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Autumncrow
Welcome to Autumncrow Valley, where every night is Halloween. Enjoy your stay! But first, a few words of warning: Stay out of the forest. Never venture out after dark. And don't stare too long into the shadows... you may not like what you see. Have a pleasant visit. We hope it won't be your last...
Author Cameron Chaney presents seven new tales of All Hallows terror, along with his newly revised novella "There Are Monsters Here", in print for the very first time!
Author Cameron Chaney presents seven new tales of All Hallows terror, along with his newly revised novella "There Are Monsters Here", in print for the very first time!
156 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2019
167 people are currently reading
2187 people want to read
About the author
Cameron Chaney
12 books2,176 followersCameron Chaney was born and raised in a small Ohio town you’ve never heard of. He spent his childhood roaming his family’s six-acre property and devouring one spooky book after another. He now enjoys writing spooky stories of his own in his home library and talking about all things spooky on his YouTube show, Library Macabre. Cameron also works as a youth services librarian aboard his local bookmobile. He currently resides in yet another small Ohio town you’ve never heard of. Don’t feed him after midnight . . .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 321 reviews
October 7, 2021
4.5 Stars ⭐️ I enjoyed this collection of stories! 🎃🍂🍁
FOLLOW ME IN - 4
PUMPKIN LIGHT - 4
BURNT BROWNIES - 4
FROST - 5
SAVING FACE - 5
I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST FEED - 4.5
CRYP-TV - 4
THERE ARE MONSTERS HERE - 3
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
FOLLOW ME IN - 4
PUMPKIN LIGHT - 4
BURNT BROWNIES - 4
FROST - 5
SAVING FACE - 5
I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST FEED - 4.5
CRYP-TV - 4
THERE ARE MONSTERS HERE - 3
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
October 29, 2021
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Horror + Short Stories
This book consists of some fascinating Halloween short stories. Excellent stories if you want your Halloween to be peculiar. They are all atmospheric and the interesting thing that the author did is to make them all take place in the same small town called Autumncrow. Somehow for some unknown reason to me, it felt more like a Stephen Kingish thing to do! I liked the concept a lot.
There are a total of eight stories in the collection. Some are shorter than others. I wouldn’t say I liked them all the same way. I preferred some over others. Some of the stories feel light in the beginning but turn dark eventually and that is something that will give the readers the shock factor. I liked Cameron’s writing style. Although all the stories take place in the same town, they have a different feel to them. No two stories share the same level of scariness. My absolute favorite ones are Pumpkin Light, Burnt Brownies, Saving Face, and There are Monsters Here. The rest are not lagging too far though. If you want to read something for Halloween I would recommend this one.
Genre: Horror + Short Stories
This book consists of some fascinating Halloween short stories. Excellent stories if you want your Halloween to be peculiar. They are all atmospheric and the interesting thing that the author did is to make them all take place in the same small town called Autumncrow. Somehow for some unknown reason to me, it felt more like a Stephen Kingish thing to do! I liked the concept a lot.
There are a total of eight stories in the collection. Some are shorter than others. I wouldn’t say I liked them all the same way. I preferred some over others. Some of the stories feel light in the beginning but turn dark eventually and that is something that will give the readers the shock factor. I liked Cameron’s writing style. Although all the stories take place in the same town, they have a different feel to them. No two stories share the same level of scariness. My absolute favorite ones are Pumpkin Light, Burnt Brownies, Saving Face, and There are Monsters Here. The rest are not lagging too far though. If you want to read something for Halloween I would recommend this one.
December 15, 2019
"Welcome to Autumncrow Valley, where every night is Halloween!"
For the sake of transparency, the author Cameron Chaney is a friend of mine and a rep for the business I co-own called Night Worms. Cameron sent me a paperback copy to read & review, honestly. Cameron also has a BookTube channel called, Library Macabre where he reviews horror books so I know, and now YOU know that Cameron would want me to be objective despite our various connections.
I picked this up during a readathon weekend. I selected about 5 books under 200 pages so I could binge-read as many as possible.
Two wishes before I launch into this review:
1. I wish this book was available to me when I was a young horror fan. I missed out on the whole Goosebumps/R. L. Stine culture (I'm a little older than those books) but I know Chaney has been heavily influenced by his love for the middle-grade supernatural-horror stories. There wasn't a lot of age-appropriate horror books when I was growing up. I loved a book series by John Bellairs featuring child protagonists, Lewis Baravelt and Johnny Dizon battling a variety of dark forces, but that was really all I remember as being targeted to readers like myself. A writer with Cameron's writing style could have easily captivated a huge following of young adults with a penchant for dark fiction.
2. I wish I could have read this in October! It has a very strong Halloween vibe; for example, The town of Autumncrow seems stuck on a repeated loop of Halloween night and not just any Halloween night, the *perfect* version of a quintessential Halloween night, complete with spooky, creepy things going on and a full moon! Perfect reading to get in the Halloween-ish mood!
Each story is distinctly its own but there are some common themes and characters throughout. The first story, FOLLOW ME IN is a strong opening. I loved the second person narrative style-it felt intimate and personal. It's probably my favorite out of the whole collection and it shows that Cameron has writing chops in both an adult and YA market.
After that story, I found myself admiring Cameron's effortless storytelling voice and creative imagination but with the exception of, THERE ARE MONSTERS HERE (which I have read, enjoyed and reviewed before and it isn't a connected story to the Autumncrow universe) most of the stories felt a little too tame for me to feel like I could review this on the same level as more adult, short fiction collections.
I want to take this opportunity to commend Cameron for writing what he knows and within his wheelhouse. It's my encouragement that he should definitely see himself writing quality horror for all audiences; middle-grade and young adult as well as horror fiction with more teeth/bite for adults. Maybe making a clear distinction instead of a collection blending the two?
I will be forever recommending this book as a gateway or introductory work to attract new, young readers over to the dark side. Also, like Ray Bradbury's THE HALLOWEEN TREE or Clive Barker's THE THIEF OF ALWAYS, AUTUMNCROW could easily make a list of seasonal stories to read in the month of October.
An instant holiday classic. I can't wait to read more from Cameron Chaney!
For the sake of transparency, the author Cameron Chaney is a friend of mine and a rep for the business I co-own called Night Worms. Cameron sent me a paperback copy to read & review, honestly. Cameron also has a BookTube channel called, Library Macabre where he reviews horror books so I know, and now YOU know that Cameron would want me to be objective despite our various connections.
I picked this up during a readathon weekend. I selected about 5 books under 200 pages so I could binge-read as many as possible.
Two wishes before I launch into this review:
1. I wish this book was available to me when I was a young horror fan. I missed out on the whole Goosebumps/R. L. Stine culture (I'm a little older than those books) but I know Chaney has been heavily influenced by his love for the middle-grade supernatural-horror stories. There wasn't a lot of age-appropriate horror books when I was growing up. I loved a book series by John Bellairs featuring child protagonists, Lewis Baravelt and Johnny Dizon battling a variety of dark forces, but that was really all I remember as being targeted to readers like myself. A writer with Cameron's writing style could have easily captivated a huge following of young adults with a penchant for dark fiction.
2. I wish I could have read this in October! It has a very strong Halloween vibe; for example, The town of Autumncrow seems stuck on a repeated loop of Halloween night and not just any Halloween night, the *perfect* version of a quintessential Halloween night, complete with spooky, creepy things going on and a full moon! Perfect reading to get in the Halloween-ish mood!
Each story is distinctly its own but there are some common themes and characters throughout. The first story, FOLLOW ME IN is a strong opening. I loved the second person narrative style-it felt intimate and personal. It's probably my favorite out of the whole collection and it shows that Cameron has writing chops in both an adult and YA market.
After that story, I found myself admiring Cameron's effortless storytelling voice and creative imagination but with the exception of, THERE ARE MONSTERS HERE (which I have read, enjoyed and reviewed before and it isn't a connected story to the Autumncrow universe) most of the stories felt a little too tame for me to feel like I could review this on the same level as more adult, short fiction collections.
I want to take this opportunity to commend Cameron for writing what he knows and within his wheelhouse. It's my encouragement that he should definitely see himself writing quality horror for all audiences; middle-grade and young adult as well as horror fiction with more teeth/bite for adults. Maybe making a clear distinction instead of a collection blending the two?
I will be forever recommending this book as a gateway or introductory work to attract new, young readers over to the dark side. Also, like Ray Bradbury's THE HALLOWEEN TREE or Clive Barker's THE THIEF OF ALWAYS, AUTUMNCROW could easily make a list of seasonal stories to read in the month of October.
An instant holiday classic. I can't wait to read more from Cameron Chaney!
October 21, 2021
Good creepy stories
Autumncrow
By Cameron Chaney
This is a book of short stories based around a strange town called Autumncrow. They vary in subjects but all are creepy! I liked the story of the little girl and the neighbor man and his pumpkins and the first story best.
Autumncrow
By Cameron Chaney
This is a book of short stories based around a strange town called Autumncrow. They vary in subjects but all are creepy! I liked the story of the little girl and the neighbor man and his pumpkins and the first story best.
October 27, 2019
4.0 Stars
A spooky collection of fun and emotional stories!
This is a fantastic collection of horror short stories set in the small town of Autumncrow, which is said to be the “spookiest town in the world”. This theme ties the stories together with a unifying thread that makes the collection feel cohesive. At the same time, the stories are still different enough from each other to offer a fair amount of variety for the reader. Many of the stories are centered around Halloween, which makes this a fun book to read during the spooky holiday season. Yet, the Halloween themes are not overwhelming so this collection could still easily be enjoyed at a different time of year. Some of the stories actually felt family friendly. I read several of the stories aloud to my infant son and look forward to revisiting these with him when he is old enough to actually understand and appreciate them. This book will definitely be part of my future Halloween traditions.
The writing in the collection was straightforward with an easy, casual narration style. I enjoyed the humour sprinkled throughout the stories and found myself laughing aloud several times. Some of the stories were quite fun, fitting the mold of a classic horror narrative, while others were more emotional, stretching outside the usual tropes of the genre.
As always with short story collections, I liked some of the stories more than others, but there weren’t any stories that I disliked. Some of the stories just failed to leave a lasting impression on me. Of the eight stories, four really stood out to me. Here are my thoughts on those individual stories:
Follow Me In - This was an excellent choice to be the first story in the collection. It really set the spooky tone for the rest of the book. Filled with emotion and heart, this story reminded me of Stirring the Sheets by Chad Lutzke, which is high praise because that happens to be one of my favourite novellas.
Burnt Brownies - The depictions of both the teenage and kids felt very realistic in this one. There was some good back and forth between the characters that produced some very funny banter. I especially liked how the author played with the concept of character perspective, showing how the same actions could be interpreted quite differently depending on who is telling the story.
CRYP-TV - Of the holiday themed stories, this one gave me the most Halloween feels. Once again, the author demonstrated a great talent for writing younger characters who felt realistic. This story also had a good sense of adventure.
There Are Monsters Here - I had previously read this one as a standalone story, but was more than happy to refresh my memory with a reread. I think I liked this story even more the second time I read it. While not overtly scary, I really appreciated it’s subtle, melancholy tone. The story played with the idea that we all have our monsters, teasing the line between metaphorical monsters and the actual monsters of supernatural horror. This story explored the emotional toll that these monsters place on ourselves and our familiar relationships. This story alone is reason to pick up this collection of short stories.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this collection and would definitely recommend it to a wide range of horror readers as well as those who simply want some spooky stories to read during the fall and winter seasons.
Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book from the author for review. I have since gone on to purchase a physical copy for myself. As a fellow “horror booktuber”, I live in the same online spaces as the author, but our friendliness online did not prevent me from being completely honest in my review.
A spooky collection of fun and emotional stories!
This is a fantastic collection of horror short stories set in the small town of Autumncrow, which is said to be the “spookiest town in the world”. This theme ties the stories together with a unifying thread that makes the collection feel cohesive. At the same time, the stories are still different enough from each other to offer a fair amount of variety for the reader. Many of the stories are centered around Halloween, which makes this a fun book to read during the spooky holiday season. Yet, the Halloween themes are not overwhelming so this collection could still easily be enjoyed at a different time of year. Some of the stories actually felt family friendly. I read several of the stories aloud to my infant son and look forward to revisiting these with him when he is old enough to actually understand and appreciate them. This book will definitely be part of my future Halloween traditions.
The writing in the collection was straightforward with an easy, casual narration style. I enjoyed the humour sprinkled throughout the stories and found myself laughing aloud several times. Some of the stories were quite fun, fitting the mold of a classic horror narrative, while others were more emotional, stretching outside the usual tropes of the genre.
As always with short story collections, I liked some of the stories more than others, but there weren’t any stories that I disliked. Some of the stories just failed to leave a lasting impression on me. Of the eight stories, four really stood out to me. Here are my thoughts on those individual stories:
Follow Me In - This was an excellent choice to be the first story in the collection. It really set the spooky tone for the rest of the book. Filled with emotion and heart, this story reminded me of Stirring the Sheets by Chad Lutzke, which is high praise because that happens to be one of my favourite novellas.
Burnt Brownies - The depictions of both the teenage and kids felt very realistic in this one. There was some good back and forth between the characters that produced some very funny banter. I especially liked how the author played with the concept of character perspective, showing how the same actions could be interpreted quite differently depending on who is telling the story.
CRYP-TV - Of the holiday themed stories, this one gave me the most Halloween feels. Once again, the author demonstrated a great talent for writing younger characters who felt realistic. This story also had a good sense of adventure.
There Are Monsters Here - I had previously read this one as a standalone story, but was more than happy to refresh my memory with a reread. I think I liked this story even more the second time I read it. While not overtly scary, I really appreciated it’s subtle, melancholy tone. The story played with the idea that we all have our monsters, teasing the line between metaphorical monsters and the actual monsters of supernatural horror. This story explored the emotional toll that these monsters place on ourselves and our familiar relationships. This story alone is reason to pick up this collection of short stories.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this collection and would definitely recommend it to a wide range of horror readers as well as those who simply want some spooky stories to read during the fall and winter seasons.
Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book from the author for review. I have since gone on to purchase a physical copy for myself. As a fellow “horror booktuber”, I live in the same online spaces as the author, but our friendliness online did not prevent me from being completely honest in my review.
October 17, 2021
Nostalgia is one of the most evocative concepts of our time. Something about our current time seems oversaturated with a longing to return or regress (for better or for worse), and entertainment handles the subject almost obsessively. Halloween is an exemplary celebration where all of the affect and poignancy of nostalgic longing converges, along with its more insidious cultural baggage: It is a celebration primarily for children, a celebration that combines horrors and innocent glee, and one that holds many joyous memories for many people, while also representing a darker edge of mythologies and consumerism that is quite provocative. I believe that all of this conflict of emotion and longing is perfectly exhibited in Cameron Chaney's Autumncrow.
This collection of short horror stories feels like a mix of very dissonant styles and subjects that nonetheless work beautifully given the consistency of Chaney's writing. There is a grazing of monstrosity and heavy subject matter (the best way I can describe it is that a lot of it is told in the same fashion that a parent would tell their child about death). There is also a prominence of emotion and interiority, and furthermore, a true devotion to horrific imagery that sometimes surfaces out of nowhere in truly unforeseen and delightful ways. I will admit, some of these stories didn't balance all of these elements as well as I would have liked ("I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed," "CRYP-TV"), but some of them were absolutely mesmerizing due to the dexterity with which heavy grief and sorrow are mixed with an exquisitely gothic, almost rural noir feel ("Pumpkin Light," "Frost," "Saving Face," the last of these being my favorite of the collection).
I did also feel that the more sinister and monstrous implications behind innocence are also thoroughly and intelligently explored. "Burnt Brownies" and "Saving Face" in particular are told in a very restrained and more juvenile fashion, but the underlying horror and unexplored implication and nuance behind the concepts lead to quite horrific thoughts, and such a masterful way of crafting horror tales is not easy to come by.
Overall, I was extremely satisfied with this collection. It is as much a surface-level homage to Halloween and its celebratory and childlike nature as it is a brew of more menacing and haunting ideas lurking beneath its surface, much like the town of Autumncrow itself: A squeaky-clean, joyous slice of Americana with an underbelly of mystery, dread, and wickedness that only keeps growing and growing the more one focuses on the things crawling between the cracks. Very recommended!
This collection of short horror stories feels like a mix of very dissonant styles and subjects that nonetheless work beautifully given the consistency of Chaney's writing. There is a grazing of monstrosity and heavy subject matter (the best way I can describe it is that a lot of it is told in the same fashion that a parent would tell their child about death). There is also a prominence of emotion and interiority, and furthermore, a true devotion to horrific imagery that sometimes surfaces out of nowhere in truly unforeseen and delightful ways. I will admit, some of these stories didn't balance all of these elements as well as I would have liked ("I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed," "CRYP-TV"), but some of them were absolutely mesmerizing due to the dexterity with which heavy grief and sorrow are mixed with an exquisitely gothic, almost rural noir feel ("Pumpkin Light," "Frost," "Saving Face," the last of these being my favorite of the collection).
I did also feel that the more sinister and monstrous implications behind innocence are also thoroughly and intelligently explored. "Burnt Brownies" and "Saving Face" in particular are told in a very restrained and more juvenile fashion, but the underlying horror and unexplored implication and nuance behind the concepts lead to quite horrific thoughts, and such a masterful way of crafting horror tales is not easy to come by.
Overall, I was extremely satisfied with this collection. It is as much a surface-level homage to Halloween and its celebratory and childlike nature as it is a brew of more menacing and haunting ideas lurking beneath its surface, much like the town of Autumncrow itself: A squeaky-clean, joyous slice of Americana with an underbelly of mystery, dread, and wickedness that only keeps growing and growing the more one focuses on the things crawling between the cracks. Very recommended!
October 31, 2023
What a perfect read on an October night while sipping a hot pumpkin drink!
Autumncrow is a collection of 8 short tales that all take place in the small town of Autumncrow, where every night is Halloween.
I think this is a great "first published work," since it showcases the versatility of Chaney's writing. We get a good range here, from the subtly spine-tingling, to the creepy, to all-out body gore (that story was my fave btw! There were a lot of Kill River vibes, which put a huuuge smile on my face), and even a whimsical tale that felt a bit like a Halloweentown movie. And Chaney pulls them all off! This is a high-quality horror short story collection, make no mistake.
I think what works so much in the favor of this little book is that, Chaney understands what it is that makes people so nostalgic for Halloween. It makes a reader want to revel in pumpkin spice, grilled apples, cheesy tombstone inscriptions, and dancing skeletons. Definitely a good read to celebrate Halloween with, because it's definitely a celebration!
Autumncrow is a collection of 8 short tales that all take place in the small town of Autumncrow, where every night is Halloween.
I think this is a great "first published work," since it showcases the versatility of Chaney's writing. We get a good range here, from the subtly spine-tingling, to the creepy, to all-out body gore (that story was my fave btw! There were a lot of Kill River vibes, which put a huuuge smile on my face), and even a whimsical tale that felt a bit like a Halloweentown movie. And Chaney pulls them all off! This is a high-quality horror short story collection, make no mistake.
I think what works so much in the favor of this little book is that, Chaney understands what it is that makes people so nostalgic for Halloween. It makes a reader want to revel in pumpkin spice, grilled apples, cheesy tombstone inscriptions, and dancing skeletons. Definitely a good read to celebrate Halloween with, because it's definitely a celebration!
October 9, 2021
Where it's Halloween every day
Autumncrow is a small Ohio town that seems to have it all. It has its own university, a dune-bordered beach, picturesque hollows and valleys, miles of majestic cornfields, a bookshop of curiosities, a video store of rare vintage titles on VHS, and a thriving tourist industry. For this slice of Midwest life is also "The Spookiest Town in the U.S."
Cameron Chaney is best known for his YouTube channel and vast collection of vintage paperbacks from hell. His love of all things spooky really shines in his debut publication of short stories that all center around the fictional town of Autumncrow. Shades of Al Sarrantonio and R.L. Stein haunt the pages of this fine little anthology, providing the reader with a rich celebration of horror that perfectly encapsulates the Halloween spirit.
Each entry is a study in contrasts. "Burnt Brownies," for example, starts off as a silly, kid-centric tale about a Halloween party, but takes a sudden turn into some very dark territory. And "Saving Face" has the distinction of being simultaneously disturbing yet sentimentally sweet. How these contrasting tones don't clash is amazing, because each story works quite well.
Among the many denizens of this enchanted land, you'll find Tara the Android, likely named after the Doctor Who story "The Androids of Tara." There's also the Burned Man, who seems to be straight out of a 1980s video rental. And in the neighboring town of Kilgore, Crow Darkstorm is every ghoul's favorite horror show host. Many more creepy surprises await you in a series of eight original stories. Some are clearly better than others, and sometimes the prose and dialogue can be quite immature. But I would say that overall there is some real sophistication in these ideas. In fact, the last story, the only one not overtly associated with Autumncrow, is a quite compelling psychological study. And Cameron Chaney has a knack for delivering concise setups with a horrific punchline with the same skill as Rod Serling. Here are my rankings for the individual stories:
FOLLOW ME IN--4 stars
PUMPKIN LIGHT--4 stars
BURNT BROWNIES--4 stars
FROST--5 stars
SAVING FACE--5 stars
I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST FEED--3 stars
CRYP-TV--5 stars
THERE ARE MONSTERS HERE--4 stars
"Autumncrow" is your destination for literary Halloween fun, and will certainly put you in the mood for the season if you are not yet feeling the groove. Just cross the old covered bridge and pass the old pumpkin patch. You'll be right at home. You may never want to leave.
You may not even be able to...
Autumncrow is a small Ohio town that seems to have it all. It has its own university, a dune-bordered beach, picturesque hollows and valleys, miles of majestic cornfields, a bookshop of curiosities, a video store of rare vintage titles on VHS, and a thriving tourist industry. For this slice of Midwest life is also "The Spookiest Town in the U.S."
Cameron Chaney is best known for his YouTube channel and vast collection of vintage paperbacks from hell. His love of all things spooky really shines in his debut publication of short stories that all center around the fictional town of Autumncrow. Shades of Al Sarrantonio and R.L. Stein haunt the pages of this fine little anthology, providing the reader with a rich celebration of horror that perfectly encapsulates the Halloween spirit.
Each entry is a study in contrasts. "Burnt Brownies," for example, starts off as a silly, kid-centric tale about a Halloween party, but takes a sudden turn into some very dark territory. And "Saving Face" has the distinction of being simultaneously disturbing yet sentimentally sweet. How these contrasting tones don't clash is amazing, because each story works quite well.
Among the many denizens of this enchanted land, you'll find Tara the Android, likely named after the Doctor Who story "The Androids of Tara." There's also the Burned Man, who seems to be straight out of a 1980s video rental. And in the neighboring town of Kilgore, Crow Darkstorm is every ghoul's favorite horror show host. Many more creepy surprises await you in a series of eight original stories. Some are clearly better than others, and sometimes the prose and dialogue can be quite immature. But I would say that overall there is some real sophistication in these ideas. In fact, the last story, the only one not overtly associated with Autumncrow, is a quite compelling psychological study. And Cameron Chaney has a knack for delivering concise setups with a horrific punchline with the same skill as Rod Serling. Here are my rankings for the individual stories:
FOLLOW ME IN--4 stars
PUMPKIN LIGHT--4 stars
BURNT BROWNIES--4 stars
FROST--5 stars
SAVING FACE--5 stars
I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST FEED--3 stars
CRYP-TV--5 stars
THERE ARE MONSTERS HERE--4 stars
"Autumncrow" is your destination for literary Halloween fun, and will certainly put you in the mood for the season if you are not yet feeling the groove. Just cross the old covered bridge and pass the old pumpkin patch. You'll be right at home. You may never want to leave.
You may not even be able to...
October 6, 2021
Very entertaining book of short stories! Great Halloween read.
November 22, 2024
FIVE STARS! Autumncrow has been one of my favorite reads of the entire year so far, and I can see it becoming an all-time favorite of mine that I will revisit time and time again. Cameron Chaney has done an incredible job with capturing the mood and atmosphere of autumn and of Halloween time in this wonderful collection of stories.
The prose is elegant but still easy-to-read and approachable, and, in my opinion, there are no weak stories here. I enjoyed each one, but my personal favorite was CRYP-TV. That story had plenty of nostalgia, humor, and was filled with Halloween vibes. Another thing I loved about the collection is that each story had a small connection to another story within the book. This is a welcomed change from other collections I've read -- most are a hodgepodge of non-related stories.
If you'd like to hear more of my thoughts on this collection, I dedicated an entire video to discussing it. You can check out my Autumncrow reading vlog here: https://youtu.be/5ojMWRXq5OE
Overall, I very much enjoyed my "trip" to Autumncrow, and I can't wait to see what else Cameron Chaney has in store for us with his upcoming new book Autumncrow High. I will be excited to read anything he writes in the future.
The prose is elegant but still easy-to-read and approachable, and, in my opinion, there are no weak stories here. I enjoyed each one, but my personal favorite was CRYP-TV. That story had plenty of nostalgia, humor, and was filled with Halloween vibes. Another thing I loved about the collection is that each story had a small connection to another story within the book. This is a welcomed change from other collections I've read -- most are a hodgepodge of non-related stories.
If you'd like to hear more of my thoughts on this collection, I dedicated an entire video to discussing it. You can check out my Autumncrow reading vlog here: https://youtu.be/5ojMWRXq5OE
Overall, I very much enjoyed my "trip" to Autumncrow, and I can't wait to see what else Cameron Chaney has in store for us with his upcoming new book Autumncrow High. I will be excited to read anything he writes in the future.
October 30, 2024
"The nightmare finally stopped after a few months, but Christine never forgot their grinning faces, melting as the flames feasted on their bodies—Saturn devouring his children."
“Home is where the monsters are."
4.12 🎃✨
FOLLOW ME IN - 3.5🎃
PUMPKIN LIGHT - 3.5🎃
BURNT BROWNIES - 5🎃
FROST - 2.5🎃
SAVING FACE - 5🎃
I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST FEED - 5🎃
CRYP-TV - 3.5🎃
THERE ARE MONSTERS HERE - 5🎃
“Home is where the monsters are."
4.12 🎃✨
FOLLOW ME IN - 3.5🎃
PUMPKIN LIGHT - 3.5🎃
BURNT BROWNIES - 5🎃
FROST - 2.5🎃
SAVING FACE - 5🎃
I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST FEED - 5🎃
CRYP-TV - 3.5🎃
THERE ARE MONSTERS HERE - 5🎃
October 30, 2019
My review of AUTUMNCROW can be found at High Fever Books.
While perhaps not (yet) a household name, Cameron Chaney is fairly well known in horror book review circles as a highly prolific booktuber. For nearly a decade now, he’s regularly uploaded book reviews, unboxings, and book haul videos to YouTube with an earnest charisma and a clear love and devotion for horror lit that has earned him 15,000 subscribers. He’s also a huge fan of R.L. Stine, a fact made abundantly clear by his six videos detailing his Goosebumps collection! Stine is an unmistakable influence in Chaney’s life, and in his writing as well.
Autumncrow, Chaney’s debut collection, has that sort of Stine vibe, with the focus being on fun but creepy Halloween tales, and the stories herein are sure to appeal to teens and young adults alike, and maybe even older adults, too. The stories have cool twists and a good bit of bite, and Chaney forgoes vulgarity (there’s a few s-words scattered throughout, but nothing more profane) and depictions of graphic violence, preferring to leave most of the horrors up to readers’ imaginations. A few scenes, like the climax of “Saving Face,” for instance, may disturb and make some squirm, but largely because of Chaney’s ‘less is more’ approach. The final story, though, “There Are Monsters Here,” is a darker and more mature story than those that precede it, involving a 24-year-old man confronting the monsters of his childhood, but is still within the PG-13 realm.
Save for “There Are Monsters Here,” each story in this collection is connected by the titular town of Autumncrow. Chaney does a wonderful job establishing this locale and building upon it with each successive story, creating a really nifty mosaic about Autumncrow itself. It’s a strange and spooky little Ohio town (one that, at times, fondly reminded me a bit of James A. Moore’s Beldam Woods), connected to other cities by old wooden covered bridges, and every Halloween has been absolutely perfect, right down to the improbably constant full moon. While there are some dangers lurking within the town’s borders, there’s some hiding outside city limits, too, like in the forest that every kid in Autumncrow knows is off limits. As I dug deeper into the collection, I dug spotting all the small Easter Egg-like references to the places and characters mentioned previously, and it really helped to solidify Autumncrow as a legitimate and lived-in locale. I might have only been a tourist there briefly, but I do hope to return to Autumncrow again in the future!
The stories are by turns ghostly and ghastly, like “Burnt Brownies,” which sees a teenager throwing an unsupervised Halloween party while her parents are away, heedless of her brother’s warning about the burned man. “Frost” offers up fun Twilight Zone-like story of a runaway teen who hits the road with a hot-off-the-press driver’s license only to find himself lost and crossing over a bridge. “I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed” focuses on a teen working a haunted house attraction and a creepy animatronic mannequin that’s out of this world. “CRYP-TV,” meanwhile, involves 13-year-old Allen Morrisby settling into his new home in neighboring Kilgore and longing to return to his friends in Autumncrow, only a ten-minute car ride away and, as his parents have mandated, strictly off-limits. While tackling a dare from some high school toughs, Allen finds that connection to his old home in unexpected ways and Chaney reveals a bit more about his creepy town’s origins and legacies.
“There Are Monsters Here,” previously published as an ebook short story in 2017, has a more adult edge to it and no connection at all to the previous Autumncrow stories, which makes it feel slightly out of place here and included for the sake of comprehensiveness in terms of collecting Chaney’s writings, and to give it the chance to see print in a physical release for the first time. None of these things are necessarily bad on their own, though. “There Are Monsters Here” is a great little story, so I’m glad to have had the chance to read it. Chaney explores the concept of a family being haunted by literal monsters. Each member of the family has their own monster that’s been with them since birth and who they, and only they, see at night. It’s a cool concept that gives Chaney a platform to explore issues surrounding a broken family, broken dreams, and broken people via metaphor. It gets pretty heady and was easily my favorite story in an otherwise strong collection, and left me jonesing for Chaney to write more adult-oriented material. His YA stuff, which constitutes the bulk of this book, is good to be sure, but, man, is he ever firing on all cylinders when he taps into those grown up horrors of past recollections and remorse.
Autumncrow is a terrific bit a seasonally appropriate and inoffensive all-ages fun, perfect for some Halloween reading that gives you chills without the buckets of blood and splattery gore. It could also serve as a great introduction to horror for young teens looking for a good, clean scare without all that nagging parental supervision and concerns over sex and violence. Chaney knows that real fun of Halloween lies in the joy of celebrating and reveling in those darker corners of, and in between, life and death, experiencing some scares but at a safely comfortable remove, and he taps into that Samhain spirit with energetic enthusiasm. I, for one, look forward to venturing down the dark streets and into the cornfields and forests of Autumncrow again.
[Note: I received an advance copy of this title from the author.]
While perhaps not (yet) a household name, Cameron Chaney is fairly well known in horror book review circles as a highly prolific booktuber. For nearly a decade now, he’s regularly uploaded book reviews, unboxings, and book haul videos to YouTube with an earnest charisma and a clear love and devotion for horror lit that has earned him 15,000 subscribers. He’s also a huge fan of R.L. Stine, a fact made abundantly clear by his six videos detailing his Goosebumps collection! Stine is an unmistakable influence in Chaney’s life, and in his writing as well.
Autumncrow, Chaney’s debut collection, has that sort of Stine vibe, with the focus being on fun but creepy Halloween tales, and the stories herein are sure to appeal to teens and young adults alike, and maybe even older adults, too. The stories have cool twists and a good bit of bite, and Chaney forgoes vulgarity (there’s a few s-words scattered throughout, but nothing more profane) and depictions of graphic violence, preferring to leave most of the horrors up to readers’ imaginations. A few scenes, like the climax of “Saving Face,” for instance, may disturb and make some squirm, but largely because of Chaney’s ‘less is more’ approach. The final story, though, “There Are Monsters Here,” is a darker and more mature story than those that precede it, involving a 24-year-old man confronting the monsters of his childhood, but is still within the PG-13 realm.
Save for “There Are Monsters Here,” each story in this collection is connected by the titular town of Autumncrow. Chaney does a wonderful job establishing this locale and building upon it with each successive story, creating a really nifty mosaic about Autumncrow itself. It’s a strange and spooky little Ohio town (one that, at times, fondly reminded me a bit of James A. Moore’s Beldam Woods), connected to other cities by old wooden covered bridges, and every Halloween has been absolutely perfect, right down to the improbably constant full moon. While there are some dangers lurking within the town’s borders, there’s some hiding outside city limits, too, like in the forest that every kid in Autumncrow knows is off limits. As I dug deeper into the collection, I dug spotting all the small Easter Egg-like references to the places and characters mentioned previously, and it really helped to solidify Autumncrow as a legitimate and lived-in locale. I might have only been a tourist there briefly, but I do hope to return to Autumncrow again in the future!
The stories are by turns ghostly and ghastly, like “Burnt Brownies,” which sees a teenager throwing an unsupervised Halloween party while her parents are away, heedless of her brother’s warning about the burned man. “Frost” offers up fun Twilight Zone-like story of a runaway teen who hits the road with a hot-off-the-press driver’s license only to find himself lost and crossing over a bridge. “I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed” focuses on a teen working a haunted house attraction and a creepy animatronic mannequin that’s out of this world. “CRYP-TV,” meanwhile, involves 13-year-old Allen Morrisby settling into his new home in neighboring Kilgore and longing to return to his friends in Autumncrow, only a ten-minute car ride away and, as his parents have mandated, strictly off-limits. While tackling a dare from some high school toughs, Allen finds that connection to his old home in unexpected ways and Chaney reveals a bit more about his creepy town’s origins and legacies.
“There Are Monsters Here,” previously published as an ebook short story in 2017, has a more adult edge to it and no connection at all to the previous Autumncrow stories, which makes it feel slightly out of place here and included for the sake of comprehensiveness in terms of collecting Chaney’s writings, and to give it the chance to see print in a physical release for the first time. None of these things are necessarily bad on their own, though. “There Are Monsters Here” is a great little story, so I’m glad to have had the chance to read it. Chaney explores the concept of a family being haunted by literal monsters. Each member of the family has their own monster that’s been with them since birth and who they, and only they, see at night. It’s a cool concept that gives Chaney a platform to explore issues surrounding a broken family, broken dreams, and broken people via metaphor. It gets pretty heady and was easily my favorite story in an otherwise strong collection, and left me jonesing for Chaney to write more adult-oriented material. His YA stuff, which constitutes the bulk of this book, is good to be sure, but, man, is he ever firing on all cylinders when he taps into those grown up horrors of past recollections and remorse.
Autumncrow is a terrific bit a seasonally appropriate and inoffensive all-ages fun, perfect for some Halloween reading that gives you chills without the buckets of blood and splattery gore. It could also serve as a great introduction to horror for young teens looking for a good, clean scare without all that nagging parental supervision and concerns over sex and violence. Chaney knows that real fun of Halloween lies in the joy of celebrating and reveling in those darker corners of, and in between, life and death, experiencing some scares but at a safely comfortable remove, and he taps into that Samhain spirit with energetic enthusiasm. I, for one, look forward to venturing down the dark streets and into the cornfields and forests of Autumncrow again.
[Note: I received an advance copy of this title from the author.]
November 9, 2021
The perfect Halloween read for those looking for some treats and do not mind being tricked as well.
When you read this great short horror story compilation based on Autumncrow Valley, Ohio where every day is Halloween, you can smell, taste and even feel that night on every bone of your body.
Apart from getting completely different and interesting stories, they are all being interconnected creating a magnificent spooky universe you will never want to leave again. I want to go to Autumncrow Valley and stay there forever. That is one of it's perks. Once you are there, you can never ever leave.
Cameron has given life to this rich universe that I have fallen in love with and I can not wait to get my hands on his new upcoming series Autumncrow High where he will expand this world for us with new spooky tales.
When you read this great short horror story compilation based on Autumncrow Valley, Ohio where every day is Halloween, you can smell, taste and even feel that night on every bone of your body.
Apart from getting completely different and interesting stories, they are all being interconnected creating a magnificent spooky universe you will never want to leave again. I want to go to Autumncrow Valley and stay there forever. That is one of it's perks. Once you are there, you can never ever leave.
Cameron has given life to this rich universe that I have fallen in love with and I can not wait to get my hands on his new upcoming series Autumncrow High where he will expand this world for us with new spooky tales.
November 1, 2022
I enjoyed these stories way too much!
July 22, 2021
4.5 out of 5 stars!
I really enjoyed this book!
I thoroughly enjoyed Cameron Chaney's writing style and it gave me the Halloween creepy vibes I was looking for.
This will definitely be staying on my bookshelf and will be one to reread for many Halloweens to come.
My two absolute favorite stories (that were perfection in my eyes) were...
Burnt Brownies and Saving Face.
I loved, loved, loved both of these stories, but especially loved the twist to Burnt Brownies!
Burnt Brownies was my absolute favorite... if I had to choose one.
Runner ups...
I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed and CRYP-TV.
In I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed Cameron wrote in a nod to one of my favorite horror movies, Creepshow, and I loved it! The story was already great and that was just the icing on the cake.
I also loved that this story included a black main character.
And CRYP-TV gave me Lew Hayward's ghost in Scrooged vibes. I was sad to see this story end.
It was so entertaining and I wanted more!
Cameron Chaney's writing style was very easy to follow. Though I picked out some favorites, I definitely enjoyed them all and recommend this book to anyone looking for a good batch of spooky stories for Halloween or any time of the year!
Reviewed in this video https://youtu.be/FSuzwqGEs7M
I really enjoyed this book!
I thoroughly enjoyed Cameron Chaney's writing style and it gave me the Halloween creepy vibes I was looking for.
This will definitely be staying on my bookshelf and will be one to reread for many Halloweens to come.
My two absolute favorite stories (that were perfection in my eyes) were...
Burnt Brownies and Saving Face.
I loved, loved, loved both of these stories, but especially loved the twist to Burnt Brownies!
Burnt Brownies was my absolute favorite... if I had to choose one.
Runner ups...
I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed and CRYP-TV.
In I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed Cameron wrote in a nod to one of my favorite horror movies, Creepshow, and I loved it! The story was already great and that was just the icing on the cake.
I also loved that this story included a black main character.
And CRYP-TV gave me Lew Hayward's ghost in Scrooged vibes. I was sad to see this story end.
It was so entertaining and I wanted more!
Cameron Chaney's writing style was very easy to follow. Though I picked out some favorites, I definitely enjoyed them all and recommend this book to anyone looking for a good batch of spooky stories for Halloween or any time of the year!
Reviewed in this video https://youtu.be/FSuzwqGEs7M
January 6, 2022
This collection is alive with the spooky magic of Halloween like nothing I’ve read since the fall book fairs of my youth. Satisfying twists, dark revelations, and a remarkable emotional depth underpin the nostalgic charm and eerie atmosphere of these tales. Autumncrow is haunting, delightful, and genuinely poignant—highly recommended.
June 3, 2021
Autumncrow is a collection of short stories all centred around the small Ohio town of Autumncrow. The town where it is always Halloween. I loved the fact that each story cracked open the wounds of the town, the backstory, the creation, and the inhabitants, and their way of life. I have been an avid subscriber of Cameron Chaney’s YouTube channel, Library Macabre, and had a funny feeling this was going to be as haunting as his content. The stories are packed with humanity, depravity, and emotion.
My instant thoughts on Autumncrow took me back to my youth reading Goosebumps from R.L. Stine. It was that same edge and harboring intent that I connected with and now reminded me of now. The book focuses on the residents and the first story that spoke to me was Pumpkin Light, a familiar scene, familiar inhabitants, but a different story. The setting is chilling but we have an old woman reminiscing. The story was a perfect start to get me warmed up to what was to come. The tone was set, the narrative was precise and haunting even when describing the most average of a task.
With an almost gentle start, Chaney jumps in his truck and speeds off into the distance. With a kick up of dirt and stones that gentle start is a thing of the past. All safety is gone, and the stories take a decidedly dark turn.
Autumncrow’s next story is Burnt Brownies which is by far my favourite story in the collection. This is where you get a true taste for just how immersive the writer’s style is. The story is predominately a regretful tale of neglect and sibling love gone awry. As siblings get older, they grow apart, they are interested in different things and they make a shift in their life towards adulthood. This story did knock it up a notch and I could feel my anxiety pulsing as the story edged towards its conclusion. Halloween can be haunting, but brownies can kill.
Autumncrow was a brilliant selection of short stories. The psychological exploration of grief, relationships, and fear was outstanding. I was seriously impressed with just how real the themes were portrayed. The author was able to put me in the character's shoes, I felt the emotions, often with papercut-like rawness.
My instant thoughts on Autumncrow took me back to my youth reading Goosebumps from R.L. Stine. It was that same edge and harboring intent that I connected with and now reminded me of now. The book focuses on the residents and the first story that spoke to me was Pumpkin Light, a familiar scene, familiar inhabitants, but a different story. The setting is chilling but we have an old woman reminiscing. The story was a perfect start to get me warmed up to what was to come. The tone was set, the narrative was precise and haunting even when describing the most average of a task.
With an almost gentle start, Chaney jumps in his truck and speeds off into the distance. With a kick up of dirt and stones that gentle start is a thing of the past. All safety is gone, and the stories take a decidedly dark turn.
Autumncrow’s next story is Burnt Brownies which is by far my favourite story in the collection. This is where you get a true taste for just how immersive the writer’s style is. The story is predominately a regretful tale of neglect and sibling love gone awry. As siblings get older, they grow apart, they are interested in different things and they make a shift in their life towards adulthood. This story did knock it up a notch and I could feel my anxiety pulsing as the story edged towards its conclusion. Halloween can be haunting, but brownies can kill.
Autumncrow was a brilliant selection of short stories. The psychological exploration of grief, relationships, and fear was outstanding. I was seriously impressed with just how real the themes were portrayed. The author was able to put me in the character's shoes, I felt the emotions, often with papercut-like rawness.
May 30, 2021
Any regular follower of mine knows that horror is not in my top 5 genres to pick up first. Other then Fear Street at least. Indeed I likely would have grinned at the cover of this book, but not read it if I hadn't recently started following Chaney's YouTube and Patreon (which is dedicated to vintage YA horror and fiction).
For one thing, there's no reincarnated villainess or isekai shenanigans happening and y'all know that's all I'm reading right now.
That all being said, I greatly enjoyed this collection of stories all set in the fictional town of Autumncrow. These are less horror then thriller, with many having subtle supernatural elements, but some being far more heartfelt.
Such as "Follow Me In" - a man recollects the memories of his long dead lover who inspired him to be daring.
"I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed" - its a very inside joke (in my friend group) why this title had me laughing so hard. The uh story itself however is much less amusing, but no less terrifying as the inside joke.
Dolls. Why did it have to be a doll?
The collection is a quick read for a laxy afternoon or to get in the mood for Halloween. Plus Chaney is currently (as of 5/30/21) posting bits from the sequel he's working on, for patrons of his Patreon, so if you want to know what's in store...check it out!
For one thing, there's no reincarnated villainess or isekai shenanigans happening and y'all know that's all I'm reading right now.
That all being said, I greatly enjoyed this collection of stories all set in the fictional town of Autumncrow. These are less horror then thriller, with many having subtle supernatural elements, but some being far more heartfelt.
Such as "Follow Me In" - a man recollects the memories of his long dead lover who inspired him to be daring.
"I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed" - its a very inside joke (in my friend group) why this title had me laughing so hard. The uh story itself however is much less amusing, but no less terrifying as the inside joke.
Dolls. Why did it have to be a doll?
The collection is a quick read for a laxy afternoon or to get in the mood for Halloween. Plus Chaney is currently (as of 5/30/21) posting bits from the sequel he's working on, for patrons of his Patreon, so if you want to know what's in store...check it out!
November 25, 2021
I have a vlog where I share my thoughts on this book: https://youtu.be/QDlkdUh-c3g 🎃🎃🎃🎃.5
October 3, 2021
"Follow Me In" - 5 stars
Sad, sweet, creepy, powerful and emotional. Very short, and it works for me. I know it might not seem like much to some, but it really got to me, because personal reasons. Literally, the ending gave me goosebumps. Literal goosebumps. I don't know a story that has ever done that to me before.
Pumpkin light - 5 stars Also emotional. I loved it!
Burnt Brownies - 5 stars TW: Fire! I was in a house fire years ago. I was saved by my neighbor but fire is a huge trigger for me. I'm better than I used to be (it's been years) but still. If fire is a trigger for you, please take care with this one! It'd been awhile since I had a panic attack. I was unable to move for awhile and it hurts. I'm not offended or upset or anything. I just had no idea how much this story would affect me and I probably should've have dnf'd it but I didn't. Extremely emotional and terrifying (especially to me). I'm ok now.
Frost - Also 5 stars. Seriously. How is this possible?
Saving Face - 5 stars
Also creepy and sweet at the same time.
I have no mouth and I must feed - 4.5 stars
Cryp-TV - 5 stars
Dude, I would totally be an Allen.
There are monsters here - 3 stars
I can totally see this being 5 stars for many and I do appreciate the message! It just didn't completely work for me, because of reasons I won't get into it, but I still liked it and think it's a good story.
8 stories. Average for me 4.69. So 5 stars on here :). I have no idea if i've ever rated a collection or anthology 5 stars on here before? 4 yes. Not sure about 5.
Sad, sweet, creepy, powerful and emotional. Very short, and it works for me. I know it might not seem like much to some, but it really got to me, because personal reasons. Literally, the ending gave me goosebumps. Literal goosebumps. I don't know a story that has ever done that to me before.
Pumpkin light - 5 stars Also emotional. I loved it!
Burnt Brownies - 5 stars TW: Fire! I was in a house fire years ago. I was saved by my neighbor but fire is a huge trigger for me. I'm better than I used to be (it's been years) but still. If fire is a trigger for you, please take care with this one! It'd been awhile since I had a panic attack. I was unable to move for awhile and it hurts. I'm not offended or upset or anything. I just had no idea how much this story would affect me and I probably should've have dnf'd it but I didn't. Extremely emotional and terrifying (especially to me). I'm ok now.
Frost - Also 5 stars. Seriously. How is this possible?
Saving Face - 5 stars
Also creepy and sweet at the same time.
I have no mouth and I must feed - 4.5 stars
Cryp-TV - 5 stars
Dude, I would totally be an Allen.
There are monsters here - 3 stars
I can totally see this being 5 stars for many and I do appreciate the message! It just didn't completely work for me, because of reasons I won't get into it, but I still liked it and think it's a good story.
8 stories. Average for me 4.69. So 5 stars on here :). I have no idea if i've ever rated a collection or anthology 5 stars on here before? 4 yes. Not sure about 5.
January 14, 2024
2.75/5
This read really young which really isn't my thing but was usually easy to overlook. I'm also not a big fan of short stories but that certainly wasn't held against the book. The stories were uneven with some being entertaining and others a bit of a chore to get through.
This read really young which really isn't my thing but was usually easy to overlook. I'm also not a big fan of short stories but that certainly wasn't held against the book. The stories were uneven with some being entertaining and others a bit of a chore to get through.
January 30, 2020
Review to follow soon...
October 19, 2024
The perfect collection of stories for spooky season. I highly recommend this to older teens/adults who crave a more grown-up version of Goosebumps.
All set in or around the town of Autumncrow, these stories explore the unique experiences of each character in a fun and spooky way. My favorites were the last three: I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed, CRYP-TV, and There Are Monsters Here.
All set in or around the town of Autumncrow, these stories explore the unique experiences of each character in a fun and spooky way. My favorites were the last three: I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed, CRYP-TV, and There Are Monsters Here.
October 27, 2024
A wonderful collection of spooky stories, perfect for Halloween!
July 16, 2021
FROM THE BLOG:
An old man laments the loss of an old flame when he hears the siren song of the sea. A widow builds a jack-o'-lantern effigy for her dead husband in the hopes of seeing him one more time. A strained relationship between siblings has uncanny, burning consequences; while all the way across town a lonesome boy makes friends with graveyard ghouls. There are faces in the forest and visitants from space; whispers in the wind and chattering in the cornfields. There’s something in the soil of the valley, folks say, that attracts all manner of curious folk and odd happenings to it like a magnet. The locals long accepted the quirks of their community and stand by it, but they still offer up a warning to visitors: tread carefully — there are monsters here. ⠀
⠀
Welcome to 𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒎𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒘, Cameron Chaney's first collection of short stories that is nothing if not an absolute treat. It’s also pretty much the perfect read to cap off the spooky season. Do not be tricked by the cover and the catchline like I was, though — I went in expecting only a quirky compilation of Hallowe’en-themed tales, and while we certainly do get a taste of that with some of the selections, most of these fictional offerings are rather straight up, honest-to-goodness horror stories, with all that entails. Chaney explores different aspects of the genre with evident glee, while simultaneously running the reader through the gamut of emotions: joy and melancholy; delight and dread; playfulness and solemnity — often all at once, and often all in the same story.
Taken as a whole, however, 𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒎𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒘 is also essentially an examination of grief and loneliness. Most of the stories feature protagonists who are, in some way, looking to belong — to some place or to other people or to themselves. “Follow me in,” is a refrain that’s repeated throughout the collection, by various people and entities (and perhaps by the town itself). Some characters heed this call willingly, others are a bit more hesitant, some are even forced — but all of them can’t help but feel the alluring pull of the valley.⠀
⠀
Which brings us to the setting: Autumncrow may not be the Halloweentown I expected it to be, but it is undeniably a far more interesting place. Chaney wisely plays it vague with the history of the place, leaving a lot to the reader’s imagination while still offering up enough particulars to make the town feel lived-in and, despite the paranormal phenomena, real. And like every real place, it is depicted as being sometimes dangerous, sometimes beautiful, sometimes just simply… 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 — but always, always alive. I would love to read more stories in this setting. Autumncrow Valley is the very same October Country Bradbury so fervently celebrated. ⠀
⠀
I was highly impressed by this collection. It’s well worth the read.
An old man laments the loss of an old flame when he hears the siren song of the sea. A widow builds a jack-o'-lantern effigy for her dead husband in the hopes of seeing him one more time. A strained relationship between siblings has uncanny, burning consequences; while all the way across town a lonesome boy makes friends with graveyard ghouls. There are faces in the forest and visitants from space; whispers in the wind and chattering in the cornfields. There’s something in the soil of the valley, folks say, that attracts all manner of curious folk and odd happenings to it like a magnet. The locals long accepted the quirks of their community and stand by it, but they still offer up a warning to visitors: tread carefully — there are monsters here. ⠀
⠀
Welcome to 𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒎𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒘, Cameron Chaney's first collection of short stories that is nothing if not an absolute treat. It’s also pretty much the perfect read to cap off the spooky season. Do not be tricked by the cover and the catchline like I was, though — I went in expecting only a quirky compilation of Hallowe’en-themed tales, and while we certainly do get a taste of that with some of the selections, most of these fictional offerings are rather straight up, honest-to-goodness horror stories, with all that entails. Chaney explores different aspects of the genre with evident glee, while simultaneously running the reader through the gamut of emotions: joy and melancholy; delight and dread; playfulness and solemnity — often all at once, and often all in the same story.
Taken as a whole, however, 𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒎𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒘 is also essentially an examination of grief and loneliness. Most of the stories feature protagonists who are, in some way, looking to belong — to some place or to other people or to themselves. “Follow me in,” is a refrain that’s repeated throughout the collection, by various people and entities (and perhaps by the town itself). Some characters heed this call willingly, others are a bit more hesitant, some are even forced — but all of them can’t help but feel the alluring pull of the valley.⠀
⠀
Which brings us to the setting: Autumncrow may not be the Halloweentown I expected it to be, but it is undeniably a far more interesting place. Chaney wisely plays it vague with the history of the place, leaving a lot to the reader’s imagination while still offering up enough particulars to make the town feel lived-in and, despite the paranormal phenomena, real. And like every real place, it is depicted as being sometimes dangerous, sometimes beautiful, sometimes just simply… 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 — but always, always alive. I would love to read more stories in this setting. Autumncrow Valley is the very same October Country Bradbury so fervently celebrated. ⠀
⠀
I was highly impressed by this collection. It’s well worth the read.
May 8, 2020
I devoured ‘Autumncrow’ in one sitting, or should I say, ‘IT devoured me’.
It’s a testament to Cameron’s writing ability that he can capture a reader and keep them turning page after page. I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to leave Autumncrow Valley - a small town in Ohio that never fails to surprise with its creepy woods, ghostly residents and enchanted graveyards. It boasts the perfect Halloween night each year and showcases all manner of creepy commodities that would make any horror fan want to immediately book a one-way visit to this spooky little town.
‘Autumncrow’ consists of eight short stories, seven of which are based in the titular town. There’s a nostalgic camp-fire storytelling essence infused in this collection, reminiscent of ‘Tales from the Crypt’ or the brilliant Goosebumps series by R. L. Stine. Cameron manages to create a tangible world in Autumncrow Valley and his tales are finely crafted with humour, surprise and heart.
Something that struck me early on with the first two stories: ‘Follow Me In’ and ‘Pumpkin Light’ was Cameron’s ability to gently establish the reader as a new resident in town and evoke more emotion than what would normally be expected from your run-of-the-mill horror short. The characters are a delight to read and the attention to detail which is interwoven between the stories make for a cohesive experience and adds another layer of enjoyment to the journey.
I only have one small criticism and that was the inclusion of Cameron’s first published novella: ‘There are Monsters Here’ - a great bonus story but with no link to Autumncrow and a more overall serious tone, it felt a little out of place.
Each story was a love-song for the Halloween and horror genre. It's abundantly clear that Cameron is in his element telling these kind of stories and in turn, this makes ‘Autumncrow’ a pure delight to read.
I sincerely hope that Cameron decides to gift us with a ‘Return to Autumncrow’ in the near future as there are so many more stories to unearth in this creepy little shape-shifting town.
It’s a testament to Cameron’s writing ability that he can capture a reader and keep them turning page after page. I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to leave Autumncrow Valley - a small town in Ohio that never fails to surprise with its creepy woods, ghostly residents and enchanted graveyards. It boasts the perfect Halloween night each year and showcases all manner of creepy commodities that would make any horror fan want to immediately book a one-way visit to this spooky little town.
‘Autumncrow’ consists of eight short stories, seven of which are based in the titular town. There’s a nostalgic camp-fire storytelling essence infused in this collection, reminiscent of ‘Tales from the Crypt’ or the brilliant Goosebumps series by R. L. Stine. Cameron manages to create a tangible world in Autumncrow Valley and his tales are finely crafted with humour, surprise and heart.
Something that struck me early on with the first two stories: ‘Follow Me In’ and ‘Pumpkin Light’ was Cameron’s ability to gently establish the reader as a new resident in town and evoke more emotion than what would normally be expected from your run-of-the-mill horror short. The characters are a delight to read and the attention to detail which is interwoven between the stories make for a cohesive experience and adds another layer of enjoyment to the journey.
I only have one small criticism and that was the inclusion of Cameron’s first published novella: ‘There are Monsters Here’ - a great bonus story but with no link to Autumncrow and a more overall serious tone, it felt a little out of place.
Each story was a love-song for the Halloween and horror genre. It's abundantly clear that Cameron is in his element telling these kind of stories and in turn, this makes ‘Autumncrow’ a pure delight to read.
I sincerely hope that Cameron decides to gift us with a ‘Return to Autumncrow’ in the near future as there are so many more stories to unearth in this creepy little shape-shifting town.
April 6, 2024
This book has all of the spooky halloween vibes you could ever want. I want to go to Autumncrow SO badly.
July 27, 2021
So, this one is interesting. This book is by Cameron Chaney, someone I follow on YouTube. He does videos talking about horror stuff, with a fair talk of that Goosebumps type stuff I'm so fond of. He had a video about modern throwbacks that was a good help in finding more to go over. I've talked with him in the comments before and he's pretty cool, very dedicated to all this. So I kinda felt like I head to read this lol.
IIRC, he considers himself more of an author who does videos than vice versa, which is why I wasn't too worried compared to any other YouTuber book lol. This is a short story collection so yeah, let's go one by one. The connection here is that it's all mainly set in the titular town, which is your basic town with a dark secret, which you know by know I love. Let's see here these fare.
Follow me In: Someone is talking to someone they were once all over, and how they have such good times in the town, until they died. It’s hard to describe, it’s rather wistful and romantic in a way that you wouldn’t expect for the start to this. It has a dark edge of course, down to the ending. It was weird, but I liked it, it had a charm to it. It was sort of cliche but effective in the presentation. Also, fairly sure the gender for either is hidden which is neat, even if I feel like it leans slightly to the other person being female.
Pumpkin Light: An old woman tells a girl a story about a special Halloween Night in 1953, involving a local old woman. This was really nice. It reminded me a bit of the last one but it was done pretty differently. This had a beauty to it when it got to what it was truly about. It was pretty nice, and ending brings things around well. Pretty effective stuff overall.
Burnt Brownies: This one starts out odd but gets to be pretty good. Basically it has a boy named Bobby and his older sister, who have a bit of a strained relationship which they work through with the “help” or a strange “friend”. This starts by being kinda cheeky in introducing the characters and being kinda vague at first, so I wasn’t sure what was going on. Then it became clear and started flowing normally. Once it got there, there was a fair amount to like here. It gets into some interesting stuff as we find out more about their situation, and what ends up going on down on this Halloween night. The ending was a dark an effective one, but man after what we get of them, what happens is kinda cruel. A few bits are kinda weird but the supernatural stuff is meant to be kinda vague and not fully explained and I think it generally works given the feel it has. So after a bumpy start, it ends up being fairly good.
Frost: A 16 year old runs away from some crappy parents ends up in Autumn Crow valley. There’s not much to this one, really. Not a whole lot happens, but we do get more of the nature of this town. The feel is still decent, and I think that aspect carries it okay. We also get a nod to the previous story which I liked. The ending was a weird “the cycle continues” kind of thing. Interesting start, not a lot here but not it’s fine.
Saving Face: A homeless man finds a home in the creepy forest. Not much to this one but what makes it is the ending. It’s super dark and I loved that, and it has a great asshole comeuppance. What happens is a bit odd and it’s interesting. Plus, nod to previous story. So it’s short but boy that ending made it work.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed: Ellen and some friends are setting up a big haunted house type thing, and a mysterious thing ruins everything. This one starts with some teen cattiness that was still kinda fun but quickly picks up. Were it goes is fairly intense and pretty creepy and wild. It’s a beefy one to the point where it’s split into chapters, kinda like a Fright Time story. It feels like its own novella, with a few small slightly pointless moments that still add to the overall feel well. The ending is good but boy is it unfair to a character I rather like it, but that;s horror for ya lol. So yeah, quite liked this one.
Cryp-TV: Allen moves from Autumncrow to the town of Kilgore, which is quite dull, to his appointment. He gets caught up with some older kids who dare him to explore a crypt on Halloween, to prove Kilgore isn’t so boring. I quite liked this one. The idea of this kid loving the weird-ness of Autumncrow so much that he’s sad to be somewhere more normal is fun. We get into some lore of how that town came to be which is neat. The last part, where the title came to be, I thought was pretty fun and interesting. The ending had a nice note to it, leaves me wondering what happens afterwards. Solid flow, and some fun/interesting stuff by the end. Overall, pretty good one.
There are Monsters Here: From what I recall, this was a standalone story he did prior that I recall hearing about. Our narrator’s family has monster, each one has their own monster that torments them. That’s the setup and from there he deals with this as he grows up. I liked this as our closer. It’s an interesting idea and it leads to some interesting stuff as he deals with this. We get more kinda emotional bits here that worked and the ending was effective enough. The monster thing feels like a metaphor for something and that works. Didn’t blow my socks but personally it was fairy solid.
Overall, this was pretty good. Above all else, it has a very nice feel to it. It captures Halloween/Fall well so I'd suggest reading it closer to that time. The writing is solid, sells this pretty well. Despite the nature of the (really good) cover, this is more of a YA thing, with a fair amount of language. The horror gets some dark messed up moments later on. So I appreciated having a more kinda grown up take on an ideas you may typically see in middle grade stuff, at least in spots.
It just had a good feel to it and it worked. It was pretty consistent, as far as short story things go. Which I like. Favorite story was probably Pumpkin Light for the nice factors of it, but I have no mouth and I must feed, and Crp-TV come pretty solid. The rest were fine, but those clearly had more to it.
So yeah, pretty solid, and worth checking out if you can. Glad to have this covered now. That's all I got.
IIRC, he considers himself more of an author who does videos than vice versa, which is why I wasn't too worried compared to any other YouTuber book lol. This is a short story collection so yeah, let's go one by one. The connection here is that it's all mainly set in the titular town, which is your basic town with a dark secret, which you know by know I love. Let's see here these fare.
Follow me In: Someone is talking to someone they were once all over, and how they have such good times in the town, until they died. It’s hard to describe, it’s rather wistful and romantic in a way that you wouldn’t expect for the start to this. It has a dark edge of course, down to the ending. It was weird, but I liked it, it had a charm to it. It was sort of cliche but effective in the presentation. Also, fairly sure the gender for either is hidden which is neat, even if I feel like it leans slightly to the other person being female.
Pumpkin Light: An old woman tells a girl a story about a special Halloween Night in 1953, involving a local old woman. This was really nice. It reminded me a bit of the last one but it was done pretty differently. This had a beauty to it when it got to what it was truly about. It was pretty nice, and ending brings things around well. Pretty effective stuff overall.
Burnt Brownies: This one starts out odd but gets to be pretty good. Basically it has a boy named Bobby and his older sister, who have a bit of a strained relationship which they work through with the “help” or a strange “friend”. This starts by being kinda cheeky in introducing the characters and being kinda vague at first, so I wasn’t sure what was going on. Then it became clear and started flowing normally. Once it got there, there was a fair amount to like here. It gets into some interesting stuff as we find out more about their situation, and what ends up going on down on this Halloween night. The ending was a dark an effective one, but man after what we get of them, what happens is kinda cruel. A few bits are kinda weird but the supernatural stuff is meant to be kinda vague and not fully explained and I think it generally works given the feel it has. So after a bumpy start, it ends up being fairly good.
Frost: A 16 year old runs away from some crappy parents ends up in Autumn Crow valley. There’s not much to this one, really. Not a whole lot happens, but we do get more of the nature of this town. The feel is still decent, and I think that aspect carries it okay. We also get a nod to the previous story which I liked. The ending was a weird “the cycle continues” kind of thing. Interesting start, not a lot here but not it’s fine.
Saving Face: A homeless man finds a home in the creepy forest. Not much to this one but what makes it is the ending. It’s super dark and I loved that, and it has a great asshole comeuppance. What happens is a bit odd and it’s interesting. Plus, nod to previous story. So it’s short but boy that ending made it work.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed: Ellen and some friends are setting up a big haunted house type thing, and a mysterious thing ruins everything. This one starts with some teen cattiness that was still kinda fun but quickly picks up. Were it goes is fairly intense and pretty creepy and wild. It’s a beefy one to the point where it’s split into chapters, kinda like a Fright Time story. It feels like its own novella, with a few small slightly pointless moments that still add to the overall feel well. The ending is good but boy is it unfair to a character I rather like it, but that;s horror for ya lol. So yeah, quite liked this one.
Cryp-TV: Allen moves from Autumncrow to the town of Kilgore, which is quite dull, to his appointment. He gets caught up with some older kids who dare him to explore a crypt on Halloween, to prove Kilgore isn’t so boring. I quite liked this one. The idea of this kid loving the weird-ness of Autumncrow so much that he’s sad to be somewhere more normal is fun. We get into some lore of how that town came to be which is neat. The last part, where the title came to be, I thought was pretty fun and interesting. The ending had a nice note to it, leaves me wondering what happens afterwards. Solid flow, and some fun/interesting stuff by the end. Overall, pretty good one.
There are Monsters Here: From what I recall, this was a standalone story he did prior that I recall hearing about. Our narrator’s family has monster, each one has their own monster that torments them. That’s the setup and from there he deals with this as he grows up. I liked this as our closer. It’s an interesting idea and it leads to some interesting stuff as he deals with this. We get more kinda emotional bits here that worked and the ending was effective enough. The monster thing feels like a metaphor for something and that works. Didn’t blow my socks but personally it was fairy solid.
Overall, this was pretty good. Above all else, it has a very nice feel to it. It captures Halloween/Fall well so I'd suggest reading it closer to that time. The writing is solid, sells this pretty well. Despite the nature of the (really good) cover, this is more of a YA thing, with a fair amount of language. The horror gets some dark messed up moments later on. So I appreciated having a more kinda grown up take on an ideas you may typically see in middle grade stuff, at least in spots.
It just had a good feel to it and it worked. It was pretty consistent, as far as short story things go. Which I like. Favorite story was probably Pumpkin Light for the nice factors of it, but I have no mouth and I must feed, and Crp-TV come pretty solid. The rest were fine, but those clearly had more to it.
So yeah, pretty solid, and worth checking out if you can. Glad to have this covered now. That's all I got.
August 11, 2023
For my fiftieth Goodreads review and with spooky season approaching I wanted to do something special, so I decided to read this here Halloween anthology from Cameron Chaney (the guy whose YouTube channel revitalized my interest in reading and writing). This didn’t disappoint. The stories take place in the book's eponymous town and almost all of them were extremely fun. I enjoyed Saving Face and CRYP-TV a ton, but the absolute best one was Burnt Brownies. Some of the stories weren't super memorable and some were a bit too long, but the way Cameron paints the picture of Autumncrow in the reader's head is incredible and makes this a must-read for any horror fan around Halloween time. This was one more Burnt Brownies-level story away from being a 5/5, and I can't wait for Fresh Hell from the Autumncrow High spinoff series. Definitely recommended.
December 5, 2019
"𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 ℕ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕚𝕤 ℍ𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕚𝕟.....𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕦𝕞𝕟𝕔𝕣𝕠𝕨"
"𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮.... 𝓣𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓜𝓞𝓝𝓢𝓣𝓔𝓡𝓢 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮"
5 out of 5 stars
Perfection! An anthology at its best!
Autumncrow is packed full of eerie goodness. Each story is so incredibly unique, some with a sweet underlining story that turns dark... others with a down right horrifying feeling throughout.
Chaney has created a bone chilling setting with some of the best characters. Each story will sink its teeth into you.
I couldn't put Autumncrow down. Something about Cameron's writing... I was completely immersed in this fictional town. One of the best parts was none of these stories were predictable, each had such an element of surprise.
I don't think I could even tell you if I had a favourite, they were all so vivid and intense. Maybe my only negative to say is..... I just wanted more.
Cameron has impressed me yet again. I can not wait to see what he comes up with next.
Independently published
Release date: October 16, 2019
And of course thank you all for reading.
Your Trapped Book Worm
-Nichole
"𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮.... 𝓣𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓜𝓞𝓝𝓢𝓣𝓔𝓡𝓢 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮"
5 out of 5 stars
Perfection! An anthology at its best!
Autumncrow is packed full of eerie goodness. Each story is so incredibly unique, some with a sweet underlining story that turns dark... others with a down right horrifying feeling throughout.
Chaney has created a bone chilling setting with some of the best characters. Each story will sink its teeth into you.
I couldn't put Autumncrow down. Something about Cameron's writing... I was completely immersed in this fictional town. One of the best parts was none of these stories were predictable, each had such an element of surprise.
I don't think I could even tell you if I had a favourite, they were all so vivid and intense. Maybe my only negative to say is..... I just wanted more.
Cameron has impressed me yet again. I can not wait to see what he comes up with next.
Independently published
Release date: October 16, 2019
And of course thank you all for reading.
Your Trapped Book Worm
-Nichole
Displaying 1 - 30 of 321 reviews