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Whispers from the Black
There is darkness in the world, darkness in our hearts, and darkness lurking at the very edge of the imagination.
But what if that darkness were somehow alive?
What if, from this twisted Black, came the faintest call?
And what if we could hear those WHISPERS FROM THE BLACK?
A collection of five short horror tales from the mind of DR. STUART KNOTT, step into the fetid darkness and bear witness to:
- A troubled young man’s encounter with a mischievous, wish-granting fox
- An axe-wielding maniac loose on a university campus
- A cursed father forced to pay for a stupid mistake
- The haunting of a loving couple and their cute kitty cat
- The macabre secrets strewn across a malevolent mountainside
But what if that darkness were somehow alive?
What if, from this twisted Black, came the faintest call?
And what if we could hear those WHISPERS FROM THE BLACK?
A collection of five short horror tales from the mind of DR. STUART KNOTT, step into the fetid darkness and bear witness to:
- A troubled young man’s encounter with a mischievous, wish-granting fox
- An axe-wielding maniac loose on a university campus
- A cursed father forced to pay for a stupid mistake
- The haunting of a loving couple and their cute kitty cat
- The macabre secrets strewn across a malevolent mountainside
- GenresAnthologiesHorror
234 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2022
5 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Stuart Knott
21 books63 followersPhD graduate Dr. Stuart Knott published several short horror stories, novellas, and novels ranging from traditional slashers to surreal terrors.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 10, 2023
Terrifyingly great!
This was such an awesome read. Extremely well written and full of spooks. I thoroughly enjoyed all the stories here. Any horror book fan should definitely read this!
This was such an awesome read. Extremely well written and full of spooks. I thoroughly enjoyed all the stories here. Any horror book fan should definitely read this!
October 27, 2023
This was my first book of Dr. Stuart Knott's but I will say, this was a great first impression to his work and I am eager to check out something else.
This collection of short stories was pretty diverse from one another overall.
Without getting too specific about any one story, here are my favorites in order with short comments.
5. Campus - This was my least favorite of them all. The story is pretty short but it felt out of place from the rest of the stories honestly. This book may have been better without this one. This felt like the cheesy intermission to a movie compared to the others.
4. Penance - This one was okay to me. Nothing about this was bad but it just wasn't a story that grabbed me.
3. Cat's Eye - This one is great! It also has my favorite character in the book. I found myself wanting more out of this one but was satisfied by the end of it.
2. The Peak - This is the final story in the book and it is a great closer. I enjoyed this one a lot. I love a story where a group is thrusted into the elements and then you throw in another threat. This story is exactly that. Great job!
1. Wish - This opens the books and it was confusing at first with how it reads but once you figure out the format of the story it is a very gripping account of two people who have history and are dealing with loss and trying to make sense out of what is left behind from someone close to them. This one is bleak and the rantings of a crazy person but it works so well for the story. This is my favorite story in this collection.
This is an excellent book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror and spooky legends.
Onto my next book by Dr. Knott!
This collection of short stories was pretty diverse from one another overall.
Without getting too specific about any one story, here are my favorites in order with short comments.
5. Campus - This was my least favorite of them all. The story is pretty short but it felt out of place from the rest of the stories honestly. This book may have been better without this one. This felt like the cheesy intermission to a movie compared to the others.
4. Penance - This one was okay to me. Nothing about this was bad but it just wasn't a story that grabbed me.
3. Cat's Eye - This one is great! It also has my favorite character in the book. I found myself wanting more out of this one but was satisfied by the end of it.
2. The Peak - This is the final story in the book and it is a great closer. I enjoyed this one a lot. I love a story where a group is thrusted into the elements and then you throw in another threat. This story is exactly that. Great job!
1. Wish - This opens the books and it was confusing at first with how it reads but once you figure out the format of the story it is a very gripping account of two people who have history and are dealing with loss and trying to make sense out of what is left behind from someone close to them. This one is bleak and the rantings of a crazy person but it works so well for the story. This is my favorite story in this collection.
This is an excellent book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror and spooky legends.
Onto my next book by Dr. Knott!
February 21, 2025
Absolute awesome collection of five short, very different stories, each packing its own punch. "Wish" and "Penance" are definitely the standouts, but there isn't a stinker in the bunch.
Honestly, if you haven't checked out Knott's stuff, this is the perfect place to onboard. He has a wonderful style of writing that easily captures very common, very realistic characters, then he drops them in his various black holes of horror.
But I have to say, from the very humble beginning of the first story, Wish, it just blows up into this cosmic mind-blowing story with some of the best writing I've ever read, period. Why Knott hasn't been snapped up by a major publisher, I'll never understand.
Read this.
Honestly, if you haven't checked out Knott's stuff, this is the perfect place to onboard. He has a wonderful style of writing that easily captures very common, very realistic characters, then he drops them in his various black holes of horror.
But I have to say, from the very humble beginning of the first story, Wish, it just blows up into this cosmic mind-blowing story with some of the best writing I've ever read, period. Why Knott hasn't been snapped up by a major publisher, I'll never understand.
Read this.
December 17, 2022
A fine horror anthology
Whispers from the Black is a fine, if slightly uneven horror anthology. Penance and Cat's Eye are very good. Campus is good until the killer is revealed then it becomes comical. Wish is the first story and the weakest in the collection. The Peak, the final tale, closes out the collection nicely. I recommend Whispers from the Black on the strength of Cat's Eye and Penance.
Whispers from the Black is a fine, if slightly uneven horror anthology. Penance and Cat's Eye are very good. Campus is good until the killer is revealed then it becomes comical. Wish is the first story and the weakest in the collection. The Peak, the final tale, closes out the collection nicely. I recommend Whispers from the Black on the strength of Cat's Eye and Penance.
January 27, 2023
𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 by 𝘿𝙧. 𝙎𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙩
A collection of short stories.
This was the first book I read of Knott’s and I am thoroughly impressed. It contains 5 short stories (2 of which are novella length). Each story flows into the next effortlessly. Nicely paced. I had a hard time putting this one down each day.
𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇:
Wow. That’s all I have to say.
It’s definitely horror, it’s gruesome but it’s also deep and parts are just written brilliantly. Is whimsical horror a thing? Disturbingly beautiful prose. I loved how it’s told through diary entries and text exchanges. I don’t tab books that often and this story and the book in general I marked a lot of passages. Knott is from the UK and I enjoyed a lot of British slang and references as well.
𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐔𝐒:
This is a bloody little slasher story that takes place on a university campus. It will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. The ending was a nice twist too leaving the reader with a few unanswered questions but not in a dreaded cliff hanger kind of way.
𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄:
Penance is about a man whose Karma really comes back to bite him in the butt. Almost literally. This story captures some great emotions of anxiety and frustration with driving and road trips and illustrates the dangers of road rage and what goes around comes around. I loved the written dialogue of the main character’s little daughter also. I could really picture a cute little British girl.
𝐂𝐀𝐓’𝐒 𝐄𝐘𝐄:
This was a nice reprieve from the face paced shock and horror of the the first 3 stories. “The haunting of a loving couple and their cute kitty cat”. It’s probably my second favorite of the bunch. WISH being my favorite.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊:
This was a a unique story of a group of adrenaline junkies scaling a snowy mountain in Japan. Myths and legends terrorize the mountain side. Will they make it back down the mountain alive?
I just don’t even know how to describe how deep and wonderful Knott’s writing is while still being disturbing and even funny at times. It’s eloquent and visceral. I highly recommend it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A collection of short stories.
This was the first book I read of Knott’s and I am thoroughly impressed. It contains 5 short stories (2 of which are novella length). Each story flows into the next effortlessly. Nicely paced. I had a hard time putting this one down each day.
𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇:
Wow. That’s all I have to say.
It’s definitely horror, it’s gruesome but it’s also deep and parts are just written brilliantly. Is whimsical horror a thing? Disturbingly beautiful prose. I loved how it’s told through diary entries and text exchanges. I don’t tab books that often and this story and the book in general I marked a lot of passages. Knott is from the UK and I enjoyed a lot of British slang and references as well.
𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐔𝐒:
This is a bloody little slasher story that takes place on a university campus. It will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. The ending was a nice twist too leaving the reader with a few unanswered questions but not in a dreaded cliff hanger kind of way.
𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄:
Penance is about a man whose Karma really comes back to bite him in the butt. Almost literally. This story captures some great emotions of anxiety and frustration with driving and road trips and illustrates the dangers of road rage and what goes around comes around. I loved the written dialogue of the main character’s little daughter also. I could really picture a cute little British girl.
𝐂𝐀𝐓’𝐒 𝐄𝐘𝐄:
This was a nice reprieve from the face paced shock and horror of the the first 3 stories. “The haunting of a loving couple and their cute kitty cat”. It’s probably my second favorite of the bunch. WISH being my favorite.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊:
This was a a unique story of a group of adrenaline junkies scaling a snowy mountain in Japan. Myths and legends terrorize the mountain side. Will they make it back down the mountain alive?
I just don’t even know how to describe how deep and wonderful Knott’s writing is while still being disturbing and even funny at times. It’s eloquent and visceral. I highly recommend it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 19, 2023
It's my collection, so obviously I'm giving it five stars.
I feel this is a great way to get a sense of the range of my horror writing, with a few different stories to tide you over and scratch that horror itch.
My favourites are "Wish" and "Cat's Eye". "Wish" because it's such a surreal piece that focuses on wish fulfilment and Lovecraftian horror, and "Cat's Eye" as it's my tribute to all the cats I've had in the past.
I feel this is a great way to get a sense of the range of my horror writing, with a few different stories to tide you over and scratch that horror itch.
My favourites are "Wish" and "Cat's Eye". "Wish" because it's such a surreal piece that focuses on wish fulfilment and Lovecraftian horror, and "Cat's Eye" as it's my tribute to all the cats I've had in the past.
September 20, 2024
An amazing collection of stories, all are unique and spine chillingly creepy. It’s written incredibly well and I didn’t want it to end. Would highly recommend this book and all other works by this author!!
December 17, 2022
Wish-A fox that grants wishes, what could go wrong. Reading this felt as if you were playing corrupt a wish, where the rules are it has to be terrifying and real.
Campus-Jason wakes up in his dorm room to a gruesome sight. Perfect slasher story. This one has a connection to The Invitation.
Cat’s Eye-An anxious cat wants to be outside at night. Curiosity might kill the couple who care for him. The anxiety is palpable throughout the story.
Penance-A man’s road rage costs way more than he bargained for. This might be my favorite.
The Peak-A group of mountain climbing friends decide not to climb Mt Fuji. They chose a more complex climb with less crowds. The difficulty level might not be the only thing keeping people away.
Campus-Jason wakes up in his dorm room to a gruesome sight. Perfect slasher story. This one has a connection to The Invitation.
Cat’s Eye-An anxious cat wants to be outside at night. Curiosity might kill the couple who care for him. The anxiety is palpable throughout the story.
Penance-A man’s road rage costs way more than he bargained for. This might be my favorite.
The Peak-A group of mountain climbing friends decide not to climb Mt Fuji. They chose a more complex climb with less crowds. The difficulty level might not be the only thing keeping people away.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews