House of Fear

by Jonathan Oliver (Editor), Joe R. Lansdale (Contributor), Christopher Priest (Contributor)

The tread on the landing outside the door, when you know you are the only one in the house. The wind whistling through the eves, carrying the voices of the dead. The figure glimpsed briefly through the cracked window of a derelict house.

Editor Jonathan Oliver brings horror home with a collection of haunted house stories by some of the finest writers working in the horror genre, including Joe R. Lansdale, Sarah Pinborough, Lisa Tuttle, Christopher Priest, Adam L. G. Nevill, Nicholas Royle, Chaz Brenchley, Christopher Fowler, Gary Kilworth, Weston Ochse, Eric Brown, Tim Lebbon, Nina Allan, Stephen Volk, Paul Meloy and more.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Ghosts, Supernatural, Paranormal

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Jonathan Oliver is the British Fantasy Award winning editor of Magic, House of Fear, End of the Line, End of the Road, World War Cthulhu, Five Stories High and Dangerous Games. He is the author of the collection The Language of Beasts, out now from Black Shuck Books.

Reviews

[Keith Chawgo · Rating 5 out of 5]

House of Fear is a fantastic collection of stories around the premise of haunted house. The stories collected range from great to fantastic without a weak story which in collections, is somewhat of a rarity.

'Objects in Dreams May Be Closer Than You Think' by Lisa Tuttle starts out proceedings as a couple try to find the house of their dreams after their divorce. It is told with great depth and the thread of emotion that is carried through is simply so well written that you are left with this feeling of sadness and regret. The ending is a true shocker that also stays with you.

'Pied-A-Terre' by Stephen Volk is a fantastic tale about a woman looking at a house and the overwrought emotions emanating from her as she does so. Volk's last film 'The Awakening is an exceptional film for ghost story film fans and in this tale, he is able to mix fact and fiction to spin out an extraordinary tale of redemption and strength.

'In The Absence of Murdock' by Terry Lamsley is a tale that very much nods its head to Ramsey Campbell and Jules Verne. Although it is set in modern times, it does lean itself to a very Victorian feel. The final paragraph lends itself to a classic Victorian ghost story with true invention.

'Florrie' by Adam L G Nevill shows the author in his element. If you have read 'The Damned', 'Apartment 16' or 'The Ritual', you know you are in for a treat. It is truly a very sad tale that deals with aging and what happens in the twilight years of the forgotten. It is truly sad tale that works on so many levels. The heart still weeps for the forgettable souls that you see every day without noticing.

'Driving The Milky Way' by Weston Ochse lends itself as an ode to Ray Bradbury and Theodore Sturgeon. It is like a sci-fi/horror version of Stand By Me. The youths are written with such passion and vitality that they almost lift themselves off the page. It reminds you what childhood friendships are all about.

'The Windmill' by Rebecca Levene is a haunting tale about a prisoner who is able to get away with anything until the past catches up. She has a real talent of keeping things real within a supernatural setting.

'Moretta' by Garry Kilworth talent lies within the structure of modern storytelling and bringing in classic ghost stories and intertwining them to make something fresh and fun. The setting of Dunwich, England adds extra sparks as the facts in the story are true and the town is disappearing into the sea. A great read.

'Hortus Conclusus' by Chaz Benchley includes a beautiful line 'The dead don't go away.' This is about Big Chill supernatural style and putting to rest a friend who has past. The surreal events are portrayed with honest emotion and able to bring together different elements to provide a truly fresh experience.

'The Dark Space in the House in the House in the Garden at the Centre of the World' by Robert Shearman (the man behind Doctor Who's Dalek episode) is beautifully written and is an extremely unusual story about a house in a garden and how the people within the house find out what it is to be human.

'The Muse of Copenhagen' by Nina Allen is an exciting story about a house, an uncle and his wife and the child that they raised. The chap has now grown and must close down the house belonging to his childhood and his uncle with dire consequences.

'An Injustice' by Christopher Fowler is my favourite as it starts out being one story and by the end, you are so involved with the story that your heart breaks from identifying the elements of the main character in yourself. This story resonates long after you finish.

'The Room Upstairs' by Sarah Pinbourough grabs you by the throat and soothes you into quiet unease and leads to something that is altogether rather moving.

'Villanova' by Paul Meloy is extremely frightening with his use of well drawn characters that are utterly convincing and beautifully realised, before hitting you with a conclusion that will leave you winded. This is an author to look out for. He is new and he is exciting to read.

'Widow's Weeds' by Christopher Priest. Priest also wrote the book 'The Prestige' which Christopher Nolan turned into an incredible film. In this story, Priest plays with the concept of just what constitutes a house and a haunting, to fascinating effect. It is a story that you may want to re-read time and time again.

'The Doll's House' by Jonathan Green is a gruesome story that will remind you of Tales from the Crypt or from the old Pan Book of Horror series. It is a meticulously crafted piece of horror fiction.

'Inside/Out' by Nicholas Royle is a story that is multi-faceted where it is left to the reader to decipher the meanings and the haunting. I appreciate the artistic flow of the story but have to say that it didn't really grab me. The imagery is outstanding and feel the symbolism surely captures an audience that I am probably missing out on.

'The House' by Eric Brown is a brilliant portrayal of convincing relationships in matters of the heart. We have two people, fighting to stay together in the face of a very unusual haunting.

'Trick of the Light' by Tim Lebbon is a moving tale that deals with ageing and haunting symbolising lives lived and the certainty of death.

'What Happened To Me' by Joe R Lansdale is a compelling blend of the quietly supernatural and full blown Lovercraftian horror. There is a master of horror working here and a terrific ending to this collection as this story will stay with you.

This is truly a great collection of short stories with everyone being extremely strong. This is to be treasured and re-read over and over again.

[James Everington · Rating 5 out of 5]

House Of Fear from Solaris is billed as an anthology of 'haunted house' stories, but that's not quite true. For one thing there's a haunted windmill, a haunted camper-van, a haunted doll-house... And for another, if 'haunted' means merely inhabited by a ghost then not all these places are haunted (although some most definitely are). If, however, 'haunted' means infected fear, guilt, and secrets then yes, these stories most definitely tell of hauntings...

How do you judge whether an anthology is good or not? One can't expect to love all of the stories, after all. But by any objective criteria I can think of House Of Fear isn't a good anthology; it's a great one:


Is the 'strike rate' of brilliant stories to merely average ones amazingly, impossibly high? Check
Do the stories selected illuminate and contrast well with each other? Check
Does the anthology introduce you to a load of great new authors you've not read before? Check, check, check
Here were a few of my favourite stories; I plan to write about some of these in more detail in my Strange Stories feature at some point.

Objects in Dreams May be Closer Than They Appear - Lisa Tuttle. Okay, Lisa Tuttle is not a writer who is new to me, but this story was, and it might be the best thing by her I've ever read. It's a story of our dream house (and dream life) as a trap, and it's deeply unnerving. And it would be the winner of the best titled story in the anthology, if not for:

The Dark Space in The House in The House in The Garden at The Centre of The World - Robert Shearman. Manages to combine the haunted house theme with an off the wall creation myth, a satirical look at modern middle-class life, and humour that genuinely made me laugh (especially the bits about cancer). The kind of bravura story you feel like applauding after you finish it.

Florrie - Adam L.G. Nevill. I've not read anything by this author before (despite the fact he's always cropping up in my Amazon recommendations) and I've obviously been a fool not to. A brilliant re-imagination of the tired old ghostly possession story.

The Room Upstairs - Sarah Pinborough. Another author new to me, and another where I think I must have been missing out. I've talked a lot on this blog about ambiguity as it relates to ghosts, but in this story the reality of the haunting and its metaphorical aspects dovetail together so well it almost doesn't matter. The ending is inevitable (and brilliant) either way.

Inside/Out - Nicholas Royle. A truly bizarre tale of identical girls, Hitchcock references, dream-like logic, and a house with two doors (like Doctor Jekyll's). Excellent.

There are lots of other really strong stories in this book though, and none of them are anything less than worth a read. Heartily recommended.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting reading.
I don't know why but usually I am not a big fan of short stories but I am afraid delving into a mammoth book of 600 pages or multi-books series, even at the same time I want to read several series I've got here. But since the other way I slept in my mother's home and having no books to read I started this one and what and it was a bag of mix feelings.


'Pied-A-Terre' by Stephen Volk is a nice tale about the purchasing of a house. I really was interested in the tale even if a bit predictable (reminded me of a gothic tale of the old days). It seems it had some truthful in it.


'In The Absence of Murdock' by Terry Lamsley is a tale that very much nods its head to Ramsey Campbell and Jules Verne. Although it is set in modern times, it does lean itself to a very Victorian feel. The final paragraph lends itself to a classic Victorian ghost story with true invention.

'Driving The Milky Way' by Weston Ochse was in interesting view on the term "house". House is where your heart is I guess. Nice interesting tale that delve into friendship and regret. Good tale.

'The Windmill' by Rebecca Levene has a supernatural setting about a convict and his odd partner in the cell. Good characterization by Levene.

'Moretta' by Garry Kilworth was a good tale set in rural england (Gothic story again) with a lovecraftian feeling.

'The Dark Space in the House in the House in the Garden at the Centre of the World' is God/Paradise setting with nice twist in the end. I enjoy the "God" parts more than the humans. (it's strange, you've got to read it to understand what I am saying).

'An Injustice' by Christopher Fowler is one of my favourite. It left me breathing hard until the very end. It's depressing and you will live as the main character. Believe me when I say that. It left me sad. Good Tale Mr Fowler.

'The Room Upstairs' by Sarah Pinbourough it was a nice tale about a robber as he stay in a haunted house as he waited for orders. It was a nice horror story with a good happy ending.

'Villanova' by Paul Meloy is a okay tale that is safe by the ending which leave you breathless. The ending apart deserves a five star rating.

'The Doll's House' by Jonathan Green is a horrifying tale that will grab you by your throat even if a bit predictable in the end.

'Trick of the Light' by Tim Lebbon was a good tale and other that will make you wonder about love and what means to have a haunted house.

'What Happened To Me' by Joe R Lansdale was a fitting ending. It starts slowly and you get a Arthur Machen/Lovecraftian horror tale. It was a good tale about a tale that is "True".

In the end I was satisfied and a couple of these writers are very good and probably I will try reading other tales by them.

[Gef · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghosts are one of my three faves in genre, so an anthology featuring stories by Joe R. Lansdale, Sarah Pinborough, Tim Lebbon, and a host of others sounded too good tSpooky Reads, I sat down to be enthralled.

Things kick off with a really chilling tale by Lisa Tuttle called "Objects in Dreams may be Closer than they Appear," about a woman who is roped into a road trip with her ex-husband through back roads in search of a home they tried to find when they were married, but never could. It set the pace for the book really well, by showing how the atmosphere and tones of the stories were likely going to be anything but conventional.

"Florrie" by Adam G. Nevill had to be one of the creepiest stories of the bunch, as a guy moves into a fixer-upper and goes madder and madder the longer he lives under its roof. Adam is apparently an accomplished novelist with more than one haunted house novel under his belt. I need to find one of those novels.

Weston Ochse may have written my favorite story from the whole book with "Driving the Milky Way." It's about a group of kids spending the summer hanging out together in the Arizona outback. It's usual boy shit until they meet a girl and the rusted-out RV on her grandparents' property. It basically becomes their clubhouse, but when they go wandering into the desert one night for an adventure, it becomes a whole lot more. Loved. This. Story.

For what I considered a wonderful and all-round disturbing Twilight Zone vibe, there were stories like Rebecca Levene's "The Windmill" about a prisoner and his growing torment behind bars, and Christopher Priest's "Widow's Weeds." The style of the writing might not carry notes of Rod Serling, but the subject matter certainly does.

There's nineteen stories in all, and I can't say there was a bad one in the bunch. I'm a sucker for ghost stories, mind you. Plus, I'm a fan of quite a few of these authors already, and several more of whom I've heard nothing but the highest praise, so it should be no surprise as to how good this anthology should be. Jonathan Oliver prefaces each story with a brief introduction, which is a nice touch, but I admit I was hoping for a little extra by way of author's notes on the inspiration for each story. That's just something I'm partial to though, and I can't begrudge any book that doesn't include them.

House of Fear is about as wonderfully rich as you could ask for from a garland of ghost stories, and it seems Jonathan Oliver is one more anthologist I need to watch for down the line.

[Deanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hit and miss collection, nothing that really frightens me or has me leaving the light on. I live in a house that is 260 years old, though there's no sign of anyone haunting the back bedroom.

[Gavin Gates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story collections are always worth a look at. Solaris has put together a varied team of writers to contribute a short story each all loosely based around ‘a haunted house’ the obvious that happens here is that some step up to the task better than others, Christopher Fowler writes a stand out piece in this collection called ‘An Injustice’ which takes on the tale of kids out to have fun and things just don’t go according to plan, this does seem to have a bit of a current affairs influence behind it. Inside/Out by Nicholas Royle turned out to be a bit of a let down considering his novel ‘Regicide’ which was also released through Solaris was by far one of the creepiest books I have picked up in a long time, similarly Sarah Pinborough's ‘The Room Upstairs’ and Garry Kilworth's ‘Moretta’ were not quite up to scratch.
‘The Windmill’ by Rebecca Levene was probably a favourite for me after reading it through a couple of times, Levene looks at prison life for somebody who thinks they rally shouldn’t be there. Weston Osche Takes a bit of a different spin in ‘Driving the Milky Way’ with the tale unfolding around an R.V. in a desert making for a very memorable read. . Jonathan Green and Adam Nevill also put across stellar pieces of work.
I could happily go into detail about each and every story included here in detail but then the review would end up as long as the book. All in all, House of Fear is a very worthwhile project edited very well by Jonathan Oliver. As always with short story collections the real beauty is being able to pick it up whenever there is a spare half hour and blast through a quick satisfying read. 90% of what is included is brilliant and the other 10% is more than acceptable anyway.

[Shell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable anthology of short stories all having to do with hauntings. My favorites were by Weston Ochse, Rebecca Levene, Jonathan Greene (all new to me) and of course, Joe Lansdale.
Nicely done, anthologies can be hit and miss but there really weren't any stories that I did not enjoy in this grouping.

[Cate Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous anthology of haunted places and haunted people. Favourite stories were by Lisa Tuttle, Adam Nevill, Robert Shearman, Sarah Pinborough, and Jonathan Green.

[Mickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great collection of short spooky stories, all featuring some form of haunted house. Each story was a great little introduction to the works of all the authors included, and it definitely highlighted some new-to-me authors that I'll be adding to my tbr. As always with these collections, some of the stories were better than others. But overall, it was an enjoyable read.

[Edward Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books you read, then go back and re-read to make sure that you understand what you just read. It's a short, concise, and well-written collection of truly haunting tales of ghosts, possession, and the experience of being human. Of all the tales, the ones created by Lisa Tuttle, Weston Ochse, and Jonathan Green were among my favorites.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Objects in Dreams may be Closer than they Appear" by Lisa Tuttle was a chilling modern take on a hidden place you can't find but the tantalising failure haunts you. This is how you can solidly integrate today's technology with the undocumented supernatural. Layer that with the personal and marital failures of the characters and you've got a great moody piece. The ending is unsurprising, but the well executed mood and themes makes up for it.

"An Injustice" by Christopher Fowler does a stunning job of turning ghost hunters on their ear and delivering a poignant message about how easily it is to haunt ourselves.

Worth picking up for these two, if nothing else.

[Craig Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Objects in Dreams may be Closer than they Appear by Lisa Tuttle:

A case of sometimes it's best not to let your curiosity get the better of you, it could have been a bit tighter, but an interesting tale none the less.

Pied-A-Terre by Stephen Volk

I think Stephen did a great job of writing from a female perspective, and it might make you even more weary when next you go house hunting.

In the Absence of Murdock by Terry Lamsley

Terry has a very old fashioned feel to his writing and checking out his books on Goodreads he's quite the master of the short story. I think lovers of pulp fiction will enjoy this one.

Florrie by Adam L. G. Nevill

As much I liked the other ones so far, I liked this one the most, the transition the story makes from beginning to end is quite remarkable. It will certainly make you think about who lived in a house previously to you.

Driving the Milkway by Weston Ochse

This was more a haunted RV than a haunted house, but a great tale none the less. Weston really plays on the nostalgia factor of what it was like to grow up, how wild our imaginations were (and sometimes still are). It shows us what lengths people will go to keep a friendship alive, a story I won't forget anytime soon.

The Windmill by Rebecca Levene

This is an honest look inside the head of a prisoner, how they feel they did nothing wrong and it's society that is persecuting them. An error he soon pays for, maybe a little too harshly, but that's for you to decide.

Moretta by Garry Kilworth

When and if I reach retirement I hope I have some excitement in my life like the main character does in this story, but maybe not as life threatening. Although the story wasn't particularly frightening it still had a nice charm to it.

Hortus Conclusus by Chaz Brenchley

It's about a group of friends who go help the mother of a deceased friend clean up a disused garden, and it doesn't take long before strange things start to happen. Things that prove that maybe their friend's spirit hasn't yet departed. While I enjoyed the story, I think it could have been a bit more scarier, but I don't think it was the aim of the story, because it left me feeling uneasy, like you should be doubly sure you treat people with respect while they're alive otherwise it might come back to haunt you.

The Dark Space in the House in the House in the Garden at the Centre of the World by Robert Shearman

Being a Dr Who writer (mentioned in the foreword before the story) I knew this story was going to be a little different and I wasn't disappointed. Cindy and Steve are forbidden from going to the centre of the forest, but predictably they don't listen. Being passive aggressive God is disappointed, but he does little to punish them, only
warning them not to go into the attic. And so the story goes on with its many twists and turns. It's the sort of story Alice would be proud of. The overall tone was compelling and it felt like a breeze to read.

The Muse of Copenhagen by Nina Allan

Nina has a done a great job of writing from the male perspective, normally you can tell quite easily that a writer is a bit out of their depth. Johnny gets a strange call from his uncle stating that he doesn't have long to live and when he inherits his childhood home he should get rid of it as soon as possible. Johnny goes over, but he soon gets caught up on childhood memories and doesn't want to get rid of any of it. Then his trip into the village changes everything and quickly decides to sell, but it's too late, he is not alone.

An Injustice by Christopher Fowler

A group of friends decide to go ghost hunting. Max, Ali and Shape. Max is the serious one and is in love with Ali and she doesn't know it, because she's too busy trying to get into Shape's pants and Shape doesn't care because he's only in it for the moment and will do anything to piss off his upright parents. Finding a possible ghost in the wrong side of town they stalk and soon discover that it's not all as it seems. A great story that ties in modern events quite nicely.

The Room Upstairs - Sarah Pinborough

The story had a laid back feel to it. A man casing out the town waiting for his accomplice to arrive, but soon gets distracted when something upstairs in the B and B he's staying in makes an awful racquet every night. He confront the other guest and landlady, but they know nothing. It soon reaches a stage where he can't take it any more and goes and finds out for himself. He finds something that makes him realize he should maybe change his ways.

Villanova by Paul Meloy

This story opened like many horror movies do all bright and happy but with something sinister lurking underneath. Ken takes his two girls on holiday. Steven a member of staff at the resort is charming, but in a clumsy way. There's something odd about him, but Ken isn't sure exactly what. As with any good horror story it steadily gets darker and has a decent pay off at the end.

Widow's Weeds by Christopher Priest

Christopher Priest is one of those writers I've heard a lot about, but haven't had a chance to read much of. I liked his casual and engaging style, and wouldn't mind reading more of his stuff in the future. Dennis is a lonely magician and finds what seems to be a perfect match through an internet dating site. She turns out to be all that he wanted and more, but as you've most probably guessed there's more to her than meets the eye. The story was maybe a bit too predictable, but somehow that was part of the charm.

The Doll's House by Jonathan Green

Having just finished reading the story it is the freshest in the my mind. The story builds up the tension quite nicely, maybe a little too dragged out, but a bit a shorter and it might have not worked as well. You could really feel the frustration of the main character as she goes through the day to day life of being a stay at home mum. It even made me feel anxious about my own washing and ironing.

Inside/Out by Nicholas Royle

This story had a dream like feel to it, you can almost see the shroud of fog in your mind's eye as you follow the main character as he stalks someone. It's one of those stories where a lot happens, but nothing too solid you can recall later. Although I do remember the gist of it, and it all comes together in a nice ending where everything suddenly makes sense. As you can imagine too late for the MC to do anything about it.

The House by Eric Brown

As stories go this a prime example of how you shouldn't let the past chain you down. Things happen and it may be hard at first, but you have to put it behind you. Focus on the future and the good things in life. The main character realizes it late in life, but better late than never. It's the sort of story you would expect to be made into a late Sunday evening drama you can enjoy with the family. In addition it's unique compared to the other stories, when you realize it's not the house itself that is haunted.

Trick of the Light by Tim Lebbon

This story pretty much continues the theme of the previous one. Live life while you have the chance. Penny a widow (husband missing for 7 years while on holiday and presumed dead) never was the adventurous type and didn't share her late husband's need to see the world and discover new things. She just wanted to stay at home in her own little world where nothing changed. After years of no news she decides to sell up house and buy an old mansion. I'm assuming Peter was quite well off because the place sounds massive. As you would suspect all is not right with the house and strange things start happening. Things that remind her of her husband.

What Happened to Me by Joe R Lansdale

I think this story was a fitting choice to end off the collection. It was suitably creepy and it's one that really fires the imagination. When the main character and his buddies pool their resources together to rent an old house they thought they had found the bargain of their lifetimes. The first flatmate pretty much leaves the first day there and the next soon after leaving the MC to tackle things on his own. Things get worse and worse to the point where he finds a previous tenant of the house, an old woman who used to live their when she was a girl, to help him get to the bottom of it. A woman the house seems to still have a strong bond with. Overall the story flowed nicely and even though the story was fantastic in nature it was told in a way that made it very much possible. A story I think I would make a great movie if was made by someone like Peter Jackson.

[Matt Cowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

House of Fear is an anthology of 19 haunted houses stories (although some aren’t really houses, i.e. a derelict RV and a greenhouse.)  I’ve always loved haunted house stories, so this was an easy buy for me.  Editor Jonathan Oliver did an excellent job assembling it.  Most of the stories were very strong, with two standouts.  My favorites were: “Objects in Dreams may be Closer than they Appear” by Lisa Tuttle, “Driving the Milky Way” by Weston Ochse, “Muse of the Copenhagen” by Nina Allan, “Villanova” by Paul Melroy, “Widow’s Weeds” by Christopher Priest, and “The Doll’s House” by Jonathan Green.

The two I absolutely loved were “In the Absence of Murdock” by Terry Lamsley and “What Happened to Me” by Joe R. Lansdale.  These left me in awe long after reading them.

Here is a brief synopsis of the stories:

1- “Objects in Dreams may be Closer than they Appear” by Lisa Tuttle (2011) – A woman and her ex-husband attend an event in the town where they used to live.  They’re both haunted by the strange cabin they saw from an overpass in the early days of their marriage but could never reach. 

2- “Pied-a-Terre” by Stephen Volk (2011) – A self-conscious woman travels to view a perspective house without her husband, who tells her she should be able to make decisions on her own.  She hears and experiences strange things inside as the real-estate agent shows her around.

3- “In The Absence of Murdock” by Terry Lamsley (2011) – When successful mystery co-author Murdock suddenly vanishes from a room, Franz is asked to check it out.  What he finds in Murdock’s house is bizarre and supremely creepy.  This fantastic story is reminiscent of M.R. James.

4- “Florrie” by Adam L.G. Nevill (2011) – A man buys his first house, a definite fixer-upper.  It, however, seems to be changing him more than vice-a-verse.   

5- “Driving the Milky Way” by Weston Ochse (2011) – A group of kids on summer break hang out in Arizona.  They congregate at an abandoned RV.  After being told some Indian legends claimed stars were actually traveling spirits, they decide to look for ancient, buried bones.  This is a well-written Ray Bradbury-esque tale.

6- “The Windmill” by Rebecca Levene (2011) – A hardened prisoner witnesses strange things at the windmill visible from his cell.

7- ”Moretta” by Garry Kilworth (2011) – A man inherits a gothic mansion.  Its history includes the suffocation death of several people, making it impossible to sell or rent.  He and a friend decide to stay the night to solve the mystery.

8- “Hortus Conclusus” by Chaz Brenchley (2011) – After the death of a close friend, a group goes to help his widow repair his house to sell.  When they start on the old greenhouse, they seem to encounter resistance from his spirit.

9- “The Dark Space in the House in the Garden at the Center of the World” by Robert Shearman (2011) – A take-off of the Adam and Eve story with ghosts.

10- ”Muse of the Copenhagen” by Nina Allan (2011) – An uncle calls his nephew to warn him to get rid of the house he will inherit upon his death without going there or taking anything from it.  This seems prophetic as the uncle dies soon afterwards.  The nephew, however, fails to do as promised.  This tale reminds me of Oliver Onion’s “The Beckoning Fair One”.

11- ”An Injustice” by Christopher Fowler (2011) – A group of amateur ghost hunters investigate a house where the apparition of a woman’s face appears in the window.

12- “The Room Upstairs” by Sarah Pinborough (2011) – A thief stays at a bed and breakfast awaiting a job.  He finds himself attracted to the demure widow who runs it but is woken every night by mysterious cries and pounding from the unoccupied room above.

13- “Villanova” by Paul Melroy (2011) – A father takes his daughters to a campground for vacation.  The over-helpful attendant shows signs of having suffered terrible burns, and the area is surprisingly devoid of other campers.

14- “Widow’s Weeds” by Christopher Priest (2011) – A stage magician travels to meet a beautiful woman at her mansion.  A sign in front of her house details an amazing list of skills and abilities she has mastered.   

15- “The Doll’s House” by Jonathan Green (2011) – A woman’s life begins down a dark path when her mother brings the childhood doll house, which she always hated, for her newly-born granddaughter. 

16- “Inside/Out” by Nicholas Royle (2012) – A man, obsessed with a beautiful twin since they shared a passing kiss, follows her in this surreal story.

17- “The House” by Eric Brown (2011) – A writer believes an old play he wrote is haunted.

18- “Trick of the Light” by Tim Lebbon (2011) – A terminally-ill woman buys a house seven years after her husband vanished.  When she arrives, she thinks she sees a figure watching from the tower window.

19- “What Happened to Me” by Joe R. Lansdale (2011) – A college student rents a house near the college he and his three roommates are to attend.  The other two abandon the place quickly after spending time there.  They won’t say what changed their minds but were obviously terrified by something.  The remaining student is left alone to deal with increasingly bizarre and threatening occurrences.  What resides in the nearby forest is far older and more dangerous than a ghost.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent horror anthology. I enjoyed reading every single story. Only a couple were sub-par.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like short stories. And I really, really like haunted house stories. So you can imagine how I would feel about a book of short stories about haunted houses!!

If I understand correctly (and I frequently don't), all of these stories were written just for this book. They all have the same copyright date as the book, itself. There are nineteen delightfully creepy stories, by nineteen different writers. The only one I had actually ever heard of was Joe R. Lansdale, who wrote the final story in the book, "What Happened To Me."

Every story in this book is well worth reading. I have eighteen new writers, whose work I am anxious to read more. It is hard to pick favorites, but I will try.

"Driving the Milky Way," by Weston Ochse, is about a group of young kids and their adventures surrounding an old, rusted out RV on one their parents' property. But one night, on one of their adventures, something strange happens, leaving only one of them behind. He is determined, as a grown-up, to find out what happened to them.

"Moretta," by Garry Kilworth, is about a house inhabited by a strange force that has killed a few people. The source is finally discovered after two near-death experiences.

"An Injustice," by Christopher Fowler, is a chilling tale about an encounter that some amateur ghost hunters have in a house that appears to be abandoned. The reality turned out to be quite disturbing.

"Villanova," by Paul Meloy, is about a father and two daughters on a cheap vacation trip. By the time you realize what's happening, it's too late to turn back.

"Widow's Weeds," by Christopher Pries, is about a struggling magician who keeps an appointment with a woman who desires to add magic to her repertoire of "atchievements." How she adds it is the catch, it seems.

"The Doll's House," by Jonathan Green, tells of a family whose quiet life is suddenly disrupted when the wife's mother brings a childhood dollhouse to their home.

And finally, "What Happened To Me," by Joe R. Lansdale, which describes an event that happens to a college guy and his two roommates. Well, at least it starts with two roommates. By the time it's all said and done, he's alone. Except for the trees. The question is, what do the trees want?

This is a great collection of haunted house stories, which I would heartily recommend for anyone who enjoys the same.

[Lachinchon · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a dismal experience with a similar anthology, I gave the genre another try with this collection. I was encouraged, as this anthology contains well written spooky stories. Not so spooky as to make one whimper under the covers, but on the right path, and if not terrifying, at least interesting enough to encourage reading. The collection tires a bit in the middle, but is bookended by excellent pieces. Most, if not all, of the authors are British, so occasionally the vernacular is unfamiliar to an American reader, but nothing that obscures the storyline. At least in England there are still things that go bump in the night. Recommended for these pre-Halloween weeks, as the days get shorter, a chill creeps into the evening, and "every wolf's and lion's howl raises from Hell a human soul". [Wm. Blake]

[Ade Couper · Rating 5 out of 5]

My liking of multi-author short story collections is already a matter of public record, so here's another one - & it's bloody good!

I have read 2 previous collections by Jonathan Oliver (see previous reviews), & this one continues his excellent track record at assembling a selection of very good stories. The theme of this collection is haunted houses, & there are some excellent interpretations of this.

There are no duff stories in this anthology at all. The standout tales for me were "The House" by Eric Brown, "The Room Upstairs" by Sarah Pinborough, & the wonderfully bonkers "An Injustice" by Christopher Fowler. However, to reiterate, there are no bad or boring stories here.

Worthy of your attention.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories are ok. None of them are terrible, but none of them were fantastic either. On the other hand, haunted house tales aren't necessarily my favorite. None of these were really scary for me. Scary stories are the ones you can't read after dark. Or the ones that just somehow sit in the back of your mind, throwing peanuts at your fore brain to make it suspicious. None of these really did that to me, but they were a fairly good read.

[Bethnoir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually too scary for me in places! I love a good hauted house story and these are good, but they're inventive and surprising and nasty, none of which is a bad thing, but I wasn't expecting to be shocked and have to put the book down to digest each tale when I finished it. There a lot of unusual and twisted ideas here, but I'm not looking for that just now, so 3 stars because I'm a wimp.

[Robin Ive · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some great stories in this collection, especially 'Objects in dreams may be closer than they appear' by Lisa Tuttle, 'Florrie' by Adam L.G. Nevill, 'Driving the Milky Way' by Weston Ochse, 'Villanova' by Paul Meloy and 'The Doll's House' by Jonathan Green.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic stories from some of the best story tellers in the industry. Well worth a read.

[Sasha Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short stories and a few I would rather were turned into novels. I enjoyed the wild range of horror as well!!!!

[Swati Daftuar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely loved some stories, but quite a few were lukewarm at best, so this rating levels out to an average 3.

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual, a mixed bag of near-great to near-poor stories.

Contents (and my * to ***** ranking):

- Objects in Dreams may be closer than they Appear (Lisa Tuttle) - Ex-married couple encounter a house that locals claim doesn't exist. *****
- Pied-A-Terre (Stephen Volk) - a woman has a strange experience while viewing a house for sale. *****
- In the Absence of Murdock (Terry Lamsley)- after a writer disappears, a man looking for him discovers his house has strange properties. ***
- Florrie (Adam L.G. Nevill) - a man seemed possessed by a house's former occupant. *
- Driving the Milky Way (Weston Ochse) - The disappearance of three young friends in an Arizona desert haunts a fourth. ****
- The Windmill (Rebecca Levene) - A convict sees sights from his cell window that disturb him, but not his strange cellmate. **
- Moretta (Gary Kilworth) - Deaths occur in an old house formerly owned by a woman obsessed with dark things. *****
- Hortus Conclusus (Chaz Brenchley) - friend of a dead man visit his home and mother in order to clean up his overgrown garden but experience an unusually high number of accidents. ****
- The Dark Space in the House in the House in the garden at the Centre of the World (Robert Shearman) - a naive couple can't seem to follow God's simple warnings. ***
- The Muse of Copenhagen (Nina Allan) - a man inherits his late uncle's seaside home but finds more inside than he bargained for. ****
- An Injustice (Christopher Fowler) - ghost-hunters are surprised by what they discover in a rundown row house in London. ****
- The Room Upstairs (Sarah Pinborough) - A thief waiting for a robbery to be planned rents a room in a widow's home, but finds his sleep disturbed night after night. ***
- Villanova (Paul Meloy) - An English father takes his two daughters to a French camping site where tragedy had befallen a similar family. **
- Widow's Weeds (Christopher Priest) - A magician visits a woman who asks to learn his secrets while having some of her own. ***
- The Doll's House (Jonathan Green) - A harried housewife is upset when her mother brings her a childhood toy that she hated then, and which now seems to get back at her for it. ***
- Inside/Out (Nicholas Royle) - A man is disoriented in a house with two seemingly coexisiting parts. **
- The House (Eric Brown) - An author of children's books is approached about putting on a play which he feels will lead to more tragedy for the actors in it. ****
- Trick of the Light (Tim Lebbon) - A woman whose husband went missing seven years before buys an isolated house and experiences uncanny feelings about a room in a tower. ****
- What Happened to me (Joe R. Lansdale) College roommates experience disconcerting events that lead two of the three to abandon the house they are renting and the third to try and find out what's going on by finding the last living member of the house's former family. *****

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

** 3.28 **

HOUSE OF FEAR

19 stories


1- "Objects in dreams may be closer than they appear"
Lisa Tuttle ----------> 3.3

2- "Pied-a-Terre"
Stephen Volk ----------> 3.0

3- "In the absence of Murdock"
Terry Lamsley ----------> 3.4

4- "Lorrie"
Adam G. L. Nevill ----------> 3.0

5- "Driving the Milky Way"
Weston Ochse ----------> 3.2

6- "The windmill"
Rebecca Lavene ----------> 3.0

7- "Moretta"
Garry Kilworth ----------> 3.4

8- "Hortus Conclusus"
Chaz Brenchley ----------> 3.2

9- "The dark space in the house in the house in the garden at the centre of the world"
Robert Shearman ----------> 2.0

10- "The muse of Copenhagen"
Nina Allan ----------> 4.0

11- "An injustice"
Christopher Fowler ----------> 3.0

12- "The room upstairs"
Sarah Pinborough ----------> 3.3

13- "Villanova"
Paul Meloy ----------> 3.2

14- "Widow's weeds"
Christopher Priest ----------> 4.0

15- "The doll's house"
Jonathan Green ----------> 4.0

16- "Inside/Out"
Nicholas Royle ----------> 3.4

17- "The house"
Eric Brown ----------> 3.6

18- "Trick of the light"
Tim Lebbon ----------> 3.0

19- "What happened to me"
Joe R. Lansdale ----------> 3.5

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

When depression gets intense enough to knock out any interest in topics that I actually thrive on (history. omg), I may get lucky & stumble across something in the true crime genre that is so darkly fascinating I forget everything else. Yay me. Howard Scones 'Fred & Rose' was a knockout, btw.
Because that's creepy, I stick to horror. When I find something, it's usually okay, you know. Better than lying there like a beached whale mewing & moving a flipper every once in a while.

This book.

I cannot tell you why, but I was *there*.

[Wally Cwik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this collection in stages. Found that reading so many short stories about houses did not lend itself to reading in just a few sittings. Enjoyed the book more reading it over a long period of time.

[Sharon Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scary

A lovely collection of ghost stories, all including an assortment of types of haunted houses. This book brings to mind Henry James's 'The Turn of the Screw ' which scares me every time I read it.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really a good collection of ghost/horror stories from modern writers...I enjoyed it!

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best collections of horror that I've read.