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Don't Look Back: 11 Tales of Terror
A struggling father is forced to work as a late-night chauffeur for a sinister presence.
An unlucky salvage crew is hired to retrieve a strange object from beneath the waves.
A trio of cousins discover something unexpected in their wealthy uncle’s shed.
DON'T LOOK BACK contains eleven hair-raising tales from award-winning author John Beardify. From strange towns to mysterious monsters, this collection has every flavor of horror. Read… if you dare.
Praise for Don't Look Back
"Evokes a similar feeling to early Stephen King short story collections - like Night Shift and Skeleton Crew - in the best possible way."
"I ran through this book so fast, all the stories were perfectly detailed while remaining short stories."
"Creepy, clever, and compulsively readable."
About Banshee Books
We're passionate about scares, thrills, and all things that go bump in the night. Stay tuned for more books this year to keep you up all night!
An unlucky salvage crew is hired to retrieve a strange object from beneath the waves.
A trio of cousins discover something unexpected in their wealthy uncle’s shed.
DON'T LOOK BACK contains eleven hair-raising tales from award-winning author John Beardify. From strange towns to mysterious monsters, this collection has every flavor of horror. Read… if you dare.
Praise for Don't Look Back
"Evokes a similar feeling to early Stephen King short story collections - like Night Shift and Skeleton Crew - in the best possible way."
"I ran through this book so fast, all the stories were perfectly detailed while remaining short stories."
"Creepy, clever, and compulsively readable."
About Banshee Books
We're passionate about scares, thrills, and all things that go bump in the night. Stay tuned for more books this year to keep you up all night!
- GenresHorror
244 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 9, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 20, 2025
⋆˙⟡┆two and a half stars
i’m not an avid short story collection girlie, but even taking that into account i feel like overall this was pretty lackluster. there are a few highlights, such as passenger & dive, but overall a pretty forgettable horror experience.
i. passenger
a man with a gambling debt agrees to be the driver for a sinister creature when he commits crimes, but unexpectedly finds a sort of kindred spirit. enjoyed how everything came together and the little bow it all was wrapped up in.
oddly sweet. 4/5
ii. rejection
a writer repeatedly tries to submit his horror short stories to a magazine for publication but is always rejected and instead the editor provides advice to him. ultimately ends up going too far, the stories and reality bleeding together. was mostly indifferent towards this one. didn’t much enjoy reading the summaries of darryl’s stories and found the ending to be anticlimactic.
not very creepy or attention-grabbing. 2/5
iii. dive
a crew is hired by a mysterious client to dive down to a shipwreck to recover an equally mysterious item, and while down there they find a sinister creature awaiting them, realizing they were never meant to survive this dive. my favorite so far, had action and a bit more gore than the others. i have so many questions and desperately wish it had been longer.
could’ve kept on reading this. 4/5
iv. bestie
an accident on a trampoline causes the father of a ten year old to go to great lengths to keep his son alive. enter eerie cove setting and town legends. didn’t care for this one much, it’s the longest so far and didn’t feel like it needed to be. the exploration of the balance of life and death was interesting, but felt incomplete, as did the rest of the story.
great themes, not great execution. 2.5/5
v. doors
a family moves into a 1950s home and their toddler son begins seeing things that scare him at night. the dad investigates and finds some ... weird stuff. whole concept reminded me a bit of dark matter by blake crouch – intriguing to think about, meh execution.
felt incomplete. 2/5
vi. epicenter
two journalists go to a town to investigate why it’s essentially been cut off from the world and erased from memory in a way. reminded me a lot of that one case in history where people couldn’t stop dancing & also explored the idea that the media hides things from the public. super interesting to think about.
a bit silly, but also thought-provoking. 3/5
vii. gifts
a university student struggling to keep his grades up makes a deal with the “gift giver” so that he can pass his classes and keep his scholarship, but of course there are consequences to the deal. i found this to be bland and meaningless, other than a basic “consequences for every action” message. it read more like a cautionary tale that you’d tell kids to make them care about their education.
pointless and boring. 2/5
viii. revenant
honestly i don’t even know how to explain this one or how to decipher what it was trying to be.
fever dream, in a bad way. 1/5
ix. strangers
a pair of suspicious guys agree to drive two girls to a party, but instead bring them to an abandoned warehouse. a sort of cat and mouse ensues, and then there’s a mind-bending twist after the climax. was enjoying the thriller aspect to it but the ending sort of ruined it for me. otherwise nothing special.
meh. 2/5
x. valentine
a woman invites a man to go out on valentine’s day and shows him the weird goings-on that nobody else can see. i enjoyed this one, but it almost felt too short as the “sire” wasn’t explained or shown very much whatsoever. didn’t seem like there was much of a point to it.
had potential, but fell flat. 3/5
xi. shed
a few kids discover a mysterious shed on the outskirts of their uncle’s property, which turns out to be tied to government secrets. this was going well until it wasn’t, i didn’t really like the conclusion or how things played out between the three characters. i do however find government secrets fascinatingi am nothing if not nosey and this feels like a story that a conspiracy theorist would’ve come up with, which is a fun vibe.
not good, not bad. 3/5
format of this is entirely inspired by this review xx 𖹭
── .✦ pre-read
a little short story collection to satisfy my horror cravings rn 🙂↕️
i’m not an avid short story collection girlie, but even taking that into account i feel like overall this was pretty lackluster. there are a few highlights, such as passenger & dive, but overall a pretty forgettable horror experience.
i. passenger
a man with a gambling debt agrees to be the driver for a sinister creature when he commits crimes, but unexpectedly finds a sort of kindred spirit. enjoyed how everything came together and the little bow it all was wrapped up in.
oddly sweet. 4/5
ii. rejection
a writer repeatedly tries to submit his horror short stories to a magazine for publication but is always rejected and instead the editor provides advice to him. ultimately ends up going too far, the stories and reality bleeding together. was mostly indifferent towards this one. didn’t much enjoy reading the summaries of darryl’s stories and found the ending to be anticlimactic.
not very creepy or attention-grabbing. 2/5
iii. dive
a crew is hired by a mysterious client to dive down to a shipwreck to recover an equally mysterious item, and while down there they find a sinister creature awaiting them, realizing they were never meant to survive this dive. my favorite so far, had action and a bit more gore than the others. i have so many questions and desperately wish it had been longer.
could’ve kept on reading this. 4/5
iv. bestie
an accident on a trampoline causes the father of a ten year old to go to great lengths to keep his son alive. enter eerie cove setting and town legends. didn’t care for this one much, it’s the longest so far and didn’t feel like it needed to be. the exploration of the balance of life and death was interesting, but felt incomplete, as did the rest of the story.
great themes, not great execution. 2.5/5
v. doors
a family moves into a 1950s home and their toddler son begins seeing things that scare him at night. the dad investigates and finds some ... weird stuff. whole concept reminded me a bit of dark matter by blake crouch – intriguing to think about, meh execution.
felt incomplete. 2/5
vi. epicenter
two journalists go to a town to investigate why it’s essentially been cut off from the world and erased from memory in a way. reminded me a lot of that one case in history where people couldn’t stop dancing & also explored the idea that the media hides things from the public. super interesting to think about.
a bit silly, but also thought-provoking. 3/5
vii. gifts
a university student struggling to keep his grades up makes a deal with the “gift giver” so that he can pass his classes and keep his scholarship, but of course there are consequences to the deal. i found this to be bland and meaningless, other than a basic “consequences for every action” message. it read more like a cautionary tale that you’d tell kids to make them care about their education.
pointless and boring. 2/5
viii. revenant
honestly i don’t even know how to explain this one or how to decipher what it was trying to be.
fever dream, in a bad way. 1/5
ix. strangers
a pair of suspicious guys agree to drive two girls to a party, but instead bring them to an abandoned warehouse. a sort of cat and mouse ensues, and then there’s a mind-bending twist after the climax. was enjoying the thriller aspect to it but the ending sort of ruined it for me. otherwise nothing special.
meh. 2/5
x. valentine
a woman invites a man to go out on valentine’s day and shows him the weird goings-on that nobody else can see. i enjoyed this one, but it almost felt too short as the “sire” wasn’t explained or shown very much whatsoever. didn’t seem like there was much of a point to it.
had potential, but fell flat. 3/5
xi. shed
a few kids discover a mysterious shed on the outskirts of their uncle’s property, which turns out to be tied to government secrets. this was going well until it wasn’t, i didn’t really like the conclusion or how things played out between the three characters. i do however find government secrets fascinating
not good, not bad. 3/5
format of this is entirely inspired by this review xx 𖹭
── .✦ pre-read
a little short story collection to satisfy my horror cravings rn 🙂↕️
June 4, 2025
Pure creepypasta gold!
I enjoyed this collection a lot, in fact I finished the book in one sitting, eager to see what surprising twists were lurking in the next story. There are eleven tales altogether, each with its very own premise, setting, and mood. I especially liked the opening story, "Passenger," an amazing tale of supernatural suspense, figuring a family man who's being blackmailed to drive an unknown being and its handler on mysterious missions. "Rejection" was great as well, about the editor of a horror magazine who has to keep sending rejections to an aspiring short story writer; this went places I'd never ahve guessed on my own, and it's a nice use of extreme horror themes. "Dive" is a beautifully done aquatic horror/creature feature, "Doors" and "Epicenter" are full of creepy imagery, "Revenant" is sheer brilliance captured in interview format, about what goes on in the afterlife, and "Valentine," about what really goes on on Valentine's Day, hit all the right notes to convince me staying home that day! The one I liked best, though, was "Bestie," a story about a ten-year-old boy whose best friend goes missing; he decides to find out what happened on his own, and mayhem ensues.
I eagerly recommend this collection to all lovers of creepypasta! You won't be disappointed!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I enjoyed this collection a lot, in fact I finished the book in one sitting, eager to see what surprising twists were lurking in the next story. There are eleven tales altogether, each with its very own premise, setting, and mood. I especially liked the opening story, "Passenger," an amazing tale of supernatural suspense, figuring a family man who's being blackmailed to drive an unknown being and its handler on mysterious missions. "Rejection" was great as well, about the editor of a horror magazine who has to keep sending rejections to an aspiring short story writer; this went places I'd never ahve guessed on my own, and it's a nice use of extreme horror themes. "Dive" is a beautifully done aquatic horror/creature feature, "Doors" and "Epicenter" are full of creepy imagery, "Revenant" is sheer brilliance captured in interview format, about what goes on in the afterlife, and "Valentine," about what really goes on on Valentine's Day, hit all the right notes to convince me staying home that day! The one I liked best, though, was "Bestie," a story about a ten-year-old boy whose best friend goes missing; he decides to find out what happened on his own, and mayhem ensues.
I eagerly recommend this collection to all lovers of creepypasta! You won't be disappointed!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 7, 2025
I almost always enjoy horror anthology. However, I found this one especially gripping. each story felt unique, and the protagonists did not all feel the same, which is something I very much appreciate. additionally, though I liked some stories better than others, I don’t think there was one that I disliked. I also need to talk about the titles of the stories. I really enjoyed that they were short and to the point. I think anyone looking for a relatively quick read and who enjoys horror Short stories will have a blast with this.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 8, 2025
Passenger crawls up your spine with a chill that remains throughout the experience. The atmosphere is ominous with a malevolence that settles into your bones and clings to your imagination long after you finish reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 7, 2025
Evokes a similar feeling to early Stephen King short story collections - like Night Shift and Skeleton Crew - in the best possible way.
Haunting plots and rich characters - each story felt like it could've been a full novel.
Loved it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Haunting plots and rich characters - each story felt like it could've been a full novel.
Loved it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 9, 2025
I really love suspenseful, spooky, supernatural stories that keep you on the edge of your seat, and unfortunately I didn't find that in this book. I found the stories to mostly be very predictable, and while it's possible to put a new spin or twist on an age-old theme, I didn't feel like that truly happened here. I'm not sure what age group this is marketed for, so I would say that it might be more suited towards a teen audience, although there was drinking, drug use, and swearing that might be inappropriate for teenagers. I felt that some of the stories had plot holes or unfinished through lines that made the story feel incomplete. I wish the author had spent a little more time making the characters personable so you cared more about what happened to them, and focused a little more on creating an immersive setting for some of the stories.
Each story did have a different theme, so the stories in the collection weren't repetitive and did make for a good assortment. My favorite story was Rejection, which I felt created the most suspenseful atmosphere out of all of the stories and was a good psychological thriller. Doors was also good, even though the plot was predictable. I didn't really enjoy most of the stories because of their predictability, and I feel like if you can predict how the story is going to turn out early on, then there's nothing to be afraid of.
If it had been entitled Tales of the Supernatural rather than Tales of Terror, I would have gone in with different expectations. For those who are just testing the waters of reading scary stories, this would be a good introduction to figure out what kind of things you like without worrying about it being too scary, gory, or violent. I love suspense but really don't want gore, so I did appreciate reading a book that didn't rely on that. I'd say the stories might be similar to old Twilight Zone episodes, where they have an uneasy feel to them, but most people wouldn't really find them scary.
Each story did have a different theme, so the stories in the collection weren't repetitive and did make for a good assortment. My favorite story was Rejection, which I felt created the most suspenseful atmosphere out of all of the stories and was a good psychological thriller. Doors was also good, even though the plot was predictable. I didn't really enjoy most of the stories because of their predictability, and I feel like if you can predict how the story is going to turn out early on, then there's nothing to be afraid of.
If it had been entitled Tales of the Supernatural rather than Tales of Terror, I would have gone in with different expectations. For those who are just testing the waters of reading scary stories, this would be a good introduction to figure out what kind of things you like without worrying about it being too scary, gory, or violent. I love suspense but really don't want gore, so I did appreciate reading a book that didn't rely on that. I'd say the stories might be similar to old Twilight Zone episodes, where they have an uneasy feel to them, but most people wouldn't really find them scary.
September 19, 2025
Please learn Pronoun Rule #12
When a pronoun is linked with a noun by "and" mentally remove the "and" plus the noun phrase to avoid trouble.
For example:
Incorrect: Bill asked my sister and I.
If we remove "my sister", we're left with the ungrammatical, " Bill
left I."
Correct: Bill asked my sister and me.
This Pronoun Rule 12 was broken too many times to count in all the stories and my enjoyment of the stories would have been increased greatly if he had not because the stories were really good.
When a pronoun is linked with a noun by "and" mentally remove the "and" plus the noun phrase to avoid trouble.
For example:
Incorrect: Bill asked my sister and I.
If we remove "my sister", we're left with the ungrammatical, " Bill
left I."
Correct: Bill asked my sister and me.
This Pronoun Rule 12 was broken too many times to count in all the stories and my enjoyment of the stories would have been increased greatly if he had not because the stories were really good.
June 7, 2025
You will not be disappointed! Excellent stories with absolutely unpredictable twists and turns. I couldn’t put it down!
John does a great job subverting your expectations with each new page, for some lasting chills and exciting twists.
Horror lovers will love to add this to their collection! Just in time for summer campfire story time!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
John does a great job subverting your expectations with each new page, for some lasting chills and exciting twists.
Horror lovers will love to add this to their collection! Just in time for summer campfire story time!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 22, 2025
I absolutely love reading short horror stories before bed. I was recommended this author and was not disappointed. I ended up staying up later than I usually do because I couldn't stop reading. This was such an excellent recommendation! I absolutely loved it!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 14, 2025
This was my first read by this author and I really enjoyed it. I definitely liked some stories more than others but overall it was a really great collection of scary stories.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 17, 2025
Definitely top tier short stories! I enjoyed his work on the NoSleep sub-Reddit and these stories don't disappoint either. Great read!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 10, 2026
First time reading from this author, the stories were interesting. Loved the cover! Looking forward to reading more.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 29, 2025
This was a fantastic book of creepy, disturbing and down right scary. I loved each story and look forward to this authors next book.
March 18, 2026
look forward. don't look back
I wasn't impressed with this book. It kind of bored me. I just couldn't get into it. Sorry, no offense to the Author
I wasn't impressed with this book. It kind of bored me. I just couldn't get into it. Sorry, no offense to the Author
May 27, 2026
A good read
Every story was enjoyable and would highly recommended .also check out other books in same authors,
These stories make me tingle.
Every story was enjoyable and would highly recommended .also check out other books in same authors,
These stories make me tingle.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews