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Centralia: Epicenter
Centralia: Epicenter. Evil has a network beneath Earth’s surface and its name is CENTRALIA. Throughout the United States the name Centralia crops up again and again. A dozen towns where thousands of people live, never realizing that supernatural forces are aligning against them. Strange events have occurred in one Centralia or another since the 1800’s, but these events are growing more intense with every passing day. A powerful, malevolent force prepares to unleash its evil upon the world through Centralia gateways located in New York, Missouri, West Virginia, Kansas, Texas, and Washington. In this collection of short horror stories, writers Cullen Bunn, Brian Quinn, Heath Amodio, Adam Cesare, Brian Keene, and Michael Patrick Hicks, share the tales of six unlikely heroes who find themselves facing the forces of evil attempting to breach the gates and slither into the world. Centralia is the front line in an ultimate battle of good and evil. Brian Keene, author of THE RISING, EARTHWORM GODS, DEAD SEA, and DARK HOLLOW, crafts a tale of an ex-special forces combat magician. Cullen Bunn, writer of THE SIXTH GUN, HARROW COUNTY, A PASSAGE IN BLACK, and DEADPOOL KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE, presents the story of a necromancer who carries a secret the Lords of the Dead will kill to protect. Brian Quin, co-writer of METRO and one of TruTV’s IMPRACTICAL JOKER, spins a yarn about a clockwork robot detective. Heath Amodio, writer of THE KEEPER AND THE BOOKS OF POWER, tells the tale of a young blind psychic who sees through her grandmother's eyes. Michael Patrick Hicks, author of THE RESURRECTIONISTS and BORNE OF THE DEEP, introduces a professor of occult studies who refuses to stand idly by when evil rears its ugly head. Adam Cesare, author of CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD and VIDEO NIGHT, tells the story of a martial artist with an affinity for cryptids. Centralia: Epicenter is the first collection in the Centralia shared-world anthology series.
- GenresHorror
174 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 31, 2020
31 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Cullen Bunn
2,109 books1,061 followersCullen grew up in rural North Carolina, but now lives in the St. Louis area with his wife Cindy and his son Jackson. His noir/horror comic (and first collaboration with Brian Hurtt), The Damned, was published in 2007 by Oni Press. The follow-up, The Damned: Prodigal Sons, was released in 2008. In addition to The Sixth Gun, his current projects include Crooked Hills, a middle reader horror prose series from Evileye Books; The Tooth, an original graphic novel from Oni Press; and various work for Marvel and DC. Somewhere along the way, Cullen founded Undaunted Press and edited the critically acclaimed small press horror magazine, Whispers from the Shattered Forum.
All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.
And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.
Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.
All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.
And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.
Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 8, 2020
I really enjoy reading short story collaborations and I definitely liked this one. My favorite short was G.W. Bolt and the Case of the Grabbed Ghost by Brian Quinn. It has all the things I love; a film noir-esque detective (a Frankenstein inspired robot), pop culture references, and ghosts. It had all the right kind of spook/creep and I definitely need more stories about this character!
Grandma’s Eyes by Heath Amodio, Sundown by Michael Patrick Hicks, and The Grasp of Wraiths by Cullen Bunn are also some of the stories that stood out to me. The characters have a lot of depth and story left in them. I would be interested in reading more and diving deeper into these characters.
Overall, great read. I would recommend this to, well anyone and everyone. :)
Grandma’s Eyes by Heath Amodio, Sundown by Michael Patrick Hicks, and The Grasp of Wraiths by Cullen Bunn are also some of the stories that stood out to me. The characters have a lot of depth and story left in them. I would be interested in reading more and diving deeper into these characters.
Overall, great read. I would recommend this to, well anyone and everyone. :)
November 21, 2020
A compilation of stories that all center around one thing, evil. I loved how the stories within this book mingled with one another to give the reader a glimpse of how connected evil can be. The first in series, I can’t wait fir the next.
November 7, 2020
Quite a fun read. I enjoyed it a lot. Really excited to see what else the authors can do with these characters going forward!
December 22, 2020
Exceeded expectations! I will first point out that my expectations were pretty high.
This collection of short stories is such a unique concept. I loved that they centered around a theme but each author went an entirely different direction. I would highly recommend Centralia if you like anything in the horror realm. I can not wait for there to be books that follow!!
Great job, guys.
This collection of short stories is such a unique concept. I loved that they centered around a theme but each author went an entirely different direction. I would highly recommend Centralia if you like anything in the horror realm. I can not wait for there to be books that follow!!
Great job, guys.
November 5, 2020
“Centralia” is a collection of six short stories written by six different writers. What connects each story is that they all take place in towns named “Centralia,” and the lead characters are met with a dark presence to confront.
In “G.W. Bolt and the Case of the Grabbed Ghost,” by Brian Quinn, the protagonist is an automaton, yet he comes across as more of a deep-thinking and feeling human than the average human does. This is what makes us care for him and what draws us into his story. G.W. Bolt was created in a basement in Centralia, NY, and built to be a “beer-drinking automaton.” He was commissioned by the owner of a beer company as a promotional gimmick in order to get people interested in the beer by having them participate in beer-drinking contests with the automaton to see who can out-drink who.
G.W. Bolt keeps a journal of his thoughts which he uses for soul-searching, even though he isn’t sure he actually has a soul. He needs answers to questions such as what he is exactly and whether or not he can die. To get his answers, he learns how to do spells that can summon ghosts who he believes are former humans and have experienced death themselves, therefore they have the answers to what happens after we die. As he conjures up his most recent ghost, he gives us a few of his own theories regarding life and death which are more philosophical than the thoughts of most humans. He theorizes: “You’re born and then you’re placed on this conveyor belt that moves you through your years, mostly filled with predictable landmarks and on an established timeline….All you know and all you love are going to fall into that black maw and be subjected to eternal oblivion. Gone, as if you never really existed at all.”
Judging by G.W. Bolt’s journals, it seems as though he definitely has a soul and can never lose it. He has universal human emotions, such as hoping that the man who built him, Charles Barris (essentially his dad), actually felt love for him. The truth is, G.W. Bolt has more in common with us than he thinks. Even though he was built and not born, none of us can remember being born, and we all know that at some point we are going to die, so we all fear it. G.W. Bolt says: “I shouldn’t be alive and I don’t know how I came to be alive in the first place, so I’m always terrified.” It’s something we can all relate to. G.W. Bolt is a fascinating character, and I can’t wait to read more about him in the next volume of this “Centralia” series.
“The Grasp of Wraiths,” by Cullen Bunn, is a story about a man named Alex and a woman named Cayce (whose name, I assume, is a nod to one of my favorite psychics, Edgar Cayce). They are hired by the mayor and police of Centralia, Missouri to find out what evil force has been killing its people. At the start of the story, I enjoyed the banter between Alex and Cayce who have a history together which is sometimes strained. I also enjoyed the unexpected bits of humor that Alex imparts to us as he begins to tell his tale. The descriptions of the Amish town as Alex travels to Centralia are so well done, they made me feel as if I were there. However, the story soon gives way to very gory and terrifying descriptions of which I definitely would not want to be part of, but I’m sure all horror fans will enjoy. Alex has a secret about who or what he really is. He reveals it little by little as the story unfolds, but by the end, I was still not exactly sure what or who he is. Again, something to look forward to in future volumes of the “Centralia” series.
I highly recommend “Centralia” for anyone looking for frightening, visually descriptive, and intelligent stories that will leave you wanting more.
In “G.W. Bolt and the Case of the Grabbed Ghost,” by Brian Quinn, the protagonist is an automaton, yet he comes across as more of a deep-thinking and feeling human than the average human does. This is what makes us care for him and what draws us into his story. G.W. Bolt was created in a basement in Centralia, NY, and built to be a “beer-drinking automaton.” He was commissioned by the owner of a beer company as a promotional gimmick in order to get people interested in the beer by having them participate in beer-drinking contests with the automaton to see who can out-drink who.
G.W. Bolt keeps a journal of his thoughts which he uses for soul-searching, even though he isn’t sure he actually has a soul. He needs answers to questions such as what he is exactly and whether or not he can die. To get his answers, he learns how to do spells that can summon ghosts who he believes are former humans and have experienced death themselves, therefore they have the answers to what happens after we die. As he conjures up his most recent ghost, he gives us a few of his own theories regarding life and death which are more philosophical than the thoughts of most humans. He theorizes: “You’re born and then you’re placed on this conveyor belt that moves you through your years, mostly filled with predictable landmarks and on an established timeline….All you know and all you love are going to fall into that black maw and be subjected to eternal oblivion. Gone, as if you never really existed at all.”
Judging by G.W. Bolt’s journals, it seems as though he definitely has a soul and can never lose it. He has universal human emotions, such as hoping that the man who built him, Charles Barris (essentially his dad), actually felt love for him. The truth is, G.W. Bolt has more in common with us than he thinks. Even though he was built and not born, none of us can remember being born, and we all know that at some point we are going to die, so we all fear it. G.W. Bolt says: “I shouldn’t be alive and I don’t know how I came to be alive in the first place, so I’m always terrified.” It’s something we can all relate to. G.W. Bolt is a fascinating character, and I can’t wait to read more about him in the next volume of this “Centralia” series.
“The Grasp of Wraiths,” by Cullen Bunn, is a story about a man named Alex and a woman named Cayce (whose name, I assume, is a nod to one of my favorite psychics, Edgar Cayce). They are hired by the mayor and police of Centralia, Missouri to find out what evil force has been killing its people. At the start of the story, I enjoyed the banter between Alex and Cayce who have a history together which is sometimes strained. I also enjoyed the unexpected bits of humor that Alex imparts to us as he begins to tell his tale. The descriptions of the Amish town as Alex travels to Centralia are so well done, they made me feel as if I were there. However, the story soon gives way to very gory and terrifying descriptions of which I definitely would not want to be part of, but I’m sure all horror fans will enjoy. Alex has a secret about who or what he really is. He reveals it little by little as the story unfolds, but by the end, I was still not exactly sure what or who he is. Again, something to look forward to in future volumes of the “Centralia” series.
I highly recommend “Centralia” for anyone looking for frightening, visually descriptive, and intelligent stories that will leave you wanting more.
November 22, 2020
All the stories are wonderfully written. Brian Quinn’s story is too short tough. I can’t wait to hear more tales of G. W. Bolt! This novel left me wanting more. Centralia is very intriguing. Highly recommend!
May 3, 2021
Great stories centered around all the Centralia locations in the US. Being as I am originally from Pennsylvania, I was disappointed that the famous deserted town there wasn't included. I hope that there is a part 2 to incorporate all the other Centralias!
November 22, 2024
3/5
This was a collection of mostly mediocre short stories. Two of the stories were great, one was abysmal, and the rest were simply readable.
This was a collection of mostly mediocre short stories. Two of the stories were great, one was abysmal, and the rest were simply readable.
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November 3, 2021I gotta say Brian Quinn killed it with his story about a clockwork robot detective, titled, G.W. Bolt and the case of the Grabbed Ghost. Another favorite, Grandma's Eyes, which was straight up fun.
September 22, 2025
Amazing variety of good talles
Almost every story in this book is excellent. The tales are as well written.as.they.are.differemt.from each other. I especially liked bria.leaned tale and its meeting of.bloom and levi. The collection is full of wonder horror.and.variety. above all.beware of cenntrailia. I also really liked.the.last story and its incorporation of Norse lore. Its worth a read for sure.
Almost every story in this book is excellent. The tales are as well written.as.they.are.differemt.from each other. I especially liked bria.leaned tale and its meeting of.bloom and levi. The collection is full of wonder horror.and.variety. above all.beware of cenntrailia. I also really liked.the.last story and its incorporation of Norse lore. Its worth a read for sure.
December 12, 2020
Neat collection of stories loosely connected
No big mysteries about Centralia to be resolved here, but the concept of cities with the same name being linked to supernatural activity is cool. A few stories felt truncated but there are some gems in here, especially the last one.
No big mysteries about Centralia to be resolved here, but the concept of cities with the same name being linked to supernatural activity is cool. A few stories felt truncated but there are some gems in here, especially the last one.
December 13, 2020
solid collection
6/10
6/10
June 4, 2021
I tried really hard to like this book, I really did. I just couldn’t get into it. It must not be the genre for me, but I do love the concept of all cities being connected!
December 6, 2023
As always with an anthology, some of the stories are my taste and some are now. I especially enjoyed the last one and would like to know more.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews