The Silent Pulpit by Donald Allen Kirch

The Silent Pulpit by Donald Allen Kirch

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


Donald Allen Kirch writes an effective short story here, with the appeal of the old school macabre tales of terror and the unknown. His gift for humor is evident, as I found myself chuckling at some of the main characters observations and actions, even though some of it was a bit on the irreverent side. Humor aside, he expertly maintains that sense of dread that a good horror story gives this reader, where I know something bad is coming, and it ain't good. The idea behind this story was very interesting, and there was enough ambiguity that brought to mind the old school ghost stories where I didn't quite know everything that was going on for most of the story, and maybe not even completely at the end. Added to that were a couple of freaky and just downright wrong images that I need scrubbed out of my impressionable, visual brain!

The sinister tone of this story sticks with me, and gives me that lingering feeling of unease and alarm that makes me such a inveterate reader of tales of terror. That makes this a successful read. I liked this story a whole lot, although I didn't quite feel like my idea of justice was done. Of course, I can see that there were seeds with Father Donavon that led him down his unfortunate path. However, this hopeful reader always wishes for the moment of clarity that causes the doomed person to come to their senses before it's too late. But oh well! You can't always get what you want. And the reader can take some comfort in knowing this is just a scary story, and you can turn off your Kindle and go back to your less frightening real life existence. At least until your urge for a good scare brings you back.

Write faster, Donald! I need more scary stories to read!

Overall rating: 4.5 stars.


Thanks for letting me read this one, Don.



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