Friends in High Places

by Rob Smales

HE ONLY WANTED SOME FRIENDS He pestered them day after day to be considered one of the guys, but they didn’t want anything to do with him. They ignored and made fun of him, ditching him at every opportunity, but Tommy wouldn’t take the hint. So, they came up with a plan to drive him away. IT WAS ONLY A HARMLESS PRANK In order to be accepted, Tommy would have to pass an initiation and face his worst fear. They were certain he’d chicken out and finally leave them alone. Astonishingly, he accepted the challenge. That’s when it all went wrong. IF ONLY THEY HADN’T LEFT HIM The ambulances wouldn’t have come. The police wouldn’t be asking so many questions. And maybe Tommy wouldn’t still be following them.

Genres: Horror

156 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 24, 2018

About the author

Lifelong reader, recently turned writer, my friends were surprised when I turned to writing horror. They remember me reading a lot of Sci-Fi while growing up. And I did. But there was an awful lot of Fantasy, Crime, Mystery and, yes, Horror in the mix.
Though I do have a few non-horror stories in my head and fighting to get out (I started this ride writing a series of Sci-Fi shorts to read to my son at night), most of what I write about comes from the darker side of life. And unlife. I'm going to just keep sprinkling material onto the mulch pile in my mind and see what comes up.

Reviews

[Jenna Moquin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the privilege of seeing Rob Smales read his work live at the Wyrd: Horror and Dark Fiction readings in Salem, MA a couple months ago, and knew I'd enjoy this. He has a wonderfully dark sense of humor that's right up my alley, and this story has a retro feel to it reminiscent of Stranger Things. It's a novella, which I'm also a fan of; some of my favorite Stephen King tales were his novellas. It's a story style that isn't used as much and makes for a quick, enjoyable read. Four stars.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting!!! It was awesome!

[Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Friends in High Places Rob Smales captures the genuine feel of childhood, the elements of a classic ghost story, and a species of paranoia that just about anyone can relate to. The prose is compulsively readable, making this one of those books you may just want to read in one sitting.
Highly recommended.

[Danielle Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends in High Places
By Rob Smales

“We were hiding in the deep shadows—but if we could do it, others could too, and my imagination populated the dark places around us with all kinds of things, angry carnies the least of them.”

Oh heck yes. This is the perfect summer read!! This is such a random claim but I feel like this book could be a staple read for indie horror, and how to just write a damn good story and have it be creepy and an absolute page turner. At just over 160 pages, I read this book in two sittings. I HAD to know what was going to happen next and with every turn of the page I was more and more engulfed in the story. There’s also a coming of age feel to the whole vibe which was a nice change of pace for me as well.

This was my first time reading something by Smales, but it certainly won’t be my last. Highest of recommendations to all. Especially those looking for an overall solid story without going too over the top.

Friends in High Places is available on Godless. Grab it now!

[Benjamin Langley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in a couple of days. Enjoyable. Rob nails the thoughts and feelings of the young characters well, and I think most of us can empathise with having a tagalong. If anything, I was upset that it was over so quickly. I could have spent longer with the characters dealing with this situation.

[Steve Samson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends in High Places is a fast paced, coming of age type tale that pulls ZERO punches. As I read, "Evil Stand By Me" was the phrase that kept creeping, but there are definite echoes of Jack Ketchum as well.

The story is set in the last days of a hot, mid-seventies summer. It stars a cast of pre-teen boys—friends, for the most part. Author, Rob Smales has done a wonderful job capturing that youthful notion of invulnerability that so many of us can remember—back when the worst ramifications to bad behavior was to get your butt grounded for a few days. This books presents a far more dire result, as three boys are forced to face unthinkable, possible even supernatural consequences to a night none of them are willing to talk about.

Friends in High Places is so real and so visceral, it may just leave you questioning some of your own hazy childhood memories. After all, were the good old days really all that good?

[Mel Kedro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book in Salem from a local book store called wicked good books, I picked it up as a souvenir with an actual use versus a key chain or some novelty item I'd never look at again. The town made me want to read a horror story even though it against everything about me lol.

It's sad, it's funny, it's creepy and it's shocking, the classic tale of being a kid of that time with a creepy twist. It was a really fun read outside of my comfort zone but the perfect scary campfire story.

[Christian Orton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty fantastic coming of age novella

Hits all the right notes. Really captures the thoughts of boys that age perfectly. Starting out I was sure this was just gonna be a fun read by an ok author, but as the chapters continued Smales really showed his ability as an author. I got sucked in and couldn't put it down until the end. Looking forward to reading more of his stuff.