"Nightfall and Other Dangers" Book Review

In his debut collection, Nightfall and Other Dangers, Jacob Steven Mohr demonstrates an uncanny ability to understand not just horror, but people as well. His stories are deeply human, driven by ordinary and extraordinary individuals without ever losing a flair for terror.

“You Are the Hero of Legend” is the first tale in which Mohr is able to showcase his writing style and demonstrate his ample capabilities. Second-person stories can be extremely difficult, but Mohr keeps the reader hooked with a unique and compelling concept with its own delightful payoff.

Exploring slasher stories in “Song of the Summer,” Mohr is able to utilize old tropes and do something unique and intriguing with them. The story is enjoyable and twisted, one that reflects Mohr’s capabilities with characters.

An absolute highlight is “Mister Mickenzie,” where children are joined by an imaginary friend who rules it will decide on the rules of the games from hereon. Mohr builds on the dread slowly throughout, revealing the unmistakable wrongness and terror with a fittingly ambiguous conclusion.

The story that best showcases Mohr’s abilities as a writer is the exquisite “1855.” An epistolary nightmare set in an orphanage with a boy struggling to discover the truth behind his family and the arrival of a priest able to translate his language. Sinister revelations lead the reader down a dark path with rich aplomb.

Mohr is a horror writer to watch, and with stories as delicious and dangerous as this, one cannot help but wait for the night to fall.