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The End of Summer: Thirteen Tales of Halloween
The world's oldest celebration comes to life in The End of Summer: Thirteen Tales of Halloween, an anthology that honors the darkest and strangest night of the year. Each story is designed to be intrinsically and intimately about Halloween-its traditions, its myths, and its effects-and they run the gamut from horrifying to heartbreaking. Halloween night is the tapestry through which a haunted house, a monstrous child, a late-night drive to a mysterious destination, and other tales are weaved. Demons are faced, death is defied, and love is tested. And not everyone makes it out alive. The End of Summer has arrived.
256 pages, Paperback
First published September 19, 2013
29 people are currently reading
1182 people want to read
About the author
J. Tonzelli
7 books20 followersJ. Tonzelli is a writer, blogger, and Halloween enthusiast who currently resides in South Jersey. When not prepping his first authored novel for publication, or obsessively checking the weather report for thunderstorms, he continues his appreciation for all things creepy while making too many jokes about skeletons. He loves autumn, abandoned buildings, the supernatural, and films by John Carpenter. You can read more of J. Tonzelli's short fiction, as well as his musings on the horror genre, at his website: JTonzelli.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
October 27, 2015
As the author says in his Prologue, there are so few novels and short stories about Halloween. His 13 stories dedicated to the holiday add to the needed list of Halloween reads, and prove to be one to pull off your shelf each October.
“Stingy Jack”
Jack tries to cheat death, but doing so puts him in a worse spot. This wasn’t specific to Halloween, but was an interesting take on fighting the devil. 3/5
“The End of Summer”
Jamie stays with her Aunt and Uncle for Halloween on the farm and learns more about the holiday than she can imagine. I loved the nostalgic feel of Halloween from this, the lore, and the take on autumn’s harvest. 4/5
“The Halloween Girl of Coldsprings”
A ghost girl becomes a symbol of hope for a town. Told through a news article, I enjoyed the local folklore feel of this one. 4/5
“His Hideous Heart”
An unnamed man walks home on Halloween night and deals with the guilt of his actions. The blurring of reality and emotions stood out in this piece. 4/5
“The House on Deep River Road”
A father tells his son about a Halloween night where he lost his brother. The frame story and haunted house aspect worked well together. 4/5
“Devil’s Night”
The ghost of a man’s best friend from childhood haunts him every Halloween. This was focused more on the past rather than the story in present time. Still was a solid ghost story with a great last line. 4/5
“Wind and Silence”
A sheriff gets a call on Halloween night to investigate some troublemakers only to delve into his guilt-ridden past. I liked the tension here. 4/5
“One Good Scare”
More telling than showing in this story of a lonely man working at a hardware store, but I’m a romantic, so I liked it. 4/5
“The Veil”
A story about an absent father finding himself trapped in limbo—the father-son theme and the amusing setting and characters made this enjoyable. 4/5
“Maleficarum”
A girl’s friend wants to show her something on Halloween night. The characterization was strong, though the ending was a bit unclear. 4/5
“Bloody Bones & Rags”
This felt like a fleshed out Halloween memory I read in October Dreams, and I loved it, nostalgia, death and all. 5/5
“Hersh’s Last Ride”
A farmer renting out his farm for a haunted hayride has a meaningful moment of connection in the twilight of his life. This gave haunted attractions a human quality. 4/5
“Dumb Supper”
A wife’s husband visits each Halloween after his death. This one was alright, a portrayal of a couple caught in a terrible relationship. 3/5
Tonzelli’s love for Halloween shows in each story, even when he wrote about characters who hated the holiday. Halloween has much to we can learn from, more than candy and costumes, and the frightening décor, trace it back to its roots to see what it used to mean. And in each of us, it has place in our hearts where our inner kid gets swept away by the darkness in the world—whether something to believe in, regret, lost chances at love, devotion, and gratitude from strangers, autumn brings our harvest each year.
“Stingy Jack”
Jack tries to cheat death, but doing so puts him in a worse spot. This wasn’t specific to Halloween, but was an interesting take on fighting the devil. 3/5
“The End of Summer”
Jamie stays with her Aunt and Uncle for Halloween on the farm and learns more about the holiday than she can imagine. I loved the nostalgic feel of Halloween from this, the lore, and the take on autumn’s harvest. 4/5
“The Halloween Girl of Coldsprings”
A ghost girl becomes a symbol of hope for a town. Told through a news article, I enjoyed the local folklore feel of this one. 4/5
“His Hideous Heart”
An unnamed man walks home on Halloween night and deals with the guilt of his actions. The blurring of reality and emotions stood out in this piece. 4/5
“The House on Deep River Road”
A father tells his son about a Halloween night where he lost his brother. The frame story and haunted house aspect worked well together. 4/5
“Devil’s Night”
The ghost of a man’s best friend from childhood haunts him every Halloween. This was focused more on the past rather than the story in present time. Still was a solid ghost story with a great last line. 4/5
“Wind and Silence”
A sheriff gets a call on Halloween night to investigate some troublemakers only to delve into his guilt-ridden past. I liked the tension here. 4/5
“One Good Scare”
More telling than showing in this story of a lonely man working at a hardware store, but I’m a romantic, so I liked it. 4/5
“The Veil”
A story about an absent father finding himself trapped in limbo—the father-son theme and the amusing setting and characters made this enjoyable. 4/5
“Maleficarum”
A girl’s friend wants to show her something on Halloween night. The characterization was strong, though the ending was a bit unclear. 4/5
“Bloody Bones & Rags”
This felt like a fleshed out Halloween memory I read in October Dreams, and I loved it, nostalgia, death and all. 5/5
“Hersh’s Last Ride”
A farmer renting out his farm for a haunted hayride has a meaningful moment of connection in the twilight of his life. This gave haunted attractions a human quality. 4/5
“Dumb Supper”
A wife’s husband visits each Halloween after his death. This one was alright, a portrayal of a couple caught in a terrible relationship. 3/5
Tonzelli’s love for Halloween shows in each story, even when he wrote about characters who hated the holiday. Halloween has much to we can learn from, more than candy and costumes, and the frightening décor, trace it back to its roots to see what it used to mean. And in each of us, it has place in our hearts where our inner kid gets swept away by the darkness in the world—whether something to believe in, regret, lost chances at love, devotion, and gratitude from strangers, autumn brings our harvest each year.
November 22, 2015
Halloween is my favorite day of the year. I am always looking for a good Halloween anthology to read. The End of the Summer: 13 Tales of Halloween, is an excellent find. These 13 stories are packed with traditional Halloween myth's and good creepy tales from the dark side. I was pleasantly surprised with Tozelli writing style and he is also an excellent storyteller. I would like to see a volume two in the near future. This is a good book to read on a cold October night. I highly recommend this book.
August 1, 2015
Since Halloween is my favorite holiday, I was looking very forward to reading this baker’s dozen of fall yarns. Thanks to the great prose and clever ideas in this anthology, I was not disappointed. J. Tonzelli does a terrific job at capturing both the magical and the macabre elements of the season. My personal favorite stories were “The Halloween Girl of Coldsprings,” a terrifying pseudo-documentary that follows one town’s devotion to a festive spirit who might not be so benevolent, and “Devil’s Night,” a mournful cautionary tale concerning one youthful mistake that returns every year to haunt the protagonist.
Everything about this collection works, from the cohesive feel of the thirteen tales to that gorgeous cover, and ultimately, you're left wanting even more. Hopefully, J. Tonzelli will write a follow-up in the years to come, but if not, there are certainly enough great Halloween tales in “The End of Summer” to keep you satisfied for many cold Samhain evenings to come.
Everything about this collection works, from the cohesive feel of the thirteen tales to that gorgeous cover, and ultimately, you're left wanting even more. Hopefully, J. Tonzelli will write a follow-up in the years to come, but if not, there are certainly enough great Halloween tales in “The End of Summer” to keep you satisfied for many cold Samhain evenings to come.
October 26, 2015
A great well-written collection of Halloween stories with everything from haunted houses, ghosts, dark nights and scarecrows, jack o'lanterns and trick or treaters, along with a fun nod to the movie Halloween.
October 11, 2016
Yeah this book was ok. I enjoyed some of the stories but a lot of them were very cynical and took themselves too seriously not the happy gore fest I was expecting.
November 4, 2019
Rating
Review
*** This review originally appeared on Out of this World Reviews. ***
The End of Summer: Thirteen Tales of Halloween by J. Tonzelli is a collection of tales that run the gamut from horrifying to bittersweet (but mostly horrifying). This is a hard-hitting anthology that pulls no punches and ultimately delivers numerous quality reads that should set the mood perfectly for you for the upcoming holiday. The book description on Amazon really says it best:
Of the thirteen stories, I found none lacking. One might expect, however, varying levels of quality and this collection is no exception. Tastes will undoubtedly vary as well, but I found all of the stories enjoyable (again, horrifying too, but doesn’t that equate to ‘enjoyable’ in the context of Halloween?). “The Halloween Girl of Cold Springs” is a macabre tale about the annual appearance of the ghost of a young girl who died in 1979 in a house fire. The story has a Twilight Zone quality to it in that the people of Cold Springs have accepted and it seems even embraced her ghastly appearance with the pride normally assigned to a local football hero or local who’s gone on to great success. Never mind that a pack of supposed wild dogs mutilated numerous town pets the same night the Halloween Girl appeared or that Peter Barnes, who once said, “[Cold Spring] is such a nice place to live that people refuse to leave…even after death!,” was found murdered with one hand jammed into the garbage disposal. It’s an eerie tale of denial with some fatal consequences.
Another tale, “Wind and Silence,” is a chilling story about a sheriff whose past misdeeds finally catch up to him when he is visited by the ghosts from a night he’s tried very hard to forget. In “The End of Summer,” the story that shares the same name as the anthology, Jamie is spending a seemingly uneventful Halloween with her Uncle Luke and Aunt Lily, never suspecting that the story of live sacrifice told to her by her uncle is about to become all too real for her. Last, “Stingy Jack” tells the story of the Devil come to claim a soul…but not the first time. Stingy Jack, as the Devil calls him, knows a thing or two about cheating Satan, but when the Unholy One comes for him again, will Jack have the wits to escape damnation one more time?
The writing in The End of Summer is consistently good with characters that come to life (or death, as the case may be) in a believable manner based on their situation and personality. I’m giving it four rockets because, for a Halloween collection, it delivers. I think it will satisfy both those looking for holiday themed tales as well as those looking for something horrific. Give it a read this Halloween and each October 31.
Review
*** This review originally appeared on Out of this World Reviews. ***
The End of Summer: Thirteen Tales of Halloween by J. Tonzelli is a collection of tales that run the gamut from horrifying to bittersweet (but mostly horrifying). This is a hard-hitting anthology that pulls no punches and ultimately delivers numerous quality reads that should set the mood perfectly for you for the upcoming holiday. The book description on Amazon really says it best:
The world's oldest celebration comes to life in The End of Summer: Thirteen Tales of Halloween, an anthology that honors the darkest and strangest night of the year. Each story is designed to be intrinsically and intimately about Halloween-its traditions, its myths, and its effects-and they run the gamut from horrifying to heartbreaking. Halloween night is the tapestry through which a haunted house, a monstrous child, a late-night drive to a mysterious destination, and other tales are weaved. Demons are faced, death is defied, and love is tested. And not everyone makes it out alive. The End of Summer has arrived.
Of the thirteen stories, I found none lacking. One might expect, however, varying levels of quality and this collection is no exception. Tastes will undoubtedly vary as well, but I found all of the stories enjoyable (again, horrifying too, but doesn’t that equate to ‘enjoyable’ in the context of Halloween?). “The Halloween Girl of Cold Springs” is a macabre tale about the annual appearance of the ghost of a young girl who died in 1979 in a house fire. The story has a Twilight Zone quality to it in that the people of Cold Springs have accepted and it seems even embraced her ghastly appearance with the pride normally assigned to a local football hero or local who’s gone on to great success. Never mind that a pack of supposed wild dogs mutilated numerous town pets the same night the Halloween Girl appeared or that Peter Barnes, who once said, “[Cold Spring] is such a nice place to live that people refuse to leave…even after death!,” was found murdered with one hand jammed into the garbage disposal. It’s an eerie tale of denial with some fatal consequences.
Another tale, “Wind and Silence,” is a chilling story about a sheriff whose past misdeeds finally catch up to him when he is visited by the ghosts from a night he’s tried very hard to forget. In “The End of Summer,” the story that shares the same name as the anthology, Jamie is spending a seemingly uneventful Halloween with her Uncle Luke and Aunt Lily, never suspecting that the story of live sacrifice told to her by her uncle is about to become all too real for her. Last, “Stingy Jack” tells the story of the Devil come to claim a soul…but not the first time. Stingy Jack, as the Devil calls him, knows a thing or two about cheating Satan, but when the Unholy One comes for him again, will Jack have the wits to escape damnation one more time?
The writing in The End of Summer is consistently good with characters that come to life (or death, as the case may be) in a believable manner based on their situation and personality. I’m giving it four rockets because, for a Halloween collection, it delivers. I think it will satisfy both those looking for holiday themed tales as well as those looking for something horrific. Give it a read this Halloween and each October 31.
November 4, 2017
What an awesome collection of stories. I had my favorites of course, but the entire collection reflects all there is to love and fear about this, my favorite holiday.
October 29, 2014
disclaimer – i received a copy of this book via the goodreads first reads program in exchange for an honest review.
i’m a big fan of scary. books, movies, short stories, tv shows, i enjoy them all because i know they could never happen. let’s face it, the chances of me encountering a ghost are slim at best. and i’m (almost) positive that there will never be a zombie apocalypse. that’s not to say that i enjoy what seems to pass for horror these days – blood-fests, torture-porn, violence-gasms, those aren’t scary and they don’t count as horror. they’re just an excuse, in whatever form they take, to shock and disgust. real horror is visceral without being trashy or flashy. real horror is felt in the slight quickening of the pulse, the faint shiver on the back of the neck, the slowly increasing sense of unease.
all of that is just my way of telling you why i enjoyed the end of summer: thirteen tales of halloween as much as i did. you can tell from reading the prologue that j. tonzelli not only loves halloween, he gets it and he gets the point of telling a scary story. this book is, at its core, a love letter to halloween and it works. it’s got funny halloween, sad halloween, pensive halloween, redeeming halloween, and terrifying halloween, and tonzelli didn’t spill a single unnecessary drop of blood at any point.
four out of five stars
i’m a big fan of scary. books, movies, short stories, tv shows, i enjoy them all because i know they could never happen. let’s face it, the chances of me encountering a ghost are slim at best. and i’m (almost) positive that there will never be a zombie apocalypse. that’s not to say that i enjoy what seems to pass for horror these days – blood-fests, torture-porn, violence-gasms, those aren’t scary and they don’t count as horror. they’re just an excuse, in whatever form they take, to shock and disgust. real horror is visceral without being trashy or flashy. real horror is felt in the slight quickening of the pulse, the faint shiver on the back of the neck, the slowly increasing sense of unease.
all of that is just my way of telling you why i enjoyed the end of summer: thirteen tales of halloween as much as i did. you can tell from reading the prologue that j. tonzelli not only loves halloween, he gets it and he gets the point of telling a scary story. this book is, at its core, a love letter to halloween and it works. it’s got funny halloween, sad halloween, pensive halloween, redeeming halloween, and terrifying halloween, and tonzelli didn’t spill a single unnecessary drop of blood at any point.
four out of five stars
July 7, 2015
The End of Summer: Thirteen Tales of Halloween is a spine chilling good read that far exceeded my expectations. What makes this book particularly creepy is that most of the scares are based on human nature and the problems we can create for ourselves and others. So if you think the stories will be like the Goosebumps series you read as a kid, think again. This book is very well written and the characters are real and complex. The stories stayed with me for several days...and nights.
I tried to figure out which story was my favorite and I had a very difficult time deciding. I loved all of them. But I believe the most chilling story for me was The Halloween Girl of Coldsprings. It is told in a quiet documentary style and then slowly sneaks up on you. That one really got under my skin! But as I said before, there were so many good stories.
Oh, and one more thing, watch for the subtle winks at the movie Halloween. I thought that little touch of humor really put the cherry on top.
Again, this is an amazing read. It's Halloween for adults. Not gory or violent, just very insightful and very effective at giving the reader nightmares!
I tried to figure out which story was my favorite and I had a very difficult time deciding. I loved all of them. But I believe the most chilling story for me was The Halloween Girl of Coldsprings. It is told in a quiet documentary style and then slowly sneaks up on you. That one really got under my skin! But as I said before, there were so many good stories.
Oh, and one more thing, watch for the subtle winks at the movie Halloween. I thought that little touch of humor really put the cherry on top.
Again, this is an amazing read. It's Halloween for adults. Not gory or violent, just very insightful and very effective at giving the reader nightmares!
November 5, 2019
I am a bonafide lover of Halloween. Like the Author, I love Halloween and all things Halloween related.
This year I celebrated the 4th October that I’m re-reading this book (as an Audible. The Narrator is absolutely fantastic!) It has become my tradition. I start it up on October 1 and I listen a little bit every day until I round it out on Halloween Morning.
Mr. Tonzelli is right, in his foreword, when he says so many books and stories make “Halloween promises” but really just deliver ghosts or monsters that have little to do with the actual holiday or season. This book absolutely honors the season in theme, character, story, mood and style. Each story is perfectly crafted. The characters are solid with good back story. The stories are packed with suspense, intrigue and great conclusions. Every story is a 10/10, no “B-Sides” here. And somehow, the stories are all brief enough to enjoy and digest in one sitting. Really well done.
I will continue my yearly rounds and my little son will enjoy them with me year after year. I look forward to the next installment!
This year I celebrated the 4th October that I’m re-reading this book (as an Audible. The Narrator is absolutely fantastic!) It has become my tradition. I start it up on October 1 and I listen a little bit every day until I round it out on Halloween Morning.
Mr. Tonzelli is right, in his foreword, when he says so many books and stories make “Halloween promises” but really just deliver ghosts or monsters that have little to do with the actual holiday or season. This book absolutely honors the season in theme, character, story, mood and style. Each story is perfectly crafted. The characters are solid with good back story. The stories are packed with suspense, intrigue and great conclusions. Every story is a 10/10, no “B-Sides” here. And somehow, the stories are all brief enough to enjoy and digest in one sitting. Really well done.
I will continue my yearly rounds and my little son will enjoy them with me year after year. I look forward to the next installment!
October 13, 2017
This collection really stuck with me. I finished it several days back but have continued thinking about and appreciating it. The stories all have a quiet, mournful feel to them, and one in particular (Bloody Bones & Rags) felt so honest and authentic that I couldn't help but feel like I was reading a non-fiction confessional. A very accomplished work!
October 12, 2015
A fun short story collection that truly pays respects to the best holiday! The stories collected here didn't just have scares, they had heart too.
Horror movie fans will get a kick out of one in particular!
Horror movie fans will get a kick out of one in particular!
August 3, 2019
This lit the fire for me to write.
Inspirational. Original stories. Great storyteller. Couldn't put it down. Read every Halloween. Great to pass on to generations to come.
Inspirational. Original stories. Great storyteller. Couldn't put it down. Read every Halloween. Great to pass on to generations to come.
October 27, 2021
I love to collect and read books about Halloween and I was really happy with J. Tonzelli's 'The End of Summer'. The stories are all clearly focused on Halloween, unlike many other story collections where the stories are Halloween adjacent at best, and they are all of a length that doesn't outstay its welcome. This means that you can enjoy a tale in amongst all your other October activities without any hassle. The stories cover different styles and emotions, so the book is certainly not full on gore and horror, however all the tales engage you with very solid Halloween imagery. The writer uses a very clever writing style that leads you one way before subtly revealing the 'true' nature of the story - which I found delightful. At several points I know I was wearing a grin as I thought "Ahhh...so THAT'S why...". No doubt the writer wore a similar grin when they were writing it! Highly recommended.
December 29, 2022
Джей Тонзели няма в творчеството си други истории, освет есенни. Тук имаме тринадесет кратки разказа, които варират от слашър, през призрачни, диаболични, вампирски, исторически и съвсем обикновенно човешки, има дори едно чудесно есе, но всичките са свързани с празника на вси светии и всичките са написани много добре.
Няма аспект от празника с който да не се сблскаме между страниците - тиквени фенери и сделка с дявола, провинциално празнуване и жертва за плодородие, вдъхновяващ призрак и терор над цяло градче, вина и заслужено наказание, обсебване и заровени спомени, пакости в нощта и закъсняло правосъдие, бродене из чистилището и разкриване на житейски истини, игра с духове и кървави последствия, хелоуинска атракция в полето и спомени за миналото, семейна драма продължаваща след смъртта - всичко това обвито в есенен разкош.
Аз доволен.
Няма аспект от празника с който да не се сблскаме между страниците - тиквени фенери и сделка с дявола, провинциално празнуване и жертва за плодородие, вдъхновяващ призрак и терор над цяло градче, вина и заслужено наказание, обсебване и заровени спомени, пакости в нощта и закъсняло правосъдие, бродене из чистилището и разкриване на житейски истини, игра с духове и кървави последствия, хелоуинска атракция в полето и спомени за миналото, семейна драма продължаваща след смъртта - всичко това обвито в есенен разкош.
Аз доволен.
February 19, 2017
I really liked some of the stories in this book and it was pretty enjoyable to read overall. A few of the stories seemed to lack something though and I felt like they were over before I could get interested. There was also a surprising amount of gore that may be too much for some readers so I wouldn't recommend it to any young adults or kids. The stories I liked had some good twists and I had fun reading them. Great book if you're a fan of Halloween or you're just looking for something creepy to read.
October 1, 2019
I really enjoyed this collection of Halloween themed horror tales.
The strict horror ones are genuinely scary, and one or two of them I would even like to see filmed I was that impressed.
The weak point is the non-horror tales. They are very personal and emotional, which is absolutely fine and they are to a high standard, they just weren't to my taste.
All in all, this was super, atmospheric and a great way to start the Autumn horror reason :)
The strict horror ones are genuinely scary, and one or two of them I would even like to see filmed I was that impressed.
The weak point is the non-horror tales. They are very personal and emotional, which is absolutely fine and they are to a high standard, they just weren't to my taste.
All in all, this was super, atmospheric and a great way to start the Autumn horror reason :)
October 30, 2017
Really well done collection of stories that embody various aspects of the Halloween season. I was very pleasantly surprised. The only criticism would be that that narration of the audiobook was a little amateur and took me out of the story on a few occasions but I still enjoyed it a lot.
November 1, 2020
These tales were perfect for Halloween...thoroughly enjoyable seasonal short stories that very much captured the essence of the Halloween/Samhain.
March 7, 2021
It'll satisfy your need for Halloween stories. Plenty of scary stories for the spooky season but also tragic and somber ones too.
April 9, 2021
Extremely impressed! Each story is well written and entertaining! I would definitely recommend this for anyone in the Halloween mood
September 26, 2022
🎃 Perfect for Halloween. 🎃
Pumpkins and ghosts, creepy scarecrows, childhood nostalgia, spooky mood... What's not to love?! 🍁🍂🍁🍂
Pumpkins and ghosts, creepy scarecrows, childhood nostalgia, spooky mood... What's not to love?! 🍁🍂🍁🍂
November 15, 2024
Very enjoyable book :)
Some stories better than others but overall very enjoyable.
Some stories better than others but overall very enjoyable.
March 11, 2021
Great collection
One of my favorite collections of Halloween shorts. Some are terrifying , some take you back to simpler times. All are worth your attention.
One of my favorite collections of Halloween shorts. Some are terrifying , some take you back to simpler times. All are worth your attention.
September 27, 2015
I remember scrolling through my kindle last October and discovering The End of Summer. After reading the intro and the first story, Stingy Jack, which I clicked with right away (anyone who knows anything about the origins of Halloween would), I knew that I'd stumbled onto something killer and rare. Collections like these don't come along that often and I gladly reveled in each and every one of the spooky, autumn tales that awaited.
What author J. Tonzelli does extremely well with every story here is that they're all scarily unique and deeply grounded into what makes up the who\what\where and whys of what makes Halloween one of the best days of the year. From it's origins of offering up sacrifices for bountiful harvests, to the haunted ghosts that remain frustratingly trapped between the thin line of different worlds and why some pranks that go horribly wrong will follow you around for the rest of your days.
The End of Summer offers a little bit of spooky October fun for everybody. The cover's also pretty bad ass. Although I liked all of the stories in this collection my favorites would have to be One Good Scare, which was basically like reading an entire missing sequence from John Carpenter's 1978 classic, Halloween. His Hideous Heart spins a nasty little tale about murder and why it might be a bad idea to carryout such things on the one night a year when anything can go down, but The House on Deep River Road was probably the scariest one of the bunch. I totally loved it. It starts out as an old man who's terrified of October 31st tells his son one cold and windy Halloween why there are very good reasons you should fear the things that go bump in the night on All Hallows Eve.
Four outta five because I was bummed it wasn't longer lmao. Hoping for TEOS volume 2 in the near future.
What author J. Tonzelli does extremely well with every story here is that they're all scarily unique and deeply grounded into what makes up the who\what\where and whys of what makes Halloween one of the best days of the year. From it's origins of offering up sacrifices for bountiful harvests, to the haunted ghosts that remain frustratingly trapped between the thin line of different worlds and why some pranks that go horribly wrong will follow you around for the rest of your days.
The End of Summer offers a little bit of spooky October fun for everybody. The cover's also pretty bad ass. Although I liked all of the stories in this collection my favorites would have to be One Good Scare, which was basically like reading an entire missing sequence from John Carpenter's 1978 classic, Halloween. His Hideous Heart spins a nasty little tale about murder and why it might be a bad idea to carryout such things on the one night a year when anything can go down, but The House on Deep River Road was probably the scariest one of the bunch. I totally loved it. It starts out as an old man who's terrified of October 31st tells his son one cold and windy Halloween why there are very good reasons you should fear the things that go bump in the night on All Hallows Eve.
Four outta five because I was bummed it wasn't longer lmao. Hoping for TEOS volume 2 in the near future.
November 1, 2015
This book was an excellent collection of spooky Halloween tales. They ranged from creepy, to mournful, to sentimental. A few of my personal favorites were
The Halloween Girl of Cold Springs--- Every Halloween, residents of a small town are visited by a benevolent ( or is she? ) spirit. This story is written in such a way that several townspeople give comments on how they feel about the town's annual seasonal visitor. While their comments are upbeat, and cheerful, dark, sinister truths lie just beneath the false exterior created by these positive thoughts.
One Good Scare--- This tale involves what could have been a mission scene from a very famous film, that would have fit perfectly into that film. It involves employees in a small town store where, on Halloween, a few things are stolen by a mysterious visitor...a Halloween mask, a knife, and some rope.
The End of Summer-- A young girl has to spend Halloween on a rural farm, with her aunt and uncle. Will her Halloween be fun, or will her evening turn into something only experienced in horror movies?
I highly recommend getting a copy of this book, to read during the Halloween season, or any time you're in the mood for fun scares.
The Halloween Girl of Cold Springs--- Every Halloween, residents of a small town are visited by a benevolent ( or is she? ) spirit. This story is written in such a way that several townspeople give comments on how they feel about the town's annual seasonal visitor. While their comments are upbeat, and cheerful, dark, sinister truths lie just beneath the false exterior created by these positive thoughts.
One Good Scare--- This tale involves what could have been a mission scene from a very famous film, that would have fit perfectly into that film. It involves employees in a small town store where, on Halloween, a few things are stolen by a mysterious visitor...a Halloween mask, a knife, and some rope.
The End of Summer-- A young girl has to spend Halloween on a rural farm, with her aunt and uncle. Will her Halloween be fun, or will her evening turn into something only experienced in horror movies?
I highly recommend getting a copy of this book, to read during the Halloween season, or any time you're in the mood for fun scares.
April 21, 2014
An unusal selection of short Halloween stories, there was only one of Tonzelli short stories that I found didn't relate to Halloween and I felt was incomplete. Other than that the stories are pretty good.
November 21, 2015
I LOVED the short stories in this collection! Every story was ABOUT Halloween.......... better than the usual scary stories told for the holiday! I highly recommend this collection if you love short stories and Halloween alike!
April 7, 2016
This was exactly what I felt like, the first two stories were amazing. Especially like the one with the scarecrows. There were a few I wasn't all that moved by but overall I thoroughly enjoyed the listen. It was a nice injection of Halloween goodness into an otherwise meh March.
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