Dark Tales

Dark Tales by Venita Coelho lives up to its name, and how!Extremely well written, you can tick the boxes for everything a short horror story should be. Spine chilling, ofcourse! Sharp twists, yes! Implacable, relentless spirits, yes! Eerie yes! Drama, action, horror, yes! And the shock of the unexpected had me sitting at the edge of my seat and with a great determination to never, never ever, read these at night!Impeccable language,( a great plus point, and a real delight, this!) taut, and so well written; the local hindi makes them come alive and seem very real. They feel like the Indian ghost stories I heard in my youth because the setting is so typically Indian and authentic.I enjoyed the complete variety..there are ghosts, and then there are ghosts, and each one is different in the way it haunts and terrifies the protagonist. Echoes of real stories bring back a horrible sense of recognition. And I shuddered with this recognition, because the horror and terror lies in the fact of them being true events which happened.Great reading for all the terror, macabre and paranormal fans. And there is dark humour too, which I enjoyed! And yes, some I found too dark, gory and believable for my my own peace of mind.Take a bow, Venita Coelho, for this fabulous writing. Short stories are the most difficult ones to write, and you have done that beautifully!Superb cover illustration by Aditi Shastry. I love the colours she has used, they bring the twisted darkness alive.

If horror/thrills/chills is your cup of tea then this IS the book for you. Venita Coelho is definitely a master in this genre. There are 11 stories in this collection which are guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat or under your sheet.I am an ardent fan of this genre but most of the time the books tend to be a big let down though there are the occasional surprises. It’s quite a delight to realise that Over the years Indian authors have finally woken up and realised the potential of this genre. Books unlike horror movies have become a safer option for me over the years since the horror is directly proportion to my imagination minus the macabre Bgm.the book it’s not all gore and macabre. So if your thinking it’s going to be some zombie fest or blood battle please no. There are some delightful twists which make some stories absolutely brilliant. The story The Good Wife was delightfully wicked and had me chuckling towards the end. Suhaag Raat was incredibly eerie and my favourite of the lot. In the story Devdas there is a brilliant subversion of the ghost and the haunted. The author has brilliantly brought a contemporary streak by including the Delhi Rape case, Uphaar cinema and Goregaon child murders are background for the stories. Coelho is a brilliant storyteller and her craftsmanship over this genre is commendable. The last few stories were far from scary but nevertheless it was absorbing.Do read this book if your looking for a refreshing new take in the horror genre. It will not disappoint!

Yeeeeh discovery of new Indian horror writer. Great book I loved it. I love Indian horror writers and here I found one excellent writer .Nicely written I will be waiting for more.her3 I follow you

Nice stories

AwesomeThe best book i have ever read

Prize & service

The Lost Children is a good story and it had the potential to be a full novel. The rest of the stories are okay. Three stories are below average.Read if you're new to the genre

Not bad