Give Your Brain a Good Squeeze: All That Slithers is a Collection of Stories that Will Slither Along Your Spine

 

All That Slithers: 13 Stories to Squeeze Your Brain

Fionna Cosgrove

Independently Published, 2025

ISBN: 9780645723380

Ebook, 197 ppg.

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Want a good collection of creepy stories to read? Then check out the short story collection All That Slithers: 13 Stories to Squeeze Your Brain by Fionna Cosgrove. Within the pages of this book, you’ll find stories of mysterious creatures, terrifying monsters, and hideous beasts just waiting to devour an unsuspecting victim. These stories are sure to frighten readers and provide entertaining tales of surprising scares and unexpected horrors.

 

The story “Creepy Critters” was really weird but also interesting. It says a lot about how teens perceive their teachers. Like, it was summer vacation and they didn’t really think much happened in their science teacher’s life, when the teen who is suspicious about her teacher that is completely different realizes that maybe teachers’ lives aren’t so boring and uneventful during the summer after all. I loved how the girls in the story got to show off their intellect.

 

“Cleaver’s Cove” is another good story. This one is recommended for the people who love to fish – especially at night! It’s not one of those “the one that got away” stories; it’s more of a spooky story to entertain and scare anyone who goes fishing in a creepy location.

 

“Sundowner” was a really creepy story. I should have realized that the info provided at the beginning meant something eerie was going to happen. Yes, the story is mostly radio transcripts, but some really scary stuff happens late in the conversation. It was really chilling! More so to discover that the story is based on real events, which readers can learn about at the end.

 

“The Last Sacred Slice” started out as a story about teenagers hanging out with the birthday girl, and of course one of them suggests they do something risky. At first, I was curious why the main character couldn’t remember someone she wrote about in her spell book, but after reading the whole story and getting to the end, it all made sense. Everything became clear. It was unfortunate what happened in the story and more so at the end, but it was also a very creepy story and I wish there had been more to it.

 

The title story was another enjoyable read. You can never trust the slithery things, even those that you could not imagine would be able to slither. This story went from being interesting to creepy and the creepiness factor went up when the strange creatures appeared. I was holding my breath until the end, wondering what was going to happen next.

 

All of the stories in this book held my interest, but the ones mentioned above really stayed with me. The stories are structured so well and well-written. The author really knows how to use mood, setting, and word choice to make these stories creepy and spine-tingling. It’s certainly a good book of stories and I highly recommend them to readers who enjoy short horrific tales.

 

All That Slithers is a collection of creepy and horrific stories that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Filled with a variety of stories that will frighten and delight, it is a book that will offer lots of good scares and terrifying chills. 

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

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

 

A Fight for Survival Against Two Monsters: The Only Safe Place Left is The Dark is a LGBTQ spin on the zombie apocalypse story

 

The Only Safe Place Left is the Dark

Warren Wagner

Ghoulish Books, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-943720-86-6

Ebook, 100 ppg.

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Imagine a world where being HIV-positive is a blessing, not a curse. That’s how it is for Quinton and Billy, two HIV-positive gay men who fight zombies. In The Only Safe Place Left is the Dark by Warren Wagner, the world has gone to the dumps after a zombie plague sets in. Most people are either dead or zombies, while other people still alive are either monsters or survivors. That’s the world we have set up for us in this novella, and it’s a world where readers will constantly asking themselves: Who will live in the end?

 

The first chapter’s ending REALLY made me angry. I was so angry by what happened that I almost didn’t finish reading the rest of the book. But I did, only out of curiosity. But because the story was so good and awesome things happened, I kept reading!

 

This book is amazing. I loved it! I was especially surprised to learn that this was the author’s debut novella. It is so well-written! Yes, it’s a story of survival and how the world changed, and people changed, after the zombie apocalypse happened, but it’s also a story about love, friendship, loss, loyalty and compassion. That’s a lot to deliver coming from a horror novel, but those themes are indeed in the story, which really made it stand out.

 

Both Quinton and Billy have lost their partners, and I appreciated how we got to learn more about the man who Billy loved at some point in the story. Readers do get to know about Quinton’s lost partner, Frankie, through flashbacks and dreams in the story, but we also learn more about Billy’s late partner. This was a touching scene to read.

 

All of the things these two men go through are really frightening, but it brings them together. They survive so much, it’s not surprising that it’s hard to keep them apart. They got each other’s back. They have saved each other’s lives. It creates a bond for them which changes both their lives.

 

The title had me wondering if the “dark” represented something more than just darkness, as in, staying in the cover of darkness. If you stayed in the cover of darkness, the enemy cannot see you. In Quinton and Billy’s case, the enemy could be a batch of sorts: Zombies, homophobes, religious freaks out to “cleanse” the world (read: kill people) in God’s light, doing so by eliminating the weak and sinful.

 

Sure, that’s no way to live. Always in the dark. Always running, hiding and trying to survive. But that’s the world these two men are thrown into. As Quinton realizes at one point, “They lived for those they lost. Until they could live for themselves again.” (Pg. 83)

 

The Only Safe Place Left is the Dark is an unusual zombie apocalypse story of two gay men fighting for their lives and trying to survive a worst thing than being HIV-positive. Once I got past the horrors of the first chapter, it became a story that was hard for me to put down. It’s a story that brought new insights to my mind and made me think about just how far a person can go in trying to hold on to what kind of life they have left to live after losing everything and everyone in a chaotic world. Hopefully, some good can still be found in it.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Stories to Keep You Awake at Night: The Sick and the Sainted are stories of darkness and dread

 

 

The Sick and the Sainted

B. Murphy and J. Mason

Bobbie Murphy Books, 2024

ISBN-13: 9798227044884

Ebook, 184 ppg.

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There are the things we wish we could undo and unsee, but that doesn’t make them go away. That will never make them go away. The pain will linger and the horror will only grow. Left to fester in darkness, the terrifying thing will spiral out of control and take those harboring them onto a journey of darkness and despair.

 

The Sick and the Sainted by B. Murphy and J. Mason is a collection of stories reflecting this darkness. For the poor souls who somehow end up in the throes of evil or in the clutches of despair, the only way out is a one-way street.

 

I really enjoyed reading these stories. Filled with terror, horror, despair and pain, The Sick and the Sainted is a collection of stories that are the raw tellings from the twisted minds of characters or the unfortunate plight of those trapped in darkness. These stories made me cry, shudder, cringe, and grip my seat with fear.

 

The story “Responsibility” is one such story that really made me cringe. Yikes! It’s a good body horror story, coupled with one father’s very unique way of seeking vengeance against his daughter’s tormentor.

 

What I absolutely loved about some of the stories is how people are able to gain revenge against someone who either tormented them on the Internet or tormented someone else. Vengeance against someone who abused, bullied or hurt someone through the Internet is just one of the stories which I enjoy reading. There are so many creeps and trolls on the Internet! A lot of people can only wish they could get revenge against those who have hurt them online. For writers, we can obtain this vengeance in our stories. But for readers, it’s nice to see that happen, because it gives them a nice feeling of doing the same!

 

The story “Shattered” was heartbreaking. It especially touched a nerve for me because I am a survivor of the same thing, though what I went through did not happen from a stepfather. I completely understand the need to tell a story, in a way of setting the record straight and letting the truth be known. I did the same, telling mine as a fictional account. I know this is fiction, but I saw it in that way. Survivors of sexual abuse and rape need to tell their stories. I was sad how the character’s story ended. Sadly, this actually happens in real life; many victims are not believed, even blamed and called names, and end up doing the same thing that this character did. Even so, it is still a powerful story.

 

The last story in this book was disturbing but it was told from the disturbed mind of a character. It sure made for a creepy read!

 

The stories in the pages of this book are, indeed, those from the minds of “the sick and the sainted.” Readers must know that there are incidents in which a dog is killed and a pre-teen is first sexually assaulted then raped, so go into the reading of these stories with thick skin. But remember,  they are just stories; no animals or children were actually hurt or killed in the writing of these stories!

 

Filled with tales of dread, horror and terror, The Sick and the Sainted leaves a lasting impression on readers of what dangers lurk around the corner, and how things are not what they seem. These are stories that are the stuff of nightmares, safely existing on the pages of a book. After reading these stories, they may linger once the reader has put the book down, and return to haunt in the most horrific ways through nightmares.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

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