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Back Into The Ground : An Anthology Of Pacific Northwest Inspired Horror
Thirteen twisted tales of horror inspired by the Pacific Northwest.We invite you, dear reader, to dig Back into the Ground, an anthology filled with the strange, the eerie, and the downright terrifying.
This debut collection from Portland’s Caretaker Press gathers a haunting collection of original horror tales. Each story is inspired by something in the Pacific Northwest landscape, from its haunted evergreen woods and shadow laden cities, to its rushing rivers and wave battered beaches.
Gathered here is a diverse and deeply imaginative roster of writers from all over the world. Each unique tale in this grimoire explores the darker corners of the human experience- where myth, madness and monsters reside just beyond the veil.
Back Into The Ground features new, original fiction from the following "The Phantom of the Paramount" By Nathan Carson"The Majestic" By J. Nathan"The Nine Mouths of Snake River" By Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito"Delivery" By J.D. Simpson"Industrial Succubus" by Sarina Dorie"Places Where No Lights Shine" by C.F. Page"Suitcase Charlie" By Mark Masztal"Seattle Freeze" by Camden Rose"Wild Dogs" by Brie Williams"The Drowning Pool" By KT Wagner"The Ackerman Lodge" By Ilan Jones"Amid The Hills of the Palouse" By Adam Golaski"Bait" By Bec StrangerEdited by Erick Mertz & James Strayer.With everything from haunted concert halls to bloodthirsty river gods, this collection delivered thirteen sinister hits of terror and suspense, with a taste of the Weird for good measure. All stories are written by the Living or the Once Living- never by AI. So, whether you savor creeping dread or bite- sized shocks, Caretaker Press is proud to deliver a story here with your name on it.
Grab your copy now—and feed the thing that watches you read.
This debut collection from Portland’s Caretaker Press gathers a haunting collection of original horror tales. Each story is inspired by something in the Pacific Northwest landscape, from its haunted evergreen woods and shadow laden cities, to its rushing rivers and wave battered beaches.
Gathered here is a diverse and deeply imaginative roster of writers from all over the world. Each unique tale in this grimoire explores the darker corners of the human experience- where myth, madness and monsters reside just beyond the veil.
Back Into The Ground features new, original fiction from the following "The Phantom of the Paramount" By Nathan Carson"The Majestic" By J. Nathan"The Nine Mouths of Snake River" By Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito"Delivery" By J.D. Simpson"Industrial Succubus" by Sarina Dorie"Places Where No Lights Shine" by C.F. Page"Suitcase Charlie" By Mark Masztal"Seattle Freeze" by Camden Rose"Wild Dogs" by Brie Williams"The Drowning Pool" By KT Wagner"The Ackerman Lodge" By Ilan Jones"Amid The Hills of the Palouse" By Adam Golaski"Bait" By Bec StrangerEdited by Erick Mertz & James Strayer.With everything from haunted concert halls to bloodthirsty river gods, this collection delivered thirteen sinister hits of terror and suspense, with a taste of the Weird for good measure. All stories are written by the Living or the Once Living- never by AI. So, whether you savor creeping dread or bite- sized shocks, Caretaker Press is proud to deliver a story here with your name on it.
Grab your copy now—and feed the thing that watches you read.
- GenresHorror
227 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 24, 2025
About the author
Nathan Carson
20 books70 followersNathan Carson is a musician, writer, and Moth StorySlam Champion from Portland, OR. He is widely known as co-founder and drummer of the internationally touring doom metal band Witch Mountain, host of the FM radio show The Heavy Metal Sewïng Cïrcle, and the owner of the boutique music booking agency, Nanotear.
Carson's byline can be found on hundreds of music and film-related articles in outlets such as the Willamette Week, Rue Morgue, Nightmare Magazine, SF Weekly, Orbitz, Noisey, Terrorizer, Metal Edge, etc.
In recent years, Carson has turned his sights toward weird fiction, earning immediate accolades and publication. He is regularly a panelist and reader on the convention circuit.
Starr Creek is Carson's first standalone novella.
Carson's byline can be found on hundreds of music and film-related articles in outlets such as the Willamette Week, Rue Morgue, Nightmare Magazine, SF Weekly, Orbitz, Noisey, Terrorizer, Metal Edge, etc.
In recent years, Carson has turned his sights toward weird fiction, earning immediate accolades and publication. He is regularly a panelist and reader on the convention circuit.
Starr Creek is Carson's first standalone novella.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 22, 2025
Back Into The Ground : An Anthology Of Pacific Northwest Inspired Horror
Edited by Erick Mertz & James Strayer
Releases July 24
Although I didn't enjoy all of the thirteen stories, the stories I did enjoy (more than two thirds of the book) make this easily a 5-star anthology! I'll say a few words about my top three.
The standout for me was C.F. Page's "Places Where No Lights Shine," an extremely creepy and bleak story of a mother and her young boy visiting a haunted house attraction, and the son going missing: the way Page weaves cosmic horror tropes into a tale of grief, mystery, and suspense (very much reminiscent of the pacing of a thriller), is simply awe-inspiring! My second favorite was "Suitcase Charlie" by Mark Masztal: a weird western story about a man who cannot die (he always finds himself resurrected), and the new friend he's picked up in a noisy saloon - only to discover that his new friend carries quite a lot of baggage (pun intended)! Darkly humorous and flirting openly with zombie tropes, the story's clean prose and terrific pacing make this hands down one of the gems in the anthology. (And Masztal has an entire collection about this guy who can't die! Immediate buy for me). Finally, Brie Williams' "Wild Dogs" was downright terrifying, what with the multi-layered aspects of the narrative, the atmosphere of suspense, and the shocking plot twist right in the middle of the story, not to mention the surprising ending. Go into it blind, and enjoy the several unexpected thrills!
I also recommend checking out Camden Rose's "Seattle Freeze," a beautiful story of two siblings meeting after a long time and discovering the truth about a bizarre episode from a camping trip when they were kids; the tale has the best ending in the volume! Also "The Ackerman Lodge" by Ilan Jones, a perfect blend of occult, cult, cabin, and folk horror, incredibly well-written, and very intense. Finally, I really liked the closing story, "Bait" by Bec Stranger, an awesome sea horror story, quite original and eerie, plus with an impressive reveal in the end. What a haunting image!
The anthology has really good writing, a terrific sense of place, original concepts, and, impressively for a debut anthology (it's Portland’s Caretaker Press' first such endeavor), it's superbly edited and of very high quality overall. Good storytelling, no gore (perhaps just a driblet!), satisfying endings! Highly, very highly recommend!
Edited by Erick Mertz & James Strayer
Releases July 24
Although I didn't enjoy all of the thirteen stories, the stories I did enjoy (more than two thirds of the book) make this easily a 5-star anthology! I'll say a few words about my top three.
The standout for me was C.F. Page's "Places Where No Lights Shine," an extremely creepy and bleak story of a mother and her young boy visiting a haunted house attraction, and the son going missing: the way Page weaves cosmic horror tropes into a tale of grief, mystery, and suspense (very much reminiscent of the pacing of a thriller), is simply awe-inspiring! My second favorite was "Suitcase Charlie" by Mark Masztal: a weird western story about a man who cannot die (he always finds himself resurrected), and the new friend he's picked up in a noisy saloon - only to discover that his new friend carries quite a lot of baggage (pun intended)! Darkly humorous and flirting openly with zombie tropes, the story's clean prose and terrific pacing make this hands down one of the gems in the anthology. (And Masztal has an entire collection about this guy who can't die! Immediate buy for me). Finally, Brie Williams' "Wild Dogs" was downright terrifying, what with the multi-layered aspects of the narrative, the atmosphere of suspense, and the shocking plot twist right in the middle of the story, not to mention the surprising ending. Go into it blind, and enjoy the several unexpected thrills!
I also recommend checking out Camden Rose's "Seattle Freeze," a beautiful story of two siblings meeting after a long time and discovering the truth about a bizarre episode from a camping trip when they were kids; the tale has the best ending in the volume! Also "The Ackerman Lodge" by Ilan Jones, a perfect blend of occult, cult, cabin, and folk horror, incredibly well-written, and very intense. Finally, I really liked the closing story, "Bait" by Bec Stranger, an awesome sea horror story, quite original and eerie, plus with an impressive reveal in the end. What a haunting image!
The anthology has really good writing, a terrific sense of place, original concepts, and, impressively for a debut anthology (it's Portland’s Caretaker Press' first such endeavor), it's superbly edited and of very high quality overall. Good storytelling, no gore (perhaps just a driblet!), satisfying endings! Highly, very highly recommend!
August 10, 2025
Wonderful collection of stories that starts in the city and ends in a hole in the woods. Nathan Carson and the other authors are great.
December 27, 2025
In 2025, I read 13 horror anthologies. This is also the second anthology I’ve read this year re: PNW horror, and it’s by far the best.. I loved 11 of the 13 stories. My favorites were:
THE PHANTOM OF THE PARAMOUNT by Nathan Carson
THE MAJESTIC by J. Nathan
DELIVERY by J.D. Simpson
PLACES WHERE NO LIGHTS SHINE by C. F. Page
WILD DOGS by Brie Williams
THE ACKERMAN LODGE by Ilan Jones
BAIT by Bec Stranger
THE PHANTOM OF THE PARAMOUNT by Nathan Carson
THE MAJESTIC by J. Nathan
DELIVERY by J.D. Simpson
PLACES WHERE NO LIGHTS SHINE by C. F. Page
WILD DOGS by Brie Williams
THE ACKERMAN LODGE by Ilan Jones
BAIT by Bec Stranger
July 24, 2025
Great anthology of PNW based horror. So many favorite stories to choose from! Pick this one up and read spooky stories from some exciting new writers.
July 24, 2025
Unique frightening tales.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews