What do you think?
Rate this book
Mad Days: Stories and Curses
Welcome to Mad Days!
A vanishing town. A cursed cemetery. A treasure hunt on Earth’s last day.
Mad Days features 38 brand-new stories, including 19 drabbles and 3 terrifying novelettes.
Alley’s latest collection takes you on a tour of rural wastelands throughout Texas
and Oklahoma. There are ghosts here. There are monsters too. All manner of heinous things, hiding in dead hearts and rotten soil.
A vanishing town. A cursed cemetery. A treasure hunt on Earth’s last day.
Mad Days features 38 brand-new stories, including 19 drabbles and 3 terrifying novelettes.
Alley’s latest collection takes you on a tour of rural wastelands throughout Texas
and Oklahoma. There are ghosts here. There are monsters too. All manner of heinous things, hiding in dead hearts and rotten soil.
- GenresHorror
332 pages, Paperback
Published September 2, 2025
3 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Elford Alley
20 books84 followersElford Alley is a horror author and disgraced paranormal investigator. His novels include Apartment 239 and In Search of the Nobility, TX Wildman. He has two short story collections, Ash and Bone and The Last Night in the Damned House.
His short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies, including Paranormal Contact, Beneath, Cosmos, and Campfire Macabre. His work has also been featured in Huffington Post, Cracked, and DoomRocket.
He enjoys folklore, exploring strange places, and spending time with his family. You can also check out his website for updates: elfordalley.com.
His short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies, including Paranormal Contact, Beneath, Cosmos, and Campfire Macabre. His work has also been featured in Huffington Post, Cracked, and DoomRocket.
He enjoys folklore, exploring strange places, and spending time with his family. You can also check out his website for updates: elfordalley.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 28, 2025
This book is a mix of short and very short stories with a novella thrown in for good measure and I don't know why it took me so long to finish it because it was a really good mix.
Once again Alley impressed me with his ability to capture the essence of decay and how humans interact with it.
In art, mostly in drawing, there's something we call same face syndrome (when an artist seems to always draw their characters with variations of the same exact face), I think there's something similar in writing, most authors have type of character they tend to go back to for various reasons, Alley clearly DOESN'T suffer from this syndrome.
My favourite stories were:
The Obelisk, having one's mind invaded and driven by an outside force is scary enough in its own right but when it happens to a loved one there's something so much more chilling about it.
Fool me Please, almost sent me into a full-on reading slump. Its main character hit way too close to home for comfort considering that I am the parent to an adult child and also struggle to show affection. Everything she did made a bleak sort of sense, and it wrecked me, absolutely wrecked me.
A Texas Halloween, the story might not have been anything new, but it was well executed, and I was Here. For. It.
The Horror at May's Haven, a story of people who should have known better and terrifying wildlife.
4.5 rounded up.
Once again Alley impressed me with his ability to capture the essence of decay and how humans interact with it.
In art, mostly in drawing, there's something we call same face syndrome (when an artist seems to always draw their characters with variations of the same exact face), I think there's something similar in writing, most authors have type of character they tend to go back to for various reasons, Alley clearly DOESN'T suffer from this syndrome.
My favourite stories were:
The Obelisk, having one's mind invaded and driven by an outside force is scary enough in its own right but when it happens to a loved one there's something so much more chilling about it.
Fool me Please, almost sent me into a full-on reading slump. Its main character hit way too close to home for comfort considering that I am the parent to an adult child and also struggle to show affection. Everything she did made a bleak sort of sense, and it wrecked me, absolutely wrecked me.
A Texas Halloween, the story might not have been anything new, but it was well executed, and I was Here. For. It.
The Horror at May's Haven, a story of people who should have known better and terrifying wildlife.
4.5 rounded up.
August 14, 2025
Mad Days is the perfect window into Elford Alley’s morbid imagination, where monsters roam, graveyards are hungry voids, and gallows humor is always whispering in the wind. Alley has a knack for holding a warped mirror to familiar landscapes and true-to-life people, and the stories showcase that talent.
Filled with sketches, poetry, drabble fiction, flash fiction, and some longer tales, it’s a satisfyingly macabre collection. And with the abundance of Halloween in the book, it’s also a great read for October.
Filled with sketches, poetry, drabble fiction, flash fiction, and some longer tales, it’s a satisfyingly macabre collection. And with the abundance of Halloween in the book, it’s also a great read for October.
October 21, 2025
A great collection of stories, drabbles, and novelettes that run the gamut of horror, quirkiness, and the outright macabre. There’s plenty in this book to satisfy any and all readers.
