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BooksApart in the Dark: Novellas
Cover of Apart in the Dark: Novellas by Ania Ahlborn

Apart in the Dark: Novellas,

by Ania Ahlborn

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Rating4.0/ 5
Ratings1
Pages321
Reading Hours7h
Published2018
Language—

§Synopsis

01

Two terrifying novellas from bestselling author Ania Ahlborn, “a great storyteller who spins an atmosphere of dread literally from the first page” (Jeff Somers). The Pretty Ones New York, 1977. The sweltering height of the Summer of Sam. The entire city is gripped with fear, but all Nell Sullivan worries about is whether or not she’ll ever make a friend. The self-proclaimed “Plain Jane” does her best to fit in with the girls at work, but Nell’s brother, Barrett, assures her that she’ll never be like them. When Nell manages to finally garner some much-yearned-for attention, the unthinkable happens to her newfound friend. The office pool blames Son of Sam, but Nell knows the awful truth…because doing the devil’s work is easy when there’s already a serial killer on the loose. I Call Upon Thee Maggie Olsen had a pretty ordinary childhood—swimming and sleepovers, movie nights and dad jokes. And then there were the other things…the darker things…the shadow that followed her home from the cemetery and settled into the corners of her home, refusing to let her grow up in peace. Now, after three years away from the place she's convinced she inadvertently haunted, and after yet another family tragedy strikes, Maggie is forced to return to the sweltering heat of a Savannah summer to come to terms with her past. All along, she's been telling herself, it was just in your head, and she nearly convinces herself that she'd imagined it all. But the moment Maggie steps into the foyer of her family home, she knows. The darkness is still here. And it's been waiting for Maggie's return…

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§About the Author

Ania Ahlborn

10 books in catalog

Distinguished by unsettling psychological suspense and atmospheric terror, contemporary dark fiction often draws power from deeply personal and claustrophobic dread. Author Ania Ahlborn broke into the genre when her self-published debut novel Seed climbed to the top of Amazon's horror bestseller list in 2011. Since that breakout success, she has established a prolific body of work exploring macabre human tendencies and psychological suspense.

Career & Background

Born in Ciechanów, Poland, Ahlborn relocated to the United States during her youth and grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She pursued her interest in language and narrative at the University of New Mexico, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English. After spending time in Portland, Oregon, she eventually settled in North Carolina with her family. Beginning her literary path as an independent author, Ahlborn demonstrated the viability of self-publishing before securing traditional agency representation and publishing with major houses such as Simon & Schuster.

Writing Style & Themes

Ahlborn's writing focuses on psychological horror, domestic dread, and sinister secrets hidden beneath ordinary lives. Her stories frequently place vulnerable characters in isolated or oppressive settings, emphasizing slow-building tension, intense character conflict, and eerie atmospheres over simple shock value. By blending supernatural elements with raw human trauma and flawed protagonists, her work examines how external horrors intersect with internal psychological struggles.

Major Works

  • Seed — Ahlborn's 2011 breakout debut novel, which reached the top of Amazon's horror bestsellers list and introduced her dark supernatural storytelling style.
  • Brother — A celebrated psychological horror novel that delves into deeply disturbing family secrets and violent legacy deep within rural Appalachia.
  • Within These Walls — A horror thriller centering on a struggling true-crime author who moves into the former home of a murderous cult leader.
  • The Neighbors — A suspenseful story exploring suburban paranoia, dark manipulation, and lethal secrets concealed behind quiet neighborhood facades.
  • The Devil Crept in — A chilling novel published by Gallery Books about a young boy searching for his missing friend in a small town harboring mysterious evil.
  • The Bird Eater — A supernatural horror story following a grieving father who returns to his childhood home, only to confront terrifying paranormal forces.
  • The Shuddering — A claustrophobic horror novel detailing a group of friends trapped in a snowbound mountain cabin while hunted by terrifying creatures.
  • Apart in the Dark: Novellas — A fiction collection featuring chilling novellas such as I Call Upon Thee and The Pretty Ones.

§Editions

Cover of Apart in the Dark: Novellas

Apart in the Dark: Novellas

384 pgs
20189781501187537

Metadata

ISBN-139781501187537
ISBN-101501187538

Editions and availability

Find Apart in the Dark: Novellas Ania Ahlborn in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.

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