About the Book About the Author
You are about to enter a world of terror and pain!
In “Beta,” a monster terrorizes an isolated village in the mountains of Eastern Europe, draining the blood of its victims, leaving them frozen in the snow. The villagers hunt wolves, decapitate “vampires,” but the murders continue. As each new body is found, the residents grow more and more paranoid. Then the cobbler's son decides to investigate, discovering a terror that puts him in mortal danger. Who will be next? Will it ever end?
In “Salvation,” a young girl and her friends discover a Federal soldier lying up against the fence that shelters her village from the outside world. He’s injured and in pain, and tells the girl to go get help. She does, braving the Ring and the terrible beasts that live there. She’ll tell the adults about the soldier, but the kind of help they’ll give him isn’t the kind he wants.
In "City of Salt," a desperate man searches for salt in a post-apocalyptic city, despite the mutants that lurk the streets, hunting for human flesh.
In "Prey," an old man with discovers a gruesome new fertilizer for his beloved flowers.
And in Raleigh's Prep, a novel, Topher, Michael, and Kenneth find a mangled body on the rugby field of their new school. They decide to investigate-- inadvertently unleashing the horror that lurks in the woods that surrounds the campus.These are just a few of the macabre stories found within.
Enter-- IF YOU DARE!
James Noll has worked as a sandwich maker, a yogurt dispenser, a day care provider, a video store clerk, a day care provider (again), a summer camp counselor, a waiter, a prep. cook, a sandwich maker (again), a line cook, a security guard, a line cook (again), a waiter (again), a bartender, a librarian, and a teacher. Somewhere in there he played drums in punk rock bands, recorded several albums, and wrote dozens of short stories and a handful of novels. His first three books, A Knife in the Back, You Will Be Safe Here, and Burn All The Bodies, are now available as Mad Tales. His fourth book, The Rabbit, The Jaguar, & The Snake, will be available September 2017.
Editorial Reviews
"You are about to enter a world of terror and pain!
The varied interests of these stories are held together by their curious natures, as well as Noll's ability to develop the story naturally with suspense and clarity. His vivid imagery also takes his stories to another level. In my opinion James Noll is an excellent writer.
This collection is truly fascinating and worth the time. Good book, lots of interesting stories, and a quick read - just right for a long flight. All of these tales are fascinating, and I will be glad to have them close at hand to reread them.Overall, I'd recommend this book to absolutely everyone. It's easily one of the best books I've ever read and I believe it will appeal to a very wide audience. Some of the stories are violent and gritty. There is a definite artistry prevalent throughout the book. I feel short story writers, interviewers and reporters could learn a great deal from James Noll. The rest of us will probably be content being entertained."-- Mary Anne (5 stars)
"I bought this book at Marscon directly from Mr. Noll himself. I love the horror genre, and the book definitely interested me. I truly enjoyed all the stories in the book. There are 7 short stories and a novella, plus the beginning of another story with some of the same characters from the novella. I enjoyed all the stories, but a couple of my favorites were 'Beta', regarding a remote village being terrorized by...something in the woods, and 'Under the Rocks', which dealt with a river and the monster therein. The novella was different as well; interesting characters, quite a lot of death and gore and some twists and turns.
I look forward to reading more of Mr. Noll's work in the future!"-- Robin Abess (5 stars)