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jamiezaccaria's review against another edition
4.0
A fantastic collection of stories that rely on simple yet effective plot devices, similar to Twilight Zone or Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
bobbyclark's review
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The Darkness horror anthology by Ratnakar is a solid collection of short horrors and mysteries reminiscent of the twilight zone. Many of the stories are cliche relying on predictable, and sometimes confusing, twist endings while few others felt original and steeped in Indian culture. However, I think most of the stories suffer from their short length. The settings and atmosphere felt bland because of the lack description, and most characters had no time to become more than 2 dimensional. Over all though, I still had a good time and two or three of the stories did leave me with my jaw dropped.
I don’t suggest reading all the 18 stories back to back or in a single sitting. Pace this anthology out between other books. Treat it like a bathroom reader, making it less of a tedious read.
I don’t suggest reading all the 18 stories back to back or in a single sitting. Pace this anthology out between other books. Treat it like a bathroom reader, making it less of a tedious read.
panchamii_g's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Death
dhruv1996's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first time I read a Horror book and.... to be honest, I am freaking scared. But I enjoyed being scared because the book is an absolute page-turner. Originally written by Ratnakar Matkari in Marathi, the book was translated into English by Vikrant Pande and he has done a hell of a good job.
The book consists of 18 Horror stories, each unrelated to each other. I loved everything about the book be it the storylines, the characters or the climaxes. But what I loved the most is ‘horror’ does not just consist of ghost stories, you will also find stories of Paranormal Activities and those that result as a product of one’s imagination. The stories sometimes feel so real that it’s quite possible we have already experienced one of them but do not remember.
My favorite story is about a spoilt brat coming to live at his ancestral home after the death of his father. The home is situated in an isolated patch and near a bridge which passes over a river. After a few days, he starts seeing someone on the bridge throwing a sack in the river but whenever he tries to follow the person, he/she/it simply disappears. When the story unfolds you will have your mind blown for sure.
I highly recommend this masterpiece for anyone who wants to get pleasantly scared. Even if you don’t it is worth giving a shot, trust me you will be happy that you did. Once you start it is quite hard to put the book down, you will just keep completing story after story and will be wanting more at the end of the book.
The book consists of 18 Horror stories, each unrelated to each other. I loved everything about the book be it the storylines, the characters or the climaxes. But what I loved the most is ‘horror’ does not just consist of ghost stories, you will also find stories of Paranormal Activities and those that result as a product of one’s imagination. The stories sometimes feel so real that it’s quite possible we have already experienced one of them but do not remember.
My favorite story is about a spoilt brat coming to live at his ancestral home after the death of his father. The home is situated in an isolated patch and near a bridge which passes over a river. After a few days, he starts seeing someone on the bridge throwing a sack in the river but whenever he tries to follow the person, he/she/it simply disappears. When the story unfolds you will have your mind blown for sure.
I highly recommend this masterpiece for anyone who wants to get pleasantly scared. Even if you don’t it is worth giving a shot, trust me you will be happy that you did. Once you start it is quite hard to put the book down, you will just keep completing story after story and will be wanting more at the end of the book.
travellingbibliomaniac's review against another edition
4.0
Darkness by Ratnakar Matkari is an anthology of 18 tales with supernatural and mystery as its central theme. Translated from Marathi to English by Vikrant Pande, the book consists of crisp stories which leaves the readers asking for more.
Ratnakar Matkari was a Marathi writer, a movie and play producer/director, and a self-taught artist from Maharashtra, who passed away in May 2020 due to Covid-19.
The language is lucid and I never felt like I was reading a translated text. The stories explore topics like love, revenge and infidelity among other things. A couple of them followed the same theme but yet were different enough to be enjoyable. The stories mostly scored heavier on the supernatural scale more than it did on the horror scale. Of them my favourites were Birthday, By The Clock, Lady Of The House and The Man On The Bridge.
It was such an engaging read. Although a few stories weren't that impactful and at times predictable, I eagerly waited for the author to deliver the punchline in most of them and get my mind blown away.
My rating: 3.8
Ratnakar Matkari was a Marathi writer, a movie and play producer/director, and a self-taught artist from Maharashtra, who passed away in May 2020 due to Covid-19.
The language is lucid and I never felt like I was reading a translated text. The stories explore topics like love, revenge and infidelity among other things. A couple of them followed the same theme but yet were different enough to be enjoyable. The stories mostly scored heavier on the supernatural scale more than it did on the horror scale. Of them my favourites were Birthday, By The Clock, Lady Of The House and The Man On The Bridge.
It was such an engaging read. Although a few stories weren't that impactful and at times predictable, I eagerly waited for the author to deliver the punchline in most of them and get my mind blown away.
My rating: 3.8
rohit09's review against another edition
3.0
This book is translated from Marathi to English and has short stories with a paranormal element. Not all stories are horror. Few have very interesting concepts about parallel universe, vampire, premonition, etc. But it were the endings that disappointed me the most.
Out of 18 stories, I found only a few stories interesting and which were able to make me uncomfortable. It's not that the stories were not interesting, but almost all the stories had an ambiguous end. There was no explanation and sometimes the events didn't make any sense, at all! It was like things were just happening. I think that's why I am more disappointed. You know, when the build up is good, the concept is interesting and you are deep into the story, and then it just ends, there is no closure and there is a feeling of incompleteness, most of the stories end like this.
Read if you want to read something different in paranormal genre but be prepared for abrupt endings.
Out of 18 stories, I found only a few stories interesting and which were able to make me uncomfortable. It's not that the stories were not interesting, but almost all the stories had an ambiguous end. There was no explanation and sometimes the events didn't make any sense, at all! It was like things were just happening. I think that's why I am more disappointed. You know, when the build up is good, the concept is interesting and you are deep into the story, and then it just ends, there is no closure and there is a feeling of incompleteness, most of the stories end like this.
Read if you want to read something different in paranormal genre but be prepared for abrupt endings.
pavi_fictionalworm's review against another edition
4.0
Full Review to Follow Soon
Disclaimer: A physical copy was provided via Harper Collins Indiain exchange for an honest review. The Thoughts, opinions & feelings expressed in the review are therefore, my own.
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manumaan's review against another edition
2.0
Lot of cliches, some good twists. Some twists are twists for the sake of it.
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