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Fear Machine
Evil has a new address.
Every day, Billy Mathers cuts through the same empty lot on his way home from school. But today, the lot isn't empty.
An old, rotting house stands where there was nothing yesterday—its windows black, its walls breathing shadows.
Billy knows better than to go near it… until he sees his stolen bike inside.
He steps through the door to get it back. And steps straight into a nightmare that’s been waiting just for him.
Fear Machine is the fourth instalment in the Monsters & Mayhem Collection, a series of relentlessly terrifying novels that can be enjoyed in any order.
Every day, Billy Mathers cuts through the same empty lot on his way home from school. But today, the lot isn't empty.
An old, rotting house stands where there was nothing yesterday—its windows black, its walls breathing shadows.
Billy knows better than to go near it… until he sees his stolen bike inside.
He steps through the door to get it back. And steps straight into a nightmare that’s been waiting just for him.
Fear Machine is the fourth instalment in the Monsters & Mayhem Collection, a series of relentlessly terrifying novels that can be enjoyed in any order.
62 pages, Paperback
Published June 26, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 1, 2025
Amazing short novella. Want to read so much more about this "House".
June 27, 2025
Fear Machine by Patrick McNulty
Patrick is hands-down one of my favorite authors of all time. His storytelling? Absolutely masterful. He’s incredibly descriptive, but never in a way that feels overwhelming. He creates this slow, creeping dread, an uneasiness that settles in your chest and just lingers. I don’t know how he does it, but every time I pick up one of his books, I’m left in awe. He’s not one of those authors who plateaus… He somehow gets better with every story.
Okay, enough of me fan-girling.. let’s talk about Fear Machine.
This one is a short read, just 50 pages, but it grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. It’s bizarre, unsettling, and downright eerie. I can’t tell if the discomfort comes from the fact that the story centers around a 12-year-old boy, or if it’s just the way Patrick writes but either way, it works! I kept trying to predict what was going to happen, and I was wrong. Every. Single. Time.
So let me ask you this:
If you stumbled across a house that wasn’t supposed to be there… would you go inside?
No?
What if something you loved was in there?
Fear Machine is strange, sharp, and full of creeping dread, and I loved every page of it. Five stars, easily. If you’re looking for a quick horror story that’ll haunt your brain long after you finish, this is it.
Available now on https://patrickmcnulty.ca for $1.99!
Available August 1st on Amazon for $2.99!
Patrick is hands-down one of my favorite authors of all time. His storytelling? Absolutely masterful. He’s incredibly descriptive, but never in a way that feels overwhelming. He creates this slow, creeping dread, an uneasiness that settles in your chest and just lingers. I don’t know how he does it, but every time I pick up one of his books, I’m left in awe. He’s not one of those authors who plateaus… He somehow gets better with every story.
Okay, enough of me fan-girling.. let’s talk about Fear Machine.
This one is a short read, just 50 pages, but it grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. It’s bizarre, unsettling, and downright eerie. I can’t tell if the discomfort comes from the fact that the story centers around a 12-year-old boy, or if it’s just the way Patrick writes but either way, it works! I kept trying to predict what was going to happen, and I was wrong. Every. Single. Time.
So let me ask you this:
If you stumbled across a house that wasn’t supposed to be there… would you go inside?
No?
What if something you loved was in there?
Fear Machine is strange, sharp, and full of creeping dread, and I loved every page of it. Five stars, easily. If you’re looking for a quick horror story that’ll haunt your brain long after you finish, this is it.
Available now on https://patrickmcnulty.ca for $1.99!
Available August 1st on Amazon for $2.99!
June 28, 2025
12yr old Billy is thoughtless, he doesn’t mean to be but he forgot to tie up his new bike which then got stolen and today he has to walk home from school in a thunder storm without his winter coat. Thankfully he knows a shortcut through an empty lot but today it’s not empty.
A creepy twist on the haunted house trope that although a short novelette packs a punch and delivers on the trauma. Billy’s family are struggling, his dad is out of work, his mom is working extra hours, there’s no money and they’d had to work hard to buy the bike. 11yr old Samantha has lost her mom and is working several paper rounds to help her dad with the bills. Both children are running on adrenaline and fear, living with unpredictable adults.
The house is decrepit and rundown, it’s a scary old abandoned building, brooding and watchful. Both children enter because the house holds something they both desperately want and of course, that’s the trap. A lesson in things are often too good to be true, excellent!
A creepy twist on the haunted house trope that although a short novelette packs a punch and delivers on the trauma. Billy’s family are struggling, his dad is out of work, his mom is working extra hours, there’s no money and they’d had to work hard to buy the bike. 11yr old Samantha has lost her mom and is working several paper rounds to help her dad with the bills. Both children are running on adrenaline and fear, living with unpredictable adults.
The house is decrepit and rundown, it’s a scary old abandoned building, brooding and watchful. Both children enter because the house holds something they both desperately want and of course, that’s the trap. A lesson in things are often too good to be true, excellent!
June 25, 2025
"Fear Machine" is an enjoyable, standalone horror tale, about a young boy's encounter with supernatural evil. McNulty does in less than fifty pages what would normally take at least a novella to achieve: tell a complete, immersive, fully developed story, a creepy, nay, actually scary account, of a shattering event upending a boy's life; and that means that every little detail counts!
It's not easy to elaborate on the story without spoiling it; let's just say that the evil grows out organically from the story's premises, affecting what's happening in the most sinister of ways. There's no gore, no triggers, just a brilliantly plotted story about a derelict house appearing out of the blue in a lot that was vacant up to that day - and a boy stumbling on it on the way back from school. Will he step inside? Will he check it out? Would you?
If you love haunted houses, supernatural happenings, and a relatable young main character, it goes without saying: this is a must-read! Highly recommend!
It's not easy to elaborate on the story without spoiling it; let's just say that the evil grows out organically from the story's premises, affecting what's happening in the most sinister of ways. There's no gore, no triggers, just a brilliantly plotted story about a derelict house appearing out of the blue in a lot that was vacant up to that day - and a boy stumbling on it on the way back from school. Will he step inside? Will he check it out? Would you?
If you love haunted houses, supernatural happenings, and a relatable young main character, it goes without saying: this is a must-read! Highly recommend!
July 10, 2025
Excellent story, Billy’s bike is stolen on his way home from school in a storm he comes across a house which he is sure wasn’t there the day before and he sees his bike through a window he decides to enter the house and that’s when his nightmare starts…..
July 5, 2025
These shorter stories lately have really been packing a punch and this one is no different.
I am going to keep it super brief, because this is something you just need to dive into.
When a super suspicious house pops up, would you stop and check it out or walk on, especially if you happen to be a young boy and know the house wasn't there before ?
I freaking loved this in a way that you wont truly understand unless you read this, its short, its crazy and it can be read by itself.
Holy crap folks.
I am going to keep it super brief, because this is something you just need to dive into.
When a super suspicious house pops up, would you stop and check it out or walk on, especially if you happen to be a young boy and know the house wasn't there before ?
I freaking loved this in a way that you wont truly understand unless you read this, its short, its crazy and it can be read by itself.
Holy crap folks.
July 5, 2025
Fear Machine by Patrick McNulty
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is an interesting and unique, short supernatural horror story! 🏚️ I’m a sucker for a good creepy house!!
Billy had his bike stolen, so he’s forced to walk to/from school each day. He’s found the shortest ways to get there, which involves cutting through an empty lot. Until one day, it’s not empty anymore. Billy looks in one of the windows and sees his stolen bike! He is desperate to get it back, so he goes inside , but this is not a normal house!!
This is my first book from this author and I’m excited to read more! It is very well written and entertaining! It caused a creepiness and fear in me!!
This is book 4 in the Monsters and Mayhem Collection.
Thank you to Patrick McNulty for an arc of this awesome book!
*It comes out August 1st!! Make sure to check this out!!* 🏚️🚲🏚️🚲
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is an interesting and unique, short supernatural horror story! 🏚️ I’m a sucker for a good creepy house!!
Billy had his bike stolen, so he’s forced to walk to/from school each day. He’s found the shortest ways to get there, which involves cutting through an empty lot. Until one day, it’s not empty anymore. Billy looks in one of the windows and sees his stolen bike! He is desperate to get it back, so he goes inside , but this is not a normal house!!
This is my first book from this author and I’m excited to read more! It is very well written and entertaining! It caused a creepiness and fear in me!!
This is book 4 in the Monsters and Mayhem Collection.
Thank you to Patrick McNulty for an arc of this awesome book!
*It comes out August 1st!! Make sure to check this out!!* 🏚️🚲🏚️🚲
August 1, 2025
Patrick McNulty is one of my auto-buy authors, and this one here is proof of why!! 🙌
The house is a main character in this story, and definitely a different take on the haunted house trope! Super fast read too! Highly recommend checking this one out! 👏
Thank you to Patrick McNulty for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
The house is a main character in this story, and definitely a different take on the haunted house trope! Super fast read too! Highly recommend checking this one out! 👏
Thank you to Patrick McNulty for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
June 29, 2025
Reading this short story took me back to my nightmares of my childhood. Then I grew older and read scary stories that kept me up at night or made me fear putting an arm or leg out from under the covers or over the edge of the bed.
Now I have Author Patrick McNulty to thank for reviving those fears.
But I loved reading it. This Author is new to me and I'm excited to be reading more of his work, Nightmares or Not.
Now I have Author Patrick McNulty to thank for reviving those fears.
But I loved reading it. This Author is new to me and I'm excited to be reading more of his work, Nightmares or Not.
July 21, 2025
This was an immensely effective and chilling novella. The initial setup focuses on the series of exploits to get the kid to the house, his complete confusion at why it’s at the location when there’s been nothing about it until then, and the different experiences taking place when he gets inside, offering up some chilling ideas that play out. The slow-building reveal about the intent and purpose behind the house’s intentions and reasoning for being, even if the particulars are hinted at in the context of the story, helps to make the various encounters within disorienting and far more chilling as the nightmare logic employed here comes to the forefront of the interactions focused on keeping him trapped in different scenarios before he gets preyed upon. It’s quick, easy, and quite chilling for what it is.
4.5/5
4.5/5
June 30, 2025
I devoured this quick read in one sitting!!!! Kids on bikes creepy abandoned haunted house….sign me up!! This was my third read in the monsters and mayhem series and it was another banger!!! Will read anything this author writes!!
July 27, 2025
Fast paced, cinematic and creepy as hell. Chapter 8 had my jaw on the floor!
August 1, 2025
House
Billy finds a house that shouldn't exist. This house is not an ordinary house it is hungry. Creeptastic read full of scares.
Billy finds a house that shouldn't exist. This house is not an ordinary house it is hungry. Creeptastic read full of scares.
June 29, 2025
This was a great quick read that keeps you turning pages. The writing style is nice and easy to absorb. The story has that classic creeping dread feel about it which I really enjoyed. I really need to read more from this author.
July 1, 2025
This is the second book in a row that I have read where the house is the main character. I loved this very quick short read. If we took this book and tacked it on to the end of or adapted it for "A House at the Bottom of a Lake" by J. Malerman that would make for a complete novel. "Fear Machine" succeeds in telling a compelling story of how we might make the wrong decisions when emotions are involved.
Let me explain. We meet Billy, a young boy, who has a lot of inner dialogue about being out in stormy weather without the proper outerwear and his stolen bike. A house randomly appears. Would you go into a house that you knew wasn't real? Probably not. Unless...there was something inside that combined with your inner dialogue and emotions makes it irresistible. Billy goes in and we learn of his fate. McNulty masterfully shows how this house works and what it does. When it's done with Billy, it moves on. It is Samantha's encounter that seals what this house is doing. It will make you look at the house you've never noticed in a different way.
I gave it 4 stars because there 'appears' to be a chapter 10, but it's blank. That made me wonder if I was missing some of the story or if that was a literary choice. Is it a horror story? It has a supernatural element to it but it does not evoke fear or dread. I liked his writing style and would definitely read more of his stories.
Let me explain. We meet Billy, a young boy, who has a lot of inner dialogue about being out in stormy weather without the proper outerwear and his stolen bike. A house randomly appears. Would you go into a house that you knew wasn't real? Probably not. Unless...there was something inside that combined with your inner dialogue and emotions makes it irresistible. Billy goes in and we learn of his fate. McNulty masterfully shows how this house works and what it does. When it's done with Billy, it moves on. It is Samantha's encounter that seals what this house is doing. It will make you look at the house you've never noticed in a different way.
I gave it 4 stars because there 'appears' to be a chapter 10, but it's blank. That made me wonder if I was missing some of the story or if that was a literary choice. Is it a horror story? It has a supernatural element to it but it does not evoke fear or dread. I liked his writing style and would definitely read more of his stories.
July 2, 2025
I have been loving this series of standalone horror books from Patrick. This one is short but horrifying will definitely give you the creeps.
A boy had his bicycle taken from a 7-11 and has to walk back and forth to school. His father got laid off and his family life isn't so good at the moment. Leaving school one day a winter storm approaches and he decides to take a shortcut to his home.
But there's a problem with that because there's now a decrepit looking house where there wasn't one before. It's as if this spooky dwelling appeared from nowhere. Peeking in the window, he sees his bike inside and decides, against his better judgment, to go in and take it back.
I'm not going to tell you what happens but it's freaky and will give you chills! A creepy house by the woods which wasn't there the day before? Yeah, you know nothing good can come out of that! And that's what makes this book so good. The tension builds as you're screaming at him to NOT GO IN THAT HOUSE while knowing he will.
I highly recommend this one along with all the rest of the Monsters and Mayhem series. I received an ARC of this book from the author. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
A boy had his bicycle taken from a 7-11 and has to walk back and forth to school. His father got laid off and his family life isn't so good at the moment. Leaving school one day a winter storm approaches and he decides to take a shortcut to his home.
But there's a problem with that because there's now a decrepit looking house where there wasn't one before. It's as if this spooky dwelling appeared from nowhere. Peeking in the window, he sees his bike inside and decides, against his better judgment, to go in and take it back.
I'm not going to tell you what happens but it's freaky and will give you chills! A creepy house by the woods which wasn't there the day before? Yeah, you know nothing good can come out of that! And that's what makes this book so good. The tension builds as you're screaming at him to NOT GO IN THAT HOUSE while knowing he will.
I highly recommend this one along with all the rest of the Monsters and Mayhem series. I received an ARC of this book from the author. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
May 10, 2026
Patrick McNulty’s Monsters and Mayhem collection has an other addition to this fantastic series. “Fear Machine” is Patrick McNulty’s fourth book in The Monsters & Mayhem Collection. This nightmare inducing series is one you don’t want to miss. I’ve been waiting for this book to arrive and trust me when I say; it was worth the wait. This one isn’t your typical haunted house story, it’s written in a way that will have you eerily spooked and thinking twice about should and should nots. Sometimes even when you know better, you just can’t stop yourself. Get ready to experience one bad choice after another in this stand alone paranormal story that will haunt your thoughts long after the last page. This addition is just as good as the previous books. This one is much shorter but only in pages not in depth or fear. This one is centered around a house that will pull you in like it has all the others that come in contact with it. I have love all the stories in the Monsters and Mayhem collection this one included. I can’t wait to see what is next. Don’t miss this one!! It’s fantastic.
October 26, 2025
Billy has to walk from school after not locking up his bike on fateful day. Finding a shortcut his journey is stopped short when a mysterious house is in the middle of his shortcut. Alongside that, there’s a terrifying storm whirling around outside. Peeking in the window he sees his bike and decides he has to go in to retrieve it! Will he make it out?
This was a short story and one that wasn’t for me at all. After the events we are chucked straight in with another story. There was no solid ending which I found disappointing. Chapter 10 was just blank which confused me too! Not much character development all I really knew about him is his dad is a knob. No development on how his family reacted to what happened or neighbours. Wondering where the second story really came into play as it wasn’t needed. Could have used those pages to develop main parts more.
This was a short story and one that wasn’t for me at all. After the events we are chucked straight in with another story. There was no solid ending which I found disappointing. Chapter 10 was just blank which confused me too! Not much character development all I really knew about him is his dad is a knob. No development on how his family reacted to what happened or neighbours. Wondering where the second story really came into play as it wasn’t needed. Could have used those pages to develop main parts more.
June 29, 2025
Billy is a typical 12 year old boy who recently had his bicycle stolen. Of course, his Dad is angry about his carelessness and now Billy has to walk to and from school. He has found a shortcut through a vacant lot...until one day, it's not vacant!
Now, there is a house on this lot and Billy can't figure out where it came from. One of the neighbors assures him that the creepy, rundown house has always been there. When he looks in the window out of curiosity, he sees his stolen bike! Of course, he has to go inside to investigate. And, there's where the terror begins!
The author has created a truly creepy tale in just a few pages. If you enjoy a terror-filled story that will get under your skin and stick with you, give this one a read. You won't be disappointed!
Now, there is a house on this lot and Billy can't figure out where it came from. One of the neighbors assures him that the creepy, rundown house has always been there. When he looks in the window out of curiosity, he sees his stolen bike! Of course, he has to go inside to investigate. And, there's where the terror begins!
The author has created a truly creepy tale in just a few pages. If you enjoy a terror-filled story that will get under your skin and stick with you, give this one a read. You won't be disappointed!
July 5, 2025
Fear Machine is a short horror story about a boys encounter with the supernatural. For sure a short little book the author manages to get a creepy and eerie story in for of you.
If I tell you too much you’ll know the whole story so all I can say is Billy lost his bike and despite him and his dad looking they couldn’t find it. Which leads him to have him to walk home from school, normally cutting through the same empty lot. Only today’s something is different the lot isn't empty instead it has an old rotten house. It feels off to him and he knows better than to go near it until he sees his bike inside..
What will he do knock and ask for it back?
Go home and tell his dad to get him to do it?
Or maybe he go and get it himself?
If I tell you too much you’ll know the whole story so all I can say is Billy lost his bike and despite him and his dad looking they couldn’t find it. Which leads him to have him to walk home from school, normally cutting through the same empty lot. Only today’s something is different the lot isn't empty instead it has an old rotten house. It feels off to him and he knows better than to go near it until he sees his bike inside..
What will he do knock and ask for it back?
Go home and tell his dad to get him to do it?
Or maybe he go and get it himself?
July 4, 2025
“Fear Machine” is Patrick McNulty’s fourth book in The Monsters & Mayhem Collection. This nightmare inducing series is one you don’t want to miss. I’ve been waiting for this book to arrive and trust me when I say; it was worth the wait. This one isn’t your typical haunted house story, it’s written in a way that will have you eerily spooked and thinking twice about should and should nots. Sometimes even when you know better, you just can’t stop yourself. Get ready to experience one bad choice after another in this stand alone paranormal story that will haunt your thoughts long after the last page.
July 15, 2025
Creepy shorter story that was really fun to read. The fourth in a collection called Monsters and Mayhem, this story follows a school age boy named Billy who finds a spooky house along his shortcut walk home that wasn’t there the day before. This book is so descriptive and really detailed and spooky. I love a good supernatural haunted house story and Patrick delivers!
May 4, 2026
Fear Machine by Patrick McNulty is a well crafted and refreshingly different read. Its unsettling premise and smart execution set it apart, building tension in unexpected ways and leaving a lasting impression. A strong choice for readers looking for something that breaks the mold. I may never enter a vacant home's basement again.
May 13, 2026
Oh Billy, he should’ve made sure his brand new bike was safe. Then he spots it through the window of a house that wasn’t there before, he doesn’t remember seeing it before, he’s sure. But the bike is there.
Creepy, dark, disturbing. Excellent read
Creepy, dark, disturbing. Excellent read
May 16, 2026
I don’t know if my book only had 9 chapters or I’m missing something. If it ended this way then, I feel let down. I was really getting into the book and then after Sammy’s chapter it was over. Like how does this end? Is this a what do you think happens story? Is there not a solution?
July 1, 2025
Thank you for the ARC. This really wasn’t my cup of tea. Not much really happened. I was hoping and expecting a lot more.
January 9, 2026
This quick, fast paced read is an absolute master class in storytelling and building dread! I love this terrifying new take on the haunted house trope!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews