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Pygmalion’s Curse and Other Tales of Mystery, Horror, and Suspense
Gentle Reader,
Kindly permit me to ask you a question that may, at first, seem complex:
What is the difference between a mystery and a horror?
In my estimation, the two are almost identical—a sinister deed is threatened or committed; steps are taken to prevent the deed or to capture its perpetrator, and, at last, the matter achieves some resolution. In both instances, the dreadful impetus for the narrative is still executed, and the forces of evil still spend much of the story at large, combating, however successfully or unsuccessfully against the forces of righteousness.
It is in the resolution of each tale, however, that one observes the stark contrast between these two genres. In the mystery, one can expect the darkness of the opening act to be resolved as the enlightening forces of science and reason penetrate the black web of deceit. Justice triumphs. Victims are avenged. The virtuous are rewarded and the vile accursed. In the horror, on the other hand, despite their science and their reason, the righteous are fated to suffer while evil spins its web and ensnares both innocent and guilty alike. There is no justice or sweet revenge in the horror story; the heroes and heroines do not get to sit back in triumph, but instead they are forced to glimpse the cruel reality of life—that righteousness is not always rewarded, because the forces of evil play by rules of their own, corrupting human passions and contorting human virtues into vices.
In my forthcoming collection of short stories, you, Discerning Reader, will find tales of both mystery and horror. There are stories with dashing detectives who ‘always get their man,’ and there are stories of flawed narrators who narrowly triumph over evil thanks to the help of others. There are also yarns in which past evils return from beyond the grave to punish the innocent, and there are legends where these evils embrace human weaknesses, constricting the life out of those who might otherwise have been saved.
Within these pages, you will find stories of espionage from the Second World War, legends from mysterious travelers in the deserts and jungles at the far-flung corners of the Earth, and adventures from both the distant past and the present day. You will get to…
- Listen in on a strange, midnight confession from the bayous of New Orleans in Ashes to Ashes!
- Attend a concert with the Music King of eighteenth-century Austria in The Music of the Dead!
- Track down a saboteur in an American arms factory alongside supersleuth Dixon Blaine!
- Visit the abandoned Museum of Wonders along a lonely road in Idaho in The Library Book!
- Travel aboard a Mississippi riverboat to witness a dire confrontation concerning Belle of Mobile!
- Join a fateful voyage to Unguja Island, where you hope to uncover the dark history of The Zanzibar Chest!
- Wander the painted deserts of the American Southwest to uncover The Secret of Skeleton Mesa!
- View the strangest painting ever created in the titular Pygmalion’s Curse!
Esteemed Reader, I cannot wait for you to enjoy this thrilling volume that combines the genres of mystery and horror into eight original stories well calculated to leave you in suspense! Join me on this tour to the strangest, darkest, and most entertaining corners of the unknown world!
Book your passage beginning August 1, 2024 when all shall be revealed!
Your host,
And Gentleman of Mystery,
Antonio Roman Campos
>Visit the Picture Gallery to View Interior Illustrations>
antonioromancampos.com 