Audiobook Sample
Listen to the sample to experience the story.
Please wait while we verify your browser...
- Title: Blood Daughter: A Short Horror Story
- Author: Matthew Lyons
- Narrator: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 00:13:00
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 02/03/2021
- Publisher: Macmillan Audio
- Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Horror
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
There’s something about a good horror story that feels like a journey into the unknown – like that time I drove through Chile’s Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth, with nothing but Gabriel García Márquez’s voice spinning “One Hundred Years of Solitude” through my car speakers. The surreal landscape outside matched the magical realism within, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that the narrator was some wise elder, pulling me into a campfire circle of ghosts and revelations. Matthew Lyons’ “Blood Daughter: A Short Horror Story”, narrated by Fajer Al-Kaisi, hit me with that same primal pull – a tale that unfolds like a dusty road twisting into shadows you’re not sure you want to explore, but can’t turn away from.
Part of Nightfire’s “Come Join Us by the Fire Season 2” audio anthology, “Blood Daughter” is a lean, mean gut-punch of a story. It’s about a father at the end of his rope, desperate to keep custody of his daughter, who stumbles – or maybe dives headfirst – into something dark and disturbing to make it happen. Lyons doesn’t waste a single word, and at just under 13 minutes, this audiobook experience is the kind of quick, sharp scare that sticks with you long after the final note fades. It reminds me of those evenings in Oaxaca, sitting with a family as their grandmother wove tales of spirits and lost souls. Her voice had this weight, this perfect timing that made every pause feel like a held breath – and Al-Kaisi’s narration here captures that same intimate magic.
The story’s core is raw and human: a parent’s love twisted into something unrecognizable. I’ve seen that kind of desperation before, traveling through small towns where people cling to what little they have left. Once, in a crumbling seaside village in Portugal, I met a fisherman who’d lost his boat to a storm. He talked about it like it was his child, his voice cracking as he described the waves that took it. Lyons taps into that same ache, but then he dials it up to eleven with a horror twist that’s as unsettling as it is inevitable. You can almost feel the father’s sweaty palms, hear the creak of a floorboard in a house that’s too quiet, taste the metallic tang of fear in the air. It’s visceral storytelling, the kind that makes you lean closer to the speaker even as your gut tells you to run.
Fajer Al-Kaisi’s narration is the perfect companion to Lyons’ prose. His voice is deep and steady, with a subtle edge that keeps you on tenterhooks. There’s a warmth there, too – like he’s letting you in on a secret – but it’s laced with just enough menace to match the story’s tone. I’ve listened to a lot of audiobooks on the road, from dusty highways to rain-soaked jungles, and I can tell you the narrator makes or breaks the experience. Al-Kaisi nails it, delivering each line with a precision that builds tension without ever overplaying it. The audio quality is crisp, too – no distracting background noise, just pure, immersive sound that pulls you right into the father’s unraveling world.
That said, “Blood Daughter” isn’t perfect. Its brevity is a strength – it’s a shot of espresso, not a lingering meal – but it also leaves you hungry for more. The anthology format means you don’t get the full scope of this father’s life or the fallout of his choices, and I found myself wishing Lyons had stretched it out just a bit, given us more meat to sink our teeth into. It’s a minor quibble, though, because what’s here works so d”mn well. Compared to other shorts in the horror genre – like, say, Seanan McGuire’s twisty tales or Cassandra Khaw’s visceral nightmares – “Blood Daughter* stands out for its simplicity. It’s not about cosmic dread or gore-soaked spectacle; it’s a quiet, personal horror that creeps under your skin.
For me, this story hit a nerve because it reminded me of a night in Brazil, camping near the Pantanal wetlands. I’d been swapping stories with a local guide, and he told me about a man who’d made a deal with a river spirit to save his sick kid. The way he described it – low voice, eyes glinting in the firelight – felt like “Blood Daughter” come to life. That blend of love and darkness, the way desperation can push you past the point of no return, it’s universal. Lyons gets that, and Al-Kaisi’s narration makes it feel like it’s happening right in front of you.
If you’re into horror that’s more about the heart than the head, or if you just want a quick, chilling listen that’s free – yep, you can snag this audiobook free through certain platforms like Audiobooks.com – this one’s for you. It’s perfect for a late-night drive or a quiet moment when you want to feel something sharp and real. Fans of the genre will appreciate how it slots into the broader tapestry of “Come Join Us by the Fire”, alongside heavy hitters like T. Kingfisher and Silvia Moreno-Garcia. But even if you’re new to audio horror, “Blood Daughter” is a hell of a place to start.
Reflecting on it now, I keep coming back to how personal it feels – like Lyons and Al-Kaisi are sitting across from me, spinning this yarn over a crackling fire. It’s the kind of story that lingers, not because it’s loud or flashy, but because it’s so d*mn human. I’ve heard a lot of tales in my travels, from dusty roads to bustling markets, and this one ranks up there with the best of them – a little piece of darkness that lights up something inside you.
Until the next story finds us, safe travels and good listening,
Marcus Rivera
