Here with the Shadows

by Steve Rasnic Tem

These stories by award-winning author Steve Rasnic Tem drag from the darkness ghosts that haunt us all. Between these covers lurk the spectres of grief, loss, and loneliness: a man discovers he is far from alone in his empty home, a forlorn wife is gifted with an unusual child, a contractor contemplates the sad message left by a grieving father, a blind woman discovers a spiritual manifestation at the edge of a forest, a spectral presence appears in a lonesome Colorado wheat field... Here with the Shadows is a volume of supernatural impressions and quiet vacancies, and in each story Tem reminds us that sometimes only a whisper separates us from the eternal.

Contents:
- Here with the Shadows
- A House by the Ocean
- The Cabinet Child
- The Still, Cold Air
- G is for Ghost
- Breaking the Rules
- The Slow Fall of Dust in a Quiet Place
- Inside William James
- Back Among the Shy Trees
- Seeing the Woods
- Smoke in a Bottle
- Est Enim Magnum Chaos
- These Days When All is Silver and Bright
- Telling
- Wheatfield with Crows

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Collections

165 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2014

About the author

Steve Rasnic Tem was born in Lee County Virginia in the heart of Appalachia. He is the author of over 350 published short stories and is a past winner of the Bram Stoker, International Horror Guild, British Fantasy, and World Fantasy Awards. His story collections include City Fishing, The Far Side of the Lake, In Concert (with wife Melanie Tem), Ugly Behavior, Celestial Inventories, and Onion Songs. An audio collection, Invisible, is also available. His novels include Excavation, The Book of Days, Daughters, The Man In The Ceiling (with Melanie Tem), and the recent Deadfall Hotel.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories contained here in consist of:

Here with the Shadows
A House by the Ocean
The Cabinet Child
The Still, Cold Air
G is for Ghost
Breaking the Rules
The Slow Fall of Dust in a Quiet Place
Inside William James
Back Among the Shy Trees
Seeing the Woods
Smoke in a Bottle
Est Enim Magnum Chaos
These Days When All is Silver and Bright
Telling
Wheatfield with Crows

The stories in this volume are moody sentimental and mostly sad and amazingly well written. If you read too many in one sitting you will want to go and eat some Ice Cream or other comfort food in order to lighten up. The grief runs deep ! Many of these stories deal with mortality and isolation. The word craft is outstanding. My compliments to Mr. Tem.

[Des Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has all the ingredients for being a great story, but its images, frights, connections to the book’s other ‘vulnerable house’, ‘childhood home’, ‘parent and offspring relationship’, ‘regression’ etc. all seem to me to be a bit crammed, rushed and methodical. Meanwhile, however, the ending, if I interpreted it correctly (together with the fact it needed to be interpreted at all!), is indeed effective. And the woman as a professional painter artist of actual residential houses in the context of this whole book was something I enjoyed.

The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.

[Franco · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a great great book. very little words to add besides goodreads introduction to the volume. again as in most of Rasnic's narrative i found it deeply moving and really engaging for the reader, taking him in a sort of downward spiralling movement from the first tale to the very end.
regrets,despair, sorrow, woe, isolation,coldness..all these feelings are perfectly represented pickin the right words from the characters'mouths. No chance, this seems to be the right conclusion.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice, well written, collection of "horror" stories. They are not your "scare the pants off ya" type of stories but more the sad, melancholy type. It is a collection that focuses on loss of the dearly departed, old memories, lonliness and regret. A good touch of creepiness without the reader feeling the need to grab a flashlight and dagger. I did, however, have a strong desire to eat some chocolate after this reading experience (Harry Potter, dementor reference).

[Marcheto Marcheto · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Solid collection recommended for any ghost/weird short fiction lover. There was not a bad story in this collection, although I felt that some of the stories were a tad similar to each other.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thus writ the master. This is a collection of short stories concerning the nightmares of human existence, place, and time. There isn't as much weird taking place on the pages as there is dark, disturbing, depressing, damaging, destroying, dread, disconnection, and despair.