Emil Bones: A Novella

by Sammy Scott

Helena Boyd, newly-divorced mother of a precocious eight-year-old named Benjamin, is excited at the prospect of fresh new town, new house, new job. Freed from the tethers of her failed marriage, her choices are now completely her own to make, her future full of enticing possibilities. Until one ordinary autumn day when a mysterious little book is deposited through the drop slot at the library where Helena is newly employed, and she

“There is a boy named Emil Bones
Who would like to be your friend,
But once you let him in your home,
He may never leave again...”

Unnerved by these words, Helena quickly rids herself of the book. But, much like a bad penny, it quickly proves to have the unsettling tendency to turn up again. And then one dark evening in bed, her curiosity having gotten the better of her, Helena reads

“He will make you suffer far beyond
What any person ever should
And while he may not take your life,
He will make you wish he would...”

It begins with strange noises in the night. Disappearing objects. Mysterious voices. Inexplicable events. And when Benjamin begins exhibiting odd behavior and the life that Helena has just started to build threatens to fall down around her, she desperately searches for answers, including the author of that horrifying little book.

“He’s a shadow, he’s a whisper,
He’s a hornet, he’s a pox.
For heaven’s sake, now heed these
Do not answer when he knocks.”

First published as part of Sammy Scott's debut collection At Home With the Horrors in 2022, Emil Bones is presented here in a revised and expanded version certain to please readers who enjoy a chilling little bedtime story.

177 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 28, 2025

Reviews

[Catriona Mowat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helena has a good life. A fresh start with her son Benjamin, and her dream job working in a library. Everything is looking up.

Until a small black book is left in the library’s drop slot. Filled with strange verses about a cruel and supernatural boy, Emil Bones. And a warning…don’t let him in. But what if you don’t have a choice?

Emil Bones is a novella that builds in suspense and terror gradually, drawing you into the nightmare slowly but surely until you don’t realise you’re in it. This is as psychological as it is supernatural, and that heightens the story even more. Sammy is a master of adding realism to even the most far-fetched plots. Emil Bones was a strong story in At Home With The Horrors, where it all began, but somehow revisiting it here it felt even stronger, and new. Sammy really is one of the best in the industry, and every bit of hype is well-deserved.

Pick up Emil Bones if you are looking for a quick, building story that pulls you along on a dark nightmare-laden journey. Pick up Emil Bones if you are looking for a horror that is both human and extraordinary. Pick up Emil Bones if you are a fan of Sammy’s, or if you haven’t read anything of his before.
But whatever you do, don’t let him in if he knocks.

[Joliene Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Divorcee Helena and her eight-year-old son Benjamin have just moved to a new town for a fresh start. Helena quickly falls into an enjoyable routine as she works at the local library, while her son thrives at school. One morning, Helena finds an unmarked book in the overnight bin at the library. Helena begins to read. She quickly discovers that the book is about a disturbing young boy named Emil Bones. Unsettled, Helena discards the book…but she always finishes a book.
Strange noises and dark shadows start to invade Helena and Benjamin’s lives. Odd things are happening at home, school, work….everywhere. Do not read this. Do not open the door.
I loved Beta, so I was excited to read something new from Sammy Scott. Erika Calvert does an AMAZING job narrating. I love when narrators bring life to a story. Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I thought it was fast-paced, and I loved how it was presented from Helena’s POV. There were a few horror tropes used that I am not particularly fond of, but they’re tropes for a reason. This is a sweet little horror gem about a not-so-sweet little boy. If you’re looking for a quick scare that will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you asking, “Now what?”, this is what you want.

Thank you to Fright Night Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[[boredom.is.overrated] · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m going to be a bit more objective in this review;

Writing: Excellent - 4.5/5.0. I only found a single typo and there was only one section that I had to reread for clarity. When Scott glosses over an action or exposition, he does it in a way that doesn’t feel dismissive but also informs you enough to keep the pacing going.

Characters: Excellent - 4.7/5.0. You only get a single perspective in this novella, but that perspective is really well done. This turns the novella into a character study and really made me ask, “what would I do?”

Plot: Great - 4.0/5.0. There were some definite horror tropes, but they did not bother me too much because I enjoyed the writing. I really like how the story is laid out and separated. I really felt that I wasn’t missing anything in between sections.

- Was it innovative or novel? No, not really.
- Was I able to predict things? Somewhat.
- Was it entertaining? Absolutely.

I think it has the perfect length. Any longer and I would’ve been annoyed. But it was like good “horror-fast-food”; delicious and enough to keep me going (during a family Thanksgiving weekend - the real horror).

I rate it 4 out of 5 dead mouse halves.
(Rating = 4.0/5.0).

[Sarah Kathryn Mahoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to snag a signed and numbered copy of Emil Bones through the Books Of Horror page on FB. This was my first Sammy Scott book and, wow, was blown away!

It's not often that I find myself truly caring about a book's main characters, side characters, and acquaintances, but I did with this book! I feared for them, I hoped for them, and I will miss them now that I'm done with this book.

I spent the entire book totally in the dark about where it was going (and that's a huge plus for me), and it was even more heart-wrenching and mysterious than I even expected. Part of me loves the ambiguity of the ending, another part longs to know what really happened to our beloved characters.

What I do know is that I loved it, I cherished it, and I'm so happy I got to experience a personalized piece of Sammy's work!

[Stacey N. · Rating 2 out of 5]

After loving Sammy Scott’s two previous works, I was really excited about this one. But just a few chapters in, I realized it wasn’t great, and sadly it continued on that way. When Helena states she never saw Hugo again, I considered DNF’ing. I was already turned off by the cheap and overused cat death horror trope. But I wanted to finish it. And honestly I now sort of regret the time I wasted reading it at all. It’s not scary, it’s not particularly interesting, the characters are very flat and hard to care about… Overall, I’m just so disappointed. I do still look forward to more work from Sammy Scott, I just hope it’s on par with Beta and not this.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ WOW! What a story!! Although this book is a novella, it could easily be a full-length novel! Paranormal galore!! So insane and scatterbrained that it actually made me feel like I was myself reading it🤯😱 Great work Sammy! I will be reading more by this great author!

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can say nothing bad about this creepy little book. This just proves that Sammy Scott is my favorite horror author.