A Glimpse of Fear

by B.S. Miller

This is a small collection of short horror stories from author B.S. Miller.

79 pages, Hardcover

Published August 24, 2024

Reviews

[Angel Medina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I've read from B.S. Miller. The stories didn't disappoint for the most part. There was a story, The Bell Housing that I felt could have been fleshed out a bit more. I was left hanging after that one.

My favorite stories were, The Smallest Exocrism and My Discontent. Those were lots of fun to read. The book finishes off with a few poems that were well executed. Overall, this was a great set of stories if you're looking for something quick to read.

I will read more from B.S. Miller despite giving the book 4/5 stars. I look forward to seeing what new works come in the future. Nice work!

[Ben Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first completed read of the year is A Glimpse of Fear by BS Miller (Brittany Cekus) and I loved it. It’s a collection of short stories and poems, and though it was quick enough to read in one sitting, its impact is lasting. I read it three days ago and haven’t stopped thinking about three of the stories since. (Plus, there’s one from an anthology we were in together last year, which I read back then and enjoyed rereading.) Highly recommended.

[Paul Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great collection. I dove from one story right into the next because the vibe of this book was so compelling. Each story was unique, interesting, and most were creepy as hell.
My favorite of the bunch was called The Others Invited. This was absolutely magical storytelling with great imagery. Hauntingly beautiful.
Other highlights-
Tracked was a story about a wheelchair bound boy named Anthony who goes out in the woods to find his sister. It felt like a teaser scene for a full novel. I’m greedy. I want more. Please.
The Smallest Exorcism is a great idea and another one that I want more of. Evie is a fantastic character and this has so much potential. Honestly while reading this it was hard not to picture it without giggling. You’ll have to read it to find out why but it got super creepy real fast.
Lobos takes on my favorite trope with camping horror. Just two people around a campfire, listening to the coyotes barking and yipping. What could go wrong.

This collection was quick and fun to read. B.S. Miller has talent and I’m looking forward to reading what ever else she has.

[Caitlin Holt · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 this wasn’t my favorite collection of short stories. Lobos and The Bell Housing were the ones I enjoyed most. I will admit, I am still sitting here worried about one of the characters in the Bell Housing. I am feeling so sad I will never find out more regarding their fate with it being a short story. As for Lobos, I always appreciate a story about spiders. I like short stories to be spooky and unsettling, but I didn’t feel that for most of the stories.

[Ali O · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book of creepy, some scary and bizarre short stories! The stories are all very well written and I enjoyed the authors writing style.
It’s always fun to take a break from a longer book with some shorter stories. I enjoyed all of them, but a few of my favorites are:
-The Smallest Exorcism
-Lobos (this was a tough one for my spider fears! 🕷️)
-Musty Little Minx

Thank you to B.S. Miller for an arc copy of these fun and enjoyable stories! This book comes out late August! Grab your copy!

[Camille Danciu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of horror stories that range in topics from an assumed devious bigfoot story into something much more horrifying— arachnids. To buried alive and taxidermy. I was invested in each story equally. I’ll admit I was reading so fast during The Bell Housing I thought my eyes would fly out. That provoked anxiety that I cant quantify with words.

Cekus’ talent for packing dread, suspense, and a GREAT cliffhanger into such short stories is fantastic. I absolutely adore a good cliffhanger when it’s done right. There’s nothing better than interpreting the meaning of a story with other readers. I think this would be so cool for a book club.

[Melanie Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reading the seven stories and additional poems that are a true glimpse into a brilliant creative's mind.
There's something here for everyone as the stories don't follow one horror trope. I cringed when Tracked touched on one of my fears. I laughed at Musty Little Minx, and cried at The Others Invited.
If you want a fun read you can digest in a short time, try taking A Glimpse of Fear. I look forward to more from this author!

[ScarlettAnomalyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fabulous read, i just stumbled across on facebook, and saw its on KU so why not?

The Others Invited was my absolute top pick from this lot, but really all of them were great reads.

Lobos, freaked me out just a little, especially with the whole drone thing in real life lately .

Musty little minx, loved it, im a huge cat girl lol.

This was well worth the read, if you have kindle unlimited, you have nothing to loose.

[Kerry]

As a fan of short stories and flash fiction, I was excited to read fellow Pgh HWA member B.S. Miller’s A Glimpse of Fear (A small collection of short stories and poetry). Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Boasting seven stories and four poems, with cryptids, a baby exorcism, canines, early entombment, spirits, and grief, the author keeps a finger on the pulse of terror while pouring lyrical prose on the page. My only complaint is it was too short. I want more!

[Lauren Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this short story collection!!!!! My favorite story was the smallest exorcism!!! Such a unique take on the classic trope!! And Lobos uggghhhhhhh I’m thoroughly creeped out!!!

[Rhonda Bobbitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short book filled with fear. One of my favorites was The smallest exorcism, followed by the Bell Housing. And let's not forget Lobos...very creepy.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love the whole collection. Was able to read it in a night. Put me through all the emotions. I highly recommend checking trigger warnings before reading.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

solid collection of eerie stories

[Matthew Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Beautiful Collection of Personal and Haunting Tales
Review: A Glimpse of Fear – B.S. Miller
My Verdict: Great value, lots of creativity.
Welcome to my first review of a book I discovered in Books of Horror. Scrolling along one day, I see somebody had posted in the group hoping to find some reviews. They offered a free PDF copy, so I volunteered to read it, hoping to make myself take a break from my obsessive writing habit. By the time I had finished the first story, I decided to check if I could get it on Kindle, and sure enough, it was only two bucks. I’m always broke as a joke, so I didn’t snatch it up right away. (I like to stalk my prey first.) After reading the second story, I went ahead and bought it because I thought those two stories alone were worth the price of admission.
That might suffice as a review, but I like to get detailed. I will try not to wander into spoiler territory.
The first story, “Tracked,” is probably still my favorite of the collection. The story featured two protagonists and would switch perspectives between sections. At first the tale seems like a simple family-oriented story about a brother saving his older sister from a sticky situation, but with a twist. I must admit, at first, the twist sort of pissed me off. But I kept thinking about the story, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized Miller implied the twist several times and just used a decent red herring so it slips right by you until it’s made obvious. The story features a very likable main character who has limited mobility, and I thought that factor played nicely in some of the more suspenseful moments.
“The Smallest Exorcism” has such an audacious premise. My jaw literally dropped when I realized the direction the story intended to go. I won’t spoil that here, but I will say the story’s hero, Evie, represents the story’s core strength and biggest weakness. Evie, a total badass who performs exorcisms off the books in weird and fucked-up situations, uses her extensive knowledge of all things demon-fighting to support the other characters in an effective way. All those characteristics made Evie extremely likeable. I kind of saw her as this rebel priestess lady version of Simon Belmont from Castlevania, and I very much could see Evie having a recurring series of stories where she travels from town to town doing crazy exorcisms or other related shenanigans, kind of like Supernatural. But that was also the story’s problem: Evie was TOO good. She was TOO competent, so I never really felt worried for any of the characters because Evie did such a great job of supporting and preparing them that even when things got a little shaky, I was like, “Nah, Evie’s got it. We’re all good.” Basically, I liked the main character a lot, but I wasn’t scared. Also, while the premise was extremely promising, the execution was a tad tropey.
“Lobos” had great character dynamics and kept me guessing until the gruesome end. A couple, drinking around a fire at night, tease each other about what things lurk in the woods. Clever title, lots of fun misdirection.
I hated “The Bell Housing,” not because it was bad, but because it shares a nearly identical premise with a story I wrote, and Miller’s is just better than mine. The execution is better, the build-up is better, and the damn twist at the end is better too. I felt disrespected. I almost gave the whole collection a 0/5 for the injustice.
Ok, for real, I didn’t love “My Discontent.” The story has a cool premise, as it is a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Richard III, but I’m not a huge Bill Shakes guy. I respect his work and have enjoyed a good handful of his stories, but I’ve never read nor seen Richard III, so I feel a lot of the story’s charm was lost on me.
“Musty Little Minx” was short, sweet, and bloody fun. Just read it. It features a hairless Sphynx cat, so ugly that it's cute.
That leaves us with the last short story in the collection, “The Other’s Invited.” Boy, when I tell you reading this one made me emotional, I mean the waterworks started up a page or two in, and they kept going for a few minutes after the story was over. Not scary so much as heartwarming and touching. The story haunts but in a beautiful, aching way.
“Entombment” bordered between poetry and flash fiction, more of a short mood piece, really.
The collection finishes with three “found” poems assembled from bits of text in the Count of Monte Cristo, and I thought all three of them were rad. I could feel how the words were part of a larger narrative, but dissected and arranged in this new way, they conveyed a new message of darkness and violence. I don’t usually think of poetry often, and the poems here made me think I should be more open-minded.
If any of this sounds like your cup of tea, then pick up A Glimpse of Fear by B.S. Miller.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories is a gem for readers who crave compelling narratives but don’t always have time for lengthy chapters or full novels. Each story feels complete despite its brevity, offering satisfying resolutions while still leaving me wanting more—in the best way possible.
It’s the kind of writing that lingers in your mind, much like the feeling of waking from an eerie dream. I highly recommend this book and will definitely be keeping an eye out for the author's next work!