M. R. Tapia

Horrifically charming.

A homicidal arsonist is at large, known as the Matchstick Murderer due to his absentminded habit of leaving matchsticks at the scene of his crimes. A determined reporter soon becomes fixated on the case, and events take an intense turn.

This is my second Tapia, and I’ve now read enough to conclude that where he flourishes most successfully is in his gleeful descriptions of the truly terrifying and grotesque. This guy does not look away and neither should you. Fun.… (meer)

A nasty little novelette turning attention to the saturation effect of cyberspace. Interconnectedness is represented as feeding on the darkly exploitative, drawing out the basest of voyeuristic impulses, and capitalising on the desensitisation of a linked up populace, complicit in its propensity for dissociation and spectacle.

The story concentrates on a very normal couple, suddenly thrust into a living torture porn gameshow, every gruesome event, every atrocity inflicted, commented upon and analysed in full sensationalised instant replays.

Tapia takes the familiar premise of the media endorsed deathmatch and adds heart and blood and guts. This short tale is a brisk trip into the logical endgame excesses of the social media age, with a very fun nod back to classic satirically centred horror fiction.… (meer)

After a run of several disappointing books, I decided to take a hot bath last night and delve into M. R. Tapia’s novella, The Die-Fi Experiment. Like most books I read, I set a high expectation for this one in terms of gory horror. While it isn’t quite as grotesque as I might like, I find it to be a rather amusing read. On the same page in which Tapia scribes the fears many couples face, he makes a mockery of today’s society.

As a fan of horror movies, it’s hard to find this piece of work original. Many elements within the novella are reminiscent of the Saw franchise – all the way down to the marshmallow eye scene (which you’ll encounter if you choose to read The Die-Fi Experiment). Although a few of the other scenes are cringe-worthy if you imagine yourself as the victim.

The Die-Fi Experiment goes back and forth between the not-so-distant past and present, and my largest issue therein is the fact that sometimes the tenses switch. I am aware that the present parts of the story are meant to be present tense and vice versa; however, I think it works best to choose one tense and stick with it. Otherwise things can quickly become confusing.

On Goodreads, this novella is tagged humor. Personally, I find the term “black comedy” more fitting. After all, viewers appear comically oblivious to the fact that what they watch live is truly torture (or perhaps they’re particularly disturbed individuals). For a little extra splash of humor, Tapia throws in a few hashtags that serve as a parody of the tweets and instagram posts that show up throughout the novella.

Overall, I liked The Die-Fi Experiment. I don’t find it exceptional by any means, but it serves its purpose fairly well. The ending falls a bit short of my expectations, but Tapia manages to produce a piece of work that ensnares my short attention span. In fact, I read this novella in one sitting. While I likely will not read it again, this is definitely a short book for fans of Saw and other torture films.

I would like to thank M. R. Tapia for providing me with a copy of his novella free of charge in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)

"Are these tall tales and urban legends only metaphors for what horrific things humanity is capable of—or do monsters exist?"

[b:Deadman's Tome: Monsters Exist|35298232|Deadman's Tome Monsters Exist|Deadman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496579997s/35298232.jpg|56665011] is a compilation of fourteen short stories written by fourteen different authors. These authors probe into the world's darkest mysteries, creatively shine light on things that shouldn't be and expertly play on our biggest fears.

While all of these stories vary in plots and all have their own twists and turns, this anthology follows a theme: Monsters. They all have well developed worlds and characters which I think is pretty important for short stories, but what I love most is the vast range of monsters included. There are tales of vengeful fairies, swarms of giant rats, blood thirsty chupacabras, killer lake monsters, devious devil monkeys and so much more!

I won't go into detail about every story but I will say, though I found some to be more memorable than others, I really enjoyed them all. I don't think there's one "bad" one of the bunch. I've only ever read from one of these authors before ([a:Theresa Braun|6424227|Theresa Braun|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1487536003p2/6424227.jpg] : [b:Dead over Heels|33115353|Dead over Heels|Theresa Braun|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1479926669s/33115353.jpg|53779580] - a short paranormal romance horror that I recommend), however I'm definitely interested in checking out the rest of these talented authors' works. Every one of these authors show their love for strange and macabre tales and creatures and weave their own feel into each one.

I can't say that any of them really scared me to be honest, but I'm big horror fan and pretty hard to scare, haha. However, each part of this collection drew me in and kept me reading til the end, so that made up for it. These stories are filled with dark myths and legends, shocking plot twists, nightmarish creatures, and morbid situations.

Whether you're looking for scary tales to keep you up at night or you're a horror fan like me looking to add some creepy reads to your library, this is a great collection to have.




**** Thank you to Booktasters for introducing me to this author and thank you to Theresa Braun (as well as the other 13 authors included in this anthology) for letting me read and review this book. ****… (meer)