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Darkness Creeping #1,2
Darkness Creeping: Twenty Twisted Tales
Imagine being trapped forever in someone else’s nightmare, with no means of escape. Or caught on one of the most terrifying roller coasters of all time, when suddenly the tracks ahead just disappear. Enter the world of Darkness Creeping, where hollow-eyed skulls arrive in the mail and nothing is as it seems. Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner and beloved author Neal Shusterman walks on the dark side with this classic collection of masterfully creepy stories so horrifying, you may have to read them twice to remind yourself they’re not real.
Contents:
• Foreword (Darkness Creeping: Twenty Twisted Tales) (2007) - essay by Neal Shusterman
• Catching Cold (2007)
• Who Do We Appreciate? (2007)
• Soul Survivor (1995)
• Black Box (1993)
• Resting Deep (1993)
• Security Blanket (1995)
• Same Time Next Year (1993)
• The River Tour (2007)
• Flushie (1993)
• Monkeys Tonight (1993)
• Screaming at the Wall (1993)
• Growing Pains (1995)
• Alexander's Skull (1993)
• Connecting Flight (1995)
• Ralphy Sherman's Root Canal (2007)
• An Ear for Music (1995)
• Riding the Raptor (1995)
• Trash Day (1995)
• Crystalloid (1995)
• Shadows of Doubt (1993)
Contents:
• Foreword (Darkness Creeping: Twenty Twisted Tales) (2007) - essay by Neal Shusterman
• Catching Cold (2007)
• Who Do We Appreciate? (2007)
• Soul Survivor (1995)
• Black Box (1993)
• Resting Deep (1993)
• Security Blanket (1995)
• Same Time Next Year (1993)
• The River Tour (2007)
• Flushie (1993)
• Monkeys Tonight (1993)
• Screaming at the Wall (1993)
• Growing Pains (1995)
• Alexander's Skull (1993)
• Connecting Flight (1995)
• Ralphy Sherman's Root Canal (2007)
• An Ear for Music (1995)
• Riding the Raptor (1995)
• Trash Day (1995)
• Crystalloid (1995)
• Shadows of Doubt (1993)
291 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
61 people are currently reading
1633 people want to read
About the author
Neal Shusterman
90 books30k followersAward-winning author Neal Shusterman grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he began writing at an early age. After spending his junior and senior years of high school at the American School of Mexico City, Neal went on to UC Irvine, where he made his mark on the UCI swim team, and wrote a successful humor column. Within a year of graduating, he had his first book deal, and was hired to write a movie script.
In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, as well as garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. Neal's talents range from film directing (two short films he directed won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards) to writing music and stage plays – including book and lyrical contributions to “American Twistory,” which is currently playing in Boston. He has even tried his hand at creating Games, having developed three successful "How to Host a Mystery" game for teens, as well as seven "How to Host a Murder" games.
As a screen and TV writer, Neal has written for the "Goosebumps" and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect”. Currently Neal is adapting his novel Everlost as a feature film for Universal Studios.
Wherever Neal goes, he quickly earns a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. Much of his fiction is traceable back to stories he tells to large audiences of children and teenagers -- such as his novel The Eyes of Kid Midas. As a speaker, Neal is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give Neal a unique approach to writing. Neal's novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor.
Of Everlost, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman has reimagined what happens after death and questions power and the meaning of charity. While all this is going on, he has also managed to write a rip-roaring adventure…”
Of What Daddy Did, Voice of Youth Advocates wrote; "This is a compelling, spell-binding story... A stunning novel, impossible to put down once begun.
Of The Schwa Was Here, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman's characters–reminiscent of those crafted by E. L. Konigsburg and Jerry Spinelli–are infused with the kind of controlled, precocious improbability that magically vivifies the finest children's classics.
Of Scorpion Shards, Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept, and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination makes it stunningly believable. A spellbinder."
And of The Eyes of Kid Midas, The Midwest Book Review wrote "This wins our vote as one of the best young-adult titles of the year" and was called "Inspired and hypnotically readable" by School Library Journal.
Neal Shusterman lives in Southern California with his children Brendan, Jarrod, Joelle, and Erin, who are a constant source of inspiration!
In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, as well as garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. Neal's talents range from film directing (two short films he directed won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards) to writing music and stage plays – including book and lyrical contributions to “American Twistory,” which is currently playing in Boston. He has even tried his hand at creating Games, having developed three successful "How to Host a Mystery" game for teens, as well as seven "How to Host a Murder" games.
As a screen and TV writer, Neal has written for the "Goosebumps" and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect”. Currently Neal is adapting his novel Everlost as a feature film for Universal Studios.
Wherever Neal goes, he quickly earns a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. Much of his fiction is traceable back to stories he tells to large audiences of children and teenagers -- such as his novel The Eyes of Kid Midas. As a speaker, Neal is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give Neal a unique approach to writing. Neal's novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor.
Of Everlost, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman has reimagined what happens after death and questions power and the meaning of charity. While all this is going on, he has also managed to write a rip-roaring adventure…”
Of What Daddy Did, Voice of Youth Advocates wrote; "This is a compelling, spell-binding story... A stunning novel, impossible to put down once begun.
Of The Schwa Was Here, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman's characters–reminiscent of those crafted by E. L. Konigsburg and Jerry Spinelli–are infused with the kind of controlled, precocious improbability that magically vivifies the finest children's classics.
Of Scorpion Shards, Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept, and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination makes it stunningly believable. A spellbinder."
And of The Eyes of Kid Midas, The Midwest Book Review wrote "This wins our vote as one of the best young-adult titles of the year" and was called "Inspired and hypnotically readable" by School Library Journal.
Neal Shusterman lives in Southern California with his children Brendan, Jarrod, Joelle, and Erin, who are a constant source of inspiration!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
May 3, 2019
The majority of these stories are excellent! This edition combines the author’s two original anthologies published in 1993. While some of the stories are decidedly juvenile, most have deeper, adult undertones that make reading them extremely enjoyable. Many also have subtle morals throughout (such as the perils of revenge, poor decisions, and excessive pride) that enhance the stories for adults. Overall this was a solid, well-rounded anthology with just the right amount of creepiness!
November 1, 2013
I picked this book up on a whim a few months ago because I liked the cover. I'd never read anything of Shusterman's before, though I believe that I have a few (or at least one) other of his books on my mountain of a to-read shelf.
These stories were interesting. There were some that were better than others, and some that were really good and impressed me. They were all unique in some way and it was very rare for me to know where a story was going.
I didn't really think that any of the stories were scary, though. And I don't think that my younger self would have thought so either. Some of the stories seemed as though they were going to for a humorous direction rather than a horror direction, which is fine, but not really what I expect from a collection titled "Darkness Creeping".
But still... Overall this was a good collection, and short stories are always good to fill gaps when you have a few minutes of time.
These stories were interesting. There were some that were better than others, and some that were really good and impressed me. They were all unique in some way and it was very rare for me to know where a story was going.
I didn't really think that any of the stories were scary, though. And I don't think that my younger self would have thought so either. Some of the stories seemed as though they were going to for a humorous direction rather than a horror direction, which is fine, but not really what I expect from a collection titled "Darkness Creeping".
But still... Overall this was a good collection, and short stories are always good to fill gaps when you have a few minutes of time.
April 30, 2009
Contrary to my expectation, this isn’t a horror book (yeah well, what do you expect from such cover?), instead it consists of a collection of bizarre short stories.
Although the first story didn’t impress me, I was hooked by the second story “Who Do We Appreciate?” about a girl who had to referee a strange soccer game between two strange teams of seven years-old (who definitely are not what they seemed to be). Other tales that I like are “Soul Survivor”, “Screaming at the Wall” (my favorite, don’t ask why), “Growing Pains” (this one actually give me the creeps), “Connecting Flight” (freaked me out too, dear author), and “Crystalloid”. Also, at the beginning of each story the author explained how he came up with the story, which I think is very interesting and add to the story.
Although the first story didn’t impress me, I was hooked by the second story “Who Do We Appreciate?” about a girl who had to referee a strange soccer game between two strange teams of seven years-old (who definitely are not what they seemed to be). Other tales that I like are “Soul Survivor”, “Screaming at the Wall” (my favorite, don’t ask why), “Growing Pains” (this one actually give me the creeps), “Connecting Flight” (freaked me out too, dear author), and “Crystalloid”. Also, at the beginning of each story the author explained how he came up with the story, which I think is very interesting and add to the story.
June 19, 2016
This is the book I pick up to give me a kick in the butt be it to read more or when I'm stuck in a writing slump and need a pick me up. This is the book I turn to when I REALLY freaking need it, as weird as this sounds, this book is comforting. I take it always on road trips because if I can't fit ALL of my Neal Shusterman books into my bag I can always squeeze THIS and my kindle in.
And more often then not this gets read more then the kindle does on a trip. The tales are creepy, interesting and sometimes very touching. My favorites being Growing Pains and Who Do We Appreciate, it was the first short story collection by Neal Shusterman I ever bought... And boy does THAT have it's own story behind it too. Infact it would only seem right to tell a story about this collection of stories...
I had to order this book back in April of 2010 the spring after I read Unwind for the first time. I wanted more and more of this authors works as they kept impressing me. (To date there is not a Neal Shusterman book I've read that I haven't loved) this book I ordered at Borders when it was still around, and they said: "Okay."
Months go by, I used to go to Borders often even just to browse and read in the aisles, and every time I'd go in I'd ask if my book came in (because I was barely fourteen, and the employee's knew me since I was knee high to a bookshelf, they humored me) well it started to border August and no Darkness Creeping.
Finally... We get the call.
We go there.
THEY HAD SOLD MY BOOK.
So when I finally got my copy of Darkness Creeping... I made sure it NEVER left my house!
SO yeah.... A great set of stories by an awesome author and my copy in particular has an interesting history behind it.
And more often then not this gets read more then the kindle does on a trip. The tales are creepy, interesting and sometimes very touching. My favorites being Growing Pains and Who Do We Appreciate, it was the first short story collection by Neal Shusterman I ever bought... And boy does THAT have it's own story behind it too. Infact it would only seem right to tell a story about this collection of stories...
I had to order this book back in April of 2010 the spring after I read Unwind for the first time. I wanted more and more of this authors works as they kept impressing me. (To date there is not a Neal Shusterman book I've read that I haven't loved) this book I ordered at Borders when it was still around, and they said: "Okay."
Months go by, I used to go to Borders often even just to browse and read in the aisles, and every time I'd go in I'd ask if my book came in (because I was barely fourteen, and the employee's knew me since I was knee high to a bookshelf, they humored me) well it started to border August and no Darkness Creeping.
Finally... We get the call.
We go there.
THEY HAD SOLD MY BOOK.
So when I finally got my copy of Darkness Creeping... I made sure it NEVER left my house!
SO yeah.... A great set of stories by an awesome author and my copy in particular has an interesting history behind it.
December 30, 2020
Neal Shusterman is another YA author whose work I am a fangirl of--I mean, utterly committed to supporting and reading every book he's published. The Unwind series got me and from there it was history! (If you haven't read Unwind, please do. It is great.)
This book is a collection of 20 creepy short stories. They all involve children, so by way of warning, a dark sense of humor is needed to enjoy a lot of these stories. Before each one, he included a blurb about where he got the idea for it, which was super cool to read. Made me think about how inspiration can come from literally anywhere. One was inspired by a dumpster. Geez.
My favorites from this collection were Catching Cold (about a mysterious ice cream truck that never stops--or does it), Who Do Me Appreciate (a girl reluctantly referees an increasingly strange soccer game), and Flushed (this is a Carrie variant with a boy--very good).
This book is a collection of 20 creepy short stories. They all involve children, so by way of warning, a dark sense of humor is needed to enjoy a lot of these stories. Before each one, he included a blurb about where he got the idea for it, which was super cool to read. Made me think about how inspiration can come from literally anywhere. One was inspired by a dumpster. Geez.
My favorites from this collection were Catching Cold (about a mysterious ice cream truck that never stops--or does it), Who Do Me Appreciate (a girl reluctantly referees an increasingly strange soccer game), and Flushed (this is a Carrie variant with a boy--very good).
September 4, 2017
A very cute compilation of short stories that have a similar theme of "twilight zone". Perfect for 4th graders and up.
November 7, 2017
This is a good short story collection for middle grade readers. It's not too creepy, but has an air of creep about it, and none of the stories take all that long to read. So, it would be a great suggestion for a reluctant reader. I also really liked that Shusterman gave a little snippet before each story explaining his inspiration for writing the story.
August 28, 2019
I enjoyed this actually more than i thought i would
July 8, 2020
A nice enjoyable read. Nothing to scary but still fun to read.
August 18, 2019
Sooo, this is for kids? Seriously? This collection of horror stories is for KIDS?
Mmm-hmm, whatever you say...
I don't really know how to approach this review. On the one hand, these stories aren't meant for my age group (adults), so any criticism seems weird because it's not meant for me, right? But on the other hand, even if this is meant for kids, that doesn't mean I can't critique it, right? Well, the only solution I found was to write my reaction after reading each story. I literally can't think of any other way of going about this review. No joke, this was such a FUCKING WEIRD but honestly great collection of short stories. That being said, let me get this out of the way: I'm not giving each story full reviews because my reaction to the story will speak for itself, trust me on that. The last thing I'd like to say is I IMPLORE YOU to read the foreword before reading this collection. It seriously explains a lot about this collection and Shusterman's writing as a whole. With that out of the way, here are my reactions to the twenty stories in this haunting collection:
"Catching Cold"-*closes book after reading* What's the age demographic for this collection? *looks at spine label that reads "Juvenile Literature"* Yep, that makes sense.
"Who Do We Appreciate?"-Not bad, pretty cool concept.
"Soul Survivor"-Wooooow, that was...DARK.
"Black Box"-that was a DICK MOVE, Neal Shusterman. DICK. MOVE. But I still liked it.
"Resting Deep"-How the FUCK did he get away with publishing this piece FOR KIDS?! Holy fuck, that was DARK!!
"Security Blacket"-Welp, that's gonna scar the kids. And me. FOR LIFE.
"Same Time Next Year"-I don't understand the science, only that karma IS A BITCH.
"The River Tour"-That was pretty clever, I liked it.
"Flushie"-What the ACTUAL FUCK, Neal Shusterman?!
"Monkeys Tonight"-*laughs nervously, eyes dart across the room* Okaaay...
"Screaming at the Wall"-Damn, that was good! What a cool story!
"Growing Pains"-Wow, that did not end the way I thought it would. And I'm glad I didn't read this when I was younger or I'd be scarred for life. Yaaay...
"Alexander's Skull"-*reads inspiration behind story, having already read "Red Rider's Hood"* *Finishes story* Yep, that was better than "Red Rider's Hood".
"Connecting Flight"-Well, that was...interesting. And weird. VERY WEIRD.
"Ralphy Sherman's Root Canal"-More funny than scary, but good nonetheless.
"An Ear For Music"-Pride goeth before the fall.
"Riding the Raptor"-What an unexpectedly sad story dealing with very real issues. Bravo, Shusterman, bravo.
"Trash Day"-Be careful what you wish for, kiddos.
"Crystalloid"-What the FLYING FUCKER FUCK, Shusterman?! Are you TRYING to scar children?! Because it's FUCKING WORKING, and I'M AN ADULT!!
"Shadow of Doubt"-Fucking awesome. Never read any Shusterman poetry, but I am SO DOWN for more, a great ending to this collection.
And that's about it. I highly recommend this collection, even for adults. Shusterman tackles A LOT of mature themes in this collection and holy SHIT are some of the stories dark. I had a lot more fun with it than I thought and I would love read more of his short story collections.
Mmm-hmm, whatever you say...
I don't really know how to approach this review. On the one hand, these stories aren't meant for my age group (adults), so any criticism seems weird because it's not meant for me, right? But on the other hand, even if this is meant for kids, that doesn't mean I can't critique it, right? Well, the only solution I found was to write my reaction after reading each story. I literally can't think of any other way of going about this review. No joke, this was such a FUCKING WEIRD but honestly great collection of short stories. That being said, let me get this out of the way: I'm not giving each story full reviews because my reaction to the story will speak for itself, trust me on that. The last thing I'd like to say is I IMPLORE YOU to read the foreword before reading this collection. It seriously explains a lot about this collection and Shusterman's writing as a whole. With that out of the way, here are my reactions to the twenty stories in this haunting collection:
"Catching Cold"-*closes book after reading* What's the age demographic for this collection? *looks at spine label that reads "Juvenile Literature"* Yep, that makes sense.
"Who Do We Appreciate?"-Not bad, pretty cool concept.
"Soul Survivor"-Wooooow, that was...DARK.
"Black Box"-that was a DICK MOVE, Neal Shusterman. DICK. MOVE. But I still liked it.
"Resting Deep"-How the FUCK did he get away with publishing this piece FOR KIDS?! Holy fuck, that was DARK!!
"Security Blacket"-Welp, that's gonna scar the kids. And me. FOR LIFE.
"Same Time Next Year"-I don't understand the science, only that karma IS A BITCH.
"The River Tour"-That was pretty clever, I liked it.
"Flushie"-What the ACTUAL FUCK, Neal Shusterman?!
"Monkeys Tonight"-*laughs nervously, eyes dart across the room* Okaaay...
"Screaming at the Wall"-Damn, that was good! What a cool story!
"Growing Pains"-Wow, that did not end the way I thought it would. And I'm glad I didn't read this when I was younger or I'd be scarred for life. Yaaay...
"Alexander's Skull"-*reads inspiration behind story, having already read "Red Rider's Hood"* *Finishes story* Yep, that was better than "Red Rider's Hood".
"Connecting Flight"-Well, that was...interesting. And weird. VERY WEIRD.
"Ralphy Sherman's Root Canal"-More funny than scary, but good nonetheless.
"An Ear For Music"-Pride goeth before the fall.
"Riding the Raptor"-What an unexpectedly sad story dealing with very real issues. Bravo, Shusterman, bravo.
"Trash Day"-Be careful what you wish for, kiddos.
"Crystalloid"-What the FLYING FUCKER FUCK, Shusterman?! Are you TRYING to scar children?! Because it's FUCKING WORKING, and I'M AN ADULT!!
"Shadow of Doubt"-Fucking awesome. Never read any Shusterman poetry, but I am SO DOWN for more, a great ending to this collection.
And that's about it. I highly recommend this collection, even for adults. Shusterman tackles A LOT of mature themes in this collection and holy SHIT are some of the stories dark. I had a lot more fun with it than I thought and I would love read more of his short story collections.
October 14, 2014
Warning: Not horror, but the tales are twisted.
This was interesting. As someone who writes (...) I feel like I learned how to think deeper from reading this.
Not only were the author notes explaining what inspired Shusterman to write each story added to my enjoyment of this book, but many of the the stories themselves were really intriguing. Sure some of the short stories were okay like Flushie and Catching Cold, and I noticed a strange isolation each character seemed to experience, but then there were stories like Growing Pains, Same Time Next Year, Screaming at the Wall, and Connecting Flight that were just so interesting.
I didn't like every main character, and I was surprised how okay with their situation some of them were, but the ideas in the stories made reading this worth it. Too bad there was no real romance, I hate to say it, but while romance irritates me I always feel like something is lacking (missing?) when there isn't a romantic subplot, or maybe it was just the lack of relationship connection in general between many of the main characters and side characters.
Did I mention some of these stories were pretty messed up, because they were. Yeah I'm talking about Security Blanket, but there were others like Soul Survivor. Then there was Monkeys Tonight, interesting idea but I really didn't like how it seemed so unexplained. Alexander's Skull wasn't really explained either, but it left with a sense that someday in the future it will be (for Alex at least).
Final Rating: I really liked this because it was interesting and the author notes really added to my reading enjoyment.
This was interesting. As someone who writes (...) I feel like I learned how to think deeper from reading this.
Not only were the author notes explaining what inspired Shusterman to write each story added to my enjoyment of this book, but many of the the stories themselves were really intriguing. Sure some of the short stories were okay like Flushie and Catching Cold, and I noticed a strange isolation each character seemed to experience, but then there were stories like Growing Pains, Same Time Next Year, Screaming at the Wall, and Connecting Flight that were just so interesting.
I didn't like every main character, and I was surprised how okay with their situation some of them were, but the ideas in the stories made reading this worth it. Too bad there was no real romance, I hate to say it, but while romance irritates me I always feel like something is lacking (missing?) when there isn't a romantic subplot, or maybe it was just the lack of relationship connection in general between many of the main characters and side characters.
Did I mention some of these stories were pretty messed up, because they were. Yeah I'm talking about Security Blanket, but there were others like Soul Survivor. Then there was Monkeys Tonight, interesting idea but I really didn't like how it seemed so unexplained. Alexander's Skull wasn't really explained either, but it left with a sense that someday in the future it will be (for Alex at least).
Final Rating: I really liked this because it was interesting and the author notes really added to my reading enjoyment.
November 11, 2021
“Darkness Creeping” by Neal Shusterman is a creepy book with 22 different stories packed in one. They will all give you goosebumps, and give you an eerie feeling. This is a perfect book for people who like mysteries, horror, and creepy books! I mainly liked it because I read it in October, to put me in the Halloween mood! It has a similar theme of “twilight”. My favorite story was flushie! It was really good!! It put me in a good feeling and hooked me. I gave this book a 5 out of 5 because it was hooking, and one of my top 3 books ever read! I didn't really find a theme because there were so many stories. But most of them ended in like “never trust anyone” or “do not underestimate people” again, if you like scary books this is definitely your cup of tea!
August 21, 2022
This is going in the "i-hate-it" shelf. I didn't like any of the stories, they were either boring, nonsensical, cruel or just dumb, some appeared to be going in the right direction only to take a dive in the end.
November 7, 2018
This book was the perfect mixture of dark and creepy, giving me things to think about while also not terrifying me out of my wits and giving me additional anxiety. Very strong recommend.
April 25, 2023
Short Stories reviews:
1. Catching Cold - 3
This one was a story for kids, about a boy who wants to buy ice cream from an ice cream truck who moves so fast no one cant even see it, only hear the sirens from it. He works a plan to catch it and when he manages to buy the ice cream he finds out that the seller is the last kid who caught the truck, and now he would change places with him, being the new truck driver, forced to run the truck as fast as possible for all eternity, or atleast until some kid manages to catch him. This story was okay, the ending could be seen from miles away though, nothing unexpected
2. Who do We Apreciate? - 2
Our MC took football referiing after being forced to do it for her younger brother team when he played. She is called to referee a match in an early morning, and when arriving at the pitch she finds 2 teams of 7yo who are the opposite of one another, the red team, with kids who behave like little devils, and the blue team, who behave like angels (and are called Mickey, Gab, etc., I wonder who they are). The football game had the higher stakes possible, deciding the future of the world in a match between angels and demons, with a cameo from the younger brother, but the story for me felt really flat and uninspiring.
3. Soul Survivor - 3
About a kid who died but his souls stayed in earth. he wanders for a bit, until he finds he can live in the brain of other people. He lives with a baseball player for a bit, until the dude decides to tell his family that their son is living in his head and is called crazy. They fight and the player tries to shoo the kid away from his brain, but the kid decides to steal his body. For that he goes to an aquarium, closer to a dolphin, because dolphin brains are so dense they can trap human souls??, and manages to do it, but then almost dies (for real) because the body of the baseball player couldnt swim. He escapes at the last second, and now roams the world trying to find a new body to steal (one who can swim ofc). The best story so far, although it was not enough to completelly capture my attention to the book.
4. Black Box 3
Two kids, during the annual family reunion, are shown by their chinese grandpa a button who he says its the button to end the world, and is being protected by their family by countless generations. The grandpa says he will give the button to one of them, because everyone else in the family
5 to 20 - Work in Progress
1. Catching Cold - 3
This one was a story for kids, about a boy who wants to buy ice cream from an ice cream truck who moves so fast no one cant even see it, only hear the sirens from it. He works a plan to catch it and when he manages to buy the ice cream he finds out that the seller is the last kid who caught the truck, and now he would change places with him, being the new truck driver, forced to run the truck as fast as possible for all eternity, or atleast until some kid manages to catch him. This story was okay, the ending could be seen from miles away though, nothing unexpected
2. Who do We Apreciate? - 2
Our MC took football referiing after being forced to do it for her younger brother team when he played. She is called to referee a match in an early morning, and when arriving at the pitch she finds 2 teams of 7yo who are the opposite of one another, the red team, with kids who behave like little devils, and the blue team, who behave like angels (and are called Mickey, Gab, etc., I wonder who they are). The football game had the higher stakes possible, deciding the future of the world in a match between angels and demons, with a cameo from the younger brother, but the story for me felt really flat and uninspiring.
3. Soul Survivor - 3
About a kid who died but his souls stayed in earth. he wanders for a bit, until he finds he can live in the brain of other people. He lives with a baseball player for a bit, until the dude decides to tell his family that their son is living in his head and is called crazy. They fight and the player tries to shoo the kid away from his brain, but the kid decides to steal his body. For that he goes to an aquarium, closer to a dolphin, because dolphin brains are so dense they can trap human souls??, and manages to do it, but then almost dies (for real) because the body of the baseball player couldnt swim. He escapes at the last second, and now roams the world trying to find a new body to steal (one who can swim ofc). The best story so far, although it was not enough to completelly capture my attention to the book.
4. Black Box 3
Two kids, during the annual family reunion, are shown by their chinese grandpa a button who he says its the button to end the world, and is being protected by their family by countless generations. The grandpa says he will give the button to one of them, because everyone else in the family
5 to 20 - Work in Progress
August 27, 2013
I am quite disappointed by this book. I had really high expectations for this. I heard amazing things about Neal Shusterman and I love scary short stories. I thought it would be a win-win situation. I was wrong. The stories are mostly hit or miss.
The thing that bothered me most about these stories is how rude most the protagonists are to others. It was unbelievably difficult to sympathize with them. Yes, sometimes having a mean protagonist is OK because it makes that character appear different then the others. It doesn't work though when MOST of the book's protagonists are like that.
The book comes with twenty "twisted tales".
1)Catching Cold: Marty is obsessed with trying to get ice cream from and ice cream truck that doesn't seem to ever stop for customers. He created a scheme to stop the truck, but he might not like what he gets. I didn't like that this is the first story in this book. It's only average. The story is similar to many that I've read before. Three stars.
2)Who Do We Appreciate?: Danielle is a referee to soccer games. She attends a very early game with her younger brother on the bleachers.The players are all a bit strange. They don't behave like regular kids. And the coach, who was Danielle's old teacher, is acting weird too. Soon, she realizes that the outcome of the game will determine the fate of the Earth. I think this story is very predictable and way too long. One star.
3)Soul Survivor: Peter dies during an incident. Instead of fading away or leaving behind the world, his soul is stuck. He can't return to his body, but he can go inside other people's minds along with other animals and objects. He decides to reside in Sam "Slam" McKellen's body and coexist within him. I loved this story. I thought it was creative and I never expected that dramatic ending. Five stars.
4)Black Box: Karin's grandfather gives her a box that he said must never be opened because it can destroy the world. Her cousin, Randy, believes that the box is fake. There is no way that a box with a simple button inside can cause mass destruction. Strange things begin to happen ad Karin grew tempted to open the box. I found this tale to be simple and predictable. The only thing I liked is the way Shusterman handled the ending. Two stars.
5)Resting Deep: Tommy's great-grandfather, Greaty, takes him to go fishing. The water is stormy. Greaty said and did things that disturbed Tommy as Greaty's intentions became clear. This story was just boring. There was nothing that captivated me. One star.
6)Security Blanket: After throwing away her siblings' security blanket, Marybeth buys them a new one. This story is definitely creepy. While haunted objects isn't exactly an original idea, the way Shusterman presented it is. The way he wrote it kept me interested the entire time. I also loved the ending. It made the story even scarier. My only problem is Marybeth. She is the rudest girl ever. It is unbearable to read and it made me cringe. Four stars.
7)Same Time Next Year: Ford is a new kid at school. He lives in a strange house where the basement is full of inventions left behind by Professor Wilmington after his disappearance. In the basement, Marla and Ford find a time machine. I didn't expect it to end like that at all. It's a very good story. Four stars.
8)The River Tour: A tour guide named Sharon gives a river tour and points out landmarks that the boat passes by. This is such a predictable little tale. I caught on very early into the story and lost my interest soon afterwards. One star.
9)Flushie: Duncan is constantly being picked on by his classmates. He wants to seek vengeance, so he plans a huge trick by inviting everyone for a party on a rooftop pool. This story is just messed up. It's weird. I'm really torn about this. Three stars.
10)Monkeys Tonight: Ryan's sister wakes up screaming about monkeys. Ryan tries to scare her even more, because like I said, most of the characters in this book are really mean. Everyone thinks that the monkeys are only in her nightmares. I don't have anything to say about this story. It was only all right. Two stars.
11)Screaming At The Wall: Grandma talks to the wall and ignores the real people around her. This story doesn't seem creepy to me, but it's definitely twisted. I didn't expect the story to end like that. Five stars.
12)Growing Pains: Cody's best friend, Warren, wakes up screaming in pain and never stops. People believe he's crazy. Soon, Cody discovers the reason why. This tale is creepy and it made me glad to know that this doesn't actually happen in real life (or does it?). Four stars.
13)Alexander's Skull: Packages for the Mortimer Museum is often accidentally delivered to Alexander Mortimer's house because of his last name. His mom hates it when that happens. She then has a happen of keeping the packages to spite the museum and the delivery service. One of the packages include a skull. I find the premise interesting, but it was lacking. Three stars.
14)Connecting Flight: Jana Martinez boards a plane. While looking out the windows on both sides of the plane and conversing with other passengers, she notices something strange with the flight. This story is interesting, but I was confused throughout the entire time until the story's end. Three stars.
15)Ralphy Sherman's Root Canal: Ralphy has a toothache and visits the dentist. This story is plain weird. I did not enjoy it at all. One star.
16)An Ear For Music: Lee is a talented musician. He gets recruited by Madame Magnus to attend her school. He discovers that there is something wrong with her and her school. This was pretty dull. One star.
17)Riding the Raptor: Brent's brother, Trevor loves roller coasters. However, he wants something new and exciting. They win a ride on the raptor. There was nothing that was unexpected. One star.
18)Trash Day: Lucinda's family is strange, so she wishes for replacements. This story is very creepy. The ending gave me chills. Five stars.
19)Crystalloid: Phillip's grandma has a glass shop. She and Philip would make things out of glass to sell to tourists. One day, Phillip gets sand from the Sand Trap to make a glass figurine. It soon comes to life. It's a horrifying story, but it's not exactly creative. And I feel like it's missing a tiny thing that I can't name. Four stars.
20)Shadows Of Doubt: This is just a short, creepy poem at the end of the book. It wraps up the book well, but it's not an outstanding poem. Three stars.
The thing that bothered me most about these stories is how rude most the protagonists are to others. It was unbelievably difficult to sympathize with them. Yes, sometimes having a mean protagonist is OK because it makes that character appear different then the others. It doesn't work though when MOST of the book's protagonists are like that.
The book comes with twenty "twisted tales".
1)Catching Cold: Marty is obsessed with trying to get ice cream from and ice cream truck that doesn't seem to ever stop for customers. He created a scheme to stop the truck, but he might not like what he gets. I didn't like that this is the first story in this book. It's only average. The story is similar to many that I've read before. Three stars.
2)Who Do We Appreciate?: Danielle is a referee to soccer games. She attends a very early game with her younger brother on the bleachers.The players are all a bit strange. They don't behave like regular kids. And the coach, who was Danielle's old teacher, is acting weird too. Soon, she realizes that the outcome of the game will determine the fate of the Earth. I think this story is very predictable and way too long. One star.
3)Soul Survivor: Peter dies during an incident. Instead of fading away or leaving behind the world, his soul is stuck. He can't return to his body, but he can go inside other people's minds along with other animals and objects. He decides to reside in Sam "Slam" McKellen's body and coexist within him. I loved this story. I thought it was creative and I never expected that dramatic ending. Five stars.
4)Black Box: Karin's grandfather gives her a box that he said must never be opened because it can destroy the world. Her cousin, Randy, believes that the box is fake. There is no way that a box with a simple button inside can cause mass destruction. Strange things begin to happen ad Karin grew tempted to open the box. I found this tale to be simple and predictable. The only thing I liked is the way Shusterman handled the ending. Two stars.
5)Resting Deep: Tommy's great-grandfather, Greaty, takes him to go fishing. The water is stormy. Greaty said and did things that disturbed Tommy as Greaty's intentions became clear. This story was just boring. There was nothing that captivated me. One star.
6)Security Blanket: After throwing away her siblings' security blanket, Marybeth buys them a new one. This story is definitely creepy. While haunted objects isn't exactly an original idea, the way Shusterman presented it is. The way he wrote it kept me interested the entire time. I also loved the ending. It made the story even scarier. My only problem is Marybeth. She is the rudest girl ever. It is unbearable to read and it made me cringe. Four stars.
7)Same Time Next Year: Ford is a new kid at school. He lives in a strange house where the basement is full of inventions left behind by Professor Wilmington after his disappearance. In the basement, Marla and Ford find a time machine. I didn't expect it to end like that at all. It's a very good story. Four stars.
8)The River Tour: A tour guide named Sharon gives a river tour and points out landmarks that the boat passes by. This is such a predictable little tale. I caught on very early into the story and lost my interest soon afterwards. One star.
9)Flushie: Duncan is constantly being picked on by his classmates. He wants to seek vengeance, so he plans a huge trick by inviting everyone for a party on a rooftop pool. This story is just messed up. It's weird. I'm really torn about this. Three stars.
10)Monkeys Tonight: Ryan's sister wakes up screaming about monkeys. Ryan tries to scare her even more, because like I said, most of the characters in this book are really mean. Everyone thinks that the monkeys are only in her nightmares. I don't have anything to say about this story. It was only all right. Two stars.
11)Screaming At The Wall: Grandma talks to the wall and ignores the real people around her. This story doesn't seem creepy to me, but it's definitely twisted. I didn't expect the story to end like that. Five stars.
12)Growing Pains: Cody's best friend, Warren, wakes up screaming in pain and never stops. People believe he's crazy. Soon, Cody discovers the reason why. This tale is creepy and it made me glad to know that this doesn't actually happen in real life (or does it?). Four stars.
13)Alexander's Skull: Packages for the Mortimer Museum is often accidentally delivered to Alexander Mortimer's house because of his last name. His mom hates it when that happens. She then has a happen of keeping the packages to spite the museum and the delivery service. One of the packages include a skull. I find the premise interesting, but it was lacking. Three stars.
14)Connecting Flight: Jana Martinez boards a plane. While looking out the windows on both sides of the plane and conversing with other passengers, she notices something strange with the flight. This story is interesting, but I was confused throughout the entire time until the story's end. Three stars.
15)Ralphy Sherman's Root Canal: Ralphy has a toothache and visits the dentist. This story is plain weird. I did not enjoy it at all. One star.
16)An Ear For Music: Lee is a talented musician. He gets recruited by Madame Magnus to attend her school. He discovers that there is something wrong with her and her school. This was pretty dull. One star.
17)Riding the Raptor: Brent's brother, Trevor loves roller coasters. However, he wants something new and exciting. They win a ride on the raptor. There was nothing that was unexpected. One star.
18)Trash Day: Lucinda's family is strange, so she wishes for replacements. This story is very creepy. The ending gave me chills. Five stars.
19)Crystalloid: Phillip's grandma has a glass shop. She and Philip would make things out of glass to sell to tourists. One day, Phillip gets sand from the Sand Trap to make a glass figurine. It soon comes to life. It's a horrifying story, but it's not exactly creative. And I feel like it's missing a tiny thing that I can't name. Four stars.
20)Shadows Of Doubt: This is just a short, creepy poem at the end of the book. It wraps up the book well, but it's not an outstanding poem. Three stars.
January 23, 2023
Recently, my teaching partner and I built a collection of short stories for our GR 7 students. We strived to offer a variety of genres and found our "horror" offering in Darkness Creeping. Our collection was made up of six stories and included the following genres: sports, realistic fiction, classic, horror, science fiction and adventure. By far, the horror selection was the one chosen by most of our students. We went with "Growing Pains" and it was well received. Why not offer a horrifying explanation of going through puberty? In the process of choosing a horror story, I read so many of the stories in this collection that I decided to finish the book.
Shusterman has a nice cadence to his writing--it flows. Although the collection had some hits and misses--all anthologies do--there were many that I found interesting enough to recommend to my students. Those included: "Growing Pains," "Who Do We Appreciate?" and "Screaming at the Wall." Not the strongest collection, but has enough 'bumps in the night' that would excite middle schoolers. Recommended for Gr 7 and up.
Shusterman has a nice cadence to his writing--it flows. Although the collection had some hits and misses--all anthologies do--there were many that I found interesting enough to recommend to my students. Those included: "Growing Pains," "Who Do We Appreciate?" and "Screaming at the Wall." Not the strongest collection, but has enough 'bumps in the night' that would excite middle schoolers. Recommended for Gr 7 and up.
April 7, 2019
I love this sort of creepy, chilling short story anthology though I don't read them that often. I am reminded somewhat of a few other anthologies such as: Dark Corners by Barry B. Longyear, A Song For Lya by George R.R. Martin, Dark Gods by T.E.D. Klein, The Gorgon and Other Beastly Tales by Tanith Lee, and a few other great anthologies that have slipped my mind at the moment. Similar in tone to Tales From the Crypt, The Twilight Zone, and Tales From the Dark Side (some of which, coincidentally, bear the stamp of T.E.D. Klein), they chill me to the bone with a macabre sort of wicked delight. It's like watching a good thriller/horror film and you look away because you can't bear to watch but you're peeking through your fingers because you can't not see. I don't know what it is that draws me to this sort of tale, but in the midst of all my science fiction, fantasy, literature, and textbooks I reserve a 'dark corner' for stories like these...
June 1, 2017
Darkness Creeping overall was an ok book. The different twisted tales that were all incorporated into one book made it more intriguing and quite interesting. Each chapter with different stories were all pretty unique and something I haven’t seen or heard of before. But this horror book was far from horror. To me, it wasn’t scary at all, it just had surprising elements and odd plots that you wouldn’t expect from this type of genre. Although the stories were pretty interesting, it just didn’t give me goosebumps or the intensity I wanted from it. However, although this wasn’t as scary as most horror books, I still would recommend it, for each tale is new and has some cool elements and surprises that were more entertaining rather than scary. So if you’re more into mild horror books, this would be the way to go.
May 16, 2019
This book was very interesting. One author, with so many different stories with various perspectives. Some stories were better than others, but that's just how life works. Although, I have to admit, when I first picked up this book, I expected to be scared. And, don't get me wrong, there one or two stories that might have given me chills. However, most of the stories I could just shrug off while reading. But still, I am very impressed by the multiple different perspectives and the unique ideas thought off and written down on paper.
February 4, 2020
I can't possibly summarise what I felt about this book in a review. There are just too many feelings because there are so many amazing stories. I have something to say about each one! We'll be here forever if I start. But I do know that I will be thinking about the stories I've read in this one for a very long time. It's going to stick with me, I'm sure of it (as all of Neal's books have. Like seriously. I think about them almost every day)
December 16, 2022
Darkness Creeping Twenty Twisted Tales by Neal Shusterman is a very good book! I rate it 5 stars because it's perfect if you like scary scary stories. The book has 20 different stories with explanations of why the author wrote them. My favorite story in the book is catching cold, The story about an impatient ice cream truck. The kid in the book Marty Zybeck makes it his goal to catch the ice cream truck but in the end it's his biggest regret
January 30, 2025
This book reminds me of the "scary" stories you'd tell your friends at sleepovers. They don't scare you then, but they stick with you and make you think in the middle of the night.
This book is composed of a bunch of short stories. It is unlike any other writing that I have read of Shusterman. It was not my favorite writing piece of his, but I did enjoy reading some of the stories and his bizarre ideas and the reason behind them.
This book is composed of a bunch of short stories. It is unlike any other writing that I have read of Shusterman. It was not my favorite writing piece of his, but I did enjoy reading some of the stories and his bizarre ideas and the reason behind them.
July 16, 2017
Neal Shusterman quickly joined the ranks of my favorite authors with his Unwind Dystology so it was a no brainer that I would be picking up Darkness Creeping. While the age ranges fluctuate between tales from pre-teen to new-adult along with the level of horror each one held my attention till the end.
June 7, 2021
A collection of mildly unnerving tales from the guy that brought you kids being collected for their organs, this book is great if you want to read about bad things happening to teenagers. Still this book is great and if you want to read some short stories that could be good universes to write in if you are an author that writes fan fiction.
July 26, 2022
Since this is a short story collection, instead of writing 1 long review, I'm going to review each story in 10 words or less.
Catching Cold: Felt like a lost story from David Lubar's Weenies.
Who Do We Appreciate: We appreciate all those plot twists, of course.
Soul Survivor: I'm afraid of dolphins now.
Black Box: I love stories that just Do Whatever, and this one delivered.
Resting Deep: My favorite story in the collection. I got actual chills.
Security Blanket: Good enough, but could have been shorter/faster.
Same Time Next Year: Interesting concept, very creative setting, ending ripped straight from Weenies.
The River Tour: The opposite of Security Blanket (Could have definitely been longer).
Flushie: It clearly took a special mind to create this one.
Monkeys Tonight: Just the right length, great cliffhanger ending.
Screaming At The Wall: Guessed the ending early on, still dreaded its arrival.
Growing Pains: Absolutely the scariest story. Would have scarred me as a kid.
Alexander's Skull: Great premise, great build-up, kind of anticlimactic ending.
Connecting Flight: I shouldn't have read this one before a plane trip.
Ralphy Sherman's Root Canal: Accurate representation of dentist visits, with absolutely no exaggeration involved.
An Ear For Music: What even happened in this one?
Riding The Raptor: Well, that got sad all of a sudden.
Trash Day: Hilarious concept, ending didn't really make sense.
Crystalloid: This could be a whole novel and I'd read it all.
Shadow Of A Doubt: I'm going to be looking over my shoulder....
Catching Cold: Felt like a lost story from David Lubar's Weenies.
Who Do We Appreciate: We appreciate all those plot twists, of course.
Soul Survivor: I'm afraid of dolphins now.
Black Box: I love stories that just Do Whatever, and this one delivered.
Resting Deep: My favorite story in the collection. I got actual chills.
Security Blanket: Good enough, but could have been shorter/faster.
Same Time Next Year: Interesting concept, very creative setting, ending ripped straight from Weenies.
The River Tour: The opposite of Security Blanket (Could have definitely been longer).
Flushie: It clearly took a special mind to create this one.
Monkeys Tonight: Just the right length, great cliffhanger ending.
Screaming At The Wall: Guessed the ending early on, still dreaded its arrival.
Growing Pains: Absolutely the scariest story. Would have scarred me as a kid.
Alexander's Skull: Great premise, great build-up, kind of anticlimactic ending.
Connecting Flight: I shouldn't have read this one before a plane trip.
Ralphy Sherman's Root Canal: Accurate representation of dentist visits, with absolutely no exaggeration involved.
An Ear For Music: What even happened in this one?
Riding The Raptor: Well, that got sad all of a sudden.
Trash Day: Hilarious concept, ending didn't really make sense.
Crystalloid: This could be a whole novel and I'd read it all.
Shadow Of A Doubt: I'm going to be looking over my shoulder....
May 18, 2017
This is a great collection of extremely scary stories that will convince you to look twice at the shadow in the dark. I loved how Neal Shusterman explains how he gets his inspiration for certain stories in the collection. I highly recommend this to people who enjoy a good scare!
March 25, 2020
These are not horror stories which is what I was hoping for. They are odd and slightly creepy. All of them are very unique and well written with a few that were especially entertaining: security blanket, screaming at the wall, and crystalloid were my favorites.
December 11, 2023
In not big on horrors, but this book was really good! I stayed up late reading it. There were many unique stories in it, all with a wide genre of stories. I enjoyed it thoroughly and would read something else by the same author.
May 17, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed most of the short stories here. While they weren’t as creepy as what I was expecting from the cover and title, I thought that they were quite well-written. This book is perfect for anyone who wants a story during short breaks.
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