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At Home With the Horrors: 14 Chilling Tales
Just when you thought it was safe to go home again…
In this chilling collection of short fiction, Sammy Scott dares you to explore the horrors that are lurking behind your front door. In “Katherine,” a lonely woman finds an unlikely companion when she discovers that her new house is haunted. A couple’s mundane argument quickly evolves into a night of terror in “What We Have Here.” A harried wife finds herself the victim of her husband’s pranks when he launches a YouTube channel titled “Scared Mary.” An antisocial teenager encounters a mysterious new world when he begins looking into the windows of his neighbors’ homes in “Peeping Tommy.” A mourning widow is forced to relive her husband’s death when he calls her daily on her cell phone in “Theresa.” In “People You May Know,” a happily married man turns his life upside-down when he sends a Facebook friend request to an old college flame that no longer remembers him. A woman sets a trap for her runaway cat and is horrified to find that she has captured “Something Else Entirely.” And in the concluding novella “Emil Bones,” a librarian regrets the day she reads a mysterious little book left behind in the library’s drop box.
Exploring both the natural and the supernatural, the alien and the ghostly, the chilling and the horrific, these fourteen diversions first root themselves in the mundanity of everyday life before extending their branches into the very things and ideas that terrify us all. In At Home with the Horrors, Scott brings the nightmares to the one place where we should all feel the safest, and shows us that when it comes to horror, grief, loss, and guilt can be just as terrifying as ghosts and goblins.
In this chilling collection of short fiction, Sammy Scott dares you to explore the horrors that are lurking behind your front door. In “Katherine,” a lonely woman finds an unlikely companion when she discovers that her new house is haunted. A couple’s mundane argument quickly evolves into a night of terror in “What We Have Here.” A harried wife finds herself the victim of her husband’s pranks when he launches a YouTube channel titled “Scared Mary.” An antisocial teenager encounters a mysterious new world when he begins looking into the windows of his neighbors’ homes in “Peeping Tommy.” A mourning widow is forced to relive her husband’s death when he calls her daily on her cell phone in “Theresa.” In “People You May Know,” a happily married man turns his life upside-down when he sends a Facebook friend request to an old college flame that no longer remembers him. A woman sets a trap for her runaway cat and is horrified to find that she has captured “Something Else Entirely.” And in the concluding novella “Emil Bones,” a librarian regrets the day she reads a mysterious little book left behind in the library’s drop box.
Exploring both the natural and the supernatural, the alien and the ghostly, the chilling and the horrific, these fourteen diversions first root themselves in the mundanity of everyday life before extending their branches into the very things and ideas that terrify us all. In At Home with the Horrors, Scott brings the nightmares to the one place where we should all feel the safest, and shows us that when it comes to horror, grief, loss, and guilt can be just as terrifying as ghosts and goblins.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 14, 2022
301 people are currently reading
5262 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 430 reviews
October 13, 2023
This book was good. That’s pretty much it. I liked some of the stories and some didn’t make sense to me. By the end of it I couldn’t really tell one short story from another. The last story was a good read but not really anything new or interesting. I enjoyed it but I wasn’t amazed by any of it.
October 6, 2023
It’s October 5th… is it too soon to say this might be one of the top spooky books of the month?!
Because it’s for sure my favorite anthology of the year.
Bone chilling and original with ties to October/fall. I have a habit of glazing over the longer stories in anthologies but i was so glued to the last one in this book that all effort of productivity this evening went to the weighside because I had to finish.
So so so good 👏👏👏👏
Because it’s for sure my favorite anthology of the year.
Bone chilling and original with ties to October/fall. I have a habit of glazing over the longer stories in anthologies but i was so glued to the last one in this book that all effort of productivity this evening went to the weighside because I had to finish.
So so so good 👏👏👏👏
March 25, 2024
At Home With the Horrors is a solid collection of scary stories, which called to mind for this reader horror tales of an earlier era that were more straightforward and less abstract that many of the modern horror collections I've read recently. I'm a fan of both the straightforward and the abstract when it comes to horror, so long as its done well, and Sammy Scott's stories fit the bill. His writing style is competent and easy to read. I didn't love all of the tales in this collection, but most of them were four stars or higher, and I have to give credit to the author for actually delivering some out and out chills, notably in the stories "Peeping Tommy" and "Emil Bones." I'll be on the lookout for more of Sammy Scott's fiction.
What We Have Here - ⭐⭐
Theresa - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Blackbird - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Sisters - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Peeping Tommy -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Becca - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sleeptalker - ⭐⭐⭐
Re-birth - ⭐⭐⭐
Katherine - ⭐⭐⭐
Scared Mary - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Something Else Entirely - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nancy - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
People You May Know - ⭐⭐⭐
Emil Bones - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
What We Have Here - ⭐⭐
Theresa - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Blackbird - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Sisters - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Peeping Tommy -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Becca - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sleeptalker - ⭐⭐⭐
Re-birth - ⭐⭐⭐
Katherine - ⭐⭐⭐
Scared Mary - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Something Else Entirely - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nancy - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
People You May Know - ⭐⭐⭐
Emil Bones - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
June 28, 2023
3.5 rounded up.
All the short stories but one were 4 or 4.5 stars. The last short story and the novella which I thought was too long for what it had to say are where this collection lost its momentum for me.
All the short stories but one were 4 or 4.5 stars. The last short story and the novella which I thought was too long for what it had to say are where this collection lost its momentum for me.
July 16, 2023
what we have here 4
theresa 4
blackbird 5
the sisters 5
peeping tommy 5
becca 5
sleeptalker 4
re-birth 5
katherine 4.5
scared mary 3
something else entirely 4
nancy 5
people you may know 3
emil bones 5 (dragged a bit, but the payoff at the end was worth it)
After a long time, I was looking at the darkest corners of my room at night. A side effect of reading this? Not entirely sure. But I always like it when a book can make me feel this way. This book wasn't the scariest, but somehow made me unsettled. So this is me, hyping it!
theresa 4
blackbird 5
the sisters 5
peeping tommy 5
becca 5
sleeptalker 4
re-birth 5
katherine 4.5
scared mary 3
something else entirely 4
nancy 5
people you may know 3
emil bones 5 (dragged a bit, but the payoff at the end was worth it)
After a long time, I was looking at the darkest corners of my room at night. A side effect of reading this? Not entirely sure. But I always like it when a book can make me feel this way. This book wasn't the scariest, but somehow made me unsettled. So this is me, hyping it!
October 2, 2023
This is definitely one of my favorite collection of short horror stories that I've ever read!
Each story was so unique & creepy. I don’t think this book is getting the hype it deserves. The writing is fantastic!
I definitely had some favorites :
Blackbird
Theresa
Peeping Tommy
Becca
Something Else Entirely
Who am I kidding. I liked them all. If you want to read some great, ghostly, seasonal reads pick this book up.
Each story was so unique & creepy. I don’t think this book is getting the hype it deserves. The writing is fantastic!
I definitely had some favorites :
Blackbird
Theresa
Peeping Tommy
Becca
Something Else Entirely
Who am I kidding. I liked them all. If you want to read some great, ghostly, seasonal reads pick this book up.
November 25, 2023
This short story collection started out really strong but then quickly fell flat. It’s especially disappointing because the first few stories are genuinely great, unique, creepy and some of my favorite short stories that I’ve read from any collection.
I really liked: What We Have Here, Theresa, Blackbird, Peeping Tommy and Becca.
What We Have Here and Peeping Tommy are really creepy, Blackbird and Becca have great twists and Theresa is heartbreaking but really great.
However, the rest of the stories were all 2 and 3 stars with a few 1-star reads as well. A lot of the stories didn’t feel like horror at all, and especially toward the end the stories felt dragged out and pointless. The last story was okay but was way too long. It was more of a novella than a short story.
That said, I would still recommend this collection as it definitely has some really good and unique stories.
I really liked: What We Have Here, Theresa, Blackbird, Peeping Tommy and Becca.
What We Have Here and Peeping Tommy are really creepy, Blackbird and Becca have great twists and Theresa is heartbreaking but really great.
However, the rest of the stories were all 2 and 3 stars with a few 1-star reads as well. A lot of the stories didn’t feel like horror at all, and especially toward the end the stories felt dragged out and pointless. The last story was okay but was way too long. It was more of a novella than a short story.
That said, I would still recommend this collection as it definitely has some really good and unique stories.
September 13, 2022
At Home With the Horrors was such an amazing collection of short stories! If it wasn’t my favorite short story collection ever it was most definitely the most pleasing collection I’ve ever read and the final story ‘Emil Bones’ was the longest of them but it was hands down my favorite. It was so creepy and I just really enjoyed the main character so much and resonated/felt for her.
All stories were great and most of them I thoroughly loved! Now that I’ve finished it I’m left saddened that it’s over and I want more stories from Sammy Scott! I don’t care if his next book is a novel or another short story collection… I’m there for it and I can’t recommend this one enough to people! Do yourselves a favor and read this one, you won’t be disappointed, I promise!
5 stars
All stories were great and most of them I thoroughly loved! Now that I’ve finished it I’m left saddened that it’s over and I want more stories from Sammy Scott! I don’t care if his next book is a novel or another short story collection… I’m there for it and I can’t recommend this one enough to people! Do yourselves a favor and read this one, you won’t be disappointed, I promise!
5 stars
December 25, 2024
3.25 stars
Extreme highs and lows, I'll admit I did go into At Home With the Horrors with some expectation, as it came highly recommended. After reading, while there are definitely some unarguable hits (the story Theresa takes the crown in that category), being indie-published, one can tell the lack of vigorous editing does hinder the collection—aside from spelling and grammatical errors (noticeable but not distracting), the book would've rated higher if it is a more curated collection of 10 instead of 14.
Sammy Scott seems to be a stronger scenario writer rather than character, as many of my least favorites in the collection are the lengthier ones (Nancy, People You May Know, Emil Bones), where the tension and horror is diluted by uninteresting scenes of bland characters conversing in expected dialogs (with one instance of cringey attempt at writing romantic banter). The stories are at their strongest when they are told efficiently, setting up an unusual circumstance, and turning it on its head with otherworldly development (Theresa, Re-birth, Katherine).
Despite it being greatly uneven, if you have Kindle Unlimited access, I still think this is worth checking out for a selection of its stories (I like more than half of them), especially if you're craving classic horror tales akin to Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone.
- - -
What We Have Here: 4.25 stars
An excellent opener, a well-rounded glimpse of domestic incidents that is both horrifying and thematically clear.
Theresa: 5 stars
Both bone-chilling and heartbreaking, this one features some harrowing sequences (I couldn't put it down), and the closing line really solidifies it as an obvious standout entry.
Blackbird: 4 stars
Very engaging plot progression (reminiscent of the movie Inception), with a decent 'twist', but some of the details feel a bit first draft and less resolved.
The Sisters: 2.5 stars
A little bit of a filler story, goes in a particular direction as expected—at least it's really short.
Peeping Tommy: 3 stars
Great horror imagery, but the story is a little cliche (very Goosebumps), and the ending feels rushed as way more could've been done with the setting (a fabricated, staged model home).
Becca: 3.5 stars
I'm starting to notice a 'template' these stories go through (protagonist turning out to be connected to the entity that is disrupting them)—this one is still decent at delivering creepy imagery, but it's starting to feel predictable and indistinguishable from other stories in the collection.
Sleeptalker: 3.75 stars
Another solid one. Sammy Scott is really good at creating a believable suburban husband and wife dynamic/scene.
Re-birth: 4.5 stars
Extremely provocative with a slight sci-fi undertone; the concept brings up really compelling societal commentary (though not as fleshed out as what I would've liked), and I love the emotional buildup to the payoff!
Katherine: 4.25 stars
A really neat spin on the reliable haunted house story, really enjoy how the mystery unravels.
Scared Mary: 3.25 stars
Contains a bit too much info dump regarding the origin of a viral Youtube channel (though I do appreciate its overall sarcastic tone). Highlight being the unexpected, but perfectly tension-filled closing moment.
Something Else Entirely: 2 stars
Flat-lined plot with no build up and vague on detail.
Nancy: 2 stars
While I like the concept (being haunted by past mistake), the overall progression is disjointed, with inconsistent logic and odd character reaction. Even though the misdirect provided by the name 'Nancy' is effective, this one feels like the story is spinning its wheels to get to the point.
People You May Know: 2 stars
A weak drama with a tacked on 'twist' ending that comes out of nowhere. I don't think the characters are interesting enough to warrant the extended length.
Emil Bones: 2.5 stars
The longest story in this collection (taking 1/3 of the book's overall length), it is frustratingly long and padded, drowning out some excellent ideas (the final spin on reader/writer relationship is clever) and elements (there's a plot critical poem that is bone-chilling in its naivete). Clearly inspired by the film The Babadook, the story beats feel too familiar, and could've easily been condensed to half of its current length (simply by removing the romance side plot—the banters are trying way too hard to be cute to the point of cringe).
Extreme highs and lows, I'll admit I did go into At Home With the Horrors with some expectation, as it came highly recommended. After reading, while there are definitely some unarguable hits (the story Theresa takes the crown in that category), being indie-published, one can tell the lack of vigorous editing does hinder the collection—aside from spelling and grammatical errors (noticeable but not distracting), the book would've rated higher if it is a more curated collection of 10 instead of 14.
Sammy Scott seems to be a stronger scenario writer rather than character, as many of my least favorites in the collection are the lengthier ones (Nancy, People You May Know, Emil Bones), where the tension and horror is diluted by uninteresting scenes of bland characters conversing in expected dialogs (with one instance of cringey attempt at writing romantic banter). The stories are at their strongest when they are told efficiently, setting up an unusual circumstance, and turning it on its head with otherworldly development (Theresa, Re-birth, Katherine).
Despite it being greatly uneven, if you have Kindle Unlimited access, I still think this is worth checking out for a selection of its stories (I like more than half of them), especially if you're craving classic horror tales akin to Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone.
- - -
What We Have Here: 4.25 stars
An excellent opener, a well-rounded glimpse of domestic incidents that is both horrifying and thematically clear.
Theresa: 5 stars
Both bone-chilling and heartbreaking, this one features some harrowing sequences (I couldn't put it down), and the closing line really solidifies it as an obvious standout entry.
Blackbird: 4 stars
Very engaging plot progression (reminiscent of the movie Inception), with a decent 'twist', but some of the details feel a bit first draft and less resolved.
The Sisters: 2.5 stars
A little bit of a filler story, goes in a particular direction as expected—at least it's really short.
Peeping Tommy: 3 stars
Great horror imagery, but the story is a little cliche (very Goosebumps), and the ending feels rushed as way more could've been done with the setting (a fabricated, staged model home).
Becca: 3.5 stars
I'm starting to notice a 'template' these stories go through (protagonist turning out to be connected to the entity that is disrupting them)—this one is still decent at delivering creepy imagery, but it's starting to feel predictable and indistinguishable from other stories in the collection.
Sleeptalker: 3.75 stars
Another solid one. Sammy Scott is really good at creating a believable suburban husband and wife dynamic/scene.
Re-birth: 4.5 stars
Extremely provocative with a slight sci-fi undertone; the concept brings up really compelling societal commentary (though not as fleshed out as what I would've liked), and I love the emotional buildup to the payoff!
Katherine: 4.25 stars
A really neat spin on the reliable haunted house story, really enjoy how the mystery unravels.
Scared Mary: 3.25 stars
Contains a bit too much info dump regarding the origin of a viral Youtube channel (though I do appreciate its overall sarcastic tone). Highlight being the unexpected, but perfectly tension-filled closing moment.
Something Else Entirely: 2 stars
Flat-lined plot with no build up and vague on detail.
Nancy: 2 stars
While I like the concept (being haunted by past mistake), the overall progression is disjointed, with inconsistent logic and odd character reaction. Even though the misdirect provided by the name 'Nancy' is effective, this one feels like the story is spinning its wheels to get to the point.
People You May Know: 2 stars
A weak drama with a tacked on 'twist' ending that comes out of nowhere. I don't think the characters are interesting enough to warrant the extended length.
Emil Bones: 2.5 stars
The longest story in this collection (taking 1/3 of the book's overall length), it is frustratingly long and padded, drowning out some excellent ideas (the final spin on reader/writer relationship is clever) and elements (there's a plot critical poem that is bone-chilling in its naivete). Clearly inspired by the film The Babadook, the story beats feel too familiar, and could've easily been condensed to half of its current length (simply by removing the romance side plot—the banters are trying way too hard to be cute to the point of cringe).
February 17, 2025
At Home With the Horrors by Sammy Scott is a collection of short stories.
I’m not really a short story reader. Short horror stories, because they are short, can’t really have developed characters with motives, or atmosphere. They usually depend on shock value at the end, usually trading gore for actual scares.
This collection is different. As far as being shocking, it is very tame. These would make great Twilight Zone stories. The writing is good. Scott immediately draws the reader in to his characters and their stories. The creep factor is certainly good. What all the stories lack is solid endings. The reader supplies the answers with their own imagination. This, to me, makes them seem kind of corny.
I would recommend this to readers who don’t usually read scary books. If your 6th grade (or so) is bugging you to let them read books in this genre, this is creepy enough to be satisfying. It’s like “soft” horror. For me, 3 stars. I did like the author’s writing.
I’m not really a short story reader. Short horror stories, because they are short, can’t really have developed characters with motives, or atmosphere. They usually depend on shock value at the end, usually trading gore for actual scares.
This collection is different. As far as being shocking, it is very tame. These would make great Twilight Zone stories. The writing is good. Scott immediately draws the reader in to his characters and their stories. The creep factor is certainly good. What all the stories lack is solid endings. The reader supplies the answers with their own imagination. This, to me, makes them seem kind of corny.
I would recommend this to readers who don’t usually read scary books. If your 6th grade (or so) is bugging you to let them read books in this genre, this is creepy enough to be satisfying. It’s like “soft” horror. For me, 3 stars. I did like the author’s writing.
September 21, 2023
“You are who you are when you are all alone”
Sammy Scott first gave the horror community “At Home With the Horrors”, a short story collection. Then he blessed us again with a full length novel “Beta”. Sammy sure knows how to write a scary story and I can’t wait to read more from him!
Almost every single story in this collection was interesting, well written, unique, and either eerie or downright terrifying! The only entry I struggled with was “Emil Bones”, and only because it was longer than what I was expecting.
“Something Else Entirely” and “Peeping Tommy” will likely haunt my mind forever. I actually had to “nope” out during these two stories to go calm down and turn on more lights in the house.
“Standing there in the driveway, I noted how strangely silent the surrounding woods were. No chirping crickets, no croaking toads.”
Grab this book right now and make it a two’fer with “Beta”, you will have zero regrets!
Sammy Scott first gave the horror community “At Home With the Horrors”, a short story collection. Then he blessed us again with a full length novel “Beta”. Sammy sure knows how to write a scary story and I can’t wait to read more from him!
Almost every single story in this collection was interesting, well written, unique, and either eerie or downright terrifying! The only entry I struggled with was “Emil Bones”, and only because it was longer than what I was expecting.
“Something Else Entirely” and “Peeping Tommy” will likely haunt my mind forever. I actually had to “nope” out during these two stories to go calm down and turn on more lights in the house.
“Standing there in the driveway, I noted how strangely silent the surrounding woods were. No chirping crickets, no croaking toads.”
Grab this book right now and make it a two’fer with “Beta”, you will have zero regrets!
July 17, 2023
this gets the award for being the first short story collection to break the three-star barrier for me🥳 or not getting a story rating below 4! i could honestly read a whole novel expanded on any of the stories cause the concepts were just that interesting and will be staying on my mind for a long time, it was a breeze to get through and i never wanted it to end
— what we have here ★★★★★
— theresa ★★★★★
— blackbird ★★★★★
— the sisters ✩✩✩✩
— peeping tommy ★★★★★
— becca ✩✩✩✩
— sleeptalker ✩✩✩✩
— re-birth ✩✩✩✩
— katherine ★★★★★
— scared mary ★★★★★
— something else entirely ✩✩✩✩
— nancy ✩✩✩✩
— people you may know ✩✩✩✩
— emil bones ★★★★★
— what we have here ★★★★★
— theresa ★★★★★
— blackbird ★★★★★
— the sisters ✩✩✩✩
— peeping tommy ★★★★★
— becca ✩✩✩✩
— sleeptalker ✩✩✩✩
— re-birth ✩✩✩✩
— katherine ★★★★★
— scared mary ★★★★★
— something else entirely ✩✩✩✩
— nancy ✩✩✩✩
— people you may know ✩✩✩✩
— emil bones ★★★★★
July 25, 2022
This is truly a "goosebumpy" book. Each story is different in its own scary way with unexpected twists and turns. I was almost afraid to read it at night for fear of being kept awake. I do hope there are more stories from this author.
July 9, 2022
At Home with The Horrors is a short story collection that will leave you looking over your shoulder when you take your midnight trip to the bathroom. There are fourteen, very different, disquieting short stories that use the backdrop of every day domestic life.
One of the best things about this collection is that the characters are believable and the dialogue is realistic. There is something relatable in these stories for every reader. This collection has stories of various lengths with a novella, “Emil Bones”, as the finale.
These 6 stories were my favorites and I would love to see come to life in full length novels.
1.“Theresa” was full of a whole lot of grief and spiraling despair, sprinkled with a tiny bit of hope, when a widow gets a phone call from her husband. If you’ve know the loss of a loved one, this one hits close to home.
2.“Peeping Tommy” taught me never to look into people’s windows, no matter how tempting. I am absolutely not ready for the consequences.
3.“Becca” had all the elements of why you don’t look out the window in the middle of the night, along with a twist that made me think about the story long afterward.
4.“Re-Birth” is a sci-fi horror story about what happens when the government takes control of a Fountain of Youth formula.
5.“Something Else Entirely” feels like it could have happened to me, one part staying home alone in the woods and one part your beloved pet runs away and comes back “wrong”. I couldn’t look my dog in the eye for a while after I read that story.
6.“Emil Bones” was fantastic. It starts off with the statement, “Do not read this.” Well, I didn’t listen and at the end I had to contemplate if I would soon be meeting dear Emil. The main character, Helena, was very well written. She is much braver than I could ever be.
My only negative for this collection is that a couple stories ended with loose strings and left me wondering about what actually happened or what happened next.
Overall, this short story collection is a great read for a rainy day. I definitely recommend! I will be reading more from this author!
One of the best things about this collection is that the characters are believable and the dialogue is realistic. There is something relatable in these stories for every reader. This collection has stories of various lengths with a novella, “Emil Bones”, as the finale.
These 6 stories were my favorites and I would love to see come to life in full length novels.
1.“Theresa” was full of a whole lot of grief and spiraling despair, sprinkled with a tiny bit of hope, when a widow gets a phone call from her husband. If you’ve know the loss of a loved one, this one hits close to home.
2.“Peeping Tommy” taught me never to look into people’s windows, no matter how tempting. I am absolutely not ready for the consequences.
3.“Becca” had all the elements of why you don’t look out the window in the middle of the night, along with a twist that made me think about the story long afterward.
4.“Re-Birth” is a sci-fi horror story about what happens when the government takes control of a Fountain of Youth formula.
5.“Something Else Entirely” feels like it could have happened to me, one part staying home alone in the woods and one part your beloved pet runs away and comes back “wrong”. I couldn’t look my dog in the eye for a while after I read that story.
6.“Emil Bones” was fantastic. It starts off with the statement, “Do not read this.” Well, I didn’t listen and at the end I had to contemplate if I would soon be meeting dear Emil. The main character, Helena, was very well written. She is much braver than I could ever be.
My only negative for this collection is that a couple stories ended with loose strings and left me wondering about what actually happened or what happened next.
Overall, this short story collection is a great read for a rainy day. I definitely recommend! I will be reading more from this author!
November 14, 2022
I finished At Home With The Horrors by Sammy Scott last night and would definitely recommend it.
Let me start off by saying that I bought this book going in blind, knowing nothing other than it was a collection of fourteen short stories. It’s actually a collection of thirteen short stories and one novella – a novella that I finished alone in the dark once the rest of the household was in bed and that left me with goosebumps.
Every story is different from the last with its own tone and POV. And every story is enjoyable. Every single one. Think Tales from the Crypt, The Twilight Zone and maybe even a touch of Black Mirror and that’s the sort of feel you can expect. No explicit gore, no overly offensive language (that I can remember), just chilling tales that get under your skin and needle at you until you find yourself thinking about them long after you’ve stopped reading. They’re short enough, with the exception of Emil Bones, to dip in and out of whenever you get a spare few minutes to yourself, meaning you get to savour each tale.
There were a few stand out stories for me, my favourite being Becca - I really enjoyed the ending to that one, Theresa, Peeping Tommy, Re-birth and, of course, Emil Bones. I also appreciated the subtle tying together of characters throughout the collections, very nicely done.
If you haven’t read this book give it a go, you won’t be disappointed. 5/5.
Let me start off by saying that I bought this book going in blind, knowing nothing other than it was a collection of fourteen short stories. It’s actually a collection of thirteen short stories and one novella – a novella that I finished alone in the dark once the rest of the household was in bed and that left me with goosebumps.
Every story is different from the last with its own tone and POV. And every story is enjoyable. Every single one. Think Tales from the Crypt, The Twilight Zone and maybe even a touch of Black Mirror and that’s the sort of feel you can expect. No explicit gore, no overly offensive language (that I can remember), just chilling tales that get under your skin and needle at you until you find yourself thinking about them long after you’ve stopped reading. They’re short enough, with the exception of Emil Bones, to dip in and out of whenever you get a spare few minutes to yourself, meaning you get to savour each tale.
There were a few stand out stories for me, my favourite being Becca - I really enjoyed the ending to that one, Theresa, Peeping Tommy, Re-birth and, of course, Emil Bones. I also appreciated the subtle tying together of characters throughout the collections, very nicely done.
If you haven’t read this book give it a go, you won’t be disappointed. 5/5.
December 24, 2023
I went into this one with high hopes, but none of the stories was outstanding, most of them were predictable.
The writing style, and some quotes are the redeemable aspects of this collection.
“You are who you are when you are all alone.”
I will still read from this author again because I think Sammy Scott has great potential.
The writing style, and some quotes are the redeemable aspects of this collection.
“You are who you are when you are all alone.”
I will still read from this author again because I think Sammy Scott has great potential.
July 10, 2025
This was overall a pretty solid horror anthology! My favorites were “theresa” and “re-birth”.
July 21, 2023
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories! My favorites were Re-Birth, Something Else Entirely, and Sleeptalker.
What We Have Here: 4 stars
Theresa: 5 stars
Blackbird: 5 stars
The Sisters: 4 stars
Peeping Tommy: 4 stars
Becca: 4.5 stars
Sleeptalker: 5 stars
Re-Birth: 5 stars
Katherine: 3.5 stars
Scared Mary: 4 stars
Something Else Entirely: 5 stars
Nancy: 5 stars
People You May Know: 4 stars
Emil Bones: 4.5 stars
What We Have Here: 4 stars
Theresa: 5 stars
Blackbird: 5 stars
The Sisters: 4 stars
Peeping Tommy: 4 stars
Becca: 4.5 stars
Sleeptalker: 5 stars
Re-Birth: 5 stars
Katherine: 3.5 stars
Scared Mary: 4 stars
Something Else Entirely: 5 stars
Nancy: 5 stars
People You May Know: 4 stars
Emil Bones: 4.5 stars
October 16, 2023
I absolutely loved every short story in this book! Go! Run! Get this book!
July 30, 2022
This was a great collection of 13 horror shorts and one novella. There was a Shirley Jackson quality to many of these stories as many centered around horror showing itself in ordinary situations.
My favorite shorts in this collection were as follows:
"theresa"--Theresa's husband Ray meets an untimely end at his workplace, the victim of a rampage shooter. The heartbreak doesn't end there as Theresa must re-live the day over and over again, each time desperately trying to save him. Theresa's father is the narrator of this story for absolutely chilling reasons.
"scared mary"--Mary's husband Ted becomes a YouTube sensation when he uploads a video of him scaring his wife, her screams so deep and guttural they were auto-tuned into a Spotify download. He continues the jump scares until Mary confesses that she is tired of being scared in her own home, never knowing who or what will pop out of the shadows and unnerve her for likes. Her husband agrees to cut back, and when she comes home from a run one evening, distracted by what to cook for dinner, a macabre scene is set out before her. Mary doesn't give a response, but she really should.
"something else entirely"--I loved the nod to Stephen King here! Eric is hurrying away for a business trip that will take him out of town for a few days. His wife Amy is nervous, but he assures her that their cat Sybil will keep her company. However, Sybil runs away, and Eric can't miss his flight, so he consoles his wife the best he can. He gets an update later...good news! Amy has trapped Sybil. Bad news...what she trapped isn't Sybil. A series of terrifying phone calls, texts, and photos follow. If you have a cat, you'll be sleeping with one eye open.
"nancy"--Probably my favorite out of the bunch! 𝑰𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓. Ryan is fast asleep when a whisper of "Nancy" abruptly wakes him and leaves him in a cold sweat. The name is repeated in several more dreams, shows up in his bathroom mirror, and makes its way into a work presentation. When the truth comes out about who Nancy is, Ryan's wife Jenna is in shock. When Ryan attempts to make peace with his past, not only is he rebuffed, he is left to face even more horrors.
I really enjoyed the wide variety of horror represented in these stories. I love the varied endings as well; some were horrific, some were abrupt, but I know for sure that Sammy Scott is a great new voice in the horror world. Thank you so much to the author for gifting me a signed copy. All opinions are my own.
My favorite shorts in this collection were as follows:
"theresa"--Theresa's husband Ray meets an untimely end at his workplace, the victim of a rampage shooter. The heartbreak doesn't end there as Theresa must re-live the day over and over again, each time desperately trying to save him. Theresa's father is the narrator of this story for absolutely chilling reasons.
"scared mary"--Mary's husband Ted becomes a YouTube sensation when he uploads a video of him scaring his wife, her screams so deep and guttural they were auto-tuned into a Spotify download. He continues the jump scares until Mary confesses that she is tired of being scared in her own home, never knowing who or what will pop out of the shadows and unnerve her for likes. Her husband agrees to cut back, and when she comes home from a run one evening, distracted by what to cook for dinner, a macabre scene is set out before her. Mary doesn't give a response, but she really should.
"something else entirely"--I loved the nod to Stephen King here! Eric is hurrying away for a business trip that will take him out of town for a few days. His wife Amy is nervous, but he assures her that their cat Sybil will keep her company. However, Sybil runs away, and Eric can't miss his flight, so he consoles his wife the best he can. He gets an update later...good news! Amy has trapped Sybil. Bad news...what she trapped isn't Sybil. A series of terrifying phone calls, texts, and photos follow. If you have a cat, you'll be sleeping with one eye open.
"nancy"--Probably my favorite out of the bunch! 𝑰𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓. Ryan is fast asleep when a whisper of "Nancy" abruptly wakes him and leaves him in a cold sweat. The name is repeated in several more dreams, shows up in his bathroom mirror, and makes its way into a work presentation. When the truth comes out about who Nancy is, Ryan's wife Jenna is in shock. When Ryan attempts to make peace with his past, not only is he rebuffed, he is left to face even more horrors.
I really enjoyed the wide variety of horror represented in these stories. I love the varied endings as well; some were horrific, some were abrupt, but I know for sure that Sammy Scott is a great new voice in the horror world. Thank you so much to the author for gifting me a signed copy. All opinions are my own.
August 7, 2023
my fave anthology collection evr! *favorites
read in this vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgSwZ...
what we have here 5 stars
theresa 5 stars
blackbird 5 stars
the sisters 3 stars
peeping tommy 4 stars
*becca 5 stars
sleeptalker 5 stars
*rebirth 5 stars
katherine 3 stars
scared mary 5 stars
something else entirely 5 stars
nancy 4 stars
people you may know 4 stars
*emil bones 5 stars
read in this vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgSwZ...
what we have here 5 stars
theresa 5 stars
blackbird 5 stars
the sisters 3 stars
peeping tommy 4 stars
*becca 5 stars
sleeptalker 5 stars
*rebirth 5 stars
katherine 3 stars
scared mary 5 stars
something else entirely 5 stars
nancy 4 stars
people you may know 4 stars
*emil bones 5 stars
November 25, 2022
Words cannot even describe how much I loved this book. Every single story was just a unique work of art. Character development within such short stories that was better than in large novels I’ve read.
Each story was awesome, and beautifully written. The author would do such an injustice not to churn out several more of these anthologies.
Each story was awesome, and beautifully written. The author would do such an injustice not to churn out several more of these anthologies.
April 2, 2023
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Simply some of the best horror
I’ve ever read. There was not a story in here that was below three stars. These books will truly sit with me for a long time. That ending novella, Emil Bones, quite literally rocked me to my core.
I’ve ever read. There was not a story in here that was below three stars. These books will truly sit with me for a long time. That ending novella, Emil Bones, quite literally rocked me to my core.
July 18, 2023
Loved every story! Thanks GabbyReads for recommending it.
October 16, 2024
Super creepy stories that made me go wtf is happening lol. A lot of the stories are Black Mirror-esque, which is why it isn’t surprising that I loved this so much. Gave 5 stars to 7 out of the 14 stories! My faves are: Theresa, Blackbird, Peeping Tommy, Re-birth, Katherine, Something Else Entirely, and Nancy.
March 8, 2024
It’s between 3.5 and 4 stars
What I didn’t like about this book was that’s sooo many stories left me confused but there were a few that I really loved
I do think the last novella was too long but the ending was worth it!
Overall I would recommend this book but be prepared to be confused 30% of the time
What I didn’t like about this book was that’s sooo many stories left me confused but there were a few that I really loved
I do think the last novella was too long but the ending was worth it!
Overall I would recommend this book but be prepared to be confused 30% of the time
December 23, 2022
I’m a bit shook, I must say. I’ll be alright though. I think. What happened? Well, Sammy Scott has made me afraid of my own life and home, that’s all. These stories hit right where you live, as the title suggests. It’s like he chiseled away some of the border between my comfy home and the twilight zone. These aren’t your standard tales about ghoulies and ghosties. They slip into your psyche like a blade and just keep twisting even when you set the book down. And yet I will probably read some of them again. Well done, Mr. Scott. I’ll be curled up in back of the closet with a baseball bat if anyone needs me…
September 23, 2022
Sammy Scott is now officially a name to keep an eye on in the horror community. I had so much fun with this collection! Typically, you find at least a few stories in a collection that stand out, and a few that don’t do anything for you, with the rest falling somewhere in between. While I definitely had my favorites here, I can honestly say I really enjoyed every single story. My favorites were Something Else Entirely and Theresa, but man, they were all extremely well-written. Sammy’s prose comes across as far more advanced than your typical debut. I am excited to see what’s in store for him next!
If you want some unsettling chills just in time for spooky season, GRAB THIS BOOK!
If you want some unsettling chills just in time for spooky season, GRAB THIS BOOK!
October 27, 2022
This book was absolutely brilliant! It takes a lot to scare me, and this book had the hairs on my arms standing up. I will be recommending this book to horror fans for a very long time.
I cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next!
I cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next!
August 17, 2023
Started off strong but by the end of the book I was really having to push myself to finish it. Some of the short stories were super creepy, well-written and gave Black Mirror energy, such as “Theresa”, “Blackbird” and “Scared Mary”, but most of the others were quite forgettable
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