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B.D. Bruns is a bestselling and international award-winning author. Twice winner of Humor Book of the Year and twice featured on 20/20, Mr. Bruns has also contributed to The Travel Channel, The Daily Beast, BBC, and CNN. His books have been lauded by USA Today and The Today Show.
Reviewed by Tania Staley for Readers' Favorite
The Gothic Shift: American Gothic Vol. 1 is a macabre collection of novellas by award-winning author B.D. Bruns. This book includes four darkly twisted novellas that are sure to intrigue, thrill, and spook even the bravest reader. In the story “The Ghost of Naked Molly”, Diego del Gibralfaro’s only desire is power. The power he so craves, to be Intendant of New Orleans, is within his grasp, but everything must go according to plan, so he must keep at bay the illness that has been plaguing his servants, claiming the life of one, and ignore the lovely, nude ghost that has been haunting his rooftop. War is always a horror, but in “The Swamp Hive” Confederate soldier, Frank, will learn that there is much more to fear in the dark than the incoming Union army. Sometimes nature should be feared, and in Bruns' third tale, “Blue Caribou”, the crew of the Blue Caribou encounter the hardships of the Arctic as they journey to discover the mythical Northwest Passage. Finally, in “The Gothic Shift”, Lisa is trying to make her debut on stage in the community college theatre production of Cyrano de Bergerac, which will land her a spot in the Emoting Society. In order to do so, she must thwart the advances of her co-worker Walter, learn her lines, and manage to make it through her long serving shifts taking care of Mr. Arno, the weird shrimp binge-eating patron that has been coming to their restaurant every night. Little does she know that forgetting her lines is soon going to be the least of her concerns.
Reminiscent of classic Gothic horror stories by the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, it is B.D. Bruns' style of writing that is most pleasing. Rather than the too often used jump-out-and-scare-you or shock effect writing that so many “horror” writers create, he instead allows the story to build gradually, making the whole experience that much more enjoyable. Bruns has the science of tension building down to an art form. As I read each of these stories, I was squirming in my seat to find out what would happen in the end. I highly recommend The Gothic Shift to anyone looking for a good scare, and I can’t want for volume 2 to come out in this collection.
