Review of It Haunts The Mind by Nick Roberts
A.E. Jackson Review Score: 3 / 5 Ravens
How was this review scored?
West Virginia is both beautiful and mysterious, tame historic sites interwoven with dangerous threats. These characteristics of the Mountain State are amplified in Nick Roberts short stories. The collection is wrapped in an amazing cover. The author takes readers to his West Virginia home for a well-mixed blend of folklore, history, culture, and scares.
CONTENT WARNING
This collection of short stories will NOT be for everyone. There is a bit of adult language and some themes or character actions that may trigger readers. Consider this your Content Warning.
Roberts balances the terrors of the supernatural with the horrors of real life, this collection drags you down the dark alleys of a haunted mind, forcing you to confront your demons, both real and imaginary.
This horror fiction book is perfect for fans of horror short stories, short story anthologies, horror collections, stories about substance abuse, and coming of age horror.
“Sally Under the Bed” makes good use of West Virginia culture and well-known places. The newspaper writer hunting for a unique ghost story is a well-employed, believable, storytelling device that draws readers in. The dialogue feels true thanks to local colloquialisms and references. This urban legend, now grown up, is just as threatening. Roberts temps the reader to step into the madness with his characters…
“Hunting Season” carries the reader away to a mountaintop lodge where a family enjoys their Thanksgiving dinner. Without ever visiting West Virginia readers will feel like they’ve been there. The main character struggles to confront the mistake of an accidental shooting. Readers will be left asking where the uncanny, strange, or scary story is in this tale. The short story is predictable and ends on a bittersweet note of justice mixed with despondence.
“The Devil’s Road” Bailey returns home for Spring Break and brings her wanna-be famous podcasting boyfriend Floyd. He seems like a questionable character from the start - why is she with this guy? What’s he hiding? Well it turns out his Aunt Bethany was just one victim of the Devil’s Road Countdown Killer and Floyd is out for revenge. There is a lot of head-hopping in this short story. Omniscient point of view from the narrator in order to cover all the perspectives, internal thoughts, and emotions of the characters. In the end, that constant shift takes away from a potentially powerful story.
“The Noose” was first read and reviewed in The Horror Collection, Sapphire Edition published by Kevin J. Kennedy. The short story evokes memories of Roland and the wastelands, and Rudy Ruiz’s Valley of Shadows. The tale builds western theming through each and every word choice. Readers are transported to dusty streets and wide-open planes below towering mountain ranges. The dark western motif explores guilt and punishment for a gunslinger’s rash execution of a young boy, and the potential for his redemption.
“It Haunts the Mind” is the titular tale tucked at the very end of this collection. Three friends head to the local haunted house in an attempt to dispel the boredom of small-town living. They get more than they bargain for and pay the price.
Nick Roberts is a native West Virginian and a graduate of Marshall University where he earned his doctorate in Leadership Studies. As an active member of the Horror Writers Association, his short works have been published in various literary magazines and anthologies. His novel, Anathema, won Debut Novel of the Year at the 2020-2021 Horror Authors Guild Awards. His best-selling novel, The Exorcist's House, was released in 2022 by Crystal Lake Publishing. He currently resides in South Carolina with his wife and three children and is an advocate for people struggling with substance use disorders.
Read more from Nick Roberts at https://www.nickrobertsauthor.com and find him on social media at Facebook(@SpookyWV), Twitter(@nroberts9859), and Instagram(@spookywv).