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Toxic Candy: Tales of Suspense, Fantasy, & Horror
A Vietnam vet haunted by the death of a young Vietnamese girl. A bizarre, ancient man who sits unmoving on his front porch, staring into the distance, waiting. A vacationing sea monster family chows down on beachgoers at Rehoboth Beach. A Civil War field surgeon faces something more monstrous than the battlefield. Haunted hearing aids. A vengeful deer. Lovecraftian horrors on a highway viaduct. A maniacal hitman who fantasizes about various ways to "off" his victims. And much more from the twisted mind of Weldon Burge.
“It might be Toxic Candy, but it’s one helluva treat! In this story collection, Weldon Burge serves up a smorgasbord of lost souls, shapeshifters, killer deer, hitmen, and sea monsters, sauteed in thrills and a big dollop of humor. This is a killer collection, in more ways than one. C’mon, treat yourself!”
— L.L. Soares, Award-Winning Author of Teach Them How to Bleed
“With everything from monsters to noir, from shapeshifters to sweet nostalgia and more, Weldon Burge’s Toxic Candy has it all! No better way to spend an evening. Bravo!”
— Carson Buckingham, Author of Too Late for Prayin’
"Toxic Candy is a dark ride through the depths of the human (and not so human) experience. Weldon has reached into the shadows of imagination, harkening to the likes of Bradbury and Matheson to bring the reader some of the best short stories I've read in a long time."
— Shaun Meeks, author of A Touch of Death
"Burge paints vivid pictures in this collection of stories which range from nostalgic to whimsical. Visceral images leavened with humor and bittersweet memories make for a satisfying collection."
— J. Gregory Smith, Author of the Reluctant Hustler series and the Paul Chang Mystery series
“These finely observed stories contain just the right balance of wit, insight, and terror. But what makes them truly horrifying is the humanity with which each of the characters is imbued."
— Jasper Bark, Author of Stuck on You
"Weldon Burge’s TOXIC CANDY is a Trick or Treat bag full of chills, shivers, and creeps. Grab your flashlight, climb into your secret treehouse fort, dig in and get ready to shudder … and giggle."
— JM Reinbold, Author of A DCI Rylan Crowe Mystery
“It might be Toxic Candy, but it’s one helluva treat! In this story collection, Weldon Burge serves up a smorgasbord of lost souls, shapeshifters, killer deer, hitmen, and sea monsters, sauteed in thrills and a big dollop of humor. This is a killer collection, in more ways than one. C’mon, treat yourself!”
— L.L. Soares, Award-Winning Author of Teach Them How to Bleed
“With everything from monsters to noir, from shapeshifters to sweet nostalgia and more, Weldon Burge’s Toxic Candy has it all! No better way to spend an evening. Bravo!”
— Carson Buckingham, Author of Too Late for Prayin’
"Toxic Candy is a dark ride through the depths of the human (and not so human) experience. Weldon has reached into the shadows of imagination, harkening to the likes of Bradbury and Matheson to bring the reader some of the best short stories I've read in a long time."
— Shaun Meeks, author of A Touch of Death
"Burge paints vivid pictures in this collection of stories which range from nostalgic to whimsical. Visceral images leavened with humor and bittersweet memories make for a satisfying collection."
— J. Gregory Smith, Author of the Reluctant Hustler series and the Paul Chang Mystery series
“These finely observed stories contain just the right balance of wit, insight, and terror. But what makes them truly horrifying is the humanity with which each of the characters is imbued."
— Jasper Bark, Author of Stuck on You
"Weldon Burge’s TOXIC CANDY is a Trick or Treat bag full of chills, shivers, and creeps. Grab your flashlight, climb into your secret treehouse fort, dig in and get ready to shudder … and giggle."
— JM Reinbold, Author of A DCI Rylan Crowe Mystery
189 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2024
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Weldon Burge
42 books64 followersWeldon Burge, a native of Delaware, is the author of the Ezekiel Marrs thriller series published by Smart Rhino Publications. HARVESTER OF SORROW is the first novel in the series. Weldon is also a freelance writer and publisher. His fiction has appeared in many publications, including various magazines and anthologies (Crimeucopia, The Best of the Horror Society 2013, Pellucid Lunacy: An Anthology of Psychological Horror, Ghosts and Demons, just to name a few). His stories have also been adapted for podcast presentation by Drabblecast. He was a frequent writer for Suspense Magazine, often writing author interviews.
In 2012, Weldon and his wife, Cindy, founded Smart Rhino Publications, an indie publishing company focusing primarily on horror and suspense/thriller books. To date, the company has published 17 books, primarily anthologies.
You can sign up to receive his e-letter at https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor...
In 2012, Weldon and his wife, Cindy, founded Smart Rhino Publications, an indie publishing company focusing primarily on horror and suspense/thriller books. To date, the company has published 17 books, primarily anthologies.
You can sign up to receive his e-letter at https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor...
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 4, 2025
I just finished reading Toxic Candy by Weldon Burge.
Toxic Candy is a collection of seventeen horror and fantasy short stories that shocked me, grossed me out, made me laugh, and most of all, were a lot of fun. Author Burge writes with a sense of humor that pulls you, laughing and screaming into the dark world of H.P. Lovecraft and beyond. It’s the perfect book to read with Halloween approaching.
The stories span across time and take you around the world from the Outback in Australia, a café in Paris, France, and back to more familiar territory on the Delaware shore in the US.
I’ll try not to reveal any spoilers, but these were a couple of my favorite stories in the book.
The Old Man on the Porch is a haunting story that takes place in South Australia, and spans across the entire lifespan of a boy named Noah from a child to an adult as he observes his neighbor, an ancient man who, as far as Noah can tell, has never left his front porch. The old man just sits there, rocking in a rocking chair, and staring across the desert to the east.
Hearing Mildred is another old man story, but this one is from the viewpoint of an old man named Harold whose wife Mildred has just died. Harold needs hearing aids in order to hear his TV shows, and the ghost of Mildred begins to talk to him—and nag him—through his hearing aids. The story is hilarious and realistic and it hits close to home because I see some of the same traits in my own parent watching their shows.
Reading Toxic Candy feels like opening up your Halloween bag and finding it stuffed with seventeen full-sized chocolate bars. It was a lot of fun!
Toxic Candy is a collection of seventeen horror and fantasy short stories that shocked me, grossed me out, made me laugh, and most of all, were a lot of fun. Author Burge writes with a sense of humor that pulls you, laughing and screaming into the dark world of H.P. Lovecraft and beyond. It’s the perfect book to read with Halloween approaching.
The stories span across time and take you around the world from the Outback in Australia, a café in Paris, France, and back to more familiar territory on the Delaware shore in the US.
I’ll try not to reveal any spoilers, but these were a couple of my favorite stories in the book.
The Old Man on the Porch is a haunting story that takes place in South Australia, and spans across the entire lifespan of a boy named Noah from a child to an adult as he observes his neighbor, an ancient man who, as far as Noah can tell, has never left his front porch. The old man just sits there, rocking in a rocking chair, and staring across the desert to the east.
Hearing Mildred is another old man story, but this one is from the viewpoint of an old man named Harold whose wife Mildred has just died. Harold needs hearing aids in order to hear his TV shows, and the ghost of Mildred begins to talk to him—and nag him—through his hearing aids. The story is hilarious and realistic and it hits close to home because I see some of the same traits in my own parent watching their shows.
Reading Toxic Candy feels like opening up your Halloween bag and finding it stuffed with seventeen full-sized chocolate bars. It was a lot of fun!
May 12, 2024
Mix together a heaping cup of crime drama, a pinch of paranormal, a motley assortment of monsters, and a dash of creepy comedy and you get Toxic Candy, a thoroughly enjoyable and diverse collection of quick, fun stories from veteran suspense writer Weldon Burge. A few of my favorites include:
The Old Man on the Porch - An elderly man sits on his porch day and night, never moving, never speaking to his only neighbors across the street. Perhaps he’s not even human.
Melvin and the Haunted Mansion - Is a creepy ticket attendant of the Haunted Mansion ride in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware still hanging around four decades later, or is his ghost lurking among the mechanical monsters?
To See the Elephant - During the Civil War, a mysterious creature roams the battlefields, never straying far from the wounded and dying. No one knows what it is, until a Confederate doctor witnesses its horrifying manifestation.
Vindictive - A hitman finds himself haunted by the ghost of one of his recent targets, wreaking havoc with his next two assignments and putting him in hot water with his boss.
The Old Man on the Porch - An elderly man sits on his porch day and night, never moving, never speaking to his only neighbors across the street. Perhaps he’s not even human.
Melvin and the Haunted Mansion - Is a creepy ticket attendant of the Haunted Mansion ride in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware still hanging around four decades later, or is his ghost lurking among the mechanical monsters?
To See the Elephant - During the Civil War, a mysterious creature roams the battlefields, never straying far from the wounded and dying. No one knows what it is, until a Confederate doctor witnesses its horrifying manifestation.
Vindictive - A hitman finds himself haunted by the ghost of one of his recent targets, wreaking havoc with his next two assignments and putting him in hot water with his boss.
September 21, 2024
Tasty Treat of Suspense
Toxic Candy delivers with clever stories of suspense, horror, and even some humor. Readers will no doubt discover a favorite morsel while devouring its pages. However, I came away with more than one!
Highly recommend.
Toxic Candy delivers with clever stories of suspense, horror, and even some humor. Readers will no doubt discover a favorite morsel while devouring its pages. However, I came away with more than one!
Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews