Archives of Despair

by Caleb Finn, Adam Parata (Illustrator)

From the chilling mind of Caleb Finn comes his debut collection of ten stories to haunt your thoughts and fuel your darkest fears.

You have been given access to secret files buried deep within the archives. Disturbing stories never meant for the light of day.

Stories of evil grandparents and unsettling homework.
A string of deaths, seemingly unrelated.
Walls squirm, as if alive.
A cursed wish comes true.
Ordinary people behave oddly, even family and your closest friends . . .

These stories share a common fate. All the children are met with tragedy.

Coincidence?
Or could these nightmares be connected by something more sinister than you dare to imagine?

A dark and chilling mystery awaits.

Find the answers, before he finds you.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Young Adult, Audiobook

256 pages, Paperback

Published September 19, 2023

Reviews

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good collection of linked scary short stories. If you’re a fan of internet Creepypastas, SCP stories, backrooms, definitely check this out. I’m obsessed with all three and found a little of each in all the stories.

Fast-paced, fun, short story collection perfect for Halloween.

Unfortunately I kept thinking of Goob from Meet the Robinsons everytime “bowler hat guy” was mentioned but I can’t complain.

[Paulina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I am a bit too old for this, but I enjoyed how the storiea overlap.

[Addie Cleckler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I can't wait for Caleb to drop another one! It is an Australian take on the adolescent horror genre. The illustrations look great too. These are some very good stories, eerie yet concise. I highly recommend if you like scary stories to tell in the dark or even Goosebumps! As a fan of Caleb Finn's cinematic spooky content, I anxiously waited to get my hands on a copy. Boy I was not disappointed!!

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great modern version of "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" for kids, especially fans of the TikTok star Caleb Finn. Loved the narration (featuring him and Soup!). Wasn't too scary, but lots of grotesque, body horror

[Zip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light 4 Stars

I didn't check anything about this book before I saw it at the library and quickly snatched it up before anybody else could beat me to it, not realising that maybeeeee, just maybe, I for once am not the target audience.
Now I say this not as a bad thing for the book, for a debut novel/anthology/what you will call it this is phenomenal and literally everything I would normally read in a book, however, to me it felt very juvenile and just not scary as it could've been- which is certainly a choice to reach a larger demographic and one which not many people would do.

edit to mention that I LOVE the illustrations!!!! alongside the funky formatting with the epistolary sections of the novel, it made it feel like we were really going through the archives.

My favourite story was Flat Granny- and no I will not spoil why- but it was the scariest and still feels largely unknown to me which I love.

My least fave was Lovely Day as it just felt too convoluted (even after the end) and I didn't care for the setting or the character.

In essence: Live Laugh Bowler Hat Man <3

[leila · Rating 4 out of 5]

spooky

[Lisaa27x · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ☆

[Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love you short scary stories that are actually connected to a larger universal plotline!! 🫶🫶

This was very fun! It didn't surprise me to find out the author was inspired by CreepyPastas. The vibes are Everywhere in this book! (Positive!!) Including the Scientific Email Sections is very reminiscent of SCP entries.
I was a little confused by the end of the Identity of certain characters, but that might just be me getting tangled up in my own theories.

The girl in the first short (White Walls) deserves better. Please, Mr Finn, if you're reading this, write her and her dad a happy ending with 🍩

[bookswithSarah09 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg
I have no words for how good this book was
I absolutely loved how it was sort of interactive and you felt as if it was your duty to figure out what was going on
This was the first book I had ever read that had done that
The individual stories were so good and I thought they were scary without also being to scary
The right word for it is probable creepy
I loved the last story (I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it yet) and thought it was a really great way to end the book
I can not wait to read more books by Caleb Finn!!

[Rebecca Schafer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve followed Caleb Finn on TikTok for a long while now and was excited to read his book. I’m not a ‘horror-person’ at all. His videos on TikTok scared me more than the book did. I was worried I might not be able to read it and get through the book but the stories were ‘scary’ in a sense that ‘things aren’t as they seem’ rather than jump scares. The book was very well written and I look forward to the next book!

[ponky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gee wiz, great first book from Caleb Finn. I'm impressed. It doesn't surprise me.

There are many twists and turns in this book and unsuspected plots that takes a great author to come up with.

Overall, four stars because i wanted more stories. I recommend this book if you're into creepypastas or urban legends/mythology. Great for 13+ I would say.

[Kaitlin Serai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Caleb Finn so I was very excited to read this. It took me some time to appreciate it for what it was but eventually I couldn't put it down. It definitely gave me the heebie jeebies! And I love the way he tied everything together at the end. I'm so proud of Caleb for putting this out there.

[Erin Grigson Baylis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories was loosely linked. However, the parts that linked them seemed to be a bit discombobulated, but I'm not sure if that was on purpose.
Some stories were good and some were just odd.
6/10 but I think tweens/older teens may enjoy this book.

[Lachlan Belstead · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of, if not my favourite book that I’ve read. I really enjoy each individual short story and the overarching narrative. It is the perfect amount of eerie and creepy and I really enjoyed it. The mystery(s) were so compelling that I read this all in one sitting. 5/5 would recommend.

[montekr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This about my 3rd or 4th time reading this book. I read it in preparation for his new book but honeslty would reccomed to anyone. The stories are filled with characters and emotions. They are guaranteed to at least make you feel uneasy.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing has spooked my this much in a long time

[Rachel rachandalotabooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐

Okay bowler hat man don't ruin my life

[ruby prosser · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

[Suzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite odd. Think I lost the thread somewhere...

[Sarah McClelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book in one day.
This is by far the best horror book I’ve ever read.
I CANNOT wait for his next book.

[Abigail Haag · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun scary book for kids. Gives the same energy as goosebumps.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this! It was truly haunting but I absolutely could not put it down! This has got to be one of my new favourite books! I can't wait for the next one.

[Kara Rowley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scary and cool

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a judge for the 2023 Aurealis Awards. This review is my personal opinion and does not reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinators, or the Aurealis Awards management team.

[Dawn Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this short ya horror story collection

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spooky oooky dooky

[Didi Luvvz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did the audiobook, was fun to have Caleb reading some bits, definitely for more of adolescent age groups but still fun to listen to and will probs buy for my kids when they’re older

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending tied it all together it was amazing would recommend for begginers in horror

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, very much goosebumps vibes which I loved growing up. I enjoyed how the stories all tied in together and were quite creepy. Great spooky book for teens.

[Jae Pritchett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good mind bend