The Tension of a Coming Storm
by Adrian Ludens
Horror and terror within a dark mass of short stories.
"The Tension of a Coming Storm deserves its place on the bookshelves
of any true lover of weird fiction."
~ John S. McFarland, Author of The Dark Walk Forward
For paperback, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited
This book is appropriate for teenagers.
"Twenty tales of sickos, strangeness, and suburban soul-searching."
~ Jack Wells, Reviewer and
Author of Monochrome Noir
In this book, you will be introduced to twenty newly-collected encounters with darkness, a tangled forest of stories readers of the macabre and strange will eagerly get lost in.
A man traveling cross-country is shocked to find the same mysterious figure waiting for him at each new destination in "The Runner, Stranded."
An angry man pushes the bounds of his own sanity by entombing the young son of a former coworker in "Inside a Refrigerator."
Learn a startling truth behind the Mothman legend, how Jack the Ripper relocated to the Yukon during the Gold Rush, and what drove a tortured author named Poe to his early demise.
Here are combined new, never-before-released stories with recently published works into a collection designed to flow from the pages into your fingers and hold you tight as you are transported into the emotions and fears of fully-fleshed characters and their anguished tales. You who revel in the strangely mystical and shockingly uncomfortable will certainly delight in the dark mass presented within these pages. And you won't regret a single word.
About the Author
Adrian Ludens is a full-time library associate at a community library and the PA announcer for a pair of semi-pro hockey teams. He enjoys reading and writing horror fiction, listening to all types of music, watching hockey, hiking, and exploring abandoned buildings. He lives with his family in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Visit him online via Adrian Wayne Ludens - Author on Linktree and Adrian Ludens Author on Facebook.
Praise for The Tension of a Coming Storm
"The glimpses of the worlds Ludens' characters inhabit have an extra dimension to them beyond many I have seen in contemporary horror fiction. It's like standing in front of a mirror. You see yourself and what's behind you if you stand directly in front of the glass. It's that extra dimension, the peripheral world in which the narrative at hand exists, that Ludens so skillfully implies, that sets these tales apart...
"The Tension of a Coming Storm deserves its place on the bookshelves of any true lover of weird fiction. The writing is sensual and tactile, and stylistically brilliant. The characters are complex and extremely well-drawn. Do not miss this book and make sure to not miss future volumes inscribed: By Adrian Ludens."
~ John S. McFarland,
Author of the gothic stories of Ste. Odile
"One of the great triumphs of this book is how it explores non-traditional monsters. Yes, the human beast is still the most terrifying creature of all, but Mr. Ludens succeeds in reaching outside of the established tropes and expectations to conjure up some truly original beasties.
"Of course, horror stories largely serve to both magnify and evaluate the human condition in a frequently gory fashion. That holds true here as well, but the ways in which he goes about it are novel and refreshing. Plus, I honestly cannot recall reading another single-author collection featuring this much diversity. Third-person POV, first-person, speculative tales, revenge thrillers, run-ins with historical figures, and even transcripts from an ill-fated Apollo moon landing... The Tension of a Coming Storm is a veritable smorgasbord of options and offerings."
~ Jack Wells,
Reviewer and Author of Monochrome Noir
"'The worst monsters are people' is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot. It's not one I can fully agree with. Bring that phrase back aorund when you find a person with a face full of tentacles and the ability to drive someone to madness by invading their dreams. The reality is that people can be their own special class of awful, without relying on the absolving title of 'monster.' Monsters are who they are because that's how they were created, while people have choices.
"Coincidentally, that brings us along to a review of The Tension of a Coming Storm by Adrian Ludens. It's a collection of horror short stories, mainly about people. Although there are some monsters thrown in too...
"All of these are horror stories, but they demonstrate that, at their core, they're about people. I find a lot of the Brothers Grimm reflected in them. This is a book that could be taken camping, and brought out around the fire to read out loud while the s'mores digest, eyeing the other people around the camp fire suspiciously."
~ Carl R. Jennings,
Reviewer for Phantasmagoria Magazine
and Author of Just About Anyone
"Adrian Ludens' The Tension of a Coming Storm is a smorgasbord of dark delights. The stories in this collection cover the entire spectrum of speculative fiction: from Poe-esque pastiche to space horror. You will travel to far-off places and meet some unique characters, from a would-be killer ending up in a very strange jail to a girl who could move mountains. You will visit a circus and a spaceship. You will peek into the household of a very dysfunctional family. But most of all, you will be totally enchanted. Ludens' collection is a must for every horror fan. Beautifully written and highly imaginative, it is a celebration of the art of storytelling not to be missed."
~ Elana Gomel,
Author of The Hungry Ones and The Cryptids
Previous and Organic Praise for Adrian Ludens
"Adrian Ludens' [collection] is a crawl across the dirty underbelly of America. There is so much here, so many wonderfully horrific and shockingly brilliant and dreadfully beautiful visions of horror that I was left breathless. This is a book you need to read! This is a book that matters!"
~ Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award winning author of Flesh Eaters and Dog Days
"[This collection] blazes new trails first charted by Bradbury, Matheson, and Serling. Adrian Ludens' writing is imaginative, poignant, unpredictable, and
delightfully twisted."
~ James Chambers, Bram Stoker Award winning author of The Engines of Sacrifice and
Kolchak the Night Stalker: The Forgotten Lore of
Edgar Allan Poe
"The characters seem familiar, and that strikes an empathetic chord. Adrian writes horror and suspense into situations that I enjoy."
~ Jessica Rosfeld, five-star Amazon review
"Mr. Ludens preys on the reader's fears, weaving stories that allow the reader's imagination to assist in frightening the reader."
~ john, five-star Amazon review
"Horror, fantasy, mystery, humor, empathy and disdain... the author takes you on a marvelous journey with
each story."
~ Reads a bunch, five-star Amazon review
"Mr. Ludens pays appropriate homage to the great writers of the pulp fan magazine days as well as the top writers of today by creating this unique set of thrillrides. He delivers a fine selection of scary tales, dark excursions and shifting vistas, each with a payoff that raises the hairs on your neck.
"Here there is most definitely a clear, steady and solid voice, with the promise of yet stronger works to come. Well done, Mr. Ludens, and keep the fire burning."
~ five-star Amazon review