Toybox

by Al Sarrantonio

Toybox is the first ever collection of stories by horror master Al Sarrantonio, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of more than twenty novels and editor of the landmark horror anthology 999. Toybox itself was nominated for an International Horror Guild Award for best collection.

Little Selene was bored. And then came the mysterious Toyman, carrying a very special toybox, filled with wonders and terrors beyond imagination. As Selene peered into the toybox, the stories tumbled out: a quiet little girl whose horrible secret bursts forth at a Halloween party ... a doll made of corn that hides a very nasty surprise ... a depraved celebration for the last vampire ... All of these and many more awaited Selend - and now they wait for you - inside the toybox. Go ahead, open it, if you dare.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Collections, Halloween, Audiobook, Anthologies

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Al Sarrantonio was an American horror and science fiction writer, editor and publisher who authored more than 50 books and 90 short stories. He also edited numerous anthologies.

Reviews

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Al Sarrantonio, Toybox (Leisure, 2011)

Sarrantonio has written the odd novel over the course of his career, but his strength, to me, has always been short stories. I first encountered Sarrantonio back in an old Year's Best Horror collection (I think it was in 1980, but don't quote me, and yes, I bought it new). Sarrantonio's story closed the volume. It was called “Pumpkin Head”. I don't recall my twelve-year-old self being overly impressed with it at the time, but the story's final, somewhat mysterious, line haunted me for decades until I got round to reading the story again recently. It's not “mysterious” in that it doesn't fit with the story; it does, and it conveys the information it is supposed to convey. And yet it has always seemed to me that there is a great deal more to that last line than the conveyance of information; there is something much larger and more chilling there, some sort of unfathomable depth of hunger that is wrapped up in lifelong loneliness and horrific abuse and world-burning hatred.

I'm telling you all this, naturally, because Toybox, aside from the very short beginning to a framing device that pops up now and again throughout this collection, starts off with “Pumpkin Head”, and thirty years later, it's just as innocent and heartbreaking and still has that core of pure, unadulterated hatred. And as I went through the collection, I discovered that Sarrantonio does that sort of thing exceptionally well; I'd read a few of the stories here before (though none stayed with me in remotely as much detail as “Pumpkin Head”), but had never really made the connection that this guy writes about kids, almost exclusively, and that his ability to make the reader experience that sort of hapless innocence is exactly what makes his stories so good.

There is a downside to this that shows up in the book: Sarrantonio's stories feel weird and out-of-place when he's writing exclusively about adults. But that doesn't happen often here, all the stories of that type are confined to one section, and this will in way affect your enjoyment of this story collection. Which is very enjoyable. If you've never been exposed to the work of Al Sarrantonio, this is a great way to start. If you're already a fan, but have never picked up one of this story collections, this works for you, as well. If you don't like short stories... okay. I can't help you there. But the rest of you, go for it. ****

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Selene is bored; everything around her is dull. Until one night when the Toyman rings her doorbell, offering her something "not boring" - his toybox, full of infinite wonders:
*A lonely little girl tells her classmates a frightening story.
*A brother and sister show up and their long-lost father's house one night, having found him after their mother told them he was dead all their lives - but he has a secret in the basement.
*The Spook Man comes to town, calling out to horror-loving kids to join his family.
*A young girl soon regrets her wish that it be Christmas all the time.
*The man who lives under a little boys bed does not like the boys mean daddy, and offers to take his daddy away for him.
*Siblings save their town on Halloween.
*Four boys discover the source of all fear.
*A boy cannot resist the annual corn festival any longer, even though his mother inexplicably forbids him to attend.
*A brother and sister learn it is possible to get too much of a good thing.
*A boy learns a tough lesson about sneaking out.
*The dust in a house threatens to engulf the occupant.
*Now an adult, a man yearns for revenge against his father, whom instilled massive fears into him as a child, via an endless string of bizarre lies. Or were they?
*A boys new friend has an inexplicable influence over him, forcing him to commit cruel acts.
*A teacher promises her best lesson yet - a history of vampires.
*A man's forced to flee his hometown after learning the police are after him for a crime he's not even aware of, leading him back to an old hotel which stirs horrible memories of pigs.
*A woman falls for an anomaly of a man who can never love her back.
*Two neighborhood boys break into a house, unable to resist getting a look at the owners box collection.
-----------------------
I have mixed feelings about this; some stories were really pretty good, and others just left me feeling confused. If there's one thing I can't stand in my reading, it's wondering what the hell I just read. I like something really straightforward and to-the-point, so that's the reason for my rating. I'm definitely curious to see if any of his other work will leave me with the same confusion.

[Kevin Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

As delightfully strange and wonderfully Bradbury-esque as the first time.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

His writing really makes you feel like a kid again. A wonderful collection from a unique and highly-skilled writer.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid collection of mostly Halloween-themed stories. A perfect seasonal read brimming with nostalgia and that quaint child’s point of view that experiences innocence and evil with the same curiosity.

[Ben Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Sarrantonio collection. I've read some of his anthologies before, and I love his editing. Toybox is split in two parts. The first part didn't initially stand out to me. The stories were short and seemingly simple little campfire horror stories, sometimes with predictable endings. Fun, but usually not something that'd stick long in my mind. Reaching the end of the section, though, I started to realize that Sarrantonio had consistently evoked this "wholesome" Americana feel. The more he did it, the more I realized how hard it would be to do, let alone consistently. And some of the stories did start to stick in my head.

The Big House was a new take on haunted houses, told from the viewpoint of the house. The Corn Dolly had a mid-20th century feel while still pulling in elements from earlier centuries. The combination of the real social issues a boy faces combined with the supernatural aspects was good. The Electric Fat Boy was probably the most science fictional of all the stories, with a feel like some golden age magazines or maybe a Twilight Zone episode (though better than most TZ). Snow wrapped up the section. Temps outside while I was reading were 1° F, which made for a better read. When I got to the end, I laughed out loud.

There were a couple more stories before the section ended and the tone changed. It took me a bit by surprise, in a very good way. The language changed from something more suited to telling out loud to something more complex, better read, perhaps, than told. And the tone became darker, more adult.

Father Dear had me guessing at the ending. What I thought I could see coming, though, was different. The weirdness of the father and the assumption Sarrantonio made me make worked quite well for the story. The Children of Cain was perhaps the most horrific of the stories (such a subjective term). Hank was creepy, and the empathy I felt for Rudy made it horrific. Red Eve is a fun alternate view of history and the future, and is the other science fictional story of the collection. Pigs was set in Soviet occupied Poland. This was one of the weirder stories, feeling slightly disjointed, but in a way that worked for the story. Red played a big part of these last two. Richard's Head was perhaps the weirdest of all, but didn't work quite as well for it. Still, it's a fun story based on an idea from philosophy.

The linking story which tied the collection together was quite effective in the end. It did set the stories into their own sections, but it didn't foreshadow the earlier split I mentioned. In the end, it stood creepy on its own.

For the stories I didn't mention, check out my brief notes from the reading progress.

I'll be checking out more of Al's stuff.

[Lisa Greer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarrantonio is a gifted writer. His descriptive powers are unbelievable. He's the type of author that makes you shiver and "see" exactly what he is writing about. The stories are not bad either! So far, I've really liked three of them. These are worth reading, though, for the imagery and description alone; it is always excellent. And he doesn't use gobs of description, adjectives, etc either... just the right amount to bring you the world in sharp edges and shadows when needed.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was not sure what to expect from this collection but some of the stories were exceptionally good. 'Children of Cain' and 'Richard's Head' were two that stood out.

[Alex McConnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read Al Sarrantonio’s short fiction in random anthologies over the years I was excited to read his first collection of his. I dig the fact that Al’s stories often center on Halloween and the fall. It makes me nostalgic for my youth and love of autumn. Plus he clearly pays homage to Ray Bradbury’s love of the season in his tales.
Unfortunately the collection itself was just decent. There are a few high points but most of the stories left me feeling underwhelmed. While the Halloween tales within paint autumn perfectly the stories just didn’t have much bite. This isn’t to say any of the stories were bad, in fact I wouldn’t call any one bad. Just lacking.
Some of the more exceptional tales were: The Corn Dolly - A town festival tale where some rites are best left unquestioned. The Electric Fat Boy - A surprising tale of bullied boys and robots full of unexpected heart. Garden Of Eden - Where some 50’s style punks ignore town rules and pay the price. Children of Cain - A quietly scary story about boyhood, friendship and the violence inside us all.
Overall a three star because all the stories are easily readable. Problem is they’re just as easily forgettable….

[Dana Cordelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are more things strange herein than the mere subject matter...

So I was thrilled to see that "Toybox" had finally been released for Kindle, as it's been out of print for a little while. Even more so, since it's coming up on Halloween and his spooky stories would be just the thing to get me in the mood.

As with any collection of short stories, some definitely outshine the others. "Snow" and "The Corn Dolly" really stood out to me, although I have to say "Children of Cain" was probably the best written and by far the most disturbing. In my growing experience with Sarrantonio's shorts, I've come to find his characteristic twist-endings are hit or miss with me. An example of a miss would be in "Under My Bed," where a potentially great plot ended rather ambiguously, and I was disappointed. "Pigs," although similarly ambiguous, gave a better hint of the direction he was nudging his audience's imagination, and was a much more satisfying read. Ditto for "Pumpkin Head," the story opener and that which contains some of his best Halloweenie imagery.

I can't help but wonder, however, how the type was set for this collection. The copyright dates for each of these stores range from the early 80's to the late 90's, so they've obviously been read and reread by many critical eyes.

I began to think somewhere near the halfway point that he'd either handwritten each story and scanned it in (or had someone type up a handwritten manuscript) or else that he'd penned it in something like an old Newton, which consistently mixed up letters and punctuation. Often a "cl" would become a "d", an "rn" would become an "m," and lonely parenthesis and quotation marks were thrown all around like mismatched socks. It wasn't clear whether this was intentional (he makes good use of the creative run-on sentence in both the base narrative and each of the stories), because it didn't tie in to the arc as well as other grammatical devices he employed. This may have occurred when the type was converted for Kindle publication, as I haven't seen anyone else mention it yet.

But enough from the Grammar Nazi. All in all, this is a good collection of strange and spooky stories, and well worth the wait. Happy Halloween!

[John Bruni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never really been a fan of Sarrantonio's longer work, but I'd never tried out his short fiction before, and in the intro to this book, Joe R. Lansdale talks about how awesome these stories are. I respect Lansdale a lot, so I hoped this collection would turn me around. In many ways it did. Sarrantonio has an amazing style, and he's a great writer. I'm hard pressed to think of a living writer who does atmosphere so well. But there is a problem: almost all of these stories are about kids. I can't stand stories about kids. It takes a very special writer, like Ray Bradbury, for instance, to get me to like such tales. Unfortunately, that's where Sarrantonio lacks. There are some great stories in here, though. I highly recommend "Pumpkin Head," "The Electric Fat Boy," "Father Dear" (which is the best, in my opinion) and "Children of Cain."

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crow, these stories are seriously creepy! The author must be very interesting to talk to, because he uses language in such a charming way that it occasionally takes me out of the story just so that I can sit back and enjoy that last sentence for a sec. But the stories are insidious. It's okay to lose focus; you'll be back in the vortex in no time.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun

I had a great time reading this. I will buy more from this author. The. Short stories were well written and fun

[David Schwenker]

General Comments
Al Sarrantonio is a clear admirer of Ray Bradbury, capturing a similar measure of flowery prose as well as weaving tales of dark fantasy from the perspective of a child. Yet Sarrantonio lacks the narrative variety or the mature thematic complexity of Bradbury - most of the stories within this collection are too simplistic and they begin to echo one another far too often. That's not to say none rise above this criticism (a few do), but they strike the same simple notes repeatedly. Still, Sarrantonio can write prose very well - you always have a sense of place with vivid images clearly manifesting your mind - and he does capture the naivete of children effectively, but the stories themselves won't linger in memory and will more than likely blur together.

The Stories

Pumpkin Head - 3.0 out of 5

A child who is simply "different" due to birth defects is relentlessly mocked and ridiculed by children and ostracized by adults, driving the unfortunate adolescent into murderous insanity. This is a common premise within horror fiction and I always thought it teetered on the edge of exploitation, depicting a fragility of these outcasts that suggest they are all just one step away from madness. I assume it's intended to be a viewed as a condemnation of society's cruelty, but it reads more as a convenient means to create a crazed killer. Regardless, the prose is well-written and leaves you feeling uncomfortable, which Sarrantonio clearly intended, it's just not that enjoyable (for this reader, at least - other reviews seem to think highly of it).

The Man With Legs - 3.25 out of 5

A silly horror yarn with a ridiculous reveal that would fit comfortably in the Goosebumps series. Fun.

The Spook Man - 2.75 out of 5

"Children venture into a creepy place and regret it." Horror shop edition. Atmospheric but routine.

Wish - 3.25 out of 5

The premise of this one is very intriguing - two children are stuck in perpetual Christmas due to an ill-conceived wish - and the atmosphere was fitfully chilly, but ultimately the story proved to be more of a sketch. I would be interested in reading a re-write of this tale. (And I guess I got my rewrite as Sarrantonio repeated the same premise in his short story Summer where a child wishes his summer vacation would never end. The results are largely the same.)

Under My Bed - 3.25 out of 5

A child who is abused and rejected by his parents finds companionship with a monster in order to cope with the trauma. This is another common premise among horror fiction that can be discomforting to read, but Sarrantonio handles the material well through his employment of first person narration and how the story resolves. Reminiscent of the Tales from The Dark episode "Monsters in My Room".

The Big House - 2.75 out of 5

"Children venture into a creepy place and regret it." Halloween haunted house edition. Atmospheric but routine.

Bogy - 2.75 out of 5

"Children venture into a creepy place and regret it." Creepy dark woods edition. Atmospheric but routine.

The Corn Dolly - 3.75 out of 5

One of the better stories of the collection, centering on a pagan harvest ritual akin to The Wicker Man. This one is successful because the central relationship between the mother and son is believable with their love and frustration organically driving the story forward to its fiery climax. Reminded me of the writings of Ronald Kelly with its Southern Gothic tone, specifically echoing his short story Dark Harvest which also involves the usage of corn in pagan rites. While I generally prefer Kelly as a writer, I do think Sarrantonio surpassed Kelly's story in this instance.

[Stephanie Yuzuki · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of horror fiction by Al Sarrantonio with a charming wrap-around story to tie them together. I came to Toybox when I recalled reading Sarrantonio's story "The Spook Man" in Bruce Coville's Book of Monsters II when I was a child and wanted to reread it. I recognized others from my youth, such as "Snow" from Bruce Coville's Book of Nightmares II. It was comforting seeing these stories again and it struck me how childish many of the stories are. No wonder I kept finding them in children's horror anthologies. Many are slight without saying much of anything, just spooky little things often, but not always, a grim ending. I can see how "The Spook Man" left an impression on me; the idea of a mysterious man taking horror-loving children away to become monsters appealed to a youth who felt so different from other children. "The Corn Dolly" makes for a good folk horror tale for children.

Now kids deserve horror of their own, but many of the stories read so similarly that they started feeling bland. There's little graphic violence, rare swearing and no sex for most of the book. Even most of the protagonists are children. They're a little like Ray Bradbury's short fiction (which I often read in the same anthologies as a child) but lacking the detail and allegory Bradbury had. Towards the end adult stories creep in, featuring much harder-edged fare. "Children of Cain" is a nasty gut punch after all the child-friendly frights with graphic animal cruelty. The adult stories sit uneasily next to the childish ones; maybe they should've been spaced out to break up the monotony of the childish stories. It was fun revisiting the ones I previously read and discovering other interesting stories, but even children's fiction needs more, to say more, than these.

[Vultural · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sarrantonio, Al - Toybox

Collection of what are, ostensibly, children's horror stories.
Spooky pumpkins, Halloween, the creepy house on the edge of town.
The new kid who doesn’t fit in, the old homeowner of ill odor.
The stories are – in a word – quaint.
Undoubtedly, they reflect Sarrantonio’s childhood in the 1960’s.
While young readers age eight or nine might read these with no ill effects, they would probably regard them as hopelessly corny.
The final half dozen are uglier, a few casually horrific, in keeping with the horror boom of the 1990’s.
Note: Edgar Poe was misspelled Allen. C’mon. Worse, Necco Wafers should have two C’s.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never read anything by Sarrantonio before, his style is different from anything I've ever read. Anthologies are hard to rate there's always some stories I enjoy more than others so I decided just to name off my favorites.
1. Pumpkinhead
2. Wished
3. The Corn Dolly, this is probably my favorite
4. Snow
5. Father Dear, a close second
6. Children of Cain
7. Red Eve
His writing is unique and while some of it wasn't up my alley I do plan on checking out some of his other books.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly solid collection of short horror stories. As with any collection, there's a few misfires. Wished and Snow are also a bit similar, but spaced out enough that it's not a huge problem. Worth a look if you're looking for kind of a young adult Twilight Zone type feel.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should have read this one instead of the audiobook but it was still a good listen.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mixture of children's and adult short horror stories. Favorite being the first entitled Pumpkin Head.

"My lunch and dinner." "My dinner and breakfast."

Definitely would have been creeped out reading it when I was 10 plus years old. The nuances, however, in many of the stories, would have passed over me.

[Sadie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some decent stories, some really good stories, and a few plain old bad stories. It isn't so much his writing, but the ideas behind the stories that make or break them. His writing is good, his plots, not always.

[Leona Joy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the worst, most poorly written book I've started in, in, I don't even know how long. It's terrible. I picked it up because the short story Wish was recommended on a Kindle board. Not a good idea.
It reads like the 80's reworked Twilight Zone. Blech.

[Angie crosby · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short story collection was like most I have read. A few good stories amongst a lot of crap. Mostly it was crap. I've not much to say about it.
Other than not really all that worth reading.

[Not Now...Mommy's Reading · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book. I made it to through the first (5) short stories before I gave up. The stories were a bit juvenille to me and not the least bit scary or chilling.

[Kevin Gallan · Rating 4 out of 5]

very creepy stories

[Gisbelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories are very, very creepy... some are a bit confusing...