The Painted Darkness [Kindle Edition]

Brian James Freeman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A free prerelease e-book edition has garnered plenty of advance buzz for this fast-paced, satisfying horror novella from Cemetery Dance Magazine editor Freeman (Blue November Storms). Twenty years after a traumatic childhood incident, Henry has become a professional painter who uses his work as an outlet for his inner demons. Something from his past has taken up residence in the basement of the house he shares with his wife, Sarah, and young son, Dillon, challenging Henry's ability to "paint against the darkness." The narrative builds up to a conclusion that isn't entirely shocking, but it still makes for a compelling read thanks to skillfully composed prose that builds tension and evokes emotional response. The paper edition includes several eerie full-page b&w illustrations by Jill Bauman. (Nov.) (c)
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Review

"Brian James Freeman's evocative tale about the dark corners of an artist's imagination is elegant and haunting. This beautifully designed book with splendid illustrations by Jill Bauman is a pleasure to read and a joy to hold." --David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of The Shimmer

"Spooky stuff!" --Richard Matheson, New York Times bestselling author of I Am Legend

"The Painted Darkness is a dark, terrifying, and deeply moving gem of a novella. Brian James Freeman managed to both scare me and move me to tears." --Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Keepsake

"The tone and building dread reminds me of classic Stephen King. Great velocity and impact, and super creepy. Don't go in the basement!" --Stewart O'Nan, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Country

"Wonderfully reminiscent of the quiet horror of Charles L. Grant, The Painted Darkness takes readers on a gently chilly walk though the forest of fears both conscious and subconscious. With Straubian lyricism, Brian James Freeman evokes not only the irrational terrors of childhood, but addresses the roots of creativity and the vital importance of art. A very impressive achievement." --Bentley Little, award-winning author of His Father's Son

“The Painted Darkness delves into territory that fascinates so many of us — the fine lines between beauty and horror, faith and fear, art and the unconscious. Both a wonderful allegory and a gripping read, Brian James Freeman has written a taut, memorable tale.”
-- Michael Koryta, award-winning author of So Cold the River, The Cypress House, and The Ridge

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 216 KB
• Publisher: Cemetery Dance Publications (July 3, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003UNLMTM
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,144 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Brian James Freeman sold his first short story when he was fourteen years old and his first novel when he was twenty-four. His short stories, essays, novellas, and novels have been published by Warner Books, Leisure, Cemetery Dance, Borderlands Press, Book-of-the-Month Club, and many others.

His newest book-length work of fiction is The Painted Darkness, which took the Internet by storm during the summer of 2010 and will be published in hardcover in December 2010 by Cemetery Dance Publications. The Painted Darkness was also offered as the "Free eBook of the Month" by WOWIO.com in October 2010, and within two weeks it became the most downloaded title in the program's history.

Brian's short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies since 1994 including From the Borderlands (Warner Books), Borderlands 5 (Borderlands Press), Corpse Blossoms (Creeping Hemlock Press), and all six volumes of the acclaimed Shivers anthology series (Cemetery Dance Publications).

Brian is currently the managing editor of Cemetery Dance magazine, where his column "The Final Question" appears. His essays, columns, and interviews have been published in The Stephen King Library Desk Calendar 2009 (Book of the Month Club), The Stephen King Library Desk Calendar 2010 (Book of the Month Club), Jobs in Hell, Hellnotes, and Cemetery Dance.

Brian is also the publisher of Lonely Road Books where he has worked with Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan, Mick Garris, Stewart O'Nan, and other acclaimed authors. You can learn more on the official Lonely Road Books website at LonelyRoadBooks.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much More Than "Just Another Novella", August 8, 2010

By 

brownie "dogs AND dinosaurs rule!!!!!" (ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Painted Darkness (Kindle Edition)

THE PAINTED DARKNESS: Novella Review

Grade: A

Before reading The Painted Darkness, I had heard of Brian James Freeman before. He'd published (or is about to publish) a handful of books with Cemetery Dance publications, and is currently one of the editors of the Cemetery Dance magazine. He's gone by several names--James Kidman, Brian Freeman, and finally Brian James Freeman. (He says he's sticking with the latter.) But...I'd never really read him before. His other novella, Blue November Storms, has long been OOP from Cemetery Dance, and his Leisure novel, Black Fire, is stuck somewhere in the Everest that is my To-Be-Read mountain. The only work I'd read by him previous to The Painted Darkness was a short story, "One More Day", in Shivers V--and, to put it frankly, I thought it paled in comparison to the other talent held in that anthology.

Yet here in The Painted Darkness, Freeman has obviously matured much as a writer since my last encounter with his work. The Painted Darkness reads like something Stephen King would put into words; something that a well-renowned author who has had years to hone his writing would write. It reads like a master of the craft has written it.

Freeman uses the novella format to tell his story, switching back and forth between the present and the past. It works great; and because the story isn't novel-length, the constant switching never becomes tiresome.

The plot tells the tale of Henry, a man who doesn't realize just how much of his childhood is left inside of him, buried under several layers of fear and sorrow. That's all I'll say; since the book isn't very long readers should go in unprepared for what they're about to experience. As for the experience itself: well, let's just say that Freeman knows how to slowly build his mysteries, adding layer after layer of fright and wonder into them. The final chapters of The Painted Darkness will fly by as you delve into Henry's world of imagination and terror.

So I'd never really read Brian James Freeman before. I'd never actually taken the time to dig up his works. Now, after experiencing the darkness? I can only see him going uphill from here.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Painted Darkness, August 5, 2010

By 

Chris "book-cat" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Painted Darkness (Kindle Edition)

I opened this compelling novella late one evening with the intention of reading a few pages and then getting off the computer to watch a movie. Many pages later, I was still online and reading, the movie long since forgotten. I finished the tale the next day and promptly began to seek out other fiction by Freeman. A bundle of short stories to read via Kindle software are now waiting in my laptop and I'm looking forward to meeting up with this writer again in the dark corners of the imagination. I'd recommend you do the same.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Can't Miss for Fans of Literary Horror, December 21, 2011

By 

Chris Shearer (New Cumberland, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Painted Darkness (Kindle Edition)

Up until now, Brian James Freeman (aka James Kidman and Brian Freeman) has flown (somewhat) under the radar. Well, no more. He's long been one of the best horror and suspense writers around. His novel Black Fire (a finalist for the Bram Stoker award) is a great example, as is his previous novella "Blue November Storms," and a handful of amazing short stories (including my personal favorite, "Answering the Call," from Borderlands 5). Brian's prose is crisp and clean, smoother than anything this side of Ray Bradbury. He has often drawn comparisons to Stephen King, and the sense of nostalgia that colors his work certainly yields this comparison, but the focus of his writing differs. He is much closer to Bradbury or the late Charles L. Grant than King.

The Painted Darkness flip flops between two timelines. In one, Henry, a child, lives what will become the most significant day of his young life. The sense of foreboding and childhood innocence in this timeline is nearly unmatched in modern literature. In the other he is an adult, an artist, and haunted by what he sees in his current work, a past he cannot remember, and what he senses is hiding in the basement. In this timeline, Freeman trades in foreboding and innocence for flourishes of insanity, dread, and terror. The contrast--and the way these plots work together--enhances each timeline, each building upon the other, before reaching a brilliant and heartbreaking conclusion.

Freeman is at the forefront of modern literary horror. If you're looking for blood and guts, he may not be for you, but if you're looking for the kind of stories that made horror the cultural phenomenon it was in the late '70's and early '80's, with writers like King, Straub, McCammon, Bradbury, Ellison, Ramsey Campbell, and Grant, then he's the best you're likely to find. Freeman's writing makes you think, but more importantly it makes you feel.

I strongly recommend The Painted Darkness.