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The Graveyard Shift
Welcome to The Graveyard Shift, a collection of novelettes that will take you on a midnight ride-along through the darkest alleys of the human mind. These tales plumb the macabre depths of both life and death and leave the reader to decide which fate is more terrifying.
In Bedridden Honeymoon, a newlywed English professor falls into paranoiac delusion as he is stalked by his new bride’s deranged ex-husband on their honeymoon.
In An Axe Through Bone, a groundskeeper finds a garage room that allows him to be transported into the medieval world of his imagination, where his adventures provide escape from the reality of his wife’s recent (and abrupt) death.
In These Walls, a tale of woe is told from the perspective of Eastlake Manor, the living embodiment of a home that finds itself forced to haunt away its terrible new tenants after its old masters pass away.
In Life and Limb, a mannequin sculptor with a wretched secret is plagued by guilt to the point of hallucination, or so he thinks.
In The Curious Debt of William T. Bellows, William learns that no gentlemen’s accord comes free of unexpected fine print, especially one concocted by a demon and sealed in blood.
These five, grim novelettes are separated by four equally haunting short stories, all guaranteed to test the limits of the reader's imagination and explore the furthest stretches of life, death, and the morality that lies somewhere in between.
In Bedridden Honeymoon, a newlywed English professor falls into paranoiac delusion as he is stalked by his new bride’s deranged ex-husband on their honeymoon.
In An Axe Through Bone, a groundskeeper finds a garage room that allows him to be transported into the medieval world of his imagination, where his adventures provide escape from the reality of his wife’s recent (and abrupt) death.
In These Walls, a tale of woe is told from the perspective of Eastlake Manor, the living embodiment of a home that finds itself forced to haunt away its terrible new tenants after its old masters pass away.
In Life and Limb, a mannequin sculptor with a wretched secret is plagued by guilt to the point of hallucination, or so he thinks.
In The Curious Debt of William T. Bellows, William learns that no gentlemen’s accord comes free of unexpected fine print, especially one concocted by a demon and sealed in blood.
These five, grim novelettes are separated by four equally haunting short stories, all guaranteed to test the limits of the reader's imagination and explore the furthest stretches of life, death, and the morality that lies somewhere in between.
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 11, 2013
14 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Brandon Meyers
26 books26 followersBrandon Meyers is author of the novel "Lovely Death" and the short story collection "Chasing the Sandman." And when not writing solo, he and his best friend, Bryan Pedas, co-authored the novels "The Sensationally Absurd Life and Times of Slim Dyson," "The Missing Link," "The Graveyard Shift," and "Dead and Moaning in Las Vegas," as well as the humor blog/web-comic A Beer for the Shower. Someday he will grow up and get a real job. Brandon can be reached at brandonleemeyers@gmail.com .
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 28, 2014
Did you ever buy a CD for that one song you loved even though the rest of the CD pretty much sucked? Maybe you knew that ahead of time, maybe you didn't; I've done it both ways. Of course, you don't have to do it like that at all, anymore, but that's how it used to be back when you couldn't buy any individual song that you wanted to. Back in the day, not every thing got a single.
Well, you'll be glad to know that this book isn't like that at all. If you like... hmm... not exactly horror... suspenseful? They are certainly suspenseful. Stories with odd twists? Yeah, that's closer. Stories that will leave you feeling like you have bugs crawling on your skin. That's it exactly. That's not a genre, is it? Well, it ought to be. At any rate, if you like that kind of stuff, there's a good chance you'll like this whole collection.
An interesting thing they've done with this collection of tales is made the book a book within the book with a story of a guy reading the book as bookends to the book. Not that this is an original thing to do, but it's not done all that often, which makes it notable. That story will make bugs crawl on your skin, too. Especially since... Oh, you'll have to find that out on your own.
Since I generally talk about how well edited the Beer Guys' books are, I figure I should mention that. This is the least well edited I've seen of their books, meaning I had to go two hands instead of being able to count mistakes on just one. Mostly, there are some formatting quirks in various sections where the paragraphs indentations shift back and forth. Other than that, though, it means that this book is still has better editing than virtually all traditionally published books I pick up (including the one I'm reading right now).
I should mention that the very excellent "Like an Axe Through Bone," that Bryan Pedas wrote based on my world from The House on the Corner is included in this collection, although he seems to have shortened the title to just "An Axe Through Bone." If you haven't read that, you really should.
My favorite story is "These Walls." It's a different take on the typical haunted house story, and I really enjoyed it. I have to say, I would love to live in a house like that. I'll be nice; I promise.
"Bedridden Honeymoon" and "Life and Limb" are both quite disturbing, but I think Honeymoon wins by a corpse, considering it was inspired by a true story.
And, then, there's the story about a deal with a demon... And I haven't decided how I feel about that one, yet. I alternated between wanting the guy to defeat the demon and wanting the guy to get "eaten" by the demon. Probably, one of those options happened, and I'm not sure if I approve of the ending or not because I'm still ambivalent about how I feel about the protagonist. But it's a good story.
There are more that I haven't mentioned. Seriously, if you like stories that are liable to make your skin crawl, you should give this one a look or three.
Well, you'll be glad to know that this book isn't like that at all. If you like... hmm... not exactly horror... suspenseful? They are certainly suspenseful. Stories with odd twists? Yeah, that's closer. Stories that will leave you feeling like you have bugs crawling on your skin. That's it exactly. That's not a genre, is it? Well, it ought to be. At any rate, if you like that kind of stuff, there's a good chance you'll like this whole collection.
An interesting thing they've done with this collection of tales is made the book a book within the book with a story of a guy reading the book as bookends to the book. Not that this is an original thing to do, but it's not done all that often, which makes it notable. That story will make bugs crawl on your skin, too. Especially since... Oh, you'll have to find that out on your own.
Since I generally talk about how well edited the Beer Guys' books are, I figure I should mention that. This is the least well edited I've seen of their books, meaning I had to go two hands instead of being able to count mistakes on just one. Mostly, there are some formatting quirks in various sections where the paragraphs indentations shift back and forth. Other than that, though, it means that this book is still has better editing than virtually all traditionally published books I pick up (including the one I'm reading right now).
I should mention that the very excellent "Like an Axe Through Bone," that Bryan Pedas wrote based on my world from The House on the Corner is included in this collection, although he seems to have shortened the title to just "An Axe Through Bone." If you haven't read that, you really should.
My favorite story is "These Walls." It's a different take on the typical haunted house story, and I really enjoyed it. I have to say, I would love to live in a house like that. I'll be nice; I promise.
"Bedridden Honeymoon" and "Life and Limb" are both quite disturbing, but I think Honeymoon wins by a corpse, considering it was inspired by a true story.
And, then, there's the story about a deal with a demon... And I haven't decided how I feel about that one, yet. I alternated between wanting the guy to defeat the demon and wanting the guy to get "eaten" by the demon. Probably, one of those options happened, and I'm not sure if I approve of the ending or not because I'm still ambivalent about how I feel about the protagonist. But it's a good story.
There are more that I haven't mentioned. Seriously, if you like stories that are liable to make your skin crawl, you should give this one a look or three.
June 23, 2017
This is the best horror book I think I've ever read and I like Stephen King, Bentley Little John Laymon. I didn't know they wrote comedy either, but I sure hope they put more horror books out. They are the best. If I could, I would give them ten+ stars.
Each story was so different. I've never read anything even remotely like them before. I also noticed all of their stories start out with an opening hook that pulls the reader in right away and keeps them there.
The stories are so original and fast paced, not a ho hum part in any one. I'm keeping this on my kindle and it will be one I reread again and again, and I never reread books.
I couldn't pick out a favorite because I loved all of them.
Each story was so different. I've never read anything even remotely like them before. I also noticed all of their stories start out with an opening hook that pulls the reader in right away and keeps them there.
The stories are so original and fast paced, not a ho hum part in any one. I'm keeping this on my kindle and it will be one I reread again and again, and I never reread books.
I couldn't pick out a favorite because I loved all of them.
August 3, 2020
Can be read in one sitting.
Hard to put down, spooky little stories which link well together. Great for Halloween and camp fire tales, prepare to be scared.
Hard to put down, spooky little stories which link well together. Great for Halloween and camp fire tales, prepare to be scared.
August 20, 2014
It's been a while since I read a good Stephen King or Dean Koontz horror story, so it was high time to scare the bejeezus out of myself again. Based on the recommendation of a fellow blogger, I gave this collection of creepy short stories a go. The authors of this book prove themselves over and over again on their blog to have a top-notch handle on humor, but I was curious as to how they'd manage horror.
As it turns out, they manage it just FINE. Although they never made me shudder, they sure did keep my attention. You might think a collection of short pieces would be ideal for a read a little now, read some more later kinda mentality, but it didn't work out that way for me. Reading only one story and putting the book down would have been as futile an exercise as trying to eat a single salt-and-vinegar potato chip and ignoring the rest of the bag. This glutton read the book in a single setting, and enjoyed every single page of it. (I'm not saying whether said bag of chips accompanied the task or not...) Excellent writing, and imagination out the wazoo. I highly recommend.
As it turns out, they manage it just FINE. Although they never made me shudder, they sure did keep my attention. You might think a collection of short pieces would be ideal for a read a little now, read some more later kinda mentality, but it didn't work out that way for me. Reading only one story and putting the book down would have been as futile an exercise as trying to eat a single salt-and-vinegar potato chip and ignoring the rest of the bag. This glutton read the book in a single setting, and enjoyed every single page of it. (I'm not saying whether said bag of chips accompanied the task or not...) Excellent writing, and imagination out the wazoo. I highly recommend.
March 9, 2015
The Graveyard Shift
This was the first book I'd read by these two guys and it will not be the last. I had no idea they normally wrote comedic books until I read about the authors. They are definitly good in the realm of horror. I especially liked Bedridden Honeymoon and was surprised to find it was based on a true story. I also liked the way he broke the first story into two parts and the macabre ending. They are original stories and kept my interest til the end. I recommend this to anyone who likes horror. I gave it 4 stars because while reading one of the stories it seemed as though a different person took over writing the last third of the story and I found the different style distracting. However,Ido recommend this group of shorts very highly.
This was the first book I'd read by these two guys and it will not be the last. I had no idea they normally wrote comedic books until I read about the authors. They are definitly good in the realm of horror. I especially liked Bedridden Honeymoon and was surprised to find it was based on a true story. I also liked the way he broke the first story into two parts and the macabre ending. They are original stories and kept my interest til the end. I recommend this to anyone who likes horror. I gave it 4 stars because while reading one of the stories it seemed as though a different person took over writing the last third of the story and I found the different style distracting. However,Ido recommend this group of shorts very highly.
May 26, 2016
Fabulously quirky, frequently gritty humor; always chilling and exciting. One of my favorite short story collections. These Authors really know how to craft a thrilling and macabre plot in a variety of settings with believable characters. Turn on the lights, lock up the axe, make only happy memories in your home, never make envious wishes in the mirror . . . .
If you like almost-likeable, psychotic villians, hero's with more guts than common sense, and victims that return from beyond for vengence; then this is exactly your kind of scary read.
If you like almost-likeable, psychotic villians, hero's with more guts than common sense, and victims that return from beyond for vengence; then this is exactly your kind of scary read.
September 23, 2013
This effort is a serious change of pace for this comedic duo. I hope they continue to explore the dark side, as they are really quite good at it. I enjoyed the creepy atmosphere of some of the stories, I also was impressed by some to the more twisted elements in others. This book was almost entirely serious in tone. I was beginning to wonder how they managed that, until I ran into a certain Mr. Grimsley. Ha!
Anyway, really good work, guys. You keep writing them and I'll keep reading them.
Anyway, really good work, guys. You keep writing them and I'll keep reading them.
August 16, 2014
More disturbing than horrifying, this collection of short stories is nonetheless quite enjoyable The stories all seemed to be perfectly paced, and the book-within-a-book idea, although seemingly done to death was well done here.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews