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Worse Than Myself
"Light crept across the snow in the backyard and the snow became blindingly bright—it seemed more than white, seemed more like empty space, like a crisp sheet of paper just fed through the roller of a typewriter." Adam Golaski spins dark, weird tales in the original sense of the uncanny, unearthly, sometimes fantastic and always slightly off-center. These are stories to be savored late at night in bed, read by the light of a single lamp in an empty, dark house.
217 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 17, 2008
29 people are currently reading
1060 people want to read
About the author
Adam Golaski
38 books23 followersAdam Golaski is a husband and a father. Adam wrote Color Plates (Rose Metal Press, 2009). His translation of Sir Gawain & the Green Knight—"Green"—appears in installments on the critical site Open Letters. His poetry, fiction (horror and otherwise), and non-fiction has appeared in journals such as: word for/word, Supernatural Tales, McSweeney's, Sleepingfish, Conjunctions, and All Hallows. He is currently editing selected poetry of Paul Hannigan for Pressed Wafer, and co-edited for Flim Forum Press two anthologies of experimental poetry, Oh One Arrow (2007) and A Sing Economy (2008). Adam edits and publishes New Genre, a journal of horror and science fiction, now in its seventh year. He collaborates musically with Jeremy Withers as Outlet; their most recent single, "Why Worry Rosary," appeared on the multi-media compilation Schwa 10.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 21, 2013
Golaski’s stories are scary,compelling and addictive because each of them hones in on a familiar and permanent source of human anxiety—the fear of sinking into an obsession, paranoia about the opposite sex, the fear of squandering your life, the fear of helplessness.The prose is poetic but taut—the tension keeps building—and the stories are driven with a succession of striking, eerie images—a deer in a bed, a staircase corkscrewing down into the earth, a long bridge clogged with zombies, a trapped child watching helplessly through a window as her parents call for her.These stories brought back memories,the feeling of danger you sense as a child when you know that something’s off but you don’t understand the nature of the problem, then the moment when you realize that what’s happening is exactly the thing you were most frightened of.
These stories left me feeling unsafe even after finishing the book, like the kind of nightmare that you can’t shake off after you wake up.
These stories left me feeling unsafe even after finishing the book, like the kind of nightmare that you can’t shake off after you wake up.
December 2, 2019
✭✭✭½
“The Animator’s House” (2008) ✭✭✭✭
“In the Cellar” (2008) ✭✭✭½
“The Animal Aspect of Her Movement” (2008) ✭✭✭
“The Demon” (2005/2008 rev.) ✭✭
“Back Home” (2003/2008 rev.) ✭✭✭
“A String of Lights” (2008) ✭✭✭
“What Water Reveals” (2007/2008 rev.) ✭✭✭½
“They Look Like Little Girls” (2008) ✭✭✭½
“The Man from the Peak” (2008) ✭✭✭✭
“The Dead Gather on the Bridge to Seattle” (2008) ✭✭✭
“Weird Furka” (2004/2008 rev.) ✭✭✭✭✭
“The Animator’s House” (2008) ✭✭✭✭
“In the Cellar” (2008) ✭✭✭½
“The Animal Aspect of Her Movement” (2008) ✭✭✭
“The Demon” (2005/2008 rev.) ✭✭
“Back Home” (2003/2008 rev.) ✭✭✭
“A String of Lights” (2008) ✭✭✭
“What Water Reveals” (2007/2008 rev.) ✭✭✭½
“They Look Like Little Girls” (2008) ✭✭✭½
“The Man from the Peak” (2008) ✭✭✭✭
“The Dead Gather on the Bridge to Seattle” (2008) ✭✭✭
“Weird Furka” (2004/2008 rev.) ✭✭✭✭✭
October 31, 2013
Adam Golaski's collection of strange stories emerges from behind a nicely suggestive image of a deep forest in deep winter, the uniform white of snow contrasting the progressive fade of black trunks to grey with the distance. Divided into two sections - New England & New York and Montana - Golaski presents eleven unsettling experiences which, while not necessarily unfamiliar to readers of horror, all benefit from quality and style not generally associated with the genre.
Worse Than Myself gives us the vampire, the ghost, zombies and cults, unseen presences and misceleneous other creatures of prey. In each case there is a flow to the narrative that quickly draws the reader in, an interesting character or distinctive tone from which an increasing sense of unease can grow, in many cases flourishing into something powerful and effective... but not all.
The scattering of sub-genre topics might make this seem like a horror writing exercise - here's what I can do with this type, and this, now this - but Golaski succeeds in crafting not just a variety of themes. He writes male and female protagonists, adult and juvenile, with equal attention to depth and detail, creating "real" people, and when one does encounter something of a cypher in these pages it is clear that there is a reason for it.
I must state my position clearly: I found this to be an engrossing collection of stories, definitely recommended (as one story in particular was, here, in an excellent annual run down of horror writing). I have not a single regret in making the purchase; English language books being something of a luxury here on the continent it cost a bit, but after finishing the first piece I was compelled (like at least one character in The Man from the Peak, widely considered one of Golaski's best) to continue until I'd consumed them all.
However, this may not have been the best approach. While the stories all share a high standard of writing, often they share other things as well. Golaski has a tendency to stop, and sometimes he does so at the perfect moment. The Man from the Peak would be a prime example: nothing he could have added would have improved the story and the lingering sensation the reader is left with is half the pleasure, one of several in this particular case. The first tale, The Animator's House, similarly establishes an authentic world of non-horror in which to plant its seed, similarly ends before a moment of absolute closure while, similarly, leaving no doubt as to what is still to come. In such cases, Golaski hits his target with frightening accuracy.
In other cases, this stopping leaves something to be desired. Like an end. Two stories from the Montana section, What Water Reveals and The Dead Gather on the Bridge to Seattle, while far from bad by any stretch, suffer this way. It is arguable; in What Water Reveals, we have a story about alcoholism in which perhaps the approaching horror is secondary to the mental journey of the hero, but such was the effectiveness of the characterisation I felt dissatisfied when the ultimate confrontation was left unrecorded, as if my TV broke just as the hooded man cornered the very last girl in the sorority. With The Dead Gather... it was more like it broke before the movie got going. Decent first act, sure, but what happens next?
At the risk of spoiling on this point, one story in particular stood guilty for me. They Look Like Little Girls is an ensemble piece: four passengers on an uncomfortable overnight Greyhound journey are woken from their nightmares only to be abandoned at a cold and lonely shack in the middle of nowhere. Soon strange creatures draw in, circle the flimsy shelter, creatures worryingly familiar to them. First one, then another, then another of the group recall their nightmare for us, between each the situation outside escalating, until finally salvation arrives only to reveal itself as doom. There follows a moment of transformative horror - and then follows immediately the end of the text, oddly short by one dream memory and with the fate of the group left unseen. Okay, we can assume the worst, but in this case for me too much has been left out. Here I find something simply incomplete, not deliciously uncertain.
As must be clear now I had a few gripes with Worse Than Myself, but even in the examples above it must be said that there is real quality on show. Golaski writes well. His imagination is macabre and varied, his characters vivid and believable. Even when his stories miss the mark they don't leave you totally unscathed; but when they hit, they go right to the bone.
Worse Than Myself gives us the vampire, the ghost, zombies and cults, unseen presences and misceleneous other creatures of prey. In each case there is a flow to the narrative that quickly draws the reader in, an interesting character or distinctive tone from which an increasing sense of unease can grow, in many cases flourishing into something powerful and effective... but not all.
The scattering of sub-genre topics might make this seem like a horror writing exercise - here's what I can do with this type, and this, now this - but Golaski succeeds in crafting not just a variety of themes. He writes male and female protagonists, adult and juvenile, with equal attention to depth and detail, creating "real" people, and when one does encounter something of a cypher in these pages it is clear that there is a reason for it.
I must state my position clearly: I found this to be an engrossing collection of stories, definitely recommended (as one story in particular was, here, in an excellent annual run down of horror writing). I have not a single regret in making the purchase; English language books being something of a luxury here on the continent it cost a bit, but after finishing the first piece I was compelled (like at least one character in The Man from the Peak, widely considered one of Golaski's best) to continue until I'd consumed them all.
However, this may not have been the best approach. While the stories all share a high standard of writing, often they share other things as well. Golaski has a tendency to stop, and sometimes he does so at the perfect moment. The Man from the Peak would be a prime example: nothing he could have added would have improved the story and the lingering sensation the reader is left with is half the pleasure, one of several in this particular case. The first tale, The Animator's House, similarly establishes an authentic world of non-horror in which to plant its seed, similarly ends before a moment of absolute closure while, similarly, leaving no doubt as to what is still to come. In such cases, Golaski hits his target with frightening accuracy.
In other cases, this stopping leaves something to be desired. Like an end. Two stories from the Montana section, What Water Reveals and The Dead Gather on the Bridge to Seattle, while far from bad by any stretch, suffer this way. It is arguable; in What Water Reveals, we have a story about alcoholism in which perhaps the approaching horror is secondary to the mental journey of the hero, but such was the effectiveness of the characterisation I felt dissatisfied when the ultimate confrontation was left unrecorded, as if my TV broke just as the hooded man cornered the very last girl in the sorority. With The Dead Gather... it was more like it broke before the movie got going. Decent first act, sure, but what happens next?
At the risk of spoiling on this point, one story in particular stood guilty for me. They Look Like Little Girls is an ensemble piece: four passengers on an uncomfortable overnight Greyhound journey are woken from their nightmares only to be abandoned at a cold and lonely shack in the middle of nowhere. Soon strange creatures draw in, circle the flimsy shelter, creatures worryingly familiar to them. First one, then another, then another of the group recall their nightmare for us, between each the situation outside escalating, until finally salvation arrives only to reveal itself as doom. There follows a moment of transformative horror - and then follows immediately the end of the text, oddly short by one dream memory and with the fate of the group left unseen. Okay, we can assume the worst, but in this case for me too much has been left out. Here I find something simply incomplete, not deliciously uncertain.
As must be clear now I had a few gripes with Worse Than Myself, but even in the examples above it must be said that there is real quality on show. Golaski writes well. His imagination is macabre and varied, his characters vivid and believable. Even when his stories miss the mark they don't leave you totally unscathed; but when they hit, they go right to the bone.
March 9, 2010
I was lucky enough to meet Adam Golaski at Readercon. After that, I caught his story "The Man from the Peak" in Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of the Year and that was all the impetus I needed to immediately pick up Worse Than Myself.
If I say that none of the other stories in Worse Than Myself are ever quite as good as "The Man from the Peak," don't construe that as a condemnation, since "The Man from the Peak" may be one of the best short stories I've ever read. Worse Than Myself is an incredibly strong, creepy, affecting collection. The cover blurb from Ramsey Campbell says that Golaski has "an enviable talent for the insidiously weird," and insidious seems like a good word for it. The stories in Worse Than Myself got under my skin in ways that I didn't expect, and affected me emotionally in ways that I'm not used to stories affecting me.
I started reading Worse Than Myself as soon as I got it, but it took me months to finish. I read the stories one at a time, setting the book aside for a week or a month or more between stories. This is emphatically not my standard M.O., but something about this book seemed to demand it of me. I enjoyed the second half more than the first. It was composed almost entirely of what I would call classic stories. "What Water Reveals," "They Look Like Little Girls," "Weird Furka," and the aforementioned "The Man from the Peak" are all favorites.
If I say that none of the other stories in Worse Than Myself are ever quite as good as "The Man from the Peak," don't construe that as a condemnation, since "The Man from the Peak" may be one of the best short stories I've ever read. Worse Than Myself is an incredibly strong, creepy, affecting collection. The cover blurb from Ramsey Campbell says that Golaski has "an enviable talent for the insidiously weird," and insidious seems like a good word for it. The stories in Worse Than Myself got under my skin in ways that I didn't expect, and affected me emotionally in ways that I'm not used to stories affecting me.
I started reading Worse Than Myself as soon as I got it, but it took me months to finish. I read the stories one at a time, setting the book aside for a week or a month or more between stories. This is emphatically not my standard M.O., but something about this book seemed to demand it of me. I enjoyed the second half more than the first. It was composed almost entirely of what I would call classic stories. "What Water Reveals," "They Look Like Little Girls," "Weird Furka," and the aforementioned "The Man from the Peak" are all favorites.
June 3, 2024
MAYBE the strongest horror collection published since teatro grottesco; golaski is just as invested in twisting horror writing into new shapes. so exciting & inspiring to read—each story is both mysterious and lucid, the physicality of the characters equaled by the physicality of the terrors they encounter. nothing functions exclusively a metaphor for [X], nothing is bolted on to suit a "horror audience," nothing exists to flatter the author. so much of this lives in the gaps between what we desire and what exists; what is and what can't be; what is expressed and what is heard. will read this again and again!!
also i feel kinda seen by adam golaski's blog & his unsparing honesty when talking about the discipline of horror writing & when reviewing other people's work: it's not in service of a "harsh critic" image in a black t-shirt RYM way, but to refuse to settle for less for the sake of networking or money or whatever it is
also i feel kinda seen by adam golaski's blog & his unsparing honesty when talking about the discipline of horror writing & when reviewing other people's work: it's not in service of a "harsh critic" image in a black t-shirt RYM way, but to refuse to settle for less for the sake of networking or money or whatever it is
July 3, 2021
If you don't like ambiguity, maybe don't read 'Worse Than Myself.' A few of the endings to the short stories in this collection are less than satisfactory. The tension mounts and then- bam, cut to black. Still, I liked the vibes.
The Animator's House **** - Great start. One of the collection's creepiest/best.
In the Cellar *** - There's an odd tidbit in here about these railroad tracks buried under a family's backyard that seem to be headed towards the ocean. That detail barely plays into the plot, but it stood out to me. Anyways, I'm not sure that I liked this one. It starts out kind of creepy, then goes in a random direction, then reels it all back. The ending left me scratching my head. You get what he was going for, but it feels kind of cheap.
The Animal Aspect of Her Movement ** - This story is just bizarre. And not in a good way. The climax stuck with me, but only because of how crazy it is.
The Demon ** - Engh. Maybe the worst story in the collection. Reads like a pale imitation of what Golaski achieves in 'The Man on the Peak.'
Back Home ** - I don't really remember this, which means it was neither here nor there. The title is too generic.
A String of Lights **** - I liked this story a lot. It's always cool when you can feel that there's sinister stuff happening behind the scenes that the protagonist isn't aware of. That said, it's not for everyone.
What Water Reveals **** - Somewhat memorable. It's about a recovering alcoholic dealing with a mysterious entity which may or may not be the metaphorical manifestation of his addiction.
They Look Like Little Girls *** - This one's for anybody who's ever gone on an overnight bus ride. I loved the setting. The execution, however... A group of four people take turns exchanging nightmares while stuck in a bus station. I feel like more could have been done with it. I didn't really care for the dream elements- I wanted to know what was happening in the real world. The ending is memorable, if abrupt.
The Man on the Peak ***** - Best story in the collection; the whole reason I bought it. I initially read it in one of Datlow's 'Best of' books. It's short, sweet, and impactful. I saw another review on here where somebody mentioned how the narrator is the author's wish fulfillment. That couldn't be farther from the truth imo. Without spoiling it, the story is told from the perspective of a handsome, vain yuppie-type, think a less psychotic Patrick Bateman, who goes to a friend's party at a house on a mountain. Then the man on the peak shows up.
The Dead Gather on the Bridge to Seattle ** - Engh, zombies. Meh.
Weird Furka *** - Kinda cool. You know where it's going. Maybe it would have benefitted from a little extra something to spice it up.
I read this collection in two days and there weren't any major duds. None of the stories were long or pretentious enough for me to feel like they should have been scrapped, but a lot of them could have been better. The stand-outs are definitely worth checking out.
-Love Stu
The Animator's House **** - Great start. One of the collection's creepiest/best.
In the Cellar *** - There's an odd tidbit in here about these railroad tracks buried under a family's backyard that seem to be headed towards the ocean. That detail barely plays into the plot, but it stood out to me. Anyways, I'm not sure that I liked this one. It starts out kind of creepy, then goes in a random direction, then reels it all back. The ending left me scratching my head. You get what he was going for, but it feels kind of cheap.
The Animal Aspect of Her Movement ** - This story is just bizarre. And not in a good way. The climax stuck with me, but only because of how crazy it is.
The Demon ** - Engh. Maybe the worst story in the collection. Reads like a pale imitation of what Golaski achieves in 'The Man on the Peak.'
Back Home ** - I don't really remember this, which means it was neither here nor there. The title is too generic.
A String of Lights **** - I liked this story a lot. It's always cool when you can feel that there's sinister stuff happening behind the scenes that the protagonist isn't aware of. That said, it's not for everyone.
What Water Reveals **** - Somewhat memorable. It's about a recovering alcoholic dealing with a mysterious entity which may or may not be the metaphorical manifestation of his addiction.
They Look Like Little Girls *** - This one's for anybody who's ever gone on an overnight bus ride. I loved the setting. The execution, however... A group of four people take turns exchanging nightmares while stuck in a bus station. I feel like more could have been done with it. I didn't really care for the dream elements- I wanted to know what was happening in the real world. The ending is memorable, if abrupt.
The Man on the Peak ***** - Best story in the collection; the whole reason I bought it. I initially read it in one of Datlow's 'Best of' books. It's short, sweet, and impactful. I saw another review on here where somebody mentioned how the narrator is the author's wish fulfillment. That couldn't be farther from the truth imo. Without spoiling it, the story is told from the perspective of a handsome, vain yuppie-type, think a less psychotic Patrick Bateman, who goes to a friend's party at a house on a mountain. Then the man on the peak shows up.
The Dead Gather on the Bridge to Seattle ** - Engh, zombies. Meh.
Weird Furka *** - Kinda cool. You know where it's going. Maybe it would have benefitted from a little extra something to spice it up.
I read this collection in two days and there weren't any major duds. None of the stories were long or pretentious enough for me to feel like they should have been scrapped, but a lot of them could have been better. The stand-outs are definitely worth checking out.
-Love Stu
May 25, 2025
When I was maybe 14 or so a friend of mine got into an argument with his dad that ended with the dad grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back. My friend's mom began crying and pleading with me to intervene, call for help, but I was 14 and not a brave kid, so I said "This is too much" and ran out of their house.
The feeling I had that day was the feeling I had reading these stories, and I mean that as a compliment.
The feeling I had that day was the feeling I had reading these stories, and I mean that as a compliment.
April 2, 2024
If you’ve read any of my reviews over the last almost-decade of me posting reviews, you’ll see that I’m a huge lover of the randomness of how books get onto a readers radar. 99% of the time, it’s a new book release being announced and we collectively lose our minds, preorder and repeat. But it’s that other 1% that I think would make for a wonderfully odd anthology. A book about those random occurrences that put a specific book in our hands. Such as ‘I was waiting in line to buy a water at the airport and I spotted a curly haired man with glasses sneakily signing a book.’ That’s a true story. Over on Instagram, Neil Gaiman posted about it maybe two or three years ago. He often stealth signs and in this case, a woman saw him doing it, asked him about it, as she had never read his work, and bought that book, excited to read it and having a very cool story about acquiring it.
Now, in the case of ‘Worse Than Myself’ by Adam Golaski, my story isn’t as crazily coincident and cool as that woman’s (and it doesn’t involve Neil Gaiman, though I do believe he’d love this collection!), but it was still a neat confluence. Or not? You decide. I’d jumped onto Twitter to reply to a DM, when I saw Canada’s King of Monster’s Trevor Henderson had posted that the first story in this collection was perhaps the best short story he’d ever read. I was immediately intrigued, so I went and bought the Kindle edition and read it.
Ok, so my story is DEFINITELY not as cool as the woman in the airport, but anyways, here we are and now that I’ve read this collection, I think Adam should sign a few copies and leave them in an airport book store!
What I liked: I’ll admit that I’m often weary of the word ‘weird’ when it comes to storytelling. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s me equating it to Bizarro in a way? Though I do enjoy some Bizarro. But more likely it’s that I often prefer my short fiction ‘straight forward,’ as in A-B-C storytelling without strange side narratives or things like that.
So, it seems that when I read a collection described a ‘weird fiction’ I’m often a bit more on guard, a bit more hesitant when reading, expecting the floor of the story to drop out at any moment.
The collection opens up with the story Trevor had mentioned, ‘The Animators House,’ and I will say, this was superb – though not my favorite of the batch. It starts off with a family going to visit their cousin, Mike. Mike is now a minister, devoting his time to religion and Molly and her parents haven’t seen him in some time. Once there, he tells them a horrendously terrifying story about why he chose his calling and after they leave, they’ve put it behind them. That is, until they stop at a roadside restaurant and everything takes a turn. This one goes ‘weird,’ but not in a bad way. I can’t say much more for spoilers, but this story will absolutely get under your skin.
Other highlights for me were, ‘The Demon,’ where we see a couple and their friend head to a very strange costume party at a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. A hallucinatory nightmare, this one starts creepy and becomes downright LSD-infused by the end.
‘They Look Like Little Girls’ was a phenomenal piece where tension was king. It follows a group of random strangers on a Greyhound bus. They stop at a remote stop as the bus is having mechanical issues and they must wait for a replacement to arrive. Small talk begins, but soon, things moving in the darkness outside is spotted and what they first believe are ‘dogs’ show themselves to the travelers. This was just outstanding.
Which brings me to the absolute highlight of the collection for me – ‘The Man From the Peak.’ A folklore story masquerading as a love triangle story, a man attends his best friends going away party, as his expensive home high in the mountains. He is secretly seeing his friends girlfriend and he’s hoping she’ll stay and not move to Boston. There’s a bunch of people there for the party, but when a strange man appears from higher up in the mountains and forces his way into the party, things take a turn. We get bits and pieces of what he really is, and the ending of this one was so spot on pristine that I was truly upset it was over.
What I didn’t like: Throughout, some stories either just didn’t connect with me, or started out well before going off the railings. Case in point, was the story ‘In the Cellar.’ This was initially feeling like a story that would be one of my favorites. It followed a man recounting a strange visit he had to a cottage, and it involved a girl and some stairs. But the last ending line was so jarring and felt so out of place, that it really ruined how that story presented itself.
As I said, I often struggle with ‘weird,’ so take that with a grain of salt. As with all collections what I loved you may not and what you love, may not have been something I enjoyed.
Why you should buy this: This collection, no matter whether the story resonated or not, was written masterfully. Adam throws you into each mini-world he’s created with glee and you almost feel like you’re trapped while reading it, one hand wrapped around your throat as the other frantically gets the words on the page. From start to finish, this was a dark, brutal collection that really pushes the reader to the edge. And sometimes, they get pushed over.
Now, in the case of ‘Worse Than Myself’ by Adam Golaski, my story isn’t as crazily coincident and cool as that woman’s (and it doesn’t involve Neil Gaiman, though I do believe he’d love this collection!), but it was still a neat confluence. Or not? You decide. I’d jumped onto Twitter to reply to a DM, when I saw Canada’s King of Monster’s Trevor Henderson had posted that the first story in this collection was perhaps the best short story he’d ever read. I was immediately intrigued, so I went and bought the Kindle edition and read it.
Ok, so my story is DEFINITELY not as cool as the woman in the airport, but anyways, here we are and now that I’ve read this collection, I think Adam should sign a few copies and leave them in an airport book store!
What I liked: I’ll admit that I’m often weary of the word ‘weird’ when it comes to storytelling. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s me equating it to Bizarro in a way? Though I do enjoy some Bizarro. But more likely it’s that I often prefer my short fiction ‘straight forward,’ as in A-B-C storytelling without strange side narratives or things like that.
So, it seems that when I read a collection described a ‘weird fiction’ I’m often a bit more on guard, a bit more hesitant when reading, expecting the floor of the story to drop out at any moment.
The collection opens up with the story Trevor had mentioned, ‘The Animators House,’ and I will say, this was superb – though not my favorite of the batch. It starts off with a family going to visit their cousin, Mike. Mike is now a minister, devoting his time to religion and Molly and her parents haven’t seen him in some time. Once there, he tells them a horrendously terrifying story about why he chose his calling and after they leave, they’ve put it behind them. That is, until they stop at a roadside restaurant and everything takes a turn. This one goes ‘weird,’ but not in a bad way. I can’t say much more for spoilers, but this story will absolutely get under your skin.
Other highlights for me were, ‘The Demon,’ where we see a couple and their friend head to a very strange costume party at a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. A hallucinatory nightmare, this one starts creepy and becomes downright LSD-infused by the end.
‘They Look Like Little Girls’ was a phenomenal piece where tension was king. It follows a group of random strangers on a Greyhound bus. They stop at a remote stop as the bus is having mechanical issues and they must wait for a replacement to arrive. Small talk begins, but soon, things moving in the darkness outside is spotted and what they first believe are ‘dogs’ show themselves to the travelers. This was just outstanding.
Which brings me to the absolute highlight of the collection for me – ‘The Man From the Peak.’ A folklore story masquerading as a love triangle story, a man attends his best friends going away party, as his expensive home high in the mountains. He is secretly seeing his friends girlfriend and he’s hoping she’ll stay and not move to Boston. There’s a bunch of people there for the party, but when a strange man appears from higher up in the mountains and forces his way into the party, things take a turn. We get bits and pieces of what he really is, and the ending of this one was so spot on pristine that I was truly upset it was over.
What I didn’t like: Throughout, some stories either just didn’t connect with me, or started out well before going off the railings. Case in point, was the story ‘In the Cellar.’ This was initially feeling like a story that would be one of my favorites. It followed a man recounting a strange visit he had to a cottage, and it involved a girl and some stairs. But the last ending line was so jarring and felt so out of place, that it really ruined how that story presented itself.
As I said, I often struggle with ‘weird,’ so take that with a grain of salt. As with all collections what I loved you may not and what you love, may not have been something I enjoyed.
Why you should buy this: This collection, no matter whether the story resonated or not, was written masterfully. Adam throws you into each mini-world he’s created with glee and you almost feel like you’re trapped while reading it, one hand wrapped around your throat as the other frantically gets the words on the page. From start to finish, this was a dark, brutal collection that really pushes the reader to the edge. And sometimes, they get pushed over.
August 17, 2024
gave me horrible evil nightmares. absolute perfection 🤌
June 17, 2011
Even now I am thinking as to why I had deducted 2 stars while rating this book. It contains some of the most literate and powerful stories that I have read in recent times, but the stories are universally sad, and often in more Aickmanesque vain than is palatable for me. Perhaps an attempted summary would be able to explain the reasons behind my rating: -
One: New England & New York
1) The Animator's House: A superb horror story, containing another chilling short-short inside it.
2) In The Cellar: another top-notch story, with a very dark and very message underlining it.
3) The Animal Aspect of Her Movement: beat me, I could not understand the story at all.
4) The Demon: a horror story where the horror and the suspense kept piling up, but to what end?
5) Back Home: a good & compact story tolld in a more classical style that I could understand, appreciate, and re-read to understand the layers of memory (of the protagonist) and the accompanying shocks.
6) A String of Lights: Lovercraftian? Strange events taking a bye-stander in their grip? Mysticism? Alien invasion? If you can get hold of the author, maybe you can get the answer.
Two: Montana
1) What Water Reveals: a good horror story developed in the style of Stephen King (when he used to value words, rather than trying to use them to build up door-stoppers), with an ending that was long foreseeable.
2) They Look Like Little Girls: another story that could have been easily written by the author of 'The Mist' or 'The Trucks', although this one was much-much sadder than either of them.
3) The Man From The Peak: and who was he? Devil? Hedonism crystallised into its killer-best? I could not figure, even the characters were not sympathy-inducive!
4) The Dead Gather on the Bridge to Seattle: an apocalyptic Zombie-story, with a curious inter-relationship between a brother and a sister thrown in. OK, but......
5) Weird Furka: the best story of the book, developing in a Jamesian vein, but the ending could have been seen from the beginning.
Believe me, although many admirers of books (sometimes any book) published by the Small Presses would like you to believe that this book is the best thing to have happened to horror for quite some time, you would do a lot better if you can get hold of "Nocturnes" by John Connolly.
One: New England & New York
1) The Animator's House: A superb horror story, containing another chilling short-short inside it.
2) In The Cellar: another top-notch story, with a very dark and very message underlining it.
3) The Animal Aspect of Her Movement: beat me, I could not understand the story at all.
4) The Demon: a horror story where the horror and the suspense kept piling up, but to what end?
5) Back Home: a good & compact story tolld in a more classical style that I could understand, appreciate, and re-read to understand the layers of memory (of the protagonist) and the accompanying shocks.
6) A String of Lights: Lovercraftian? Strange events taking a bye-stander in their grip? Mysticism? Alien invasion? If you can get hold of the author, maybe you can get the answer.
Two: Montana
1) What Water Reveals: a good horror story developed in the style of Stephen King (when he used to value words, rather than trying to use them to build up door-stoppers), with an ending that was long foreseeable.
2) They Look Like Little Girls: another story that could have been easily written by the author of 'The Mist' or 'The Trucks', although this one was much-much sadder than either of them.
3) The Man From The Peak: and who was he? Devil? Hedonism crystallised into its killer-best? I could not figure, even the characters were not sympathy-inducive!
4) The Dead Gather on the Bridge to Seattle: an apocalyptic Zombie-story, with a curious inter-relationship between a brother and a sister thrown in. OK, but......
5) Weird Furka: the best story of the book, developing in a Jamesian vein, but the ending could have been seen from the beginning.
Believe me, although many admirers of books (sometimes any book) published by the Small Presses would like you to believe that this book is the best thing to have happened to horror for quite some time, you would do a lot better if you can get hold of "Nocturnes" by John Connolly.
Currently reading
September 9, 2015June 1, 2015:
"The Animator's House": Truly an unsettling story. That's a rarity these days, but this one got me just the right way. A short story with many nuances and layers, in a clear and deceptively simple language. I will never think of animators the same way again.
June 2:
"In the Cellar": A nice ghost story. With an ending I did not see coming. It gave the story depth and a more sinister glow.
June 3:
"The Animal Aspect of Her Movement": So far the weirdest story. Very dreamlike, nightmarish. Not in the monsters-be-here way but more in the WTF department.
All in all not quite as good as the first two but still worth a read.
July 6:
"The Demon": So far the weakest story in the collection, but with some nice atmospheric touches.
July 7:
"Back Home": General impression: I felt the same as when I read "The Ghost". And an ending too obvious, in my opinion.
July 8:
"A String of Lights": Strange in an almost Lynchian way. That's a compliment;-)
September 9:
"What Water Reveals": A recovering alcoholic experience strange, eerie things.
Not a bad story but it didn't quite work for me.
More reviews to come, story by story.
"The Animator's House": Truly an unsettling story. That's a rarity these days, but this one got me just the right way. A short story with many nuances and layers, in a clear and deceptively simple language. I will never think of animators the same way again.
June 2:
"In the Cellar": A nice ghost story. With an ending I did not see coming. It gave the story depth and a more sinister glow.
June 3:
"The Animal Aspect of Her Movement": So far the weirdest story. Very dreamlike, nightmarish. Not in the monsters-be-here way but more in the WTF department.
All in all not quite as good as the first two but still worth a read.
July 6:
"The Demon": So far the weakest story in the collection, but with some nice atmospheric touches.
July 7:
"Back Home": General impression: I felt the same as when I read "The Ghost". And an ending too obvious, in my opinion.
July 8:
"A String of Lights": Strange in an almost Lynchian way. That's a compliment;-)
September 9:
"What Water Reveals": A recovering alcoholic experience strange, eerie things.
Not a bad story but it didn't quite work for me.
More reviews to come, story by story.
April 22, 2015
I could read stories like these forever. It's a very strong collection of weird and supernatural horror stories that maintain a sinister vibe yet manage to all come out original. There is a little something for everyone including a vampire story and even a living dead story. Some of the stories are violent and some are more subtle which can at times be more disturbing than the violent ones. I had never heard of Golaski before but I am a fan of previous RDSP books I've read and this book has been regarded in high esteem by other weird/horror writers I am also a fan of. Needless to say I enjoyed the book and will be peeping for more Golaski.
January 20, 2021
This last work, longer than the others, is a sort of loose coda to the previously tight arc of Weird Stories, those stories whose gestalt has been a symphonic theme and variations freakin’ out with unforgettable obliquity and nightmare. A major collection of such literature that I really should have addressed before, but thanks to some recent astute eye on Facebook, my attention was brought to this Golaski book, Better late than never. I thank that Facebook friend although I forget on whose timeline it was posted.
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.
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.
January 13, 2012
Stunningly good collection of weird, ambiguous horror. All stories were never less than interesting, and at least four or five are genuine classics in waiting. One of the best collection of 'strange stories' (as Robert Aickman called them & I'd guess this author is an Aickman fan) I've read.
July 31, 2008
I am a little biased since my brother wrote this but that said I really liked it. "They Look Like Little Girls" was super disturbing.
January 22, 2025
It was a pretty fun read. Felt like the author tried to do TOO Much show don't tell in order to support the weird and creepy factors. This worked in his favor in some stories, and not in others. Most times, the vagueness is reliant on the story ending abysmally quick and denying the reader any sort of satisfying conclusion. I am not reading the endings for an answer, but at least something to think about when walking away from this, other than "that was weird." I found his writing clunky and a bit desperate to be scary or symbolic. A lot the stories start incredibly strong and usually peter out by the end, ending in a whimper. Lastly, Maybe it's just me but why is every woman described very sexily but the men get nothing. C'mon lets have hot ladies AND hot guys!
That is to say, echoing other people, the stories that will stick with you, will stick with you. The ones that fall flat for you, are gonna face plant into the mud.
The Animator's House 3.5/5
Conceptually feels straight out of Scary Stories to tell in the Dark. Simple, spooky, but some parts near the end felt needless.
In The Cellar 3/5
Final paragraph was so out of left field I almost laughed in shock. The story stuck with me though, but I'm not sure if for the right reasons; I liked what it was going for but not sure if it circled back well.
The Animal Aspect of Her Movement 4/5
So freakin' weird. Has the banger line of: "(except for her breasts, she was very small.)"
This line would become subtle foreshadowing for how other women would be described in the rest of the book.
I think for as messy as this story is, it was an interestingly weird and fun concept in terms of infidelity.
The Demon 1/5
Something something opioid epidemic
Back Home 3/5
Weird. This one really suffered from the author's lack of clarity in his writing, but I liked what it went for.
A String of Lights 2/5
Creepypasta coded in all of the "meh" ways.
What Water Reveals 2/5
The author beats you over the head with metaphors for alcoholism.
They Look Like Little Girls 3.5/5
I wanted to like this one more, I felt as the the story needed just a one more page to make me love it. It didn't connect, only foreshadowed.
The Man From The Peak 4/5
I think in all ways this one nails what it was trying to do, and is truthfully held back by the author's own writing. Modern vampires are always nice to see!
The Dead Gather on the Bridge to Seattle 4/5
Zombie apocalypse story, its alright in that way, but it was nice because it felt like the most time we spent with a protagonist. I loved how the story would pull away too.
Weird Furka 5/5
Sooooo predictable but just plain fun. Felt like this one was mainly just here to have a good time.
That is to say, echoing other people, the stories that will stick with you, will stick with you. The ones that fall flat for you, are gonna face plant into the mud.
The Animator's House 3.5/5
Conceptually feels straight out of Scary Stories to tell in the Dark. Simple, spooky, but some parts near the end felt needless.
In The Cellar 3/5
Final paragraph was so out of left field I almost laughed in shock. The story stuck with me though, but I'm not sure if for the right reasons; I liked what it was going for but not sure if it circled back well.
The Animal Aspect of Her Movement 4/5
So freakin' weird. Has the banger line of: "(except for her breasts, she was very small.)"
This line would become subtle foreshadowing for how other women would be described in the rest of the book.
I think for as messy as this story is, it was an interestingly weird and fun concept in terms of infidelity.
The Demon 1/5
Something something opioid epidemic
Back Home 3/5
Weird. This one really suffered from the author's lack of clarity in his writing, but I liked what it went for.
A String of Lights 2/5
Creepypasta coded in all of the "meh" ways.
What Water Reveals 2/5
The author beats you over the head with metaphors for alcoholism.
They Look Like Little Girls 3.5/5
I wanted to like this one more, I felt as the the story needed just a one more page to make me love it. It didn't connect, only foreshadowed.
The Man From The Peak 4/5
I think in all ways this one nails what it was trying to do, and is truthfully held back by the author's own writing. Modern vampires are always nice to see!
The Dead Gather on the Bridge to Seattle 4/5
Zombie apocalypse story, its alright in that way, but it was nice because it felt like the most time we spent with a protagonist. I loved how the story would pull away too.
Weird Furka 5/5
Sooooo predictable but just plain fun. Felt like this one was mainly just here to have a good time.
December 7, 2025
New England and New York half: 3*
Montana half: 4*
Most of the stories in the first half left me slightly cold and aside from 'The Animator's House' didn't manage to build up the feeling of dread I was hoping for. They were all a bit too abrupt and perhaps more dreamy/experimental than I was hoping for. (Most of it feels like a nightmare, but the sort you wake up from and just think 'huh?')
Montana half delivers some slightly more conventional horror but is stronger for it in my opinion. My main complaint with these stories was that I wished each of them was longer (aside from 'The Man From the Peak' which felt the perfect length for the story it told). My favourites were probably the last two. In particular, I really liked weird Furka even if the eventual outcome was quite obvious from the start - perhaps because the ending left me with a cold sad feeling...
Montana half: 4*
Most of the stories in the first half left me slightly cold and aside from 'The Animator's House' didn't manage to build up the feeling of dread I was hoping for. They were all a bit too abrupt and perhaps more dreamy/experimental than I was hoping for. (Most of it feels like a nightmare, but the sort you wake up from and just think 'huh?')
Montana half delivers some slightly more conventional horror but is stronger for it in my opinion. My main complaint with these stories was that I wished each of them was longer (aside from 'The Man From the Peak' which felt the perfect length for the story it told). My favourites were probably the last two. In particular, I really liked weird Furka even if the eventual outcome was quite obvious from the start - perhaps because the ending left me with a cold sad feeling...
April 11, 2024
Unsettling collection of short stories. Adam Golaski has a gift for crafting eerie, atmospheric supernatural tales and his haunts of choice range from the demonic to the vampiric to even the undead, with all unearthly elements anchored to reality by just how fucking miserable and alienated most of the protagonists in his stories seem to be. The first story in this collection made me shrivel up into a ball and ranks among my favorites.
I’m sure a smarter person could uncover some running theme in all of the stories beyond the recurring emotions of isolation and loneliness (lots of deer, either alive or dead) but the relatively opaqueness of some of his prose never diminished the creeping dread I felt in each and every one of these stories.
I’m sure a smarter person could uncover some running theme in all of the stories beyond the recurring emotions of isolation and loneliness (lots of deer, either alive or dead) but the relatively opaqueness of some of his prose never diminished the creeping dread I felt in each and every one of these stories.
April 23, 2023
I bought this book, honestly, because my cousin is the author, and I was curious to see what it was all about. I like horror fiction as a rule so I expected to like this book. Adam is an exceptional writer...his stories were very well done...but I felt that each short story was left unfinished, because I didn't understand the analogy in the story, and they were a bit weird. I'm passing this book on to my son because I think he'll enjoy it...he likes this sort of thing...but unfortunately I would not recommend this book to anyone else.
September 25, 2024
It's always difficult to rate a collection. There are some true gems in here and some stories that didn't quite do it for me, but the writing is solid throughout and even the stories I didn't care for held my interest. I would highly recommend the first and last tales, and I would recommend the whole collection to fans of weird, atmospheric fiction.
December 3, 2024
The stories can be interesting here and there. There are some scary moments, but largely they feel like they aren't going anywhere. My main issue is that the text is loaded with awkward sentences and misspelled words. Could've done with an editor.
March 21, 2025
Good collection, definitely a diamond in the rough. I liked most of the stories, a few were either too esoteric, or the weird was too deeply buried, but overall worthwhile.
FAVORITE STORY:
"A String Of Lights"
FAVORITE STORY:
"A String Of Lights"
April 10, 2025
Loved the experience of reading this book. Some of the stories blindsided me with their endings for better or worse but I can't stop recommending it to my friends to see where the differences in what we enjoy lie.
August 23, 2023
Eminently unsettling collection.
February 8, 2024
Really, really good. 'The Dead Gather on the Bridge to Seattle' might be the only zombie apocalypse story I've loved besides Brite's 'Calcutta, Lord of Nerves'.
February 28, 2024
Really Enjoyed This
I'm late to the party but I really like A. Golaski's style, and the weirdness of his tales. I get it, and I ALMOST understand it...
I'm late to the party but I really like A. Golaski's style, and the weirdness of his tales. I get it, and I ALMOST understand it...
April 20, 2024
Suffers from the short story collection thing where some bits are better than others but mainly a fun, disturbing book
May 15, 2024
Becomes more and more nightmarish as it goes on even if it takes some time to get used to how disquieting each ending is.
September 26, 2024
Uneven collection with a couple of standout stories.
October 24, 2024
only like 2 or 3 good stories flop
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