SIX SCARY STORIES SELECTED AND INTRODUCED BY STEPHEN KING Winning stories from The Bazaar of Bad Dreams Hodder-Guardian competition The Number 1 bestselling writer Stephen King introduces and presents six gripping and chilling stories in this captivating anthology: WILD SWIMMING by Elodie Harper EAU-DE-ERIC by Manuela Saragosa THE SPOTS by Paul Bassett Davies THE UNPICKING by Michael Button LA MORT DE L'AMANT by Stuart Johnstone THE BEAR TRAP by Neil Hudson Stephen King discovered these stories when he judged a competition run by Hodder & Stoughton and the Guardian to celebrate publication of his own collection The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. He was so impressed with the entries that he recommended they were published together in one book. Reader beware: the stories will make you think twice before cuddling up to your old soft toy, dipping your toe into the water or counting the spots on a leopard...
DIVElusive online journalist Scott King investigates the murder of a teenager at an outward bound centre, in the first episode of the critically acclaimed, international bestselling Six Stories series... For fans of Serial 'Bold, clever and genuinely chilling' Sunday Mirror 'Haunting, horrifying, and heartrending. Fans of Arthur Machen, whose unsettling tale The White People provides an epigraph, will want to check this one out' Publishers Weekly 'Wonderfully horrifying ... the suspense crackles' James Oswald 'A complex and subtle mystery, unfolding like dark origami to reveal the black heart inside' Michael Marshall Smith ________________ One body Six stories Which one is true? 1997. Scarclaw Fell. The body of teenager Tom Jeffries is found at an outward bound centre. Verdict? Misadventure. But not everyone is convinced. And the truth of what happened in the beautiful but eerie fell is locked in the memories of the tight-knit group of friends who embarked on that fateful trip, and the flimsy testimony of those living nearby. 2017. Enter elusive investigative journalist Scott King, whose podcast examinations of complicated cases have rivalled the success of Serial, with his concealed identity making him a cult internet figure. In a series of six interviews, King attempts to work out how the dynamics of a group of idle teenagers conspired with the sinister legends surrounding the fell to result in Jeffries' mysterious death. And who's to blame... As every interview unveils a new revelation, you'll be forced to work out for yourself how Tom Jeffries died, and who is telling the truth. A chilling, unpredictable and startling thriller, Six Stories is also a classic murder mystery with a modern twist, and a devastating ending. ________________ Praise for the Six Stories series 'A genuine genre-bending debut' Carla McKay, Daily Mail 'Impeccably crafted and gripping from start to finish' Doug Johnstone, The Big Issue Matt Wesolowski brilliantly depicts a desperate and disturbed corner of north-east England in which paranoia reigns and goodness is thwarted ... an exceptional storyteller' Andrew Michael Hurley 'Beautifully written, smart, compassionate – and scary as hell. Matt Wesolowski is one of the most exciting and original voices in crime fiction' Alex North 'Original, inventive and dazzlingly clever' Fiona Cummins 'It's a relentless & original work of modern rural noir which beguiles & unnerves in equal measure. Matt Wesolowski is a major talent' Eva Dolan 'Endlessly inventive and with literary thrills a-plenty, Matt Wesolowski is boldly carving his own uniquely dark niche in fiction' Benjamin Myers 'Disturbing, compelling and atmospheric, it will terrify and enthral you in equal measure' M W Craven 'Readers of Kathleen Barber's Are You Sleeping and fans of Ruth Ware will enjoy this slim but compelling novel' Booklist 'A relentless and original work of modern rural noir which beguiles and unnerves in equal measure. Matt Wesolowski is a major talent' Eva Dolan 'With a unique structure, an ingenious plot and so much suspense you can't put it down, this is the very epitome of a must-read' Heat ‘Wonderfully atmospheric. Matt Wesolowski is a skilled storyteller with a unique voice. Definitely one to watch’ Mari Hannah/div
Everyone loves scary stories and award-winning comedy writer/director Carl Reiner invites readers to huddle close as he tells a young boy's tale of the mysterious house next door. Something with red beams of light shooting from its eyes was coming down the basement stairs. It came closer and closer... the hair on the back of my neck was sticking straight out. I finally saw it- and it was alive! As the story becomes spookier and spookier, Reiner pauses to ask "Shall we turn the page- or is it too scary?" That's for you to decide! Parents and children can read along together as they listen to spooky sound effects and Carl Reiner's hilarious performance of Tell Me a Scary Story... on the accompanying CD.
A 2020 Newbery Honor Recipient! Christian McKay Heidicker, author of the Thieves of Weirdwood trilogy, draws inspiration from Bram Stoker, H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe for his debut middle-grade novel, a thrilling portrait of survival and an unforgettable tale of friendship. "Clever and harrowing." —The Wall Street Journal "Into the finest tradition of storytelling steps Christian McKay Heidicker with these highly original, bone-chilling, and ultimately heart-warming stories. All that’s needed is a blazing campfire and a delicious plate of peaches and centipedes.” —Kathi Appelt, Newbery Award honoree and National Book Award finalist The haunted season has arrived in the Antler Wood. No fox kit is safe. When Mia and Uly are separated from their litters, they discover a dangerous world full of monsters. In order to find a den to call home, they must venture through field and forest, facing unspeakable things that dwell in the darkness: a zombie who hungers for their flesh, a witch who tries to steal their skins, a ghost who hunts them through the snow . . . and other things too scary to mention. Featuring eight interconnected stories and sixteen hauntingly beautiful illustrations, Scary Stories for Young Foxes contains the kinds of adventures and thrills you love to listen to beside a campfire in the dark of night. Fans of Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Auxier, and R. L. Stine have found their next favorite book. A Booklist 2019 Editors' Choice Selection
A monumentally devastating plague leaves only a few survivors who, while experiencing dreams of a battle between good and evil, move toward an actual confrontation as they migrate to Boulder, Colorado.
“[Ballingrud's] evocative and strangely beautiful.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Nathan Ballingrud is one of my favorite contemporary authors and any time he’s got a new book out I run to the front of the line. His work is elegant and troublingly, wonderfully disturbing.”—Victor LaValle, award–winning author of The Changeling “Nathan Ballingrud's brilliant fiction brims with imagination, integrity (I do not use that term lightly), and an authentic world-weary dread that bores directly into your heart. With Wounds you'll gladly follow Nathan to Hell and (maybe) back.”—Paul Tremblay, award-winning author of The Cabin at the End of the World and A Head Full of Ghosts “Nathan Ballingrud is one of my favorite short fiction writers.” —Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times bestselling author of Annihilation and Borne “Stretch[es] the boundaries of the genre by employing these grand, horrific worlds. “The Butcher’s Table” reminds me of the first time I read Clive Barker’s “In the Hills, the Cities.” It’s horrifying, but there’s beauty.” —The New York Times “In only two slender collections, Nathan Ballingrud has emerged as one of the field’s most accomplished short story writers.” —The Washington Post “Ballingrud’s work isn’t like any other.”—Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing “One of the most disquieting and memorable short story collections to come out this year.”—The New York Review of Books “Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell is without a doubt one of the best, most accomplished horror collections in recent memory.”—Hellnotes “Wounds will no doubt be remembered as one of the most disquieting and memorable short story collections to come out this year.”—New York Journal of Books “There’s enough nightmare fuel here to inspire weeks of insomnia — all told with an even hand with a penchant for precise storytelling. How else do you chart the furthest reaches of the uncanny?”—Tobias Carroll, Vol. 1 Brooklyn A gripping collection of six stories of terror—including the novella “The Visible Filth,” the basis for the upcoming major motion picture—by Shirley Jackson Award–winning author Nathan Ballingrud, hailed as a major new voice by Jeff VanderMeer, Paul Tremblay, and Carmen Maria Machado—“one of the most heavyweight horror authors out there” (The Verge). In his first collection, North American Lake Monsters, Nathan Ballingrud carved out a distinctly singular place in American fiction with his “piercing and merciless” (Toronto Globe and Mail) portrayals of the monsters that haunt our lives—both real and imagined: “What Nathan Ballingrud does in North American Lake Monsters is to reinvigorate the horror tradition” (Los Angeles Review of Books). Now, in Wounds, Ballingrud follows up with an even more confounding, strange, and utterly entrancing collection of six stories, including one new novella. From the eerie dread descending upon a New Orleans dive bartender after a cell phone is left behind in a rollicking bar fight in “The Visible Filth” to the search for the map of hell in “The Butcher’s Table,” Ballingrud’s beautifully crafted stories are riveting in their quietly terrifying depictions of the murky line between the known and the unknown.
Fourteen terrifying ghost stories chosen by the master of the macabre, Roald Dahl. 'Spookiness is the real purpose of the ghost story. It should give you the creeps and disturb your thoughts . . .' Who better to choose the ultimate in spine-chillers than Roald Dahl, whose own sinister stories have teased and twisted the imagination of millions? Here are fourteen of his favourite ghost stories, including Sheridan Le Fanu's The Ghost of a Hand, Edith Wharton's Afterward, Cynthia Asquith's The Corner Shop and Mary Treadgold's The Telephone. Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahl's stories continue to make readers shiver today.
Scott King investigates allegations of demon possession in a rural Yorkshire village, where a 12-year-old boy was murdered by two young children. Book six in the spine-tingling, award-winning Six Stories series. 'Matt's books are fantastic' Ian Rankin 'An exceptional storyteller' Andrew Michael Hurley 'Matt Wesolowski is taking the crime novel to places it's never been before' Joseph Knox, author of True Crime Story 'A stunning new episode of the powerful Six Stories series. A masterful storyteller, Matt Wesolowski is my go-to writer for literary horror' C J Cooke, author of The Lighthouse Witches ______________ In 1995, the picture-perfect village of Ussalthwaite was the site of one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, in a case that shocked the world. Twelve-year-old Sidney Parsons was murdered by two boys his own age. No reason was ever given for this terrible crime, and the 'Demonic Duo' who killed him were imprisoned until their release in 2002, when they were given new identities and lifetime anonymity. Elusive online journalist Scott King investigates the lead-up and aftermath of the killing, uncovering dark stories of demonic possession, and encountering a village torn apart by this unspeakable act. And, as episodes of his Six Stories podcast begin to air, and King himself becomes a target of media scrutiny and public outrage, it becomes clear that whatever drove those two boys to kill is still there, lurking, and the campaign of horror has just begun... ____________ 'Matt Wesolowski is boldly carving his own uniquely dark niche in fiction' Benjamin Myers 'Matt's real skill is in finding a deeply human story and twisting it with the paranormal, touching the reader and scaring the wits out of them' Chris MacDonald 'One of the most exciting and original voices in crime fiction' Alex North 'A wonderful writer' Chris Whitaker 'I'll be rereading these books forever' Sublime Horror 'The master of horror, of mixing folklore with urban myth and real life. Terrifyingly good' Louise Beech 'A taut and gripping tale that deftly skewers the perfect balance of crime, thriller and horror. Intriguing, disturbing and impeccably crafted – I was riveted from the first page' Lucie McKnight Hardy, author of Dead Relatives Praise for the Six Stories series: **Longlisted for Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year** **Winner of the Capital Crime Best Independent Voice Award** 'A captivating, genre-defying book with hypnotic storytelling' Rosamund Lupton 'Original, inventive and dazzlingly clever' Fiona Cummins ' Daisy Jones and the Six gone to the dark side. I couldn't put it down' Harriet Tyce 'Bold, clever and genuinely chilling with a terrific twist' Sunday Mirror 'Insidiously terrifying, with possibly the creepiest woods since The Blair Witch Project' C J Tudor 'Frighteningly wonderful ... one of the best books I've read in years' Khurrum Rahman 'Disturbing, compelling and atmospheric, it will terrify and enthral you in equal measure' M W Craven 'A dark, twisting rabbit hole of a novel. You won't be able to put it down' Francine Toon 'First-class plotting' S Magazine 'A dazzling fictional mystery' Foreword Reviews 'Readers of Kathleen Barber's Are You Sleeping and fans of Ruth Ware will enjoy this slim but compelling novel' Booklist For fans of Serial, The Conjuring, C J Tudor, Fiona Cummins, Sarah Pinborough and Catriona Ward
Online investigative journalist Scott King investigates the death of a pop megastar, the subject of multiple accusations of sexual abuse and murder before his untimely demise in a fire ... another episode of the startlingly original, award-winning Six Stories series. 'A captivating, genre-defying book with hypnotic storytelling' Rosamund Lupton 'A chilling, wholly original and quite brilliant story. Deity is utterly compelling, and Matt Wesolowski is a wonderful writer' Chris Whitaker 'Matt Wesolowski taking the crime novel to places it's never been before. Filled with dread, in the best possible way' Joseph Knox _______________ A shamed pop star A devastating fire Six witnesses Six stories Which one is true? When pop megastar Zach Crystal dies in a fire at his remote mansion, his mysterious demise rips open the bitter divide between those who adored his music and his endless charity work, and those who viewed him as a despicable predator, who manipulated and abused young and vulnerable girls. Online journalist, Scott King, whose Six Stories podcasts have become an internet sensation, investigates the accusations of sexual abuse and murder that were levelled at Crystal before he died. But as Scott begins to ask questions and rake over old graves, some startling inconsistencies emerge: Was the fire at Crystal's remote home really an accident? Are reports of a haunting really true? Why was he never officially charged? Dark, chillingly topical and deeply thought-provoking, Deity is both an explosive thriller and a startling look at how heroes can fall from grace and why we turn a blind eye to even the most heinous of crimes... _______________ Praise for the Six Stories series 'A gripping exposure of the underbelly of celebrity and obsessive fandom with lashings of supernatural horror – Daisy Jones and the Six gone to the dark side. I couldn't put it down' Harriet Tyce 'Matt Wesolowski is boldly carving his own uniquely dark niche in fiction' Benjamin Myers 'Dark, twisty and incredibly clever ... an author to watch!' C L Taylor 'A dark, twisting rabbit hole of a novel. You won't be able to put it down' Francine Toon 'First-class plotting' S Magazine 'A dazzling fictional mystery' Foreword Reviews 'Readers of Kathleen Barber's Are You Sleeping and fans of Ruth Ware will enjoy this slim but compelling novel' Booklist 'An exceptional storyteller' Andrew Michael Hurley 'Beautifully written, smart, compassionate – and scary as hell. Matt Wesolowski is one of the most exciting and original voices in crime fiction' Alex North 'Insidiously terrifying, with possibly the creepiest woods since The Blair Witch Project ... a genuine chiller with a whammy of an ending' C J Tudor 'Frighteningly wonderful ... one of the best books I've read in years' Khurrum Rahman 'Disturbing, compelling and atmospheric, it will terrify and enthral you in equal measure' M W Craven 'Bold, clever and genuinely chilling with a terrific' Sunday Mirror 'A genuine genre-bending debut' Daily Mail 'Impeccably crafted and gripping from start to finish' Big Issue 'The very epitome of a must-read' Heat 'Wonderfully horrifying ... the suspense crackles' James Oswald 'Original, inventive and dazzlingly clever' Fiona Cummins 'Haunting, horrifying, and heartrending. Fans of Arthur Machen will want to check this one out' Publishers Weekly
Are you an avid fan of scary stories? Rather than frightening you, the sordid tales of gruesome deaths and ghastly ghosts fascinate and stimulate you-so you are always on a quest for terror-filled tales. Terror-filled stories are read to test one's nerves, and obviously to scare. Moreover, it's the mystery mingled with the horror that really beckons people to pick up a scary story. They can't live without satisfying their curiosity. After all, the tales with a hidden killer or a ghost's possession are weaved with an underlying depth of mystery. Scary stories can set your heart racing and scare the wits out of you. You read them for your entertainment and because you are fascinated by the terror emphasized in them. But what exactly are they? Horror stories are those tales that captivate readers via either bloodshed or supernatural beings, like ghosts or demons. Paranormal beings terrify us because they have powers that are beyond our comprehension. On the other hand, scary stories also illustrate the dark side of humans and what they are capable of doing if evil rests in their hearts. A person only gets frightened of what they actually fear, but fear is a rather broad term. Everyone is afraid of one thing or the other. The mere mention of ghosts might make you tremble, but your friends might enjoy ghost stories, and they can abide with gruesome stories of ruthless killings and lot of blood. Despite the aftereffects of these stories-nightmares, trouble going to the bathroom alone-people still can't seem to get enough of them. Readers are spurred on to continue reading by nerve-wrecking questions like why, who, how, and what will save the victims. This book contains some interestingly macabre and hair-raising short stories that will entice you and your terror-loving spirit. Horror and mystery go hand in hand to bring you short stories that will provide you with tales worth remembering. These six short stories are an interesting read, if you're looking for something scary riddled with mystery to read. What are you waiting for? Buy now
