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I Know A Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours
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Expected 5 May 26A diabolical, haunting, and unforgettable horror short story collection from USA TODAY bestselling author Nat Cassidy, featuring his unique blend of gleefully terrifying fiction, and including his Bram Stoker Award–nominated novella Rest Stop.
“[A] platter of phobias...Luckily, for every scare, there is a sense of resilience and a laugh in the face of fear to get you there.” —Fangoria Magazine, on Rest Stop
There are locations in this world where the light doesn’t seem to reach. Where, no matter how illuminated the place might be, shadows creep in too strongly to fight back.
A suspiciously empty gas station rest stop in the middle of the night, littered with googley eyes... A doctor’s office, where a bottle of booze and a tear-stained folder wait on the desk... A tech millionaire’s haunted kitchen... A Bible-quoting ventriloquist’s dingy apartment... A yoga retreat in the middle of the desert, silent except for the screaming...
These supernatural and sinister locations are your destination, and bestselling author Nat Cassidy will be your guide. Featuring the Bram Stoker Award–nominated, critically acclaimed novella Rest Stop (one of Esquire’s Best Horror Books of 2024), along with a number of other original short stories, some which have never been published before, I Know A Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours is a travelogue down twisting side streets and through alleyways where the darkness has eyes...and teeth.
Let’s hope you make it home in one piece—if the ghosts, gory visions, and splatterpunk nightmares don’t get you first.
“A blood-soaked freakout that does for gas stations what Jaws did for beaches.” —Kirkus Reviews, on Rest Stop
“[A] platter of phobias...Luckily, for every scare, there is a sense of resilience and a laugh in the face of fear to get you there.” —Fangoria Magazine, on Rest Stop
There are locations in this world where the light doesn’t seem to reach. Where, no matter how illuminated the place might be, shadows creep in too strongly to fight back.
A suspiciously empty gas station rest stop in the middle of the night, littered with googley eyes... A doctor’s office, where a bottle of booze and a tear-stained folder wait on the desk... A tech millionaire’s haunted kitchen... A Bible-quoting ventriloquist’s dingy apartment... A yoga retreat in the middle of the desert, silent except for the screaming...
These supernatural and sinister locations are your destination, and bestselling author Nat Cassidy will be your guide. Featuring the Bram Stoker Award–nominated, critically acclaimed novella Rest Stop (one of Esquire’s Best Horror Books of 2024), along with a number of other original short stories, some which have never been published before, I Know A Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours is a travelogue down twisting side streets and through alleyways where the darkness has eyes...and teeth.
Let’s hope you make it home in one piece—if the ghosts, gory visions, and splatterpunk nightmares don’t get you first.
“A blood-soaked freakout that does for gas stations what Jaws did for beaches.” —Kirkus Reviews, on Rest Stop
472 pages, Paperback
Expected publication May 5, 2026
86 people are currently reading
1891 people want to read
About the author
Nat Cassidy
19 books4,842 followersNAT CASSIDY is a national bestselling and Bram Stoker Award-nominated author whose acclaimed works include Mary ("One of the Best Horror Novels of All Time" - Audible), Nestlings, and Rest Stop. Esquire described him as one "of the best horror writers of this generation" and among the writers "shaping horror's next golden age." His award-winning plays have been produced across the country, including Off-Broadway and the Kennedy Center. You've also maybe seen Nat guest-starring on shows such as Law & Order: SVU, Blue Bloods, Bull, Quantico, FBI, and many others ... but that's a topic for a different bio. His newest novel, When the Wolf Comes Home, hit shelves in April 2025 and was called "a classic" by Stephen King. He lives in New York City with his wife.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
2025 was the year I turned into a Nat Cassidy fangirl, so naturally I was beyond thrilled about receiving this ARC! And it turned out to be a very solid collection of shorter fiction that allowed me to get a good impression of the author's range and often-used themes. There is one novella (Rest Stop) and 12 short stories collected in here and, after clicking around on Goodreads, I think that about half of them have been published before. But I'm glad that everything is in one place now, because let's be real, I would have never picked everything up on its own. I ended up liking most of the stories, but at the same time none of them were super outstanding to me. And a select few either went over my head or just weren't my thing because of the themes that were included. I will write a little something about every story, so if you'd rather not know anything, stop reading here. Just know that I would recommend it to fans of the author, but not necessarily as an entry point to his works. I think a full-length novel is more suitable for that. At least that was the experience that I had.
Rest Stop – I must admit that I've read this one before and that I wasn't really a fan. But now that I know that Nat Cassidy is not the Dudebro author that I once thought him to be (I'm sorry, Sir), I dutifully read it again. And honestly, I kinda see the vision now. It's about a musician on the road, pulling into a gas station and having the absolute worst night imaginable there. It's such a fever dream of spiders and snakes and intense gore and googly eyes, and I'm not surprised that I was overwhelmed the first time I read this novella. I appreciated it a lot more this time around and I especially thought the (psycho) religious theme to be very interesting.
Meet-Cute #1: The Unluckiest Girl – More of a short interlude in my opinion, about a man and a woman meeting in a bar and complaining about how awful the world is. The twist was clear once a name was mentioned and it was up to the reader to imagine how unlucky that girl really got that night. It was pretty underwhelming for being the story that the I Know A Place part of the collection title refers to.
Generation – An interesting one with a cool concept. About a gynecologist who has to deal with a fundamental change in pregnancies. I liked that it stayed kinda vague and calm instead of leaning into the horror side of it.
Nice – An unexpected Christmas story. Focuses on a six-year-old boy who is lowkey unhealthily obsessed with Christmas and Santa Clause. But once he is visited by an elf who hates his job, the boy changes his mind and behavior. It started out fun and then turned into a disturbing story with creepy children and Christmas gore. As the title suggests, it was nice. :D
The Art of What You Want – Another disturbing story about a haunting taking an unexpected turn. I liked it for the amount of unhinged people that were included in here.
The Lunar Eclipse – I would love to tell you what this was about, but I didn't get it. It wasn't a horror story and was told in a strange way.
Laughlines – My favorite story of the collection! I could have done without the email format, but it was a nice change of pace. It was about a young woman traveling to the English countryside after learning about her estranged father and his side of the family. She's exploring a remote village and an old castle, and I don't know what it was, but I was somehow super invested in the creepy medieval castle lore. If Nat Cassidy ever decides to write a medieval horror novel, I would be so here for it. On the downside there was a random Harry Potter reference in here (come on, Mr. Cassidy!), and I'm pretty sure that the use of emojis made my kindle crash. (It has recovered now.)
Run For Your Life – This probably is a story that is close to Nat Cassidy's heart, because he poured a huge amount of music knowledge into it. Unfortunately, I really can't stand musical themes in books. They are just completely lost on me. I think the story has the potential to be people's favorite, but it really wasn't for me.
Jubilee Juncture – I personally think that ventriloquists are already kinda creepy on a good day, but this story takes the profession to the next level, in a bad way. It's about a man visiting his sketchy coworker and his creepy doll, and it was very gross and therefore one of the best stories of the collection.
Come – Who would have thought that the cursed sex tape high school story would be one of my favorites? It was wacky and kind of stupid, but I was living, laughing, loving. And there was asexual rep which even tied into the plot. It's a yes from me.
Into The Life Of Things – Two very annoying detectives are called to a hospital where a woman was killed. They talk to a nurse and learn about the woman's history, which includes a yoga cult and psychic powers. It was not my favorite, but it was fine. I think the dual timeline thing was kind of unnecessary.
Meet-Cute #2: The Scariest Thing - Another story about a man and a woman meeting in a bar, but I don't think that it was further connected to the first Meet-Cute story. This one went places I didn't expect and it walked a very weird line between stalking and positivity. I don't really know how I was supposed to feel about it.
A Fruiting Body – Maybe the story works better if you read it with others like the author suggests, but this one didn't do anything for me. Not the best note to end on, in my opinion.
Overall, I have to call this a good collection. I wish there was at least one story that I loved much more than the rest, but there were plenty that I enjoyed. My personal favorites were Laughlines and Come and I'm so glad that I liked Rest Stop much more than before. This collection brought me unhinged characters, intense violence and gore galore, but many stories also offered discussions about at a whole variety of important themes, like religion, sexuality, mental health or grief. The majority of the stories is positively wild, but you can get much more out of them if you want to. And if you don't want to, you will be entertained anyway.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
Rest Stop – I must admit that I've read this one before and that I wasn't really a fan. But now that I know that Nat Cassidy is not the Dudebro author that I once thought him to be (I'm sorry, Sir), I dutifully read it again. And honestly, I kinda see the vision now. It's about a musician on the road, pulling into a gas station and having the absolute worst night imaginable there. It's such a fever dream of spiders and snakes and intense gore and googly eyes, and I'm not surprised that I was overwhelmed the first time I read this novella. I appreciated it a lot more this time around and I especially thought the (psycho) religious theme to be very interesting.
Meet-Cute #1: The Unluckiest Girl – More of a short interlude in my opinion, about a man and a woman meeting in a bar and complaining about how awful the world is. The twist was clear once a name was mentioned and it was up to the reader to imagine how unlucky that girl really got that night. It was pretty underwhelming for being the story that the I Know A Place part of the collection title refers to.
Generation – An interesting one with a cool concept. About a gynecologist who has to deal with a fundamental change in pregnancies. I liked that it stayed kinda vague and calm instead of leaning into the horror side of it.
Nice – An unexpected Christmas story. Focuses on a six-year-old boy who is lowkey unhealthily obsessed with Christmas and Santa Clause. But once he is visited by an elf who hates his job, the boy changes his mind and behavior. It started out fun and then turned into a disturbing story with creepy children and Christmas gore. As the title suggests, it was nice. :D
The Art of What You Want – Another disturbing story about a haunting taking an unexpected turn. I liked it for the amount of unhinged people that were included in here.
The Lunar Eclipse – I would love to tell you what this was about, but I didn't get it. It wasn't a horror story and was told in a strange way.
Laughlines – My favorite story of the collection! I could have done without the email format, but it was a nice change of pace. It was about a young woman traveling to the English countryside after learning about her estranged father and his side of the family. She's exploring a remote village and an old castle, and I don't know what it was, but I was somehow super invested in the creepy medieval castle lore. If Nat Cassidy ever decides to write a medieval horror novel, I would be so here for it. On the downside there was a random Harry Potter reference in here (come on, Mr. Cassidy!), and I'm pretty sure that the use of emojis made my kindle crash. (It has recovered now.)
Run For Your Life – This probably is a story that is close to Nat Cassidy's heart, because he poured a huge amount of music knowledge into it. Unfortunately, I really can't stand musical themes in books. They are just completely lost on me. I think the story has the potential to be people's favorite, but it really wasn't for me.
Jubilee Juncture – I personally think that ventriloquists are already kinda creepy on a good day, but this story takes the profession to the next level, in a bad way. It's about a man visiting his sketchy coworker and his creepy doll, and it was very gross and therefore one of the best stories of the collection.
Come – Who would have thought that the cursed sex tape high school story would be one of my favorites? It was wacky and kind of stupid, but I was living, laughing, loving. And there was asexual rep which even tied into the plot. It's a yes from me.
Into The Life Of Things – Two very annoying detectives are called to a hospital where a woman was killed. They talk to a nurse and learn about the woman's history, which includes a yoga cult and psychic powers. It was not my favorite, but it was fine. I think the dual timeline thing was kind of unnecessary.
Meet-Cute #2: The Scariest Thing - Another story about a man and a woman meeting in a bar, but I don't think that it was further connected to the first Meet-Cute story. This one went places I didn't expect and it walked a very weird line between stalking and positivity. I don't really know how I was supposed to feel about it.
A Fruiting Body – Maybe the story works better if you read it with others like the author suggests, but this one didn't do anything for me. Not the best note to end on, in my opinion.
Overall, I have to call this a good collection. I wish there was at least one story that I loved much more than the rest, but there were plenty that I enjoyed. My personal favorites were Laughlines and Come and I'm so glad that I liked Rest Stop much more than before. This collection brought me unhinged characters, intense violence and gore galore, but many stories also offered discussions about at a whole variety of important themes, like religion, sexuality, mental health or grief. The majority of the stories is positively wild, but you can get much more out of them if you want to. And if you don't want to, you will be entertained anyway.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2026
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2
Nat Cassidy could write a cookbook and I’d be enthralled. Something about how this man writes connects deeply with how I consume literature. This collection of short stories is no exception.
Having already read Rest Stop, and thinking it was one of the best short stories I’ve read, I was excited to see what else he had in store. This didn’t disappoint.
This has something for everyone. Serial killer meet cutes, time traveling Beatles theft, flesh eating ventriloquists, cursed sex tapes, and a use of emojis that quite literally almost blew up my Kindle.
I love a good short story collection from time to time, and this one measures up to some of my favorites by King and Malfi. Nat Cassidy’s come up continues.
Nat Cassidy could write a cookbook and I’d be enthralled. Something about how this man writes connects deeply with how I consume literature. This collection of short stories is no exception.
Having already read Rest Stop, and thinking it was one of the best short stories I’ve read, I was excited to see what else he had in store. This didn’t disappoint.
This has something for everyone. Serial killer meet cutes, time traveling Beatles theft, flesh eating ventriloquists, cursed sex tapes, and a use of emojis that quite literally almost blew up my Kindle.
I love a good short story collection from time to time, and this one measures up to some of my favorites by King and Malfi. Nat Cassidy’s come up continues.
January 16, 2026
Hawt damn! When a Nat Cassidy book comes out…… guess what? You READ THAT SHIT!
It’s been a minute since I’ve read a short story collection all the way through. Why? Because they’re short stories. I take breaks and go back. NOT HERE my friends. I read every story and loved them all.
Rest Stop is the first and it’s about a guy who gets trapped in a gas station with creatures and a serial killer! Loved it! How can Nat be so terrifying, yet, have me laughing my ass off? Satire doesn’t work in a lot of horror novels for me, but he has a true gift that does.
My other favorites were about an insane yoga retreat, the ghost of a dead wife, and a creepy dummy ventriloquist. These were fantastic!!!
If you are a horror fan, not scared of some gore, and love this author….. you’re sure to love this.
Massive thanks to Shortwave Books, Nat Cassidy and NetGalley for the gifted copy.
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date 5/5/26
It’s been a minute since I’ve read a short story collection all the way through. Why? Because they’re short stories. I take breaks and go back. NOT HERE my friends. I read every story and loved them all.
Rest Stop is the first and it’s about a guy who gets trapped in a gas station with creatures and a serial killer! Loved it! How can Nat be so terrifying, yet, have me laughing my ass off? Satire doesn’t work in a lot of horror novels for me, but he has a true gift that does.
My other favorites were about an insane yoga retreat, the ghost of a dead wife, and a creepy dummy ventriloquist. These were fantastic!!!
If you are a horror fan, not scared of some gore, and love this author….. you’re sure to love this.
Massive thanks to Shortwave Books, Nat Cassidy and NetGalley for the gifted copy.
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date 5/5/26
Want to read
January 13, 2026Party people, this is not a drill! I received an ARC and could not be more excited. Hope to read very soon.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I hope nat cassidy keeps writing forever
January 20, 2026
Nat Cassidy’s first collection of short stories, I Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours, is one of the best collections of short horror fiction I’ve read in some time. Reading this collection evoked the same feelings I had reading Night Shift by Stephen King for the first time.
I Know a Place is anchored by the opening novella, Rest Stop, which was a huge indie hit when it came out as a standalone from Shortwave. It’s a gleefully nasty horror romp set in a rest area bathroom. This collection also features the short stories from Shortwave’s Cassidy Catacombs chapbooks and numerous new stories, all of which were excellent.
My personal favorite story is “Run for Your Life”, a story toeing the line between short story and novella that features a narcissistic cover band musician who wants to BE The Beatles. It’s like 11/22/63 but with an egomaniac. It’s so much fun, especially if you love The Beatles or meta-fiction.
The stories here range from WTF did I just read all the way to absolutely beautiful stories like “The Lunar Eclipse”. There’s even a performance piece at the end of the collection. Other standout stories for me are “Jubilee Juncture”, “Laughlines”, “The Art of What You Want”, and the two “Meet-Cute” stories.
I Know a Place is a modern horror master at his absolute finest. Sharp, thrilling horror stories about the darkest depths of human nature and the lengths people will go to get what they want or to simply survive.
If you’re looking for a bloody good time, I know a place, in the hands of Nat Cassidy.
Thanks so much to Shortwave for an eARC for review!
I Know a Place will be released on May 5th, 2026.
I Know a Place is anchored by the opening novella, Rest Stop, which was a huge indie hit when it came out as a standalone from Shortwave. It’s a gleefully nasty horror romp set in a rest area bathroom. This collection also features the short stories from Shortwave’s Cassidy Catacombs chapbooks and numerous new stories, all of which were excellent.
My personal favorite story is “Run for Your Life”, a story toeing the line between short story and novella that features a narcissistic cover band musician who wants to BE The Beatles. It’s like 11/22/63 but with an egomaniac. It’s so much fun, especially if you love The Beatles or meta-fiction.
The stories here range from WTF did I just read all the way to absolutely beautiful stories like “The Lunar Eclipse”. There’s even a performance piece at the end of the collection. Other standout stories for me are “Jubilee Juncture”, “Laughlines”, “The Art of What You Want”, and the two “Meet-Cute” stories.
I Know a Place is a modern horror master at his absolute finest. Sharp, thrilling horror stories about the darkest depths of human nature and the lengths people will go to get what they want or to simply survive.
If you’re looking for a bloody good time, I know a place, in the hands of Nat Cassidy.
Thanks so much to Shortwave for an eARC for review!
I Know a Place will be released on May 5th, 2026.
January 16, 2026
4.5
I have literally loved every book that I have read by Nat Cassidy, and this was no exception.
Cassidy is able to weave such a fantastic blend of horror and social commentary and while this collection is more on the nose than his other full length novels, they’re still fantastic.
Rest Stop was such a harrowing exploration of identity and religion and it left me staring at a wall. Thankfully the wall in my safe and cozy room and not in a gas station bathroom.
I am not normally a short story collection reader but these may have made me a convert. With that said, I would absolutely love it if Generation, Nice, Laughlines, and Jubilee Juncture were made into full length novels.
Thank you to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.
I have literally loved every book that I have read by Nat Cassidy, and this was no exception.
Cassidy is able to weave such a fantastic blend of horror and social commentary and while this collection is more on the nose than his other full length novels, they’re still fantastic.
Rest Stop was such a harrowing exploration of identity and religion and it left me staring at a wall. Thankfully the wall in my safe and cozy room and not in a gas station bathroom.
I am not normally a short story collection reader but these may have made me a convert. With that said, I would absolutely love it if Generation, Nice, Laughlines, and Jubilee Juncture were made into full length novels.
Thank you to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.
Currently reading
January 18, 2026I GOT AN ARC FROM NET GALLEY!!!! LETS GOOOOO
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Binged his three books in 2025 and all three were 5 stars. I’m so excited to see how he can convey a story in short story form! He’s a new all time favorite author!
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Binged his three books in 2025 and all three were 5 stars. I’m so excited to see how he can convey a story in short story form! He’s a new all time favorite author!
January 18, 2026
You know I had to hit that mf request button once I saw this hit netgalley. Doesn't matter how long or how short, his stories always pack a punch. Blood pressure rising, full out gross & downright nasty, hilarious, oddly tender and heartbreakingly sad.
I already read a few of these before and some of these I've been dying to get my hands on. I always think short stories and novellas are the perfect place to start with a new author to see if you mesh with their writing, so this one is PERFECT as a starter to getting into Nat Cassidy. It has just about everything I love about his writing and stories.
Weird and gross. Every character feels so full of life and rich with unique voices. Some a bit darker than others. I honestly can't rate them individually because I genuinely loved all of them! Though, Rest stop, you will always be famous.
Thank you to Shortwave and netgalley for the arc!
I already read a few of these before and some of these I've been dying to get my hands on. I always think short stories and novellas are the perfect place to start with a new author to see if you mesh with their writing, so this one is PERFECT as a starter to getting into Nat Cassidy. It has just about everything I love about his writing and stories.
Weird and gross. Every character feels so full of life and rich with unique voices. Some a bit darker than others. I honestly can't rate them individually because I genuinely loved all of them! Though, Rest stop, you will always be famous.
Thank you to Shortwave and netgalley for the arc!
January 17, 2026
Ten million stars!
I just finished and WHEW! I need a minute to collect my thoughts but for now- brilliant collection, I was invest in each story, but couldn’t wait to see what was next.
I just finished and WHEW! I need a minute to collect my thoughts but for now- brilliant collection, I was invest in each story, but couldn’t wait to see what was next.
January 14, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!
Taking off points for a HP reference in 2026.
I’m a huge sucker for a horror short story collection. I have read most of Nat’s books as well. He has an interesting voice in horror which I enjoy. His 2025 book When the Wolf Comes Home was both depressing and dark and that is what I was hoping for this collection. The stories in here were very well done and delivered what I was looking for.
Rest Stop is a previously published novella which is the first story in this book. It was very interesting and filled me with suspense as I was reading it. I would never leave my phone in my car going into a strange place I’ve never been but that’s just me.
My favorite stories were:
The Art of What You Want
Jubilee Junction
Come
Meet Cute #2: The Scariest Thing
I really appreciated that Come had a aroace MC. It was super cool to read a protagonist in a horror book that was like me. There aren’t too many of them. I also liked how the MC didn’t have a gender and it’s up to the reader to decide. Of all the stories The Art of What You Want was the most wtf story to me. That ending I didn’t see coming and I was impressed with the great twist. Same as Jubilee Junction. The whole story was just so much and I was very impressed with how it played out.
Generation, Nice, Laughlines, and Into the Life Of Things were all interesting but there just wasn’t enough of what I needed from them.
I did not understand The Lunar Eclipse I felt like I was missing the point. Same as the first Meet Cute story. It just didn’t hit me as I was reading it.
All in all this collection was very entertaining and I loved reading the stories. Besides the HP reference that didn’t need to be there this collection was pretty spot on.
Taking off points for a HP reference in 2026.
I’m a huge sucker for a horror short story collection. I have read most of Nat’s books as well. He has an interesting voice in horror which I enjoy. His 2025 book When the Wolf Comes Home was both depressing and dark and that is what I was hoping for this collection. The stories in here were very well done and delivered what I was looking for.
Rest Stop is a previously published novella which is the first story in this book. It was very interesting and filled me with suspense as I was reading it. I would never leave my phone in my car going into a strange place I’ve never been but that’s just me.
My favorite stories were:
The Art of What You Want
Jubilee Junction
Come
Meet Cute #2: The Scariest Thing
I really appreciated that Come had a aroace MC. It was super cool to read a protagonist in a horror book that was like me. There aren’t too many of them. I also liked how the MC didn’t have a gender and it’s up to the reader to decide. Of all the stories The Art of What You Want was the most wtf story to me. That ending I didn’t see coming and I was impressed with the great twist. Same as Jubilee Junction. The whole story was just so much and I was very impressed with how it played out.
Generation, Nice, Laughlines, and Into the Life Of Things were all interesting but there just wasn’t enough of what I needed from them.
I did not understand The Lunar Eclipse I felt like I was missing the point. Same as the first Meet Cute story. It just didn’t hit me as I was reading it.
All in all this collection was very entertaining and I loved reading the stories. Besides the HP reference that didn’t need to be there this collection was pretty spot on.
January 19, 2026
I don’t know what it is about Cassidy’s writing, but he just GETS it. He’s tapped into something that’s so rare and special, and my eyes drink up every single word he writes like they’ve been wandering a literary desert and haven’t properly had their thirst quenched in weeks.
I was thoroughly engrossed in every single story; each one had its own special tone and atmosphere, with the voices of the characters belonging solely to them, and I couldn’t wait to see what wild and twisted adventure I was going on next with the start of each one. The range of emotions he can make you feel in such few pages is something I’ve ever quite experienced; he can take horror and morph it into so much more - you’re left feeling things you weren’t expecting to feel but in the best way.
I couldn’t read these stories fast enough but I also wanted to take my time and savor them, knowing this would be the last time I get to read them for the first time.
The reference of one story inside another story didn’t escape me either, and it left me giggling for a good while afterwards - I see what you did there 👀
Overall, if I could give this collection of stories one million stars, I would. Nat Cassidy is just a force to be reckoned with and I can’t wait to see what his crazy mind comes up with next.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing an eARC to review early!
I was thoroughly engrossed in every single story; each one had its own special tone and atmosphere, with the voices of the characters belonging solely to them, and I couldn’t wait to see what wild and twisted adventure I was going on next with the start of each one. The range of emotions he can make you feel in such few pages is something I’ve ever quite experienced; he can take horror and morph it into so much more - you’re left feeling things you weren’t expecting to feel but in the best way.
I couldn’t read these stories fast enough but I also wanted to take my time and savor them, knowing this would be the last time I get to read them for the first time.
The reference of one story inside another story didn’t escape me either, and it left me giggling for a good while afterwards - I see what you did there 👀
Overall, if I could give this collection of stories one million stars, I would. Nat Cassidy is just a force to be reckoned with and I can’t wait to see what his crazy mind comes up with next.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing an eARC to review early!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Nat Cassidy really knows how to write a horror story. Gory at times. With humor at times. This book of short stories is no exception.
Like Mary, Nestlings and When the Wolf Comes Home, I think these short stories will stick with me.
Rest Stop was so creepy and I know that I will likely think of it on any night drive when I have to make a pit stop.
Other stories include a haunted castle, a wild yoga retreat and a young child who is so excited for Christmas.
Each story was fun (yes, fun in horror) and unique. I thoroughly enjoyed this.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Nat Cassidy really knows how to write a horror story. Gory at times. With humor at times. This book of short stories is no exception.
Like Mary, Nestlings and When the Wolf Comes Home, I think these short stories will stick with me.
Rest Stop was so creepy and I know that I will likely think of it on any night drive when I have to make a pit stop.
Other stories include a haunted castle, a wild yoga retreat and a young child who is so excited for Christmas.
Each story was fun (yes, fun in horror) and unique. I thoroughly enjoyed this.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 11, 2026
Thank you Nat Cassidy, Shortwave & NetGalley for the eARC
I Know A Place begins with a novella and then has a collection of short stories after. The ones that I enjoyed the most were ‘Nice’ and ‘The Lunar Eclipse’. In these short stories a mix of both physical trauma and psychological trauma is depicted and each story has a way of captivating the reader. These stories have made me want to delve deeper into the horror genre.
The pacing of each story is perfect and enough to keep readers engaged. No two stories are the same and readers can expect a little bit of everything that makes horror so compelling.
The best thing about a collection of short stories is that there is always something for everyone to enjoy.
I Know A Place begins with a novella and then has a collection of short stories after. The ones that I enjoyed the most were ‘Nice’ and ‘The Lunar Eclipse’. In these short stories a mix of both physical trauma and psychological trauma is depicted and each story has a way of captivating the reader. These stories have made me want to delve deeper into the horror genre.
The pacing of each story is perfect and enough to keep readers engaged. No two stories are the same and readers can expect a little bit of everything that makes horror so compelling.
The best thing about a collection of short stories is that there is always something for everyone to enjoy.
January 17, 2026
Thanks to Shortwave Publishing and to Net galley for a copy of this arc!
I know a place is Cassidys own personal play ground were he get to play around in form and experiment in degrees of meanness while still retaining that spark that makes one of his works so uniquely his.
Nice was my favorite entry by far. Its unexpected, gleeful and almost makes me want to read more Christmas horror.
Jubilee Juncture was my biggest surprise. One of the things I like most about A cassidy work is how he rarely seems mean spirited and this does feel like an exception, and exceptionally told, a departure but a welcome one.
Some were a bit experimental for my tastes but i think even those will hit right for the right reader.
I know a place is Cassidys own personal play ground were he get to play around in form and experiment in degrees of meanness while still retaining that spark that makes one of his works so uniquely his.
Nice was my favorite entry by far. Its unexpected, gleeful and almost makes me want to read more Christmas horror.
Jubilee Juncture was my biggest surprise. One of the things I like most about A cassidy work is how he rarely seems mean spirited and this does feel like an exception, and exceptionally told, a departure but a welcome one.
Some were a bit experimental for my tastes but i think even those will hit right for the right reader.
January 15, 2026
The exit is clearly marked. Good luck reaching it.
3.5
Arc from NetGalley
3.5
Arc from NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I Know A Place is a short story version of “Nevermind,” put together—sequenced—like an album you know is going to make some waves. ‘Oh yeah, that’s the one that started it all,’ they’ll say. Not that Nat Cassidy is new to this, but there’s a feverish freedom running through the veins of this collection that I haven’t seen/felt from his writing before. Assigning stars to art doesn’t do much in the way of recommending something, so here’s a quick breakdown of what you’ll experience when you drop the needle on this one.
Rest Stop: A surreal locked-in-a-gas-station-bathroom yarn about a musician pining for his buddy’s girl. It’s a cat and mouse slasher-type story where Cassidy gets you to care about a somewhat unlikeable character. The chunkiest of the thirteen stories included, it starts out as a pretty cut and dry ‘ordinary dude in extraordinary circumstances’ story, but then something strange happens about half-way through: it gets better and better and better, and layers of meaning and theme and identity start to snowball into a total existential crisis where you’re wrestling with God. But then again, it could just be a story about a rest stop. Killer way to open this collection.
Meet-Cute #1: The Unluckiest Girl: An atmospheric, slow stab in the gut, with three red flags: a date, a name, and a geographic location. One of those ‘Ah-ha!—Oh no!’ kind of stories.
Generation: A gynecologist who loves her booze, rehashing the kinds of arguments—spoken and unspoken—she hears from patients awaiting their bundles of joy…or pain…or tentacles? No hand holding here, you’re dropped in the deep end of the gene pool. I liked the ambiguity at the end, the long exhale. Forces the reader to draw their own conclusions.
Nice: An overworked elf, a kid obsessed with Santa Claus, and a whole lot of blood. If Meet-Cute #1 is a slow stab in the gut, Nice is a flurry of slashes and nasty laughs in your face. With tinsel and cookies, of course.
The Art of What You Want: A businessman/doctor confessional about a dude who keeps seeing/hearing his dead wife. No collection is complete without a good ole’ ‘stabbed in the back revenge’ story, and this one mostly satisfies, using flashbacks that, surprisingly, don’t weigh down the story’s velocity. That ending, though?
The Lunar Eclipse: A haunting ‘Then and Now’ story about returns, survival, and innocence lost. This is where the collection starts to sing, to riff off of form and style and time and place, leaving you kinda breathless after those last lines. For the life of me, I can’t explain why I liked this story so much, but that’s what good fiction does, right? One of the best stories here.
Laughlines: Missy’s off to Merrie Olde England to discover her roots. An estranged dad, a labyrinthian castle staffed by people who find everything a little too funny, horrific tapestries, and a deranged Lord who haunts the halls makes this email-formatted (epistolary?) story the most humorous and conversational of the lot. No matter what direction you think Laughlines is going in, the ending will have you laughing out loud.
Run for Your Life: 11/22/63 meets “We Sold Our Souls” for Rock N’ Roll in this poignant time-travel tale of a lonely self-proclaimed musical genius who goes full-on murdering mogul to hold on to what ultimately never belonged to him in the first place. Now, I’m more of a Stones person (Jagger), but even if you don’t know much about the Beatles, this story will still hit you in the feels. If you love music, all the better. Easily one of the best stories here, especially if you struggle with imposter syndrome. No one else can tell the story (make the music) that you can, the way you can. You might need fingers for that, though.
Jubilee Juncture: Cassidy does a lot with a small space here. For some reason this story reminded me of that movie “Death to Smoochy,” but I digress. There’s a dude who runs a Christian children’s TV show, a puppeteer who may’ve just been banned from the show, and a four-foot tall dummy sitting in a dark corner. Then, there’s a wet sfflllppttt. This one’s dungeon-level dark.
Come: There’s a sex video—teacher/student in the science room—being passed around Paradise Valley High. The student in that video is dead now, as are a bunch of students who watched it. Raging hormones + watching a possibly cursed sex video = a swath of dead teenagers. But our POV character, despite watching the video herself, is still alive. What gives? Loved the ending of this one (total title-card moment). Reminded me a bit of “It Follows.”
Into the Life of Things: Two detectives are on the scene of a women who died on a stairwell below a skylight in a mental health facility. This one reminds me of “Lunar Eclipse,” not the story or style but the way it makes you feel. A ‘married’ couple join a yoga retreat and are forced to communicate using white boards (the format works wonders) during certain times of day/night, only that ‘silent’ communication becomes something akin to the empty space surrounding the branches of a tree. Honestly, I was rooting for Joshua the entire story. The ending leaves you twisting in the wind a bit, but all you have to do is ‘focus.’
Meet-Cute #2: The Scariest Thing: There’s a lot of humanity in all of these stories, but I think this one shines in that category. I was expecting a quick stab like the first ‘Meet-Cute’ but was both pleasantly surprised and left with a sense of sadness. Man, this story is all about confession, and honesty, and coming to terms with what you can and can’t change, and the horror of either accepting reality or fantasy, and you’re left with a silhouette, two hands, fearless as long as they hold on to each other. There’s the exit door, there’s the hand, make a choice. The scariest thing, for sure. *There’s a great line here: “…for every moment you manage to survive in this world, you’re worthy of myth.”
A Fruiting Body: If E.E. Cummings wrote a cosmic joke that was adapted into a stage play and you participated in a table read of it, you’d get ‘A Fruiting Body.’ I read it alone, picked up on the rhythm of it, and was totally exhilarated by the knock knock ending. All roller coaster ride, all feeling, totally perfect way to end this album. Might be my favorite story here.
Not only are collections a tough sell these days, they’re really hard to put together in a cohesive but fluctuating, satisfying, sing-song way like Cassidy’s done here. So much more to say about ‘I Know A Place,’ but go find out for yourself. Every story here is worth it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Shortwave for the ARC
Rest Stop: A surreal locked-in-a-gas-station-bathroom yarn about a musician pining for his buddy’s girl. It’s a cat and mouse slasher-type story where Cassidy gets you to care about a somewhat unlikeable character. The chunkiest of the thirteen stories included, it starts out as a pretty cut and dry ‘ordinary dude in extraordinary circumstances’ story, but then something strange happens about half-way through: it gets better and better and better, and layers of meaning and theme and identity start to snowball into a total existential crisis where you’re wrestling with God. But then again, it could just be a story about a rest stop. Killer way to open this collection.
Meet-Cute #1: The Unluckiest Girl: An atmospheric, slow stab in the gut, with three red flags: a date, a name, and a geographic location. One of those ‘Ah-ha!—Oh no!’ kind of stories.
Generation: A gynecologist who loves her booze, rehashing the kinds of arguments—spoken and unspoken—she hears from patients awaiting their bundles of joy…or pain…or tentacles? No hand holding here, you’re dropped in the deep end of the gene pool. I liked the ambiguity at the end, the long exhale. Forces the reader to draw their own conclusions.
Nice: An overworked elf, a kid obsessed with Santa Claus, and a whole lot of blood. If Meet-Cute #1 is a slow stab in the gut, Nice is a flurry of slashes and nasty laughs in your face. With tinsel and cookies, of course.
The Art of What You Want: A businessman/doctor confessional about a dude who keeps seeing/hearing his dead wife. No collection is complete without a good ole’ ‘stabbed in the back revenge’ story, and this one mostly satisfies, using flashbacks that, surprisingly, don’t weigh down the story’s velocity. That ending, though?
The Lunar Eclipse: A haunting ‘Then and Now’ story about returns, survival, and innocence lost. This is where the collection starts to sing, to riff off of form and style and time and place, leaving you kinda breathless after those last lines. For the life of me, I can’t explain why I liked this story so much, but that’s what good fiction does, right? One of the best stories here.
Laughlines: Missy’s off to Merrie Olde England to discover her roots. An estranged dad, a labyrinthian castle staffed by people who find everything a little too funny, horrific tapestries, and a deranged Lord who haunts the halls makes this email-formatted (epistolary?) story the most humorous and conversational of the lot. No matter what direction you think Laughlines is going in, the ending will have you laughing out loud.
Run for Your Life: 11/22/63 meets “We Sold Our Souls” for Rock N’ Roll in this poignant time-travel tale of a lonely self-proclaimed musical genius who goes full-on murdering mogul to hold on to what ultimately never belonged to him in the first place. Now, I’m more of a Stones person (Jagger), but even if you don’t know much about the Beatles, this story will still hit you in the feels. If you love music, all the better. Easily one of the best stories here, especially if you struggle with imposter syndrome. No one else can tell the story (make the music) that you can, the way you can. You might need fingers for that, though.
Jubilee Juncture: Cassidy does a lot with a small space here. For some reason this story reminded me of that movie “Death to Smoochy,” but I digress. There’s a dude who runs a Christian children’s TV show, a puppeteer who may’ve just been banned from the show, and a four-foot tall dummy sitting in a dark corner. Then, there’s a wet sfflllppttt. This one’s dungeon-level dark.
Come: There’s a sex video—teacher/student in the science room—being passed around Paradise Valley High. The student in that video is dead now, as are a bunch of students who watched it. Raging hormones + watching a possibly cursed sex video = a swath of dead teenagers. But our POV character, despite watching the video herself, is still alive. What gives? Loved the ending of this one (total title-card moment). Reminded me a bit of “It Follows.”
Into the Life of Things: Two detectives are on the scene of a women who died on a stairwell below a skylight in a mental health facility. This one reminds me of “Lunar Eclipse,” not the story or style but the way it makes you feel. A ‘married’ couple join a yoga retreat and are forced to communicate using white boards (the format works wonders) during certain times of day/night, only that ‘silent’ communication becomes something akin to the empty space surrounding the branches of a tree. Honestly, I was rooting for Joshua the entire story. The ending leaves you twisting in the wind a bit, but all you have to do is ‘focus.’
Meet-Cute #2: The Scariest Thing: There’s a lot of humanity in all of these stories, but I think this one shines in that category. I was expecting a quick stab like the first ‘Meet-Cute’ but was both pleasantly surprised and left with a sense of sadness. Man, this story is all about confession, and honesty, and coming to terms with what you can and can’t change, and the horror of either accepting reality or fantasy, and you’re left with a silhouette, two hands, fearless as long as they hold on to each other. There’s the exit door, there’s the hand, make a choice. The scariest thing, for sure. *There’s a great line here: “…for every moment you manage to survive in this world, you’re worthy of myth.”
A Fruiting Body: If E.E. Cummings wrote a cosmic joke that was adapted into a stage play and you participated in a table read of it, you’d get ‘A Fruiting Body.’ I read it alone, picked up on the rhythm of it, and was totally exhilarated by the knock knock ending. All roller coaster ride, all feeling, totally perfect way to end this album. Might be my favorite story here.
Not only are collections a tough sell these days, they’re really hard to put together in a cohesive but fluctuating, satisfying, sing-song way like Cassidy’s done here. So much more to say about ‘I Know A Place,’ but go find out for yourself. Every story here is worth it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Shortwave for the ARC
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I am not someone who likes anthologies that much and it's 100% a me issue. I'm just extremely picky about the things I read and the length they are, there's just something about anthologies that doesn't really click with me and I'm not sure what it is. I will say this one was better than most, perhaps because it's all by the same author but I did start experiencing story fatigue about halfway through Run for Your Life. I'm deciding in real time, as I write this, what to rate this book and so, for the first time ever, as someone who is a bad reviewer and doesn't normally do this, I'm going to talk about my thoughts on each story.
Rest Stop - Read this first when it was just a standalone novella in 2024 and somehow completely blocked out the second half of the story. Not sure if I just didn't process it the first time or what, I think maybe I remember being vaguely disappointed there wasn't more bug stuff beyond one super pissed off funnel web and a rattlesnake? Anyways, I do appreciate reading this story again, the changes from the novella seem a bit small to me but I respect an author wanting to make edits to previous work. Still wasn't my favorite story, I found Abe to be a bit of a "nice guys finish last" guy but he got there in the end. I guess sometimes a guy in a googly eye mask just needs to traumatize you out of your BS. 4 stars, justice for Boris, man.
Meet-Cute #1: The Unluckiest Girl - Yeah, that girl was pretty unlucky, yikes. I started to realize with this story Nat Cassidy is a huge music guy and has his characters talk about music but in these stories and his books pretty frequently. No real complaints with this one. 4.5 stars.
Generation - This one just wasn't my thing at all. Mostly I just didn't care for the doctor character, Mandy, I didn't understand really how her alcoholism tied into the story? Maybe I'm dumb, I'm open to someone explaining it to me. 1 star.
Nice - Twinklebottom is me af at my job when I don't want to do certain paperwork and try to weasel out of it and then it totally backfires on me. We've all been there, Twinkle. 3 stars.
The Art of What You Want - I never read this excerpt from the Rest Stop novella and honestly, I'm glad I didn't because being cut off in the middle of the story and not knowing how it ended would have driven me mad. This was probably my favorite story because it had a clear and concise beginning, middle, and end and was the (in my opinion ok) perfect length. I am having trouble with the ending though. Like it was completely unhinged and I totally loved it but at the same time...idk, it was giving 2010s era horror movie. Iykyk. 4.5 stars.
The Lunar Eclipse - Yeah, yeah, I get it. She was totally joking. Ngl team, this one could have been cut from the roster, one of the weakest stories. To me. If you loved it, that's awesome! For me it just felt like a campfire story with like, more backstory than you need. 1 star.
Laughlines- Ok wait THIS ONE was my favorite!!!! Another one with a really good and distinct beginning, middle, and end. Plus I am a little epistolary freak so I loved the email format. I heard the emojis made some people's kindles crash, I read this (mostly) on my phone and didn't seem to have any issues. Anyways, NAT, my dude, if you wanted to somehow turn this into a full length novel or do something more medieval in the future, I support you, dude. This one was awesome. 5 stars.
Run for Your Life - I liked the idea of this one, time travel, The Beatles, super fandom, there was a lot there to like but... Idk I think part of it is this is where I started to hit that story fatigue I mentioned and in my honest opinion, I think this story just went on a bit too long for my liking. 3 stars
Jubilee Juncture - Listen, I know I literally just said the last story was too long but this one wasn't long enough. I wanted a lot more from this one, a lot of really great ideas I feel like I NEED to see more fleshed (heh) out. Nat, buddy, how much to commission a full length novel? I have like, $100 and it could all be yours! 4 stars
Come - Brooo, this story was GENIUS! I love a cursed sex tape and I don't wanna spoil it for anyone but how our main character survives the curse is just. It's brilliant. Chef's kiss. 5 stars
Into the Life of Things - A fun idea, I personally didn't like the detectives and their whole schtick though, they sounded annoying af to me. I also just kind of have like, a lot of questions about the end that I didn't have for any other of the stories but. I guess that's fine. This one just didn't connect with me nor I with it. Life goes on. 2.5 stars
Meet-Cute #2: The Scariest Thing - This one was...fine. I guess when I read the title when looking over the table of contents and after I read Meet-Cute #1 I just I was just hoping these stories would connect with each other?? And I was really disappointed that they didn't? Oh I forgot to mention it literally anywhere else and here is as good of a place as any since I didn't write any notes to myself about when and where I saw this happen but I do appreciate the references and callbacks to other stories sprinkled through out. That's how you do a good anthology, in my opinion. Anyways. 2 stars for this story.
A Fruiting Body - I didn't have enough people in my household to do this with so I read it out loud to myself how I think it's meant to be read, according to the instructions and I think it would be way cooler with 3-6 people, as directed, but still, I had an okay enough time just with myself. If nothing else, I just really appreciate Nat doing something different, I knew he came from a theatrical background so that felt cool to experience Nat's "past life" as a reader. I didn't blow my wig off or anything, but I liked it. 3.5 stars
Okay, so I decided to find the mean of each star rating and came up with 3.30 so 3.5 stars which I'm rounding up to 4 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rest Stop - Read this first when it was just a standalone novella in 2024 and somehow completely blocked out the second half of the story. Not sure if I just didn't process it the first time or what, I think maybe I remember being vaguely disappointed there wasn't more bug stuff beyond one super pissed off funnel web and a rattlesnake? Anyways, I do appreciate reading this story again, the changes from the novella seem a bit small to me but I respect an author wanting to make edits to previous work. Still wasn't my favorite story, I found Abe to be a bit of a "nice guys finish last" guy but he got there in the end. I guess sometimes a guy in a googly eye mask just needs to traumatize you out of your BS. 4 stars, justice for Boris, man.
Meet-Cute #1: The Unluckiest Girl - Yeah, that girl was pretty unlucky, yikes. I started to realize with this story Nat Cassidy is a huge music guy and has his characters talk about music but in these stories and his books pretty frequently. No real complaints with this one. 4.5 stars.
Generation - This one just wasn't my thing at all. Mostly I just didn't care for the doctor character, Mandy, I didn't understand really how her alcoholism tied into the story? Maybe I'm dumb, I'm open to someone explaining it to me. 1 star.
Nice - Twinklebottom is me af at my job when I don't want to do certain paperwork and try to weasel out of it and then it totally backfires on me. We've all been there, Twinkle. 3 stars.
The Art of What You Want - I never read this excerpt from the Rest Stop novella and honestly, I'm glad I didn't because being cut off in the middle of the story and not knowing how it ended would have driven me mad. This was probably my favorite story because it had a clear and concise beginning, middle, and end and was the (in my opinion ok) perfect length. I am having trouble with the ending though. Like it was completely unhinged and I totally loved it but at the same time...idk, it was giving 2010s era horror movie. Iykyk. 4.5 stars.
The Lunar Eclipse - Yeah, yeah, I get it. She was totally joking. Ngl team, this one could have been cut from the roster, one of the weakest stories. To me. If you loved it, that's awesome! For me it just felt like a campfire story with like, more backstory than you need. 1 star.
Laughlines- Ok wait THIS ONE was my favorite!!!! Another one with a really good and distinct beginning, middle, and end. Plus I am a little epistolary freak so I loved the email format. I heard the emojis made some people's kindles crash, I read this (mostly) on my phone and didn't seem to have any issues. Anyways, NAT, my dude, if you wanted to somehow turn this into a full length novel or do something more medieval in the future, I support you, dude. This one was awesome. 5 stars.
Run for Your Life - I liked the idea of this one, time travel, The Beatles, super fandom, there was a lot there to like but... Idk I think part of it is this is where I started to hit that story fatigue I mentioned and in my honest opinion, I think this story just went on a bit too long for my liking. 3 stars
Jubilee Juncture - Listen, I know I literally just said the last story was too long but this one wasn't long enough. I wanted a lot more from this one, a lot of really great ideas I feel like I NEED to see more fleshed (heh) out. Nat, buddy, how much to commission a full length novel? I have like, $100 and it could all be yours! 4 stars
Come - Brooo, this story was GENIUS! I love a cursed sex tape and I don't wanna spoil it for anyone but how our main character survives the curse is just. It's brilliant. Chef's kiss. 5 stars
Into the Life of Things - A fun idea, I personally didn't like the detectives and their whole schtick though, they sounded annoying af to me. I also just kind of have like, a lot of questions about the end that I didn't have for any other of the stories but. I guess that's fine. This one just didn't connect with me nor I with it. Life goes on. 2.5 stars
Meet-Cute #2: The Scariest Thing - This one was...fine. I guess when I read the title when looking over the table of contents and after I read Meet-Cute #1 I just I was just hoping these stories would connect with each other?? And I was really disappointed that they didn't? Oh I forgot to mention it literally anywhere else and here is as good of a place as any since I didn't write any notes to myself about when and where I saw this happen but I do appreciate the references and callbacks to other stories sprinkled through out. That's how you do a good anthology, in my opinion. Anyways. 2 stars for this story.
A Fruiting Body - I didn't have enough people in my household to do this with so I read it out loud to myself how I think it's meant to be read, according to the instructions and I think it would be way cooler with 3-6 people, as directed, but still, I had an okay enough time just with myself. If nothing else, I just really appreciate Nat doing something different, I knew he came from a theatrical background so that felt cool to experience Nat's "past life" as a reader. I didn't blow my wig off or anything, but I liked it. 3.5 stars
Okay, so I decided to find the mean of each star rating and came up with 3.30 so 3.5 stars which I'm rounding up to 4 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is probably the most enjoyable story collection I've ever read. I personally loved so much the style this book takes overall: as if it's a journey through Tales From The Crypt style television morsels.I adore how Cassidy writes, and it was truly a pleasure to read this one at all. Thanks so much to the author, Shortwave Publishing, and NetGalley for the digital copy. All opinions are my own. I'll provide a synopsis of each below, because they're THAT good and so entirely deserving of that.
Rest Stop: 4/5
Nasty, vicious, too likely to be a real life encounter for my taste. I loved the descriptions and the setting the most- something was so nostalgic about the horrifying gas station scene.
Meet- Cute # 1: 3/5
A handsome stranger sits alone at the bar while a woman comes in lamenting on her unlucky day/ life combo. My least favorite of the bunch.
Generation: 4/5
Mandy is an OB/ GYN who helps lucky couples conceive. This focuses on the arguments between couples she hears in the interim and outside her office. It's fun but mostly pleasant from a character study perspective.
Nice: 5/5
A Santa fanatic is approached by a naughty elf named Twinklebottom with a proposition: to join the Naughty list in a bombastic way. Even the raunchiest of elves regrets the horror this six year old brings forth. Festive, zany, and gory.
The Art Of What You Want: 5/5
A businessman meets up with a doctor to tell him about recent vivid nightmares where his wife routinely repeats mundane questions- but she died months back. This is a grisly look into grief and projections in a most delightful way.
The Lunar Eclipse: 3/5
Views two kids who meet in youth, using a creeping and dreadful picture of poetic horror that is too fun to spoil here.
Laughlines: 5/5
Email correspondences through a few traveling people. One finds she inherited a castle, and a dad, as witnessed in the prose. When finding her last name's weight, she also discovers a secret about the jesters ancestors down, and the castle concept suddenly doesn't feel as fun as it seemed. Feverish and delightful!
Run For Your Life: 4/5
A man finds a time machines and becomes THe Beatle, a great chance to put his exemplary musicianship on display in a grand way. This is a frightening glimpse into intentions- and any horror fan knows you don't get to alter timelines scot free.
Jubilee Junction: 5/5
Marvin is in the process of getting fired when he is constantly inputting pornography spiels into his segments at the Christian television network he works for. When he brings his puppet to work, he hopes his new show will convince them to keep him on staff- duh.
Come: 4/5
When a revenge porn flick is shared, it immediately fades into high school lore. This one follows a curse, truly convincing high school aged boys, and a wonderful nostalgic callback to the Ring but make it horny.
Into The Life of Things: 5/5
Two detectives investigate a cult murder of two lovers found in the desert. When the "loony bin" provides the dead body of the woman, they must get the scoop from the orderly on duty- but what does SHE know?
Meet Cute # 2: The Scariest Thing 4/5
When a man meets a woman, he experiences a rare horror- getting caught up sleuthing on social media.
A Fruiting Body: 4/5
A performance piece meant to be read aloud as a group, to really get the communal vibe going. This reads entirely as a play, and I won't spoil it with even a description. Feel it out for yourself for sure.
Rest Stop: 4/5
Nasty, vicious, too likely to be a real life encounter for my taste. I loved the descriptions and the setting the most- something was so nostalgic about the horrifying gas station scene.
Meet- Cute # 1: 3/5
A handsome stranger sits alone at the bar while a woman comes in lamenting on her unlucky day/ life combo. My least favorite of the bunch.
Generation: 4/5
Mandy is an OB/ GYN who helps lucky couples conceive. This focuses on the arguments between couples she hears in the interim and outside her office. It's fun but mostly pleasant from a character study perspective.
Nice: 5/5
A Santa fanatic is approached by a naughty elf named Twinklebottom with a proposition: to join the Naughty list in a bombastic way. Even the raunchiest of elves regrets the horror this six year old brings forth. Festive, zany, and gory.
The Art Of What You Want: 5/5
A businessman meets up with a doctor to tell him about recent vivid nightmares where his wife routinely repeats mundane questions- but she died months back. This is a grisly look into grief and projections in a most delightful way.
The Lunar Eclipse: 3/5
Views two kids who meet in youth, using a creeping and dreadful picture of poetic horror that is too fun to spoil here.
Laughlines: 5/5
Email correspondences through a few traveling people. One finds she inherited a castle, and a dad, as witnessed in the prose. When finding her last name's weight, she also discovers a secret about the jesters ancestors down, and the castle concept suddenly doesn't feel as fun as it seemed. Feverish and delightful!
Run For Your Life: 4/5
A man finds a time machines and becomes THe Beatle, a great chance to put his exemplary musicianship on display in a grand way. This is a frightening glimpse into intentions- and any horror fan knows you don't get to alter timelines scot free.
Jubilee Junction: 5/5
Marvin is in the process of getting fired when he is constantly inputting pornography spiels into his segments at the Christian television network he works for. When he brings his puppet to work, he hopes his new show will convince them to keep him on staff- duh.
Come: 4/5
When a revenge porn flick is shared, it immediately fades into high school lore. This one follows a curse, truly convincing high school aged boys, and a wonderful nostalgic callback to the Ring but make it horny.
Into The Life of Things: 5/5
Two detectives investigate a cult murder of two lovers found in the desert. When the "loony bin" provides the dead body of the woman, they must get the scoop from the orderly on duty- but what does SHE know?
Meet Cute # 2: The Scariest Thing 4/5
When a man meets a woman, he experiences a rare horror- getting caught up sleuthing on social media.
A Fruiting Body: 4/5
A performance piece meant to be read aloud as a group, to really get the communal vibe going. This reads entirely as a play, and I won't spoil it with even a description. Feel it out for yourself for sure.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing | Shortwave for providing me with the ARC.
Pub Date 5 May 2026
Some of these stories felt very experimental and didn’t feel like something Nat Cassidy would write, at least to me, having read his full length novels. Most stories are average at best and a bit predictable. There are some bangers, don’t get me wrong, Cassidy is a good writer, one of my favorites, but having read this collection, I would say that I prefer his novels better. To shortly summarize – there is only one story that I loved in here, one that I dnf-ed, two stories I found plain stupid and the majority were just okay, but they didn’t feel like horror to me.
Here are my individual ratings and thoughts on every story.
Rest Stop – 3/5 I’ve read this novella before, when it was published separately. It’s good to see it in here, but my feelings are still the same - did not love it, it was intriguing almost till the end, but the ending disappointed me, I couldn’t get it and it left me with a lot of questions.
Meet Cute #1: Unluckiest girl in the world – 3/5 by the last “twist” you know why she’s actually the unluckiest girl, but this story felt like it was written in the parking lot of a supermarket, not a lot was put into it, just the final reveal.
Generation – 3.5/5 interesting formatting, I find that I like it more and more when the narrative is choppy, but I wasn’t very impressed overall. I’ve read that idea before and done a lot better.
Nice – 1/5 now this was plain stupid and very predictable
The Art of What You Want –3.5/5 this was good, predictable nonetheless, but it had an interesting narrative structure, which I liked
The Lunar Eclipse – 2.5/5 kinda meh, the idea was really good but the poem formatting didn’t work for me and the overall execution was poor in my opinion
Laughlines – 5/5 my favorite story from the collection, the stylization of the text at the end almost broke my kindle, this would look awesome in the physical copy. The story was written only as an email exchanges and it read very sinister. Loved it
Run For Your Life – DNF Just couldn’t get into the Beatles fanboying, also, did not read like horror
Jubilee Junction – 2/5 The second I finished reading it, I forgot the entire thing, so unmemorable
Come – 1/5 uh, don’t want to be mean, but this was also predictable, boring and honestly stupid af
Into The Life of Things – 4/5 two assholes cops being very unfunny and annoying, but by the end I quite liked this story, the ending was epic
Meet Cute #2: The Scariest Thing – 3.5/5 kept me hooked the whole time, but I didn’t really get the ending
A Fruiting Body – 3/5 this kinda worked for me, would love to read it with friends the way the author suggested, too bad I don’t have that many
Pub Date 5 May 2026
Some of these stories felt very experimental and didn’t feel like something Nat Cassidy would write, at least to me, having read his full length novels. Most stories are average at best and a bit predictable. There are some bangers, don’t get me wrong, Cassidy is a good writer, one of my favorites, but having read this collection, I would say that I prefer his novels better. To shortly summarize – there is only one story that I loved in here, one that I dnf-ed, two stories I found plain stupid and the majority were just okay, but they didn’t feel like horror to me.
Here are my individual ratings and thoughts on every story.
Rest Stop – 3/5 I’ve read this novella before, when it was published separately. It’s good to see it in here, but my feelings are still the same - did not love it, it was intriguing almost till the end, but the ending disappointed me, I couldn’t get it and it left me with a lot of questions.
Meet Cute #1: Unluckiest girl in the world – 3/5 by the last “twist” you know why she’s actually the unluckiest girl, but this story felt like it was written in the parking lot of a supermarket, not a lot was put into it, just the final reveal.
Generation – 3.5/5 interesting formatting, I find that I like it more and more when the narrative is choppy, but I wasn’t very impressed overall. I’ve read that idea before and done a lot better.
Nice – 1/5 now this was plain stupid and very predictable
The Art of What You Want –3.5/5 this was good, predictable nonetheless, but it had an interesting narrative structure, which I liked
The Lunar Eclipse – 2.5/5 kinda meh, the idea was really good but the poem formatting didn’t work for me and the overall execution was poor in my opinion
Laughlines – 5/5 my favorite story from the collection, the stylization of the text at the end almost broke my kindle, this would look awesome in the physical copy. The story was written only as an email exchanges and it read very sinister. Loved it
Run For Your Life – DNF Just couldn’t get into the Beatles fanboying, also, did not read like horror
Jubilee Junction – 2/5 The second I finished reading it, I forgot the entire thing, so unmemorable
Come – 1/5 uh, don’t want to be mean, but this was also predictable, boring and honestly stupid af
Into The Life of Things – 4/5 two assholes cops being very unfunny and annoying, but by the end I quite liked this story, the ending was epic
Meet Cute #2: The Scariest Thing – 3.5/5 kept me hooked the whole time, but I didn’t really get the ending
A Fruiting Body – 3/5 this kinda worked for me, would love to read it with friends the way the author suggested, too bad I don’t have that many
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I am very familiar with Nat and his encyclopaedic knowledge of the works of Stephen King (and Bruce Springsteen!!) from his many appearances on Talking Scared podcast (all things serve the beam) but as yet had never actually got round to reading any of his own works. What a blinkin’ idiot is all I can say.
This is such an excellent short story collection, up there now as one of my all time favourites, I might go as far as to say I enjoyed it on the whole more than You Like it Darker last year. I often find I don’t connect with anthologies as much as a novel but this one was different. I was like… eeeeeek!! Next one!!!! I hadn’t even got to the end before I ordered When the Wolf Comes Home.
There were no disappointing stories in this collection for me at all, I enjoyed them all but the standouts for me were
Rest Stop -
More fool me for not reading this when it was out as a standalone novella…. Grabs you by the throat straight away and doesn’t let go…. This is proper horror!!! Well to me anyway… includes literally my worst nightmare!!! Being locked in a public toilet with a giant spider 😱😱😱 Give me the psychopath on the other side of the door any day!
Nice -
Now obviously as someone with multiple Christmas tattoos I am going to enjoy this one…. And I do love a grisly festive murder. If anyone was tickled by this story please go give the song Elf’s Lament by the Bare Naked Ladies a listen, it’s an absolute banger!! And remember… when you wish for what you wish for, naughty or nice, consider the price to an Elf!!
Laughlines -
Just love a creepy old castle! I’m so glad I had been warned that this might crash my kindle because I was reading this in the dark alone and was so gripped that when that did happen I was still freaked out for a second before remembering , oh phew its not the emailing ghost coming to get me. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Run for Your Life -
Who doesn’t love a time travelling Beatles story.
Thankyou so much to Nat Cassidy and Shortwave Publishing for giving me the chance to read and review this book early.
This is such an excellent short story collection, up there now as one of my all time favourites, I might go as far as to say I enjoyed it on the whole more than You Like it Darker last year. I often find I don’t connect with anthologies as much as a novel but this one was different. I was like… eeeeeek!! Next one!!!! I hadn’t even got to the end before I ordered When the Wolf Comes Home.
There were no disappointing stories in this collection for me at all, I enjoyed them all but the standouts for me were
Rest Stop -
More fool me for not reading this when it was out as a standalone novella…. Grabs you by the throat straight away and doesn’t let go…. This is proper horror!!! Well to me anyway… includes literally my worst nightmare!!! Being locked in a public toilet with a giant spider 😱😱😱 Give me the psychopath on the other side of the door any day!
Nice -
Now obviously as someone with multiple Christmas tattoos I am going to enjoy this one…. And I do love a grisly festive murder. If anyone was tickled by this story please go give the song Elf’s Lament by the Bare Naked Ladies a listen, it’s an absolute banger!! And remember… when you wish for what you wish for, naughty or nice, consider the price to an Elf!!
Laughlines -
Just love a creepy old castle! I’m so glad I had been warned that this might crash my kindle because I was reading this in the dark alone and was so gripped that when that did happen I was still freaked out for a second before remembering , oh phew its not the emailing ghost coming to get me. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Run for Your Life -
Who doesn’t love a time travelling Beatles story.
Thankyou so much to Nat Cassidy and Shortwave Publishing for giving me the chance to read and review this book early.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I Know A Place is a ferocious, dynamic collection that delights in turning familiar places into the stuff of nightmares. Across these darkly inventive stories, Cassidy transforms everyday spaces, like gas stations, bars, and schools, into pressure points where fear and violence collide. The result is a book that is gleefully unhinged and sharply observant, and at times even beautiful, balancing visceral horror and insightful social commentary. Cassidy's greatest strength is his ability to fuse physical and psychological terror without sacrificing momentum. Every horrific scene is not on page, leaving the reader to sit with the images we conjure. The stories move quickly but remain impactful, burrowing under your skin through their emotional honesty and great unease. There is a wicked sense of humor at play as well, one that never undercuts the horror but sharpens it, exposing the shadows embedded in everyday spaces. What makes I Know A Place particularly effective is the the use of cumulative fear, built from small, overlooked dangers and the quiet dread of being trapped where you do not want to be. The collection crackles with energy, confidence, and a clear love of the genre, refusing to offer easy comforts or resolutions. This horror knows exactly where its taking the reader and Cassidy takes us there at full speed. He delivers a relentless, memorable collection that leaves the reader exhilarated, unsettled, and looking twice at the places they once considered harmless. I for one can never look at a gas station bathroom the same again. I loved each and every story, but a few highlights for me were "Come", "Laughlines", and "The Art of What You Want" (which was previously published as a chapbook from Shortwave Books). Thank you so much Shortwave & NetGalley for the ARC. Any horror fan should add this book to their TBR. I Know A Place publishes May 05, 2025 so go and get your pre-orders in over at the Shortwave Shop!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
“I know a place.” Four simple words, with so much terrifying context behind them. And like many of the stories contained within I KNOW A PLACE: REST STOP AND OTHER DETOURS by Nat Cassidy, there is so much more beneath the surface of this eclectic mix of dark, twisting stories.
To briefly reiterate what I’ve said before about Rest Stop; this novella is a razor-sharp, lightning fast locked-in-a-room thriller, that throws both our protagonist and us some new horror every other page. It’s as tense, gripping, vivid, and exciting the second time around as it was the first, and frankly, it remains my favourite out of the bunch.
But the other stories collected within are all brilliant too! Not one of them feels out of place, and each one stands proud as a great work of short fiction. Each story explores some almost mundane/liminal encounter, whether it be a first date at an indie bar, an OB/GYN appointment, a Christian children’s entertainment rehearsal, and even the childlike anticipation for Christmas is morphed into something wholly dreadful. For me, the absolute standouts are Laughlines (an epistolary story that crashed my Kindle, literally), Come (about the sinister effects of Revenge Porn), and Generation (a purposefully ambiguous story, where what it doesn’t tell you is worse than what it does). Run For Your Life also feels like something straight out of King’s repertoire in all the best ways. They all explore these seemingly simple looks at human life and nature, but with Cassidy’s signature dark tinge. Some are humorous, some are bleak, some left me hopeful. Even the positioning of each story felt purposeful, which isn’t something that’s ever really occurred to me before in short story collections.
Also, for anyone who has read this, hit me up! I want to read the final story with a small bunch of you (as is so instructed by Nat himself).
I Know A Place is a fantastically moreish set of stories, and I highly recommend this to everyone! Nat Cassidy is easily one of my favourite modern horror authors, especially after his phenomenal When The Wolf Comes Home last year!
To briefly reiterate what I’ve said before about Rest Stop; this novella is a razor-sharp, lightning fast locked-in-a-room thriller, that throws both our protagonist and us some new horror every other page. It’s as tense, gripping, vivid, and exciting the second time around as it was the first, and frankly, it remains my favourite out of the bunch.
But the other stories collected within are all brilliant too! Not one of them feels out of place, and each one stands proud as a great work of short fiction. Each story explores some almost mundane/liminal encounter, whether it be a first date at an indie bar, an OB/GYN appointment, a Christian children’s entertainment rehearsal, and even the childlike anticipation for Christmas is morphed into something wholly dreadful. For me, the absolute standouts are Laughlines (an epistolary story that crashed my Kindle, literally), Come (about the sinister effects of Revenge Porn), and Generation (a purposefully ambiguous story, where what it doesn’t tell you is worse than what it does). Run For Your Life also feels like something straight out of King’s repertoire in all the best ways. They all explore these seemingly simple looks at human life and nature, but with Cassidy’s signature dark tinge. Some are humorous, some are bleak, some left me hopeful. Even the positioning of each story felt purposeful, which isn’t something that’s ever really occurred to me before in short story collections.
Also, for anyone who has read this, hit me up! I want to read the final story with a small bunch of you (as is so instructed by Nat himself).
I Know A Place is a fantastically moreish set of stories, and I highly recommend this to everyone! Nat Cassidy is easily one of my favourite modern horror authors, especially after his phenomenal When The Wolf Comes Home last year!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Oh man where to start! There were many stories that really stood out to me and I’m thankful I took notes as I was reading. Nat Cassidy has a way of ripping open the human psyche, playing in the viscera mixing everything up, and sewing the wound closed with expert sutures. From the outside you don’t see anything but perfect, neat stitches but everything is jumbled around and hemorrhaging blood.
Rest Stop
Wow. Just wow. What is a stronger prison a bathroom with a homicidal manic prowling outside of it or our own minds? Is it easy to face your fear of known things like spiders and snakes or even darkness only scuttle back to the confines of a fake safety when the outside becomes too much. What would you be like at the end of a battle with yourself, your gods, and your survival?
Generation
Short and packed full and laying bear the breadth of the human response to an unavoidable, absolutely batshit crazy circumstance.
The Art of What You Want
Just when you think you know the line of the story it blasts over it leaving a sick sense of satisfaction.
Laughlines
I don’t know how a story comprised of emails can be so fucking insane and interesting but holy shit! The ending was freaking amazing even if it made my kindle crash! I can’t wait to see what it looks like in a physical book!
Jubilee Juncture
When love turns to obsession and the shadows win. Hubris, thy name is The Beatle. Why appreciate your idols for the music they make when you can travel back in time and see if you can do it better!!!!
What happens when you mix The Ring with It Follows and you get Come.
Rest Stop
Wow. Just wow. What is a stronger prison a bathroom with a homicidal manic prowling outside of it or our own minds? Is it easy to face your fear of known things like spiders and snakes or even darkness only scuttle back to the confines of a fake safety when the outside becomes too much. What would you be like at the end of a battle with yourself, your gods, and your survival?
Generation
Short and packed full and laying bear the breadth of the human response to an unavoidable, absolutely batshit crazy circumstance.
The Art of What You Want
Just when you think you know the line of the story it blasts over it leaving a sick sense of satisfaction.
Laughlines
I don’t know how a story comprised of emails can be so fucking insane and interesting but holy shit! The ending was freaking amazing even if it made my kindle crash! I can’t wait to see what it looks like in a physical book!
Jubilee Juncture
When love turns to obsession and the shadows win. Hubris, thy name is The Beatle. Why appreciate your idols for the music they make when you can travel back in time and see if you can do it better!!!!
What happens when you mix The Ring with It Follows and you get Come.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5 stars
This collection of short stories, anchored by the novella Rest Stop, feels like I got a peek behind the curtain to see an artist in the making. I had read Rest Stop previously and absolutely loved it. What is scarier than a rest stop bathroom? Main character Abe found out and it's being locked in a rest stop bathroom with a sadistic maniac outside the door. Air vents above your head? Yeah, new fear unlocked.
But let me say that the first story after Rest Stop titled Meet Cute #1 might be the most perfectly written short stoy I have ever read. These few pages ended with a punch to my solar plexus that left me utterly without breath. I literally had to put the book down and sit with my thoughts as I couldn't get over what I had just read. There are a handful of short stories that live in the forefront of my brain, that I think about all the time. This little story has just taken over the top spot in that list.
The rest of the stories include a terrifying take on the unborn, a cautionary tale of a widower who should be careful what he wishes for, a young woman who has finally been contacted by the father she never knew who introduces her to the castle of her ancestors, and a cursed sex tape.
These stories are all quite different but they share the unique voice of the author and each has something creepy and terrifying to offer. I highly recommend picking this up when it comes out if you are a horror fan. If just for Meet Cute #1, it's totally worth it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing for the eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This collection of short stories, anchored by the novella Rest Stop, feels like I got a peek behind the curtain to see an artist in the making. I had read Rest Stop previously and absolutely loved it. What is scarier than a rest stop bathroom? Main character Abe found out and it's being locked in a rest stop bathroom with a sadistic maniac outside the door. Air vents above your head? Yeah, new fear unlocked.
But let me say that the first story after Rest Stop titled Meet Cute #1 might be the most perfectly written short stoy I have ever read. These few pages ended with a punch to my solar plexus that left me utterly without breath. I literally had to put the book down and sit with my thoughts as I couldn't get over what I had just read. There are a handful of short stories that live in the forefront of my brain, that I think about all the time. This little story has just taken over the top spot in that list.
The rest of the stories include a terrifying take on the unborn, a cautionary tale of a widower who should be careful what he wishes for, a young woman who has finally been contacted by the father she never knew who introduces her to the castle of her ancestors, and a cursed sex tape.
These stories are all quite different but they share the unique voice of the author and each has something creepy and terrifying to offer. I highly recommend picking this up when it comes out if you are a horror fan. If just for Meet Cute #1, it's totally worth it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing for the eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Meetcutes, crime scenes, eclipses and killer sex tapes - is there anything Nat Cassidy can't write?
What a treat this was. Fresh from reading When The Wolf Comes Home, which is such an intense journey, I was curious to see how Nat would work with the tighter leash of short fiction. The stories range from horror to the uncanny - an email exchange during a stay in the castle really creeped me out, a story about a time traveler who steals The Beatles' career is more a character study of an unravelling narcissist.
Wherever each story sits in the scariness scale, they all share Nat Cassidy's captivating style and dialogue that draws you in. The worlds he's created are so believable - and many of them feel connected, which is satisfying if you're a Read Straight Through person like me. This is an author I am confident in, confident to follow him down the rabbit hole and find out what horrors await at the bottom.
They are intimate stories - a confessional voice in your ear, a conversation between two people which peels the interaction back to reveal the dark secrets below. A theme of possession runs through this collection; people surrendering control of their bodies - be it to another person or something else entirely. Many of these I desperately wished to be full novels (give me more alien baby fiction) and none of the stories felt repetitive; it's a really well selected collection.
Faves: Generation, Come, Reststop, Laughlines
What a treat this was. Fresh from reading When The Wolf Comes Home, which is such an intense journey, I was curious to see how Nat would work with the tighter leash of short fiction. The stories range from horror to the uncanny - an email exchange during a stay in the castle really creeped me out, a story about a time traveler who steals The Beatles' career is more a character study of an unravelling narcissist.
Wherever each story sits in the scariness scale, they all share Nat Cassidy's captivating style and dialogue that draws you in. The worlds he's created are so believable - and many of them feel connected, which is satisfying if you're a Read Straight Through person like me. This is an author I am confident in, confident to follow him down the rabbit hole and find out what horrors await at the bottom.
They are intimate stories - a confessional voice in your ear, a conversation between two people which peels the interaction back to reveal the dark secrets below. A theme of possession runs through this collection; people surrendering control of their bodies - be it to another person or something else entirely. Many of these I desperately wished to be full novels (give me more alien baby fiction) and none of the stories felt repetitive; it's a really well selected collection.
Faves: Generation, Come, Reststop, Laughlines
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This collection of short horror stories is my first foray into Nat Cassidy’s work and it’s more than evident that he’s a wonderful writer. Rest Stop, the opener, a novella length story, was a banger! I was holding my breath from start to finish, gasping, swiping pages faster and faster. With a start like that, well, it’s a seriously tough act to follow with anything nearly as good in my opinion. In a collection by a sole author, the author in this case became his own fiercest competitor. That’s a compliment.
My second standout in this collection is the title story, I Know a Place, about The Beatle, a time-traveling musician, and thief. Mostly, the stories hit for me, giving me some creeps, and a lot to contemplate. The final story, an experimental theater type story structure left me confused and deflated, I didn’t get it or enjoy it, so that was a wee bit of a damper. The stories provide a wide range of variety and I won’t hesitate to pick up another book by this author, actually intend to seek his novels out.
I definitely recommend this collection to horror readers who lean toward literary horror. Also, for readers who enjoy well-developed thinking storylines, good characterization and dialogue, with a few creative twists, this one may suit your tastes.
A solid 4.25/5.
My second standout in this collection is the title story, I Know a Place, about The Beatle, a time-traveling musician, and thief. Mostly, the stories hit for me, giving me some creeps, and a lot to contemplate. The final story, an experimental theater type story structure left me confused and deflated, I didn’t get it or enjoy it, so that was a wee bit of a damper. The stories provide a wide range of variety and I won’t hesitate to pick up another book by this author, actually intend to seek his novels out.
I definitely recommend this collection to horror readers who lean toward literary horror. Also, for readers who enjoy well-developed thinking storylines, good characterization and dialogue, with a few creative twists, this one may suit your tastes.
A solid 4.25/5.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Nat Cassidy knows how to write spine-tingling, creepy stories. One of my favorite reads last year was When the Wolf Comes Home, so I was so excited to receive an ARC of his newest book, a collection of his fearsome short stories.
I loved almost all of the stories (I’d already read Rest Stop, a previously published novella). Some of my favorites were:
Unluckiest Girl - Where you’ll soon see how unlucky she really is
Generation - Something really strange is going on with babies
The Art of What You Want - A businessman has a confession to make
Laugh Lines - A woman who grew up without her father has found him and he’s introducing her to her heritage
Into the Life of Things - Police are investigating the death of a women after she attended a cult-like yoga retreat with her boyfriend
There was only one I didn’t care for (Lunar Eclipse), it just didn’t resonate with me. But overall, it was a stellar collection of short stories. If you like Black Mirror and Twilight Zone style stories, I think you’ll love this book. 4.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing and an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved almost all of the stories (I’d already read Rest Stop, a previously published novella). Some of my favorites were:
Unluckiest Girl - Where you’ll soon see how unlucky she really is
Generation - Something really strange is going on with babies
The Art of What You Want - A businessman has a confession to make
Laugh Lines - A woman who grew up without her father has found him and he’s introducing her to her heritage
Into the Life of Things - Police are investigating the death of a women after she attended a cult-like yoga retreat with her boyfriend
There was only one I didn’t care for (Lunar Eclipse), it just didn’t resonate with me. But overall, it was a stellar collection of short stories. If you like Black Mirror and Twilight Zone style stories, I think you’ll love this book. 4.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing and an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I’m a huge Nat Cassidy fan, so when I heard he had a collection coming out later this year, I couldn’t resist throwing my hat in the ring for an ARC. These stories are deliciously twisted, and more often than not I had no idea where the plot was headed. The collection feels like a perfect sampler of Nat Cassidy’s range and talent.
Here’s my three favorites from the collection:
Meet Cute #1- The Unluckiest Girl: A “cute” little meeting at a bar turns into a surely horrific night.
Nice: A Christmas-obsessed boy is visited by a jaded, exhausted elf who convinces him to be naughty. And he really runs with the title.
Run For Your Life: A real classic twist on the “be careful what you wish for” idea when a Beatles cover band decides he doesn’t want to just cover their songs, he wants them to be his own.
Regardless of your specific taste in horror, there’s something here that will get its hooks into you. Whether you’re drawn to psychological dread, shocking twists, or gore this collection offers at least one story that will stay with you.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
Here’s my three favorites from the collection:
Meet Cute #1- The Unluckiest Girl: A “cute” little meeting at a bar turns into a surely horrific night.
Nice: A Christmas-obsessed boy is visited by a jaded, exhausted elf who convinces him to be naughty. And he really runs with the title.
Run For Your Life: A real classic twist on the “be careful what you wish for” idea when a Beatles cover band decides he doesn’t want to just cover their songs, he wants them to be his own.
Regardless of your specific taste in horror, there’s something here that will get its hooks into you. Whether you’re drawn to psychological dread, shocking twists, or gore this collection offers at least one story that will stay with you.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC gifted in exchange for review.
I…am so deeply unsettled in a way that is hard to describe. This anthology has a little something for everyone who’s willing to step into the darkness and delve into the world of horror. Rest Stop was such a banger. What a way to start off the anthology. I am now, low key a little afraid of gas stations after dark now. The one that unsettled me the absolute most though was Laughlines. Laughlines made me never want to laugh again in all my life, and if I never see another acrobat as long as I live, it might still be too soon. That particular story unsettled me so deeply because it was straight out of my nightmares and I need to know how Nat managed to get inside of my brain!
This was my first time reading Nat Cassidy but it certainly won’t be my last.
Proceed with caution dear reader but proceed nonetheless. This is an anthology worth the nightmares and new fears you are sure to develop. Let’s just say that my children will never have an elf on the shelf.
I…am so deeply unsettled in a way that is hard to describe. This anthology has a little something for everyone who’s willing to step into the darkness and delve into the world of horror. Rest Stop was such a banger. What a way to start off the anthology. I am now, low key a little afraid of gas stations after dark now. The one that unsettled me the absolute most though was Laughlines. Laughlines made me never want to laugh again in all my life, and if I never see another acrobat as long as I live, it might still be too soon. That particular story unsettled me so deeply because it was straight out of my nightmares and I need to know how Nat managed to get inside of my brain!
This was my first time reading Nat Cassidy but it certainly won’t be my last.
Proceed with caution dear reader but proceed nonetheless. This is an anthology worth the nightmares and new fears you are sure to develop. Let’s just say that my children will never have an elf on the shelf.
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