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Rage Against the Night
Under the onslaught of supernatural evil, the acts of good people can seem insignificant, but a courageous few stand apart. These brave men and women stand up to the darkness, stare it right in the eye, and give it the finger. These are the stories of those who rage against the night, stories of triumph, sacrifice, and bravery in the face of overwhelming evil.
Rage Against the Night features the megastars of dark fantasy and horror—including Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, Peter Straub, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, F. Paul Wilson, Jonathan Maberry, Scott Nicholson, Nancy Holder, Sarah Langan, and many, many more.
Rage Against the Night features the megastars of dark fantasy and horror—including Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, Peter Straub, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, F. Paul Wilson, Jonathan Maberry, Scott Nicholson, Nancy Holder, Sarah Langan, and many, many more.
468 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 21, 2011
952 people are currently reading
1546 people want to read
About the author
Shane Jiraiya Cummings
32 books35 followersShane Jiraiya Cummings has been acknowledged as "one of Australia’s leading voices in dark fantasy". Shane is the author of the forthcoming Yokai Wars series (Circle of Tears, Clockwork Legion, and Blight of the Underworld) and the dark fiction books The Abandonment of Grace and Everything After, Shards, the Apocrypha Sequence (Deviance, Divinity, Insanity, and Inferno), and the Ravenous Gods cycle (Requiem for the Burning God and Dreams of Destruction). He has won the Australian Shadows Award and two Ditmar Awards, and he has been nominated for more than twenty other major awards, including Spain's Premios Ignotus.
Shane is an Active Member of the Horror Writers Association and former Vice President of the Australian Horror Writers Association. When he is not writing, Shane is an editor and journalist by day. By night (and on weekends), he can be found indulging in hobbies such as playing the guitar, photography, sword fighting, and testing the limits of his new cruiser motorcycle.
In his youth, Shane was trained in the deadly arts of the ninja, and the name Jiraiya (lit. "Young Thunder", after the legendary ninja Jiraiya) was bestowed upon him by his sensei.
Shane was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. He lived for many years in Perth, Western Australia, and Wellington, New Zealand, but he recently returned to his old home town to revisit the ghosts of his past.
More information on Shane (including his free fiction) can be found online at www.jiraiya.com.au.
Shane is an Active Member of the Horror Writers Association and former Vice President of the Australian Horror Writers Association. When he is not writing, Shane is an editor and journalist by day. By night (and on weekends), he can be found indulging in hobbies such as playing the guitar, photography, sword fighting, and testing the limits of his new cruiser motorcycle.
In his youth, Shane was trained in the deadly arts of the ninja, and the name Jiraiya (lit. "Young Thunder", after the legendary ninja Jiraiya) was bestowed upon him by his sensei.
Shane was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. He lived for many years in Perth, Western Australia, and Wellington, New Zealand, but he recently returned to his old home town to revisit the ghosts of his past.
More information on Shane (including his free fiction) can be found online at www.jiraiya.com.au.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
February 27, 2014
I just happened to see this book for sale in the Kindle store and was shocked I had not heard of it since it features stories by some of horror's big names, like King, Straub, and Campbell. These big names coupled with the fact that the money spent on this book goes to a good cause created the impression that this would be an anthology to contend with...I mean, King never appears in anthologies anymore, so if he was endorsing this, it must be awesome, right? Unfortunately, not really.
It has been my experience that horror anthologies - I am thinking Mammoth and Datlow's sort of collections here - are inconsistent: some of the stories are excellent, some not so excellent. However, even when the stories are not to my taste, they usually are well written and the anthology itself well edited and thoughtfully put together. This was not the case with "Rage Against the Night". Many of the stories sounded as if they were the authors' early stories in that they had a good plot or strong core, but included a lot of extraneous detail and inelegant description. There was nothing offensive or horrible here, many of the stories just seemed rough.
More problematic for me was the lack of creativity. Every horror trope was trotted out and presented without any subtlety or invention. We get the standard zombies, standard vampires, standard monsters and so on. In fact just trying to remember what I just read to write this review is difficult. Only two or three stories have actually stuck in my head and at least one of those is only because it was so silly I can't believe it was published (teenage vampire love triangle story, I am talking about you). Top this off with the presence of typos and poor editing and this just didn't come off as quality.
All that said, for me it is hard to pan any book that isn't truly awful when the proceeds go to charity. And the collection was inexpensive at about four bucks, so I feel like I got my money's worth, but still, I think three stars is generous when three is supposed to indicate "good". In this case my three stars really mean tolerable.
It has been my experience that horror anthologies - I am thinking Mammoth and Datlow's sort of collections here - are inconsistent: some of the stories are excellent, some not so excellent. However, even when the stories are not to my taste, they usually are well written and the anthology itself well edited and thoughtfully put together. This was not the case with "Rage Against the Night". Many of the stories sounded as if they were the authors' early stories in that they had a good plot or strong core, but included a lot of extraneous detail and inelegant description. There was nothing offensive or horrible here, many of the stories just seemed rough.
More problematic for me was the lack of creativity. Every horror trope was trotted out and presented without any subtlety or invention. We get the standard zombies, standard vampires, standard monsters and so on. In fact just trying to remember what I just read to write this review is difficult. Only two or three stories have actually stuck in my head and at least one of those is only because it was so silly I can't believe it was published (teenage vampire love triangle story, I am talking about you). Top this off with the presence of typos and poor editing and this just didn't come off as quality.
All that said, for me it is hard to pan any book that isn't truly awful when the proceeds go to charity. And the collection was inexpensive at about four bucks, so I feel like I got my money's worth, but still, I think three stars is generous when three is supposed to indicate "good". In this case my three stars really mean tolerable.
June 5, 2017
While this is sold as a horror anthology it felt more like a collection of everything, ranging from crime to horror to sci-fi (either that or I no longer have a soul with which to feel fear...) but despite this I still did enjoy it. Some of the stories were fantastic and I demolished them like there was no tomorrow while others took me a little longer to get through. There was the odd one or two that I didn't get on with, either for the writing style or the story itself didn't nab me but there weren't many of those. I also stumbled across of few authors I've only recently discovered so it was nice to read more by them too. And I loved the story hero story at the end, that really made me chuckle.
March 11, 2016
I love short story collections. This one disappointed me so badly, however, that I might be off them for awhile.
To be truthful, I gave up about 3/4 of the way through. It appears that the highest quality stories were at the beginning (the first few were actually very good) then the writing and story lines declined steadily until I could not take it any more.
The editor of this collection must've been drunk on the job- it's my only explanation for the multiple missing words, punctuation marks, and bizarre misplaced capital letters.
Read the first two stories, then put it down. The rest is not worth the time.
To be truthful, I gave up about 3/4 of the way through. It appears that the highest quality stories were at the beginning (the first few were actually very good) then the writing and story lines declined steadily until I could not take it any more.
The editor of this collection must've been drunk on the job- it's my only explanation for the multiple missing words, punctuation marks, and bizarre misplaced capital letters.
Read the first two stories, then put it down. The rest is not worth the time.
January 19, 2019
Two things I didn't realise when I brought this book, firstly it's short stories, which actually I should have known as the description is quite clear! And secondly that all proceeds went to charity, which is cute. I'm not overly into collections of short stories if I'm honest, I much prefer to read an actual novel. It's wasn't all horror as the cover would have you believe, there's some thrillers and sci fi thrown into the mix, some writtern by some big names. Charity books are never amazing but this one is ok to be fair if your into short stories.
December 9, 2025
As with most anthologies, the stories are somewhat uneven. This one was a collection of supernatural / horror stories. I definitely recommend any of the stories over 3 but would skip the lower rated ones unless it sound like it appeals to you.
25 short stories:
The Gunner's Love Song - a werewolf / vampire love story. ★★★ stars
Keeping Watch - a gruesome story about a thing in a lake. ★★★★ stars
Like Part of the Family - PI helps out an ex-wife. ★★★★ stars
The Edge of Seventeen - bizarre story about high school and a dream shooting. ★ star
The View From the Top - spooky story about a telescope that shows the worst of everyone. ★★★★ stars.
Afterward, There Will Be a Hallway - a vision of the afterlife. ★★★★★ stars
Following Marla - unusual love story. ★★★ 1/2 stars
Magic Numbers - a guy obsessed with numbers and a girl. ★★ 1/2 stars
Tail the Barney - strange story about getting a lucky trinket back. ★ 1/2 stars
The Nightmare Dimension - a mage tries to rescue a woman from another dimension. ★★★ 1/2 stars
Roadside Memorials - similar to the book Memorials with a twist at the end. ★★★★ 1/2 stars
Dat Tay Vao - mystical tale of Vietnam and healers. Not very spooky, but still good. ★★★ 1/2 stars
Constitution - a little gross but really a love that lasts after death. ★★★ stars
Mr Aickman's Air Rifle - not really horror. Sad. ★ 1/2 stars
Agatha's Ghost - another sad story. Is she demented or is it real? ★★★
Blue Heeler - sad; only suspected part of the end. ★★★ 1/2 stars
Sarah's Visions - futuristic story; based on Palin's remarks; more sci-fi. ★★★ 1/2 stars
More Than Words - Egyptian haunting of translator. ★★ 1/2 stars
Chillers - in the not too distant future, LA gets cold. ★★★★ stars
Changed - teenage vampire at the end of the world. ★★★ 1/2 stars
Dead Air - gory story of zombies on a plane. ★★★★ stars
Two Fish to Feed the Masses - another zombie / end of the world / gory story. ★★★ 1/2 stars
Fenstad's End - sad, desolate, environmental end of the world. ★★★ 1/2 stars
Fair Extension - classic Stephen King. ★★★★★ stars
Rocky Wood, Skeleton Killer - I guess it's a tribute story, but not very good. ★ star
Quotes I liked:
Everything I'd once believed to be good and pure and redeeming of life stood less than two feet away from me, in the form of an eight-year-old girl who would never know her first kiss, her first dance, or the first time she held a boy's hand; for her there would be no late-night study sessions cramming for the big exam, no prom, no graduation parties; no first job, first paycheck, first promotion; none of that for Messy Missy. For her there was only this moment, this breath, in this place, with this wonderful mystery...
Even from the back of the crowded room, you could see her sweet, grinning face and know how much had been lost.
It is, after all, only a box of stuff, of left-behind things, items with no meaning to anyone except the person who can no longer touch them, hold them, or tell the stories of how this book meant something, this ring was precious, this cross-stitched picture is beautiful because...
25 short stories:
The Gunner's Love Song - a werewolf / vampire love story. ★★★ stars
Keeping Watch - a gruesome story about a thing in a lake. ★★★★ stars
Like Part of the Family - PI helps out an ex-wife. ★★★★ stars
The Edge of Seventeen - bizarre story about high school and a dream shooting. ★ star
The View From the Top - spooky story about a telescope that shows the worst of everyone. ★★★★ stars.
Afterward, There Will Be a Hallway - a vision of the afterlife. ★★★★★ stars
Following Marla - unusual love story. ★★★ 1/2 stars
Magic Numbers - a guy obsessed with numbers and a girl. ★★ 1/2 stars
Tail the Barney - strange story about getting a lucky trinket back. ★ 1/2 stars
The Nightmare Dimension - a mage tries to rescue a woman from another dimension. ★★★ 1/2 stars
Roadside Memorials - similar to the book Memorials with a twist at the end. ★★★★ 1/2 stars
Dat Tay Vao - mystical tale of Vietnam and healers. Not very spooky, but still good. ★★★ 1/2 stars
Constitution - a little gross but really a love that lasts after death. ★★★ stars
Mr Aickman's Air Rifle - not really horror. Sad. ★ 1/2 stars
Agatha's Ghost - another sad story. Is she demented or is it real? ★★★
Blue Heeler - sad; only suspected part of the end. ★★★ 1/2 stars
Sarah's Visions - futuristic story; based on Palin's remarks; more sci-fi. ★★★ 1/2 stars
More Than Words - Egyptian haunting of translator. ★★ 1/2 stars
Chillers - in the not too distant future, LA gets cold. ★★★★ stars
Changed - teenage vampire at the end of the world. ★★★ 1/2 stars
Dead Air - gory story of zombies on a plane. ★★★★ stars
Two Fish to Feed the Masses - another zombie / end of the world / gory story. ★★★ 1/2 stars
Fenstad's End - sad, desolate, environmental end of the world. ★★★ 1/2 stars
Fair Extension - classic Stephen King. ★★★★★ stars
Rocky Wood, Skeleton Killer - I guess it's a tribute story, but not very good. ★ star
Quotes I liked:
Everything I'd once believed to be good and pure and redeeming of life stood less than two feet away from me, in the form of an eight-year-old girl who would never know her first kiss, her first dance, or the first time she held a boy's hand; for her there would be no late-night study sessions cramming for the big exam, no prom, no graduation parties; no first job, first paycheck, first promotion; none of that for Messy Missy. For her there was only this moment, this breath, in this place, with this wonderful mystery...
Even from the back of the crowded room, you could see her sweet, grinning face and know how much had been lost.
It is, after all, only a box of stuff, of left-behind things, items with no meaning to anyone except the person who can no longer touch them, hold them, or tell the stories of how this book meant something, this ring was precious, this cross-stitched picture is beautiful because...
March 10, 2016
This is an unequal collection. There are some fantastic stories here, such as Ramsey Campbell's 'Agatha's Ghost' Weston Ochse's 'Blue Heeler' and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's 'Sarah's Vision' but then they are also some weaker stories, including a few from well known names that feel like they've been pulled out from the trunk and handed over, when perhaps they were not quite up to standard.
That said, there's enough in here to make it a worthwhile collection.
That said, there's enough in here to make it a worthwhile collection.
February 19, 2019
A great anthology that was for an important cause. Honestly, I was surprised by the quality. There's something for everyone in here. Zombies, creatures, ghosts, demons... you name it. Standouts for me were "The Edge of Seventeen," "Dat Tay Vao," "Mr. Aickman's Air Rifle," "Agatha's Ghost," and "Fair Extension." But honestly, Gary Braunbeck's "Afterward, There Will Be a Hallway" is worth the price alone.
March 21, 2018
This book is supposedly a horror anthology though it has a great collection of Sci fiction ,crime stories and horror stories. I liked this book though some of the stories were hard to get into . I enjoyed most of it especially the first 3 & the last 3.
January 6, 2020
Very good collection.
Almost all of these stories were excellent. The Stephen King novella I'd never read before. Enjoyable read, and conveniently in short stories.
Almost all of these stories were excellent. The Stephen King novella I'd never read before. Enjoyable read, and conveniently in short stories.
July 16, 2014
Folks, it pays to troll the Daily Deals and links on Amazon’s Kindle pages. That’s where I picked up Rage Against the Night, edited by Shane Jiraiya Cummings, with stories by all your favorites — Stephen King, Ramsey Cambell, Peter Straub, and more. The book is a fund-raiser for Rocky Wood, author, president of the Horror Writers Association and an expert on the work of Stephen King. Rocky has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and all proceeds from the sale of Rage Against the Night will go to Rocky. When you can buy a great book at a low price and have the money go to a terrific cause, how can you pass that up?
“In this anthology, you will find stories of brave men and women standing up to the darkness, staring it right in the eye, and giving it the finger. These are stories of triumph, but triumph doesn’t necessarily come without cost. “
It’s truly a great tribute. There are terrific stories here! One of my favorites is “Afterward, There Will Be a Hallway” by Gary A. Braunbeck. It’s the story of Neal, a man who takes care of the things that people leave behind, their personal effects. It has a profound effect on him and it connects him to the dead and their world. In the theme of this collection, it is a sad story, but one that is also full of hope.
“Blue Heeler” by Weston Ochse is another great story, about a young boy’s unusual and (mostly) unseen friend. Unraveling the mystery behind his friend’s strange imprisonment will expose secrets that will break his family apart. “Like Part of the Family” by Jonathan Mayberry is a fun take on the classic detective story. Even though I could see the twist coming, I loved getting there.
“In this anthology, you will find stories of brave men and women standing up to the darkness, staring it right in the eye, and giving it the finger. These are stories of triumph, but triumph doesn’t necessarily come without cost. “
It’s truly a great tribute. There are terrific stories here! One of my favorites is “Afterward, There Will Be a Hallway” by Gary A. Braunbeck. It’s the story of Neal, a man who takes care of the things that people leave behind, their personal effects. It has a profound effect on him and it connects him to the dead and their world. In the theme of this collection, it is a sad story, but one that is also full of hope.
“Blue Heeler” by Weston Ochse is another great story, about a young boy’s unusual and (mostly) unseen friend. Unraveling the mystery behind his friend’s strange imprisonment will expose secrets that will break his family apart. “Like Part of the Family” by Jonathan Mayberry is a fun take on the classic detective story. Even though I could see the twist coming, I loved getting there.
February 19, 2016
Whenever I read an anthology of speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, horror, whatever), especially an anthology of the "Best of..." variety, I often feel a vague irritation when I finish a story and wonder why it was selected, or indeed how it ever got published in the first place. >Rage Against the Night , a collection of stories about people who fight back against supernatural evil, pleasantly surprised me because most of the stories did NOT leave me with a sense that my time would have been better spent doing something else. True, a couple of the stories didn't seem to fit the theme of the collection, and a couple of stories I just didn't "get" and left me thinking, "Huh?" But for the most part, it was a satisfying read. My favorite stories were "The Edge of Seventeen," by Alexandra Sokoloff, "Afterward, There Will Be a Hallway," by Gary A. Braunbeck (which wasn't scary or creepy, but very, very touching), "Sarah's Visions," by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (which was a very good science fiction story without a whiff of the supernatural, but a very good read nonetheless), and Jonathan Maberry's "Like Part of the Family," which maybe wasn't the most proficient technically (I saw the "surprise" at the end coming a mile away), but which illustrates for me the writing principal espoused by Edgar Rice Burroughs and Stephen King, that storytelling is the greatest virtue in writing fiction.
March 20, 2019
There were some great shorts in this book. Easy enough to pick up whenever I had 15-30 minutes to spare and read. The ones that stood out for my particular tastes were:
Gunner's Love Song by Joe McKinney
Keeping Watch by Nate Kenyon
Like Part of the Family by Jonathan Maberry
Afterward, There Will be a Hallway by Gary A. Braunbeck
The Nightmare Dimension by David Conyers
Dat Tay Vao by F.Paul Wilson
Constitution by Scott Nicholson
Changed by Nancy Holder
Dead Air by Gary Kemble
Two Fish to Feed the Masses by Daniel G. Keohane
Fair Extension by Stephen King
Again, these stories suit my taste and this list reminds me to look out for more by these authors, a couple of them being new to me.
Gunner's Love Song by Joe McKinney
Keeping Watch by Nate Kenyon
Like Part of the Family by Jonathan Maberry
Afterward, There Will be a Hallway by Gary A. Braunbeck
The Nightmare Dimension by David Conyers
Dat Tay Vao by F.Paul Wilson
Constitution by Scott Nicholson
Changed by Nancy Holder
Dead Air by Gary Kemble
Two Fish to Feed the Masses by Daniel G. Keohane
Fair Extension by Stephen King
Again, these stories suit my taste and this list reminds me to look out for more by these authors, a couple of them being new to me.
February 1, 2016
What a great horror anthology. Headed by the master, Stephen King. Practically every story was superb with only a couple of exceptions one being Peter Straub. Not his fault I just never have been able to get on with his writing style. Loved the SK story though I have read it before, it just seemed darker this time. The other story which was exceptional was the Scott Nicholson. The back story to this anthology is also worth a mention as it was originally compiled as a way of raising money to help a friend with his fight against MND, a disease which strikes its own personal horror in my heart. If you love a good scary tale this is for you.
April 5, 2016
A collection of short stories from authors of varying levels of fame covering everything from dystopian futures to school shooters to creatures in lakes to zombies. It wasn't very scary, only a little bit gory, and most of them lacked the necessary level of suspense to overcome the first two. I really liked Chillers, and Stephen King's story, but overall it was a forgettable collection.
February 2, 2016
There were so many great stories in this collection! Lots of these authors were new to me and I'm now sitting here making a list of those I need to explore further. Definitely a sign of a great collection!
March 2, 2016
This has got to be the best short story anthologies that I have read in a long time. The authors outdid themselves. Recommended for anyone who enjoys stories that make you wonder what is REALLY making those sounds.......
June 6, 2016
Finally finished. Nice collection of short stories. Only 2 I thought were lame and all were horror except the scifi one.It is equally spaced with both well known authors and some I had never heard of.
December 27, 2019
Fantastic
Got this for my birthday and I took my time reading it because the majority of the stories in it are touching, even ones without happy endings. A few fall short of the standards set by the rest but there was nothing I truly loathed.
Got this for my birthday and I took my time reading it because the majority of the stories in it are touching, even ones without happy endings. A few fall short of the standards set by the rest but there was nothing I truly loathed.
November 18, 2012
Some very good offerings here from some of today's horror superstars. Paired with funding a great cause, this one is a short story collection everyone should check out.
August 9, 2019
An anthology of short stories with the theme of "triumph, sacrifice and bravery in the face of overwhelming evil."
I picked this up because a. it was free with my kindle unlimited membership and b. who doesn't love a bunch of horror stories? Like most anthologies it had a mix of good and bad. The most interesting thing I found was how many of the stories really didn't mesh with that overriding theme of 'good triumphing over evil'. (Not that good had to win straight out, but in some of these stories good didn't even win a battle never mind a war.) Also interesting to me was discovering just how much more I enjoyed the evil-wins stories over the good-guy-triumphs ones.
My favourites:
The View From The Top by Bev Vincent is about a teenage boy who regrets not asking his crush to the fair. He wins a telescope and rides to the top of the ferris wheel to see if he can spy into the house of the girl, only to discover that the telescope shows him all kinds of nasty things going on in the homes of his town. It's never clear whether these evils are truly happening or if the telescope is just plain evil, but you can better the teenage boy is going to do something about what he sees regardless.
Afterward, There Will Be A Hallway by Gary A. Braunbeck was my favourite in the good-triumphs category. It's about a man whose job is to collect the last belongings of the dead whose ghosts are waiting to make a choice on what item they will take with them to the afterlife. He's struggling with loss and depression until one ghost makes a difference.
Dat Tay Vao by F. Paul Wilson is a gleeful little story about a greedy GI who wants to exploit the healing powers of an elderly Vietnamese man by bringing him to the United States. Things don't work out exactly as he planned.
And lastly, Dead Air by Gary Kemble is just old fashioned fun with some zombies on a plane!
I picked this up because a. it was free with my kindle unlimited membership and b. who doesn't love a bunch of horror stories? Like most anthologies it had a mix of good and bad. The most interesting thing I found was how many of the stories really didn't mesh with that overriding theme of 'good triumphing over evil'. (Not that good had to win straight out, but in some of these stories good didn't even win a battle never mind a war.) Also interesting to me was discovering just how much more I enjoyed the evil-wins stories over the good-guy-triumphs ones.
My favourites:
The View From The Top by Bev Vincent is about a teenage boy who regrets not asking his crush to the fair. He wins a telescope and rides to the top of the ferris wheel to see if he can spy into the house of the girl, only to discover that the telescope shows him all kinds of nasty things going on in the homes of his town. It's never clear whether these evils are truly happening or if the telescope is just plain evil, but you can better the teenage boy is going to do something about what he sees regardless.
Afterward, There Will Be A Hallway by Gary A. Braunbeck was my favourite in the good-triumphs category. It's about a man whose job is to collect the last belongings of the dead whose ghosts are waiting to make a choice on what item they will take with them to the afterlife. He's struggling with loss and depression until one ghost makes a difference.
Dat Tay Vao by F. Paul Wilson is a gleeful little story about a greedy GI who wants to exploit the healing powers of an elderly Vietnamese man by bringing him to the United States. Things don't work out exactly as he planned.
And lastly, Dead Air by Gary Kemble is just old fashioned fun with some zombies on a plane!
March 4, 2020
I bought this kindle book quite some time ago, and I'd pick away at the short stories within over time. It unfortunately managed to get itself lodged in the lower tiers of my kindle files and didn't get looked at again for quite some time. I've since rectified that, and I'm glad I did because there are some awesome stories in here.
First off, Rage Against The Night was created to help with a horror author's medical bills. That part of it had a bittersweet ending, but I am amazed at the outpouring of enjoyment and gratitude from both readers and writers alike.
some of my top stories include:
Keeping Watch by Nate Kenyon
Afterword, There Will Be A Hallway by Gary A. Braunbeck
Roadside Memorials by Joseph Nassise
Agatha's Ghost by Ramsey Campbell
Chillers by Lisa Morton
Dead Air by Gary Kemble
Fair Extension by Stephen King
There were a couple I did not enjoy, they came across less horror and more hardboiled detective or crime thriller. But mostly they were great. Some of these first appeared in other publications, some are first published here. All in all a great horror collection.
Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story, plus inside info, musings, promos and more: RK King Writes
First off, Rage Against The Night was created to help with a horror author's medical bills. That part of it had a bittersweet ending, but I am amazed at the outpouring of enjoyment and gratitude from both readers and writers alike.
some of my top stories include:
Keeping Watch by Nate Kenyon
Afterword, There Will Be A Hallway by Gary A. Braunbeck
Roadside Memorials by Joseph Nassise
Agatha's Ghost by Ramsey Campbell
Chillers by Lisa Morton
Dead Air by Gary Kemble
Fair Extension by Stephen King
There were a couple I did not enjoy, they came across less horror and more hardboiled detective or crime thriller. But mostly they were great. Some of these first appeared in other publications, some are first published here. All in all a great horror collection.
Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story, plus inside info, musings, promos and more: RK King Writes
July 26, 2017
A Truly Dynamic Tribute
Reading the beginning of this collection of short stories once again gave me hope and the uplifting realization this sometimes ugly world we live in still has some pretty amazing and loving people in it. Now I know that seems a bit of a strange beginning for a review of a book that sports "Supernatural Tales of Triumph Over Darkness" compiled from horror writers like Stephen King, Peter Straub and so many more. However, horror or not, this was an awesome anthology put together by humans that know how to show their love and appreciation. I can't say I "loved" every story but I can say they were all well written. Thanks to all involved for the reason this book came about. May Rocky Wood rest in peace.
Reading the beginning of this collection of short stories once again gave me hope and the uplifting realization this sometimes ugly world we live in still has some pretty amazing and loving people in it. Now I know that seems a bit of a strange beginning for a review of a book that sports "Supernatural Tales of Triumph Over Darkness" compiled from horror writers like Stephen King, Peter Straub and so many more. However, horror or not, this was an awesome anthology put together by humans that know how to show their love and appreciation. I can't say I "loved" every story but I can say they were all well written. Thanks to all involved for the reason this book came about. May Rocky Wood rest in peace.
December 28, 2025
I got this for really cheap as an ebook. Some great horror writers names lure you into this anthology.
It’s not great. The quality of the stories varies way too much. It took me forever to finish this. Sometimes there were two great stories in a row then a slop one that I struggled to finish and paused for too long.
Sometimes are fantastic though: the one with the couple where the husband tries to hide that he is dead is great and the last story by Stephen King just shows why he is leaps and bounds above other writers is so good with the setting and story. This prompted me to give a better rating.
I cannot recommend this, but feel free to drop some of the stories if they don’t grip you and don’t force yourself through all of it like me. Mixed feelings really.
It’s not great. The quality of the stories varies way too much. It took me forever to finish this. Sometimes there were two great stories in a row then a slop one that I struggled to finish and paused for too long.
Sometimes are fantastic though: the one with the couple where the husband tries to hide that he is dead is great and the last story by Stephen King just shows why he is leaps and bounds above other writers is so good with the setting and story. This prompted me to give a better rating.
I cannot recommend this, but feel free to drop some of the stories if they don’t grip you and don’t force yourself through all of it like me. Mixed feelings really.
January 8, 2017
I had JUST sworn off reading collections of short stories (after attempting to read the Lovecraft collection), when I saw this book already downloaded to my Kindle. So glad I plowed ahead and decided to start to read it! EVERY story in it was great! I LOVED reading this collection. Some were by some of my favorite authors and most were by authors unknown to me! I couldn't stop reading them. I was actually sad when I got to the end of this collection! Oh well......... on to the next book....... YOU my fellow reader, should add this book to your "to read" list! Happy Reading!
April 7, 2024
Great Shorts
I am a huge fan of short story collections. I can lay down and set a limit of two or three before bed and then get some rest unlike a novel where I will sometimes lay down and the next thing I know the sun is rising.
This collection of horror stories is amazing by some of the best writers out there. I have loved stories about creatures of the night and odd things going on in the world and these are some of the most amazing I have ever read.
A great collection.
I am a huge fan of short story collections. I can lay down and set a limit of two or three before bed and then get some rest unlike a novel where I will sometimes lay down and the next thing I know the sun is rising.
This collection of horror stories is amazing by some of the best writers out there. I have loved stories about creatures of the night and odd things going on in the world and these are some of the most amazing I have ever read.
A great collection.
September 5, 2025
Great Stories.
I enjoyed this anthology very much. The stories were imaginative, some were haunting. I was impressed with the high level of talent among the writers.
**The text could use editing. I found more than a few instances where the wrong name was used for a character in a future appearance in stories. This occurred in multiple stories. It mad. it hard to follow at times.**
All in all, I would recommend this compilation of stories to anyone who enjoys a good horror story with just a little scare power.
I enjoyed this anthology very much. The stories were imaginative, some were haunting. I was impressed with the high level of talent among the writers.
**The text could use editing. I found more than a few instances where the wrong name was used for a character in a future appearance in stories. This occurred in multiple stories. It mad. it hard to follow at times.**
All in all, I would recommend this compilation of stories to anyone who enjoys a good horror story with just a little scare power.
January 13, 2019
I'm thisclose to blacklisting every damned writer who contributed to this trash. Yes, it was pulled together for a good cause, and that's fantastic, but it doesn't do shit toward quality.
There were a few good stories in here, but honestly, they're all found elsewhere so you don't have to subject yourself to mining this heap for them. (At some point, I'll be less irritated at having wasted reading time on this and go back to find the titles to add them to this review.)
There were a few good stories in here, but honestly, they're all found elsewhere so you don't have to subject yourself to mining this heap for them. (At some point, I'll be less irritated at having wasted reading time on this and go back to find the titles to add them to this review.)
April 9, 2019
Kinda disappointed in tis one. I am a fan of most of the authors, but only two stories are memorable; since I read it as a Kindle, I can't get back in to find specifics, but, I believe one was 'The Edge Of Seventeen', which I had previously read as an entire book, and really, really, liked, and the SK story. I sadly can't even remember the others, even if I read the blurbs listing the authors. You might like them better than I did, so that's why I'm giving it a 3.
April 27, 2019
Horror collection with a few solid stories
Coming out in 2011 as a charity/tribute compilation for the then ailing, now late Australian author Rock Wood, this book collects stories of the supernatural and unknown. All but four of them were previously published works. The stories I liked best were the off-kilter ones, such as those by Gary Braunbeck and Daniel Keohane. There are plenty of appearances by the undead in this collection, plus a story by Stephen King.
Coming out in 2011 as a charity/tribute compilation for the then ailing, now late Australian author Rock Wood, this book collects stories of the supernatural and unknown. All but four of them were previously published works. The stories I liked best were the off-kilter ones, such as those by Gary Braunbeck and Daniel Keohane. There are plenty of appearances by the undead in this collection, plus a story by Stephen King.
May 3, 2019
I bought this book because I was looking for a series of short stories to read on the train on my way to work. This ticked all the boxes, and will for most horror fans. There are a great mix of short, easy to read, horror stories. Some are a bit hokey, others funny, some a little old school, some scary, and others are really moving. There is a good mix of established and emerging writers too. Well worth a look.
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