The Ties That Bind

By David O'Mahony

From Irish writer and quiet horror master David O'Mahony comes a collection of tales that delve into the myriad aspects of what connects us, in this world, other worlds, to each other, and to things not of this Earth. Including forays into Irish folklore, stories loosely based on some of his real-life ancestors, Lovecraftian cosmic horror, and an array of ghost stories, this is his debut work and gathers together published as well as unpublished stories.

What people are saying about the stories:

"a microcosmic reflection on the horrors of our relatively recent history, told through the lens of a weary young man who can bring peace to troubled souls. O'Mahony transitions the reader with unnerring gravitas from a seemingly innocuous fantasy of a medium-type character who perhaps exploits people with his gift to an Irishman haunted by the chaotic unrest of a famine pit and its otherwise forgotten occupants. An opportunity he has until now avoided anticipates a happy ending, but amid the vivid and unnerving imagery are the clues that we, the reader, will leave this tale as haunted as the man who sees the dead. Short and fleeting though it is, Grave Tidings is an altogether immersive piece that demands our retrospection, our introspection, our consideration of a moment in time that still echoes across the land"
- Ronald A. Geobey, author of Kiranis, on the story 'Grave Tidings'

"A riveting and imaginative journey... balancing] the surreal aspects with a palpable sense of urgency and drama"
- Parth Sarathi Chakraborty, Wicked Shadow Press, on the story 'Head Case'

"This story is beautiful. It has the neatness of a fable, but the characters' emotions and the tug of the picturesque setting make it anything but neat."
- Adam Katz, editor, 2 Rules of Writing, on the story 'The Ties That Bind'

David O'Mahony is a horror and dark fantasy writer from Cork, Ireland. Having once harboured fantasies of being the next Tolkien or Goodkind he realised horror was his calling while writing a historical fiction novel that only worked when he made it a ghost story. With influences from HP Lovecraft and Mary Shelley to Paulo Coelho and Caitlin Marceau, he is inspired by what drives the human mind and soul, as well as the folklore and landscape of his native country. He has had some 30 stories published or accepted in Ireland, the UK, US, Belgium, Canada, Australia, India, and Thailand. They have found homes with, among others, Temple Dark Books, Rogue Planet Press, 2 Rules of Writing, Stygian Lepus, AntipodeanSF, Wicked Shadow Press, Exquisite Death, and Perseid Prophecies.

He was a finalist in the Globe Soup Primal Fears horror competition and his entry to the NYC Midnight Short Story contest was praised as "an original, creative take on the ghost story".

A journalist, copy editor, and historian by training he has written non-fiction at the Irish Examiner, where he is assistant editor. A second volume of stories, What Gets Left Behind, is due out in 2025. He lives with his wife, three children, and two cats outside Cork City in a house that's far too modern for somebody who specialises in ghost stories.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0F4CQ8Z4Z
• ISBN13: 9798230847564
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Dread Recesses Press
• Length: 206 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"