Two Before Dawn: A Two-Story Horror Anthology (Double Feature Collection Book 1) by Chad Lutzke

Two Before Dawn: A Two-Story Horror Anthology (Double Feature Collection Book 1) Reviews

• 
  Scot

  Two Before Dawn is a double shot of horror from the mind of Chad Lutzke.
  That Damn Thing, to me, seemed short. I feel that this story could benefit from a rewrite to include more. I understand what the author is doing here, but I feel if the story was longer, that length would really benefit it. I'm my opinion, the story almost distracts from the real prize here.
  The real draw of this duo is the second story, Self-Immolation. It is about a vampire who wants to end his immortal existence by witnessing the sunrise one last time. The real beauty, the poetry, of this story is in the notes afterwards. These notes bring to light what his story is really about, a tribute to the author's father. After reading these notes, the emotive meaning soaks through the story and this story blooms like the flower it truly is.
• 
  J. Kahele

  Wow
  
  Fantastic stories. The first took us into the mind of a psychological killer and the second into the mind of a suicidal vampire. The writer masterfully crafted the voice of the characters so well you could almost feel what they were experiencing.
• 
  Tim Ouellette

  Two Before Dawn, a review
  
  I just finished reading this two-story horror anthology by Chad Lutzke and wanted to jot down my thoughts on my introduction to Chads work.
  
  From The Damned Thing:
  
  "Am I feeding science? Or a demon of murderous lust? If I begin, will I be able to stop?"
  
  These are my favorite lines in the first story. In this and his second story Chads haunting yet very poetic prose exemplifies his strong grasp of character and his ability to 'humanize', as it were, individuals and ideas in history that have always been perceived as innately inhuman. To see Jack the Ripper portrayed as a human individual held captive by his own perverted, murderous lusts drives home the fact that he could be anyone, at any time - a human person who has given in to his own ideology of evil.
  
  While I certainly enjoyed this first story I believe Chads skills really shine forth in the second tale, Self-Immolation. Again, we see something that has historically been perceived as inhuman exhibit distinctively human traits and characteristics such as guilt, shame, remorse, etc.
  
  From Self-Immolation:
  
  "Mankind could destroy itself without me. Today the undying would die."
  
  Simple and direct, the above lines describe an inhuman entity with a dark sense of humor.
  
  I very much enjoyed Chads work and am looking forward to reading more.
• 
  Michael Thomas-Knight

  Here's two stories from Chad Lutzke to sample his work. Both stories are good and have a nice twist for an ending, the kind I like in short stories, something with real punch. My only problem with it is they are too short. Both pieces are flash fiction. I would have preferred the first one to be a flash piece and the second one to be of standard short story length, in order to get a good feel of his work. These are both too short to leave a lasting impression. However, I am convinced enough to try another two-fer by Mr. Lutzke. Just hope its a fuller 2 story combo.
• 
  Shannon Everyday

  Two Before Dawn, by Chad Lutzke, contains two short stories. Both stories delve into the mindsets of the character the story is about. That Damned Thing involves a killer and a book. It's a well done, quick glimpse into the character. Self-Immolation does an excellent job with it's main character, a vampire, looking back on his life, while making a life changing decision.
• 
  Wesley B. Caldwell

  Okay, but nothing special...
  
  This was two stories, the first being a good short story, and the second was another good story, but just nothing really special, interesting and worth reading, but nothing to get too excited over. All in all it is an okay book with two pretty good stories you might enjoy.