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Requests From The Dead
Don’t trust me with your name. You’ve no idea what I can do with it.
So thinks a hospital DJ who has trouble with the living and the dead on his radio request show.
Names are central to the title story, and the ten other tales in this collection. That’s because they are all requests. Ten readers have volunteered their names to the author…
Where will they find themselves? And will they all survive?
In YOUR CALL IS IMPORTANT TO US, Wendy Latham hates her job in the call center at the bank, so to make it bearable she challenges herself to always win the game against her colleagues. The game where points are scored by making callers speak or respond in certain ways. However, this time she plays too fast and hard with the emotions of an elderly customer, and there will be a price to pay…
In FOLKLORE FANTASY PARK, Tera Dugan has been reporting on haunted locations for years, and she expects her night time exploration of an abandoned theme park with her photographer, Finn, to be the same as all the rest: a little creepy, but with no conclusive presence of the paranormal. However, Folklore Fantasy Park has other ideas…
In A GOOD EYE, Ross loves taking photographs; it's been a key feature of his month-long visit to the UK. But in a quiet churchyard in Lancashire he takes a shot that includes some people who would rather not have their image captured. When he's asked to delete it and refuses, he brings upon himself consequences he could not have foreseen. Because this is, after all, witch country...
In TACTILE, Controversial artist Tash Schiedel is finally exhibiting after a number of years away. Her work, almost always influenced by her love of zombies, promises to be thought-provoking, shocking, and - because of her use of mixed media and fabrics - tactile. What visitors to the Art Warehouse don't realise is that they are going to get a true taste of the artist's undead nightmare...
These, and six other stories, throw their characters into unnerving situations with terrifying consequences. No one is safe. Not when a writer has your name.
REQUESTS FROM THE DEAD. The latest collection from Stephen Barnard, the author of THE DELETED, DARK DETOURS and 21 DARES.
So thinks a hospital DJ who has trouble with the living and the dead on his radio request show.
Names are central to the title story, and the ten other tales in this collection. That’s because they are all requests. Ten readers have volunteered their names to the author…
Where will they find themselves? And will they all survive?
In YOUR CALL IS IMPORTANT TO US, Wendy Latham hates her job in the call center at the bank, so to make it bearable she challenges herself to always win the game against her colleagues. The game where points are scored by making callers speak or respond in certain ways. However, this time she plays too fast and hard with the emotions of an elderly customer, and there will be a price to pay…
In FOLKLORE FANTASY PARK, Tera Dugan has been reporting on haunted locations for years, and she expects her night time exploration of an abandoned theme park with her photographer, Finn, to be the same as all the rest: a little creepy, but with no conclusive presence of the paranormal. However, Folklore Fantasy Park has other ideas…
In A GOOD EYE, Ross loves taking photographs; it's been a key feature of his month-long visit to the UK. But in a quiet churchyard in Lancashire he takes a shot that includes some people who would rather not have their image captured. When he's asked to delete it and refuses, he brings upon himself consequences he could not have foreseen. Because this is, after all, witch country...
In TACTILE, Controversial artist Tash Schiedel is finally exhibiting after a number of years away. Her work, almost always influenced by her love of zombies, promises to be thought-provoking, shocking, and - because of her use of mixed media and fabrics - tactile. What visitors to the Art Warehouse don't realise is that they are going to get a true taste of the artist's undead nightmare...
These, and six other stories, throw their characters into unnerving situations with terrifying consequences. No one is safe. Not when a writer has your name.
REQUESTS FROM THE DEAD. The latest collection from Stephen Barnard, the author of THE DELETED, DARK DETOURS and 21 DARES.
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
194 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 25, 2022
32 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Barnard
59 books44 followersStephen Barnard has been writing fiction (and non-fiction cricket exploits) for a number of years. The success of his short story collection 'A Very Bad Year' encouraged him to push further. He now has over 20 published works, mainly in the horror/suspense genre. When he's not writing he teaches, reads, snoozes and binge-watches horror films.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 22, 2024
Wow! I was really impressed with this collection of horror from Stephen Barnard!
The theme this time around was for folks from the Books of Horror Facebook group to put forward their names. The author would choose a few people and find out more details about their lives. Then create a terrifying tale with the info gathered! Such a cool idea!
I enjoyed them all, but “Sick Puppy” (a Cryptid bloodbath), “Folklore Fantasy Park” (a haunted amusement park), “Tactile” (a bizarre art installation), and “Requests From the Dead” (a sinister caller keeps contacting a radio host) were absolute standouts in my opinion!
Great writing and ideas abound on these pages, although I’m not sure if I’d want Stephen to write a story using my name as some of these stories are very disturbing. Good on those who volunteered!
The theme this time around was for folks from the Books of Horror Facebook group to put forward their names. The author would choose a few people and find out more details about their lives. Then create a terrifying tale with the info gathered! Such a cool idea!
I enjoyed them all, but “Sick Puppy” (a Cryptid bloodbath), “Folklore Fantasy Park” (a haunted amusement park), “Tactile” (a bizarre art installation), and “Requests From the Dead” (a sinister caller keeps contacting a radio host) were absolute standouts in my opinion!
Great writing and ideas abound on these pages, although I’m not sure if I’d want Stephen to write a story using my name as some of these stories are very disturbing. Good on those who volunteered!
September 2, 2022
Okay, there is no way for me to be non-biased here. Should you read this anthology? YES! Why? Because I am the main character in the fifth story!
This book has 11 short stories, each its own masterpiece and each containing a character who actually exists in the world. What I love about Stephen’s writing is that every plot makes me contemplate some facet of life. Whether in one of his larger novels or in each of these short stories. Some of these tackle greed and how your actions come back around (Karma, anyone?). Others question the existence of an afterlife. Still more re-introduce commonly known monsters in new and very unique ways. It’s all done so intelligently and seamlessly that I find myself completely buying in and engrossed from beginning to end.
Back to my story, Folklore Fantasy Park. I am a journalist who has been searching for evidence of the afterlife by ghost hunting and reporting on my experiences. I have never encountered anything but creepy locations full of myths. I’m pretty sure this experience will prove the same, but then, my cameraman, Finn, has a weird experience, and the night unravels from there. I love the ending for my character. She’s going to get her answers, damn it!
This is just one of 11 great stories. I encourage you to give this a read and checkout Stephen’s other books, too. He has quickly become one of my favorite authors. All his books are available on Amazon. Happy reading!
This book has 11 short stories, each its own masterpiece and each containing a character who actually exists in the world. What I love about Stephen’s writing is that every plot makes me contemplate some facet of life. Whether in one of his larger novels or in each of these short stories. Some of these tackle greed and how your actions come back around (Karma, anyone?). Others question the existence of an afterlife. Still more re-introduce commonly known monsters in new and very unique ways. It’s all done so intelligently and seamlessly that I find myself completely buying in and engrossed from beginning to end.
Back to my story, Folklore Fantasy Park. I am a journalist who has been searching for evidence of the afterlife by ghost hunting and reporting on my experiences. I have never encountered anything but creepy locations full of myths. I’m pretty sure this experience will prove the same, but then, my cameraman, Finn, has a weird experience, and the night unravels from there. I love the ending for my character. She’s going to get her answers, damn it!
This is just one of 11 great stories. I encourage you to give this a read and checkout Stephen’s other books, too. He has quickly become one of my favorite authors. All his books are available on Amazon. Happy reading!
September 26, 2023
This was a delightful collection of horror short stories! I don't believe there was a single one that I didn't enjoy. And they are all different.
There are eleven stories in this collection, each with a different subject matter. One thing that is definitely different about this collection is that the author made an offer, in a group that he is part of, to include members' names in the stories. The stories are as follows:
The Fourth Corner of Olive Street - a social worker, in her attempt to give a home to a couple of sisters, gets involved in something dark. A satisfying twist of an ending.
Your Call Is Important To Us - a woman works in a call center where points are scored when they can cause the most distress in the callers. A tale of karma. Excellent story.
Sick Puppy - a different kind of werewolf story, wherein a man comes alone to a vet appointment, begging the vet to help him.
Always Running - a man reluctantly signs onto a dating app and gets an unlikely date. The date turns out to be some kind of monster.
Folklore Fantasy Park - possibly my favorite story (although that is difficult to pin down), this one deals with an abandoned amusement park that is allegedly haunted. (You can see the main character's namesake in one of the other reviews of this book.) A reporter and photographer are trying to get a story on the park. Another twist of an ending.
House Call - a group of doctors deal with a man who has historically been a hypochondriac. When one of them agrees to make a house call, she discovers the reason, a demon in a tumor on the man, and it is seeking a new host.
The Sleeping and the Dead - A police sketch artist becomes unwillingly involved in some black magic.
Tactile - another favorite, this one involves a vary bizarre art exhibit involving zombies.
A Good Eye - a photographer unwittingly gets involved with some witches when he accidentally photographs them.
If 6 Was 9 - this story was fun and somewhat mind-bending. Named after a Jimi Hendrix song I had never heard of, it involves a man who somehow gets caught in changing hotel rooms (numbers 6 and 9). Every time he either enters or leaves a hotel room, he is in a different hotel and different time.
Requests From the Dead - A DJ becomes an unwilling participant in a black magic revenge scheme, involving song request which result in people killing themselves in different ways.
As I said, a delightful collection of horror short stories, and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the genre.
There are eleven stories in this collection, each with a different subject matter. One thing that is definitely different about this collection is that the author made an offer, in a group that he is part of, to include members' names in the stories. The stories are as follows:
The Fourth Corner of Olive Street - a social worker, in her attempt to give a home to a couple of sisters, gets involved in something dark. A satisfying twist of an ending.
Your Call Is Important To Us - a woman works in a call center where points are scored when they can cause the most distress in the callers. A tale of karma. Excellent story.
Sick Puppy - a different kind of werewolf story, wherein a man comes alone to a vet appointment, begging the vet to help him.
Always Running - a man reluctantly signs onto a dating app and gets an unlikely date. The date turns out to be some kind of monster.
Folklore Fantasy Park - possibly my favorite story (although that is difficult to pin down), this one deals with an abandoned amusement park that is allegedly haunted. (You can see the main character's namesake in one of the other reviews of this book.) A reporter and photographer are trying to get a story on the park. Another twist of an ending.
House Call - a group of doctors deal with a man who has historically been a hypochondriac. When one of them agrees to make a house call, she discovers the reason, a demon in a tumor on the man, and it is seeking a new host.
The Sleeping and the Dead - A police sketch artist becomes unwillingly involved in some black magic.
Tactile - another favorite, this one involves a vary bizarre art exhibit involving zombies.
A Good Eye - a photographer unwittingly gets involved with some witches when he accidentally photographs them.
If 6 Was 9 - this story was fun and somewhat mind-bending. Named after a Jimi Hendrix song I had never heard of, it involves a man who somehow gets caught in changing hotel rooms (numbers 6 and 9). Every time he either enters or leaves a hotel room, he is in a different hotel and different time.
Requests From the Dead - A DJ becomes an unwilling participant in a black magic revenge scheme, involving song request which result in people killing themselves in different ways.
As I said, a delightful collection of horror short stories, and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the genre.
July 28, 2024
collection of stories
I do like collection of stories as it do make it interesting. This book is good as creepy and weird. I really liked the story called your call is important to us. Creepy story!
I do like collection of stories as it do make it interesting. This book is good as creepy and weird. I really liked the story called your call is important to us. Creepy story!
November 18, 2024
4.5/5 Stars
A collection of short stories revolving around the needs/requests of the dead and how they impact the living.
Short stories always come with some amazing stories and misses, but there were none in here that I didn't enjoy. I liked the characters, they were each unique and felt human. The plots sucked you in and each one was long enough to flesh out a full story without skimping on the details.
I really enjoyed this and would recommend it for anyone looking for quick entertainment that forces you to be invested.
A collection of short stories revolving around the needs/requests of the dead and how they impact the living.
Short stories always come with some amazing stories and misses, but there were none in here that I didn't enjoy. I liked the characters, they were each unique and felt human. The plots sucked you in and each one was long enough to flesh out a full story without skimping on the details.
I really enjoyed this and would recommend it for anyone looking for quick entertainment that forces you to be invested.
August 31, 2024
This is a really original collection of short stories: with witches, radios, time jumps, art, zombies and more filling the pages there is really something for everyone. Each story goes in a totally unique direction with twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting.
The writing is great, with deep characters and realistic worlds, you can often forget that you’re reading a short story. Really well done
The writing is great, with deep characters and realistic worlds, you can often forget that you’re reading a short story. Really well done
February 11, 2025
This book was absolutely incredible! I loved every story more than the last. Each one was so very unique and different. I love Stephen's style so much!
I can't say which one I loved most. Sick Puppy & Requests From The Dead might be my top. I am new to Stephen's work and so excited to read more and thankful he has quite the catalog for me to keep going!
If you haven't read him yet, I cannot recommend him enough. Easily something for everyone! 👏👏
I can't say which one I loved most. Sick Puppy & Requests From The Dead might be my top. I am new to Stephen's work and so excited to read more and thankful he has quite the catalog for me to keep going!
If you haven't read him yet, I cannot recommend him enough. Easily something for everyone! 👏👏
September 29, 2024
A wild mix of horror tales
This collection is all over the place, in a good way. The stories are very different from each other but each is worthwhile. If someone is not familiar with Stephen Barnard, this will give you an introduction to his twisted imagination.
This collection is all over the place, in a good way. The stories are very different from each other but each is worthwhile. If someone is not familiar with Stephen Barnard, this will give you an introduction to his twisted imagination.
November 18, 2024
Finally I’ve read this kept getting distracted at work hahahah couldn’t put it down totally different stories I loved the werewolf one but that’s just me go check him out u won’t be disappointed
November 21, 2024
fantastic collection.
Great collection of short stories. All seemed to be of the right length where it was fast paced but long enough to cram in a lot of details.
Great collection of short stories. All seemed to be of the right length where it was fast paced but long enough to cram in a lot of details.
September 5, 2022
This book is an absolute must read. I still have a couple more stories to go but I'm not gonna give spoilers but a little hint , me and some others from a group we are in volunteered to have a short story written about us with our names as the character. My character is a Sketch artist at the police station only other hint I'm going to give besides I may live or I may die but you have to read to find out. Mr. Barnard is an awesome writer. Please check his work out you won't regret it.
September 6, 2022
This is a fantastic book of 11 short stories all using people who offered their names to be used in horror stories.
Stephen Barnard has out down himself with these stories. I have read another book of his, Bitterly, and he just kicked it up a notch!
All of these stories are well written, have a nice little plot twist for an ending, and give you the right amount of chills necessary.
Stephen Barnard has out down himself with these stories. I have read another book of his, Bitterly, and he just kicked it up a notch!
All of these stories are well written, have a nice little plot twist for an ending, and give you the right amount of chills necessary.
September 11, 2024
This is such a fun collection of stories! Stephen took the names from members of our very own Books of Horror group and created a story about each one. They are all fantastic stories, but there are couple that really stood out for me. I love a good revenge story, and Your Call Is Important to Us delivered! Folklore Fantasy Park is about a haunted amusement park, and ghost stories are always among my favourites. House Call is a strange demon story, and I love strange! Highly recommend!
November 7, 2024
Really great unique short stories.
September 16, 2022
Cool
When I was younger I used to talk to late-night and overnight did they were nice guys and we would flirt and have a blast while they were on the air.thanks guys christinedunne Harlingen Texas
When I was younger I used to talk to late-night and overnight did they were nice guys and we would flirt and have a blast while they were on the air.thanks guys christinedunne Harlingen Texas
October 8, 2025
An excellent mix of interesting stories, each one adding something a little different and packing a small punch.
Difficult to pick a standout when they were all, equally, fun and "juicy"!
Highly recommend 5*
Difficult to pick a standout when they were all, equally, fun and "juicy"!
Highly recommend 5*
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews