Penpal by Dathan Auerbach

Date Published: 2012, 1000Vultures.
ISBN: 098 - 554 - 550 - X
# of Pages: 238

I read this story originally on reddit's section for "creepypasta", or scary stories written (usually anonymously) by internet users and posted publicly to read. It had first been published in parts corresponding to the chapters laid out in this book. When the author announced that he would be selling a hard copy of the story with additional material, I was ecstatic. In its original form, Penpal was one of the most unique and exciting horror stories I had read to date, accounting for both "amateur" and "professional" work. I was really impressed honestly and was thrilled to have a chance to keep the story in my permanent collection.

However, Auerbach's expanded edition may succeed in building upon the original work in word count, but his often rambling and incidental additions to the text actually diminishes the story overall. I found myself dragging through the work during sections that had originally captivated my attention online, and while I appreciated the honesty of the narrator's voice, Auerbach's writing skills are simply not strong enough to hold up under the pressure of sustaining the reader's attention during prolonged periods of relative inactivity for the main character.

The underlying plot is incredibly strong, the tension building and suspense is strong (but, I hate to say it again, much stronger in the original text) but the writing is actually fairly average. I actually found that the additions to the text showcased Auerbach's iffy writing ability and drew the reader's attention away from his strong points -- the aforementioned plotting ability and ability to shock and sustain the reader's interest. A sparser writing style really helped him and made him seem like a much stronger writer than he may actually be. I can see an incredible career for him in short story writing (a skill that very few people have), but perhaps prolonged narrative text is something to work on for the time being before seriously attempting to market it again.

The end result is still a better horror tale than most people seem to be producing these days, and his originality should be celebrated, really. The story itself is strong, intriguing and horrifying. As the pieces come together bit by bit, and the reader begins to put the story together, the story elicits genuine terror and surprise. I have not been affected by a story like that in a long time, and I'd love to see where time and some practice leaves this writer.