by BlackShanglan
This one sent the creepy-crawlies up my spine. Very well-written and original. I wish you LOTS of luck on the contest.
me to never ask you what you're thinking about. That was down right scary. I'm still shivering.
I opened the story thinking, "If the damned thing's more than 3 pages long, I'm not reading it." Not only did you do it in one, you made me have that nasty back-of-the-throat clenching that is the very reason I don't read horror any more. And it's contemporary, too. *grin* Entertaining read, Shang. Good luck in the contest. ~Imp
As usual you deliver dead on target. Creepy, Scary, all the good stuff for Halloween.
oooo I've got goosebumps all over! This was a fantastically well-written, suberbly executed and imaginative piece of work. I was enthralled. Your suspense building (and suspension of disbelief) was perfect, well-timed, and you had me gasping and panting in all the right places. Here I was expecting a BDSM story (my bad, should have read the category, but my mind thinks bridle-BDSM <grin>! :) and find something quite shockingly (and thrillingly!) different. My goodness, what a wild ride this one was. Wishing you so much luck in the contest, you deserve it, but more importantly in whatever writing career you (hopefully! <nudge nudge>) decide to pursue. Don't you know a calling when you hear one??? :))
The height of horror, it's completely absorbing. One cannot stop reading no matter how much one wants.
I don't even have words.
The writer's art is to take you into a world of his creation and make it seem real.
The greatest compliment I can give on this one is the sure knowledge I don't ever want to enter that particular world again
Shudderingly scary and tensely horrific, in the mold of Lovecraftwith his ancient, relics of a past best forgoten
Wonderful sense fo realism while keeping enough of a surreal element to keep things seeming possible. Wonderfully descriptive and detailed where needed, but vague and entrusting the reader's imagination to fill in the blanks where appropriate as well.
What an absolutely amazing build up of tension and horror ... I found myself reading faster in order to find out what would happen next. My second reading confirmed that it isn't just the plot or subject, but the actual writing that makes this such a fantastic story. Congratulations on a wonderful Halloween submission.
Which transcends whether it wins the contest or not. Very difficult, almost excruciating to read, yet one HAS to read it, if you know what I mean. The pacing and tightening of the screws, literally and figuratively, was masterly. Good luck in the contest, I don't think you'll need it!!
Very unique & original. I kept trying to read faster to see what happened next. It's always fun to see the bad guy get it in the end.
A little description of Bridget would have been a plus, IMHO, as would some details about Richard. But those are quibbles. Good work.
Rumple
The mind reels at the thought of life w/o clicked thermometers. Rumple
Dark, sudden, and unexpected.
And I do love the revenge. Always nice to see a person's tools turned against them.
Well done.
What can I say other than your story scared the hell out of me? A great piece of work. Good luck!
Cookie :)
What a twisted mind you have, Shang. <shudders> You definitely hit the mark with this one.
Ahhh. Black Shanglan. I've so missed your sinister imagination. This is outsanding. Evil, brutal, unmerciful--absolutely delicious! And, of course, it even turned me on because I'm just that much of a sick bastard. :) Excellent work, my friend! Glad to see that you're still at it.
what a horrifying story. I didn't want to read on because it was much too scary but I couldn't stop. Very good.
Should be a winner in my opinion.
Black Tulip
And so I find another great story through the Halloween contest from a category that I might not read otherwise. It was dark, spooky, extremely well-crafted and it was impossible for me to stop reading!
on your amazon wish list ;) I love the fitting revenge at the end. I almost felt a touch of pity for the guy just imagining what was going to happen to him. brr!
Great story! Let the trick or treaters come! This year it's going to be a little different muahahah!
A really scary story. You don't need a lot of description of the humans, as long as the demon is horrid enough. By the way, where do you buy one of those things?
Deeply chilling. I was moved and not at all in a comfortable way. Brilliant texture through the dialogue, well done.
You've captured the old and the new and devised a wonderfully written classic horror story. Loved it!
Abs.
This story just reminded me that I should never go to a strange man's house alone. Damn scary! Good luck with the contest :)
So well written I read it all, but almost wished I hadn't. Disturbing I think is the word, but very, very well written!
Brilliant, Shang! Wicked, fierce, and direct, and - more than all that - absolutely original, and how often do we come across a totally original horror concept these days? And the writing makes it all look so easy.
Beautifully done. Belongs in a "Best Of..." erotic horror anthology, for sure.
this is not a story to be read late at night. Incredibly well written, compulsive reading.....chillingly so. It HAS to be the winner. Brilliant.
I just randomly clicked on someone's link to read their stories, and I definitely was lucky with this - your story is great! I very much like erotic horror, but am often disappointed. Not in this case though. It is quite late at night here, I hope I can manage to fall asleep...
As usual, Shanglan, you have taken me to places I never imagined. I LOVE your writing, and your imagination. Incredible story. I was intrigued from the beginning and you left me with a feeling of justice served. I'm sorry I missed its debut, but pleased that I had the opportunity to read it and I thank you for that. Keep up the good work! ~Minx
My second taste of your work and hungrier for more! This is certainly much darker than "Will", but just as well-written.
Strangely, just as I finished the story, the skies outside darkened and it started to pour. I would half believe that was part of the effect, Shanglan! lol
Like the bridle, your writing clamped on, took me, and wouldn't let me go. I cannot remember ever continuing to read something that horrified me so much. You have a tremendous and extraordinarily finely-honed gift. When I recover my sanity--and some courage--I'm going straight to your other stories.
On another note, I'd really like for the reading of this story to be a mandatory accompaniment to every performance of "The Taming Of The Shrew," everywhere, in perpetuity. Just to provide a little balance.
Excuse me. Must go scrub out the inside of my skull with steel wool now. *shudder*
Blackshanglan, you are a master. This story is really up there with the likes of the great modern horror writers. And it's such a sick pleasure. I enjoyed it immensely and I commend you for your taught, economic writing style. I look forward to reading more of your work.