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52 Sleepless Nights: Thriller, suspense, mystery, and horror short stories
Did you know that the Grim Reaper's Scythe isn't there to harvest you? It's really to protect you against something on your journey.
Or that Heaven keeps a prisoner? You'll get to meet him soon.
I still don't think that's as bad as the time I threw a suicide watching party, or when my sex doll wouldn't stop crying though. Then there was that road trip where we saw the same hitchhiker at every stop for the last hundred miles...
This is a huge collection of 52 psychological horror and supernatural horror stories, second volume to the Amazon-Bestselling horror collection: 51 Sleepless Nights.
Inside You'll Find:
Angels and Demons
Serial Killers and Assassins
Aliens and Monsters
Undead and Mad Experiments
Supernatural and paranormal horror
An Angry Midget dressing up as a little girl to catch pedophiles. (Why not?)
...and so much more!
Excerpt:
I wasn't ready when I died.
The first illusion death stole from me was that my body was designed to perceive the universe around me. This is incorrect. The primary function of your senses is to stop yourself from experiencing the universe, whose infinite information would otherwise overwhelm and madden you. Eyes that once simplified the world into finite wavelengths of color closed for the last time, and then I saw everything. Ears once deaf to cosmic music sung by the birth of stars, the communal heartbeat of the human race, and the haunting pop of each collapsing universe now concealed them no longer.
Even the distinction between senses decayed alongside my corporal prison. Starlight was a symphony that bathed me in warmth, and the heat in turn sang with such melodic iridescence that I was thrall to its majesty. It
Or that Heaven keeps a prisoner? You'll get to meet him soon.
I still don't think that's as bad as the time I threw a suicide watching party, or when my sex doll wouldn't stop crying though. Then there was that road trip where we saw the same hitchhiker at every stop for the last hundred miles...
This is a huge collection of 52 psychological horror and supernatural horror stories, second volume to the Amazon-Bestselling horror collection: 51 Sleepless Nights.
Inside You'll Find:
Angels and Demons
Serial Killers and Assassins
Aliens and Monsters
Undead and Mad Experiments
Supernatural and paranormal horror
An Angry Midget dressing up as a little girl to catch pedophiles. (Why not?)
...and so much more!
Excerpt:
I wasn't ready when I died.
The first illusion death stole from me was that my body was designed to perceive the universe around me. This is incorrect. The primary function of your senses is to stop yourself from experiencing the universe, whose infinite information would otherwise overwhelm and madden you. Eyes that once simplified the world into finite wavelengths of color closed for the last time, and then I saw everything. Ears once deaf to cosmic music sung by the birth of stars, the communal heartbeat of the human race, and the haunting pop of each collapsing universe now concealed them no longer.
Even the distinction between senses decayed alongside my corporal prison. Starlight was a symphony that bathed me in warmth, and the heat in turn sang with such melodic iridescence that I was thrall to its majesty. It
308 pages, Paperback
Published February 15, 2018
402 people are currently reading
448 people want to read
About the author
Tobias Wade
33 books209 followersFormer neuroscience researcher, born again horror writer. During my studies, it struck me as odd that I could learn so much about why humans behave without understanding the intricacies of human nature. It occurred to me that I learned more about the depths of human experience from reading Dostoyevsky than I ever had from my text books, and I was inspired to write.
Download my horror collection for free and see all my publications at:
TobiasWade.Com
Download my horror collection for free and see all my publications at:
TobiasWade.Com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
April 4, 2018
I actually won my copy of this book (thank you, Goodreads!), and was curious to jump into it. I have never read anything by Wade before (although I do have another of his books on the TBR pile). The vast assortment of tales was rather surprising. We had nightmares, ghosts, and monsters of all types.
And the names of the stories! Some of my faves included:
"My New Sex Doll Won't Stop Crying"
"Suicide Watch Party"
"An Angry Midget Dresses As Little Girls to Catch Pedophiles"
"Our Extra Son Was for Experiments"
I think my favorite story was "Most Terrifying Drawing," where the kids in a high school art class are given the fun project of drawing the scariest thing they could imagine. However this project didn't quite end the the art teacher thought it would.
This is definitely one of the better short story collections I've read in awhile!
And the names of the stories! Some of my faves included:
"My New Sex Doll Won't Stop Crying"
"Suicide Watch Party"
"An Angry Midget Dresses As Little Girls to Catch Pedophiles"
"Our Extra Son Was for Experiments"
I think my favorite story was "Most Terrifying Drawing," where the kids in a high school art class are given the fun project of drawing the scariest thing they could imagine. However this project didn't quite end the the art teacher thought it would.
This is definitely one of the better short story collections I've read in awhile!
March 1, 2018
Ominous, creepy, blood-curdling, scaring, nightmarish... this short stories capture your imagination and leave you wanting for more.
All different, all brilliant, this is a must-read for all the fans of horror.
All different, all brilliant, this is a must-read for all the fans of horror.
October 19, 2020
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
A collection of short stories that are about death and dying. Not really scary, but a couple of them are eerie, and some of them are even creepy.
A collection of short stories that are about death and dying. Not really scary, but a couple of them are eerie, and some of them are even creepy.
March 14, 2018
Fifty-two enjoyable short horror stories. I found it remarkable that the author was able to write such a variety of tales with a different enough style that I was never sure what was coming next. I'm addicted to horror anthologies, so I don't scare easily; however, there were a few of these stories that creeped me out enough that I was nervous in my house after everyone had gone to bed.
Particularly disquieting was "My Son Said Goodbye"; I have a child almost the same age as the little boy in the story, and faceless things and small children have always freaked me out. Another unsettling little gem was "She Can't Tell Lies if She Can't Speak", because helplessly eating your own face is always wrong, and (again) small children. There were several more that disturbed the hell out of me, but I'll let you enjoy and be (un)pleasantly surprised.
Three stories I particularly liked were the "Assassin's Orphanage" trilogy. The story of a young boy who finds himself being raised and trained by killers, told from his perspective, made me wish the author had written a full length novel instead of just a few short stories.
One of the things I enjoyed about this anthology was the titles, which included "My New Sex Doll Won't Stop Crying", "An Angry Midget Dresses as Little Girls to Catch Pedophiles", "Our Extra Son was for Experiments", and "The Head Transplant was Almost Successful", to name a few.
While many of the stories have a supernatural element, just as many are reality based, and both are equally disturbing in the best possible way. Often with horror stories of this length, the story becomes overly simplistic to accomodate the short duration. However, while the tales featured here are shorter than the average found in most anthologies, for the most part they were no less enjoyable or complex for their abbreviated length.
The only thing I didn't like was that the editing could have been better. There were typos in a few of the stories, which took you out of your suspension of disbelief. That being said, I look forward to reading other works by this author, and may very well replace our tradition of horror movies on Halloween night with reading some of these aloud to each other.
Particularly disquieting was "My Son Said Goodbye"; I have a child almost the same age as the little boy in the story, and faceless things and small children have always freaked me out. Another unsettling little gem was "She Can't Tell Lies if She Can't Speak", because helplessly eating your own face is always wrong, and (again) small children. There were several more that disturbed the hell out of me, but I'll let you enjoy and be (un)pleasantly surprised.
Three stories I particularly liked were the "Assassin's Orphanage" trilogy. The story of a young boy who finds himself being raised and trained by killers, told from his perspective, made me wish the author had written a full length novel instead of just a few short stories.
One of the things I enjoyed about this anthology was the titles, which included "My New Sex Doll Won't Stop Crying", "An Angry Midget Dresses as Little Girls to Catch Pedophiles", "Our Extra Son was for Experiments", and "The Head Transplant was Almost Successful", to name a few.
While many of the stories have a supernatural element, just as many are reality based, and both are equally disturbing in the best possible way. Often with horror stories of this length, the story becomes overly simplistic to accomodate the short duration. However, while the tales featured here are shorter than the average found in most anthologies, for the most part they were no less enjoyable or complex for their abbreviated length.
The only thing I didn't like was that the editing could have been better. There were typos in a few of the stories, which took you out of your suspension of disbelief. That being said, I look forward to reading other works by this author, and may very well replace our tradition of horror movies on Halloween night with reading some of these aloud to each other.
July 3, 2025
A fascinating collection of horror stories, some so simple yet brutal. The last one got me for reasons I am not prepared to put in print. Quotes that stayed with me:
What if it isn’t death which is to be feared? What if it is what lies beyond?
And that is why questions are pointless. Death is not a place, or a person. It’s all there is.
Most people can’t remember the day they die, or the day they were born. I happen to remember both, and I know that they are the same.
If this is what humans do to each other, then I’m more afraid of what it means to live a life without monsters.
“Would Muhammad do as we are doing? If he were here today, would he light the fuse?”
“Not really,” he’d replied. “It’s not about where you’re trying to get to. It’s about what you’re trying to escape from.”
Now at twenty-seven, I know I must be an adult because I’m tired all the time. I go to bed tired, I wake up tired, and in that brief blur of confused social awkwardness in-between? I’m spending that day-dreaming about actual dreaming back in bed.
We knew the world would never be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita; Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and, to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form and says, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." -Julius Oppenheimer on the first atomic bomb.
“At some point in all of our lives, we have a choice: to become someone or to become no one. It is their misfortune that they decided the later, although ultimately it was still their decision to make. I can only hope that my own team,” he stopped here, turning back to level his gaze on us, “that my own team has the foresight to recognize when they are making such a choice, and to do so more wisely.”
I’ll be a hero, and don’t all heroes walk on the bodies of those they couldn’t save?
When you’re little and you pray, it’s because you want something from the world that you don’t know how to get. When you’re older, it’s because the world wants something from you that you don’t know how to give.
She told me that a person’s life force never really goes away: it only changes form.
“Some flowers only grow from corpses, and when you see them, you’ll know that I’m still with you.”
Living with depression feels like I’m neither alive nor dead. And no it can’t be cured by a passing smile, no matter how breathtaking it is. Just being able to remember that a smile like that exists in this world though, that’s a happy thought. And knowing her life is better because I’m in it—that’s another happy thought. And sometimes one happy thought can lead to the next and the next until, without even forcing it, I realize I’m still alive after all. And for once, that’s a happy thought too.
Okay, so it wasn’t so much of a visit as indentured servitude,
I’m not going to mince any words here. Aunt Riley is only still alive because God won’t accept her and the Devil can’t stand her company.
Fear. True, mindless fear; a hunted animal beating itself to death against the wall of its cage. Fear of a past she couldn’t remember and a present she couldn’t comprehend. Fear of what was still to come, and that starker dread that nothing waited at all. All this flashing in the space of an instant …
What if it isn’t death which is to be feared? What if it is what lies beyond?
And that is why questions are pointless. Death is not a place, or a person. It’s all there is.
Most people can’t remember the day they die, or the day they were born. I happen to remember both, and I know that they are the same.
If this is what humans do to each other, then I’m more afraid of what it means to live a life without monsters.
“Would Muhammad do as we are doing? If he were here today, would he light the fuse?”
“Not really,” he’d replied. “It’s not about where you’re trying to get to. It’s about what you’re trying to escape from.”
Now at twenty-seven, I know I must be an adult because I’m tired all the time. I go to bed tired, I wake up tired, and in that brief blur of confused social awkwardness in-between? I’m spending that day-dreaming about actual dreaming back in bed.
We knew the world would never be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita; Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and, to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form and says, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." -Julius Oppenheimer on the first atomic bomb.
“At some point in all of our lives, we have a choice: to become someone or to become no one. It is their misfortune that they decided the later, although ultimately it was still their decision to make. I can only hope that my own team,” he stopped here, turning back to level his gaze on us, “that my own team has the foresight to recognize when they are making such a choice, and to do so more wisely.”
I’ll be a hero, and don’t all heroes walk on the bodies of those they couldn’t save?
When you’re little and you pray, it’s because you want something from the world that you don’t know how to get. When you’re older, it’s because the world wants something from you that you don’t know how to give.
She told me that a person’s life force never really goes away: it only changes form.
“Some flowers only grow from corpses, and when you see them, you’ll know that I’m still with you.”
Living with depression feels like I’m neither alive nor dead. And no it can’t be cured by a passing smile, no matter how breathtaking it is. Just being able to remember that a smile like that exists in this world though, that’s a happy thought. And knowing her life is better because I’m in it—that’s another happy thought. And sometimes one happy thought can lead to the next and the next until, without even forcing it, I realize I’m still alive after all. And for once, that’s a happy thought too.
Okay, so it wasn’t so much of a visit as indentured servitude,
I’m not going to mince any words here. Aunt Riley is only still alive because God won’t accept her and the Devil can’t stand her company.
Fear. True, mindless fear; a hunted animal beating itself to death against the wall of its cage. Fear of a past she couldn’t remember and a present she couldn’t comprehend. Fear of what was still to come, and that starker dread that nothing waited at all. All this flashing in the space of an instant …
March 22, 2018
This book is so unique and I love that they're a collection of different short stories that are mostly completely unrelated (there were a few that continued from a previous story, which I really enjoyed getting to see the same characters more developed).
Some of the stories were really twisted and really unique, but quite a few just weren't quite the horror/scary story I was expecting from a title of "Sleepless Nights". I was hoping that at least a few of the short stories would make me really spooked, but there were just a couple that gave me the heebie jeebies a little bit. I loved the ideas within the stories, but I'd also love to see the stories and characters more fully developed in a longer story to really get down to the spooky bits.
Overall the book was entertaining and worth the read, but fell a little short on the horror and didn't give me any sleepless nights.
Some of the stories were really twisted and really unique, but quite a few just weren't quite the horror/scary story I was expecting from a title of "Sleepless Nights". I was hoping that at least a few of the short stories would make me really spooked, but there were just a couple that gave me the heebie jeebies a little bit. I loved the ideas within the stories, but I'd also love to see the stories and characters more fully developed in a longer story to really get down to the spooky bits.
Overall the book was entertaining and worth the read, but fell a little short on the horror and didn't give me any sleepless nights.
March 13, 2018
😱😱Wow!! Great book. 👍👍Horror! Suspense! Thriller! This well written psychology, and supernatural horror has it all. These twisted tales reminded me of The Twilight Zone meets the Alfred Hitchcock hour. Scary, blood curdling, errie, ominous, creepy, nightmarish, hang on the edge of your seat, short story collection captures your imagination. And don't go out after dark. It's not safe. You don't know what is waiting out there to grab you. Caution! Remember no reading after midnight. That is a sure way on not finishing this book. For your safety all reading should be done during the daylight hours! To get a good scare, this is a must read book. Enjoy if you dare to take a chance to be scared. 😮😮😮😮😮
October 15, 2024
52 Sleepless Nights by Tobias Wade is a gripping anthology of psychological and supernatural horror stories, each designed to disturb and captivate the reader. This second volume in Wade’s horror collection features a diverse range of terrifying themes, including angels, demons, serial killers, supernatural encounters, and much more. The stories promise unsettling twists, from the Grim Reaper's Scythe having a hidden purpose to eerie hitchhiker sightings. If you're a fan of short, intense horror tales that explore the macabre and supernatural, this book will keep you on edge!
March 23, 2018
Recommended Read
What a great book! Each and every story was very creative and innovative. Some were silly, some were scary, some just made you think. As a whole, each one had the power to keep my attention. I'm not sure if there's a sequel, sign me up if there is! Thank you to the author for offering this wonderful book for free to everyone. One of the better free books that I've read.
What a great book! Each and every story was very creative and innovative. Some were silly, some were scary, some just made you think. As a whole, each one had the power to keep my attention. I'm not sure if there's a sequel, sign me up if there is! Thank you to the author for offering this wonderful book for free to everyone. One of the better free books that I've read.
March 28, 2018
I won this as part of a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
As an avid fan of the horror genre, there was no way I was going to skip entering this giveaway and this anthology did not disappoint. With 52 various tales of fright, these stores are geared to make you feel something. Some are scary, some are creepy, some are uncomfortable....but all are entertaining. It's definitely a book to keep and read again during a stormy night.
As an avid fan of the horror genre, there was no way I was going to skip entering this giveaway and this anthology did not disappoint. With 52 various tales of fright, these stores are geared to make you feel something. Some are scary, some are creepy, some are uncomfortable....but all are entertaining. It's definitely a book to keep and read again during a stormy night.
April 26, 2018
Scary!!!!
It's hard to believe that one man could come up with so many terrifying short stories. And this is the 2nd book I read by the author! He's got some imagination. I loved this book because the stories were very short so they had to real u in from the first sentence. There were a few that I didn't care for or were just over my head I guess u could say. Overall this book and the 1st one I would recommend reading. Great job mr. Tobias!
It's hard to believe that one man could come up with so many terrifying short stories. And this is the 2nd book I read by the author! He's got some imagination. I loved this book because the stories were very short so they had to real u in from the first sentence. There were a few that I didn't care for or were just over my head I guess u could say. Overall this book and the 1st one I would recommend reading. Great job mr. Tobias!
July 7, 2019
This collection is pretty damn good. Tobias writes beautifully, and only rarely veers into more purple prose than necessary. Considering the stories are all short, it's a perfect book for a commute or a busy schedule!
My main complaint is that too many of the stories are following nosleep rules - the appeals to the readers and explanations for why the stories are written do not translate that well outside the subreddit.
Overall a great effort and I certainly recommend it!
My main complaint is that too many of the stories are following nosleep rules - the appeals to the readers and explanations for why the stories are written do not translate that well outside the subreddit.
Overall a great effort and I certainly recommend it!
May 6, 2018
Short and not so sweet
An entertaining anthology of short horror, thriller and suspense stories. The story lines were original, to the point with the right amount of suspense. I recommend the book for readers who want to read something interesting without being given the run around.
An entertaining anthology of short horror, thriller and suspense stories. The story lines were original, to the point with the right amount of suspense. I recommend the book for readers who want to read something interesting without being given the run around.
June 4, 2018
I found this book, and the narration, delightful. I loved almost every story, and they're great to read before bed! :) I am a huge horror movie fan, so I love these types of stories. I thought it was great, and I'd definitely recommend it, easy to listen to, and fun to read/listen :)
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
March 1, 2018
Wow. Great collection of horror and mystery stories. Just the right amount to keep you reading late at night. Interesting selection of stories that follows along from the first book. Hopefully there’ll be more of the same.
March 21, 2018
WOW!! This was an AWESOME READ!!
A very hard to put down book!! 52 awesome stories that will leave you wanting more. They could actually have you checking your windows and doors at night constantly...lol.
A very hard to put down book!! 52 awesome stories that will leave you wanting more. They could actually have you checking your windows and doors at night constantly...lol.
March 23, 2018
Really Loved It!
Great collection of short stories that are perfect when you have a short period of time to kill. I enjoyed every story! That is pretty rare. Highly recommend if you like thriller, suspense and horror genres.
Great collection of short stories that are perfect when you have a short period of time to kill. I enjoyed every story! That is pretty rare. Highly recommend if you like thriller, suspense and horror genres.
October 2, 2023
After reading 51 Sleepless Nights, I was looking forward to reading this next installment. It did not let me down. These stories are true horror with a few leaving me with my mouth hanging open wondering WTF did I just read?!?!?
September 26, 2024
Like the first
This anthology was well written like the first book. Like the first book I thought the author was teaching us morals. Even if the stories are short I feel full fill and satisfied. 5 anthologies out of 5
This anthology was well written like the first book. Like the first book I thought the author was teaching us morals. Even if the stories are short I feel full fill and satisfied. 5 anthologies out of 5
March 9, 2018
Each story was different and scary. A varied collection of horror. The author is great at his craft.
March 21, 2018
I can't say that this was all that scary. It was a good, well written book. His other book, 51 Sleepless Nights, was much scarier. Overall this was a good, quick read.
March 31, 2018
I received this as part of the Giveaway...just saying. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised. None of the stories were bad, and many of the stories were excellent and lyrically written. My favorite (the name of which fails me) includes a description of an oceanic/mystic state that was perhaps the best and most accurate I've ever read.
April 2, 2018
Good evening read
Lovely short stories, perfect for me to read a couple before bed! No huge twists but nonetheless entertaining! One for short story lovers
Lovely short stories, perfect for me to read a couple before bed! No huge twists but nonetheless entertaining! One for short story lovers
April 4, 2018
Cute stories most intering a few was just strange n kept me wanting to know more of the story. Over all a good read...
April 12, 2018
Good read
It was a good read, I didn’t Understand some of the stories but overall, I enjoyed the book and can’t wait to read more from this author
It was a good read, I didn’t Understand some of the stories but overall, I enjoyed the book and can’t wait to read more from this author
April 18, 2018
Enjoy this book
This book had a lot of good stories in it i really enjoy reading good short stories and really enjoy reading this book
This book had a lot of good stories in it i really enjoy reading good short stories and really enjoy reading this book
April 19, 2018
Ok
None made me stay awake at night. Some well written, some not. Maybe I’m just tired of this genre. Time to move on
None made me stay awake at night. Some well written, some not. Maybe I’m just tired of this genre. Time to move on
May 3, 2018
Perfect bedtime stories
Just the thing to read before going to bed, nope not true! 52 perfectly scary stories that can be read in minutes.
Just the thing to read before going to bed, nope not true! 52 perfectly scary stories that can be read in minutes.
July 22, 2018
Quirky and fun to read.
I picked this up because I didn't feel like starting g a new novel. Excellent book. Found I couldn't stop reading g it.
I picked this up because I didn't feel like starting g a new novel. Excellent book. Found I couldn't stop reading g it.
September 12, 2018
This took me just a little longer to read, only because some of the stories were not what I cared for. But the overall stories were good.
Keep up the good work. 😊
Keep up the good work. 😊
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews