Horrific Scribes Presents: Rulemakers and Rulebreakers: 26 Works of Order and Chaos

by L. Andrew Cooper, H.J. Dutton, Sarina Dorie

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 10, 2026

About the author

L. Andrew Cooper specializes in the provocative, scary, and strange. His current project, The Middle Reaches, is a serialized epic of weird horror and dark fantasy on Amazon Kindle Vella. His latest release, Records of the Hightower Massacre, an LGBTQ+ horror novella co-authored with Maeva Wunn, imagines a near-future dystopia where anti-queer hate runs a program to "correct" deviants. Stains of Atrocity, his newest collection of stories, goes to uncomfortable psychological and visceral extremes. His latest novel, Crazy Time, combines literary horror and dark fantasy in a contemporary quest to undo what may be a divine curse. Other published works include novels Burning the Middle Ground and Descending Lines; short story collections Leaping at Thorns and Peritoneum; poetry collection The Great Sonnet Plot of Anton Tick; non-fiction Gothic Realities and Dario Argento; co-edited fiction anthologies Imagination Reimagined and Reel Dark; and the co-edited textbook Monsters. He has also written more than 30 award-winning screenplays. After studying literature and film at Harvard and Princeton, he used his Ph.D. to teach about favorite topics from coast to coast in the United States. He now focuses on writing and lives with his husband in North Hollywood, California. Find him at www.landrewcooper.com.

Reviews

[Mary Urban · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of short stories, all of them disturbing, although my favorites are grouped toward the end of the book. Ranging from the ordinary (which soon ceases to be so) to the extraordinary or outright bizarre. Among my favorites: Why I’m Running the Spookshow Now; Hush; Postmarked For My Bones; The Reflection’s Strike… As expected, the stories that hit closest to home are the most disturbing. Being someone who is not getting any younger myself, ‘The Indignities’ will haunt me for some time. ‘Guilt’ too, because there is no worse nightmare for a mother than losing her child. A recommended reading.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horrific Scribes Presents: Rulemakers and Rulebreakers: 26 Works of Order and Chaos (Horrific Scribes Anthologies) my first read from author L. Andrew Cooper & 26 other authors, a collection of 26 short fiction stories. If you like Grant Kelly's collections you may like this 292-page work. “I received a complementary Kindle copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I look forward to reading more from this author. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[James Chakan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic collection of horror stories, ranging from the grotesque to the comic to the mind-bending. The introduction to each story does a great job of situating the story in the context of the theme of "Rulemakers and Rulebreakers." I really had a great time reading these stories and there are several authors that I look forward to seeing more from. I'm a big fan of Horrific Scribes and am also eager to see more published by them.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Stan Hutchings · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of horror stories featuring rulemakers and rulebreakers. Not my cup of tea but if you’re a horror fan, it’s quite successful in painting dark, unpleasant scenarios. It will definitely make you feel, “things aren’t as bad as they could be”. Each author has been published in horror-specializing books and magazines. The feeling I got reminded me of “The October Country” and “Pet Sematary”. If that’s your thing, go for it.

[L.N. Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific mix of 26 short stories, all on the theme of rule use and abuse. They're all engrossing, though some in that peering-between-your-fingers way, and a few are downright disturbing.

I particularly liked the banality of The Basement and the bizarre The Reflection's Strike, but my favourite was the possession story No Vacancy.

A great anthology, just right if you want to have disturbed sleep!