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Ephemera: Dark Stories from the mind of Paul S. Kemp
"A very well-written, haunting collection of shorts" -- Scott Marlowe, author of The Five Elements.From the multiple NY Times bestselling author who brought you Erevis Cale and Darth Malgus, comes this compelling volume of dark imagination. Experience the fantastic through the eyes of a private detective who investigates the occult in 1930s NYC, a demonologist who may or may not be mad, a maimed talespinner on a doomed boat, a witch pursued by religious fanatics who want her unborn child, and many more.A fabulous, disturbing visit into Kemp's dark mind. Each story contains a brief introduction by the author.
- GenresHorrorFantasyCollections
113 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2010
5 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Paul S. Kemp
61 books940 followersBestselling speculative fiction author, creator of Egil and Nix, Erevis Cale, drinker of scotch, smoker of cigars, amiable dude. :-)
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 23, 2014
-Ecos de otros.-
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. Siete relatos profundamente entroncados en diferentes aproximaciones a la Narrativa Fantástica y que nos cuentan, entre otras cosas, el intento de un periodista veterano de guerra por conseguir un artículo, un detective privado especializado en casos nada particulares, un momento de un apocalipsis zombi y un asesino en serie muy particular.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. Siete relatos profundamente entroncados en diferentes aproximaciones a la Narrativa Fantástica y que nos cuentan, entre otras cosas, el intento de un periodista veterano de guerra por conseguir un artículo, un detective privado especializado en casos nada particulares, un momento de un apocalipsis zombi y un asesino en serie muy particular.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
October 13, 2017
Rating
Review
*** This review originally appeared on Out of this World Reviews. ***
Ephemera by Paul S. Kemp is a collection of previously published shorts that the author collected together into a new, single volume source available in Amazon's Kindle store. Kemp is the NY Times bestselling author of the popular Erevis Cale novels and stories.
As the sub-title indicates, these are dark tales. You won't come away feeling good. You'll experience murder, rape, injustice, and torture. But Kemp handles each of these topics with a certain finesse, neither overdoing it nor throwing in something just for shock factor. There may be some unsavory happenings, but they're each integral to the story in question.
The collection consists of just over 200 pages and includes the following stories:
The Signal (available as a free download from the author's blog): A hard-boiled detective story with a Lovecraftian slant.
One Thousand and One Words: A reporter's visit to a reclusive enigma's mansion may be his last.
Marlboro Man: A story about a very unangel-like angel.
Confession: Two brothers go to summon a demon.
The Spinner: A nautical tale about wrongdoing and self-sacrifice.
Stillborn: A witch's tale of sacrifice.
The Sixth Floor: A short but chilling story of zombies and survival.
I found each of the stories enjoyable (maybe that's the wrong word given the content; let's say instead the stories and characters did an excellent job of luring me in). The only exception might be Marlboro Man. I don't object to the blasphemy. The story itself just didn't leave me as haunted or as satisfied as the others. My favorites were The Signal, The Spinner, and The Sixth Floor. The last, while the shortest, is also the most chilling. It's a nice send-off for what is a very well written, haunting collection of shorts.
Review
*** This review originally appeared on Out of this World Reviews. ***
Ephemera by Paul S. Kemp is a collection of previously published shorts that the author collected together into a new, single volume source available in Amazon's Kindle store. Kemp is the NY Times bestselling author of the popular Erevis Cale novels and stories.
As the sub-title indicates, these are dark tales. You won't come away feeling good. You'll experience murder, rape, injustice, and torture. But Kemp handles each of these topics with a certain finesse, neither overdoing it nor throwing in something just for shock factor. There may be some unsavory happenings, but they're each integral to the story in question.
The collection consists of just over 200 pages and includes the following stories:
The Signal (available as a free download from the author's blog): A hard-boiled detective story with a Lovecraftian slant.
One Thousand and One Words: A reporter's visit to a reclusive enigma's mansion may be his last.
Marlboro Man: A story about a very unangel-like angel.
Confession: Two brothers go to summon a demon.
The Spinner: A nautical tale about wrongdoing and self-sacrifice.
Stillborn: A witch's tale of sacrifice.
The Sixth Floor: A short but chilling story of zombies and survival.
I found each of the stories enjoyable (maybe that's the wrong word given the content; let's say instead the stories and characters did an excellent job of luring me in). The only exception might be Marlboro Man. I don't object to the blasphemy. The story itself just didn't leave me as haunted or as satisfied as the others. My favorites were The Signal, The Spinner, and The Sixth Floor. The last, while the shortest, is also the most chilling. It's a nice send-off for what is a very well written, haunting collection of shorts.
May 24, 2012
Disclaimer-If you read the review and feel there is a spoiler in it, please let me know and I will remove that section. Also, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Thank you.
Ephemera-Dark Stories from the Mind of Paul S. Kemp is a collection of short stories ranging from horror to some dark fantasy stories from the world of Dineen, a world created by Mr. Kemp. He also has written novels for Forgotten Realms and Star Wars.
The Signal - This story takes place somewhere between 1930 and 1942. It is a private eye type fiction with elements of H.P. Lovecraft. Lucy comes to Abe for help in finding her missing brother who was working for a wealthy tycoon. What Abe finds is more than he will ever expect. 5 out of 5
One Thousand and One Words - An ex-soldier now photographer is trying to get the story of a lifetime. After many beatings, he is finally given the chance to get that story and photographs of an important person, or the end of the world. Once again, this is another tribute to H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulu mythos. 4 out of 5
Marlboro Man - A demon is in jail while a detective is trying to get some answers out of him. Could the demon provide the information he needs? This was a hilarious story and one of my favorites. The reader is really given the insights of all the characters, even the side characters.
5 out of 5
Confession - Malkiir is trying to get closer to his God but inner demons distract him from being able to fully become bound to his God. This story takes place in the world of Dineen and while well-crafted was, to me, the lesser of the stories written. I just couldn’t get into it as well as the others. I will say the ending did make up for that. 3 out of 5
The Spinner - A captive pirate is made to tell tales to placate the sea God Korsin while trekking across the sea to take a group of people to a new world. A storm is brewing and as long as they keep their faith, they may just make it. This was a wonderful story that is well told. While it takes a while to get things going, you may even find yourself believing stronger in faith.
5 out of 5
Stillborn - A rebel village is pillaged and there are strict laws in the land against fatherless children. A witch who was among the people there is about to change some things, however, more may be changed than the world around. This story is kind of sad and tests the bonds of deep faith, even for those who are peaceful. 5 out of 5
The Sixth Floor - To wrap up the collection, we have another horror tale, though only four pages long, really makes you think of how you will survive the zombie apocalypse. Especially when you are on the sixth floor. 5 out of 5
This collection of short stories really helps to showcase Mr. Kemp’s talents outside of writing fantasy. I have really enjoyed reading this and hope fans of Mr. Kemp will take the time to read this excellent collection. Fans of H.P. Lovecraft also need to pick this up.
Happy reading
-Dimndbangr
Ephemera-Dark Stories from the Mind of Paul S. Kemp is a collection of short stories ranging from horror to some dark fantasy stories from the world of Dineen, a world created by Mr. Kemp. He also has written novels for Forgotten Realms and Star Wars.
The Signal - This story takes place somewhere between 1930 and 1942. It is a private eye type fiction with elements of H.P. Lovecraft. Lucy comes to Abe for help in finding her missing brother who was working for a wealthy tycoon. What Abe finds is more than he will ever expect. 5 out of 5
One Thousand and One Words - An ex-soldier now photographer is trying to get the story of a lifetime. After many beatings, he is finally given the chance to get that story and photographs of an important person, or the end of the world. Once again, this is another tribute to H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulu mythos. 4 out of 5
Marlboro Man - A demon is in jail while a detective is trying to get some answers out of him. Could the demon provide the information he needs? This was a hilarious story and one of my favorites. The reader is really given the insights of all the characters, even the side characters.
5 out of 5
Confession - Malkiir is trying to get closer to his God but inner demons distract him from being able to fully become bound to his God. This story takes place in the world of Dineen and while well-crafted was, to me, the lesser of the stories written. I just couldn’t get into it as well as the others. I will say the ending did make up for that. 3 out of 5
The Spinner - A captive pirate is made to tell tales to placate the sea God Korsin while trekking across the sea to take a group of people to a new world. A storm is brewing and as long as they keep their faith, they may just make it. This was a wonderful story that is well told. While it takes a while to get things going, you may even find yourself believing stronger in faith.
5 out of 5
Stillborn - A rebel village is pillaged and there are strict laws in the land against fatherless children. A witch who was among the people there is about to change some things, however, more may be changed than the world around. This story is kind of sad and tests the bonds of deep faith, even for those who are peaceful. 5 out of 5
The Sixth Floor - To wrap up the collection, we have another horror tale, though only four pages long, really makes you think of how you will survive the zombie apocalypse. Especially when you are on the sixth floor. 5 out of 5
This collection of short stories really helps to showcase Mr. Kemp’s talents outside of writing fantasy. I have really enjoyed reading this and hope fans of Mr. Kemp will take the time to read this excellent collection. Fans of H.P. Lovecraft also need to pick this up.
Happy reading
-Dimndbangr
February 21, 2016
Several years ago, Paul gave this out for free from his website. (Keep in mind I'm writing this review on February 20th, 2016, only now having seen the book in Goodreads, so I had to guess at the exact date when I first received a copy). Since I had already read several of his Forgotten Realms novels by that point, I figured, sure, I'll take a free copy of his collection of short stories. Lucky me, and smart me, because it was utterly fantastic. I've found that while I quite enjoy Paul's stories written in pre-established worlds (Star Wars, Forgotten Realms), I find his purely original work in his own worlds to be much better, perhaps because he isn't restrained by any sort of boundaries set by the publishers and original world creators. Regardless, this collection is simply golden. I would recommend it strongly to anyone who's enjoyed the stories of Paul S. Kemp, perhaps above and beyond his other works, simply because there is a darkness in the mind of Paul that you get a peak into that isn't like any other lack of light. It's a comfortable darkness, one unafraid of the light, and one that will welcome you into it's embrace. With the inclusion of the Egil and Nix series, this is easily one you won't want to miss.
May 24, 2012
I couldn't put this book down; it reads insanely fast! The book is a collection of short stories previously published by Paul S. Kemp. Like the title indicates these stories are truly dark. The first two stories in the book have an early-mid 20th century setting, and weave in some good occult themes. As the stories progress they get darker and darker. Kemp uses these stories to analyze different views on faith, which he nicely preambles. The last story was a nice twist on a rather overdone theme of a zombie takeover. Overall, I definitely recommend it!
May 24, 2012
Great stories. "Marlboro Man" and "One Thousand and One Words" being the two that stand out most to me. Would have given 5 out of 5 but I felt like "The Signal" lacked something. It is a great concept, but put to a scale smaller than it should have been. All in all these stories do, in a sense, portray dark feelings, some more than others. I would definitely recommend this for others to read.
November 5, 2013
This collection of stories exceeded my expectations. Kemp definitely has a taste for Lovecraftian horror, and it's not something I'm particularly into. However, the way that he handled the stories made them very interesting. There are some stories that transcend simple horror stories, my favorite being The Spinner. I definitely enjoyed this read.
August 1, 2017
Excellent stories.
I prefer to hold a book in hand, but this collection of short tales was released in digital format only. Every story was extremely well written and left me wanting more. Kudos to a stellar author.
I prefer to hold a book in hand, but this collection of short tales was released in digital format only. Every story was extremely well written and left me wanting more. Kudos to a stellar author.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews