Ashes (edition 2010)

This isn't horror in the vein of Hollywood - It's horror on the order of The Twilight Zone or tales told around a campfire when you're young.

All of the stories are ghost stories of one sort or another, and there's a great creepiness to them. However, if you're looking for blood, gore or outright terror, you'll probably want to find a different book.

My favorite was Haunted which turns the haunting around. My other favorites were the twin stories of the civil war soldiers, and the nod to Edgar Allen Poe.

I'm not sure why I picked up and read this Kindle freebie before I read Nicholson's Drummer Boy which I bought a month or so ago, but I am definitely going to try to get that book read sooner now since I've enjoyed this collection. ( )

At 3.38 this group of horror works is his strongest collection, with one very strong story.

Ashes : Homecoming - Scott Nicholson
Ashes : Haunted - Scott Nicholson
Ashes : The Christening - Scott Nicholson
Ashes : She Climbs A Winding Stair - Scott Nicholson
Ashes : Must See To Appreciate - Scott Nicholson
Ashes : Silver Run - Scott Nicholson
Ashes : The Three-Dollar Corpse - Scott Nicholson
Ashes : The Night Is An Ally - Scott Nicholson
Ashes : The Rocking Chair - Scott Nicholson
Ashes : Invisible Bullets - Scott Nicholson
Ashes : The Endless Bivouac - Scott Nicholson
Ashes : Last Writes - Scott Nicholson

Definitely not mice.

3.5 out of 5

Son fade.

3 out of 5

Ghost Stamey baby save.

3.5 out of 5

Wreck arrival.

3.5 out of 5

House breathers.

3.5 out of 5

The Engineer and the Jilted Lady.

3 out of 5

War money.

3.5 out of 5

Executed boy back.

4 out of 5

Nasty smell.

3 out of 5

Murder is easy if you are a ghost.

3.5 out of 5

Watching the dead line.

3.5 out of 5

Poe Mary.

3 out of 5

http://freesf.strandedinoz.com/wordpress/2012/02/ashes-scott-nicholson/ ( )

None of the stories in this collection felt like horror to me. I'd file them all as paranormal/ghost stories. I didn't find them scary, though they were dark and a bit creepy.

About half of the stories center on haunted houses, while most of the remaining stories take place during various wars. All are ghost tales.

Nicholson weaves a great story, with characters that quickly come alive. My only complaint is that the plots became repetitive. ( )

Ok book. Some stories are quite good. ( )

"Ashes" is collection of some of the best short stories I have ever read. They are not just suspenseful and delightfully wicked (and that they are) but psychologically complex, dense, and moving. Scattered Ashes is full of haunting tales, reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe, colorful characters, and they probe such age-old and contemporary topics as love, relationships, motherhood, and the dark depths of the human psyche. Like Scott Nicholson's novels, they are set in the Appalachian Mountains, but they speak to readers all over the world. ( )