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Halloween Spirits: 11 Tales for the Darkest Night
In this book, you'll find stories for the darkest night of the year from some of the top voices in dark fantasy and horror. Two boys investigate a Halloween ghost, and learn a terrible truth...an encounter with a fortune-telling machine has deadly consequences...a World War II veteran finds out his cousin's tragic romance was not of this world...a trick-or-treat game show pits kids against real monsters...Halloween angels unleash inner longings one night a year...and six more stories that will chill your bones like a late Autumn night.
HALLOWEEN SPIRITS also includes an original essay by leading Halloween history expert Lisa Morton.
HALLOWEEN SPIRITS also includes an original essay by leading Halloween history expert Lisa Morton.
116 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 30, 2011
About the author
Maria Alexander
33 books129 followersMaria Alexander is an award-winning author of YA and adult fiction. Her debut novel, MR. WICKER, won the 2014 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Her debut YA novel, SNOWED, both won the 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel and was nominated for the 2017 Anthony Award for Best Children's/Young Adult Novel. Her latest novel, BRIMSTONE & BLADES, won three 1st place awards at The BookFest in Fall 2025, including YA Fantasy, YA Fiction, and LGBTQIA+ Fiction.
When she’s not stabbing people with her foil, she’s being outrageously spooky or writing Doctor Who filk. She lives in Northern California with two ungrateful cats, a Jewish Christmas caroler, and a purse called Trog.
When she’s not stabbing people with her foil, she’s being outrageously spooky or writing Doctor Who filk. She lives in Northern California with two ungrateful cats, a Jewish Christmas caroler, and a purse called Trog.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 19, 2020
Great cover, great introduction... and then? Ok, there were 11 stories but except for Carrion Man (a kind of supernatural investigator, a necromancer) the stories were rather rippling along. Nice background reading stuff but nothing to raise your hair. I felt a bit disappointed with that easy listening beat of those stories, would have expected more horror and more Halloween thrill (maybe I was spoiled by my last John Russo book). The cover is absolutely outstanding so. Otherwise you don't necessarily have to read this anthology.
October 11, 2015
I was extremely impressed with this collection. With most short story anthologies, there are always some stories I like and some I don't. This was one of the first where I liked every single story, and I didn't really see any as weaker than any of the others. It was just a great horror anthology. All of the stories were well written, and they all had cohesive plots that didn't meander. The stories were mostly original,even if not wildly so in most cases.
The only complaint I had actually lies in the introduction. The introduction gave away way too much information about the stories, coming close to spoilers in some cases. I didn't see any reason to give away the plot of each story right at the start of the collection. If anything, this introduction would have served much better as an afterward. However, based on the stories themselves, this was a great collection.
I recommend this to everyone who loves spooky Halloween reads. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
The only complaint I had actually lies in the introduction. The introduction gave away way too much information about the stories, coming close to spoilers in some cases. I didn't see any reason to give away the plot of each story right at the start of the collection. If anything, this introduction would have served much better as an afterward. However, based on the stories themselves, this was a great collection.
I recommend this to everyone who loves spooky Halloween reads. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
October 16, 2014
This is a perfect Halloween anthology to read on a cold October night. Lisa Morton has pick an all star line up for this book. There are some really good stories in this book and there are some that are not so good. My two favorite stories are October Girl by Scott Nicholson and Trick or Die by Rick Pickman. If you are a fan of Halloween, then there is a little something in this book for everyone.
September 5, 2018
This Book Deserves Way More Attention Than It's Gotten!
Honestly I am really saddened that this book doesn't have more reviews, and by extension more sales.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the stories in this book except for one which didn't quite hold my willing suspension. However, even that story I'd rank a 3 star out of 5.
Amazon recommended this book to me because I am a huge fan of horror and suspense books, and also a huge Halloween fanatic. Also I do love short stories and anthologies sampling new authors, so I couldn't pass this recommendation up.
However, it should be noted I usually find anthologies with only 10-15% of the stories whetting my appetite. I read about 50 books a year and I'm usually disappointed with more than half of them!
This book really satisfied my appetite for all of my qualifiers for what I feel should be in a good story, with nearly 100% satisfaction for the entire book! That's not an easy goal to meet for me especially in an anthology!
I will leave prospective buyers with one recommendation, and I suspect it's why this book might not get very many sales or downloads. The introduction is very long and very dry. I ended up skipping it altogether.
I don't think it was necessary to go into a short description of each story before the book started and in fact I was worried it was going to create story spoilers, hence my reason for skipping it. I really think this would have been better placed at the end.
I was feeling jaded that this long winded intro was probably indication that the book also would be a boring read. How very wrong I was!
If you buy this book, read the intro after the main bulk of the book.
If the sample of this book only gives you, (the prospective reader,) the intro, you'll just have to take my word for it that the book is a completely worthy read and you won't be disappointed at all!
Honestly I am really saddened that this book doesn't have more reviews, and by extension more sales.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the stories in this book except for one which didn't quite hold my willing suspension. However, even that story I'd rank a 3 star out of 5.
Amazon recommended this book to me because I am a huge fan of horror and suspense books, and also a huge Halloween fanatic. Also I do love short stories and anthologies sampling new authors, so I couldn't pass this recommendation up.
However, it should be noted I usually find anthologies with only 10-15% of the stories whetting my appetite. I read about 50 books a year and I'm usually disappointed with more than half of them!
This book really satisfied my appetite for all of my qualifiers for what I feel should be in a good story, with nearly 100% satisfaction for the entire book! That's not an easy goal to meet for me especially in an anthology!
I will leave prospective buyers with one recommendation, and I suspect it's why this book might not get very many sales or downloads. The introduction is very long and very dry. I ended up skipping it altogether.
I don't think it was necessary to go into a short description of each story before the book started and in fact I was worried it was going to create story spoilers, hence my reason for skipping it. I really think this would have been better placed at the end.
I was feeling jaded that this long winded intro was probably indication that the book also would be a boring read. How very wrong I was!
If you buy this book, read the intro after the main bulk of the book.
If the sample of this book only gives you, (the prospective reader,) the intro, you'll just have to take my word for it that the book is a completely worthy read and you won't be disappointed at all!
October 26, 2021
"You never know who'll answer the door on Halloween. All part of the fun, right?"
This was a fun collection of short stories, but some of them I already kind of forgot about. My favorites were Carrion Man, The October Girls, and The Gunner's Love Song!
I also really liked the introduction by Morton and would love to read her non-fiction books about Halloween.
"Maybe goodness can't be forced onto people. Maybe true goodness comes from somewhere deep inside us. And so, I search inside myself, and I find a deep vast emptiness filled with dying stars. I stare at the stars. I stare at them until I get the feeling that if I keep focusing on the nothingness inside me, I'll lose myself forever. I can't stand feeling this way for very long, so after a while, I open my eyes."
This was a fun collection of short stories, but some of them I already kind of forgot about. My favorites were Carrion Man, The October Girls, and The Gunner's Love Song!
I also really liked the introduction by Morton and would love to read her non-fiction books about Halloween.
"Maybe goodness can't be forced onto people. Maybe true goodness comes from somewhere deep inside us. And so, I search inside myself, and I find a deep vast emptiness filled with dying stars. I stare at the stars. I stare at them until I get the feeling that if I keep focusing on the nothingness inside me, I'll lose myself forever. I can't stand feeling this way for very long, so after a while, I open my eyes."
July 31, 2018
I love the fall holiday season, and this book has great authors, great stories, and creates a fantastic atmosphere.
Read on a dark chilly night with the wind whistling in the trees. It will make for a perfect experience
Read on a dark chilly night with the wind whistling in the trees. It will make for a perfect experience
October 31, 2025
*****
SOMEONE TO CARVE THE PUMPKINS—Kealan Patrick Burke
CARRION MAN—Joseph Nassise
***
THE DEVIL CAME TO MAMIE’S ON HALLOWE’EN—Lisa Morton
THE OCTOBER GIRLS—Scott Nicholson
TRICK OR DIE—Rick Pickman
ALMOST PARADISE—Jeremy Shipp
**
THURSDAY—Simon Janus
*
THE GUNNER’S LOVE SONG—Joe McKinney
THE OUTLAWS OF HILL COUNTY—John Palisano
BONES LIE QUIETLY NOW—Nate Kenyon
COMING HOME—Maria Alexander
SOMEONE TO CARVE THE PUMPKINS—Kealan Patrick Burke
CARRION MAN—Joseph Nassise
***
THE DEVIL CAME TO MAMIE’S ON HALLOWE’EN—Lisa Morton
THE OCTOBER GIRLS—Scott Nicholson
TRICK OR DIE—Rick Pickman
ALMOST PARADISE—Jeremy Shipp
**
THURSDAY—Simon Janus
*
THE GUNNER’S LOVE SONG—Joe McKinney
THE OUTLAWS OF HILL COUNTY—John Palisano
BONES LIE QUIETLY NOW—Nate Kenyon
COMING HOME—Maria Alexander
November 1, 2011
An anthology of stories more or less related to Halloween. Some are pretty good (The Gunner's Love Song), some are weak (the world does not need any more "Santa Claus is really scary!" stories), all are very short. I felt even the stronger pieces could have benefitted by being fleshed out a little, and given a good hashing-over by a professional editor. The stand-out for me was Scott Nicholson's "The October Girls," which has the same sweet autumnal eeriness as Neil Gaiman's "October in the Chair," an atmosphere that is the quintessence of Halloween. And there's a "monster versus hillbilly bikers" piece that's fun and less sketchy than most of the stories here.
October 30, 2012
Great stories to be found here! Perfect reading for the holiday.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews