The Return of Tolmarher’s Short Stories
Dear readers and explorers of the unknown,
It is an absolute pleasure to announce the return of the second volume of Tolmarher’s Short Stories. This new book serves as a gateway to dimensions oscillating between the dreamlike and the dystopian, between the fantastic and the profoundly human. Each story, carefully woven from my darkest obsessions and brightest dreams, aims to open doors to worlds you might prefer to keep closed. But isn’t it the risk that drives us to keep reading and discovering?
In this installment, you’ll find four new stories (from the fifth to the eighth) that expand the multiverse of my imagination into even more unsettling territories:
Story 5: “Genocide by Compassion”
The dreaded alien invasion arrives—not with the roar of bombs or the clash of weapons—but with a promise of salvation wrapped in deception. Our stellar visitors do not seek direct annihilation; instead, they purify the Earth, cure diseases, and eradicate hunger. Everything seems miraculous until we understand the true cost. This tale questions humanity’s ultimate value—what makes us truly authentic? Are we willing to surrender our essence in exchange for a perfect order, even if it means our own demise?
Story 6: “The Last Descent”
Set in a cyberpunk megacity of a distant future, where the echo of our original humanity barely lingers. The masses are consumed by decadence, surrounded by a mix of technology and grime, while a vermin hunter—enslaved by his environment—faces a moral crossroads. Amid corroded implants, flickering neon lights, and an unexpected attack, he must decide whether to sacrifice the last shred of his honor to maintain a fragile balance or unleash forces that could bring a different form of redemption to him and his city.
Story 7: “The Desert City”
A journey to an ancient metropolis, built amid infinite sands and guarded by solar and lunar deities. Divine war is relentless, and mortals—insignificant pieces on a cosmic chessboard—wage unseen battles. A young prince inherits the throne amidst palace intrigues and spectral forces thirsty for blood. His decision, a sacrifice both terrible and transcendental, will forever alter the fate of men and gods, redefining the fragile order that has silently ruled for millennia.
Story 8: “The Knight of Ashes”
A dreamlike descent into the essence of being. Juan, an epic knight burdened with guilt and desire, ventures into a mental landscape dominated by deformed creatures and primal fears. As he progresses, he realizes with terrifying clarity that the true threat does not come from external monsters, but from the dark depths of his own soul. Each step brings him closer to a revelation as unsettling as it is liberating—within him dwells the most fearsome enemy.
Are you ready to read?
This second volume is an intense experience—an invitation to cross boundaries and question our most deeply rooted certainties. A fair warning: these stories may shake your preconceived ideas, push you to the edge of your comfort zone, and evoke that lump in your throat that arises when something forces us to confront our own shadows. But in the end, there is no more thrilling journey than the one that compels us to look into the mirror of the unknown.
So, dear reader, I ask you: will you dare to cross the threshold and discover what lurks within these pages? The choice is yours.
Welcome back to Tolmarher’s Short Stories. Here, imagination knows no boundaries… and neither does darkness.
