Moths

Subtitled A Trio of Dark Novellas, this book by Sam Kates is a winner for those who like something dark but something a little different.

Amazon UK link

Amazon US link

Book description

The Goldfish Syndrome: a mystery takes a sinister turn—some secrets are best left undiscovered…

Moths: when the line between reality and fantasy grows blurred, tragedy beckons.

Returned: a soul dragged from the afterlife, an ancient secret and a race against time to thwart evil.

My review - 

The three novellas in this collection are all dark, as the subtitle says, but in very different ways.

In the first, a young woman comes down off Dartmoor with amnesia. Her story is followed up by a trainee reporter who finds more than he expected. This one I found very readable but deeply unsettling. Could it happen?

In the second – the title story, Moths – I began by sympathising with a youngster who had little in his life but one best friend. This story left me wondering what is true and what is in the mind. A really thought-provoking story.

The final one was more like a traditional horror story but, as often with Sam Kates, taken from a different perspective. Very dark humour in places and an exciting denoument. I loved this book and if your tastes lean towards the dark side, it’s the book for you, without a doubt.

About the author

As you've probably gathered since you've found your way to my author page, I sometimes go by the name Sam Kates. If there's a photo on this page of a middle-aged bloke with a hair shortage, that's me.

I live in Wales, a small constituent country of Great Britain and the U.K. Like many of my fellow countrymen, I possess a fondness for rugby union (though these days only as a spectator) and a good pint of beer. Usually the two go hand in hand.

As often as I can make the time (darn that interfering day job), I'm an author. I write science fiction, fantasy, horror and general fiction. Outside of writing, my main ambition is to see Wales beat the New Zealand All Blacks to win the Rugby World Cup. A forlorn hope, I suspect, but if you're going to harbour ambitions, they might as well be lofty, right?

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Just a thought

Books - the best antidote against the marsh-gas of boredom and vacuity ― George Steiner

Sam Kates

I've always enjoyed Sam's writing and this is a delight! (In a nasty sort of way...)

Ghosts of Christmas Past and Other Dark Festive Tales

Amazon.com link

My review -

They called I’m Sorry I haven’t a Clue the antidote to panel games. This little collection is an astringent antidote to the sugar-rush we sometimes suffer after reading too many Christmas stories. It’s the season to want feel-good reads and I enjoy a few myself, but just occasionally we want something darker – to refresh the palate, you might say. That’s why ghost stories are popular around the Christmas fireside.

Sam Kates is a very good writer who creates scenes in a reader’s head. Some of these scenes are peculiarly unsettling. Add a bit of spice to your seasonal menu and give this little collection a try. I really enjoyed it.

Sam Kates

A few days ago I read Sam's short stories and knew it wouldn't be long before I read his first full novel.  It's wonderful!

The Village of Lost Souls

Amazon.com  The Village of Lost Souls

My review -

This book is marketed as horror but it is so much more. The elderly John Andrews is relating his life story, and the first part of the book tells of his childhood, partly during the Second World War and its effect on his small family in Newcastle. In its way, that is horror enough. After the war and his father’s death from cancer, he and his mother leave to join her sister in a small Cornish village and that’s when the strangeness begins. He meets a girl and falls in love and he finds that his aunt has secrets in her past which still haunt her.

Sam Kates is an articulate and gifted writer. His prose is eloquent and beautiful and, as the story progresses, we and John begin to feel that all is not right in the small village. The horror here is subtle and mounts inexorably. We read on in awe as the past catches up with the present and we fear that John will not be able to cope. I read this book in a day – admittedly staying up past my bedtime to finish it. How could I not? I only discovered Sam Kates’ work a few days ago. It’s wonderful and he has got himself another fan here!