Review: Departures by Scott Cole

Like short and weird? I've got a recommendation for you!


Departures by Scott Cole

Released July 2022

Source: Received for Review Consideration

Dark Fiction  |  Goodreads  | Amazon

A new homeowner finds a large, inexplicable egg behind a door...

A traveler seeks a bizarre creature from folklore...

An abused spouse takes matters into their own hands...

A stranger tempts passersby with a mystery in the trunk of his car...

A man discovers a cemetery walled off from the rest of town...

A family finds out what the vacation of a lifetime really entails...
And a sleep aid wakes up.

These are just some of the strange tales within, as Scott Cole returns with a new collection featuring his unique brand of unusual horror stories.


My 2 Cents for Free!

Scott Cole has a gleefully dark imagination and his books are always a wild time. This collection of short stories has a lot of body horror which always gets my attention. I don’t know why I like the gross stuff but sometimes, after a too long day, it’s just what one needs.

I liked all of the stories so I may just write a little blurb about each one. We’ll see what spills out here . . .

Egg House
Things start off super weird when a new homeowner finds a giant egg lurking behind a door. They briefly consider moving it but after musing about its mama coming back for it if touched, they decide to leave it alone. But then it starts to stink up the place and things just get stranger from there. This reads like a very bizarre dream.

Greetings From Trammel Beach
A happy family of four vacations at a beautiful beach and everything is perfect. Too perfect, if you ask me. 😹 But of course it doesn’t stay that way! This was icky and eerie. Loved it.

Cold Hands
Never cringe when your wife’s hands are too cold and also don’t be a dick when all she does is cater and pander to your needs. A rude dude learns that lesson the hard way. As he deserves! Ha, this was fun.

The Trunk
If some weirdo beckons you to look inside his trunk and you are nosy and dumb enough to look, as I might be, well, whatever befalls you is totally on you! This was such a strange one.

Gourds
Ooof, this one was some cringy fun. Marshall’s wife brings home some gourds to get into the fall spirit and they instantly bother him, even invading his sleep. Yikes, after reading this story I’m not so sure I want to bring gourds into my house next month.

Only Bad People
A man relocates to a new town hoping to leave his old life behind and is drawn to a walled-off cemetery where he hears whispers that “only bad people are buried there”. Sometimes a guy gets exactly what he deserves, at least in fiction, and I love to see it 🤷

Clown Noses
A dude figures out an ingenious way to make some bucks as the sheeple fall in line. This one was wild.

The Penanggalan
A man on holiday to Malaysia becomes entranced, disgusted, and perhaps attracted to the legend of the Penanggalan after he spies her in a book. I mean, she sounds sort of sexy until maybe you bump into her for real. I’d like to learn more about this creature - in a book, of course.

Can’t See the Forest
A guy spies a spot between his shoulder blades but he’s unable to get a good look at it because he doesn’t do yoga (people, seriously, DO your stretches, you won’t be sorry!). He contorts himself but it’s really hard to see it. Don’t worry though, he eventually sees it and all of its little buddies. This was some truly bizarre body/eco-horror and you won’t ever hear me complaining about that!

The Noise Machine
A man tries to help his neighbor out when he learns he’s having trouble sleeping but what he doesn’t realize is that his neighbor is the obsessive type and things soon escalate. This is why it’s probably best to ignore your neighbors.

If you like weirdly dark short stories, I’m certain you’ll find a few things here that’ll make you very happy.

⭐⭐⭐⭐


Comments

  1. GregMonday, November 21, 2022

    This sounds fun. I'm super curious about Egg House and Gourds too, honestly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mary KirklandFriday, November 25, 2022

    That sounds like all kinds of creepy fun.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jen | Book DenSunday, November 27, 2022

    Yes, I do like short and weird. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bark At The GhoulsTuesday, November 29, 2022

      There are some very unique little stories here I think you'd like.

      Delete

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