Mark Onspaugh (1953–2024)

I love short horror stories and these 22 dark tales will make you wonder whether abandoned places are really as empty as they appear.
My favorites were The Storybook Forest by Norman Prentiss in which a small group of friends gather in an abandoned children's theme park for a few beers and a night of terror. Along that same theme was Lullaby Land by Mark Onspaugh. A once crowded theme park long since closed after a tragedy... but children still manage to find their way there as kidnappers show more Mitch and Del are about to discover. The Theater by Dennis Copelan finds Leonard Brown, taking a bittersweet final walk through of his movie theater before signing the final sale papers.
Drive-In of the Damned by Michael Arruda was another of my favorites. Three paranormal investigators stake out a haunted drive in hoping to gain enough popularity on their YouTube channel to get a tv show. Bodies Without Souls by L.L. Soares finds Michael about to give a beach party while his parents are away, when an empty yacht mysteriously floats into easy reach. What's the worst that could happen if he turns his beach party into a boat party? Emily by JW Schnarr is the story of a missing girl and what happens to two friends who joined her search party in the woods.
High Desert by Lisa Morton finds Kara seeking shelter from the heat when Tadd goes off for help after they have car trouble in the desert while checking out an area where a religious cult mysteriously disappeared. Dream Home by D.L. Snell is not exactly about a haunted house, but a house that will haunt you. The Pressboard Factory by Peter N. Dudar was my absolute favorite. Billy and Ryan grew up together, but were not much alike. Ryan was picked on, belittled and bullied not just at school but abused at home right up until the day he just couldn't take it anymore.
All of the above, for me were the 5 star stories in this collection.

I received a complimentary copy for review. show less

Wow - this is the best horror novel I've read this year - and that includes the very good NO4A2!

This book has a great mix that combines for a fast, scary read. I love the author's use of Northwest Native American lore and culture (although the titular big bad is an original creation). The characters are vivid, so much so that I started to worry about their chances of survival (i.e. please don't kill them off, Mr. Author!). There is a great series of shocks which build throughout the story, show more leavened with a dash of humor (mainly from a pair of characters straight out of Bubba-Ho-Tep). show less

I received a gratis ebook from the publisher via NetGalley.

I don't usually read horror, but I requested this because it utilizes Tlingit mythology. I read a lot of dark fantasy, and it's unusual for a book to deviate from the usual Irish/Anglo/Nordic pantheons, or from Navajo among American native traditions. I went on an Alaskan cruise earlier this year and I had hopes to learn more about the Tlingit people.

The book has a lot going for it, but some negatives as well.

It starts slowly because show more the perspective head hops a lot. As a reader, this was downright infuriating at times and I almost stopped reading. It felt like the book was trying to be a movie by focusing on people just long enough for them to meet a horrific death. This happened repeatedly. I didn't like the intensity of the gore and violence in the deaths, but I won't downgrade the book for that--I knew to expect horror, and it delivered.

Once those killings stopped at about halfway through, the book picked up pace considerably and became a riveting read. The family of Steven, Liz, and Bobby is nice enough, and a lot of tension is increased because six-year-old Bobby is the obvious goal of the Faceless One and it's not clear why. Stan feels like a generic NYPD detective but he grows more nuanced as he endures hell; I especially liked how things developed with his partner.

However, the real reason I read on was the character of Jimmy and his best bud from the old folks' home. I ADORED them. Paranormal books need more senior heroes! I loved their constant banter, racial slurs and all, because it felt so grounded and real.

The plot contained twists up through the ending. I did indeed learn more about Tlingit mythology and history, as I hoped. It's made clear that the Faceless One is a "hidden" element of their shamanic tradition (i.e. likely an invention), but Onspaugh does draw on the importance of ravens, otters, and the power of the bond between uncle and nephew.

I am by no means converted to read more horror, but this ended up being a good enough book in the end, with the highlights being the "old farts" as heroes and Tlingit culture. show less

The Faceless One is an ancient evil, a "cruel and vengeful god called T-Nathluk." The shamans of the Tlingit tribe in Alaska have always watched over this evil and made sure it stayed buried and encased in ice. Unfortunately, there are no more shamans in the village and a couple of anthropologists have unearthed the mask that imprisoned this evil god, and all hell is about to be unleashed on the world, unless a group of strangers can work together to reimprison it.

I thought this book was a show more great horror story, written by a new name in the world of horror, Mark Onspaugh. This was a great debut novel that introduced a unique evil and a group of very likeable characters, with a delicious amount of sit on the edge of your seat possession and torture thrown in for good measure. Because this book was well written, it was a really quick read, with good even pacing that moved along quite nicely. Just when I thought I knew where the story was going, it would take a turn and go off in a whole new direction, and the ending was a nice twist.

In summary, I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading the second book in the series.

5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. show less