Attic Toys

by Jeremy C. Shipp (Editor), Joe McKinney, Cate Gardner

19 amazing tales by the masters and rising stars of speculative fiction.

Includes all new stories by Piers Anthony, Jeff Strand, Joe McKinney, Lisa Morton, Jeremy C. Shipp, Gary McMahon, Aric Sundquist, and many more!

You don’t want to miss this staggering collection of horror and dark fantasy!

Complete TOC:

INSIDE THE BOXES by Jeff Strand
DOWN IN THE WOODS TODAY by Emily C. Skaftun
DOLLHOUSE by Craig Wallwork
POOR ME AND TED by Kate Jonez
A LITTLE CRIMSON STAIN by Joe McKinney
I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE by S.S. Michaels
DREAMS OF A RAGGED DOLL by Cate Gardner
ATTIC DOG by David Raffin
WHEN HARRY KILLED SALLY by Lisa Morton
LIVING DOLL by Piers Anthony
THE WHITE KNIGHT by Aric Sundquist
THE DOLL TREE by Amelia Mangan
A LITTLE TERROR by Phil Hickes
GIVE IT A NAME by Gary McMahon
DISCARDED by Nancy Rosenberg England
GOOGLY by Jeremy C. Shipp
RUBIK'S CUBE by Melanie Mascio
A BRIGHTLY-COLORED BOX FILLED WITH STARS by Dorian Dawes
THE TEA-SERVING DOLL by Mae Empson

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Bizarro Fiction, Horror Thriller

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2012

About the author

Jeremy C. Shipp is the Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of The Atrocities, Bedfellow, and Cursed. Their shorter tales have appeared in over 60 publications, including Cemetery Dance, Dark Moon Digest and Apex Magazine. Jeremy lives in Southern California in a moderately haunted Farmhouse. Their online home is jeremycshipp.com.

“Jeremy C. Shipp’s boldness, daring, originality, and sheer smarts make them one of the most vital younger writers who have colonized horror literature in the past decade. Shipp’s modernist clarity, plus their willingness to risk damn near everything, put them up at the head of the pack with the very best.” ―Peter Straub

“Shipp’s clear, insistent voice pulls you down into the rabbit hole and doesn’t let go.” ―Jack Ketchum

“I’m convinced Jeremy Shipp is a little bit crazy, in the best possible way. This is one of those books that alters your brain in a way similar to Philip K. Dick.” —Jeff VanderMeer

Reviews

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this collection up during a free promotion on Amazon.
I was drawn to it mostly because of Jeff Strand who is one of the authors featured within. I think this collection is a step above most others due to the quality of the authors involved.
My favorite stories were:
Jeff Strand's "Inside the Boxes". The ten in one box of fun!

Emily Skaftun's "Down in the Woods Today". Watch out for those teddy bears!

Kate Jonez-"Poor me and Ted". Man aboard a train with bad thoughts.

Joe McKinney's "A Little Crimson Stain". Totally freaky!

Cate Gardner's "Dreams of a Ragged Doll". I love creepy doll stories.

Lisa Morton's "When Harry Killed Sally". This story ROCKED!

Jeremy Shipp's "Googly". Watch out for the horns.

Dorian Dawes' "A Brightly-Colored Box Filled with Stars". This was a poignant tale and it was quite different from the other stories in this collection. LOVED it.

All in all, I thought this was a very good collection!

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs · Rating 5 out of 5]

The announcement of a new volume or new story collection by Jeremy C. Shipp resonates with the alarum to readers: GET THIS BOOK NOW! Such is true of collections edited by Author Shipp-and with the addition of the adjective “Attic” in the title, we know we’re in for a fun-house horror ride of epic proportions. Readers who’ve enjoyed the incredible selection of Mr. Shipp’s four volumes of “Attic Clowns” will be pleased as pitch to know that his editorial eye never fails here. 19 stories from divergent accomplished authors, all with that exquisitely horrifying theme: The Attic. How much easier life would be if houses were built differently-no attic, no root cellar, no basement-and especially no closets!

Dare I pick favourites? The very down-home flavor of Emily C. Skaftun’s “Down in the Woods Today” scared the living be-jabbers out of me! I doubt I shall sleep tonight! Joe McKinney’s “A Little Crimson Stain” ran shivers up and down my limbs from the very beginning. These are just two of my personal favourite chillers-but nowhere is there a story not worth the price of admission. Take a cue from this reviewer-you want to be scared-you know you really, really do-so hop on over to your nearest bookselling outlet-and make this a top priority buy. Go on, do it-then curl up and read, while you keep one ear perked for the creaking in your attic, and a sharp eye cocked toward your bedroom door…

[Sheldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pediophobia: The morbid fear of children or dolls.

If you suffer from this, you shouldn't read this book.

However, if you have a demented inner child that needs to be entertained, then this book is definitely for you.

Attic Toys, edited by Jeremy C. Shipp, is a collection of short stories, all based around the idea of killer toys or killer children or killer attic spaces, mostly from the horror variety, with some noticeable exceptions being the stories from Piers Anthony and Mae Empson, which are more like grown-up fairytales.

There's not a stinker among these stories, and all entertain in some form or another. While I enjoyed a couple of stories a little less than some others, this was more according to taste rather than any actual problems with those stories. And that's not to say that I didn't enjoy all of them. In different ways, they all satisfied the need to entertain my own demented inner child. A personal favorite was “The White Knight” by Aric Sundquist, which follows the adventures of a young boy and his rival/companion, a stuffed cat.

As I mentioned, noticeable exceptions to the horror theme were “Living Doll” by Piers Anthony and “The Tea-Serving Doll” by Mae Empson. These were interesting changes of pace that were curious additions to this collection. While they stuck with the “toys and attics” theme quite well, the tone of these stories was different enough to change the pace and almost give the reader a short breather from the other more twisted stories. In addition, the quality of the writing is so high that I can understand why exceptions were made.

I can find no significant flaws with this short story collection. All these stories are fun and disturbing in their own ways. If killer teddy bears, psychotic children, and haunted attic spaces appeal to you, then you will love this book, and the styles and stories are different enough that everyone will come away with a favorite among them. However, if you are a sufferer of pediophobia, you might have trouble sleeping at night.

Attic Toys earns five childish screams out of five.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of dark/horror stories! Obviously, as in any collection, certain stories will appeal more to certain people. In this collection, some of my personal favorites were: "Inside the Boxes" (Jeff Strand), "A Little Crimson Stain" (Joe McKinney), "Down in the Woods Today (Emily Skafton), "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" (S.S. Michaels), "When Harry Killed Sally" (Lisa Morton), and "Googly" (Jeremy Shipp)

[Christopher Irvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Peter Giglio and Charles Day last Fall at Anthocon. Their passion and enthusiasm for Evil Jester Press was instantly infectious and I picked up their first book, 'Help! Wanted: Tales of On-the-job Terror' (great book).

ATTIC TOYS stays on prompt (you guessed it...toys and/or attic is present in all of the tales) but I was pleasantly surprised at the range of the work. It starts off on a comedic horror note with Jeff Strand's, 'Inside the Boxes,' and Emily C. Skaftun's, 'Down in the Woods Today.' I loved both and there are some great lines from Strand that made my laugh. Then I was shocked by the intensity of, 'Poor Me And Ted,' by Kate Jonez.

'I Heard it Through the Grape Vine' by S.S. Michaels had me chuckling. 'Attic Dog' by David Raffin was a very unexpected gem.

'The Doll Tree' by Amelia Mangan (incredible imagery) and 'Googly' by Jeremy C. Shipp (totally bizarre) round out my personal favorites.

ATTIC TOYS is a great read - solid selection of stories with something for everyone - even some fantasy ('Living Doll by Piers Anthony and 'White Knight' by Eric Sundquist.)

[J K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toy Story’s eerie concept of sentient, self-propelled toys is terrifying, if you really think about it, but at least Buzz Lightyear and his friends aren’t a malevolent bunch. However, ranging from gory and disturbing to sad, sweet and epic this collection of playful nightmares may inspire you keep those action figures and favourite childhood toys under lock and key until the sun comes back up. Just to be sure.

And wait, isn’t that Barbie looking at you funny?

Highly recommended.

Inside the Boxes by Jeff Strand
A man visiting his loving grandparents uncovers some deeply disturbing secrets about his childhood. Tongue in cheek but dark as hell, a great opener to the anthology and perfectly hitting a tone of repressed unpleasantness and corrupted innocence

Down in the Woods Today by Emily C. Skaftun
Very unnerving twist on something so familiar and cute. It’s midsummer in the woods, and of course, the teddy bears must have their picnic. But pagan-esque rites make monsters out of children’s loyal friends. This is definitely the stuffing of nightmares.

Dollhouse by Craig Wallwork
A clever take on the ‘haunted dollhouse’ scenario. I think we’ve all learned by now that if you find a perfect miniature replica of everything in your home, including its occupants, then you either run away or burn the thing. Fast. Eerie and upsetting, an excellent story.

Poor Me and Ted by Kate Joney
A damaged character’s disturbing reaction to grief. This story cleverly strangles you with your own heartstrings, twisting into an all too plausible and horrific payoff.

A Little Crimson Stain by Joe McKinney
A rare antique collector thinks he’s hit the big time when he discovers a valuable collectible doll packed away with a creepy picture of a dead girl. However, he soon learns that some toys are best left lost. Effectively spooky, and very visual.

I Heard it Through the Grapevine by S. S. Michaels
Brilliant story. A young boy hides in the attic to escape his abusive, violent father, only to receive help from a truly unexpected source. With plenty of gore and suspense, it’s still almost too ridiculous to work, but it totally gets away with it.

Dreams of a Ragged Doll by Cate Gardner
A girl follows her dream to a weird circus, although it’s all so surreal it’s hard to entirely catch the point of it all. It seems to be a bad dream about rag-dolls and human stitches that snap, and the imagery is uncanny and painful. There’s a real sense of unravelling reality as her sanity, and limbs, get snipped away.

Attic Dog by David Raffin
Wonderfully sad and very strange. Creates a beautifully desolate atmosphere of dust-strewn, forgotten spaces and the creeping, lonely decay of a long abandoned toy. Also there’s an alarming possible future for the ‘attic dog’ himself, if he ever gets out again.

When Harry Killed Sally by Lisa Morton
A concerned mother is driven to the brink when her daughter keeps destroying all her playthings, and then she hears a bizarre scratching sound in their attic. An enjoyable slice of ‘creepy child’ horror.

Living Doll by Piers Anthony
An excellent story that reads more like an exotic, yet classical fairytale. It’s a charming and beautiful piece of work, even if it isn’t technically horror. With plenty of magic, sorcerers curses and heroic quests, it maintains a tough, down-to-earth streak that stops it getting too syrupy.

The White Knight by Aric Sundquist
Children can get a bit lost inside their dangerous games, with very ominous consequences. Also, never listen to a talking stuffed blue cat, especially one that talks about real curses. An important lesson learned from a deceptively fluffy story.

The Doll Tree by Amelia Mangan
Eerie, very visual piece which carries you to some vivid yet surreal places. More about atmosphere than action, this takes you on a strange, dreamlike journey and leaves some horribly uncanny imagery festering in the brain.

A little Terror by Phil Hicks
One of the most memorable stories here, and sickly funny. A boy mutilates his sister’s toys and turns them into a fearsome monster. If only lightning hadn’t struck the attic on the very same night. The good sort of nasty, with a knowing trickle of molasses-black humour.

Give it a Name by Gary McMahon
This modern day Rumplestilskin story has an inevitable ending, and the final reveal doesn’t entirely ring convincingly, but this is a well managed, unforgiving update of a sinister storybook classic.

Discarded by Nancy Rosenberg England
A short tale, where a boy trapped in an attic is spooked out by a legion of sullen, soulless dolls. Creepy at first, but it feels like it lets a little too much light in at the end.

Googly by Jeremy C. Shipp
Not as wantonly surreal as a lot of his work, but very involving and powerful. A young boy must decide what his parents want of him after they lock him in the empty attic with only his long dead sister’s bones for company. Things only get worse for him after that. Great ending, too.

Rubik’s Cube by Melanie Mascio
Can you lose your mind to a 1980s fad? A man twisted up over his responsibilities becomes increasingly averse to reality, and works through this by obsessively trying to solve the classic toy, while he also wonders just what happened to his Smurf puppet? Unusual, in a good way.

A Brightly-Coloured Box Full of Stars by Dorian Dawes
A man is led to an ordinary door on an ordinary street, where a witch promises to find him what he longs to rediscover. The trouble is, there’s always a price to pay. Very sinister with a rich and chilling payoff.

The Tea-Serving Doll by Mae Empson
The second story in the collection to channel fairytale wonder over real horror, this is still very beautiful. Beguilingly combines the plight of Japanese immigrants, family betrayal, slavery and mysterious heirlooms. This was a rather charming and well mannered finish to a seriously impressive anthology.

[Ricardo Moedano · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hesitated to vent my thoughts on this collection because I couldn't bring myself to burst these guys' bubble by pointing out what bothered me about their work. It was not their style, no. That's great, as is the atmosphere too. Yet, all the stories (save for Living Doll perhaps, which, however, due to its moral tone doesn't fit among the rest in my opinion); all the stories, I'm afraid, feel more like an exercise than a tale proper, a plain account that, although rich in detail, is barren of a concrete point. Sorry mates, but my guess is that, if provided with some smart plot, you shall emerge from the shadows.

[Jason Brawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, very creepy and funny. Can't wait for the next volume.

[Angela Verdenius · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those anthologies where there's something for everyone. Really enjoyed it.

[Eric Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Singing purple raisins, teddy bears that come alive and robotic dogs that once could flip are just a few of the wonderful, yet quite creepy characters you will discover in the short stories of Attic Toys. Similar to the Attic Clowns stories that Jeremy C. Shipp writes, Attic Toys takes different objects, in this case obviously toys of some sort, and twists them into something that we might fear. It does something else quite interesting as well, Attic Toys takes mundane objects around the house, not just the toys themselves, and forces the reader to imagine them as if they were alive. An example of this is a lightbulb hanging in the attic in A Little Terror by Phil Hickes saying “In the attic, a solitary bulb flickers feebly, its life slowly ebbing away as it dangles from its black wire noose.” The thoughts you start having once you go down that line of thinking, well you might end up just as twisted as some of the characters in Attic Toys!

I would recommend this for any horror lover that, pardon the similarities to The Adams Family, are creepy, spooky and a little bit cooky. You will be forced to reexamine things you took for granted, things you might even have cherished in your childhood and see just how frightening they can become when they set their minds to it. I loved Attic Toys and I think you will too.

Rating 5/5

[Julie Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were pretty good. Couple of them were extraordinarily creepy. Then there were some that were lame or just didn't feel finished when they were over. All in all not a waste of time and that's about all you can ask for.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy Fun!! This collection of short creep stories was a blast to read. My favorite story had to be Down In The Woods Today by Emily C. Skaftun. All the stories were fun but that one just stood out to me. My hopes are that maybe this title could have a part 2 to it :O)

[Jenx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attic Toys was a very enjoyable read. There will be an upcoming review on my blog!

[Bill Borre]

"The Tea-Serving Doll" by Mae Empson - Hikari is a fifteen year old Japanese girl living in Seattle when her parents are killed. She rescues a magical tea-serving doll from the attic before she is sold as a servant to a Russian and his mother. The mother wants to eat her but the doll threatens to destroy the pair. In exchange for their lives the mother uses her witchcraft to make the doll human. Hikari and the doll get married and start a family.

"A Brightly-Colored Box Filled With Stars" by Dorian Dawes - The spirits of children attempt to warn the narrator of a witch who tempts with the promise of returned innocence but once they open the music box in her attic they become one of the doll residents.

"Rubik’s Cube" by Melanie Mascio - The protagonist obsesses over completing the puzzle.

"A Little Terror" by Phil Hickes - wc
"The Doll Tree" by Amelia Mangan - wc
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by S. S. Michaels - wc
"Down in the Woods Today" by Emily C. Skaftun - wc
"Dollhouse" by Craig Wallwork - wc

[Kay Glass · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of the tales were well-written. I'm a huge fan of horror, and I love a good scare. Since I have major issues with dolls I expected to be terrified by this series of short stories. I was not. While some of them were interesting, several of them bored me. I wanted to set the book aside multiple times during the read- all that kept me reading was knowing there were other short stories from other authors in there, and I didn't want to miss out on a great one. The only one I fell in love with was The Living Doll by Piers Anthony- the rest just didn't hold my interest. Several, like Rubik's Cube and Googly just made me roll my eyes- they were a complete miss for me.

As I said, this series just did nothing for me, but all were well-written, properly formatted, and there were no glaring typos. An entertaining way to pass the afternoon, but I won't be rereading this one.

[Roxanne Bland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of macabre short stories featuring the toys we knew and loved as children is a winner. I'll never look at teddy bears the same way again. Better check up on those action figures you stored in the attic...

[Cheryl Anne Gardner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally creepy and fun, but it takes a lot to terrify me.