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No Way Out: And Other Scary Short Stories
Includes two free additional short stories.That's three 'terrorific' short stories for one low price.No Way out - Mike takes a bet to go inside a haunted house, but will he live long enough to collect?Also Price of Friendship – How much is a best friend worth? Joey finds out the hard way.Hobgoblin Horror – Jake only volunteered at the retirement home because Shelby works there. So, it's no wonder he's doesn't hear Mr. Fitches' warnings about a local homicidal hobgoblin—too bad for him.Five Chapter Extended Preview of Super Zombie Juice Mega life gives you lemons, kill zombies—turns out lemon juice neutralizes the undead. Best friends Nathan & Misty return home to discover the military has destroyed the bridges out of their rural town & everyone's fled—except a small horde of zombies.Even with the help of the town geek, they'll need more then lemonade-powered Super-Soakers; they'll need the Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb. Praise for the "...master of mid-grade horror, M.J.A. Ware's tales are told in a pleasantly chatty first-person style, the voice convincingly that of a young teen put-upon by sisters, brothers, parents, friends and the rest of the world... until the rest of the world jumps in with scares aplenty." -Sheila Deeth, Author, blogger, and reviewer."Writing for (a) younger audience can be tricky, but Michael Ware knows the tricks." - Author, Laura LundAbout the Ware lives in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains with his wife and two daughters. When not writing about aliens, monsters and ghosts, he runs a company where he designs award winning video arcades. He's currently polishing his latest novel, Zack & Zoey's Alien Apocalypse.
42 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 15, 2011
1040 people are currently reading
1757 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
February 7, 2019
I read an email newsletter the other day from an indie author who was lamenting that he recently gave away 800+ ebook copies of one of his books. Only 3 readers left a review. While I was not one of those he gave a copy to, I did download his book. I gladly read it and reviewed it. But, then I got to thinking about my own behavior as a reviewer.....
I have 500 books on my Kindle. Most are free or low cost books I bought/downloaded and then forgot about. I can't say I support indie authors if I download or buy their books.....and never get around to reading them.
No Way Out is one of those books that has been languishing on my Kindle. Since 2012. 7 years.
I'm making this right.....immediately. I am also declaring the rest of February as Indie month -- I'm going to read, enjoy and review as many books off my e-reader devices and apps as possible. My reviews, as always, will be honest reviews. I'm giving the gift of my time, effort and blog space to make up for being late to review a lot of ebooks.....I'm not softening my opinions. Truth always. But, kind and constructive of course.
Now on to my review of this book!
This book gathers 3 stories -- No Way Out, The Price of Friendship, and Hobgoblin Horror, plus an extended 5-chapter preview of Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb, another book by this author.
The stories are Halloween-y, slightly scary spooky tales. Older middle grade or teenager appropriate. Along the lines of Goosebumps stories, with a slightly more creepy plot. I love a good creepy story....so I enjoyed the three tales. I didn't read the preview chapters yet....just reviewing the 3 stories. I have Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb waiting on my kindle....so will save commentary on it for its own review.
Well-written, fun stories! Nice bit of spookiness, each with its own twist. A fun quick read!
MJ Ware has written several similar books for older kids. Most are available for free or low cost from Amazon. Enjoy!
**I received a free copy of this story from the author. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. I apologize for letting this book sit unread on my Kindle for 7 years....eeek! Such a quick read....I should have read it long ago!**
I have 500 books on my Kindle. Most are free or low cost books I bought/downloaded and then forgot about. I can't say I support indie authors if I download or buy their books.....and never get around to reading them.
No Way Out is one of those books that has been languishing on my Kindle. Since 2012. 7 years.
I'm making this right.....immediately. I am also declaring the rest of February as Indie month -- I'm going to read, enjoy and review as many books off my e-reader devices and apps as possible. My reviews, as always, will be honest reviews. I'm giving the gift of my time, effort and blog space to make up for being late to review a lot of ebooks.....I'm not softening my opinions. Truth always. But, kind and constructive of course.
Now on to my review of this book!
This book gathers 3 stories -- No Way Out, The Price of Friendship, and Hobgoblin Horror, plus an extended 5-chapter preview of Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb, another book by this author.
The stories are Halloween-y, slightly scary spooky tales. Older middle grade or teenager appropriate. Along the lines of Goosebumps stories, with a slightly more creepy plot. I love a good creepy story....so I enjoyed the three tales. I didn't read the preview chapters yet....just reviewing the 3 stories. I have Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb waiting on my kindle....so will save commentary on it for its own review.
Well-written, fun stories! Nice bit of spookiness, each with its own twist. A fun quick read!
MJ Ware has written several similar books for older kids. Most are available for free or low cost from Amazon. Enjoy!
**I received a free copy of this story from the author. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. I apologize for letting this book sit unread on my Kindle for 7 years....eeek! Such a quick read....I should have read it long ago!**
October 3, 2019
Full disclosure..I only read one of the stories. I realized pretty quickly this was not for me .
seems very YA and not scary in the slightest. I kind of felt like I was reading about Jeff Spacoli or one of his buddies get into trouble in a house. Nothing wrong with that but not what I was seeking.
Hey its horror week on GR. I did want something a bit more eerie.
seems very YA and not scary in the slightest. I kind of felt like I was reading about Jeff Spacoli or one of his buddies get into trouble in a house. Nothing wrong with that but not what I was seeking.
Hey its horror week on GR. I did want something a bit more eerie.
Read
August 5, 2011No Way Out features three stories.
The first one was quite different. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was spooky but it was interesting. I kind of expected it to go a certain way but then it did the opposite of what I thought it would, so that was an enjoyable surprise. The ending had me a little confused for a while too. I had to sit and think about it for a few minutes.
The second story I couldn't really get into. Mostly because there was a lot about baseball cards in it and I don't really know anything about baseball cards so it distracted me from the point of the story right until the end when I realised that the focus wasn't on that part of the story. Other than that, it was quite a clever story.
I think the third and final story was my favourite. It was quite interesting in that, this one was actually quite creepy. I tend to get spooked easily by things that are creepy and this last story had me feeling a little nervous.
Overall, I quite enjoyed the book. It was a nice quick read and I look forward to finding more stories from this author.
The first one was quite different. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was spooky but it was interesting. I kind of expected it to go a certain way but then it did the opposite of what I thought it would, so that was an enjoyable surprise. The ending had me a little confused for a while too. I had to sit and think about it for a few minutes.
The second story I couldn't really get into. Mostly because there was a lot about baseball cards in it and I don't really know anything about baseball cards so it distracted me from the point of the story right until the end when I realised that the focus wasn't on that part of the story. Other than that, it was quite a clever story.
I think the third and final story was my favourite. It was quite interesting in that, this one was actually quite creepy. I tend to get spooked easily by things that are creepy and this last story had me feeling a little nervous.
Overall, I quite enjoyed the book. It was a nice quick read and I look forward to finding more stories from this author.
June 25, 2012
Fun collection of short stories I found on www.amazon.co.uk for free download.
I enjoyed all the stories on offer though I think the title story was probably the weakest. I particularly loved the story entitled 'Hobgoblin Horror', macabre and funny at the same time, what a combination!
The preview to the novel Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb was rather fun and I will be purchasing it in the near future as I want to know how it pans out.
I have enjoyed Ware's writing style in this short collection and will be keeping an eye out for more.
I enjoyed all the stories on offer though I think the title story was probably the weakest. I particularly loved the story entitled 'Hobgoblin Horror', macabre and funny at the same time, what a combination!
The preview to the novel Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb was rather fun and I will be purchasing it in the near future as I want to know how it pans out.
I have enjoyed Ware's writing style in this short collection and will be keeping an eye out for more.
Read
March 16, 2016This book reminded me of myself because once I snuck into a haunted house with my friends and when Rebecca (One of the two of my friends) went up the stairs broke and she fell down into a mysterious room. Abby and I (The other one of my friends) had to get Rebecca out with a rope.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2012
I enjoyed this quick read. The stories were well written. I also loved the preview of Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb. Can't wait to read it.
March 12, 2017
Nice stories
A couple of nice stories. I enjoyed the one with the man in the old folks home, involving goblins. Good work.
A couple of nice stories. I enjoyed the one with the man in the old folks home, involving goblins. Good work.
October 15, 2013
Like the spooky teen TV shows and novellas of the 80's and 90's, "No Way Out" is chilling but not overtly gory.
I like the cover art which perfectly corresponds with the first story. (The anthology is named after this first story.) Initially drawn to the book by its fascinating cover image, I found the different purple hues and eerie glow behind the windows rather intriguing and indicative of the mood and locations where the stories take place. MJ Ware truly has a way with words! His descriptions of scenery and his character dialogues are both vivid and relevant to the target age group. The text accurately and effectively brings to life the mind set of modern teenagers.
My favorite of the three short stories featured is "Hobgoblin Horror." I would have preferred if the tales were longer with a solid ending (endings which reveal what eventually transpired with the main characters), but I did appreciate the author's cliffhanger style. Also, I noticed that all of the main protagonists in this story trio are male.
As for the extended previews, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed "Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb." I'm not really a "zombie apocalypse" fan, but this excerpt piqued my interest. The other, "Zack and Zoey's Alien Apocalypse" seemed like it was geared for a younger audience. Overall, I liked this book.
I like the cover art which perfectly corresponds with the first story. (The anthology is named after this first story.) Initially drawn to the book by its fascinating cover image, I found the different purple hues and eerie glow behind the windows rather intriguing and indicative of the mood and locations where the stories take place. MJ Ware truly has a way with words! His descriptions of scenery and his character dialogues are both vivid and relevant to the target age group. The text accurately and effectively brings to life the mind set of modern teenagers.
My favorite of the three short stories featured is "Hobgoblin Horror." I would have preferred if the tales were longer with a solid ending (endings which reveal what eventually transpired with the main characters), but I did appreciate the author's cliffhanger style. Also, I noticed that all of the main protagonists in this story trio are male.
As for the extended previews, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed "Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb." I'm not really a "zombie apocalypse" fan, but this excerpt piqued my interest. The other, "Zack and Zoey's Alien Apocalypse" seemed like it was geared for a younger audience. Overall, I liked this book.
March 3, 2013
This is a very well written book containing three short stories on the light terror theme, for kids and young adults. First story (No Way Out) is intense and has a simple plot. Two kids bet who would go inside a haunted house. The description of the scenery is excellent and the outcome is unpredictable. Second story (The Price of Friendship) is also good, although not that much scary. Two kids trade goods for "useless memories" and the consequences are to be seen. Third story (Hobgoblin Horror) reaches again the intensity level of the first story. Two kids hear this tale from an old guy in an hospital. He was a war hero and told the kids about this hobgoblin, a kind of assassin monster. But unfortunately for the kids they did not pay much attention to the story. All three short stories are very entertaining in their own way. They will keep you reading for a couple of hours.
Besides those three short stories, the author also provides a preview of two other short stories, the "Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb" and the "Zack & Zoey's Alien Apocalypse".
I recommend this book to any young adult that has some spare hours in a Saturday afternoon or evening and wants to get entertained before going to bed. Just be aware that nightmares with cats are possible!
Besides those three short stories, the author also provides a preview of two other short stories, the "Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb" and the "Zack & Zoey's Alien Apocalypse".
I recommend this book to any young adult that has some spare hours in a Saturday afternoon or evening and wants to get entertained before going to bed. Just be aware that nightmares with cats are possible!
October 21, 2013
My Book Review
By Randy Cook
One day on Halloween night there were two boys that were getting candy. But one of them named Chris wanted his friend Mike to try to go in an old house and go the attic and wave his hands to him to prove he his not scared. Oh, I forgot to tell you they put twenty bucks on it. And Chris put stuff in there to trie and make him scared. So he went inside threw the window fell on the floor and he slowly went upstairs and in one room there was a video camera blinking red which ment it was on. So he left that room and went up the stairs and right away something passed by his face, he wondered what it was and it passed by again and again but this time it jumped on his face and he fell on the stairs and wondered what it was and it was... Continued
By Randy Cook
One day on Halloween night there were two boys that were getting candy. But one of them named Chris wanted his friend Mike to try to go in an old house and go the attic and wave his hands to him to prove he his not scared. Oh, I forgot to tell you they put twenty bucks on it. And Chris put stuff in there to trie and make him scared. So he went inside threw the window fell on the floor and he slowly went upstairs and in one room there was a video camera blinking red which ment it was on. So he left that room and went up the stairs and right away something passed by his face, he wondered what it was and it passed by again and again but this time it jumped on his face and he fell on the stairs and wondered what it was and it was... Continued
June 11, 2013
I know it's for kids but I like Scary stories, I totally wish they would longer and really had an end instead of leaving you like WTF, but then again shouldn't complain that much I think for the age group there's good and it was a free download so.
March 29, 2015
Likes and dislikes
I liked it because it was sorta funny,I like comedy. I loved everything,NO HATES. It compares to Percy Jackson,funny,scary,romantic-ish,and adventurous. I love it.
I liked it because it was sorta funny,I like comedy. I loved everything,NO HATES. It compares to Percy Jackson,funny,scary,romantic-ish,and adventurous. I love it.
August 14, 2011
Three short scary stories. Not too bad. A bit of humor thrown in. Liked it!!
February 22, 2014
We be all night, love.
fashion lights, fashion lights. cigars on ice, cigars on ice. this book got me faded faded faded. book, I love you nana.
fashion lights, fashion lights. cigars on ice, cigars on ice. this book got me faded faded faded. book, I love you nana.
July 16, 2014
Pretty cheesy. Not even a touch creepy or suspenseful.
March 8, 2015
Three nice to read short stories.
February 23, 2015
Really enjoyed
I liked this book because I like scary stories but this book wasn't that scary it was funny.This book made me think dont do a bad bet.
I liked this book because I like scary stories but this book wasn't that scary it was funny.This book made me think dont do a bad bet.
March 22, 2015
No way out
Not so good . Kinda stupid. Supposed to be really starry but it wasn't worth my reading. I felt like I wasted my time on this one.
Not so good . Kinda stupid. Supposed to be really starry but it wasn't worth my reading. I felt like I wasted my time on this one.
April 19, 2015
It was really awesome and excited
They all had a great story and then a big punchline at the end. I would definitively recommend it for kids in fourth and fifth grade.
They all had a great story and then a big punchline at the end. I would definitively recommend it for kids in fourth and fifth grade.
May 21, 2015
Short stories were clever and provoking. Storyline is written well, easy to get into. Good book for a quick read.
December 18, 2019
As usual the stories by this author are quite dark/morbid. For very short stories they do manage to convey enough horror in them. Reminds me a bit of goosebumps.
February 20, 2015
One word: meh.
February 13, 2017
Fun read
This little collection was like a time warp. It took me back to the nineties, the good 'ol days of summer during my childhood. Cool, starry nights relieving the long, hot, fun filled days and me with my Goosebump books, a flash light and a snack. A great tribute and a great new read for my own kids to love and cherish while they're supposed to be sleeping. And of course, a trip down memory lane for me.
This little collection was like a time warp. It took me back to the nineties, the good 'ol days of summer during my childhood. Cool, starry nights relieving the long, hot, fun filled days and me with my Goosebump books, a flash light and a snack. A great tribute and a great new read for my own kids to love and cherish while they're supposed to be sleeping. And of course, a trip down memory lane for me.
November 5, 2017
Poorly Written, Inaccurate Description
From the title, I was expecting a book of short stories. It's actually three short stories and two samples of other books -- basically ads. None of the tales are very engaging, or even scary, and the last one, which is about aliens, even sports very strange, poorly done illustrations.
From the title, I was expecting a book of short stories. It's actually three short stories and two samples of other books -- basically ads. None of the tales are very engaging, or even scary, and the last one, which is about aliens, even sports very strange, poorly done illustrations.
August 31, 2018
It sucks
Book is not good it should have pictures to describe the story.please never ever download this book.it should have pictures to description and it is so long and confusing. I wanted a short about 30 pages of book .one more this who ever is the developer you should not make this kind of books.make happy books eg_ soccer books .
Book is not good it should have pictures to describe the story.please never ever download this book.it should have pictures to description and it is so long and confusing. I wanted a short about 30 pages of book .one more this who ever is the developer you should not make this kind of books.make happy books eg_ soccer books .
April 13, 2019
Fun
Short & simple stories, but very interesting. I really liked them. The old man in the goblin story was my favorite character. & the simple idea someone taking your memories away, just like that? Very creepy.
These would be perfect to share with teens or older middle grade readers for Halloween. Or readers who just like short, creepy reads. I know i enjoyed them. :D
Short & simple stories, but very interesting. I really liked them. The old man in the goblin story was my favorite character. & the simple idea someone taking your memories away, just like that? Very creepy.
These would be perfect to share with teens or older middle grade readers for Halloween. Or readers who just like short, creepy reads. I know i enjoyed them. :D
March 4, 2018
It was cool make more please
Cullen
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Cullen
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July 17, 2019
It has spelling and grammar errors galore.
Again, it appears the author didn't check his work. This book appears very slapdash and poorly done. I've never seen so many errors in anything, except maybe a first grade spelling test.
Again, it appears the author didn't check his work. This book appears very slapdash and poorly done. I've never seen so many errors in anything, except maybe a first grade spelling test.
October 7, 2019
Unimpressed. I believe, by necessity, that short stories actually need as much attention to characterization and writing process as a full novel. A little more time spent with the characters of each story would have caused more empathy, and more fear factor, on the part of the reader.
February 10, 2020
I thought this would be a great book. The short stories were okay but they were not even half the book. OVER HALF of the book was chapters to the authors new book. WHAT A RIP-OFF! Not buying the new book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews