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Storm Lake: A Short Horror Story Prequel to The Hunted by [Val Tobin, Paradox Book Cover Design]

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Val Tobin

Storm Lake: A Short Horror Story Prequel to The Hunted Kindle Edition

by Val Tobin (Author), Paradox Book Cover Design (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition

68 ratings

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Rachel and Jeff are just children. But Storm Lake’s monsters want to eat them anyway …

Thirteen-year-old Rachel and her little brother are looking forward to a weekend of canoeing and spending time with their friends up at the family cottage on Storm Lake. But something terrifying has birthed from the trees, and the kids find themselves trapped in an isolated marina fighting for their lives. Can the children find a way out before they become the creatures’ next meal? Storm Lake is the terrifying prequel to the action-packed horror novel The Hunted. Buy now and read this gripping, fast-paced horror story.

Print length

54 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

December 16, 2014
File size

4034 KB
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Enhanced typesetting

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Val Tobin
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00R4MKS3G
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Val Tobin (December 16, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 16, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4034 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 54 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,927,974 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,107 in 90-Minute Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Short Reads
- #2,881 in Horror Suspense
- #9,939 in 90-Minute Literature & Fiction Short Reads

Customer Reviews:
68 ratings

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Val Tobin

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Val Tobin writes stories worth losing sleep over, drawing on her shady past as a software/web developer and her master's degree in parapsychology. No butter tart is safe when she's around, especially if there's tequila to go with it.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5

68 global ratings

5 star		49%
4 star		23%
3 star		12%
2 star		6%
1 star		9%

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James N Simpson

Why Have All the Sounds of Animals at the Lake Been Silenced?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 31, 2016

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A short story, that gets to the horror element fairly early on. It's basically about a family who goes on a holiday to a lake they've been to before, but as they draw nearer to their destination, things are different then they usually are. A kid is missing, so is a dog and the sounds of numerous animals that can usually be heard just aren't there. What is the cause of this. It won't be long before the family finds out.

It's a fairy good story, the ending is very open ended though, I didn't need the storyline to finish or wrap up but would have liked a bit more for the alive characters than what we have here. The way it is, the short story could easily become a much longer novel down the track if the author chose to turn it into one.

2 people found this helpful

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Fiction Author Rhoda D'Ettore

Fast and suspenseful

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 27, 2015

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Nice eerie story to read while the power is out! :) We had a tornado this week and so I caught up on some reading, and boy am I glad I chose this one. The story opens with a family on it's way to visit a cabin by a lake--the typical "Mom, he has stinky feet" of sibling interactions connects the reader with the characters right away. I could here the "are we there yet" type of annoyances all families face in this situation. Upon arriving at their destination, the family is informed a young child went missing while under the supervision of both her parents. Soon other strange occurrences begin, and of course, bad cell phone reception in a wooded area causes issues.

This is a fast paced, suspenseful story that draws you in. I did not notice the "over use of British terms" one reviewer complained about. In no way did it distract from the reading for me, so perhaps that was just one reader's experience. The only thing I could say that I would have liked was for this story to be a bit longer. Such a well written piece could easily become an 80k novel, or perhaps a serial? Will definitely be checking out more from this intriguing author.

2 people found this helpful

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Bibi Reads, A LOT

Wished the story were longer

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 25, 2017

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“She sat on the end of the dock and pulled off her running shoes and socks, easing bare toes into the water. Cold! She yanked them out again and then slid them back in, this time getting both feet wet to the ankles. A full-body shiver rattled her teeth, and she pulled her feet out again.”

I loved the level of detail in the first half. The author paints such a vivid picture of the action and surroundings you almost feel like you’re there. By the time her main character adjusted to the chill, MY feet were starting to feel cold.

Overall, this is a well written short piece by an author with obvious talent. My only complaint is that it should have been much longer. In the second half of the piece, the pace picks up substantially, but the details drop off. I felt that her descriptions of the “creatures” in particular would have benefited from a lot more detail. I must also admit that I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the ending. I wanted more.

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Melanie P Smith

Great start to a series...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 8, 2019

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Storm Lake is a great start to a series. The story sucks you in from the very beginning. It had a Poltergeist style intro that gives the reader a false sense of normality: typical family, the proverbial car ride with the kids arguing about stinky feet and are we there yet. The author does a great job of developing characters we can relate to; they might even remind you of your own childhood. The kids are typical siblings — squabbling over silly annoyances at one moment, then demonstrating fierce loyalty, camaraderie, and devotion when it matters. As the family approaches their final destination to begin their much-anticipated annual vacation, they learn trouble is on the horizon. I’m not going to spoil the surprise but the instant they stop at the local marina, the entire family realizes this vacation will be different. Suddenly, the pace begins to intensify. The tension builds bit-by-bit as the reader wonders what is lurking in the woods and who, or what, will be the next casualty.

Storm Lake was a quick read that kept me interested to the very end. The characters are likeable and intriguing, the storyline is well-written and fast paced, and the suspense sucks you in and keeps you wanting more.

This story does end on a cliff-hanger, leaving you wondering what will happen next and how the story will proceed. I assume this was done intentionally. Normally, I’m opposed to this technique, but as a prequel to a series — in this instance — it works well. I look forward to finding out what happens in the next story and how these children slay their monsters. If you enjoy a good suspenseful horror story, you should definitely give this one a try.

3 people found this helpful

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DarthJustice

Storm Lake

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 29, 2017

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Found and downloaded Storm Lake a few nights ago, when a bout of bad weather was heading my way, figuring I'd have something to entertain myself during when my electricity would go out.

While neither the electricity went out that night nor did I get around to reading the story until a day or two later, I don't really have much to say other than I enjoyed the story. Enough I read it in one sitting. The only other thing I'd say is I did think it's a story that was worth fleshing out a little more, both in the story itself and in sequels. Particularly with the way this story ends.

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Horror Short Story

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 10, 2016

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I don't read horror and did not realize that was what I was getting when I picked up this short story while it was free on Kindle.

That being said the story totally sucked me in the whole way. I curled further and further into a ball while reading it as each of the children's protectors failed. I was scared, terrified, and ready to put a metal room on my house by the end of the forty-one pages.

Then the writer in me started analyzing how the story was built. Classic start of normality so you care about the character and the introduction of the sinister without it being sinister - then danger is hinted at, then observed, then shown, then brutally thrust into the characters lives. A moment of slow to capture your breath and reestablish caring for these characters (far deeper than you should for a short story), then it gets worse and worse. They do everything right, but this is a horror story. Each time you think the stakes can't get any higher, they do.

If you want to figure out how to write a good horror story, this would be a wonderful one to study. Well done, Ms. Tobin. Very well done.

7 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

RuddersReviews

As gruesome a little horror tale as you could ever hope for - loved it!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 15, 2019

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An intriguing little horror tale that starts off with a simple family car journey on the way to a holiday marina, one that any parent with young and teenage children will be able to identify with amid all the usual sibling squabbles, and ‘are we there yet’ type questions. The sheer normality of the situation and innocence of the children initially lulls the reader into a sense of ease, almost on a par with some Enid Blyton type adventure (if you weren’t already aware this is a horror story) - and that’s where the sense of ease stops. Upon arrival at their destination, they’re greeted by the sight of police cars and the grim news about someone having disappeared. The family, or rather the older of the two children, is further alarmed by a few throwaway comments about things not being right, and there being fewer animals about in the otherwise wildlife-filled area.

Several dead and mutilated bodies and other equally horrific scenes later that wouldn’t be out of place in zombie fest, what follows is a desperate fight for survival.

The abrupt and inconclusive ending, far from being frustrating or a disappointment, is one that leaves the reader the opportunity to let their imagination run wild, especially knowing there is will soon be a full novel-length sequel to this, and one that I’ll definitely be reading – a well-deserved five blood dripping stars for this one.

Tom

Suspense and horror

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 15, 2015

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I have never been a fan of horror stories in any format, so why then did I try this short story? I recently read a novel by the author and was impressed by her writing, so if I was going to read something like this – it had to be from her.
The tale begins at a leisurely pace, introducing a mother and two children driving out to their remote lakeside retreat in Ontario. Once they arrive at the marina near their hideaway, things start to pick up a pace. There are unexplained disappearances according to other folk they meet on arrival. The family dog finds something unusual in the bushes ... and there are shadows moving through the trees. It’s time to read between the fingers.
Suspense is layered from that point onwards and the pace picks up and increases right to the end. The characterisation and imagery are done well, and so too is how the story reaches its conclusion. There are those who will say that it ends suddenly, or could have been taken a stage further. I would disagree, because the author has left enough information and scope to allow readers to come to their own conclusions. In this story – that is a good thing.
If you like this story, you should check out the author’s longer works.

One person found this helpful

Lesley Hayes

Intriguing story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 24, 2015

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This intriguing short story is a good ‘taster’ for what Val Tobin offers in her other books, and definitely caught my interest. The characters are well-drawn – especially the two children – and it brings to life realistically the kind of ‘what-if’ scenario a vivid imagination can paint on a dark and stormy night. Lurking in the shadows of the summer getaway are unknown, unexplained monsters, and the suspense is all in discovering just how far they will go and what it will take for the children to escape them. To say more about the storyline would spoil the enjoyment of the reader. I read this in just two sittings, and felt gripped right to the end. My only adverse criticism for this well-written, well-crafted story is that it seemed to me to end very abruptly. I would have liked some answers, or at the very least a more drawn out process of questioning about the origin of the monsters, and perhaps a better sense of resolution. A good read, nonetheless!

One person found this helpful

Jan R

Intriguing horror short

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 24, 2016

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This book proves yet again what a skilled writer Val Tobin is. As a parent I was instantly drawn into the story, laughing at the interaction between the brother and sister. It reminded me of many road trips stuck in the back of the car with my own little brother. The weekend promises to be an idyllic getaway but mysterious events soon change it from a welcome break, to a fight for survival. The story starts off quite calmly but as soon as the plot switches to horror, the pace picks up and speeds towards the unexpected ending. Even though this is a short story, it feels like a full novel condensed into a few pages. I found the ending quite refreshing and it left just enough for the reader to think about. I could easily see this as the first book of a series as there is a lot of scope to develop the plot further.

lovereading

Well-written, fast-paced novella

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 14, 2015

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This is a short novella, however, Val Tobin manages to take you along for the ride from the very first page, enough to make me want to finish the story. There is a cliff-hanger at then end, but it would lend itself nicely to a sequel, or equally not.

I won't go into much detail about the characters or plot, as typical of this genre, some are destined to die grizzly deaths and there are things creeping around in the dark, but there was enough information about the 'core' family and their dog that you didn't want certain things to happen!

I don't usually like this genre, I struggle with the 'family member who gets mutilated in front of you, but never mind, let's carry on' type of thing, but I can appreciate a well-written story, so if you like dark, scary, horror books, this well-written, fast-paced book is definitely for you.

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