Old Monsters Never Die: A Story Collection

by Tim Waggoner

From the mind of four-time Bram Stoker Award winner Tim Waggoner comes 18 provocative tales of terror that explore the darkest corners of the human mind. This comprehensive collection concludes with an unforgettable metafictional story on what it takes to be a horror writer. With this carefully curated selection of short stories. discover why no matter how much we try, in our deepest subconscious, Old Monsters Never Die.

Genres: Horror

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2024

About the author

Tim Waggoner's first novel came out in 2001, and since then, he's published over sixty novels and eight collections of short stories. He writes original dark fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins. He's written tie-in fiction based on Supernatural, The X-Files, Alien, Doctor Who, Conan the Barbarian, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Grimm, and Transformers, among others, and he's written novelizations for films such as Ti West’s X-Trilogy, Halloween Kills, Terrifier 2 and 3, and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. He’s also the author of the award-winning guide to horror Writing in the Dark. He’s a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, a one-time winner of the Scribe Award, and he’s been a two-time finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and a one-time finalist for the Splatterpunk Award. He’s also a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio.

Reviews

[Jeremy Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old Monsters Never Die is Dark and Twisted - I loved it!

I finished this collection in the dead of night (exactly how you are supposed to read Tim Waggoner novels) and this is a great collection! Each story filled me with increasing bouts of dread or paranoia, all while making me smile. The turns and witty twists that Tim Waggoner so expertly is able to weave into his writing ensure that each story is complex, unique, and as readers we always want more!

Waggoner has long been an author that can scare me. His scary stories know exactly which inner fears to bring to light and make sure I stay afraid. I feel like I devoured these stories because by the time I finished the last one I felt like I had only just started. These are stories that are quick, and fun for any readers looking for something new to try and because of the variety, you’ll get a full sampling of all types of Waggoner’s writing. I am sure there is something for any type of reader here and you absolutely have to check this story out!!

[Melanie Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tim Waggoner is a horror master in our time. Not only can he write across multiple genres, but from multiple points of view inserting imagery and intrigue into every story.

While I try to read his fiction books for enjoyment, I find myself studying them. How does this man do what he does and make it look so easy? He writes what he knows.

Hell, in this book, he even gives us the secret to life. (Shhh is a secret).

While I have my favorite few stories in this book, and a few that I wasn't fond of, all of them are artfully crafted. Remember that- it's art. Richard Matheson came to mind as I was reading. I feel the same of his stories.

If you haven't read Tim's books, this is a great glimpse into the corners of his mind. It'll make you want to dive deeper.

[ScarlettAnomalyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right out of the gate this book had me absolutely destroyed, my first thought was, oh crap if this story is the FIRST one, what am I about to be launched into.

A touch of madness, hands down may be my favorite short story of the year. I don't know what I expected at the end but not that.
Second runner up was Cast-offs and Going home.

I feel a little guilty I hadn't heard of Tim before now, because absolutely wow.
Tim is now on a list as a to be watched for author, at least for myself. If you read this, I know he will be on yours as well.


This entire thing had me tense and I had to stop myself from skipping ahead just to figure out what the hell was going on.

Want something twisty, dark, and can't be put down? Look no further.
I finished this in one sitting, last night, that's how intriguing, but readable it is.

Tim Waggoner
Old Monsters Never Die
4/5 Stars

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the years, I've preferred Tim Waggoner's long form fiction to his short stories.

But wow, he knocked it out of the park with this short story collection. There wasn't a single story in the book that bored me or left me wanting more.

I wish the world knew more of his talents and how great his books were.

Til then, I'll keep reading and enjoying all of the books that he puts out.

[Tony Sarrecchia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and twisted (literally). Highly recommend.

[Carson Buckingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a good reason that Tim Waggoner has won the Bram Stoker Award four times, and if you are discerning enough to purchase a copy of his latest, Old Monsters Never Die, you will understand that reason…in spades. It is a thinking person’s sort of surrealist horror that leaves you still mulling it over days later—and in this age of horror writers turning increasingly to blood and guts and veins-in-the-teeth shock splatter and mayhem, Mr. Waggoner presents an oasis of subtle, yet disturbingly crafted tales. He is the Salvador Dali of horror, without the long, waxed mustache and mink coat, but just as twisted. I have seen favorable comparisons of this author to Stephen King, and I find them to be unkind. Tim Waggoner is a much better writer than Stephen King.

That being said, here is the rundown of the stories in this marvelous collection:

“A Touch of Madness” – A teenager discovers an out-of-the-way fountain on a college campus…but a statue of the Virgin Mary with a reptile tail can lead to nothing good.

“The Crying Man” – A traumatic incident at the age of 13 left Martin afraid to connect with other people for fear of being infected…by something really strange.

“No One Sings in the City of the Dead” – a story of the extremes we will go to for love. The Clown Lady was great! One of my favorite tales.

“The Girl Who Bled in the Tree” – A girl, the woman she becomes, and an old oak tree whose friendship never lets her down. I loved this one, too.

“In the Monster’s Mouth” – The perils of living with a narcissistic monster.

“The Garden of Love Is Green” – We find appreciation in all sorts of unusual places. All we have to do is look for it.

“God Spelled Backward” – Dreams vs. Reality, and one man desperate to protect himself from both.

“Forever” – Best friends in childhood, until one disappears…or did she?

“Old Monsters Never Die” – a fresh take on an old trope. Another of my favorites.

“The Ashes of Our Fathers” – Did you ever wonder what the secrets are that the old people are keeping?

“The White Road” – An interesting idea of what might happen just prior to death and just after—and it is what we hope for?

“Going Home” – When one goes home seeking answers, one may not like those one gets—but Emily has a secret weapon. Great story.

“Negative Space” – A couple stays with a newly bereaved widow and her small children…until the husband of the couple starts to change… Another favorite.

“The Grey Room” – Chasing and catching the ultimate high isn’t quite what you’d expect. Another terrific tale.

“Voices Like Barbed Wire” – Dreamlike. There is a fast-food joint that is sometimes there and sometimes not, where there is a man who can solve your problem—any problem. Of course, you may not be entirely happy with the results… Another favorite.

“In the End There Is a Drain” – A crazy cat lady educates a teenager.

“Cast-Offs” – A whole new take on trash scavengers. Loved this one, too!

“Til Death” – Marriage and survival in a world controlled by ETs.

“How to Be a Horror Writer” – A ‘how-to’ that is right on and is all about living your life attentively…especially where the traumas are concerned. I loved this one too.

This book would stand up to re-reading like few books I’ve ever read. Buy a copy for your personal library and see if you don’t agree. Oh, and think about Christmas! As gifts go, it’s an inexpensive one that will keep on giving and you’ll be a hero once they’ve read it.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bad part here is that a great many of these stories fall into two narrative patterns: monstrous parent, usually father, exerts undying, abusive grip on child, which gets transcended, or embraced, or both in one, at the end, by the adult; spouse confronts overwhelming grief over painful end of partner's life, which again gets transcended, etc. Narratively, it's: weird current event; flashback to when protagonist was a child in way that hints at current oddness; back to today; alternate perspectives and show how they dovetail until transcendence/embrace is reached. Not every story fits this template, but more than two-thirds of them do.

And yet, it works, I think partly because Waggoner situates his stories so resolutely in realism that the deviations land harder (the disturbing fast-food restaurant in "Voices Like Barbed Wire," for instance, or the possibly not-of-this-earth drug den in "The Gray Room," or the endlessly looping memorial video of the dead husband in "Negative Space," or the addition of some, um, additional personnel to Large Item Recycling, along with their memorably off-putting vehicle, in "Cast-Offs"), and partly because he's so good at establishing and grounding sufficiently and specifically weird premises that drag you in even as you notice, yet again, that the second section of the story takes us back to childhood. The horror here is truly cosmic (the closing story feels like the only one that sort of nods to Lovecraft), in that it's constantly evoking the lure of this deep black nothingness, a respite/oblivion for which many of his protagonists end up hungering.

Maybe 100 pages in, I was thinking, grr, again with the flashbacks, but eventually I realized that all of the good stuff above kept me not just continuing because I'm a compulsive completionist, no matter how long it takes (I once spent like 5 years stuck on page 50 or so of Call It Sleep before finally getting through it and then reading all of Roth's later work), but because I realized that I was very much looking forward to what he was going to show me next. In some ways, it's an even more impressive feat to put together a collection that remains that compelling even as you note the repetition-compulsion of its themes, whose origins the closing metafiction may or may not explain.

[Chandra Claypool (WhereTheReaderGrows) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“18 provocative tales of terror that explore the darkest corners of the human mind.. concluding with an unforgettable metafictional story on what it takes to be a horror writer.” Yes, please!

As someone who has had a love/hate relationship with short story collections and anthologies , I’ve come to really appreciate them. With an author I’ve never read before, a collection like this gives insight to the author’s flexibility and writing style – sometimes determining if it’s an author I will continue to read. Though I never judge an author solely on one book alone.

Like with most collections/anthologies, I tend to rate down the middle as some stories work more than others do. There were quite a few stories I enjoyed in this collection and they are as follows: A Touch of Madness, The Girl Who Bled in the Tree, The White Road, The Gray Room, Voices Like Barbed Wire, Cast Offs and the metafictional story, How to Be a Horror Writer.

Let’s talk about my top three. Cast Offs is easily my favorite. We are introduced to Valerie who is taking out junk to the curbside, assorted “cast off” items that no longer serve their purpose. This was such a fun read and I absolutely love the concept of it in its entirety. In The White Road we meet Phillip who remember everything, always and how it effects his many journeys into the shadows. This gave me Twilight Zone vibes. And then there’s the first story of the bunch, A Touch of Madness where Kristina awaits us at a café. A statue she encountered when she was a kid continues to haunt her and her therapist is trying to help her but has no real understanding of what happened in the past and what’s coming to the present. A great start to this very fun collection of stories.

One thing is for sure, “no matter how much we try, in our deepest subconscious, Old Monsters Never Die”. Go snag yourself a copy and enjoy a story at a time and sparse them out or devour them in one sitting like I did.

[Paige Garland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable collection of horror short stories. It was interesting that each story gave a snapshot of a character's past, so you felt like you knew them a little more. Some of the stories were a little weird but they were fun to read and equally horrific. Overall, I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror or weird fiction.

[Rami Ungar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not easily scared by what I read anymore. I'm usually just entertained and that's enough for me. That being said, Tim Waggoner's stories frightened me at times. They disturbed my inner Zen with their exploration existence, mortality and human nature. Definitely glad I read it, even as I shiver at some of what I read

[Shelby Silverman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange

[miso · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’ve been on a horror story anthology binge lately, and this might be my favorite so far? there wasn’t a short story that i wasn’t entertained by.