Review: Stained Echoes by Jon Ring, Illustrated by Vinessa Sanford

Crafting myriad worlds in a tightly penned collection of stories, Stained Echoes: Tales of the Mysterious and the Macabre by Jon Ring is an enchanting work of old-fashioned horror for readers who love to be spooked. Presenting a wide and weird variety of disturbing yarns, from ancient battlefield hauntings to the demons held deepest in our hearts, this book exhibits a mastery of the style.

A unique and impressive homage to the macabre pacing of Poe, the collection hums with sinister tension, often delaying its twisted payoffs until the very end of the story. The opening piece especially, “The Secret Place,” will leave jaws dropped in its final pages, as the horror of a seemingly innocuous interaction becomes clear. “Feastin’ Fritz” plays on the implicit nature of a ghost town, but as is true of all the stories, Ring manages to avoid cliches and flip genre expectations on their head.

“Panzergeist” is a sparkling example of thorough research for immersive storytelling combined with a gifted pen, as dark comedy mixes with genuine terror. In a collection of horrific tales, a story of the horrible things men do to one another in war hardly needs a supernatural element, but Ring squeezes out a masterful tale from this well-trod subject.

The titular novella in the middle of this short story collection is a standout piece, though it begins similarly to other horror stories – a businessman and his trophy wife purchase a beautiful old mansion, underpriced due to a grisly history of murders and suicides. There are secret passageways, hidden histories, and a malevolent force in the basement sowing the seeds of rage and violence to anyone it can reach. Assembling a team of parapsychologists and mediums, the bewildered wife is desperate for answers, but asking questions of the dark whispers on the other side can end in terrible ways. This story is a perfect example of Ring taking a familiar premise and still offering new surprises.

There are some scenes in this longer piece that could be shortened for greater impact and drama, but the haunting premise and uniquely crafted characters still make it a slow-burning highlight of the book. Overall, there is some work to be done on an editorial level throughout the collection. Some descriptive passages wax too poetic, particularly for a short story, which can slow down the pace and blunt the suspense the author is working to build. There are other subtle mistakes – missing prepositions, awkward phrasing, and minor grammatical errors that should have been caught by a keen-eyed proofread. However, in the midst of such solid writing, these small trips are easy to overlook.

The artwork by Vinessa Sanford interspersed with these stories is remarkably good, particularly the images preceding “Temple of Dreams” and “Panzergeist.” More artwork of that caliber throughout the book would have been appreciated and effective, both as a palate cleanser and a deeper glimpse into these vivid stories.

All told, small issues aside, Stained Echoes is a dark, spellbinding escape, replete with brilliant lines of lyrical prose that both frighten and entrance. A stellar collection of classic horror, these works of short fiction are a pleasure to read from start to finish.