Fear of Free Standing Objects: A Collection

What do you fear most? Is it being locked up against your will never to see the sun again? Does the thought of being the last of your kind keep you up at night? Or perhaps you're afraid of the side effects of radical new surgeries. Whether it's losing a loved one, being stuck alone in the dark, abandoning hope, or simply ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time, Doug Rinaldi's second collection of dark and curious fiction will show you all that there is to fear... and more.This second edition also features "End_Game (Dementia Praecox)," an all new, unpublished tale of murder for hire gone wrong.#WhatDoYouFearMost

From the Inside Flap

"I'd read a couple of the stories from this collection before, in their original appearances, but it's always nice to reconnect, as well as being able to enjoy the tales I hadn't yet seen. They total thirteen, a nice devil's dozen, spanning a range of horrors from the quietly artful to the whole-hog gory.First up is "Unfurl," a brief but haunting piece with some darkly beautiful descriptors and turns of phrase. It's followed by the part-medical / part-diabolical invasive body horror of "Osteogenesis," and the fun chaos and destruction of "An Incident in Central Village."The protagonist of "Bequeathed," searching for answers about his deceased mother, finds more than he bargained for. In "Alchemy of Faith," a priest follows a wounded angel's last request and creates a new life ... to the outrage of his fellow clergymen.Urban exploration and poking into places best left alone feature in the next two - "The Yattering" has ghost-hunting in a derelict bookstore become all too real, while in "Egregore," a fraternity initiation turns out to have far more sinister purpose."The Sickening" veers off into more historical epic dark fantasy territory as a lone man braves an ancient cavern in hopes of finding the source of a plague. "And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'" serves a professional killer a very unwelcome surprise.In "Lotus Petals: Liminal Personae," the quest for physical perfection outweighs all other concerns, even flinchworthy mutilations. And you know it's a bad day at the office when someone unleashes a deadly curse on a co-worker, as happens in "The Jatinga Effect.""Sybarites: Or, The Enmity of Perverse Existence," follows a desperate father trying to rescue his daughter from a depraved sex-cult. Finishing things off is the longest work, "A Different Kind of Slumber," pitting cop against no ordinary kind of killer." -- Christine, Horror Fiction Review

About the Author

Doug Rinaldi was born and raised in Connecticut. He received his art degree in Computer Animation and Special Effects for stage and screen, however, writing dark fiction was his true passion. At the turn of the millennium, he bid Connecticut a final farewell and relocated father north into the wilds on New England with his two cats, Ripley & Hicks.

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