Random Stairs

by Matthew Tait

A famous house on the eastern seaboard, Oaklyn Castle has become even more notorious now a celebrity power couple calls it home. With a burgeoning family, Arabella Jaqus and Boyd Palmer have decided to raise their natural and adopted children in Palladian surrounds far from the furor of filmmaking.

When Jaison Winters is summoned to the mansion, he views it as the job of a a chance to redeem his flailing writing career by penning an accurate, in-depth biography of Arabella’s dynasty – a firsthand glimpse into a private world previously off-limits until now.

But what Jaison discovers is far darker than family secrets.

More malevolent than anything previously penned.

For Oaklyn Castle has become a repository for damaged souls. An afterlife about to be awakened by a knowing and terrible force.

Genres: Amazon, Horror

269 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2023

About the author

Matthew Tait is an award-winning Australian horror author whose work blends psychological intensity with uncanny, brutal atmosphere. He published his first collection of dark fiction in 2011 and has since built a catalogue of titles praised for their originality and emotional depth. His novel Deception Pass won the Australasian Shadows Award for Best Novel, an honor for which he has been nominated three times. His short story Car Crash Weather was also commended by the Australian Horror Writers Association.

A former horror columnist and lifelong devotee of the genre, Tait’s work has been described as “the sort of horror Clive Barker must read on his days off.” When not crafting unsettling narratives, he’s immersed in the gritty tones of grunge music.

Reviews

[Cameron Trost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matthew Tait has somehow outdone himself again with Random Stairs. The setting is evocative in its gothic flamboyance, and the characters are dark and fascinating in their own different ways. In fact, Oaklyn Castle is a setting and a character rolled into one. Once more, Tait does what he does best, grasping the reader by the wrist and taking him on an adventure both within and without - across the border between the physical world and the cosmic unknown. Climb these random stairs with Matthew Tait, but don't expect to ever come back down again.

[Shell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thinly veiled use of a real celebrity family was annoying and kept pulling me out of the story. I wish there would have been a focus on either the haunted/sentient house or the idea of a powerful spiritual person being pulled involuntarily out of their element instead of of combo of the two.

[Johann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very different!

This was a very different "haunting" story, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Jaison is a writer who had been invited to pen a biography on a very famous celebrity woman.

However, something else has other plans for him.

This gave me a sense of a mix between The Ring and House on Haunted Hill.

Very enjoyable!!

[Dwayne Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

terrifying and an excellent read

I had no idea what to expect from this book when I started reading it, but I really enjoyed it and the characters were engaging. The story was really incredible and I’m really happy I discovered a new author enjoy! Thank you!

[Anthony Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always good to catch up with the work of my AHWA peers. What Matthew has produced here is a gothic haunted house thriller filled with mystery and intriguing characters. Though it is totally different to my own writing style, I was drawn in immediately. Always a good sign. Read the whole book in a few short days.

I was puzzled by the odd title, but it finally became clear toward the conclusion of the story. A hint of voodoo meshed with urban legend. I must admit I had not heard of these random stairs until Matt sent me a link, but they do indeed "exist" in popular culture at least. I've certainly never come across any on my outback bush wanderings, but if I ever do, I would climb them for sure.

Overall, a surreal journey between this world and the realm of the spiritual. Great characters. Indeed the setting itself, Oaklyn Castle, is a malevolent character of itself.

Well worth your time.

[Rebecca Fraser · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tight and taut read that offers a refreshing spin on the haunted house trope. Offering shades of The Overlook and Hill House, Oaklyn Castle - the gothic setting of Random Stairs - is as enigmatic as the residents who live there - a celebrity power couple and their brood of children, who draw parallels with another certain non-fiction family (and herein the author, whether deliberately or otherwise, posits some thought-provoking questions about the ethics of celebrity adoption). Enter Jason Winters, a biography writer contracted by Oaklyn's matriarch, Arabella, and the veil between what's real, and what's imagined becomes thinner with each passing day / page turned...
For those familiar with Tait's writing, you'll recognise his signature style and voice, and for those new to it, allow yourself to fall into an atmospheric and unsettling read told through a literary lens.

[Mark Smith-briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tait delivers a darkly entertaining haunted house story about a writer invited to stay in the lavish home of a celebrity Hollywood couple and their children and pen a biography who finds his own life at stake when he becomes entangled in the house's dark secrets.
Tait has a knack for delivering page-turning horror and Random Stairs is another finely tuned and fast paced story that elicits shades of the Shining and The Haunting.
Tait draws on familiar tropes to tell his story but elevates the material into something fresh by combining a Twilight Zone style mystery with Clive Barker-esque visual horror.
Tait has a real visual style to his writing, and this is another one that would make a fantastic film.
Well worth a look.

[Andrew Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matthew Tait brings his unique style to the classic haunted mansion genre. A writer is hired to pen a biography of the famous actress that lives there with her family. But the mansion itself has a long, dark history. Tait introduces a number of fascinating characters, and as the supernatural incidences increases, so does the tension. There's some very effective scenes, that'll have you gripping the pages. An excellent novel, from an excellent writer.