848

by Robert Ropars

Dark Bites(R) is a horror short story collection focusing on the classic creatures we love to zombies, vampires, werewolves, ghosts and more. In 1979 the worst blizzard in history dumped 19" of snow on Chicago. A canceled flight leads Marie to seek shelter in the city. As the city is buried, she's trapped with a sexual predator in a fight for her life-she doesn't stand a ghost of a chance.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Zombies, Suspense

26 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 12, 2010

About the author

I was born in NJ, grew up in OH and have lived in the Chicago suburbs since 1986.

I write predominantly horror fiction and some poetry, enjoy photography, early tech adopter, movie lover and aspiring filmmaker.

Contact me with any of your questions, comments, or feedback:
robropars@gmail.com

Reviews

[Julianne Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this eBook free on Amazon and was excited to delve into it. I have to say that I am definitely not sorry that I did. The story was extremely well written and the development was measured and precise from the beginning to its twisted conclusion. I never encountered a moment while reading where I felt the content not integral to the story.

The characters that Ropars has created are utterly believable. The picture that he painted in Marie is one of a strong female protagonist. As you’re reading, you absolutely feel for her; you feel her trepidation and terror as she realizes her stay in Chicago is not going to go as planned and conversely her sense of relief and vengeance when she turns the tables on her captor. The antagonist whom Ropars leaves somewhat unidentified is terrifyingly creepy from the moment of his first offer to assist Marie. As you’re reading you sense that something bad is going to happen and He is the perfect character to lay all of your suspicions upon; you want Him to be the bad guy, you want to dislike Him. And let me tell you, you will.

If you want to read the rest of my review follow this link: http://theflipsideofjulianne.wordpres...

[Luke Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This offering by Robert Ropars is a very well-written story. The situation is horrific both in the nature of what exactly is happening and in the calm, even mannered way the narration presents both the environment and the main character's increasingly frantic reactions to things. This is well worth the purchase price even as a relatively short story.

[R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. This is a very dark and very morbid story that had an ending I never saw coming. Unfortunately I jumped into the series with this one which I think is part four. It seemed pretty stand alone though so no worries if you do the same. Great horror story. Great camp fire type story.

[MsBDiamondDiva1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was well written, utterly horrifying and certainly a page turner. Another plus is it is free:-)

[Wanda Hartzenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the possibility of this book. It is possible, not probable but possible and that is the part that haunted me.
WaAr

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re not a horror fan, stay far far away from this book. It will give you chills and might keep you awake a few nights. I, on the other hand, am a big fan of the horror genre, so naturally I loved this 15-minute, quick read novella. Part of an anthology, “848” preyed on my worst fears and as horrifying as it was, I couldn’t stop reading. As someone who suffers from claustrophobia and a fear of falling elevators, what the main character had to endure was absolutely terrifying. The thought of lying helpless at the bottom of an elevator shaft in an abandoned building, is enough to give anyone nightmares. What really kept me rooting for this character was her will to survive and in the short space of only 28 pages, the author had me experiencing the same agonizing fear the main character did.

This ghost story is the perfect bedtime read, but I have to warn you again that if horror is not your thing, you will find this short story quite disturbing. For me, it was well worth the read and a terrifyingly thrilling fifteen minutes of my time.

[Cameron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this one. It's the classic setup of a ghost story: A man keeps hearing the same song on the radio again and again when he's in or around a building that's being rehabbed. Then, cut to the story of a young woman who is hunted down and dies in the building some 10-15 years earlier, that song on her mind, singing it to herself softly as she dies.

And... that's it.

There was no real story here, just an outlining of these related events. No character development, no real plot except for the woman's attempt to escape this building unharmed and failing. The writing itself was good. The author does a good job of creating an atmosphere. But the story just went nowhere. It's almost as if this were a setup for a larger work... but there is none.

Oh well, got it for free on Amazon, so at least I'm grateful for that.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goodreads Description- Dark Bites is a horror short story collection focusing on the classic creatures we love to fear: zombies, vampires, werewolves, ghosts and more. In 1979 the worst blizzard in history dumped 19" of snow on Chicago. Marie's flight is canceled and she decides to explore the city. As the storm buries the city, she finds pure evil and has to fight for her life. She doesn't stand a ghost of a chance.

A classic horror novella that was a quick creepy read. If you are a fan of Stephen King or other masters of horror this author is definitely following in his footsteps. I will definitely be reading the rest of the other shorts that follow the same characters. Excellent creep factor! 3 stars!