Skeleton Cat and the Massacre at Sundae Seven

by Lane Lowd, Mary E. Lowd

When Maddy and her college friends go to Sundae Seven for ice cream cake after staying up all night on her birthday, everything goes horribly wrong...

The adorable animatronic animals who should be serving ice cream have come to life, and they’re acting like villains in a slasher movie.

Can Maddy and her friends make it out alive?

Genres: Horror

88 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 27, 2025

Reviews

[MagretFume · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a great short story, perfectly creepy and scary. 

The setting of the ice cream shoppe and its animatronics is very unsettling and I loved it. 

The behaviour and reactions of the characters are believable and some of them provide some welcomed comic relief.  

I read it in one setting and had a great time!

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I was entertained by this book, but it left me with questions, and I'm not so sure I liked the main character. A group of college students go to an animatronic ice cream shop to celebrate Maddie's birthday. Her parents are wealthy but pretty hands-off when it comes to parenting and she's often left wondering if they even care about her. She has a fascination with robotics and would love to develop her own robots one day. She's not exactly a social butterfly but she has developed a friendship with the "theater kids" in her school and her best friend is in that group. But it's not long after they enter the building noting the lack of human occupation that they start to wonder if something is wrong. The story quickly devolves into a scary slasher story, which was written quite well, especially for a short story, but at the same time the main character struck me as somewhat disconnected from people (not surprising, given her upbringing). As characters got killed off, I just felt like she (Maddie) was too hung up on her crush and was jealous of or judgmental of some of the other kids. Perhaps it was just her way of coping with something that was obviously overwhelming. And yet, I felt throughout that she somehow thought she was better than the other kids.

Despite my somewhat ambivalent feelings toward the main protagonist, I thought this was a very good horror short story. In today's world where AI is slowly becoming a thing, this story is an imagination of how it could go wrong, perhaps taken to the extreme, but hey, it's great imagination. I'm not familiar with Lane Lowd at all (son, brother, nephew?), but I am quite familiar with Mary E Lowd. There is apparently a controversy surrounding her use of AI to generate the covers and illustrations of her stories (that doesn't bother me), which makes this story more interesting to me.

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jonas Maes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished Reading:
Skeleton Cat and the Massacre at Sundae Seven by Lane Lowd & Mary E. Lowd
__________

⭐⭐⭐⭐,25/5
Pages: 88
Format: e-book
Genre: Horror, sci-fi
__________

Thank you to @booksirens for granting me a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review!

I came across this small story when I was browsing the ARC selection and I was immediately drawn to it. Then I read the blurb and that did me in. Murderous animatronics in an ice cream shoppe? Hell yeah! Let's go!

We follow a group of college friends who are at a famous Ice Cream Shoppe to celebrate Maddy's birthday. Upon arrival though, the shoppe is completely deserted, even though there are cars parked outside. Nevertheless, they announce their arrival and Parfait the sheep animatronic guided them to the "birthday room" to start celebrating Maddy's birthday.
When the ice cake arrives, Parfait cuts the cake and while everyone is eating it, all hell breaks loose. All of a sudden, the animatronics are out to get them and they have to find a way to escape and warn the police.

This is really a quick and fun little read! It is action packed, has some funny moments in it, the characters are okay (nobody in the group seemed insufferable to me), the murder scenes are mostly original and just all in all, I really enjoyed this one!

[Calcifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listen, if you’ve ever wondered what would happen if you combined Five Nights at Freddy’s, a batch of theater kids, a sentient animatronics with no morals, and exactly zero adult supervision, then congratulations! You’ve just stumbled into the wild ride that is Skeleton Cat and the Massacre at Sundae Seven.

Things start to go wrong faster than you can say “Chuck E. Cheese on bath salts.” There’s a definite sense of unease, as the lack of human staff and the slightly-too-friendly robots tip everyone off that something is definitely not quite right. The tension builds quite early which I liked.

The story dives into classic horror territory, and it does so with a flair that’s honestly impressive for such a short book. At times I felt it was a little disjointed maybe but not in a way that made it unenjoyable.
It’s a fun read if you like the genre and I would definitely read it again.

Now, Maddie herself…look. I wanted to root for her, I really did. She’s got brains! She’s got robot ambitions! She’s also, uh, maybe a little insufferable? I didn’t really click with her as our lead.

Thanks to BookSirens for the advance review copy. My opinions are my own, as is my deep and growing fear of animatronic dessert parlours, or really any animatronic food outlet.

[Summer R Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, BookSiren, for the ARC, and thank you to the writer and publishers for all your hard work. This review is voluntary and happily left!

It was a very quick read, and i really enjoyed it. Makes you think a little of Chuck-E-Cheese and Five Nights at Fredd's. Which one is mentioned in the book, so kudos to that. I really liked how there were more than just a couple of animontronics. They definitely add to the atmosphere, not only that there is definitely gore and death but not so much it gets boring. This book kept me entertained the entire time and even threw me at one point as I didn't see that coming.

The characters I did enjoy. I didn't quite connect as this was a short story, but I did like them all individually. You can only hope for the best as the story goes on. You want them to all make it out alive and tell the tale of what is going on, but we all know a story like this has to have death.

Im definitely excited to read more from these authors and connot wait to see what happens in the future.

[Amy Chuke · Rating 3 out of 5]

The massacre kicks off when customer service robots at the Sunday Seven Ice Creamery malfunction (or maybe revolt?), turning a packed, cheery afternoon into a bloodbath. Skeleton Cat, the unlikely hero, tries to save lives, unravel the glitch, and dodge scoop, slinging murderbots. There’s a surprising amount of heart beneath the chaos, especially in Skeleton Cat’s loyalty to the surviving kids and its weirdly touching memories of its past life.

That said, the tone wavers a bit. Some moments push for dark comedy, while others lean into tragedy or action, and the balance doesn’t always land. The pacing slows midway, and a few side characters disappear without resolution. I was also hoping for a deeper explanation behind the robot malfunction, which ended up feeling a bit rushed.

Still, it’s an imaginative ride with strong visuals, quirky dialogue, and a main character you don’t see every day (literally, a dead cat with sass). Not perfect, but definitely memorable.

[DA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a riot to read. A little bit Five Nights at Freddy's and a little bit Maximum Overdrive with characters that really made me envision a Scooby Doo like group (without the dog).
The way the animatronic animals were described, their movements and their voices, their colorful outfits made you almost forget that they're robots.. almost. I also loved Ice Cream the cat, what a creepy robot in the way it was tattered and old.
Technological horror with comedy horror sprinkles and a queer main character, this is one of those rare "feel good" horror stories.
I think this would be a perfect horror read for anyone who likes comedy horror, or for readers 15+. There's just the littlest bit of gore and no sexual situations.
Maybe you'll want your birthday party at Sundae Seven too!

[Tina Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Skeleton Cat and the Massacre at Sundae Seven, there is a lot of action and horror to be had. This horrific tale of animatronics coming alive and causing death and mayhem is enough to give anyone nightmares, however, the writing is very lighthearted with some instances of comedy thrown in.

Despite the frightening nature of it, this book is an enjoyable read with good character development and storyline. I can see these characters becoming a very popular teen fiction series. It has everything you need for a terrifying but captivating read.

[Delphia Von Heeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skeleton Cat and the Massacre at Sundae Seven is a horror novella by Lane Lows and Marry E Lowd. The title and cover picture was perfect and I had to read the book. I was not disappointed. I don't like books that are very graphic in describing gore scenes. There are many unique deaths but not graphic. I hope the authors write a sequel because I want to visit the Skeleton Cat again. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had that animatronic element that I wanted in the horror element of this book. Lane Lowd was able to create a strong storyline and had that feel that I was wanting in a slasher novel. It had that element that I was looking for and was glad I read this as it was so well done.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Dan Mckeithan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky slasher tale that involves humor and animatronics. Great timing now for all the issues with A I in the world. Mary introduces us to Maddy, who is celebrating with her friends. They go to get ice cream at Sunday Seven where the animatronics serve you. Once they get there and see no humans, the slashing starts. And like any great slasher, the characters don't have to be majorly in depth as we see them die in interesting and unique ways. Loved the humor in the story.

[Brian Mcclain · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on the Five Nights At Freddies, Willy's Wonderland, et cetera. The characters are given reasonable depth for a novella, the antagonists suitably freaky, the motive? well that's up to you the reader to find out. I enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone going down that particular sub-genre rabbit hole.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book as an ARC and read it of my own will.

As a big fan of 5NAF, this book was creative and with just the right amount of horror. Animatronics are scary sometimes, and this book shows us a worse case scenerio.
I felt for the characters, I wanted to see them get out. I want to read more by this duo.

[Dean Asquith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read and was fairly enjoyable. It’s felt a bit too long for me and was quite predictable. The gore is well written and the characters are pretty fun. on the whole it’s an ok quick read if you are looking for reasonably far feteched horror.

[Rainbeaux Harvest · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover and title alone had me! Skeleton Cat? Meow! I got Five Nights at Freddie's and that Nicholas Cage movie vibes. I got quite a few chuckles out of this story. I think my son would enjoy this book.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a blast reading this story! I was able to read it in one day and I still think about it often!

Superb writing and the perfect amount of gore and horror.

This is absolutely a must-read for anyone needing a quick and fun horror story!!

[Anne Kavcic · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like creepy horror this is the book for you! The writing is excellent, only I discovered that this is not a genre for me. Still, the story is well told and pulls you in realistically like you were an observer. - I received an advance copy and freely leave this honest review.

[Emily Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of friends just want to have a good time and eat ice-cream. The animals in the shop have a different plan. Wicked creatures funny scenes.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but sweet (if sweet was eerie and murdery). It's giving Five Nights at Freddy's, loved it! I received a free ARC and am leaving this review voluntarily.