What do you think?
Rate this book
Cold, Black & Infinite: Stories of the Horrific & Strange
Down here in the dark lies a vast and twisted landscape where the wicked, wistful, and profane coalesce. This is where the lonely and lost face their demons, where anxious paranoias are made manifest, and where mundane evil wears a human face. For readers, the sixteen stories found within Cold, Black, & Infinite serve as a harrowing glimpse into the nightmarish imagination of Todd Keisling, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Devil’s Creek and Scanlines.
Visit a town where the residents are slowly being replaced by mannequins in “We’ve All Gone to the Magic Show.” Go for a drive and discover your favorite radio host is still transmitting from beyond the grave in “Midnight in the Southland.” Laugh at Karen’s misfortune when she learns necromancy isn’t the best way to raise a child in “Afterbirth.” And uncover the true motivation behind one man’s historical betrayal in “Gethsemane.”
Featuring three previously unpublished stories and an introduction by Bram Stoker Award–winner John Langan, Cold, Black, & Infinite establishes Keisling as a leading voice in contemporary indie horror.
Cast your doubts aside and take the plunge. Touch the abyss. It’s waiting.
Visit a town where the residents are slowly being replaced by mannequins in “We’ve All Gone to the Magic Show.” Go for a drive and discover your favorite radio host is still transmitting from beyond the grave in “Midnight in the Southland.” Laugh at Karen’s misfortune when she learns necromancy isn’t the best way to raise a child in “Afterbirth.” And uncover the true motivation behind one man’s historical betrayal in “Gethsemane.”
Featuring three previously unpublished stories and an introduction by Bram Stoker Award–winner John Langan, Cold, Black, & Infinite establishes Keisling as a leading voice in contemporary indie horror.
Cast your doubts aside and take the plunge. Touch the abyss. It’s waiting.
354 pages, Hardcover
First published September 26, 2023
49 people are currently reading
548 people want to read
About the author
Todd Keisling
47 books467 followersTODD KEISLING is the two-time Bram Stoker Award®-nominated author of Devil’s Creek, Scanlines, Cold, Black & Infinite, and most recently, The Sundowner’s Dance, among several others. A pair of his earlier works were recipients of the University of Kentucky’s Oswald Research & Creativity Prize for Creative Writing (2002 and 2005), and his second novel, The Liminal Man, was an Indie Book Award finalist in Horror & Suspense (2013). He lives in Pennsylvania with his family.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
September 26, 2023
Release day edit: Cold, Black & Infinite is now available! A few months and many many books later there's still a few stories from this collection that will randomly pop up in my head and I've purchased a couple more of the author's books so I'd say this would be a fab place to start if you're curious about Keisling's work but buyer beware it's kind of addictive!
4.5 rounded up.
This collection was my first Keisling and from the first page I knew I had found a literary voice that I would enjoy, some authors are very upfront about what you're getting into with their book, Keisling is one of them.
A few of the stories came across as "the capitalist deity will eat your soul" kind of tales, The Smile Factory chief among them, to my great delight. Speaking of Smile Factory, that story contained some absolutely magnificent lines for the office worker soul such as and . That being said, it's not an aggressively in your face thing so if that kind of criticism isn't your jam you'll still be able to enjoy the stories.
There's a couple revenge fantasies and a couple of stories that confront religious trauma and religiosity in general.
A few of the stories felt very familiar to the point where I wondered where I might have read them before and in one instance, I was absolutely certain that the story was in another anthology, by a different author. In my reading notes I also marked 2 of the stories as "I'm sure this one was an SCP story at some point" (the strange radio station one and the magic show one). Considering that I've encountered Keisling's name in author notes/dedications I think that this sense of familiarity is proof that I have seen his shadow and influence in other people's work.
The variety of themes made for a consistently engaging read and while some stories seemed to be part of a larger narrative every story came across as a completed work.
I received an eARC of this book from Cemetery Dance Publications through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 rounded up.
This collection was my first Keisling and from the first page I knew I had found a literary voice that I would enjoy, some authors are very upfront about what you're getting into with their book, Keisling is one of them.
A few of the stories came across as "the capitalist deity will eat your soul" kind of tales, The Smile Factory chief among them, to my great delight. Speaking of Smile Factory, that story contained some absolutely magnificent lines for the office worker soul such as and . That being said, it's not an aggressively in your face thing so if that kind of criticism isn't your jam you'll still be able to enjoy the stories.
There's a couple revenge fantasies and a couple of stories that confront religious trauma and religiosity in general.
A few of the stories felt very familiar to the point where I wondered where I might have read them before and in one instance, I was absolutely certain that the story was in another anthology, by a different author. In my reading notes I also marked 2 of the stories as "I'm sure this one was an SCP story at some point" (the strange radio station one and the magic show one). Considering that I've encountered Keisling's name in author notes/dedications I think that this sense of familiarity is proof that I have seen his shadow and influence in other people's work.
The variety of themes made for a consistently engaging read and while some stories seemed to be part of a larger narrative every story came across as a completed work.
I received an eARC of this book from Cemetery Dance Publications through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 7, 2023
I loved Devil's Creek by this author so I was super excited to see this collection.
These short stories are not all that diminutive in size. They are long enough to pack sufficient meat on their bones to make a filling and gory meal.
There were a couple of holiday horrors that I especially enjoyed. If you ever watch those Hallmark Christmas romance movies and think how much better they would be if only everyone would get their brains bashed in or that holiday shopping would be less boring if zombies came to the mall, these may be your favorites too.
Some of these stories may be too disturbing for some readers but if you like your fiction very dark this is for you.
My thanks to Cemetery Dance
These short stories are not all that diminutive in size. They are long enough to pack sufficient meat on their bones to make a filling and gory meal.
There were a couple of holiday horrors that I especially enjoyed. If you ever watch those Hallmark Christmas romance movies and think how much better they would be if only everyone would get their brains bashed in or that holiday shopping would be less boring if zombies came to the mall, these may be your favorites too.
Some of these stories may be too disturbing for some readers but if you like your fiction very dark this is for you.
My thanks to Cemetery Dance
January 30, 2024
Thank you Netgalley and Kevin Lucia cemetery dance publications for this amazing book.
First of all, I'm now a fan of Todd Keisling. This was my first work of his and it is amaaazzzzing. I always say that some people are born to write. I consider Neil Gaiman, Donna Tartt as those authors and now will count Keisling in that list too.
This is an amazing collection of short stories. # Cold, black and infinite
“Glory be to boid. Glory be to the many.”
As per the name of the book, there are several stories belonging to every word in the title like 5 stories in cold, 5 in black and 6 stories in infinite.
Cold
Midnight in the Southland
“We’re all lonely travelers,” he used to say, “wandering empty roads under a weight of cosmic indifference.” it's a story of a man who has been influenced by a Radio Jockey named Gus. His show was about strange things that happened with people. And protagonist has waited so long for something to happen with him and it does in the end of the story."
A man who used to be a fan of RJ is on verge of rediscovering himself again.
2.45 to New Xebico
“the universe is chaos you can count on. We’re all slaves to entropy, everything rots, and even reality runs threadbare in places.”
A story of a terminal security who comes across a weird passenger, something that he craved to witness whole his life and yet when it happened he was not ready to witness it.
The happytown Yuletide Massacre
Angela finds a horrible act has played out in her small town. This was a fun read, a take on all those vacation horror movies.
They’re always tall, handsome, rugged, the sort of guys who can kill a bear with their hands and then cook you a candlelit dinners and they’re always flawed, too.
Y2K
Story of an agent interviewing a suspect but who is the actual villain here? Is suspect paranoid or everything he is saying is actually true?
Black Friday
A zombie apocalypse. One of the cliched stories but I liked it.
Maybe if people survive this plague, Black Friday will become a day remembered for all the right reasons & day when humanity’s excess came tumbling down around its ears.
Black
TOMMY THE DESTRUCTO-BOT VS. THE BULLIES FROM FUTURE STREET
Tommy is bullied so he decides to take revenge on his bullies with help of next door neighbour old lady Mercedes Future.
War came to Future Street one crisp autumn day, dressed in tinfoil and copper tubing, with pneumatic pistons driven by the steam of one child’s bloodlust.
Afterbirth
This can not be explained in simple words. Karen kills children and doing something weird in the basement. The creature is alive but not exactly but it is in the end. A biting satire aimed at pro life fanatics. It's also a author's take on Jonathan Swift’s “a modest proposal” instead of eating children to cure famine, it's killing children to grow your own. And I loved how author said he is with women, a woman has right to choose. Full stop.
Annie's heart is a haunted house
“Cruelty comes so easily to us at this age but without the understanding of what it truly does to others.”
6 teenagers wake up in a weird place and realise they are in dream of another girl whom they all bullied.
The Gods of our fathers
The girl who's grandpa and mom are dead who worshipped an old God is left to live with physically abusive father and sexually abusing brother. One of the darkest stories in the series and it takes a while to finish it because it is too painful.
Her daddy’s god scared her. Everything she knew of Daddy’s god was jealousy and retribution, fire and brimstone, the sort of faceless creature that turned people into salt and laid waste to whole cities.
Solve for X
Becky let's a kid Nextdoor into the house. But is it really a kid?
Infinite
We've all gone to crooked town
A child meets up with a crooked man who gives him a coin to make a wish come true.
His anxieties are written in the language of a nightmare in a script too ancient to be known from a thousand other derelict little towns across a derelict little world, each one swallowed and forgotten in a moment of appetite and bliss.
We don't talk about Marty Godot
This story had 1984 vibes. Everyone works for Benefactors and everyone wears a mask. Marty has been working for Benefactors for God knows how long and he has been loyal. He is going to get promoted but Marty removes his mask before he is promoted which is the worst crime possible. An allegorical story about how a daily job changes us, often in the worst ways.
The Benefactors turned a mirror on the human race, forcing us to see ourselves for the first time in our existence, and the truth was too much. The entire human race was drunk when the Benefactors arrived. The Acquisition forced sobriety on us all, and none of us could deal with it.
The holes in the fabric
Norma is trying to make the ends meet. She has taken up a job to clear bodies and give them proper burial. There in those bodies lies body of her close friend Martha as well
Martha was a part of cult. Norma experience something beyond words.
Happy pills
Marcus Taylor is depressed and considers a new drug trial. Surprise, surprise “glory be to the many”. The society is built and operated by neuro typical people and neuro divergent are expected to follow in their paths. It mirrors author's own struggle with depression and anxiety and the treatment balance.
You can only force a smile for so long before it starts to weigh on you. Sooner or later, those cracks will show, and they’ll know you were lying to them.
Gethsemane
A wonderful take on Judas and Jesus's story. It was mind-blowing. Blasphemous and even scandalous if staunch catholic reads it.
A murderous hunger in a supposed savior was no more a threat than one who preaches salvation for the poor.
We've all gone to the magic show
The whole town people are getting replaced with mannequins one by one.
Some histories, we learned, were meant to remain entombed, their shadows and dust and wood shavings forever closed away from time and memory.
Some quotes worth mentioning
A million shoppers ravenous for a deal. Maybe this is what humanity’s death rattle sounds like. Maybe we’ve been hearing it for a while and just didn’t notice.
It’s no secret the Benefactors exposed our base nature, revealing us to ourselves as the sophisticated animals we truly are. Sanity doesn’t last when faced with the truth: that we’re terrified creatures playing dress-up, pretending that we’re safe, that everything’s okay, and that life is something to be enjoyed. We need the illusion of happiness to survive.
Acceptance of their ways and regulations is the least we can do to honor them and their continued benevolence. Were it not for them, we would have destroyed ourselves in the onslaught following the merger of realities.
Our masks exist to hide the truth from each other, however thinly veiled it might be, because we humans are fragile things. The Benefactors learned this the hard way.
There’s power in someone’s actions, especially when those actions run contrary to their nature, or when they come at a cost, and in the name of something far greater than themselves.
Living brings madness brings mortality; working brings immortality brings misery. That’s the cycle. Get used to it.
Something most people don’t understand is that a day at the Smile Factory isn’t a respite from the agony of living.
for all their brainwashing and crossbreeding, we’re still somewhat human. Some of us, anyway. And what’s more human than telling a story,
It’s hard to explain to someone that you’re incapable of feeling happiness or anger or anything else for that matter. How do you explain to someone that the act of smiling is like lifting the heaviest weight on the planet? I just can’t.
First of all, I'm now a fan of Todd Keisling. This was my first work of his and it is amaaazzzzing. I always say that some people are born to write. I consider Neil Gaiman, Donna Tartt as those authors and now will count Keisling in that list too.
This is an amazing collection of short stories. # Cold, black and infinite
“Glory be to boid. Glory be to the many.”
As per the name of the book, there are several stories belonging to every word in the title like 5 stories in cold, 5 in black and 6 stories in infinite.
Cold
Midnight in the Southland
“We’re all lonely travelers,” he used to say, “wandering empty roads under a weight of cosmic indifference.” it's a story of a man who has been influenced by a Radio Jockey named Gus. His show was about strange things that happened with people. And protagonist has waited so long for something to happen with him and it does in the end of the story."
A man who used to be a fan of RJ is on verge of rediscovering himself again.
2.45 to New Xebico
“the universe is chaos you can count on. We’re all slaves to entropy, everything rots, and even reality runs threadbare in places.”
A story of a terminal security who comes across a weird passenger, something that he craved to witness whole his life and yet when it happened he was not ready to witness it.
The happytown Yuletide Massacre
Angela finds a horrible act has played out in her small town. This was a fun read, a take on all those vacation horror movies.
They’re always tall, handsome, rugged, the sort of guys who can kill a bear with their hands and then cook you a candlelit dinners and they’re always flawed, too.
Y2K
Story of an agent interviewing a suspect but who is the actual villain here? Is suspect paranoid or everything he is saying is actually true?
Black Friday
A zombie apocalypse. One of the cliched stories but I liked it.
Maybe if people survive this plague, Black Friday will become a day remembered for all the right reasons & day when humanity’s excess came tumbling down around its ears.
Black
TOMMY THE DESTRUCTO-BOT VS. THE BULLIES FROM FUTURE STREET
Tommy is bullied so he decides to take revenge on his bullies with help of next door neighbour old lady Mercedes Future.
War came to Future Street one crisp autumn day, dressed in tinfoil and copper tubing, with pneumatic pistons driven by the steam of one child’s bloodlust.
Afterbirth
This can not be explained in simple words. Karen kills children and doing something weird in the basement. The creature is alive but not exactly but it is in the end. A biting satire aimed at pro life fanatics. It's also a author's take on Jonathan Swift’s “a modest proposal” instead of eating children to cure famine, it's killing children to grow your own. And I loved how author said he is with women, a woman has right to choose. Full stop.
Annie's heart is a haunted house
“Cruelty comes so easily to us at this age but without the understanding of what it truly does to others.”
6 teenagers wake up in a weird place and realise they are in dream of another girl whom they all bullied.
The Gods of our fathers
The girl who's grandpa and mom are dead who worshipped an old God is left to live with physically abusive father and sexually abusing brother. One of the darkest stories in the series and it takes a while to finish it because it is too painful.
Her daddy’s god scared her. Everything she knew of Daddy’s god was jealousy and retribution, fire and brimstone, the sort of faceless creature that turned people into salt and laid waste to whole cities.
Solve for X
Becky let's a kid Nextdoor into the house. But is it really a kid?
Infinite
We've all gone to crooked town
A child meets up with a crooked man who gives him a coin to make a wish come true.
His anxieties are written in the language of a nightmare in a script too ancient to be known from a thousand other derelict little towns across a derelict little world, each one swallowed and forgotten in a moment of appetite and bliss.
We don't talk about Marty Godot
This story had 1984 vibes. Everyone works for Benefactors and everyone wears a mask. Marty has been working for Benefactors for God knows how long and he has been loyal. He is going to get promoted but Marty removes his mask before he is promoted which is the worst crime possible. An allegorical story about how a daily job changes us, often in the worst ways.
The Benefactors turned a mirror on the human race, forcing us to see ourselves for the first time in our existence, and the truth was too much. The entire human race was drunk when the Benefactors arrived. The Acquisition forced sobriety on us all, and none of us could deal with it.
The holes in the fabric
Norma is trying to make the ends meet. She has taken up a job to clear bodies and give them proper burial. There in those bodies lies body of her close friend Martha as well
Martha was a part of cult. Norma experience something beyond words.
Happy pills
Marcus Taylor is depressed and considers a new drug trial. Surprise, surprise “glory be to the many”. The society is built and operated by neuro typical people and neuro divergent are expected to follow in their paths. It mirrors author's own struggle with depression and anxiety and the treatment balance.
You can only force a smile for so long before it starts to weigh on you. Sooner or later, those cracks will show, and they’ll know you were lying to them.
Gethsemane
A wonderful take on Judas and Jesus's story. It was mind-blowing. Blasphemous and even scandalous if staunch catholic reads it.
A murderous hunger in a supposed savior was no more a threat than one who preaches salvation for the poor.
We've all gone to the magic show
The whole town people are getting replaced with mannequins one by one.
Some histories, we learned, were meant to remain entombed, their shadows and dust and wood shavings forever closed away from time and memory.
Some quotes worth mentioning
A million shoppers ravenous for a deal. Maybe this is what humanity’s death rattle sounds like. Maybe we’ve been hearing it for a while and just didn’t notice.
It’s no secret the Benefactors exposed our base nature, revealing us to ourselves as the sophisticated animals we truly are. Sanity doesn’t last when faced with the truth: that we’re terrified creatures playing dress-up, pretending that we’re safe, that everything’s okay, and that life is something to be enjoyed. We need the illusion of happiness to survive.
Acceptance of their ways and regulations is the least we can do to honor them and their continued benevolence. Were it not for them, we would have destroyed ourselves in the onslaught following the merger of realities.
Our masks exist to hide the truth from each other, however thinly veiled it might be, because we humans are fragile things. The Benefactors learned this the hard way.
There’s power in someone’s actions, especially when those actions run contrary to their nature, or when they come at a cost, and in the name of something far greater than themselves.
Living brings madness brings mortality; working brings immortality brings misery. That’s the cycle. Get used to it.
Something most people don’t understand is that a day at the Smile Factory isn’t a respite from the agony of living.
for all their brainwashing and crossbreeding, we’re still somewhat human. Some of us, anyway. And what’s more human than telling a story,
It’s hard to explain to someone that you’re incapable of feeling happiness or anger or anything else for that matter. How do you explain to someone that the act of smiling is like lifting the heaviest weight on the planet? I just can’t.
July 7, 2023
Reviewing short stories is always tricky because sometimes I enjoy one of the stories while being eh about the rest. And sometimes they're all varying degrees of okay. However, in this story collection, I had more stories I enjoyed than not. One story that spooked me was that of Anne’s Heart is a haunted house. The gore was there from the beginning, and the use of the phrase “grisly piñata” made me laugh.
Cold, Black, & Infinite was a perfect collection of stories overall, and I’m excited to see what the author puts out next!
Cold, Black, & Infinite was a perfect collection of stories overall, and I’m excited to see what the author puts out next!
October 19, 2023
I thought this collection of short stories was just okay. I like Todd Keisling's writing but I just couldn't get into the stories.
April 30, 2023
I absolutley LOVED Devils Creek by Todd Keisling (if you haven't read that, I strongly (somewhat aggresively) urge you too!) so I was so happy to receive an eARC of this anthology of short stories, I'm struggling to pick a favourite as they are all absolute gems, I enjoyed every single one although I thought it was cool (do people still say cool these days, I'm old) there was a story set in Devils Creek! I love this authors writing style and I highly recommend this and at the risk of sounding like annie wilkes this collection has solidified that he's now a favourite author, thanks netgalley and cemeterydance for the arc
August 27, 2023
What brings you out tonight, Lonely Traveler?
“This year Santa had brought a plague, and we were all on the naughty list.”
Todd Keisling is known for giving life to true horrors, and for not shying away from unpleasant topics. Cold, Black, & Infinite is the perfect example of this, and it’s one of those books I couldn’t take in all at once, having to take a break from the darkest regions of our mind and humanity. I’m not surprised this author was not only an Indie Book Award finalist in Horror & Suspense (2013) for The Liminal Man, but also a 2020 Bram Stoker Award Finalist for Superior Achievement in a Novel, thanks to his work Devil’s Creek. If you pick up this book, you’ll know why.
On a personal level, some stories worked better than others, which is absolutely common with a collection. What all of them had in common, though, is the fact that they managed not only to give me goosebumps, but as I mentioned earlier, they forced me to resurface and take a break – no matter how strong my curiosity was. A sign that a horror author got the assignment right.
“Reality is a bitch. It doesn’t take prisoners. All it leaves is a body count.”
I’m relieved that this book comes with a section about trigger warnings for every single story – it could spoil the fun of being suprised while reading, but it’s so important that Todd Keisling thought of sparing some readers further trauma. It’s not a courtesy so widespread amongst authors.
Another point of appreciation goes towards the section containing the ideas for the stories – I always find it interesting to see what prompts authors’ creation, and there are not many collections (or books in general) that do that. Off the top of my mind, I can think of The Girl with No Hands and Other Tales by Angela Slatter. Unfortunately, not as good as book.
Final Thoughts
Cold, Black, & Infinite is the perfect book for those whom love the horror genre, but also gore and dark stories. Todd Keisling does a great job, assuring him to stand out of the crowd, and giving some good nightmares to readers.
It’s like I told you, as Mr. Drake once told me: We’re all slaves to entropy, everything rots, and even reality runs threadbare in places. I think I agree with the last part.
**Thanks to Netgalley, Todd Keisling, and Cemetery Dance Publications for an ARC of this book.**
The book will be out on the 1st of September.
More reviews at Inky Lighthouse .
September 5, 2023
Review in the September 2023 issue of Booklist and on the blog: http://raforall.blogspot.com/2023/09/...
With a plea to also buy Devil's Creek.
Three Words That Describe This Book: immersive, nightmarish, thought provoking
From Draft review:
Utilizing well-trod Horror tropes like liminal spaces, haunted house, slashers, and body horror, he probes seriously scary topics like insatiable corporate greed, bullying, and mental health struggles in refreshing ways. Keisling is also a sought after artist, and his skill creating visual unease bleeds into his prose with stories that effortlessly immerse the reader into each story.
For fans of stories by Sarah Read and RJ Joseph as well as anthologies edited by Doug Murano and John FD Taff.
Notes:
A few stories tie directly into his Devil's Creek universe. Devil's Creek was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Novel and is was put back in print in January 2023.
I liked how the stories were divided into categories-- Cold, Black, and Infinite.
Each was scary in a different way, but also you can feel the overall established voice of Keisling. While the stories were all different on the surface they still felt connected.
I didn't have room to write about this, but I love the way "We've All Gone to Crooked Town" is displayed on the page. Just read it, but it enhances the fear.
There are story notes, which I enjoy as a reader.
Annie's Heart is a Haunted House is one of my favorite stories from last year and I was glad to get to read dit again. Still terrifying. Still will give you nightmares about every person you ever treat unkindly. Still awesome.
Your library should buy this collection and Devil's Creek. Both from Cemetery Dance-- a major player in the indie horror world.
With a plea to also buy Devil's Creek.
Three Words That Describe This Book: immersive, nightmarish, thought provoking
From Draft review:
Utilizing well-trod Horror tropes like liminal spaces, haunted house, slashers, and body horror, he probes seriously scary topics like insatiable corporate greed, bullying, and mental health struggles in refreshing ways. Keisling is also a sought after artist, and his skill creating visual unease bleeds into his prose with stories that effortlessly immerse the reader into each story.
For fans of stories by Sarah Read and RJ Joseph as well as anthologies edited by Doug Murano and John FD Taff.
Notes:
A few stories tie directly into his Devil's Creek universe. Devil's Creek was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Novel and is was put back in print in January 2023.
I liked how the stories were divided into categories-- Cold, Black, and Infinite.
Each was scary in a different way, but also you can feel the overall established voice of Keisling. While the stories were all different on the surface they still felt connected.
I didn't have room to write about this, but I love the way "We've All Gone to Crooked Town" is displayed on the page. Just read it, but it enhances the fear.
There are story notes, which I enjoy as a reader.
Annie's Heart is a Haunted House is one of my favorite stories from last year and I was glad to get to read dit again. Still terrifying. Still will give you nightmares about every person you ever treat unkindly. Still awesome.
Your library should buy this collection and Devil's Creek. Both from Cemetery Dance-- a major player in the indie horror world.
October 26, 2024
Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book.
Cold, Black & Infinite is a collection of short stories that truly embody the title, Horrific and Strange, and I love the dedication that says…
To the heathens,
The outcasts,
The introverts,
The weirdos and goths,
The godless and gracious
The queers and queens,
And all who dare to be…
This one’s for you.
This book gave me the vibes of Twin Peaks, part Outer Limits, part Twilight Zone, with a bit of 80s horror sprinkled in and wrapped in a Zombie apocalypse. It’s divided into three parts, Cold, Black, and Infinite, and my favorites are “The Happytown Yuletide Massacre,” “Black Friday,” “Solve for X,” and “Smile Factory.”
There were a few stories that fell a little short for me, meaning I didn’t get them (i.e., 2:45 To New Xebico, The Gods of Our Father, and We’ve All Gone to a Crooked Town), but I’d like to keep in mind that there’s a weird story for every reader. One story that really rubbed me wrong was Gethsemane which, for the life of me, I didn’t understand. (I guess you really have to free your mind for that one)
Everyone has different tastes for what type of horror they like, and with that, there will be stories you enjoy and others you hate. Are the stories graphic? Yes. Will they have you putting your hand over your mouth and going, WTF? Yes. Do they border on the macabre and horrific? Absolutely, it is in the title but isn’t that the very thing we love about horror novels?
That ability to put us right there in the moment of what’s happening and make us cringe while still trying to finish that last chapter or read one more page to see the fate of the characters.
I will say that most novellas don’t have as many likable stories as Cold, Black & Infinite. To only find 3 that I didn’t care for is an excellent thing. I found it interesting, entertaining, and disturbing, with a grab bag of great horror stories.
Cold, Black & Infinite is a collection of short stories that truly embody the title, Horrific and Strange, and I love the dedication that says…
To the heathens,
The outcasts,
The introverts,
The weirdos and goths,
The godless and gracious
The queers and queens,
And all who dare to be…
This one’s for you.
This book gave me the vibes of Twin Peaks, part Outer Limits, part Twilight Zone, with a bit of 80s horror sprinkled in and wrapped in a Zombie apocalypse. It’s divided into three parts, Cold, Black, and Infinite, and my favorites are “The Happytown Yuletide Massacre,” “Black Friday,” “Solve for X,” and “Smile Factory.”
There were a few stories that fell a little short for me, meaning I didn’t get them (i.e., 2:45 To New Xebico, The Gods of Our Father, and We’ve All Gone to a Crooked Town), but I’d like to keep in mind that there’s a weird story for every reader. One story that really rubbed me wrong was Gethsemane which, for the life of me, I didn’t understand. (I guess you really have to free your mind for that one)
Everyone has different tastes for what type of horror they like, and with that, there will be stories you enjoy and others you hate. Are the stories graphic? Yes. Will they have you putting your hand over your mouth and going, WTF? Yes. Do they border on the macabre and horrific? Absolutely, it is in the title but isn’t that the very thing we love about horror novels?
That ability to put us right there in the moment of what’s happening and make us cringe while still trying to finish that last chapter or read one more page to see the fate of the characters.
I will say that most novellas don’t have as many likable stories as Cold, Black & Infinite. To only find 3 that I didn’t care for is an excellent thing. I found it interesting, entertaining, and disturbing, with a grab bag of great horror stories.
July 30, 2023
Am I supposed to sell you on Todd Keisling? Is that a joke? Have you missed the boat on Scanlines? On Devil’s Creek?
Well then you’re in luck, because Cemetery Dance is giving you the gift of a new Keisling collection. If you’re not on-board immediately, you’re insane. Getting to read this collection is a thrilling exploration of a writer who is clearly at the top of his game.
Make no mistake, Keisling is the future of horror. And missing this collection is something you’re going to regret.
Well then you’re in luck, because Cemetery Dance is giving you the gift of a new Keisling collection. If you’re not on-board immediately, you’re insane. Getting to read this collection is a thrilling exploration of a writer who is clearly at the top of his game.
Make no mistake, Keisling is the future of horror. And missing this collection is something you’re going to regret.
October 12, 2023
“We’re all lonely travelers,” he used to say, “wandering empty roads under a weight of cosmic indifference.”
Todd Keisling knows how to write a damn good tale. This collection is no exception, they all hit the ball out of the park.
I loved each one, and it’s truly impossible to pick a favourite, I’m just so so happy to have read more stories by him!
If you love the weird, the unexplainable, the gruesome, the cosmic, the strange, and the bizarre, you’ll find something that appeals to you on these pages.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley, Kevin Lucia, & Cemetery Dance Publications for a copy.
Todd Keisling knows how to write a damn good tale. This collection is no exception, they all hit the ball out of the park.
I loved each one, and it’s truly impossible to pick a favourite, I’m just so so happy to have read more stories by him!
If you love the weird, the unexplainable, the gruesome, the cosmic, the strange, and the bizarre, you’ll find something that appeals to you on these pages.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley, Kevin Lucia, & Cemetery Dance Publications for a copy.
July 11, 2023
4.8 Stars - Excellent horror short stories, some content hit uncomfortably hard.
16 stories, varying sub-genres, with an underlying theme which slowly evolves into a conceptual monstrosity. I want to commend this author as a new favourite in the realm of horror.
Great for testing out different flavours of horror to see which suits!
(Netgalley advanced readers copy review)
The chapters are broken into 3 sections (i.e. "Cold"/ "Black"/ "Infinite") and you can infer the content from these headings as somewhere on the spectrum of Bad, F***ed up, and all the way into you'll want to hold yourself so tightly so your hyper-awareness of self and existence doesn't disintegrate into one unbearable hellscape.
I highly recommend looking at the content warning at the back to dissect any relevant trigger warnings first, as it gets heavy. And I am super appreciative of authors providing this thoughtful section. I would suggest the publishers put the content warnings at the start!
However! I was blown away by the broad reach of each horror story. 16 stories, and each packs a punch of a unique kind. This will tickle horror fans of any kind, and perhaps introduce new and curious readers to the genre. Also, the intensity of the horror builds slowly, allowing you to acclimatise to each new and gruesome concept.
I personally loved some of the earlier chapters, as they were more on the side of eerie/ liminal space horror & philosophical contemplation. Where things weren't quite right, but reality was blending, and characters seemed ever so slightly off, and my imagination was able to desperately chase these unknowns. I even thrust the most impactful short story into my partners face ("2:45 to New Mexico") as it reminded me of the movie Lost Highway.
My other favourites were: Midnight in the Southland, The Happytown Yuletide Massacre, Y2K, Annie's heart is a haunted house, Afterbirth, We've all gone to crooked town, Solve for X.
Downright disturbing: The smile factory (think existential/alien body horror/ capitalism's prison. I had to skip parts of the text because it was like staring into an abyss of inverted flesh and moral decay - I'm sure that was entirely the point but yeah I reached my limit! This helped me identify the horrors I like and which I don't like.)
Nope: The gods of our fathers (tw: child abuse & rape- these themes were not handled as tactfully IMO, or perhaps I was unsatisfied with the ridiculous ending, and didn't feel the other character got what they deserved. This kid went through hell and she still felt helpless to me, but maybe that was the point. I know I'm a sucker for revenge stories).
I am so excited to see more from this author!
Thank you to Netgalley, Todd Kiesling, and Cemetery Dance Publications for this advanced readers copy.
16 stories, varying sub-genres, with an underlying theme which slowly evolves into a conceptual monstrosity. I want to commend this author as a new favourite in the realm of horror.
Great for testing out different flavours of horror to see which suits!
(Netgalley advanced readers copy review)
The chapters are broken into 3 sections (i.e. "Cold"/ "Black"/ "Infinite") and you can infer the content from these headings as somewhere on the spectrum of Bad, F***ed up, and all the way into you'll want to hold yourself so tightly so your hyper-awareness of self and existence doesn't disintegrate into one unbearable hellscape.
I highly recommend looking at the content warning at the back to dissect any relevant trigger warnings first, as it gets heavy. And I am super appreciative of authors providing this thoughtful section. I would suggest the publishers put the content warnings at the start!
However! I was blown away by the broad reach of each horror story. 16 stories, and each packs a punch of a unique kind. This will tickle horror fans of any kind, and perhaps introduce new and curious readers to the genre. Also, the intensity of the horror builds slowly, allowing you to acclimatise to each new and gruesome concept.
I personally loved some of the earlier chapters, as they were more on the side of eerie/ liminal space horror & philosophical contemplation. Where things weren't quite right, but reality was blending, and characters seemed ever so slightly off, and my imagination was able to desperately chase these unknowns. I even thrust the most impactful short story into my partners face ("2:45 to New Mexico") as it reminded me of the movie Lost Highway.
My other favourites were: Midnight in the Southland, The Happytown Yuletide Massacre, Y2K, Annie's heart is a haunted house, Afterbirth, We've all gone to crooked town, Solve for X.
Downright disturbing: The smile factory (think existential/alien body horror/ capitalism's prison. I had to skip parts of the text because it was like staring into an abyss of inverted flesh and moral decay - I'm sure that was entirely the point but yeah I reached my limit! This helped me identify the horrors I like and which I don't like.)
Nope: The gods of our fathers (tw: child abuse & rape- these themes were not handled as tactfully IMO, or perhaps I was unsatisfied with the ridiculous ending, and didn't feel the other character got what they deserved. This kid went through hell and she still felt helpless to me, but maybe that was the point. I know I'm a sucker for revenge stories).
I am so excited to see more from this author!
Thank you to Netgalley, Todd Kiesling, and Cemetery Dance Publications for this advanced readers copy.
August 22, 2023
Stunning; jaw-dropping; stellar! Absolutely adored this short horror collection and will keep praising it every chance I get. Keisling's prose is easy and natural, his ideas mind-blowing and wide-ranging, and he definitely knows how to set up heart-racing, totally creepy situations. I love this kind of short stories and this collection more than satisfied that craving!
My top five out of sixteen stories - ah, who am I kidding, it's impossible to pick just five; so I'll say a few words about my favorites: "Midnight in the Southland," the story that opens the collection, about a radio show from beyond the grave, felt as if the best kind of creepypasta had a child with high quality literary horror; "The Happytown Yuletide Massacre" gave a new meaning to the phrase "I wouldn’t marry you even if you were the last man on Earth!"; "Y2K" is a brilliant tech-savvy story about the play "The King in Yellow," told entirely in transcription; "Black Friday" - zombies! "Afterbirth" is about necromancy, with a twist; "Annie's Heart Is A Haunted House," a story about bullying, whose ending made me rather sad, though I should have seen it in advance; "Solve For X" - vampires (I think!); "We've All Gone To Crooked Town" - masterful experimental prose, terrific visuals, great nightmarish story that cannot be easily described; read it for the experience! "The Smile Factory" - eldritch horror in corporate earth, an engrossing tale; "Holes In The Fabric" - this one's set in Keisling's Devil's Creek, a terrifying cult story, but it can be read independently; "Happy Pills," a blend of medical and cosmic horror with insane imagery! Talk about a trip into horror...; "Gethsemane," a story about Jesus having encountered something... Other... during his 40 days in the desert; and the hair-raising "We've All Gone To The Magic Show," the story that closes the collection, with people being replaced by mannequins.
Conclusion: two thumbs up for the entire collection! Unmisseable!
My top five out of sixteen stories - ah, who am I kidding, it's impossible to pick just five; so I'll say a few words about my favorites: "Midnight in the Southland," the story that opens the collection, about a radio show from beyond the grave, felt as if the best kind of creepypasta had a child with high quality literary horror; "The Happytown Yuletide Massacre" gave a new meaning to the phrase "I wouldn’t marry you even if you were the last man on Earth!"; "Y2K" is a brilliant tech-savvy story about the play "The King in Yellow," told entirely in transcription; "Black Friday" - zombies! "Afterbirth" is about necromancy, with a twist; "Annie's Heart Is A Haunted House," a story about bullying, whose ending made me rather sad, though I should have seen it in advance; "Solve For X" - vampires (I think!); "We've All Gone To Crooked Town" - masterful experimental prose, terrific visuals, great nightmarish story that cannot be easily described; read it for the experience! "The Smile Factory" - eldritch horror in corporate earth, an engrossing tale; "Holes In The Fabric" - this one's set in Keisling's Devil's Creek, a terrifying cult story, but it can be read independently; "Happy Pills," a blend of medical and cosmic horror with insane imagery! Talk about a trip into horror...; "Gethsemane," a story about Jesus having encountered something... Other... during his 40 days in the desert; and the hair-raising "We've All Gone To The Magic Show," the story that closes the collection, with people being replaced by mannequins.
Conclusion: two thumbs up for the entire collection! Unmisseable!
July 10, 2023
I typically don’t read short story collections, but after reading Scanlines and loving it, I gave this a shot.
I love Keisling’s writing—it’s poetic but direct. Some of my favorite stories, and I highly recommend, are:
- Tommy the Desctructo-Bot vs. the Bullies
- Afterbirth
- Happy Pills
While I enjoyed the collection, there were some stories that felt . . . written just to be written—by that, I mean, I didn’t see a deeper purpose. Additionally, and this is a “me” thing, many stories erred on the side of cosmic/supernatural which I am not a fan of.
I think many people will enjoy this collection if they’re interested in unique, dark, and sometimes humorous horror stories.
I received this as an ARC via NetGalley.
I love Keisling’s writing—it’s poetic but direct. Some of my favorite stories, and I highly recommend, are:
- Tommy the Desctructo-Bot vs. the Bullies
- Afterbirth
- Happy Pills
While I enjoyed the collection, there were some stories that felt . . . written just to be written—by that, I mean, I didn’t see a deeper purpose. Additionally, and this is a “me” thing, many stories erred on the side of cosmic/supernatural which I am not a fan of.
I think many people will enjoy this collection if they’re interested in unique, dark, and sometimes humorous horror stories.
I received this as an ARC via NetGalley.
April 20, 2023
This is, by far, my favorite anthology I've read so far this year. The author uses his words like the finger knives of Freddy Krueger, luring you into his nightmare world before slashing away at your psyche.
If, like me, you're a fan of his novel Devils Creek, you'll also find a few easter eggs from that book. One story takes place in that world, in those woods, and let's us know that the evil cult still has demonic things in store.
One of my favorite stories is a slasher with a brilliant "didn't see that coming" Twilight Zone -ish twist that left me with my jaw hanging.
Corporations run by eldritch gods, zombies, slashers, and even dark sci-fi are all included here.
I would be extremely hard pressed to find a story that I didn't like and that's a rarity in anthologies. This might be the first time my top ten horror books of the year includes an anthology. It's just that good.
I give it my highest recommendation.
I received an ARC through Netgalley. This review is completely voluntary and no consideration from the author or publisher was given.
If, like me, you're a fan of his novel Devils Creek, you'll also find a few easter eggs from that book. One story takes place in that world, in those woods, and let's us know that the evil cult still has demonic things in store.
One of my favorite stories is a slasher with a brilliant "didn't see that coming" Twilight Zone -ish twist that left me with my jaw hanging.
Corporations run by eldritch gods, zombies, slashers, and even dark sci-fi are all included here.
I would be extremely hard pressed to find a story that I didn't like and that's a rarity in anthologies. This might be the first time my top ten horror books of the year includes an anthology. It's just that good.
I give it my highest recommendation.
I received an ARC through Netgalley. This review is completely voluntary and no consideration from the author or publisher was given.
September 16, 2024
This is an excellent collection of short fiction, and the writing is damn good. There are a couple of stories that blew me away because they are standouts in concept. My favourites...
~The Gods Of Our Fathers ⭐ (WOW!)
~We've All Gone To the Magic Show ⭐
(brilliant story about life)
~Solve For X
~Afterbirth
~Annie's Heart Is A Haunted House
~The Gods Of Our Fathers ⭐ (WOW!)
~We've All Gone To the Magic Show ⭐
(brilliant story about life)
~Solve For X
~Afterbirth
~Annie's Heart Is A Haunted House
October 3, 2023
An Amazing Collection!
Keisling is a master. I enjoyed all these stories, but my favorites were "Midnight in the Southland," "2:45 to New Xebico," "Annie’s Heart is a Haunted House," “Solve for X," and “We’ve All Gone to the Magic Show." Highly recommended!
Keisling is a master. I enjoyed all these stories, but my favorites were "Midnight in the Southland," "2:45 to New Xebico," "Annie’s Heart is a Haunted House," “Solve for X," and “We’ve All Gone to the Magic Show." Highly recommended!
August 15, 2024
An excellent collection of 16 tales of horror from an exceptional writer. I thoroughly enjoyed Keisling's narrative style and ability to draw me into each story with immersive language and authentic dialogue from believable, often relatable characters. The stories often get VERY dark, and Keisling does include a content warning section at the rear of the book, which is a thoughtful touch. I appreciated how each story fell into their relevant sections within the collection, and there were instant classics throughout. I would list the stories I enjoyed the most, but truth be told, Almost every single story was a favourite. From the stories to the story notes, author's note to the foreword, the formatting and the cover, it is a very well put together collection and is an excellent showcase for one of horror fiction's best storytellers.
September 2, 2023
This is a great collection of horror stories. They are gruesome and disturbing but very entertaining. My favorites were 'Afterbirth' due to its unique premise, 'The Gods Of Our Fathers' due to how creepy and disturbing it is and how it will stick with me for awhile, and 'Solve For X' due to how unique it is and how it has some genuinely creepy moments. I would recommend this to those who enjoy horror. Special Thank You to Todd Keisling, Kevin Lucia (Cemetery Dance Productions) and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy prior to publication in exchange for an honest review.
April 28, 2023
Cold, Black, & Infinite was a terrifying, mesmerizing assortment bite sized terrors without a single dud in the line up.
Short story collections, especially in the horror genre, are something of a favorite of mine at this point, I've read several such collections but this one had a little something extra that set it apart. I was continually impressed with just how good these stories were; the ideas were extremely clever, the execution was adept, and the writing style was equal parts evocative and chilling. Usually in short story collections I'll find there are one or two tales I don't really connect with or flat out don't like. However, this was not the case here. Sure, I had favorites, (Y2K, The Happytown Yuletide Massacre, and Annie's Heart is a Haunted House) but every single story was a pleasure to read, a twisted, chilling little tale to enjoy, oozing with style and atmosphere. This book reminded me of being a kid and coming across my first Goosebumps, or Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark in the school library, each story was that good and that frightening.
I'd recommend this to just about anyone who likes horror fiction or short stories, it's an exemplary model of both. There are some pretty heavy topics and themes however, but the author has kindly added a list of content warnings in the back of the book for readers who may want to use it.
Short story collections, especially in the horror genre, are something of a favorite of mine at this point, I've read several such collections but this one had a little something extra that set it apart. I was continually impressed with just how good these stories were; the ideas were extremely clever, the execution was adept, and the writing style was equal parts evocative and chilling. Usually in short story collections I'll find there are one or two tales I don't really connect with or flat out don't like. However, this was not the case here. Sure, I had favorites, (Y2K, The Happytown Yuletide Massacre, and Annie's Heart is a Haunted House) but every single story was a pleasure to read, a twisted, chilling little tale to enjoy, oozing with style and atmosphere. This book reminded me of being a kid and coming across my first Goosebumps, or Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark in the school library, each story was that good and that frightening.
I'd recommend this to just about anyone who likes horror fiction or short stories, it's an exemplary model of both. There are some pretty heavy topics and themes however, but the author has kindly added a list of content warnings in the back of the book for readers who may want to use it.
Read
September 26, 2023COLD, BLACK, & INFINITE is the new collection by Todd Keisling and it's a fitting title. Dark forces permeate here, shaping fates with little concern for humanity. These stories contain cosmic chaos, but the REAL horrors reside within people's choices, realizations, and retributions.
June 12, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up. As expected from Keisling, excellent writing and brilliant story-telling fill this collection. I recommend you read all of his stuff.
January 27, 2024
In "Cold, Black, & Infinite" Todd Keisling gives us a diverse collection of stories that showcase his adept storytelling. The anthology seamlessly weaves Lovecraftian twists, cosmic horror, and modern corporate dread.The writing style, evokes an eerie ambiance of classic Twilight Zone episodes.
Keisling's exploration of loneliness and forgotten lives adds a human touch to the anthology's essence—cold, black, and infinite. The collection spans murderous suitors, destructive source codes, and eldritch gods, maintaining its impact despite recurring themes.
Some Highlights:
"The Gods of Our Fathers" introduces a Lovecraftian twist to dark themes, while "Solve for X" infuses cosmic horror into a classic babysitter-alone-in-a-house scenario.
Linked stories, "The Smile Factory" and "Happy Pills," delve into modern corporate horror, revealing sinister bureaucratic workings and were my favorites.
Keisling provided Story Notes at the end, which for me really enhanced the stories overall vibe. These little notes give you a glimpse into the making of each story.
From "Midnight in the Southland" to "We've All Gone to The Magic Show," "Cold, Black, & Infinite" is a stellar testament to Keisling's mastery of cosmic shorts, providing an unmissable, succinctly captivating experience for horror enthusiasts.
Definitely a must read!
Keisling's exploration of loneliness and forgotten lives adds a human touch to the anthology's essence—cold, black, and infinite. The collection spans murderous suitors, destructive source codes, and eldritch gods, maintaining its impact despite recurring themes.
Some Highlights:
"The Gods of Our Fathers" introduces a Lovecraftian twist to dark themes, while "Solve for X" infuses cosmic horror into a classic babysitter-alone-in-a-house scenario.
Linked stories, "The Smile Factory" and "Happy Pills," delve into modern corporate horror, revealing sinister bureaucratic workings and were my favorites.
Keisling provided Story Notes at the end, which for me really enhanced the stories overall vibe. These little notes give you a glimpse into the making of each story.
From "Midnight in the Southland" to "We've All Gone to The Magic Show," "Cold, Black, & Infinite" is a stellar testament to Keisling's mastery of cosmic shorts, providing an unmissable, succinctly captivating experience for horror enthusiasts.
Definitely a must read!
December 9, 2023
I received a copy for review through NetGalley.
Cold, Black, & infinite is a collection of sixteen short stories including three stories that were never previously published. The stories were all very well written and compulsively readable.The stories are separated into three sections Cold, Black, and Infinite.
The Cold section includes five stories that take place in cold settings including The Happytown Yuletide Massacre a Christmas slasher story and Black Friday which is a brilliant zombie story.
The Black section includes five stories that are very dark or deal with black magic. These are the stories that will really make your skin crawl.
In the Infinite section there are six stories that are on the strange side and most are cosmic horror. The story Holes in the Fabric was based in the same town as Keisling's novel Devil's Creek. It occurs after the events of the novel so it may be advisable to read it before the short story. I had no problem understanding without reading Devil's Creek, but I am not sure the extent of the spoilers.
The collection was really great overall. I would recommend the short story collection to seasoned fans of horror who are not easily offended. The author has included content warnings in the back of the book for each story and they are plentiful. You have been warned.
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Cold, Black, & infinite is a collection of sixteen short stories including three stories that were never previously published. The stories were all very well written and compulsively readable.The stories are separated into three sections Cold, Black, and Infinite.
The Cold section includes five stories that take place in cold settings including The Happytown Yuletide Massacre a Christmas slasher story and Black Friday which is a brilliant zombie story.
The Black section includes five stories that are very dark or deal with black magic. These are the stories that will really make your skin crawl.
In the Infinite section there are six stories that are on the strange side and most are cosmic horror. The story Holes in the Fabric was based in the same town as Keisling's novel Devil's Creek. It occurs after the events of the novel so it may be advisable to read it before the short story. I had no problem understanding without reading Devil's Creek, but I am not sure the extent of the spoilers.
The collection was really great overall. I would recommend the short story collection to seasoned fans of horror who are not easily offended. The author has included content warnings in the back of the book for each story and they are plentiful. You have been warned.
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
August 12, 2023
So many great stories! Long lost radio waves transmit tales of people traveling dark roads, zombies during Black Friday, a little boy gets new enhancements and revenge on his bullies and a town is terrorized by creepy mannequins.
Some of my favorites:
Midnight in the Southland. Creepy world building and isolation. A man on a night time drive here’s a radio show from his youth and follows the voice of the dead radio host.
We’ve All Gone to the Magic Show. Small towns can be creepy. An old building (the magic show) is in the process of being repurposed. But then citizens start disappearing and showing back up as mannequins. They all have eerie notes attached “You’re Invited to the Magic Show”
Some of my favorites:
Midnight in the Southland. Creepy world building and isolation. A man on a night time drive here’s a radio show from his youth and follows the voice of the dead radio host.
We’ve All Gone to the Magic Show. Small towns can be creepy. An old building (the magic show) is in the process of being repurposed. But then citizens start disappearing and showing back up as mannequins. They all have eerie notes attached “You’re Invited to the Magic Show”
August 3, 2025
**3.5 stars**
This was my first Todd Keisling book I’ve read. I’ve heard great things about Devil’s Creek and definitely plan on reading it. As with most short story collections I liked some and not others. Most of them deal with some type of eldritch horrors. My favs were Midnight in the Southland, 2:45 to New Xebico, Black Friday, Gethsemane, and Solve For X.
There’s a spoiler for Devil’s Creek that I wish had come with a disclaimer, that story is Holes in the Fabric.
Overall a decent collection. I got the book originally in 2023 from NetGalley (thanks to the author and publisher) but I bought the audiobook from Audible as well. The narrator has a good voice though his pronunciation of some words was odd to me.
This was my first Todd Keisling book I’ve read. I’ve heard great things about Devil’s Creek and definitely plan on reading it. As with most short story collections I liked some and not others. Most of them deal with some type of eldritch horrors. My favs were Midnight in the Southland, 2:45 to New Xebico, Black Friday, Gethsemane, and Solve For X.
There’s a spoiler for Devil’s Creek that I wish had come with a disclaimer, that story is Holes in the Fabric.
Overall a decent collection. I got the book originally in 2023 from NetGalley (thanks to the author and publisher) but I bought the audiobook from Audible as well. The narrator has a good voice though his pronunciation of some words was odd to me.
Want to read
September 23, 2023“What brings you out tonight, Lonely Traveler?” Todd Keisling’s short story collection, Cold, Black, & Infinite, brings a shared experience to horror fans. For short story collections, you might love, like or dislike a story. My favorites are “Annie’s Heart Is A Haunted House” and “Gethsemane”. For the time you’re reading it, you won’t feel alone and that might be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what ideas follow you into your nightmares. Thanks to Todd Keisling, Kevin Lucia, Cemetery Dance Publications and NetGalley for the ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 2, 2024
Keisling IS liminal space. He brings you beyond sanity and deposits you in a vat of sentient goo to ponder the cosmos and the old gods. And you know what? You’ll be damn happy to be there with Todd’s soothing words comforting you.
No matter what crazed hell is going on in the story, the writing style feels peaceful and existential.
Get lost in the abyss, it’s nice here. Just don’t get noticed by HR.
“They say there’s a place where the walls stop being walls, and start being layers of flesh that sweat and breathe. That’s where the HR reps are grown and conditioned.”
No matter what crazed hell is going on in the story, the writing style feels peaceful and existential.
Get lost in the abyss, it’s nice here. Just don’t get noticed by HR.
“They say there’s a place where the walls stop being walls, and start being layers of flesh that sweat and breathe. That’s where the HR reps are grown and conditioned.”
October 17, 2023
Cold, Black, & Infinite is a collection of stories unlike any other I have read. There are some reoccurring themes, but enough variety that each story is fresh and the collection doesn't get stale. Keisling has a very distinctive author voice and it shines through in each and every story. My personal favorite was The Smile Factory, but I also enjoyed the various holiday horror stories. I am definitely finding that to be a horror niche I greatly enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.
January 12, 2024
I was lucky to get to host the PseudoPod Episode 887: Midnight In The Southland which featured, of course, the short story Midnight In The Southland from this short story collection. Since it was set very near to my own old Kentucky Home, it was wonderful to get host it, especially when the writer is one as magnificent as Todd Keisling.
I just finished the whole collection, taking my time to read just a few stories now and then to really enjoy it. Besides the aforementioned story, which is my favorite, I also really enjoyed "2:45 To New Xebico", "Black Friday", "The Happytown Yuletide Massacre", "Holes in The Fabric", and "Afterbirth". If you're into short horror, check this collection out! Also go to pseudopod.org to check out the podcast episode!
I just finished the whole collection, taking my time to read just a few stories now and then to really enjoy it. Besides the aforementioned story, which is my favorite, I also really enjoyed "2:45 To New Xebico", "Black Friday", "The Happytown Yuletide Massacre", "Holes in The Fabric", and "Afterbirth". If you're into short horror, check this collection out! Also go to pseudopod.org to check out the podcast episode!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews