Dare

A Collection of Short Fiction and Poetry

By: Melissa Leigh

Narrated by: Tom Zadoyko

Dare is the first work by author Melissa Leigh (she/her), a specialist in gothic horror short fiction and poetry. Her disturbing and terrifying works present frightening new takes on traditional horror tropes. A boy in a fight with his shadow, a mermaid longing for legs, and the typical ghost story dramatically transform under her capable hands. Leigh breaks the tension with dark romantic poems of love gone awry, love gone wrong, pining and longing. This brief collection will thrill you and change your perceptions of what speculative fiction and horror can become. Enjoy this unusual and singular collection at your own peril.

©2021 Melissa Baker (P)2023 Melissa Baker

The twists that capture your interest

I enjoyed not being able to predict the ending to the stories. They are fun and fresh ideas jumping to life and in several cases I want to hear more.

Amazing stories, definitely worth your time!

Each one of the stories in this collection is just a journey in and of themselves! You bounce between subjects and timelines and themes seamlessly, with Tom's narration giving Melissa's words such theatrical highs and lows that they all feel both individual as well as an overall whole.

I definitely recommend skipping to the Afterword first and jotting down the musical references that Melissa suggests so that you can play them in the background while listening. They definitely added an extra layer that I didn't realize I needed until I forgot to do it for one and had to go back and re-listen. It really makes me wish more audiobooks did that now.

10/10 would definitely recommend!