Example (sorry for spoiler): man with wired religion married woman. Man tells woman that in his religion the have together “till death do us part”. Woman wants to split after a few years, demon breaks through floor and attacks woman, man kills demon.

That’s it, great story line and so much could have come from it, but the author didn’t even take the time the discribe the demon. Instead of feeling immersed in the stories, I felt like someone was recapping the book to me. I think if the author would have cut the number of stories and put more effort onto developing the better ones into long, more complete plot lines, this would be a killer listen.

Lots of myths, Lovecraftian beasts, sex, violence, erotica, mysteries, zombies, killer chidren and of course, the Fish.

It’s a must hear for horror fans, in fact anyone who likes audio fiction.

Spread the word!

Speaking directly to the author, I think your stories are sufficiently good enough that you don’t need to fill the pages with sex or profanities. Carrie’s Sacrifice is an example of a story that can stand on its own without referring to someone’s self-gratification.

As for accent, well, I wouldn’t expect you to speak in any way that wasn’t natural for you. I especially like your wife’s voice for the female counterparts in the stories. I sure hope she continues. Good luck with your next endeavor!

I also have to say I agree completely with Vic Velcro’s input. How can you enjoy a story by tearing it completely apart? It is what it is.

Thank you for letting my mind wander a little each evening, Mr. Burt.
-vampire_odessa

I would, first, like to thank you for the hours of enjoyment. I’ve enjoyed every episode. The people who I’ve introduced to these stories are all plenty satisfied.

A few comments:

I disagree with Mr. Crawford regarding the verbiage. I use a bit of slang and make up my own words, as needed. That’s me. If it so happens that Mr. Burt’s characters do the same, well that’s just how some people are. If it fits the story, write it like that.

Cory has a point regarding the story explanations. We are each capable of processing our own perspective. However, some (like me) do appreciate the explanations, due to their value for potential authors or authors looking for new angles. I guess putting them at the end of the story is acceptable, as Cory and others can just forego that last little bit.

Cory also mentioned the narrator’s accent. I haven’t spent any length of time in Tennessee since the mid 90’s, so I notice the accent, now that I’ve been away. Not really a big deal, though. Everyone has an accent. People in Texas hear the accent a Michiganian speaks. People in New Hampshire hear the accent a Floridian speaks. But Texans don’t have an accent as perceived by other Texans. Should we expect Mr. Burt to release geographic editions of his podcast? One for every area? Should he issue foreign language editions to satisfy Italians, Greeks, or the Baltic peoples? I don’t believe so. I believe the listeners are likely able to adjust after an episode or two. Those who cannot adjust, well…

The content is what I appreciate the most. The accent of the narration and the explanations at the end do not detract from the stories.

I would really enjoy hearing these on a more frequent basis. The release timing is probably due to Mr. Burt’s lifestyle and quality of output. Perhaps pumping them out faster would cause the material to suffer. I’ll take what I can get, however I can get it, and be happy.

In closing, I want to thank Russ for making my world a bigger place and for his generosity.

Russ, thank you so much.

-Vic

Russell
http://rlburt.com

These stories are well written and captivating. I highly recommend this book.

The writing is very good. The problem is the narration. The accent is very off-putting. Furthermore, one should not EXPLAIN one’s horror stories at the end. That by itself is the reason I won’t be continuing my subscription. Sorry.

* The point of view feels shifting and uncontrolled to me, and there’s a lot of “head hopping” which is unnecessary.

* Too many times Burt chooses to use passive language for description, when the writing would have been more powerful with more active language.

* Finally, some of his word choices and word inventions grated on my nerves. “Clichely” is not an adverb, and doesn’t even come off the tongue well. “Antagonized” should not be used as a dialogue attribution tag. And I had to stop listening when I heard “Logicked” (I assume that’s how it’s spelled) used as a synonym for “thought”. Frankly, Burt’s writing would have been better and stronger had he chosen to stick with conventional language.

As I said, the ideas and concepts behind these stories are strong and interesting. I’d like to see them revisited when Burt has polished his language and his writing style is more professional.

moe