The Ten Commandments of Evil by Vignesh Sivasankar

-

 


‘The Ten Commandments of Evil’ (Readomania) - the cover says it all… hinting at stories that pulsate with evil, a reversed ‘Z’, a demonic baby with a glinting eye and words scratched out in a frenzy! What sends a further chill down the spine is the suggestion that these could be “horror stories based on actual events?” The question mark at the end offers no comfort at all.

The horror begins from the first story itself, ‘Twins’ which hints at Satanic events leading to an absolute catastrophe. What is so sinister about a pair of twins? As the mind reels, ‘Shades of Odour’ describes ten-year-old Reeha who experiences phantom smells which ‘unwrap the reek of people’s souls’. Will she be able to unravel the mystery behind the mysterious deaths that she witnesses?

“Death has never been mellow.” Shekar, the psychopath, is surrounded by speaking walls that bring him to the brink of hallucinations, “his soul releasing the captivated ghosts of his past’. Why does he prefer death to the present life that he leads?

If I had to choose one of my favourite stories, the next one would probably be it. ‘The Guest’ reveals the mindset of a murderer who openly avers that “the rodent enters the house to create some permanent damage”. Even as he carries out his gruesome task, the denouement of the story is mind-blowing.

‘Unknown’ is another chilling tale with psychological undertones meshed with superstition and possession. How does Govind, a meticulous scholar in parapsychology, view the events that take place in his village and how far does he believe in the supernatural story that is being bandied around by the villagers?

Most of the stories in this anthology bring out the fact that truth can often be stranger than fiction. If ‘An Affair’ hints at paranormal haunting and telekinesis, ‘Fallen in Love with You’ highlights how the mind can conjure up strange delusions that can appear eerily real.

“Demons are pure evil. They like darkness. The only way nature exhibits darkness even during the daytime is through shadows.” When Satvi, who has an overactive imagination, faces betrayal from those closest to her, there is only one avenue of closure – that of darkness, and ‘Shadows’, which is also the title of the story.

‘Sunstra Pakpao’ begins with a doctor trying to bring an estranged couple together by ‘reigniting a lost love’, and just when she feels that she has shown them the way towards reconciliation, the horror descends, ending in a gory finish. The last story is named aptly ‘Scarier Than Death’ and deals with the predicament of a rich industrialist who turns into a helpless wreck after a car accident. What are the repugnant phantoms that assail him with spooky manifestations? Is it the fear of the unknown or are his past sins catching up with him?

All the stories reveal the quagmire that the human mind finds itself in through hallucinations, delusions, psychic appearances, astral projections, macabre materialization and paranoid schizophrenia.

Vignesh Sivasankar does not believe in mincing his words. These tales are dark and gritty. They are not a pleasant easy read. They reveal unspeakable evil, the language used reeks of evil and is raw and unvarnished.

Readers who savour the genre of horror would find this book right up their alley.

 

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE STRANGE CASE OF THE MISSING TEETH

-
Image
                                                                            Clipart.com I cannot forget the shocked expression on the young dentist’s face. “Where are all your teeth?” “Uhh… in my mouth, where they should be?” I mumbled, perched on the leather chair as he peered into my mouth. His eyes widened with bewilderment as he leant forward, almost falling into the gaping cavern in front of him. “Three missing here… three on the other side! Two more here and a broken tooth!” I was quite shocked out of my wits. Where had all my teeth disappeared to? I did recall a few sittings earlier where some of my wisdom had been yanked out, but eight and a half teeth? I was a walking miracle! More importantly, an ‘eating’ miracle! When my better half agonised over one painful grinder that made lif...
Read more

Clouds and Waves by Rabindrananth Tagore - Poetry: The Best Words in the Best Order - #BlogchatterA2ZChallenge2021

-
Image
     CLOUDS AND WAVES Rabindranath Tagore Amazon.com Serenity in the Garden Mother, the folk who live up in the clouds call out to me - "We play from the time we wake till the day ends. We play with the golden dawn, we play with the silver moon." I ask, "But how am I to get up to you?" They answer, "Come to the edge of the earth, lift up your hands to the sky, and you will be taken up into the clouds." "My mother is waiting for me at home," I say, "How can I leave her and come?" Then they smile and float away.    But I know a nicer game than that, mother. I shall be the cloud and you the moon.  I shall cover you with both my hands, and our house-top will be the blue sky.  The folk who live in the waves call out to me - "We sing from morning till night; on and on we travel and know not where we pass.            Sunaina Coelho I ask, "But how am I to join you? They tell me, "Come to the edge of the shore and stand wit...
Read more

The Miracle of Love - Fiction - Post Number 8: #MyFriendAlexa

-
Image
Credits: Col. Gopinath Menon The waves crashed on the rocks, a sound that Sudesh loved, as he sat feeling the freshness of the spray on his face. Voices echoed around him, and he could feel the vibration as people jogged along the beach, and his sightless eyes turned towards the movement. He had been coming to this spot for many months now, ever since he had shifted to Mumbai, after his mother had passed away.  The sound of the sea evoked a vision that he could only feel, not see. He could smell the delicious puris that Ram Prasad was frying, very near to where he sat. Every day the cheerful proprietor would look for a moment when there were few customers, and hand over a plate of piping hot puris and delicious potato curry to the gentle blind man who sat there, so young and so uncomplaining!                                                 ...
Read more