The stories and novelettes are great, but it’s the drabbles where Alley shines the most. He can generate a tremendous amount of atmosphere in a limited number of words.
And let’s not forget the artwork, which is truly fun.
The stories and novelettes are great, but it’s the drabbles where Alley shines the most. He can generate a tremendous amount of atmosphere in a limited number of words.
And let’s not forget the artwork, which is truly fun.
September 13, 2025
A solid collection of horror shorts.
I've only been reading Elford Alley for about a year, but that was more than enough time to learn he's consistently reliable at keeping me entertained. This new release is no exception and reads like a collection of King shorts. The Knock-Knock House was genuinely creepy, and I loved stories that skewed a little weird like The Obelisk. Also, if you can read The Woman In White without crying, then you're heartless. Do yourself a favor and check this out (or try his novellas if you don't like short stories, Apartment 239 is a classic)
I've only been reading Elford Alley for about a year, but that was more than enough time to learn he's consistently reliable at keeping me entertained. This new release is no exception and reads like a collection of King shorts. The Knock-Knock House was genuinely creepy, and I loved stories that skewed a little weird like The Obelisk. Also, if you can read The Woman In White without crying, then you're heartless. Do yourself a favor and check this out (or try his novellas if you don't like short stories, Apartment 239 is a classic)
October 16, 2025
An easy five stars. This is such a comprehensive collection of Alley's work that it blows many out of the water. We get drabbles, short storie, and even a novelette. Add the author's wonderful illustrations into the mix and you have a top quality product that deserves its place on your shelf. Alley, known more for horror comedy, bring some genuine creepy scares here with a wonderful display of his versatility. The range of characters within these tales is staggering, as are the concepts which set Alley apart from writers pedalling the same old tropes. When Elford Alley gets hold of a trope he drowns them in a river and prods them with a stick! Stand out stories for me were: The Madstone, The Horror At May's Haven, Return The Stars, The Obelisk, Bad Dreams In Vernon Rest, and the novelette, The Lost Treasure of Jocelyn Alameda. Great stuff!
October 7, 2025
Absolutely criminal that I grabbed this on Kindle for just $1.99. I'm excited to get the paperback when I return to the States because these are stories I'll read repeatedly, just like I did as a kid. I'm not here to promote Mr. Alley's book, but having it on a coffee table during spooky season is a must. Doctors' offices would benefit from having it in waiting rooms during spooky season as well. Calling it a throwback would diminish its uniqueness, but it definitely made me feel like the kid I once was. I planned to savor it slowly, but I ended up rushing because I couldn't resist seeing what was next. Tons of fun. Thank you, Mr. Alley.
November 17, 2025
Loved the idea of an illustration per story, so grabbed this one on preorder.
This collection is a unique blend of topics or sub-genres that I found incredibly enjoyable. I daresay this is up there as one of the best collections I’ve ever read. I loved that each larger work was followed by a drabble or poem, and it was no surprise to me at all at how many of these had been previously published.
For me the standout in the collection is the author’s openings. I feel like Alley could take one single idea, and through the way the stories begin, make an entire collection out of how many things he comes up with. There were stories that had you guessing the time period, stories that made you feel calm and safe, stories with created worlds, and even many that didn’t feel quite like horror. I found that to be a mark of how well written these were.
Story wise, there is a nuclear apocalypse (well the beginning of one) story that will simultaneously get your blood pumping and rip your heart out entirely. And as one of the shorter stories, that sticks out as a fave. Then there’s one titled, The Lost Treasure of Jocelyn Alameda, that stood out above the rest. It is a dystopian future that is dark, gritty, and far too close to our own. It struck me as deftly crafted in its believability and scope, and I was fully sucked into this one. I would love to see the world return in something…be it a sequel or something only loosely related.
Sharply written, this collection made me feel the entire gamut of emotions. And while there are so many different stories, I did feel a kind of through-line with the author’s voice that I really enjoyed. I have not been so pleasantly surprised and happy with a collection in a long time. I feel like it wasn’t so long ago when I avoided these entirely, and this is a shining example of why I got into them. AND a first read from the author?! I need more, stat.
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-mad-da...
This collection is a unique blend of topics or sub-genres that I found incredibly enjoyable. I daresay this is up there as one of the best collections I’ve ever read. I loved that each larger work was followed by a drabble or poem, and it was no surprise to me at all at how many of these had been previously published.
For me the standout in the collection is the author’s openings. I feel like Alley could take one single idea, and through the way the stories begin, make an entire collection out of how many things he comes up with. There were stories that had you guessing the time period, stories that made you feel calm and safe, stories with created worlds, and even many that didn’t feel quite like horror. I found that to be a mark of how well written these were.
Story wise, there is a nuclear apocalypse (well the beginning of one) story that will simultaneously get your blood pumping and rip your heart out entirely. And as one of the shorter stories, that sticks out as a fave. Then there’s one titled, The Lost Treasure of Jocelyn Alameda, that stood out above the rest. It is a dystopian future that is dark, gritty, and far too close to our own. It struck me as deftly crafted in its believability and scope, and I was fully sucked into this one. I would love to see the world return in something…be it a sequel or something only loosely related.
Sharply written, this collection made me feel the entire gamut of emotions. And while there are so many different stories, I did feel a kind of through-line with the author’s voice that I really enjoyed. I have not been so pleasantly surprised and happy with a collection in a long time. I feel like it wasn’t so long ago when I avoided these entirely, and this is a shining example of why I got into them. AND a first read from the author?! I need more, stat.
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-mad-da...
Read
September 24, 2025Having enjoyed Elford's collection 'We Will Find a Place For You' back in '22, I picked up a copy of this with confidence, fitting in short bursts of reading when I didn't have time for a deep dive into the novel I was also reading, as I often do with collections and anthologies.
With several pieces centred around Halloween, there couldn't be a better time to read it. Nicely put together, with a mix of drabbles, flash pieces, shorts and novellettes as well as entertaining illustrations, the collection made for a fun and entertaining read.
Personal favourites included They Eat the Dead, The Obelisk (Think Encounters of the Third Kind), Bad Dreams in Vernon Rest (a classic feeling creepy tale), Plutonium Eyes, The Knock-Knock House, When the Horizon Burns (tragic!), The Crone, and Labyrinth.
Altogether a good blend of horror, heart and humour!
With several pieces centred around Halloween, there couldn't be a better time to read it. Nicely put together, with a mix of drabbles, flash pieces, shorts and novellettes as well as entertaining illustrations, the collection made for a fun and entertaining read.
Personal favourites included They Eat the Dead, The Obelisk (Think Encounters of the Third Kind), Bad Dreams in Vernon Rest (a classic feeling creepy tale), Plutonium Eyes, The Knock-Knock House, When the Horizon Burns (tragic!), The Crone, and Labyrinth.
Altogether a good blend of horror, heart and humour!
August 31, 2025
everything comes out with reading these stories. monsters,ghosts, cemeteries, revenge, anything you can think of. urban legends worthy in my opinion. people have the worse luck in these. the illustrations in it are so good!
September 28, 2025
A collection of eerie tales spun in haunted prose, MAD DAYS: STORIES AND CURSES is a mesmerizing trek into the lonely parts of the Southwestern US and souls who dwell there. Much like a series of Twilight Zone episodes following each other like a movie, but on grisly notes, the book twists form one disturbing tale to the next, with a subtle thread waving itself between the lines, supported by the interspersing of shirt soliloquies and longer narratives, prefaced by the author's apropos sketches. It maintains its eeriness throughout, and one story almost manages to top its predecessor. "The Lost treasure of Jocelyn Alameda" and "The Madstone" are well worth the read just on their own. MAD DAYS is a perfectly formatted book of supernatural short stories and highly recommended.
September 1, 2025
Elford Alley does it again!!! This collection is the perfect read to put you in the Halloween mood! (I strongly recommend you check out his short story 'The Obelisk' 'Bad Dreams in Vernon Rest' and all the delightful drabbles within this collection.) Mad Days is pure unbridled fun, camp story-esque tales that would be utterly delightful to read near a roaring fire with some roasted marshmallows. I still feel as though I haven't digested the book as well as I should have so I will be diving in again during spooky season! I'll update this review in future to add any other new found favorite shorts from this book because I guarantee there will be more! Good job Elford 👏
September 24, 2025
38 stories of horror that include drabbles, flash, and three novellas. Elford brings us to all sorts of monsters and mayhem in this collection. It's geared for short quick reads or a longer one when you have the time to relax and dwell on it. It includes campfire stories, Halloween, poetry, ghosts, monsters, and treasure hunters. A great companion to just about anyone's tastes.
August 15, 2025
Mad Days collects chilling stories filled with haunting imagery and twisted scenarios and pairs them with Alley’s cool illustrations. A lot of ground’s covered here: desperate people in no-win situations, hauntings, curses, revenge. A highly entertaining read!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews