Toll of Shadows

Name: Toll of Shadows
Price: 19.95 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781504916110

✍️ Jace Epple

Reader Score

4.5

(1 review)

$19.95

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A collection of horror tales by Jace Epple exploring time, aliens, and rituals.

This collection examines how ordinary lives fracture when confronted with impossible forces. Epple uses varied premises to explore fear, from technological hubris to occult secrets. The stories do not offer easy resolutions but instead leave characters trapped in altered realities. Readers encounter a scientist’s failed experiment, astronauts facing mental warfare, and lovers lost in a cemetery that defies logic. The tone remains consistently dark, focusing on the psychological toll of the supernatural rather than action alone.

Key Themes

time manipulation alien invasion occult rituals

Literary Context

Published by Authorhouse in 2015, this work fits into the American horror tradition of blending science fiction with gothic elements. The reference to John Dillinger and Crown Hill Cemetery grounds the supernatural events in real historical and geographical contexts, appealing to fans of US-based eerie fiction.

Difficulty

●● Medium

Recommended For Fans Of

H.P. Lovecraft · Clark Ashton Smith · Algernon Blackwood · Shirley Jackson

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Horror Fiction

🏛 Authorhouse 📅 2015 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781504916110

📝 Description: Toll of Shadows

Jace Epple presents Toll of Shadows, a volume of suspense and fantasy fiction. The author is known for his third installment in this genre, offering stories where characters face wild and unmerciful landscapes. The narrative structure shifts between distinct scenarios that challenge the boundary between normal reality and the unknown. One story follows a reclusive scientist who builds a time-bending machine, leading to terrifying global changes. Another tracks astronauts on a recovery mission against a hostile alien force, revealing a battlefield of the mind rather than physical space. A third tale involves a man accessing a coveted ritual behind closed doors, resulting in unexpected consequences. The collection also features a young couple visiting John Dillinger’s grave at Crown Hill Cemetery, where they find the entrance gate gone and their lives altered. Epple delivers spellbinding fiction for readers who enjoy supernatural suspense. The book suits those interested in time manipulation, psychological horror, and gothic settings. It may not appeal to readers seeking linear plots or purely scientific explanations. The reading lamp will stay on well past the midnight hour.

💎 Our verdict on Toll of Shadows

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Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Epple excels at crafting a consistently dark atmosphere that prioritizes the psychological breakdown of characters against wild, unmerciful landscapes. The collection effectively blends time-bending sci-fi with gothic cemetery settings, creating a unique subgenre hybrid. Stories like the astronaut’s mental warfare and the scientist’s failed experiment demonstrate a strong grasp of tension without relying on physical combat. This volume is best suited for readers who enjoy supernatural suspense and are willing to accept ambiguous, trapped endings. It avoids easy resolutions, offering instead a profound look at fear and hubris that lingers long after the final page.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

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Why this book is worth reading

Readers who crave atmospheric dread over action will find this collection deeply rewarding. Those interested in the psychological toll of supernatural encounters, time manipulation, and occult rituals will appreciate Epple’s consistent dark tone. The book suits fans of cosmic horror who enjoy narratives where ordinary lives fracture under impossible pressures. It offers a compelling exploration of how individuals react to mental warfare and altered realities, providing a satisfying experience for those who prefer lingering unease and unresolvable mysteries over neat conclusions or linear plots.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.5

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Epple excels at crafting a consistently dark atmosphere that prioritizes the psychological breakdown of characters against wild, unmerciful landscapes. The collection effectively blends time-bending sci-fi with gothic cemetery settings, creating a unique subgenre hybrid. Stories like the astronaut’s mental warfare and the scientist’s failed experiment demonstrate a strong grasp of tension without relying on physical combat. This volume is best suited for readers who enjoy supernatural suspense and are willing to accept ambiguous, trapped endings. It avoids easy resolutions, offering instead a profound look at fear and hubris that lingers long after the final page.