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A Lunatic's Laugh
After she died, she was frozen, waiting for the answer to crash in on her...
Lilli Ashler was an actor of limited ability who found fame in a play called A Lunatic’s Laugh. Her mediocre talent led gossips to say she must have sold her soul for success. Then she disappeared from public view.
When Lilli dies, her granddaughter, Dominique, inherits her sprawling old mansion on the hill. Opposite the mansion stands a notorious asylum where the writer of A Lunatic’s Laugh spent time as an inmate before he dashed his head against the wall, his blood and brains seeping into the stone. The writer’s death led to rumours he was a practitioner of black magic and that the asylum is possessed.
Now Dominique fears the asylum is somehow laying claim to her, as she begins to suspect the nightmarish bargain Lilli Ashler made for her stardom.
A Lunatic’s Laugh is a Gothic family saga that delivers a unique twist on the classic haunted house story.
Lilli Ashler was an actor of limited ability who found fame in a play called A Lunatic’s Laugh. Her mediocre talent led gossips to say she must have sold her soul for success. Then she disappeared from public view.
When Lilli dies, her granddaughter, Dominique, inherits her sprawling old mansion on the hill. Opposite the mansion stands a notorious asylum where the writer of A Lunatic’s Laugh spent time as an inmate before he dashed his head against the wall, his blood and brains seeping into the stone. The writer’s death led to rumours he was a practitioner of black magic and that the asylum is possessed.
Now Dominique fears the asylum is somehow laying claim to her, as she begins to suspect the nightmarish bargain Lilli Ashler made for her stardom.
A Lunatic’s Laugh is a Gothic family saga that delivers a unique twist on the classic haunted house story.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 22, 2022
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 5, 2023
Gripping and very creepy!
Dominique returns to the town she grew up in following the death of her grandmother. She moves into the Red Mansion close to an abandoned asylum. Then the spookiness starts: hauntings, visions, scary dolls. There is plenty of mystery, and it’s very creepy.
The story is mainly told from Dominque’s POV, but also from her grandmother, Lilli Asher, and at times others; there are shifts in the timeline too, but they are all easy to follow. I rooted for Dominque, Lilli was well done, but there were a lot of other characters, and at times I lost track of them. The pacing is good - the start in particular was very engrossing, although horrific - but I didn’t understand the ending.
Overall, an entertaining read, which is well written; I’m sure fans of the genre will enjoy.
(Now I’m just going to rid the house of dolls …)
Dominique returns to the town she grew up in following the death of her grandmother. She moves into the Red Mansion close to an abandoned asylum. Then the spookiness starts: hauntings, visions, scary dolls. There is plenty of mystery, and it’s very creepy.
The story is mainly told from Dominque’s POV, but also from her grandmother, Lilli Asher, and at times others; there are shifts in the timeline too, but they are all easy to follow. I rooted for Dominque, Lilli was well done, but there were a lot of other characters, and at times I lost track of them. The pacing is good - the start in particular was very engrossing, although horrific - but I didn’t understand the ending.
Overall, an entertaining read, which is well written; I’m sure fans of the genre will enjoy.
(Now I’m just going to rid the house of dolls …)
June 28, 2023
I’m not a horror person so I was definitely nervous. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and I always enjoy the back and forth views for storylines. You do get answers about Dominique as you continue. Not a one sitting read but still good!
September 12, 2023
Oh my goodness! What a ride! This book had surprises, shocks and horrors. I just couldn’t relax, especially as what I thought I knew wasn’t that at all! I can’t say more without adding spoilers BUT, the title is prophetic and my mind was scrambled by the end of the ride! I received a complimentary book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
October 29, 2022
I'm not sure about this. It was very interesting and kept me entertained but I was also confused about a lot of it and wasn't really sure I understood a lot of what took place. Worth the read because I probably just didn't get it. Lol unlike anything else I've read.
December 14, 2022
The book started off strong and had me gripped, but as it progressed, the multiple timelines and POVs began to feel like a chore to keep up with. I feel if they were rearranged a bit, or if there was a cohesive order to the changes between flashbacks and current timeline, it would have been easier to keep track of things.
August 4, 2023
Is Dominique a clairvoyant? A witch? A seer? Or is she just plain mad? As a child, she foresees the death of a boy…or does she cause it? As an adult, she sees creepy dolls that are alive, shadows hanging from the ceiling, her therapist boss turning into a Russian doll, sobbing, laughing, spattered with blood…I would have checked myself into an institution by then or started taking antipsychotic drugs.
She inherits her Nan’s mansion, a creepy place with windows that stare into people, and live gargoyles whose laughter is like “the whistling sands in a desert storm” (shudder). It is the work of the “architect,” a genius who also designed an asylum in which he himself was incarcerated, who was thought to be mad, to practice black magic, and to have transferred his soul into the asylum, making the building “animate”. Yikes.
But things are even more complicated. As the book progresses, we are greeted with “Welcome back, Promised child” (creepy!), and discover that Nan had secrets that made her determined not to allow her granddaughter to return to the mansion.
Add to the above a priest who struggles with the terrible beliefs slowly being unearthed, a gardener and housekeeper who seem as mad as everyone else, and we have a macabre psychological exploration of evil bordering on madness, and perhaps the inefficacy of religion, akin to the Exorcist 3 – the most insidious one in my opinion.
The writing is jarring, with erratic back and forths in time, shifts between multiple points of view, and spine-chilling descriptions designed to make readers feel the chaos, madness, and the “lunatic’s laughter” themselves.
Being a fan of the understated kind of Gothic these days, (past my Exorcist days!) I would have preferred that it was a bit more toned down. But fans of all-consuming Horror will love it.
She inherits her Nan’s mansion, a creepy place with windows that stare into people, and live gargoyles whose laughter is like “the whistling sands in a desert storm” (shudder). It is the work of the “architect,” a genius who also designed an asylum in which he himself was incarcerated, who was thought to be mad, to practice black magic, and to have transferred his soul into the asylum, making the building “animate”. Yikes.
But things are even more complicated. As the book progresses, we are greeted with “Welcome back, Promised child” (creepy!), and discover that Nan had secrets that made her determined not to allow her granddaughter to return to the mansion.
Add to the above a priest who struggles with the terrible beliefs slowly being unearthed, a gardener and housekeeper who seem as mad as everyone else, and we have a macabre psychological exploration of evil bordering on madness, and perhaps the inefficacy of religion, akin to the Exorcist 3 – the most insidious one in my opinion.
The writing is jarring, with erratic back and forths in time, shifts between multiple points of view, and spine-chilling descriptions designed to make readers feel the chaos, madness, and the “lunatic’s laughter” themselves.
Being a fan of the understated kind of Gothic these days, (past my Exorcist days!) I would have preferred that it was a bit more toned down. But fans of all-consuming Horror will love it.
April 30, 2023
The first line of this novel is in passive voice. I know passive voice is one of many tools in the author's toolkit, and I also know the reasons for using it.
Only a few reasons apply to passive voice in the first sentence of a novel, and none of the reasons I know of applied here.
Hence the book started off blemished out of the gate. A simple shift of first and second lines would set the book off correctly (for me) because the rest of the opening is wonderful - Mood, tone, atmosphere, character are all there waiting to be savored.
Even better, there's some marvelous foreshadowing going on in the opening pages. The expectation keeps building until it (literally) drops from the rafters (or beams) at the first scene break. I knew it was coming and it still hurt.
That's good writing. When the author gets the reader to feel something about their characters, that's good writing.
Being honest, there are some weak points in the storycrafting and I don't think most readers will care or notice. How would I classify the book beyond a fascinating read? That's a tough call. It's got some real horror in it, and subtly applied. Nothing bashes you over the head, and it does catch you now and again. Blake is adept at maneuvering the reader into a lull then grabbing them by the throat, only to let go again and repeat the process over and over until you're left reading on guard. Ever read a book on the edge of your seat? Not yet? Give "A Lunatic's Laugh" a go. You might enjoy it.
Only a few reasons apply to passive voice in the first sentence of a novel, and none of the reasons I know of applied here.
Hence the book started off blemished out of the gate. A simple shift of first and second lines would set the book off correctly (for me) because the rest of the opening is wonderful - Mood, tone, atmosphere, character are all there waiting to be savored.
Even better, there's some marvelous foreshadowing going on in the opening pages. The expectation keeps building until it (literally) drops from the rafters (or beams) at the first scene break. I knew it was coming and it still hurt.
That's good writing. When the author gets the reader to feel something about their characters, that's good writing.
Being honest, there are some weak points in the storycrafting and I don't think most readers will care or notice. How would I classify the book beyond a fascinating read? That's a tough call. It's got some real horror in it, and subtly applied. Nothing bashes you over the head, and it does catch you now and again. Blake is adept at maneuvering the reader into a lull then grabbing them by the throat, only to let go again and repeat the process over and over until you're left reading on guard. Ever read a book on the edge of your seat? Not yet? Give "A Lunatic's Laugh" a go. You might enjoy it.
September 9, 2023
A Lunatic’s Laugh follows Dominique Fealty as she settles into her former childhood home and confronts the sinister history surrounding the Red Mansion and nearby asylum. While eliciting a creeping sense of dread as the story unfolds, the novel itself did not always have the pay offs I was expecting. Blake has written a horror novel that makes use of all the gothic conventions—a haunted manor home, a room with disturbing dolls, past lives that refuse to remain in the past, a priest who is clued in to the evil presence. I found all of it a bit formulaic at times, as though the author felt it necessary to combine every imaginable genre motif, giving the impression of a gothic pastiche. The pacing of the story also failed to engage me fully. There are long snippets of dialogues that do not add much to the story, switches in viewpoints, and even exerts from a play that do not always push the story along as they might. Blake also has a tendency to slip into the passive voice, a writing style which can be effective at times but occasionally fails to put the reader at the center of the action. Overall, there is a complex and horrific story here that will satisfy gothic horror fans, but it just didn’t do it for me.
July 9, 2023
This is a taut work of fiction, fast paced and atmospheric. Blake's prose is beautifully descriptive and the characters are distinct and well drawn. The story is centred around an Irish village dominated by a long closed asylum, the final work of an architect who came to be one of its patients in a time of barbarous treatment. Aa s young actress, Lilli makes a bargain with the director of the play that launches her career and takes possession of the Red Mansion close to the asylum. Her grand daughter Dominique comes to stay with her, remaining until she's seventeen, then departing the village. Dominique returns when Lilli leaves the house to her in her will. But Dominique was an unusual child and sensitive, causing her troubled mother to have the parish priest take a long term special interest in her.
Dominique's return is far from smooth. Visions and strange events plague her from the outset.
The result is a creepy and compelling, if sometimes confusing tale. There were a few ends I would have liked to see explored more fully, perhaps in a longer work, but I enjoyed the book, even though I'm not usually a reader of gothic or horror genre.
Dominique's return is far from smooth. Visions and strange events plague her from the outset.
The result is a creepy and compelling, if sometimes confusing tale. There were a few ends I would have liked to see explored more fully, perhaps in a longer work, but I enjoyed the book, even though I'm not usually a reader of gothic or horror genre.
April 21, 2023
Prose is snappy and smart, it moves. Author has good handle telling a story. Characters with agency, mystery throughout, evil forces threading through. Tight and a dash of voice, this is a delight to read. Nan (Lilli) and Dominique, likewise, are a delight to read. Dominique grabs me and insists I watch her. Then Lilli does the same. They are real and wonderful as characters in binds, and I love how their history is gently woven in.
But haunted dolls! Ack. Evil spirits! The cover and title should have put me off, but I thought I’d see if this story was worthwhile next to the other ones we all know. Oh my god, Dominique, it wasn’t Mrs. Wheelright who made the dolls look like death… The dolls are haunted!!!
Somehow Dominique pulls me along—her competence and agency, looking for rational explanations to sinister otherworldly forces. Then, her descent. The clutching clawing grip to pull down Simon next. It’s all so macabre.
If you are a fiend for well-written speculative fiction that veers into dark and twisty and horrific, this is a great title for your TBR list.
But haunted dolls! Ack. Evil spirits! The cover and title should have put me off, but I thought I’d see if this story was worthwhile next to the other ones we all know. Oh my god, Dominique, it wasn’t Mrs. Wheelright who made the dolls look like death… The dolls are haunted!!!
Somehow Dominique pulls me along—her competence and agency, looking for rational explanations to sinister otherworldly forces. Then, her descent. The clutching clawing grip to pull down Simon next. It’s all so macabre.
If you are a fiend for well-written speculative fiction that veers into dark and twisty and horrific, this is a great title for your TBR list.
July 31, 2023
A Lunatic's Laugh is a gothic story complete with creepy dolls, an old mansion, and an abandoned asylum. There are also several strange and grotesque characters. The protagonist is Dominique, a young woman with latent psychic abilities who returns to the Irish village in which she grew up to take possession of her grandmother's house, the Red Mansion. Lilli Ashler, Dominique's grandmother, was a middling actor who gained fame when she stared in the play "A Lunatic’s Laugh." Lilli's success came at the price of a bargain with the play's director. Dominique is not sure what direction her life should take when she takes possession of the house. She plans to quickly sell it, but feels drawn to the house and the town.
Blake tells his story through multiple POVs and multiple timelines. This is a story that requires a bit of effort from the reader to keep track of everything. The effort is not without reward. The setting is beautifully presented and the creepy elements are understated. Fans of gothic fiction will appreciate the atmosphere and psychological terror.
Blake tells his story through multiple POVs and multiple timelines. This is a story that requires a bit of effort from the reader to keep track of everything. The effort is not without reward. The setting is beautifully presented and the creepy elements are understated. Fans of gothic fiction will appreciate the atmosphere and psychological terror.
May 1, 2023
This is a Gothic tale of a haunting. Dominique comes back to her old town to acquire the mansion her grandmother left her in her will. There she found a room full of antique dolls. When sleeping the first night she sees a black shape and the haunting began.
I love creepy doll books so this book was a delight. The story is intense and moved at a quick pace. I was hooked from the beginning and found the characters well-written. Also, I'd mention that it was excellently edited for being an indie-published book. The book has an excellent gothic atmosphere but I'd say the novel was more horror than gothic. The only problem I had was the ending happened abruptly and introduced new elements that made it feel unbelievable. I gave it four stars and recommend it to horror and gothic fans alike.
I love creepy doll books so this book was a delight. The story is intense and moved at a quick pace. I was hooked from the beginning and found the characters well-written. Also, I'd mention that it was excellently edited for being an indie-published book. The book has an excellent gothic atmosphere but I'd say the novel was more horror than gothic. The only problem I had was the ending happened abruptly and introduced new elements that made it feel unbelievable. I gave it four stars and recommend it to horror and gothic fans alike.
September 10, 2023
Perfect gloomy day read!
Creepy atmosphere with a foreboding vibe! I always felt like I wasn't quite sure what was going on -- What can be more terrifying in a scary situation?
I've seen other reviews state this in a negative light, but I think it was an effective method to project the characters' emotions onto the reader. A story like this requires a certain level of confusion to propel the mystery, and I enjoyed it!
The author's writing style is to the point but without falling flat or giving too much away. I liked that I was left with questions at the end because this leaves room for the story to be continued. I thought it was a great read for a dark, stormy day!
Creepy atmosphere with a foreboding vibe! I always felt like I wasn't quite sure what was going on -- What can be more terrifying in a scary situation?
I've seen other reviews state this in a negative light, but I think it was an effective method to project the characters' emotions onto the reader. A story like this requires a certain level of confusion to propel the mystery, and I enjoyed it!
The author's writing style is to the point but without falling flat or giving too much away. I liked that I was left with questions at the end because this leaves room for the story to be continued. I thought it was a great read for a dark, stormy day!
July 10, 2023
A Lunatic’s Laugh is a pretty original concept and I really like that it flits between the grandmother and granddaughter storylines. There is a good host of secondary characters, although some are more fleshed out than others, and one or two I’m still not sure about!
There were a couple of moments where I thought “wait, what?” and re-read sections but for the most part I found this a really engaging read, and some really shocking moments as well as slow build suspense. Overall I think it is a good novel, it could do with a little polish but it reads very well
There were a couple of moments where I thought “wait, what?” and re-read sections but for the most part I found this a really engaging read, and some really shocking moments as well as slow build suspense. Overall I think it is a good novel, it could do with a little polish but it reads very well
January 25, 2023
The story goes back and forth between the past and the present, written clearly to inform the reader which year the narrative takes place. However, the changes are frequent within this short book, so this is not a casual read. The past offers the answers for the present, and it all revolves around Dominique.
I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to StoryOrigin and author.
I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to StoryOrigin and author.
March 26, 2023
Interesting concept. The characters were intriguing. The different POV were a bit difficult to follow at times. I wouldn’t really call it a scary book but it definitely had creepy vibes going on. I didn’t expect the ending which is always a plus.
Overall a decent read that I would recommend to readers who enjoy paranormal, cults and creepy plots.
I received this book from the author through Voracious Readers Only
Overall a decent read that I would recommend to readers who enjoy paranormal, cults and creepy plots.
I received this book from the author through Voracious Readers Only
April 21, 2023
This was a terrifyingly creepy book. Dominique was a fascinating and interesting character. She first gets a glimpse of her curse as a child when she predicts something terrible in a story she writes, and it ends up becoming true just a few miles away. When she grows up and returns to the area, terrible things continue. Having where she lived near a lunatic asylum was, of course, a good touch for this horror novel. It was well written, though unnecessarily confusing in a few places. Overall, I think that horror novel fans would enjoy it.
August 4, 2023
I really wanted to like this book . The theory of it and the explanation seemed so interesting , but I feel like it jumped around so much in time and POVs it was really hard to keep up with .. I did make myself finish but I put it down so many times ! By the ending I was still rather confused ..
March 22, 2023
ive always loved a good mystery and admittedly this was better then most n the gothic genre ive read
July 31, 2023
This story is based around a haunted house with eclectic characters, horror and what happens when you sell your soul. I enjoyed the character building and the twist at the end was unexpected!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews