Tales From Dark Places: The Halloween Collection

by D.C. Rogers, Peter John, William O'Brien

A selection of chilling stories from some of the best Indie authors on the market. We dare you to venture into these pages of spine chilling tales and stories of ghosts and goblins. Freely donated by the authors themselves, these dark passages are a great example of their various, unique styles and imaginations. This is the first of a series of free topical collections brought to you by The Indie Collaboration.

Genres: Horror, Halloween, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Ebooks, Collections

62 pages, Paperback

First published October 26, 2013

Reviews

[Bionic Jean]

The trouble with indie publishing is that you have no idea of the quality of the writing. Sometimes you might find an unknown gem, but with others you might be disappointed at the level of proficiency. This is an example of the latter case.

I’m leaving Tales From Dark Places: The Halloween Collection unrated, as I did not read all the stories. But although the first one had a promising idea: a date-rape victim still under the influence of the drug, waking immobolised on a mortuary slab, awaiting an autopsy the twist at the end didn't quite work. Worse, the standard of prose was clunky at best, and sometimes extremely poor. Two “through”s in the same sentence could easily have been improved by a simple substitution, as could the incorrect use of “proclaim” for “claim”. Was this story never proof-read or edited, even by its own author? This writing is not even averagely good.

I would expect the first story in a new anthology to indicate the general standard, or certainly not to be the worst one, so I will not read any further. There are several more collections from “The Indie Collaboration”, boasting that they are by “some of the best Indie authors on the market”, but I’m not getting my hopes up.

[Carolyn Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully delightful collection of hauntingly good short stories. With each author comes a unique writing style which adds to the mystery of the book, you don't know what to expect in the next. The Halloween collection will no doubt have you checking for monsters under your bed and wondering if those nightmares are real or not. Congratulations to all the authors on an excellent collection. I am looking forward to the the Christmas collaberation.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here are my thoughts on the stories:

DC Rogers-Dinner, date and autopsy
A date raped woman awakes just as her autopsy is about to begin.
This was good. It had tension and a nice twist that gave a good ending. (3 star)

Sonya C Dodd-Alone
A recurring dream of being murdered and waking to spend the day alone is a special kind of punishment.
It was ok but the punishment was not as cruel as the crimes so it wasn't a greatly satisfying ending. (2 star)

Peter John-It started with a whisper
Woman has dreams/hallucinations of things telling her pain was coming.
Well that was pretty much the whole story so it felt pointless and boring to me. (1 star)

Chris Raven-The Visitor
James gets a visit from his angry spurned wife.
The big reveal was a damp squib as it was obvious what was coming. Predictable and done countless times before. (2 star)

Sheryl Seal-The Goblin Changeling
A group of trick or treating goblins find the night spoiled by a lack of self control.
Amusing enough story with a moral of why rules need to be followed. (2.5 star)

Madhu Kalyan Mattaparthi-Bars
Someone trapped inside finds messages to help their escape.
This was confusing weirdness on a grand scale. (1 star)

Alan Hardy-Death's Track
George feels something is holding him back in life and death feels near.
This was a quirky little horror tale that I liked. (2.5 star)

Gunjan Vyas-Melinda
A lonely woman waits for the love of her life to return.
This one was not a great read. (1 star)

William O'Brien-Charlie Featherwick
A stupid child's prank played on a witch is punished.
It was ok but did get a bit confusing. (2 star)

[Jim Murdoch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspense, surprise, surreal, shocking, sinister, subtle, heart-pounding, side-glancing, door-checking, spine-shivers. These are words and reactions which best describe this collection of uncanny short stories. Each author has delved deep into their psyche, raising scenes and unwrapping fears which are best left be. Read at your peril. A delightful read on a darkened night with only your cat as company.

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

These were sadly pretty lame. Not the least bit creepy, sloppily put together, and the editing was not very good, either.

[Justyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hello One Star!
Tales From Dark Places has earned a milestone for my first one star review. That said in the fifty pages of this phamphlet, it's not much more than an afterthought. First of all, it appears no one ran this through any editing or critiques. The stories show consistency, but in beginner level prose, an overabundance of adverbs, telling rather than showing, and flat characters. It felt as though no one showed a familiarity with the horror genre, rather coughed up an imitation of a horror story trying too hard to scare at the expense of delivering any enticing narrative.
Another disappointment: the title is a misnomer. Only two stories even mentioned Halloween. At least horror fans' favorite holiday didn't became victim to these mediocre stories.
And no offense to the authors, but like any aspiring writer, work on the craft, learn from others, and read from the professionals. And be willing to take time before you put out something you're proud to have people read.
I hate to say this is the ugly side of an independent publication, and one worth avoiding.

[Shemeka Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great collection of short stories. Each story was well written and flowed nicely. Each author had an amazing story to tell that drew you in and kept your attention throughout the entire story. The morgue and the goblins are my favorite two because of the fact that I could not help putting myself in the place of the woman on the slab and imagining the horror of being alive during all of that! Great good to all.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly dark collection of Halloween stories. I thought they ranged from okay to good, but none of them really stood out as great. It was horror tales, but most of them weren't Halloween stories specifically, so the title is a little misleading.

Still not a bad collection, and I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a short, dark Halloween read.

[Charlotte Raven-shorey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really spooky read. Loved it. Lots of different stories and styles.

[Jon Messenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've recently grown very fond of reading anthologies. When I was given the chance to read and review one specifically oriented toward the suspense and horror genre, I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

There were some surprisingly exceptional short stories included in this anthology. A number of them truly had me feeling creeped out by the time they concluded. I felt like the anthology started and ended with some of their stronger works. I don't think the stories in the middle were bad by any means but they were overshadowed by the time I got to them. That being said, the whole anthology was entertaining and exciting.

This was a great work and introduced me to some fantastic new authors. I'm looking forward to reading more of their works.

[Sameer Ketkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales from Dark Places is a delightfully creepy collection of short stories written by a bunch of authors I was already a fan of. To have them collaborating like this is a lot of fun and also a great way of spreading their names. There's a little bit of everything in this Halloween short story collection, so be prepared for some spine-tingling fun! Highly recommended!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decently written ghost and ghoul stories, creepy but not scary. The first story was brilliant, but was a little let down by the others which didn't seem to have that same kick.

[Uvi Poznansky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when an author takes me to a place I have never visited before, and the wilder the ride—the better! Here, nine authors have joined forces, inviting us to delve into the dark side, where ghosts and goblins are out to get us. What a thrill!

This is an eclectic mix that allows you not only to explore the thrill of fear but also to get to hear new voices in the indie literary field and sample their writing. Pulled together by The Indie Collaboration, this is a collection of nine short stories:

Dinner, Date, and Autopsy by D.C. Rogers
Alone by Sonya S. Dodd
It Started With A Whisper by Peter John
TheVisitor: Melpomene’s Love by Chris Raven
The Goblin Changeling by Sheryl Seal
Bars by Madhu Kalyan Mattararthi
Death’s Track by Alan Hardy
Melinda by Gunjan Vyas
Charlie Featherwick by William O’Brien

For each one of the authors, there is a brief biography at the back of the book, and a list of books for further exploration.

Five stars.

[Kristina Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

I very much enjoyed every single story. Very talented authors in this collection. I certainly recommend this book to anyone.

[Barbara Senteney · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are 9 stories in this book, I am not going to give particular events just my opinion and name of each story and it's author.
Story #1 Dinner, Date and Autopsy by D.C.Rogers. This was a good story, but I felt like it was just a stolen scene from a movie I once saw.
Story #2 Alone by Tonya C. Dodd , a decent story but didn't really grab me.
Story #3 It Started With A Whisper by Peter John, enjoyed this spooky short tale.
Story #4 The Visitor: Melpomenus Love by Chris Raven ,I really liked this story it was one of the best in the book
Story #5 The Goblin Changeling by Sheryl Seal, a cute tale but more of a children's story
Story #6 Bars by Madhu Kalyan Mattaparthi, it was ok but I didn't care for it
Story #7 Death Track by Alan Hardy it was ok but nothing special
Story #8 Melinda by Gunjan Vvas , This was the best story in the book, haunting love story
Story # 9 Charlie Featherwick by William O'Brian , this was a good story maybe second best of book
I can only give this book 3 stars, because if I bought this instead of borrowing from my unlimited account I would have been very disappointed
Tales From Dark Places: The Halloween Collection by Peter John

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


There are 9 stories in this book, I am not going to give particular events just my opinion and name of each story and it's author.
Story #1 Dinner, Date and Autopsy by D.C.Rogers. This was a good story, but I felt like it was just a stolen scene from a movie I once saw.
Story #2 Alone by Tonya C. Dodd , a decent story but didn't really grab me.
Story #3 It Started With A Whisper by Peter John, enjoyed this spooky short tale.
Story #4 The Visitor: Melpomenus Love by Chris Raven ,I really liked this story it was one of the best in the book
Story #5 The Goblin Changeling by Sheryl Seal, a cute tale but more of a children's story
Story #6 Bars by Madhu Kalyan Mattaparthi, it was ok but I didn't care for it
Story #7 Death Track by Alan Hardy
Story #8 Melinda by Gunjan Vvas , This was the best story in the book, haunting love story
Story # 9 Charlie Featherwick by William O'Brian , this was a good story maybe second best of book
I can only give this book 3 stars, because if I bought this instead of borrowing from my unlimited account I would have been very disappointed



View all my reviews

[Em Buxton-Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

DC Rogers-Dinner, date and autopsy
A date rape victim wakes up on the autopsy table, unable to move.
I felt like I'd read this story several times before. Small twist at the end that I felt was somewhat predictable (1 star)

Sonya C Dodd-Alone
A woman has a nightly recurring dream in which she is murdered, only to find out she is the murderer. She wakes up every morning and spends the day in isolation, as a kind of punishment.
This story felt a bit flat, maybe because it was short. I feel that with more character building and situational development this story could improve. (2 star)

Peter John-It started with a whisper
A woman is plagued by nightly dreams of things whispers foretelling of impending pain. She tries to avoid sleep, with no prevail.
I had to go back a reread this one because I couldn't remember what happened; the answer: not a lot. I think she died at the end and was doomed to an existence of misery?? (1 star)

Chris Raven-The Visitor
James is visited by his angry ex-wife.
By the time it is revealed that she is dead, I already knew. I like the overall concept but it once again suffers from "short story disease" where the story requires a stronger bond with the characters but lacks the time to build them. (2 star)

Sheryl Seal-The Goblin Changeling
A group young goblins go trick or treating goblins but the night is ruined by their friends a lack of self control.
This was my definite favourite; a fun little story. I felt the characters were hard to keep track of. (3.5 star)

Madhu Kalyan Mattaparthi-Bars
A person trapped inside a secure apartment finds coded messages to help them escape, but it isn't that simple.
I was super confused the entire way through. (1 star)

Alan Hardy-Death's Track
A man can feel death is holding him near.
I liked the idea but once again it suffered from "short story disease". (2 star)

Gunjan Vyas-Melinda
An ageing woman awaits the return of her deceased lover.
Very forgettable, it was just a story for a stories sake. (1 star)

William O'Brien-Charlie Featherwick
3 children prank an elderly woman and are punished.
What happened? A somewhat rushed narrative that got confusing toward the end. (2 star)

[Lisa Alva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tales From The Dark Places The Halloween Collection

A collection of short horror stories written by a selection of dark horror Indy authors. Out of the nine stories in this collection I personally found four to be fun and memorable. That does not mean that the other five stories in this book aren’t worth your time, not at all!! It means exactly what it says, ‘personally found memorable.’ In other words, they are all I can literally remember.

That’s probably because I’ve got too many books going at the same time, and three of them are anthologies. I probably should slow it down a little, but I’m trying to get some books cleared out of my ‘To be read’ pile and it seems that October and Halloween is a good time to do that for horror anthologies. And hey, 50% rating isn’t bad for an anthology. For me the book was well worth the cost on these 4 stories alone!!

**Dinner, Date and Autopsy by D. C Rogers 5⭐️ This story starts this little anthology off with a BANG! It was twisty unexpected fun!

**The Goblin Changeling By Sheryl Seal 5⭐️ The little kid in me really enjoyed this trick or treat story!

**The Visitor Melpomene’s Love 4⭐️ True love never really dies.

**Charlie Featherwick by William O’Brian 3⭐️ A perfect example of teaching your children manners.

I didn’t say they were good. I said they were memorable. 🙂

[Raymond Mathiesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales From Dark Places: The Halloween Collection

What's in the dark?

Strange happenings, murders, ghosts, witches: this book of short stories has them all. Each story, written by a different author, is scary and creepy in its own unique way. Each new story is a surprise. I must confess I love horror, so I guess I'm biased. But this book is excellent if you want a short read. All the stories are only a few pages long, but have surprising depth.

I enjoyed every story, and the whole book gets 5 stars from me.

[Jason Darrell · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's a reason editors exist...

...that said, it would have to be a pretty optimistic and open-minded editor to take on this gaggle of inanity.

When writers confuse canapé with canopy and can conceive the word 'lepted' (leapt), it makes you wonder who cobbled together these stories and thought them fit for publication.

I was convinced that, when I reached the end of this Kindle edition, I'd find that the authors were fifth or sixth graders, and that some well-meaning (but delusional) teacher had encouraged them to write Halloween stories.

Sadly, not. There's hope for us all...

[WVBunny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too dumb to be scary.

The majority of these short stories are just dumb and boring. I can usually read a collection of short stories and find a few that will hold my interest followup me to rate the entire book as average at least. But this collection was totally dumb. Every story was boring and none led up to an unexpected or scary ending. Sorry.

[nikki The Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

This book has good short stories. As I was reading and the story had finished it's like you want more. Different stories with a huge twist in the end. Highly recommend if you like horror or a fan of horror like me

[Travis Mays · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very entertaining read

Very well written. As with most collections a few of the stories were less than expected. However, the majority were fresh meat to a horror hungry mind. Great Job. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Jim Glover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

I actually rather enjoyed these short tales of horror. The authors in this collection are not well known but actually pretty talented. I can’t say there is a bad story in this collection. All were very enjoyable and wonderfully demented. Much recommended.

[Nilesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so good.

[Thelma Coots · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrill

Some of these stories take you. Places you don't want to think about. Truly spooky for those who like short spooky stories This is for you.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think they were some interesting and weird stories, but what I liked the most is that they were not too long or too short. I think nothing was missing from them what you get is enough.

[Sandra Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read

Various horror tales about Halloween. Spooky, witches, goblins let out to go trick or treating, more tricks than treat. Boo!

[nickiknackinoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average

Average stories, not the best but not bad either. I love ghost stories so I was a bit disappointed they weren't really frightening stories.

[Lindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free ebook on Amazon. Better than expected. It’s a bunch of super short stories. Two of them were 5 stars the rest were nothing special.

[Ciayrra The Scorpion Flower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great job!

This was a nice selection of scary stories. Some of the endings I didn’t see coming, which is always great.