friend's neurosurgeon parents.
The Strange Paper: A boy growing up reading a magazine about UFOs, conspiracies, cryptozoology you know the stuff kids love to read. He's now an adult and an opportunity presents itself as a chance to meet the editor and a position is offered to him but is he ready to give his all even his sole to the course?
"The Devil Took Her" is my first read by Michael and really enjoyed it, liked his writing style and especially how his mind works. Would love to know from where he gets his inspiration to write some twisted tales.
Many thanks to Henry Roi PR for my spot on the tour.
September 17, 2022
Each of these stories had something bizarre or twisted about it. What I found interesting was that in each story, the protagonist seemed humorous, or spoke to the reader in a humorous way. At least, that was what I found. So for that reason, I found that the protagonist in each story was amusing or interesting, even if I didn't find them very likeable or relate to them.
I felt that each of the stories was a nice length - none of them were too long or too short. So for that reason, I enjoyed reading this book a little at a time.
Something else that I liked was the fact that all of the stories felt modern and current, and relevant to society. The author made references to films, music, television - things that readers will recognise and relate to.
Depending on my mood, I sometimes prefer a book of short stories over a novel, and horror stories are one of my favourites to read around Halloween. So I think this is a book that would get my attention if I were to notice it in a bookshop.
I felt that each of the stories was a nice length - none of them were too long or too short. So for that reason, I enjoyed reading this book a little at a time.
Something else that I liked was the fact that all of the stories felt modern and current, and relevant to society. The author made references to films, music, television - things that readers will recognise and relate to.
Depending on my mood, I sometimes prefer a book of short stories over a novel, and horror stories are one of my favourites to read around Halloween. So I think this is a book that would get my attention if I were to notice it in a bookshop.
September 19, 2022
Terrifying stories!
What an intriguing collection of horror stories in The Devil Took Her: Tales of Horror by Michael Botur. This is Botur's debut book, and what a debut it is. And, another plus for Botur, is the imagination that goes beyond what is tangible, and makes the darkness come to life. This author brings the words to life. Each story had its own uniqueness, and it works in this compilation of the author's work. Each story was thrilling and intriguing, all the way to the end. This book captures the reader's attention at the title, and then just continues on. I will definitely add more of this author's books to my bookshelf. Tantalizing and intriguing! The Devil Took Her: Tales of Horror is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book, to also write a review.
What an intriguing collection of horror stories in The Devil Took Her: Tales of Horror by Michael Botur. This is Botur's debut book, and what a debut it is. And, another plus for Botur, is the imagination that goes beyond what is tangible, and makes the darkness come to life. This author brings the words to life. Each story had its own uniqueness, and it works in this compilation of the author's work. Each story was thrilling and intriguing, all the way to the end. This book captures the reader's attention at the title, and then just continues on. I will definitely add more of this author's books to my bookshelf. Tantalizing and intriguing! The Devil Took Her: Tales of Horror is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book, to also write a review.
August 23, 2022
Michael has managed to successfully burrow into the head of his protagonists in his collection of short horror stories. His way of writing makes you feel like you are experiencing the sights the sounds, and the terror, through these characters POV. His style of writing brings each particular character to life in their dialogue, foibles and action, a skill indeed.
Each and every short story is jam packed with gruesome, maddening, and just plain weird shit. It truly is a book that I just couldn’t put down, I had to know what the next story was about. They were all so very different. You might find one or two challenging; (I did with one) they are all based on everyday life after all - at least that’s how they start!!
I’ve been reading and enjoying horror stories for a long time now, I’ll be certain to keep an eye out for more of Michael Boturs’ books, especially horror.
Each and every short story is jam packed with gruesome, maddening, and just plain weird shit. It truly is a book that I just couldn’t put down, I had to know what the next story was about. They were all so very different. You might find one or two challenging; (I did with one) they are all based on everyday life after all - at least that’s how they start!!
I’ve been reading and enjoying horror stories for a long time now, I’ll be certain to keep an eye out for more of Michael Boturs’ books, especially horror.
August 13, 2022
What I loved about this collection is that I didn’t know where I was being taken. Botur kept me guessing. The hem of the dress isn’t being lifted, he tears it off at every opportunity. It’s rare to read an author that puts it all out there, straying well and truly outside the boundaries of today’s PC societal views. Botur invites backlash in, and I respect that. There are so many great tales in here, all written with panache and a street cred that can only be garnered, I feel, from experience, which makes me like this guy even more. He trades grammar convention for a stream of consciousness that pulls you into each story, a roller coaster with a fresh destination Botur hides in each telling with aplomb.
October 12, 2023
After I finished reading these, I wondered where the author came up with his stories. The characters weren’t easy to warm up to. That’s no big deal for me as many authors I read kill off their characters so I wasn’t expecting a high survival rate. The scenes were graphic and could turn your stomach sometimes. Again. I read a lot of horror and came prepared for that.
What really had me liking this collection was the writing. The author dropped me into some pretty bizarre places. And he kept me reading even when I wanted to close my eyes. Some stories were short. Some longer. They all left a lasting impression.
I received a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.
What really had me liking this collection was the writing. The author dropped me into some pretty bizarre places. And he kept me reading even when I wanted to close my eyes. Some stories were short. Some longer. They all left a lasting impression.
I received a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.
August 13, 2023
Don't expect traditional monsters here, just lots of monsters in the mind and lunatics on the fringe. A lot of this material made my skin crawl. Incredibly, Botur makes it believable. Botur's thought-provoking writing has a lot of slang and reads fast, like a runaway train. Yes, since this is horror, the train always crashes. Do not binge these stories. Savor!
June 7, 2023
A fantastic collection of horrific and macabre stories which will entertain you, disturb you, and compel you to thirst for more.
The writing style makes it easy reading, yet has a depth to it that makes you imagine the situations deeply.
The writing style makes it easy reading, yet has a depth to it that makes you imagine the situations deeply.
October 16, 2022
I loved this book. Horror with a side of rare clinical detachment. Great prose and a wonderful sense of just where to end a story. Memorable characters and situations. I’ll dip into this book again.
December 12, 2022
I love this book, I could literally read it a thousand times, I recommend it to you my genre is definitely horror
September 12, 2023
Michael Botur’s new book, The Devil Took Her: Tales of Horror (The Sager Group LLC) is an accomplished collection of twelve stories from a seasoned writer of original short fiction. From page one, the reader is yanked by the collar into gothic bizarro situations that could easily have been the product of an Edgar Allan Poe/Stephen King collaboration, in which characters are inexorably forced into horrific metamorphoses, sometimes even their own tragic undoing, as they confront rattrap-type dilemmas with inherently nightmarish consequences.
Sometimes literally. The first story in the collection, ‘The Writing on the Rat’ shares an urban explorer’s nightmarish experience of being trapped underground in a coal cellar with only a ravenous rat for company. She soon learns that in order to live, part of herself needs to die. Another story, ‘The Strange Paper’, describes how a writer’s apprenticeship to a whacky magazine publisher turns into an horrific rollercoaster of a ride as he’s sucked into the dead-end rabbit warren of conspiracy theories and dangerous disinformation.
Other stories explore a variety of similarly disturbing and gruesome scenarios in which Botur’s colourful and idiosyncratic protagonists — often already wrestling with frustrating and inadequate personal circumstances — are faced with increasingly confronting dilemmas as the threat of destruction or death, brought about by their deepest longings and existential anxiety, looms over them. Standouts for this reader were ‘You Dream of Jail’ in which Henry, the main character, is trapped in a job where he is forced to push product in order to enhance the company’s bottom line in a story which interrogates unethical practices in big business, and ‘I Came to Say Sorry’, in which a gung-ho, commitment-phobic protagonist faces the terrible retribution of a young woman he dicked around years before when they were high school sweethearts.
The second last story in the collection, ‘Test of Death’, won the 2021 Australasian Horror Writers Association Short Story Award.
Aside from the incredible inventiveness of his plots, Botur’s writing sings at times with a fluency that is a pleasure to read:
“The head speaking to me is lavender. The colour where pink bleeds into purple and cools into blue. Where the skin bunches around his neck, the folds are deep indigo. Blue, too, are the veins snaking across his flesh. Thousands of streams and rivers and tributaries choked with unmoving cold dead blood cells.”
This accomplished style is evident throughout the collection. The final story in the collection, ‘Itching’, in which a young single mother is forced to contemplate the unspeakable loss of the one thing that makes her life worth living, is a tour-de-force of unspeakable horror.
Stephen King is credited with saying, “The devil’s voice is sweet to hear.” Poe’s last words were, apparently, “Lord, help my poor soul.” This highly imaginative collection of freaky tales traverses new ground between these two extremes of the horror genre, as the protagonists wrestle with debased and debauched twenty-first century reality and culture, while being forced to realise that a bad situation can always devolve into something far, far worse.
Botur is a master of the unexpected yet highly apposite metaphor and does internal monologue so well it’s astounding, not to mention his easy facilitation of action, plot and dialogue. These brilliantly written short stories will leave the reader squirming with the delight of schadenfreude, while simultaneously being shocked silly and begging for relief and redemption.
JENNY PURCHASE is an educator, writer and editor with a master’s degree in creative writing.
Her first collection of short stories, Transit Lounge, was published by Lasavia Publishing in 2022 under her nom de plume, JCL Purchase. She is currently working on a historical novel and a hybrid memoir, and is selecting and co-editing, together with fellow New Zealand writer, AJ Woolf, an anthology of poetry, prose, memoir, and essay on the subject of solo parenting.
Sometimes literally. The first story in the collection, ‘The Writing on the Rat’ shares an urban explorer’s nightmarish experience of being trapped underground in a coal cellar with only a ravenous rat for company. She soon learns that in order to live, part of herself needs to die. Another story, ‘The Strange Paper’, describes how a writer’s apprenticeship to a whacky magazine publisher turns into an horrific rollercoaster of a ride as he’s sucked into the dead-end rabbit warren of conspiracy theories and dangerous disinformation.
Other stories explore a variety of similarly disturbing and gruesome scenarios in which Botur’s colourful and idiosyncratic protagonists — often already wrestling with frustrating and inadequate personal circumstances — are faced with increasingly confronting dilemmas as the threat of destruction or death, brought about by their deepest longings and existential anxiety, looms over them. Standouts for this reader were ‘You Dream of Jail’ in which Henry, the main character, is trapped in a job where he is forced to push product in order to enhance the company’s bottom line in a story which interrogates unethical practices in big business, and ‘I Came to Say Sorry’, in which a gung-ho, commitment-phobic protagonist faces the terrible retribution of a young woman he dicked around years before when they were high school sweethearts.
The second last story in the collection, ‘Test of Death’, won the 2021 Australasian Horror Writers Association Short Story Award.
Aside from the incredible inventiveness of his plots, Botur’s writing sings at times with a fluency that is a pleasure to read:
“The head speaking to me is lavender. The colour where pink bleeds into purple and cools into blue. Where the skin bunches around his neck, the folds are deep indigo. Blue, too, are the veins snaking across his flesh. Thousands of streams and rivers and tributaries choked with unmoving cold dead blood cells.”
This accomplished style is evident throughout the collection. The final story in the collection, ‘Itching’, in which a young single mother is forced to contemplate the unspeakable loss of the one thing that makes her life worth living, is a tour-de-force of unspeakable horror.
Stephen King is credited with saying, “The devil’s voice is sweet to hear.” Poe’s last words were, apparently, “Lord, help my poor soul.” This highly imaginative collection of freaky tales traverses new ground between these two extremes of the horror genre, as the protagonists wrestle with debased and debauched twenty-first century reality and culture, while being forced to realise that a bad situation can always devolve into something far, far worse.
Botur is a master of the unexpected yet highly apposite metaphor and does internal monologue so well it’s astounding, not to mention his easy facilitation of action, plot and dialogue. These brilliantly written short stories will leave the reader squirming with the delight of schadenfreude, while simultaneously being shocked silly and begging for relief and redemption.
JENNY PURCHASE is an educator, writer and editor with a master’s degree in creative writing.
Her first collection of short stories, Transit Lounge, was published by Lasavia Publishing in 2022 under her nom de plume, JCL Purchase. She is currently working on a historical novel and a hybrid memoir, and is selecting and co-editing, together with fellow New Zealand writer, AJ Woolf, an anthology of poetry, prose, memoir, and essay on the subject of solo parenting.
September 19, 2022
This book is a collection of horror stories, which are all very dark, gruesome, and terrifying.
Some of these stories are very gory, so would only be those who don’t mind this kind of fiction.
There is a wide range of the types of horror throughout which helps keep you interested.
Overall, a very dark, gory and scary collection of short stories which will terrify all that read.
Some of these stories are very gory, so would only be those who don’t mind this kind of fiction.
There is a wide range of the types of horror throughout which helps keep you interested.
Overall, a very dark, gory and scary collection of short stories which will terrify all that read.
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