Book picks similar to
Starlight Drive: Four Tales for Halloween by John Palisano
horror
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short-stories
Best Ghost Stories of Algernon Blackwood
Algernon Blackwood - 1973
a midnight caller keeping his promise ... forests where Nature is deliberate and malefic ... enchanted houses ... these are the beings and ideas that flood through this collection of ghost stories by Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951). Altogether 13 stories, gathered from the entire corpus of Blackwood's work, are included; stories of such sheer power and imagination that it is easy to see why he has been considered the foremost British supernaturalist of the twentieth century.Blackwood's ability to create an atmosphere of unrelieved horror and sustain it to the end of the story is almost unsurpassed. “The Willows” — which has been called by H.P. Lovecraft the finest supernatural story — is a typical example of Blackwood's art: slowly and surely Blackwood draws the reader into a world of shadows, nuances and unearthly terror.Blackwood was also a master at evoking feelings of mysticism and cosmic experience; dealing with such ideas as interpenetrating levels of existence and pantheistic elemental powers, he expanded the content of supernatural literature enormously. But even the more traditional elements of horror stories such as ghosts and haunted houses are handled with such energy and feeling that they rise far above their predecessors.Drawing on serious Oriental thought, modern psychology and philosophy, Algernon Blackwood introduced a sophistication to the horror story that — with a few exceptions — it was devoid of before. The results are stories that are not only guaranteed to chill, but stories that have something to say to the intelligent reader.Contents:- The Willows (1907)- Secret Worship (1908)- Ancient Sorceries (1908)- The Glamour of the Snow (1911)- The Wendigo (1910)- The Other Wing (1915)- The Transfer (1911)- Ancient Lights (1914)- The Listener (1907)- The Empty House (1906)- Accessory before the Fact (1914)- Keeping His Promise (1906)- Max Hensig (1945)
Baby Teeth: Bite-sized Tales of Terror
Dan RabartsJean Gilbert - 2013
From the mouths of babes come 37 stories, from the haunting to the hilarious to the horrific.Leave the lights on tonight. So you’ll see them coming.---Paper Road Press and the Baby Teeth authors are proud to donate all proceeds from sales of this book to Duffy Books in Homes, to support their great work with child literacy in New Zealand.
A Gathering of Ghosts
David Haynes - 2014
Prepare to have your blood chilled by six tales of fear and phantasmagoria…The Silent Bell: A doctor’s invention to prevent people being accidentally buried alive backfires on him with horrific results.The Stonegate Manor Collection: Lord Feltham’s paintings are worth a fortune, but also conceal a gruesome tragedy that has yet more lives to claim.The Haunting of Reverend Carson: The charlatan Musgrave makes a living pretending to talk to the dead, until he discovers his new client’s demons are more than merely spiritual.The Last Waltz: Through that miracle of technology, the Zoopraxiscope, a lonely man’s long-lost love is brought back to life before his very eyes.The Speaking Tube: John Barker is consumed with hatred for his malicious father and torments him with voices from hell, unaware of how close to the abyss he is himself.The Ghost Train: Alone aboard an empty train running along a dead track, Godfrey witnesses the grotesque secret that is entombed beneath Paddington Station.Go deeper into David Haynes’s world of the macabre…
Horror At Halloween: Part One
John Gordon - 2011
Nobody can really explain it. You just have to understand that bizarre things happen there. They just do. Weird things. The kind of things you don’t even want to dream about in your worst nightmares.Trick-or-treat is crazy enough, with ghosts and goblins and witches and warlocks and all manner of other horrors roaming the streets. But in Oxrun Station, the masks aren’t always made of rubber.In his new hometown, British teenager Sam Jones discovers that a legendary backwoods bogeyman has risen from the grave to seek revenge against those who put him there . . .The fabric of the cosmos is unravelling and dark and dangerous things are leaking across the borders . . . For five unsuspecting teenagers, their lives will never be the same again as they discover the hidden terrors lurking beneath the surface of their quiet town and experience the most horrifying Halloween of them all . . .This year in Oxrun Station, THE TRICK IS TO STAY ALIVE!
Tiny Nightmares: Very Short Stories of Horror
Lincoln MichelBen Loory - 2020
Tiny Nightmares brings to life broken-hearted vampires, Uber-taking serial killers, mind-reading witches, and monsters of all imaging, as well as stories that tackle the horrors of our modern world from global warming and racism to social media addiction and online radicalization. Writers such as Samantha Hunt, Brian Evenson, Jac Jemc, Stephen Graham Jones, Kevin Brockmeier, and Rion Amilcar Scott expand our understanding of horror fiction with inventive and blood-curdling new tales. We suggest reading with the hall light on and the bedroom door open just a crack.
Bitter Chills
Nick HarperMarcus Hawke - 2021
Durrant, Roxie Voorhees, Spencer Hamilton, Carla Eliot, Cass Oakley, Christopher Badcock, Carmilla, Joe Clements, Marcus Hawke and Patrick Whitehurst.In this anthology, you'll find incredible stories from some of the freshest faces in horror: in 'My White Star', a bittersweet love story is told through the lens of a chilling spectral haunting; in 'The Violent Snow', a strange artefact summons more from the blizzard than bargained for; in 'Everyone to the Table', sickening wishes come true...Settle in for a cold one. These stories are hard to swallow...
The Mammoth Book of Nightmare Stories: Twisted Tales Not to Be Read at Night!
Stephen Jones - 2019
. . of horrors! Here are some of the stories that gave their own authors nightmares—things that go bump at night, hauntings that lurk in the back of the mind, skin-crawling moments between the realms of wakefulness and sleep. In this somnambulistic collection, award-winning editor Stephen Jones asks many of the biggest names in horror fiction to choose their own favorite stories and novellas which, for one reason or another, have been unjustly overlooked or ignored. From Hugh B. Cave’s 1930s “shudder pulp” tale to Ramsey Campbell’s stunning novella of barely concealed hysteria and grim black humor, these are the “forgotten” stories ripe for rediscovery, by such acclaimed authors as Poppy Z. Brite, Basil Copper, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, Caítlin R. Kiernan, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Tanith Lee, and Michael Marshall Smith. Be warned: do not try to read this book at night, because these superior horror stories—both supernatural and psychological—will leave a lasting chill down your spine long after you have put it down, shut off the lights, and ducked under the covers. As you try to get off to sleep, who knows what dreams may come . . .?
Collected Halloween Horror Shorts: Trick 'r Treat
Kevin J. KennedyJohn R. Little - 2017
Well… It’s ours, too. A mixture of authors from Collected Christmas Horror Shorts and Collected Easter Horror Shorts have come back together, and invited a few friends, to make this Halloween an extra special one. Lock your door, dim your lights, add some pumpkin spice to whatever you are drinking and light your jack-o’-lanterns. This will be a Halloween you will never forget. Table of Contents John R. Little - The Halloween Phantoms Lisa Morton - Pumpkin Rex Richard Chizmar - Mister Parker Christopher Motz - The Halloween Playground Kevin J. Kennedy - Halloweenland Mark Cassell - A Story of Amber Peter Oliver Wonder - Dressed For Success Christina Bergling - Black Widow Stuart Keane - Hollowed Be Thy Andrew Lennon - Girlfriend Briana Robertson - Trick Turned Treat James Matthew Byers - Jenny Greenteeth J.C. Michael - The First Shot Mark Lukens - The Coffin Man Suzanne Fox - The Devils Fruit Steven Stacy - Don't Fear the Reaper.
The Unforgiven
J.L. Clayton - 2016
Two years limited edition eBook. Get it while you can. Step into our twisted minds for six horrifying tales. Seeing Red, by J.L.Clayton All her life, Challis has been bullied by the people around her, and now the thin string holding her sanity intact has snapped...The only thing she sees is crimson. They say revenge is best served cold, but Challis will take hers: hot, sticky and red! Come along for one horrific ride as author J.L.Clayton takes a forsaken girl and turns her into a heartless killer. Seeing Red has never looked so frightening. Twisted Insanity, by R.L. Weeks Author R. L. Weeks brings you Twisted Insanity. It cannot be reasoned with. It cannot be bargained with. Jacob has been locked up for ten years, waiting for his chance to take his revenge on Gale, his ex-wife. After persuading the mental health team that he has recovered, he goes on a killing stint. Gale is about to find out the extent of his twisted insanity. Truth or Dare, by K.L. Humphreys Taken to a psychotic man's playground, Becca only hopes her husband can get help to save her, before she ends up like the others.The Missing Persons Unit team know that unless they stop a madman and find missing Becca, they will be finding body parts in the forest. Author KL Humphreys will have you looking over your shoulder wondering what is really going on in the minds of those you call family. Hell House, by Becca Moree A walk through the Hell House leaves Erin questioning if visiting the Carnival of Darkness was a good idea after all. The sounds pouring from the mouths of the actors in each room were just a little too good.A little too...real. Step into a world of unthinkable torture as author Becca Moree takes one innocent college student on a Halloween outing she will never forget. Poison Pen, by R.B.Wood Upset the author at your own peril. A young down-on-his-luck author makes a demonic deal to remove a few obstacles from his writing career and stardom. White Wedding: Reckoning, by Steven Evans Jen's best friend, Jess, is an emotional train wreck. Too weak and afraid of her abusive father and now forced to marry a man she doesn't love, Jess' life is spiraling out of control. Jen desperately wants to help her friend but... What's a doll to do? Steve Evans brings a wickedly sweet twist to a tale of friendship in "White Wedding: Reckoning".
Body Shocks
Ellen DatlowTananarive Due - 2021
Discover—if you dare—shockingly twisted tales of the human body that make The Twilight Zone seem like a children's show. In Body Shocks, you will find twenty-nine chilling tales from storytelling masters including Carmen Maria Machado, Richard Kadrey, Seanan McGuire, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Tananarive Due, Cassandra Khaw, Christopher Fowler, and many more.The most terrifying thing that you can possibly imagine is your own body in the hands of a monster. Or worse, in the hands of another human being.In these 29 tales of body horror selected by World Horror Grandmaster Ellen Datlow, you'll find the unthinkable, the shocking, and more: a couture designer preparing for an exquisitely grotesque runway show; a vengeful son seeking the parent who bred him as plasma donor; a celebrity-kink brothel that inflicts plastic surgery on sex workers; and organ-harvesting doctors who dissect a living man without anesthetic.Table of Contents: The Travellers Stay by Ray CluleyToother by Terry DowlingPainlessness by Kirstyn McDermottYou Go Where It Takes You by Nathan BallingrudA Positive by Kaaron WarrenLa Beauté sans verte by Genevieve ValentineSubsumption by Lucy TaylorSpar by Kij JohnsonIt Was the Heat by Pat CadiganAtwater by Cody GoodfellowThe Transfer by Edward BryantWelcome to Mengele’s by Simon BestwickBlack Neurology: A Love Story by Richard KadreyCuckoo by Angela SlatterCinereous by Livia LlewellynThe Truth That Lies Under Skin and Meat by Cassandra KhawNatural Skin by Alyssa WongThe Lake by Tananarive DueI’m Always Here by Richard Christian MathesonThe Look by Christopher FowlerThe Old Women Who Were Skinned by Carmen Maria MachadoSpores by Seanan McGuireSweet Subtleties by Lisa L. HannettElegy For a Suicide by Caitlín R. KiernanSkin City by Gemma FilesA True Friend by Brian EvensonWhat I Found in the Shed by Tom JohnstoneFabulous Beasts by Priya SharmaTissue Ablation and Variant Regeneration: A Case Report by Michael Blumlein
Amid the Sinking Dark (The Dread Void Book 2)
Abe Moss - 2021
Black Magic
Russell James - 2013
Stranger Lyle Miller’s magic shop seems to only stock what its select customers desire. When four outcast boys buy common party tricks, only Lyle knows what those tricks can really do. As subtle changes occur around town, a few residents realize that something is amiss…and getting worse. But it may already be too late. Lyle’s black magic has empowered more townspeople to help him execute his Grand Adventure, a plan that will reduce the town, and half the state, to rubble.
Five Tales of Horror and Suspense
C.D. Wilsher - 2018
A young man finds out from a fortune teller that there’s always a price to be paid. A rich man doesn’t quite have the 25th high school reunion experience he expected. Beware of strangers on a train. A dog may not be man’s best friend. An aging hitman takes a trip down memory lane.
Beast
Anna Willett - 2020
They supplement their income by selling pics of themselves as stock photos online.The abandoned Red Water Hotel is the perfect location for a shoot. But when they enter the decrepit building, Dursha begins to feel a strange presence. Jackie dismisses her concerns and they head further in.Strange moths have clustered, and the light filtering through has an eerie shimmer. The young women see a telephone number scrawled on the wall.By now Dursha is totally creeped out. But Jackie is already calling it...THE WIDOWDan decides to go to a party held by an old friend. It’s a no-good group, but it might help him put his worries aside. His life is spiralling and he has a serious toothache to add to his woes.At the party he strikes up a conversation with an enigmatic man who has excellent whiskey, and promises him a quick way to make money.In all honesty, Dan just wants enough cash to pay for a dentist, but he journeys with his new friend to a house deep in the country. The hazy plan is to rob it of a known stash of money.It sounded good in theory, but now his friend is nowhere to be seen and Dan is stuck inside the house, face to face with the widow who lives there...
Dread
Jeff Wade - 2018
Frank bolts up in bed. Except he’s not in bed. His head slams into what feels like ten-million tons of solid rock. He rolls right, then left, only to be foiled by more rock. Like a stone coffin. What is this place? How did he get here? Maybe the dream was real, and this is the nightmare. His heart slams with panic as he stares into the darkness. ...the plot twists were so frequent, and so dramatic... Something has happened. Something terrifying. But the harder he strains to recall the event, the deeper it retreats into the labyrinth of his mind. ...an excellent psychological thriller... A stalker in his dreams. Horror when he wakes. A passage. A password. A vanishing snake. What does any of it mean, if anything? ...one of the best horror stories I have read in a long time. No light. No water, no memory. And he's out of time. He must remember. If he wants to live. His amnesia is fading, but so is his hope. And perhaps his sanity.