Danger lurks in them there mountains: Shadows of Appalachia is a collection of haunting, spooky stories

 

 

Shadows of Appalachia

D.L. Winchester

Undertaker Books, 2024

Ebook, 50 ppg.

ASIN: B0CK9JNF6Q

ISBN: 9798865850434

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In the mood for some down-home, bare bones and spinetingling tales sure to please? Then check out the short story collection by D.L. Winchester, Shadows of Appalachia. This chapbook of stories provides good scares, thought-provoking stories, and lasting impressions of life in the great beyond you won’t want to miss. I read every story in this book and loved them all!

 

You don’t need to be familiar with the Appalachian lifestyle, folklore or habits in order to “get” what’s going on in these stories, but it does help. I was never exposed to anyone from that area in the past, but I have met some folks from there, though they don’t really share much about the history. Even so, I have read of such things, so it helped me to understand some things about the goings-on in the characters’ lives.

 

But this is not to say these stories are for readers familiar with such things. No, a lot of the stories are relatable to other people and places – parents, teenagers, veterans and the like. There’s a lot in these stories that really pulled me in and tugged at my heartstrings. But there was also scary stuff in these stories, too. So scary that I almost stopped reading! They were a good read for scary stories and I enjoyed them a lot.

 

The “Wolf Creek” story was eerie. Not because of what happens in it (though that is definitely eerie!) but because I read this story as an author. I created a fictional town for my middle grade paranormal mystery series, though the state it is in is real. I could totally understand the character’s consternation and shock at what he discovered in Wolf Creek, in the story. And I started to get goosebumps. I wonder if that has ever happened to an author? That would be so bizarre! And “slender man in a black suit” REALLY gave me chills! EEK! (If you know, you know.) This is my favorite line from that story: “"Some are limited to what others can dream up, ideas like heaven, hell or purgatory. But rare ones, artists, writers, and the like, are able to find a home beyond what others can create." (Page 48) This author can dream.

 

Shadows of Appalachia is a short collection of stories that will entertain while also chilling readers to the bone. In a mix of stories spanning old tales, family regrets and haunts from the past, this book will leave readers satisfied by well-told stories and hungry for more tales from this author. I look forward to reading more of his work.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.