Posts Tagged ‘Halloween stories’

Review: “Helloween” by Duncan Ralston

Posted: July 28, 2025 in Novel, Review, Scary Stuff, Writing
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No, you didn’t read that wrong. That’s not a misspelling on my part of “Halloween.” That is the name of the novel, and since I heard of it, I’ve wanted to read it. I mean, with a name like that, how could I not? And with the audio book just getting released recently, I decided to give it a listen and see if this would become a new classic for spooky season.

Taking place during the Halloween immediately following the September 11 attacks, several strange things are happening in the small town of Crook’s Corner, Massachusetts. A famous scream queen is kidnapped in town while filming a new horror film. A science teacher is putting together a machine that causes those near it to see strange shapes. A Goth teenager and her little sister use the latter’s psychic abilities to play pranks on their grandmother. All this and more herald the coming of something evil: a cosmic being who wishes to become a god over all humanity. And this Halloween, they may get their chance.

This book was so hard to put down (or should I say put on pause?). The first chapter, where the scream queen is kidnapped, is shocking enough, but then the novel jumps back several hours, showing what the main characters–a group of high schoolers filming a horror movie for a class–are up to. And with those opening chapters, you get several different plot threads and you wonder how they’re all going to wrap up into one neat little package.

Which, much to my delight, they did come together nicely, leading to a harrowing story with a strong atmosphere of dread and tension. In fact, that’s probably the book’s biggest strength: the atmosphere. Once the horror part really gets going in Helloween, it’s just nonstop threat to the characters. Even in the pauses to the horror, there’s so much tension, it’s hard to relax. Add in some of the events in the latter half of the book, and you start to wonder if the characters can even triumph over the great evil.

And that’s the book’s second biggest strength: it’s characters, particularly the antagonist Geth. Geth is an ancient entity who schemes to become a god, and when it–or they, I should say–gets the ball rolling on their plans, you better believe that shit will hit the fan! And the way Geth is written, this alien being who thinks differently than us but plans to become a god over us, just makes them fascinating to follow. Even as you fear their victory due to their overwhelming power and disregard for both human life and human autonomy.

The other characters are great, too. Ralston manages to make almost all of the supporting characters– from kooky science teacher Ernie Combs and the Catholic priest to would have been right at home during the Crusades, to scream queen Darla Knight and the annoying kid who annoys almost all the other characters–feel real and fleshed out. And yes, there are a lot of them, but at no point did I ever feel like I was overwhelmed with the number of characters I encountered in the book.

Of course, our six main characters were no exception. At first glance, they do feel like your typical high school stereotypes: Cody the jock; Britney the popular girl; Jay the computer geek; Walden the film buff; Cassandra the Goth and her sweet little sister Taylor. But early on, we see that they all have deep dimensions to them, and that only grows as we get deeper into the story. Before I knew it, I couldn’t help but root for and love these characters dearly.

All in all, Helloween by Duncan Ralston is scary AF and sure to become a Halloween classic in time. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m awarding it a 4.8. Consider picking up a copy and adding it to your reading list this spooky season. If you’re a horror fan, you won’t regret it.

Review: “Gone But Not Forgotten” by Iseult Murphy

Posted: December 28, 2023 in Novella, Review, Scary Stuff
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Iseult Murphy has been a friend and Follower of Fear since Rose came out, and I have always enjoyed not just hearing what she thought of my stories, but having conversations with her through blog comments, social media and email. But Iseult is not just a friend or a Follower of Fear. She’s a fellow horror author, and she recently put out a new novella, Gone But Not Forgotten. It sounded interesting and I’m very into authors supporting other authors, so I got a copy.

For someone who has Halloween every day in my soul, this was a good choice.

Taking place on Halloween in Ireland, Gone But Not Forgotten follows widow Mere as she goes to visit her friend and neighbor Bill, a widower who lost his wife Donna about a year ago. Bill has been having a rather rough go of it, as he’s seeing Donna everywhere. As it turns out, Mere can see her, too. And Donna’s not resting peacefully.

What I liked most about Gone But Not Forgotten was that it did not go in the direction I expected. When you’ve been reading horror as long as I have, you get good at guessing plot developments. But I did not see the development that occurred midway through the novella, and which really changed my outlook of the story. I won’t say what it was, because spoilers, but it was worth the read.

I also liked Mere as a protagonist. She’s sweet and a bit naive for her age, but I found her quite endearing as a person and was rooting for her throughout the story.

If there was one thing I would have liked more, I thought there could have been a bit more danger and violence to the story. Things were a bit too calm for my tastes. As it is, the levels of violence and threat put things more in line with cozy horror, which I’m sure many would enjoy. But it just wasn’t enough for me.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m going to give Gone But Not Forgotten by Iseult Murphy a 4.5. If you’re looking to feel that Halloween spirit at any time of year, this is a good novella to go with. Have some brack bread and an amaretto sour and pick up a copy today.*

*Irish barmbrack, or just brack, is a type of bread eaten in Ireland around Halloween. People would often put little things like rings or toys in it to tell fortunes. It features in the story, as do amaretto sours, which Mere drinks during the story.

And next Halloween, I’m definitely going to attempt to make a barmbrack bread. The amaretto sour, I’m not so sure. I already have a favorite cocktail.

Review: “All Hallows” by Christopher Golden

Posted: October 21, 2023 in Review, Scary Stuff
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Around this time of year, you want to read something that practically screams jack-o-lanterns and chilly air and people running around in costumes. So, when I heard about All Hallows by Christopher Golden earlier this year, I knew this would be my audio book for October.

Taking place in the mid-1980s in Coventry, Massachusetts, the majority of the story is set on Parmenter Road and in the woods beyond. Here, Halloween is a big thing. The Barbossa’s turn the woods behind their house into a haunted attraction that attracts plenty of people every year; the Koenigs have a huge costume party for the whole neighborhood; and, of course, every kid is excited about trick or treating.

But despite the excitement in the air, there’s a dark undercurrent to it all. Marriages are coming undone, kids are feeling the tensions, teens are in a weird in-between state where they’re not quite kids and not quite adults, and a dozen other things are happening in the background. And then, in the midst of it all, strange children in old costumes are walking up and down Parmenter Road, asking for help. They say they are in trouble, that the Cunning Man is after them, and they need to hide until midnight.

Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a new classic in Halloween literature.

All Hallows is so well told. The first several chapters, rather than focusing on anything outright scary like other horror stories, spends its time setting up the characters and their various problems. Tony Barbossa, Vanessa Montez, Barb Sweeney, Rick Barbossa, and many more. We all get to know these characters intimately before Halloween truly gets started, and the telling is so well done, you don’t even mind that nothing scary has occurred yet.

And when the scary stuff does start, it’s almost like the beginning of a storm. At first, it’s only a few drops here and there. Then you get a nice drizzle going on, and then before you know it, there’s an all-out thunderstorm of horror, making the last couple hours of the book quite the read, with violence and great twists and scary imagery.

Also, the audio book narrators, John Butler and January LaVoy, do a great job bringing the characters to life and giving each one a unique voice.

My one gripe is that I felt the mythology behind what we’re seeing could have been explained a bit better. The delivery for some information was delivered weirdly and all at once, and for one character, I felt like not enough was given.

Overall, All Hallows by Christopher Golden is sure to become a staple for this time of year. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m assigning a 4.7 to the novel. Grab a copy, sit back while wearing a spooky costume, and be sure to give it a read.

Review: “Dark Harvest” by Norman Partridge

Posted: March 29, 2022 in Novel, Review, Scary Stuff
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I heard a movie based on this book was coming out later this year, so I thought I would check it out. And since I had to drive up to Cleveland yesterday (it’s a Passover thing, don’t ask) and the audio book was long enough for the drive to and back, I thought I would listen to it. I started as I pulled out of my parking space and finished about a mile from my complex on the way home. And I have to say, it certainly added to the drive.

Set in an unnamed village on Halloween night 1963, Dark Harvest follows Pete McCormick, a teenage boy who is participating in the Run, an annual harvest ritual where he and the other teen boys in town chase a living pumpkin-headed scarecrow known as “Sawtooth Jack” and “The October Boy.” The kid who manages to catch and kill Sawtooth Jack before he reaches the church in the center of town by midnight wins great prizes for him and his family, including the right to leave the village. Pete is gearing to win this year, even if it means breaking some rules, but he soon finds out there’s a darker truth to the Run. And losing might not be the worse thing in the world.

I have to say, while I was able to predict certain things, I enjoyed the story. I was sucked in by the immediate weirdness of the tale and by the haunting atmosphere. There’s this explosive potential in the narration and the reveling in violence and death that comes from the story. It really fits the Halloween vibe, as well as the cruelty and nihilism that comes with it. And while some things were predictable, as I said, it’s such a joy watching them unfold.

That being said, the style of narration was kind of annoying at times. There’s a lot of addressing the reader and rambling on the thoughts of individual or multiple characters. Great, it’s lots of psychological flowery language, but I would like to reach the next exciting bit of the story, and what does this all add to the overall book?

That, and it wasn’t really explicit about why the Run exists. It’s hinted it’s some sort of pagan ritual to help with next year’s corn harvest and keep people in town, but it’s never really spelled out or how this sort of thing began in the first place. Mostly, you hear stuff about how the Run is part of a way of life, but that only explains so much.

Still, I had a great time with this novel and was glad I finally got around to reading it. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge a 4.3 out of 5. It’s a fun little Halloween romp that you can gobble up in a day or so. Whether or not you plan to see the movie version, if you haven’t read this one and love your Halloween stories, I recommend checking it out.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope to have some exciting news out very soon. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!