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Ghoulish Tales Issue #1
The debut issue of Ghoulish Tales features stories by Robert Nazar Arjoyan, Barbara Castro-Rojas, Clay McLeod Chapman, Chloe Harper Gold, Rae Knowles, Angela Liu, Nina Maar, and Betty Rocksteady. Also includes articles by Nicholas A. Battaglia and Lor Gislason.
125 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 10, 2023
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13 people want to read
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If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.
Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 20, 2023
This is the first issue of a brand new magazine from Ghoulish books. I hope many more issues will follow.
I have been addicted to short horror stories for as long as I can remember. There's nothing I love more than a good anthology, and Ghoulish Tales delivers some fantastic dark fiction.
This was a quick and creepy read with dark humor, body horror, revenge, and more. There are a couple of articles but to be honest I'm just here for the horror fiction.
My favorites were Life In The Demon's Gizzard by Betty Rocksteady about two sisters, one of whom can't or won't let go of the past. On what is their last night together they share snacks and differing memories of their childhood.
Tonight's Guest Is! by Robert Nazar Arjoyan in which a talk show guest is surprised by the host who seems to know more about his life than what was published in his recent memoirs.
All the stories had unexpected twists, but those two really hit home for me.
My thanks to Ghoulish Books.
I have been addicted to short horror stories for as long as I can remember. There's nothing I love more than a good anthology, and Ghoulish Tales delivers some fantastic dark fiction.
This was a quick and creepy read with dark humor, body horror, revenge, and more. There are a couple of articles but to be honest I'm just here for the horror fiction.
My favorites were Life In The Demon's Gizzard by Betty Rocksteady about two sisters, one of whom can't or won't let go of the past. On what is their last night together they share snacks and differing memories of their childhood.
Tonight's Guest Is! by Robert Nazar Arjoyan in which a talk show guest is surprised by the host who seems to know more about his life than what was published in his recent memoirs.
All the stories had unexpected twists, but those two really hit home for me.
My thanks to Ghoulish Books.
August 9, 2023
An absolute delight. Every story a gem. I wish we had more magazines like these! Max Booth et al. are really to be congratulated for keeping such venues alive and making certain the quality stays high and the stories entertaining for us horror fans! The Chapman story, "Who Brings a Baby?" opening the issue is worth the price alone, but that's because it was my favorite. All the stories are very strong, well-written, and carefully selected for blending the modern with the classic, and the grizzly with the sweet!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 5, 2024
I can't remember the last time I truly loved every single story in a publication. Oh, wait, yeah, I can. It was 3 minutes ago when I finished this magazine! I really needed that. Thank you, Ghoulish, for the refreshing material, the laughs, the cringes, and the "oh my" moments. I immediately want to read Issue 2!
August 1, 2023
Thank You BookSirens and the Various Authors that were involved with creating this collection.
In the collection there are many unique good horror stories. No story stood out either good or bad. They were all well crafted with short advertisements about new books coming on to the market in the between. The stories all spoke of a different horror. One story mentioned what legal rights a Werewolf has in case the Werewolf/ Shapeshifter gets in to trouble with the law. There is a story that is a prequel for the Novella Inside Out by Lor Gislason.
Supernatural
Occult
In the collection there are many unique good horror stories. No story stood out either good or bad. They were all well crafted with short advertisements about new books coming on to the market in the between. The stories all spoke of a different horror. One story mentioned what legal rights a Werewolf has in case the Werewolf/ Shapeshifter gets in to trouble with the law. There is a story that is a prequel for the Novella Inside Out by Lor Gislason.
Supernatural
Occult
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2023
Literally so obsessed with all these stories and articles. Faves were definitely the Rae Knowles story (as a creative writing teacher, I want to teach this story to teach students about playing with expectations) and Lor Gislason’s essay on Society.
July 21, 2023
Remember what I said in my review of Once Upon a Summer?
"I’m a picky eater and if you serve me fifteen stories, I don’t expect to find every course delicious. I just hope that I’ll find enough stories with fun ideas, interesting themes, and impressive execution that I don’t mind the ones that don’t work for me."
Well, fuck that! There's a new standard now - the Ghoulish Tales standard! I loved every single story in this magazine. I pity the next anthology that comes my way and has to live up to the expectations I will now have for collections like this.
Naturally, I have some favorites, but that only means that some stories are very good, while others were so good that my brain was leaking out of my ears. It doesn't say anything bad about the stories that "only" fall into the “very good” category.
Every single story in Ghoulish Tales #1 deserves to be praised, but I'll limit myself to discussing three.
Saturn Devouring His Son by Nina Maar is only partly what you'd expect from the title. Although it borrows a few elements from the Roman myth, it is a heartbreaking and chilling story set in the present day. The clinical tone of the narration perfectly intensifies the gruesome acts of the parents and the daughter's desperate desire to please. Like many, if not all, stories in Ghoulish Tales #1, it has the courage of its convictions and doesn't try to explain the how as much as it impressively lets the reader empathize with the what.
Tonight's Guest Is! by Robert Nazar Arjoyan is a hellish tale of comeuppance. The self-delusion of the protagonist allows the reader to see through the curtain first, without fully glimpsing the details. But it maintains the tension between letting us live along with the protagonist in the confusion and creepiness of the game show setting while also giving us the demonic satisfaction of the well-deserved brutality at its end.
Let's also talk about John List Would Like To Cancel His Subscription To Omaha Steak by Rae Knowles. The story sneaks up on you from three different angles; the pov, a phone call, and a radio. The protagonist's thoughts and impressions form the foundation, only revealing his terrible acts through what he notices as he prepares to flee. The mix of cold-bloodedness versus the hints of dissociated emotions beneath the surface is brilliantly written.
I loved the phone call with the surprisingly helpful customer service. Like Nina Maar in "Saturn Devouring His Son," Rae Knowles creates an uncomfortably creepy atmosphere through surrealism during the call, not falling into the trap of over-explaining, which I gleefully appreciate. The radio playing in the background is the cherry on top, adding depth and complexity to the narration without making it more complicated.
One of the only criticisms I have is that the two non-fiction entries didn't do as much for me as the short stories. However, that is because I'm the least optimal kind of reader for them. While I love written horror fiction, I'm not a big horror movie aficionado, which took out the first’s of the essays hopes to make it stand out to me. And werewolves are my least favorite supernatural thing, so while I was able to see the humor in the second essay, it was also somewhat of a miss for me.
I would also appreciate it if the individual stories had content notes. If you read other reviews of mine, you know that I'm an advocate for them, even though they are almost never necessary for myself. Every single story in this anthology is so excellent that potential readers shouldn't be stopped from reading most of them just because they can't know which ones might not be healthy for them.
Now excuse me, I have to go to Twitter and Goodreads and find every writer who contributed to Ghoulish Tales so I can follow them and read everything else they've written.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
"I’m a picky eater and if you serve me fifteen stories, I don’t expect to find every course delicious. I just hope that I’ll find enough stories with fun ideas, interesting themes, and impressive execution that I don’t mind the ones that don’t work for me."
Well, fuck that! There's a new standard now - the Ghoulish Tales standard! I loved every single story in this magazine. I pity the next anthology that comes my way and has to live up to the expectations I will now have for collections like this.
Naturally, I have some favorites, but that only means that some stories are very good, while others were so good that my brain was leaking out of my ears. It doesn't say anything bad about the stories that "only" fall into the “very good” category.
Every single story in Ghoulish Tales #1 deserves to be praised, but I'll limit myself to discussing three.
Saturn Devouring His Son by Nina Maar is only partly what you'd expect from the title. Although it borrows a few elements from the Roman myth, it is a heartbreaking and chilling story set in the present day. The clinical tone of the narration perfectly intensifies the gruesome acts of the parents and the daughter's desperate desire to please. Like many, if not all, stories in Ghoulish Tales #1, it has the courage of its convictions and doesn't try to explain the how as much as it impressively lets the reader empathize with the what.
Tonight's Guest Is! by Robert Nazar Arjoyan is a hellish tale of comeuppance. The self-delusion of the protagonist allows the reader to see through the curtain first, without fully glimpsing the details. But it maintains the tension between letting us live along with the protagonist in the confusion and creepiness of the game show setting while also giving us the demonic satisfaction of the well-deserved brutality at its end.
Let's also talk about John List Would Like To Cancel His Subscription To Omaha Steak by Rae Knowles. The story sneaks up on you from three different angles; the pov, a phone call, and a radio. The protagonist's thoughts and impressions form the foundation, only revealing his terrible acts through what he notices as he prepares to flee. The mix of cold-bloodedness versus the hints of dissociated emotions beneath the surface is brilliantly written.
I loved the phone call with the surprisingly helpful customer service. Like Nina Maar in "Saturn Devouring His Son," Rae Knowles creates an uncomfortably creepy atmosphere through surrealism during the call, not falling into the trap of over-explaining, which I gleefully appreciate. The radio playing in the background is the cherry on top, adding depth and complexity to the narration without making it more complicated.
One of the only criticisms I have is that the two non-fiction entries didn't do as much for me as the short stories. However, that is because I'm the least optimal kind of reader for them. While I love written horror fiction, I'm not a big horror movie aficionado, which took out the first’s of the essays hopes to make it stand out to me. And werewolves are my least favorite supernatural thing, so while I was able to see the humor in the second essay, it was also somewhat of a miss for me.
I would also appreciate it if the individual stories had content notes. If you read other reviews of mine, you know that I'm an advocate for them, even though they are almost never necessary for myself. Every single story in this anthology is so excellent that potential readers shouldn't be stopped from reading most of them just because they can't know which ones might not be healthy for them.
Now excuse me, I have to go to Twitter and Goodreads and find every writer who contributed to Ghoulish Tales so I can follow them and read everything else they've written.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 15, 2024
Ghoulish Tales, Issue #1 comprises eight stories and two articles by undeniably talented authors. My favorites are (in published order) Life in the Demon's Gizzard by Betty Rocksteady and Saturn Devouring His Son by Nina Maar.
Most of these stories narrowly missed my spooky bone, but they were all engaging and excellently written. The first story, Who Brings A Baby? by Clay McLeod Chapman, is a prime example of what I mean.
A crying baby from the back of the theater aggravates the enduring frustrations of an unnamed cinema-goer who despises blatant interruptions while immersing in a movie. The main character has an abrasive and somewhat arrogant personality that made me feel irritated with him. It also made me reflect on the interruptions I’ve experienced and how I felt about them. It was laterally relatable and written in a way that kept me curious, wondering how the spooky would make him pay for his cinematic vigilanteism.
Each of the following tales embodies a similar rolling energy. The issue was a great read. There were admittedly a couple of tales I wasn’t fond of. It’s not for lack of a good story spun by a gifted author—they simply weren’t the right fit for me.
I deducted a star because I enjoy it when the spooky content I consume lingers for a while after I’ve finished it. I certainly chatted up some of the stories to those I knew would appreciate them, but the experience wasn’t there for me. I’m still happy I found Ghoulish Tales and anticipate reading Issue #2!
Most of these stories narrowly missed my spooky bone, but they were all engaging and excellently written. The first story, Who Brings A Baby? by Clay McLeod Chapman, is a prime example of what I mean.
A crying baby from the back of the theater aggravates the enduring frustrations of an unnamed cinema-goer who despises blatant interruptions while immersing in a movie. The main character has an abrasive and somewhat arrogant personality that made me feel irritated with him. It also made me reflect on the interruptions I’ve experienced and how I felt about them. It was laterally relatable and written in a way that kept me curious, wondering how the spooky would make him pay for his cinematic vigilanteism.
Each of the following tales embodies a similar rolling energy. The issue was a great read. There were admittedly a couple of tales I wasn’t fond of. It’s not for lack of a good story spun by a gifted author—they simply weren’t the right fit for me.
I deducted a star because I enjoy it when the spooky content I consume lingers for a while after I’ve finished it. I certainly chatted up some of the stories to those I knew would appreciate them, but the experience wasn’t there for me. I’m still happy I found Ghoulish Tales and anticipate reading Issue #2!
August 16, 2023
This was a fun collection to read, I liked the selections they used and feel it worked together as a whole very well. Like a lot of horror nowadays there was dark humor scattered throughout some of the stories which definitely added to my appreciation for it. I spread out how often I read these stories to last me a couple of weeks while I read some other novels on top of it. I like this method of reading books so if I get bored of the novel I'm reading I can jump over to some short stories to mix it up a little and keep my reading consistent. Anyway I really liked these stories and would definitely recommend this collection to anyway who's into horror and wants to check out some new authors and get a taste of their style and see what you think of them.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 12, 2023
It’s not that common that you enjoy almost all of the short stories in a short story collection. Ghoulish Tales #1 accomplished that. There was a few gems, like the story about the werewolves rights in New York. I also really enjoyed the novella about a man trying to cancel his meat subscription.
This is a perfect collection that leaves you with a feeling that you want more. And it’s perfect that the authors books are advertised after their novella.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is a perfect collection that leaves you with a feeling that you want more. And it’s perfect that the authors books are advertised after their novella.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 27, 2023
I love a good horror book, even better is a book with several horror stories. This book of Ghoulish Tales is just that. A really fun read that had so many great stories!
I really enjoyed:
-Who Brings a Baby? by Clay McLeod Chapman
-John List Would Like to Cancel his Subscription to Omaha Steaks by Rae Knowles
-Tonight's Guest Is! by Robert Nazar Arjoyan
However, there is really not one story in the bunch that is bad. If you love a good horror anthology, then this is the book for you. I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review.
I really enjoyed:
-Who Brings a Baby? by Clay McLeod Chapman
-John List Would Like to Cancel his Subscription to Omaha Steaks by Rae Knowles
-Tonight's Guest Is! by Robert Nazar Arjoyan
However, there is really not one story in the bunch that is bad. If you love a good horror anthology, then this is the book for you. I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review.
March 25, 2025
Max Booth III has brought an excellent literary magazine into the horror world, and for that, we're all benefiting from the short stories.
Ghoulish Tales #1 is a collection of fantastic horror stories, both fiction and non. In the magazine, there are quite a few well recognized names, as well as newer authors. That makes it such an incredible collection of stories that are just long enough to make you want more.
Ghoulish Tales #1 is a collection of fantastic horror stories, both fiction and non. In the magazine, there are quite a few well recognized names, as well as newer authors. That makes it such an incredible collection of stories that are just long enough to make you want more.
September 12, 2023
This collection of stories was ok. The non-fiction ones I could barely get through. They were just plain boring. I felt the witches in the woods was just a waste of space, as was the gizzard. The baby at the movie's one was pretty good. I also enjoyed the Heartbeat. Overall, it was a quick read, and it was good for a couple of chuckles.
August 8, 2023
Loved it! I’d been patiently waiting for this to arrive since I preordered it in March, and it was worth the wait. I haven’t been this excited to read something in a while. Can’t wait for the second issue!
August 12, 2023
Enjoyed this first issue and its mix of weird horror, black comedy, body horror, and social commentary. The stories evoked a variety of emotions which helped them stand apart from each other. Would recommend.
August 8, 2023
Excellent debut issue! Stories were top notch and the essays were awesome, not to mention the amazing artwork. Looking forward to the next!
August 10, 2023
The short stories in this magazine are weird, in a good way. They’ll crawl under your skin and leave you itching for more. They’re a quick read, but that only means you get to saver each bite faster.
March 5, 2024
Loved it… TBC
March 28, 2024
I received a ARC free from Book Sirens and this is my voluntary honest review.
A well crafted quick, fun read. So creepy and weird. Don't miss.
A well crafted quick, fun read. So creepy and weird. Don't miss.
August 5, 2024
I loved this book 😀
October 28, 2025
enjoyed every story 👍
I received a free ARC and am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received a free ARC and am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 31, 2023
Perpetual Publishing are really knocking it out the park recently and this collection of short horrors was no exception
There's many different styles and sources for the horrors here, from an impressive story about the dangers of the cinema in Who Brings a Baby? by Clay Mcleod Chapman to a frankly brilliant tale of karma in Robert Nazar Arjoyan's Tonight's Guest Is!
Highlight for me was the subtle creepiness of John List Would Like To Cancel His Subscription to Omaha Steaks by Rae Knowles, the slow build to the horrific climax was expertly written
I'm looking forward to volume 2
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
There's many different styles and sources for the horrors here, from an impressive story about the dangers of the cinema in Who Brings a Baby? by Clay Mcleod Chapman to a frankly brilliant tale of karma in Robert Nazar Arjoyan's Tonight's Guest Is!
Highlight for me was the subtle creepiness of John List Would Like To Cancel His Subscription to Omaha Steaks by Rae Knowles, the slow build to the horrific climax was expertly written
I'm looking forward to volume 2
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews