Midway Between Heaven and Hell (Short Story)
Author: S.C. Barrus
Purchase on Amazon.
Synopsis: Suspense, Love, Murder, Revenge. An
elegant dinner party is thrown, the guests blackmailed, the host absent.
The mysterious host has gathered together all those whom have wronged him in his life with the intent of seeking his revenge. But the suspicious young man in the worn tweed jacket anxiously fingers a gun in his pocket, waiting for the host to arrive.
The mysterious host has gathered together all those whom have wronged him in his life with the intent of seeking his revenge. But the suspicious young man in the worn tweed jacket anxiously fingers a gun in his pocket, waiting for the host to arrive.
Review: It’s quite ironic how often I wind up reading short stories
despite the fact that I don’t usually like them. I suppose it’s because on rare
occasion I actually discover a story that manages to make me believe in the
power of a short story again. Midway
Between Heaven and Hell was beautifully done!
The synopsis is
pretty straight forward about what the story contains. Revenge is the theme and
death is the price for the crossing the Host of the party. Every guest in some
way has committed an unforgiveable act against the Host and he’s invited them
to a lavish dinner party to redeem them of their sins the way he sees fit.
As a fan of all
things dark and revenge-y, I was instantly hooked based on the synopsis and
once I jumped in, I pretty much fell in love with the story. The mood, the
language, the taunt atmosphere riddled with fear—everything flowed very nicely.
Even though the Host name is never discovered, I liked him. He was brutal,
honest, and broken mess hidden behind a beautiful mask. Bobbie Flanagan, the
boy who did the most wrong to the Host, had some cojones on him. He may have
been terrified out of his mind and what he did to the Host was definitely
wrong, but he came to the dinner ready to face his sins and there’s a respect
I can give to him for that. The world building managed to come through to a
good degree despite the story being so short. Since the story mainly focused on
the Host and Bobbie Flanagan, the characterization was more pronounced on them
than anyone else. It felt a bit rushed but that isn’t surprising considering
the author only had so many pages to showcase them.
Midway Between Heaven and Hell has a bit of an Edgar Allen Poe edge and definitely a
story that showcases great talent.
Looking forward
to discovering more by S.C. Barrus in the future!
About the Author: S.C. Barrus writes strange and
thrilling literary adventures. He's published short stories, essays and poems
in print and online.
Born
in Canada, S.C. Barrus grew up near Seattle in the pacific north west where he
lives to this day. He received his degree in creative writing from the
University of Washington.
His
upcoming novel, Discovering Aberration, is scheduled for release mid-late 2013
in print and ebook format.
Where to Find
the Author
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