Is it just me, or is time moving so fast, it’s kind of crazy?
Anyway, as you’re likely well aware at this point, Symphony for Walpurgis is only three weeks away from being released! And if you’re not aware, Symphony for Walpurgis is my latest book, a collection of nine novelettes with a range of stories focusing on cryptids, malevolent spirits, and even a Jewish exorcism! And it will be releasing in exactly three weeks from today, on May 1st, 2025, AKA Walpurgis Night 2025 (for what Walpurgis Night is, click here).
To say the least, I’m really excited for this book to come out. Not only do I feel that the novelette-length story isn’t given enough love by publishers and readers (7,500-17,500 words, if you didn’t know), but I feel that these stories, some of which have been previously published and some of which are original, represent some of my best work and I’m looking forward to hearing what people think. Will they enjoy “The House on Lafayette Square,” which is my story about the Jewish exorcism? Or will people find “Mother of Spiders” and “The Parasite Man,” which both involve some literally skin-crawling imagery, terrifying?
Luckily, some of my advanced readers have already posted their reviews online, so I already have some idea on how people might feel about the book (one described the imagery in a couple of stories as disturbing, and another said it was a very imaginative book, which I appreciated). But, like every author working to get their stories into readers hands, I want more people to read my work and give me their thoughts.
And I hope those thoughts are pretty universal in agreeing that the stories are scary and that they like what they read.
I hope people read passages like this, and get chills up their spines.
Anyway, if you’re in the mood for a scary collection, if I’ve somehow persuaded you to check out Symphony, or you’d like to support me, I’ll leave links below the collection’s book trailer. You can read the reviews I’ve already gotten on Goodreads, or you can preorder a copy of the ebook. And don’t worry, more stores and a paperback edition will be available as we get closer to the release date.
And, after release day, if you like what you read, I would appreciate it if you would leave a review anywhere just letting people know what you think. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run. Not to mention, it helps other readers out as well.
And that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Thank you for your support all this time and as we get closer to the release of Symphony for Walpurgis. I look forward to sharing this new book with you and hearing what you think. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
No other way to say it: it’s important to use the right words when telling a story.
That seems to be an obvious statement, but yet it’s something that needs to be stated. Depending on your audience, the genre you’re writing in, the characters you’re working with, and a dozen other factors, what words you choose when telling your story is important. After all, you can’t use complicated, SAT-level words for children’s literature, and you shouldn’t use too simplistic language for work geared exclusively towards adults. You also shouldn’t use futuristic terms or contemporary slang in works taking place in an old-fashioned medieval setting (can you imagine someone saying in a Game of Thrones book, “Dude! The calculations state that winter is only 7.8 parsecs away!”), and you shouldn’t make children sound like adults in their dialogue, though the latter can sometimes work (do you now how often I use the word “dude” myself?).
But more important than this, is finding away to put your carefully-gathered vocabulary together to keep the story together. At least, that’s how it feels to me.
As you may be aware, I’m working on the third draft of The Shape of Evil, a novel I wrote last year about a 3D printer from Hell. I’m hoping to pitch it to agents at StokerCon in a couple of months, where you actually have the opportunity to pitch novels and other works to editors and agents. And I am working hard to make sure the words in that story are compelling and interesting and work cohesively together for that purpose.
That wasn’t such a big problem with the first and second drafts. With the first draft, the point was just to get it out. To make sure it exists and has some semblance of making sense. And with the second draft, the point was to clean it up so that it wasn’t so messy and so that the future beta readers wouldn’t have too many complaints regarding either spelling/punctuation/grammar or the plot (especially since my protagonist is non-binary and my beta readers were also sensitivity readers).
As you are no doubt aware, I’m working especially hard to make the words in this book be the right ones before StokerCon in June.
But with this third draft, the point is to impress agents and/or editors enough that they’ll want to work with me in bringing this book, as well as possibly others, to publication. And with that in mind, I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself–perhaps too much pressure–to make sure those words come together and work well with one another. Like the gears in a clock, moving with one another in beautiful harmony, rather than grinding against each other to make a messy pile of word-vomit.
Then again, why am I putting so much pressure on myself? As with almost all of my books, especially the ones published with publishers, it took way more than three drafts before it was ready for publication. Usually up to seven! And even then, none of my books were perfect. They were just done.
That’s how my high school English teacher, Mr. G, put it. “No story is ever perfect. It’s just done. You’ve done all you can to improve it, and any more edits will only hurt it. Even so, it’s not completely flawless. It’s just done.”
That lesson has stayed with me fourteen years after graduating high school, and I not only try to keep it in mind while writing, but I pass it on to other writers as much as possible. And, occasionally, I’ll remind myself of that lesson when I’m working on a project and have high hopes for it. Hell, I know that no matter how much editing I do, The Shape of Evil won’t be anywhere near done by the time I’m ready to pitch it.
However, it may be far enough along that, when I pitch it, whomever I pitch it to is enchanted enough, and sees enough potential in it, that they’ll help me get it done. And then out into the wider world. And to that end, I’ll try to keep the pressure off myself, so that this metaphorical clockmaker doesn’t feel like he’s forcing the words into the clock and making them work together when they don’t want to.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I felt like I needed to get this off my chest if I was going to move forward with working on The Shape of Evil. And man, do I feel exorcised of some worries! (Though not of my demons. Those are never going away.)
I’ll be sure to check in if there’s any more news, my Followers of Fear. But until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!
Was that an unseasonal chill in the air? Nope, it’s the warning that Symphony for Walpurgis will arrive in T-minus four weeks!
If you’re unaware, Symphony for Walpurgis is my new collection of novelettes, featuring stories of cryptids (“Famous”), malevolent spirits (“The Parasite Man”), and even a Jewish exorcism (“The House on Lafayette Square”). Yes, Jews have our own exorcisms, too. My parents tried to do them on me on and off throughout the years, but it never worked, so far as I can tell. Anyway, the new collection comes out on Thursday, May 1st, 2025, and today’s Thursday, April 3rd, 2025. Meaning we’re a month away from the book’s release!
I’m super excited for people to read this book. I tend to write stories that fall into the novelette range (around 7,500-17,500 words), but finding them homes are a challenge. Only so many presses and magazines accept novelettes, usually on the shorter side, and then the places that do accept them either only have so many slots available that competition is fierce, or they’re invite only. Hopefully this book brings out a bit more interest for novelettes. At the very least, people will be able to read a lot of them at once. Some of them have even been previously published, while the rest are original.
So yeah, I’m hoping to get a lot of people to read this book. And in the meantime, I’m doing everything I can to get people interested. Just this past week, I’ve been uploading graphics with quotes from the book’s stories, and I like to think people have been enjoying them, and even getting chills from them.
I mean, look at this one.
Brrrr! Spooky! I knew going for shorter, snappier quotes would be helpful.
Anyway, if you’re at all interested in a spooky collection this late spring/early summer, or if you’d like to support me, I’ll leave links below. Walpurgis is available to preorder as an ebook from a certain stores, but more formats and stores will be available as time goes on.
And if you like what you read, please leave a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps both me and other readers out in the long run. In fact, I’ve already received some awesome reviews on Goodreads for Walpurgis, including a new one yesterday, and they’ve helped immensely. I’ll link to those as well.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Until next time, good night, happy reading, and pleasant nightmares!
You may have heard of BlueSky as an alternative to Twitter. What you may have not heard is that there’s a weekly event on BlueSky for horror writers called “Horror Writers Chat.” It started on Twitter and then moved to BlueSky after Twitter became a hellscape. Every week, authors gather to discuss horror, writing and their work posed by Matt Mason and Eryn McConnell. We answer questions, and even get to share links to our works.
I’ve been doing it for quite some time, and it’s become one of the highlights of my week. In fact, some weeks, I really need it.
During the past couple of months, life has been extremely rough. Yeah, there have been reasons to smile, but there’s also been a ton of stuff that just wears down my soul. Work, for one thing, has been absolutely insane since January, to the point where I come home a lot of days very exhausted. And with all the time I need after work to get ready for the next day, as well as get some sleep, my writing time has been cut down drastically.
Which sucks, because writing is one of my ways of de-stressing, as well as how I move forward this career I’m so devoted to.
In addition, recently I was in an accident. Don’t worry, I’m fine, but my car was totaled by the other driver. Thankfully, the other driver’s insurance company agreed to pay all the costs, but this whole experience has been very stressful.
In Tarot, the Ten of Wands represents being overburdened and weary. Matches me some days in so many ways.
Add in all the horrible things happening on the national and world stage (*cough* fascist wave sweeping America *cough*), and it’s enough that even with frequent therapy sessions and all the usual de-stressing methods aren’t enough!
That’s why I’m thankful for all the communities I happen to be a part of. They’re a soothing balm upon my soul.
Obviously, there’s the horror writing communities on social media, that’s been helpful. But there’s also been the horror and horror writing friends and communities I’ve formed IRL. These past few months, I’ve had a few opportunities to see and hang out with my colleagues, which is always a treat. In fact, we’re getting together near the end of April, and I’m super excited about that, as it’s going to be a big meeting and we’ll get to play board games while discussing cannibalism together.
And it’s not just the socializing, either. It’s the professional help. As many of you know, I’m hoping to pitch my novel The Shape of Evil to agents at StokerCon this summer. I was recently discussing this with another member of HWA, and he gave me some critical advice to keep in mind if I hoped to pitch and find someone willing to represent me. One of those pieces was to research each person taking pitches thoroughly to see if they were a good fit for me.
A few weeks later, when the agents and editors taking pitches were announced, I did my research, and reached out to authors who had worked with them, as my friend advised me. Some of these authors have become good friends of mine, so I was able to get some amazing feedback from them and make my choices about whom to pitch to from there.
Community saves me, in more ways than one.
And it’s not just the horror communities that have been helping me. My Jewish community, my family and friends community, and even my work community. Yeah, as tough as work has been, I’m surrounded by a team of people who know what we’re going through and are willing to help me when I ask for it. Not to mention, if we deal with a difficult customer (that happens, sadly), my leadership don’t mind going to bat for us. And when my car got hit, my workmates were among the most concerned about me.
So, despite all the hardships, I’m really happy to have all these people around me in the same situation. We’ve already gotten together once for some much-needed R&R, and have plans for the near future as well.
And guess what? The Followers of Fear community is a wonderful community, too. While engagement and growth changes over time, many of you still take the time to read every post, and provide helpful comments as well. Some of you even read my books and provide reviews, and one or two even created fan art of my work, which was a big honor! In addition, many of you have become dear friends of mine.
All that keeps me going, and holds the doubts that threaten my writing career at bay like no wall can.
So yeah, life’s been hard lately, and therapy and anime and writing can only do so much. But then, there are the people around me who give me encouragement and listen when I vent, or who go to see shows and movies or to grab dinner and drinks with me, or the ones without whom I would not be where I am today. They give me a much needed boost when I need it.
With that in mind, thank you, Followers of Fear. As I said, life’s been a chaotic rollercoaster lately, but you being there makes it somewhat more manageable. So, never forget: I am endlessly grateful for you.
Also, if you would like to take part in “Horror Writers Chat” on BlueSky, make an account and follow Matt Mason (username @chaoticauthor.online) and Eryn McConnell (@erynmcconnell.bsky.social). They switch off hosting every other week, so following both is a good idea. The actual event happens every Wednesday at 2 PM EST, with four questions posted every twenty minutes or so. You quote-post your answers from the post with the original question, and like and repost the ones you like from other participants. And don’t forget to use the hashtag #HorrorWritersChat.
Well, that took longer than I expected. But raise your glasses and let out an ear-piercing wail of terror, because I finished my first short story of 2025!
As some of you remember from earlier this month, I was originally working on a witchy Halloween story, but that blew past novelette range into novella territory, and I promised I wouldn’t write any new longer stories until the ones I was already working on were finished and had homes. Thus, the witchy Halloween story got put away for later, and I started working on something new.
And thankfully, this story managed to stay in novelette range, at just under 9,300 words. “The Manhattan Well” follows a young woman in Victorian England meeting a young man from New York who relates his traumatic experience meeting a ghost related to America’s first sensationalized murder.
This story actually has a cool story behind its inspiration. I’m a big fan of the musical Hamilton (I’m actually seeing it live for the third time this summer), and a while back, I had the song “Non-Stop” stuck in my head (I even wrote a blog post about it). As sometimes happens when I have a song stuck in my head, I looked up the lyrics.
Here’s the song in question if you’re unfamiliar or just want to jam.
So, early in the song, when Hamilton and Burr is doing that murder trial, I always thought Burr was saying, “Our client says he’s innocent, call your first witness.” But as it turns out, when I looked up the lyrics, Burr was saying, “Our client Levi Weeks is innocent, call your first witness.”
Dance and celebrate like nobody’s watching.
This led me to ask, “Who the hell is Levi Weeks?” One internet rabbit hole later, not only did I learn about one of America’s earliest true crime stories (and if you’re interested, it’s a rather cool story, so I’d check it out), but I had an idea for a horror story.
And now that the story is written, is it any good? Well, it’s a first draft. It’s not supposed to be good! It’s just supposed to exist and have potential. And on that front, it fulfills both requirements. I’ll give it an edit and see about finding a beta reader later this year. However, I have to do one more edit of The Shape of Evil before I (hopefully) pitch it at StokerCon later this year, so that’s the focus now. After that, we’ll see where we are and what I feel I should be doing.
Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I just wanted to share the good news with you. If anyone needs me, I’m going to go celebrate and have a super-late dinner. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and don’t throw away your shot!
Time, for better or for worse, is moving along quite quickly. And that means we are a week closer to the release of my new collection, Symphony for Walpurgis!
For those of you who are unaware (though at this point, given how much I talk about it, I’d be surprised if you weren’t aware), Symphony for Walpurgis is a collection of nine novelettes I’m releasing on May 1st, 2025. The stories include tales of cryptids (“Famous”), malevolent spirits (“The Parasite Man”), and even a Jewish exorcism (“The House on Lafayette Square”). Yes, we Jews have exorcisms. Not often, but we do.
Here’s the blurb I wrote for the back cover:
What’s the difference between humans and monsters? Is there a fine line, or is it more gray and blurred? Rami Ungar, author of Rose and Hannah and Other Stories, explores this question in his latest collection, Symphony for Walpurgis. From legendary cryptids to malevolent spirits and from Ohio in the 1950s to modern-day California, readers will be treated to nine terrifying stories of the weird and macabre. So settle down and be prepared. For you have bought your ticket to Symphony for Walpurgis.
Neat, isn’t it? I think it gets the mood of the book across quite well.
Anyway, I’m very excited for this collection. Novelettes don’t have a lot of places you can submit to, and the ones you can often prefer shorter novelettes (for those who aren’t aware, a novelette is around 7,500-17,500 words). I tend to write stories in the novelette range, so I’m hoping if this book does well, more people will want to read and write stories in the novelette range, and maybe there will be more publishers for them.
At the very least, though, I would like this book to be successful. I really enjoyed working on these stories, about half of which have originally been published, and I want others to enjoy them. If I can, I would like to sell 500 copies within the first year. I’ll certainly work hard to make that happen.
Anyway, if you would like to check out Symphony, I’ll leave links below. It’s available to preorder now as an ebook, but there will be more formats and stores in time as time goes on. And there are even some early reviews, which you can find on Goodreads, also linked below.
And speaking of reviews, if you like what you read, please leave a review somewhere. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me and other readers out in the long run.
Also be sure to check out the book trailer I made. Is it the most amazing book trailer ever designed? But does it include hints of what’s in the book and gets its mood down perfectly like the book blurb? I like to think so.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope you’re as excited as I am for this new book. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
Wow, it’s just been good book after good book after good book lately. At least I’m having luck in that area lately.
Set in my beloved Victorian England, Victorian Psycho follows Winnifred Notty, a governess who comes to Ensor House, the country home of the Pounds family to help instruct and raise the children. However, Winnifred is about as far from Mary Poppins as you can get. She’s got a history, has a mind that works in mysterious ways, and has some terrible plans in store for the Pounds family. Ones that will come to terrible fruition on Christmas Day.
Whoo-boy, this was a wild one. Written entirely from the point of view of Ms. Notty, you really get in her head, and it’s an uncomfortable place to be. She sees things that aren’t there (or are they?), does things that defy both common sense and my uncommon sense, and puts up red flags left and right while making the funniest observations (like what she says about the head maid’s sexual history). Compounded by the fact that you can’t rely on anything she says (I highly doubt most of the people’s last names in this book are their real last names), it’s an intriguing read that keeps you wanting to read more.
It’s also darkly funny, satirizing the manners and beliefs of the age in a way that somehow manages to keep things between insane and believable. I could hardly believe it when one character mentioned that when he got home, he’d have to deal with both a depressed wife (apparently she’s delaying getting over her child’s death much too slowly for her husband’s sake), and a chimney sweep who’s stuck in their chimney (they tried to light a fire under him to press the issue that they didn’t want him hanging around. It didn’t work).
And then what happened a few pages later…well, I’ll just say that was a real thing Victorians did, and seeing it depicted here was kind of amazing.
As far as downsides go, I did think some parts of the ending could have been tweaked. Also, maybe it was just because I was listening to the audio book, but I was only able to listen to this book in short spurts before needing a break. Which is weird, because when I first started, I thought this was the sort of story I would nearly binge from start to finish, and that feeling is hardly ever wrong.
All in all, though, Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito is a quick and enjoyable read. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it a 4.2 for its witty, stomach churning portrayal of insanity and evil set against the backdrop of banal, Victorian melodrama and morals. A movie version is set to release next year with Margaret Qualley in the lead, and if she brings the same A-game she brought for The Substance (which I recommend if you can deal with body horror), it’s going to be a hell of a film.
In the meantime, better go brew some (hopefully poison-free) tea, lie back in the drawing room, and crack open a copy of Victorian Psycho. Trust me, it’s worth a read.
Well, it’s that time again. As many of you know, I’ve been creating graphics with quotes from my upcoming collection, Symphony for Walpurgis, and posting them every couple of days. This is to hopefully generate some interest in the collection by giving people short previews into what’s inside. I usually go through graphics for all nine stories in just three weeks, then I make more. But first, I’m posting the most recent round of graphics here for you to enjoy.
Who knows? Perhaps you’ll see these quotes and be interested enough to want to read Symphony yourself.
I have to admit, finding the right quotes for these graphics, making sure I can fit the quotes in the graphic templates, and then finding imagery to match the quote, is not easy. In fact, a few times, it’s been kind of frustrating. You do not know how hard it is just to find a good demon image for “The House on Lafayette Square,” or the right quote to use from “Famous.”
Still, I’ve seen these graphics help attract readers, so I think I’ll stick with it for the next couple of weeks until the book comes out.
And in the meantime, if you’re at all interested in Symphony, you can preorder copies or read early reviews using the links below. The book comes out on May 1st, just less six weeks from now, and I’m very excited for people to check it out. I’m very proud of these stories, which include tales of cryptids, malevolent spirits, and even a Jewish exorcism! Yeah, those exist. They don’t happen often, but they exist.
And if you end up reading the book, I hope you’ll leave me a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll probably be back soon, so be sure to keep an eye out. And until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
I’m at the point in my marketing plan where I get super annoying with reminders that I have a book coming out. But hey, can you blame me? If it gets one more person to read the book, then it’ll have been worth it.
So, if you’ve been living under a rock, I have a new book coming out on Thursday, May 1st, 2025. The book is a new collection called Symphony for Walpurgis. What’s Walpurgis, you ask? You can find out here. But back to the collection. This is a collection of nine novelettes, four previously published and five original, that I’ve gathered together because there’s just not enough publishers of novelettes out there these days. So, if you can’t find homes for them, make a home for them yourself and show the world how awesome they are!
At least, that’s what I’m hoping to accomplish, along with letting people read some amazing stories.
Here’s the back cover blurb for the collection:
What’s the difference between humans and monsters? Is there a fine line, or is it more gray and blurred? Rami Ungar, author of Rose and Hannah and Other Stories, explores this question in his latest collection, Symphony for Walpurgis. From legendary cryptids to malevolent spirits and from Ohio in the 1950s to modern-day California, readers will be treated to nine terrifying stories of the weird and macabre. So settle down and be prepared. For you have bought your ticket to Symphony for Walpurgis.
Sweet, right? And get this: the collection already has some reviews on it! Yeah, a couple of advanced readers posted their thoughts on Goodreads, and they really liked the collection. So much, in fact, they each gave it five stars! Considering that the book is not even out yet, that’s a really good sign of things to come!
And I really hope good things will come with this collection. I like sharing my stories with people, and I’ve noticed that short story collections tend to be very popular, especially at events. Maybe that’s because you’re getting several digestible stories in one package, rather than one gigantic story in a single package. If that’s the case, perhaps the release of this book will not only be well-received with readers, but will help me get closer to writing full time (that’s the dream, after all).
Careful, folks. There’s a lot of these beasties in one of the stories!
Besides, what horror fan could resist a collection featuring tales of several college-age kids waking up in a strange jail (“Blood and Paper Skin”); a teenage girl becoming an unwitting accomplice in a revenge plot using occult means (“Disillusionment and Trauma Sometimes Go Hand-in-Hand”); a Jewish exorcism (“The House on Lafayette Square,” and yes, Jews have exorcisms on occasion); a town filled with spiders and sordid history which is quickly catching up with the residents (“Mother of Spiders”); a Las Vegas performer who will do anything to make her mark on the world (“Famous”); an interview revolving around an unusual actress (“The Little Goddess of Horror”); a family under threat by multiple parasites (“The Parasite Man”); a young man who discovers a mermaid in his uncle’s basement (“Cressida”); and a campsite becoming ground zero for a new pandemic (“Natural Predators”)?
I couldn’t , that’s for sure.
And if you can’t, either, I’ll include links for the book, including its Goodreads page. Right now, it’s only available in ebook from a few stores, but more stores and a paperback edition will be available soon, so keep an eye out for that announcement.
And if you like what you read, please leave a review online. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me and other readers in the long run.
Thank you for your support, my Followers of Fear, and I look forward to sharing with you Symphony for Walpurgis. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
(Note: This review contains some spoilers for this book’s predecessor, I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me. So, if you haven’t read that one and want to go in unspoiled, you’ve been warned.)
Sequels are tough. I’ve tried to write sequels before, and they are fucking tough to write. Not only do you have to continue the story you set up in the previous entry, but you have to keep up the tension and further develop the characters. And, if possible, up the stakes from the last story. So, when I started listening to I Am the Dark That Answers When You Call, the sequel to I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me (see my review here), on audio book, I hoped that the sequel would be up to the same level as the original book.
Starting a few months after the events of I Feed Her to the Beast, Laure Mesny is back in Paris and trying to move on with her life. However, things are not as easy as she would like. For one thing, not only is she the vessel for the dark god Acheron, who constantly whispers in her ear, but she’s also being haunted by ghosts from her past, both literal and figurative. And on top of that, Elysium, the strange dimension below Paris where the gods reside, is dying, setting in motion a chain of events that will see either Laure’s ascendancy…or her doom.
I enjoyed I Feed Her to the Beast immensely, but I think I enjoyed I Am The Dark even more.
For one thing, let’s look at the horror. There’s definitely more of an emphasis on the cosmic horror aspects in this volume, and they work well, with the power of the gods becoming a corrupting influence as Elysium continues to degrade and rot. The new human villains of Neve and her retinue were a great addition to the story, as was Laure’s relationship to Acheron, which I expected to be more like Eddie Brock and Venom in the movies but turned out completely different.
I also liked the development of Laure as a person. If the first book was about Laure trying to get what she wanted and deserved, only for her to see its dark side, then the second book was about Laure trying to find who she is and what she really wants out of life now that the Paris Ballet is behind her. Jamison Shea handles that deftly, leading to a climax that left me on the edge of my seat (metaphorically; I was cooking dinner during those scenes).
Finally, there were a lot of surprises in the story that threw me for a loop, which only deepened my enjoyment of it overall. Several times, I was like, “What? Are you serious?” And it’s not easy to surprise me, so kudos to the author for that.
If I have any criticisms, it’s that I thought the linking of the cosmic horror elements to the Cthulhu Mythos felt a little forced to me. Also, I thought a certain character introduced in the story was going to have a bigger role when it was revealed how much they were aware of, so it was kind of disappointing that they didn’t have that bigger role. I understand why the author did–it was part of Laure’s personal growth, after all–but still.
All in all, though, I came away from I Am the Dark That Answers When You Call by Jamison Shea very satisfied. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving it a 4.8, which is 0.3 points higher than its predecessor. Unrelenting, cosmically dark, and full of twists and turns. I’m almost sad that there’s not a third book in the works (as far as I know), though Laure’s story does work well as a duology.
Anyway, if you’re at all interested, or if you enjoyed I Feed Her to the Beast, you won’t be disappointed by I Am the Dark. Give it a read and see for yourself.
That’s all for now. Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares.
Rami Ungar The Writer 