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After the Fire
Frank Neely is a man beset by nightmares, memories of a horror decades past. As he struggles to reconcile his guilt over the loss of a boyhood friend, the terrors of his youth begin to creep over into his present. Can he come to terms with what happened that day in the LaFontaine house? Or will his nightmares overtake him?
D. Alexander Ward has crafted a genuinely disturbing tale of psychological horror, proving himself an exciting new voice in the field.
D. Alexander Ward has crafted a genuinely disturbing tale of psychological horror, proving himself an exciting new voice in the field.
57 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 2013
About the author
D. Alexander Ward
25 books74 followersD.Alexander Ward is an author, editor, and publisher of horror and dark fiction.
His most recent novel is POUND OF FLESH, and other novels include BENEATH ASH & BONE and BLOOD SAVAGES: A Blackguards Novel (Book 1),
As an editor, he most recently curated the anthology Bram Stoker Award-nominated LOST HIGHWAYS: Dark Fictions From the Road from Crystal Lake Publishing.
He also co-edited THE SEVEN DEADLIEST as well as the Lovecraftian horror anthologies, SHADOWS OVER MAIN STREET, Volumes 1 and 2, and also GUTTED: BEAUTIFUL HORROR STORIES from Crystal Lake Publishing.
In the summer of 2021 his small press publishing company Bleeding Edge Books released the anthology THE BAD BOOK edited by John F.D. Taff followed by novellas from authors like Michael Bailey, Erinn L. Kemper, Holley Cornetto, and Chris DiLeo, with more on the way!
Along with his family and the haints in the woods, he lives near the farm where he grew up in what used to be rural Virginia, where his love for the people, passions, and folklore of the South was nurtured. There, he spends his nights penning and collecting tales of the dark, strange and fantastic.
He is active on social media and you can find him at facebook.com/dalexward
His most recent novel is POUND OF FLESH, and other novels include BENEATH ASH & BONE and BLOOD SAVAGES: A Blackguards Novel (Book 1),
As an editor, he most recently curated the anthology Bram Stoker Award-nominated LOST HIGHWAYS: Dark Fictions From the Road from Crystal Lake Publishing.
He also co-edited THE SEVEN DEADLIEST as well as the Lovecraftian horror anthologies, SHADOWS OVER MAIN STREET, Volumes 1 and 2, and also GUTTED: BEAUTIFUL HORROR STORIES from Crystal Lake Publishing.
In the summer of 2021 his small press publishing company Bleeding Edge Books released the anthology THE BAD BOOK edited by John F.D. Taff followed by novellas from authors like Michael Bailey, Erinn L. Kemper, Holley Cornetto, and Chris DiLeo, with more on the way!
Along with his family and the haints in the woods, he lives near the farm where he grew up in what used to be rural Virginia, where his love for the people, passions, and folklore of the South was nurtured. There, he spends his nights penning and collecting tales of the dark, strange and fantastic.
He is active on social media and you can find him at facebook.com/dalexward
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 7, 2013
In After the Fire by D. Alexander Ward things started simple enough, two boys named Frankie and Lane at the age of 12 decide to go on a little adventure. There is a house in their town known as the witch house and they decide to explore it while the witch is out-of-town.
They break into the witch’s house and see things that they’ve never witnessed before. They hear a noise in the attic and decide to investigate and see something that makes their worst nightmares seem tame. In a rush to escape the witch’s house they knock a candle down and start a fire and Lane is killed in the blaze.
As an adult Frankie is plagued by constant nightmares of that day. Some horrors never go away and have a tendency to ruin your life. Will he come to terms with what he saw in that house, and the death of his friend or will the nightmares haunt him for the rest of his life?
After The Fire is a psychological horror story that looks at how one horrific event can affect your life forever. There is some great and disturbing imagery in this book. The way the witch’s house is described was excellent, including the pictures of post death Victorian corpses that the house contains. This is a good tale about redemption and confronting your personal demons. Its also a short read with great characters, a lot of action and enough spooky atmosphere and gore to keep horror fans happy.
They break into the witch’s house and see things that they’ve never witnessed before. They hear a noise in the attic and decide to investigate and see something that makes their worst nightmares seem tame. In a rush to escape the witch’s house they knock a candle down and start a fire and Lane is killed in the blaze.
As an adult Frankie is plagued by constant nightmares of that day. Some horrors never go away and have a tendency to ruin your life. Will he come to terms with what he saw in that house, and the death of his friend or will the nightmares haunt him for the rest of his life?
After The Fire is a psychological horror story that looks at how one horrific event can affect your life forever. There is some great and disturbing imagery in this book. The way the witch’s house is described was excellent, including the pictures of post death Victorian corpses that the house contains. This is a good tale about redemption and confronting your personal demons. Its also a short read with great characters, a lot of action and enough spooky atmosphere and gore to keep horror fans happy.
January 12, 2014
Before the holidays I read a really good story from Author D. Alexander Ward. I was lucky enough to receive the paperback in a giveaway. You never really know what you’ve got until you’ve taken that journey with an author. I am so very glad to have taken this one.
In the story, Frank Neely is a man struggling by the haunted memories of a terrible event from his childhood. Decades later he finds himself coming undone by the ghosts of that fateful day, and the death of his best friend. All these years later, Frank is the only one remaining from the fire that ended so many lives, and brought ruin to his own. Or is he?
"After the Fire" isn’t the longest story in the world, but it packs quite a punch. It was exactly what I needed, restoring my love for discovering new voices in dark fiction. It isn’t about the darkness in the subject matter. It’s about marvelous pacing, gripping subject matter, and not often enough, a poetic voice to take you there. There were brilliant passages, especially near the final scenes that just sung to me. And the ending was a great breath of fresh air. I won’t spoil it for you, but I have read far too many stories that went the other way. This one had me cheering.
I look forward to seeing what else Ward has up his sleeve. "After the Fire" did a fantastic job of whetting my appetite for further adventures.
In the story, Frank Neely is a man struggling by the haunted memories of a terrible event from his childhood. Decades later he finds himself coming undone by the ghosts of that fateful day, and the death of his best friend. All these years later, Frank is the only one remaining from the fire that ended so many lives, and brought ruin to his own. Or is he?
"After the Fire" isn’t the longest story in the world, but it packs quite a punch. It was exactly what I needed, restoring my love for discovering new voices in dark fiction. It isn’t about the darkness in the subject matter. It’s about marvelous pacing, gripping subject matter, and not often enough, a poetic voice to take you there. There were brilliant passages, especially near the final scenes that just sung to me. And the ending was a great breath of fresh air. I won’t spoil it for you, but I have read far too many stories that went the other way. This one had me cheering.
I look forward to seeing what else Ward has up his sleeve. "After the Fire" did a fantastic job of whetting my appetite for further adventures.
August 3, 2013
Frank Neely is a man tormented by guilt-induced nightmares. As children, Frank and his best friend pull a prank on a neighborhood widow rumored to be a witch. The prank goes horribly wrong, and the memory of that traumatic experience continues to haunt him. When sleep deprivation begins loosening his grip on reality, and his dreams become waking nightmares, Frank revisits his past in hope of finding peace.
This was a well-done psychological thriller. I wasn’t really sure what direction this story was going to take — if the supernatural elements were real or a product of Frank’s spiral into mental illness. Was it guilt, or ghost? Haunting, or hallucination? Do restless spirits even respond to meds? A good thriller should always keep you on your toes, and this story definitely delivered.
The eerie atmosphere was well developed and I enjoyed the macabre descriptions of Victorian post-mortem death photography. Without giving too much away, this story was an intriguing retooling of New Orleans’ infamous Delphine LaLaurie. Since reading this story, my fascination with her evil has been rekindled, and I’m now really hoping she will appear as a character in this season’s American Horror Story: Coven.
This was a well-done psychological thriller. I wasn’t really sure what direction this story was going to take — if the supernatural elements were real or a product of Frank’s spiral into mental illness. Was it guilt, or ghost? Haunting, or hallucination? Do restless spirits even respond to meds? A good thriller should always keep you on your toes, and this story definitely delivered.
The eerie atmosphere was well developed and I enjoyed the macabre descriptions of Victorian post-mortem death photography. Without giving too much away, this story was an intriguing retooling of New Orleans’ infamous Delphine LaLaurie. Since reading this story, my fascination with her evil has been rekindled, and I’m now really hoping she will appear as a character in this season’s American Horror Story: Coven.
October 1, 2017
Awesome
This was an entertaining story! It was written so well that I felt like I was actually there, witnessing it happen in real time!
This was an entertaining story! It was written so well that I felt like I was actually there, witnessing it happen in real time!
August 31, 2021
I very much enjoyed reading this novella.
It is written about a tragic, disturbing event which takes place a couple decades in the past. This event is explained, then fast forward when the main character Frank tries to come to grips with what happened on that tragic day when he was a child. He feels his entire life's path has changed due to this, and now experiencing vivid nightmares & guilt, wants to have some ensemblence of closure. I personally loved the suprise in the plot towards the end and did not see that coming.
I do wish this was turned into a longer story, as I read this in one day and did want to continue reading...it's quite the page turner!
It is written about a tragic, disturbing event which takes place a couple decades in the past. This event is explained, then fast forward when the main character Frank tries to come to grips with what happened on that tragic day when he was a child. He feels his entire life's path has changed due to this, and now experiencing vivid nightmares & guilt, wants to have some ensemblence of closure. I personally loved the suprise in the plot towards the end and did not see that coming.
I do wish this was turned into a longer story, as I read this in one day and did want to continue reading...it's quite the page turner!
June 15, 2015
Creepy tale
Creepy stuff of nightmares. This one will give you nightmares if you give it too much thought. Far kite gave up forty years of his life, but finally found redemption.
Creepy stuff of nightmares. This one will give you nightmares if you give it too much thought. Far kite gave up forty years of his life, but finally found redemption.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews