First published in standalone e-chapbook format back in 2009, Guy N Smith’s short story ‘Hounds From Hades’ was reprinted as a free promotional pdf download by Ghostwriter Publications, available at the time from the publishers’ website.
Of note, the cover included the correct title for the story ‘Hounds From Hades’, whereas the pages within the e-chapbook incorrectly named the story ‘Hounds Of Hades’.
DLS Synopsis:
It had been nigh on twenty years since the black dogs’ mournful howl had been heard echoing across the still night air. The legend of the hounds of hell stretched back to the Middle Ages. Anyone who saw the dogs died, and when their howling was heard, death for someone in the hills was certain. Head forester Frank Hall had never believed a word of the legend. But that night, in the remote border hills, he will witness first-hand a nightmare made real. One which will change his mind forever about the existence of the Hounds from Hell…
DLS Review:
This one’s a classic Guy N Smith short story. A reworking of the age-old legend of the Black Dogs. The backdrop is typical Smith. The setting, that of where the author himself lives in the rural border hills (although I have absolutely no idea if a Devil’s Peak exists in this particular neck of the woods). The story itself is a simplistic but hugely entertaining one. That classic set up, of a bunch of deer poachers out on the remote border hills in the middle of the night. Of course, for them to break the laws of nature, they will pay the ultimate penalty. And so, in come the black dogs, for a spot of swift justice. Simple, but wonderfully effective. A great little short.
The short story was first published within Guy N Smith’s ‘Horror Shorts: 1st Collection’ (1999), then within ‘Graveyard Rendezvous: Summer 2009’ (2009) and later published again within the ‘Tales From The Graveyard’ (2020) collection.
The e-chapbook runs for a total of 8 pdf pages.
© DLS Reviews
