REVIEW OF – Jon Richter’s Disturbing Works volume two

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Blurb: John Richter’s Disturbing Works Volume II

Another compendium of delightfully macabre stories by Jon Richter, author of Deadly Burial and Never Rest. Jon’s first short fiction collection was described as ‘Black Mirror meets Tales Of The Unexpected’, and here he brings you another chilling assortment of twisted tales encompassing killer creatures, terrifying technology, and scientific experiments gone horribly wrong… These dark fables are perfect for anyone who likes their reads short, shocking, and laced with a dash of black humour.

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Jon Richter writes dark fiction (Yesssss!), including his two gripping crime thrillers, Deadly Burial and Never Rest, (adding to my to-be-read list) and his two collections of short horror fiction Jon Richter’s Disturbing Works volumes one and two – volume two – featured in this review. 

You know, that thrill you get when you are first introduced to a writer’s work that you have never read before, that ‘Where have you been my whole life!?!?’, feeling.

Okay. Not that dramatic, but you get my point.

Jon Richter is one of many authors over the years whose writing has pulled me into a narrative by way of a tentacle or two, or in the case of my favorite author, a tentacle and the razor-sharp teeth of an evil clown known to the kiddies of Derry, Maine as Pennywise. Yep, I’m definitely okay with that! 

‘You’re demented!’ you say. Nah, just a Horror Fan since I was ah kiddie.

I won’t touch on all ten short horror stories in this collection, but I will highlight many favorites:

Jon Richter’s Disturbing Works Volume Two opens with ‘The Pit’ – About a disused quarry that quickly overflows with garbage when sanitation workers go on strike, and the surrounding neighborhood becomes, well…

‘The streets were choked with rubbish, including a reeking mound right outside his own house. […] And it really was the flies that were the worst part… despite closing every window, blocking every crack, they somehow found a way into your home. They buzzed around, bloated and content, jubilant in their dominion. 

‘Then they bit you.’

‘The Truth’ – without revealing spoilers, I can tell you this short centers around a husband, his pregnant wife, and his fathers’ secrets…

‘There were many words to describe the day that loomed before me, words like ‘bizarre’, ‘disturbing’, ‘addictive’. But nothing remotely ‘lovely’ awaited me, in the dark cellar beneath my father’s house.’

‘Polaris’ – Is set in Canada,  centered around two abandoned zinc mines know as Polaris A and B and a small group who are tasked with finding what lurks within…

‘She gestured to the pack at her feet, from which the barrel of a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum rifle protruded menacingly […] What did we need protection from? Establishing the answer to that question was the reason the four of us were out here.’

‘Source’ – Another short of creepy goodness (Loved It!) that I won’t spoil for you, I will, however, leave you with this…Your in bed, your wife who was sleeping next to you is no longer by your side when you hear a crash down stairs…

‘I dashed towards her, grabbing her, yanking her head away from the freezing rain that had already lashed her face, making the blood run in rivulets from the cuts […] I will never forget her expression, as she turned to look at me with a scalding mix of rage and hatred in her eyes.‘

‘“He wants it…” she was shrieking, without forming the consonants properly, almost as though she was drugged. “He wants it back!”’

‘Monolith’ – Aka, the Domino, is the latest addition to London’s skyline and home to a pharmaceutical giant, which is…

‘“We have to assume the worst here,” she barked at her five male subordinates as they traveled towards the scene. “There could be a terrorist incident, with active hostiles. Maybe multiple hostages. Going dark for this long means…’ 

Nope, no spoilers; you will just have to read the book and find out. 😉

‘Leviathan’ – Loved it! This short story is set in July of 1936, narrated by a young journalist, or more specifically penned in a journal by his hand, an account of his nautical adventure aboard the Leviathan …

‘Today I received a most unusual assignment from my employers at the Patriot. I will confess to a not insubstantial measure of trepidation, but, for an aspiring young journalist, such opportunities as this are rare, and demand to be grasped.’

‘Urbex’ – I had never heard of the word ‘Urbex’ before reading this short – and honestly – it sounded kind of fun after learning what it was, that is, before reading this story…

‘Exciting, frightening, dangerous, clandestine. Soaking in that mood was what urban exploration was all about. That was why Callum preferred the darkness.’[…]There was something about mortality, too. Watching the rot and the weeds slowly reclaiming these buildings felt like documenting the inevitability of death…’

‘Endurance’ – The race is called the Wheezing 100, the ultra-marathon, an event that is known as the ‘best-kept secret.’ There is no marketing, no fundraising, no banners or sponsors. Just a few local volunteers, a Vietnam war veteran, and his hellish brainchild.

‘”I’m not looking for show-offs, or sightseers, or god damn Instagrammers,” he’d said. “I’m looking for people who want to test the absolute limit of what they can accomplish.”’

‘Interface’ – Loved it – Sooooo Good!! 

‘Whatever had caused that initial, feverish surge of bloodlust – replaced now by this ominous docility or, in the case of most of the creatures, mysterious absence – seemed able to discern between those affected and those immune to its horrifying effects.’

I want to thank Blackthorn Book Tours and author Jon Richter for letting me take part in promoting a book I had such a pleasure reading. 

If you like Dark Horror Fiction as I do, then I highly recommend Jon Richter’s Disturbing Works Volume Two!

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