Cover Image: Ekleipsis

Ekleipsis

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Member Reviews

DNF. My reading load was too heavy and this one just couldn’t hold my attention enough to bump it up the list.

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I could barely finish this book. There was little to no flow and the writing was sadly undeveloped. Sorry!

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A terrible read and I really really tried with this. It feels like it was written by a sixth former. Sorry.

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Ekleipsis by Tamel Wino is a book of five short stories that should be read cautiously as the stories center around human trauma. Very unique genre. #Ekleipsis #NetGalley

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Ékleipsis, a collection of five short stories, packs nail biting tension and deliciously disturbing images in a tight 176 pages. Each story leaves the reader salivating for more.

“The Other Son” hooked me with a slow eerie burn. It’s was a brilliant pick to start this collection. The creepy factor rated off the scale as the reader is introduced to a social outcast of a man with a secret. This one will give you goosebumps!

“Closing Cost” delivers a bloody revenge story. A woman and married man have an affair. That’s about all I can say without giving away the thrilling climax.

“When in Doubt” tells the story of a soldier with PTSD and his wife. Paranoia coat the pages of this quick paced story. It asks, how far would you go for the truth? Plenty of disturbing moments in this one.

“The Has-Been” is about a former basketball star who is full of resentment for his young protegee. Mix in an intense anger management problem and alcohol and boom!

“All In” completes this collection with a gambling addict who must play the most dangerous game of his life. The stakes are high and his morals are in question. I literally shouted, “NO!” when this one was over because I wanted more.

I didn’t want this collection to end. Any one of these stories could be developed into an edgy relentless horror novel. I can’t wait to discover more from this author. Readers, get ready! This one will have you staying up late (with the lights on) to finish!

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I was really interested in cracking open this book. I love a good horror story but unfortunately I haven't been able to read much in the genre and instead tend to reach for thriller/suspense. So I was really excited to read this.

Unfortunately all of the stories felt unfinished. They usually started off interesting enough, but they were too short, like they were a draft. They ended abruptly with no real conclusion of the actual story and that was upsetting. With each story I read I found myself not wanting to start the next because I knew I was going to be disappointed.

I generally don't like giving such negative reviews so I probably wont post this review to other platforms, but since this was given for review through netgalley I at least wanted to give my feedback on the stories here.

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Set of short stories that deals with my personal favorite kind of Horror, that of the human capabilities. Each story explores a different take on how humans can delve into that horror. Loved these stories, some more than others, but each was unique and entertaining. Looking forward to more by this author.

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I wanted to enjoy this and was excited but the cursing was so extra and unwanted or needed with in the first couple pages, it got annoying. Couldn't get passed it so i didnt even bother finishing. Super disappointing

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This debut collection of short stories delves into the baser instincts and drives of humans. I liked the complexity of the characters in each story and felt that rather being cautionary tales, they are displays of depravity yet relatable somehow as well. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

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Love a good short story and these didn’t fail me. You start a story, you think “I wonder where we are going this time” then comes the uncertainty, which leads to the oh my goodness feeling and then....boom! Not happily ever after. Think Tales of the Unexpected. Brilliant.

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Ekleipsis is a collection of five short horror stories. I found them enjoyable and I particularly liked the human element of the horror - these are not stories that deal with the supernatural or the occult, but with the darkest and most disturbing parts of the human condition. I also liked that almost all of the stories are presented from the point of view of the supposed 'villain', again to drive home the idea of the human, relatable elements of the problems these characters deal with that drive them to commit such horrific acts.
However, as is often the nature of short stories, I found the endings of these stories to be quite rushed and anticlimactic. It would have been more hard-hitting, perhaps, if the tensions that were built up were explored more before the expected ending was delivered. Overall, an enjoyable and interesting collection of horror tales!

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<i>Ékleipsis</i> is a collection of five stories, featuring characters dealing with personal issues, such as toxic and overbearing parents, jealousy, PTSD, anger management, and ludomania.

As is to be expected with short stories, some I enjoyed more than others.
My favourite was either <i>"The Has-Been"</i> or <i>"All In"</i>, while the one I disliked the most was <i>"The Other Son"</i>.

Still, I found the endings for all five stories to be abrupt, anticlimactic, and predictable. Story after story my first thought was simply : "Okay. That happened."
The dialogue felt forced and prosaic, at times. Plot holes and continuity issues in a few stories. And the writing style from story to story didn't feel cohesive. It was as if they weren't all written by the same person, or as if they had been written years apart. Perhaps that was intentional. Maybe Tamel Wino was experimenting with different styles and the result simply didn't work for me personally.
On the other hand, I enjoyed the complexity of the characters. I never thought of them as inherently good or evil, but desperate, broken and flawed, for sure.

Overall, I think the idea behind this collection was really good. A fusion of dark fiction and character study. However, the execution was unfortunately lacking.

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The horror that I seem to drift towards the most is human-based horror. Don't get me wrong- I dig Lovecraftian horror, enjoy supernatural horror and a good creature feature here and there. But my favorite always seems to be horror that explores the horror of what it means to be humans.

These stories hit that spot in a major way. Each one explores something within human nature that is horrific. There's no need for ghouls or ghosts here, because the things people do are bad enough. It's explored elegantly and in a way that keeps you wanting to read- I really did have a hard time putting this down! I think my only complaint would be a very minor one that a couple of the endings felt a little too abrupt; they ended in a spot that worked, but I was left feeling like the story could have explored a bit further.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this and would recommend it. I'll be keeping an eye out for more work from this author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

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It's a new favorite type of read for me to find short story collections that center on a theme. Ekleipsis is a haunting and horrific collection of stories about individuals who succumb to the worst of who they are.

I found each story weirdly thoughtful and thorough in its exploration of each main character. I really enjoyed the writing and style! I would definitely read more from this author. Not in any of the stories could I predict where it was heading. Each one was so twisted and darkly clever.

This book comes with some heavy content warnings, however: military deployment PTSD, alcoholism, gambling addiction. If you or someone near to you has struggled with these, I would strongly, strongly discourage you from reading this.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

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2.5/5

Horror collection with five short stories that, for the most part, have unreal Hitchcock-like qualities. Adultery, PTST, and addiction are some of the common themes explored in Ékleipses, which is Greek for abandonment. The tension is definitely there, but the endings are rushed and somewhat anticlimactic.

To a certain degree, all of the stories are outlandish and suspenseful , but “The Has-Been’ is definitely a story that I would reread.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my review.

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Everyone has their "other", the part of them that most don't see.....their hidden lives, secret fears, twisted needs. Everyone has their issues that stem from some trauma. A painful childhood, bullying, abuse, addiction, PTSD. Perhaps you have a hatred that you feed for years to feast on when the time is right. Maybe you deal with loneliness by adopting a pet. It could be that you're tortured by the torture you've put others through. You might be drowning your days of glory away in booze, and not knowing who to hate...those who live in glory now or yourself for throwing it all away. Life is gamble, you say, eventually you'll win big and win it all. You bet your life win....would you bet her life too?

These stories about the many sides of human nature were unsettling and disturbing, and they left me wanting more. The characters were multi-dimensional. They were not good or evil, they were human and deeply flawed. Sometimes deeply flawed translates to very dangerous. Well done. #netgalley #Ekleipsis

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Great easy read..stories pull you in
Wish this book was longer as would loved to have read more.
If your looking for creepy easy read definently pick this one up.

Thanks the the author the publisher, and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

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