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The Horrors of Rejection
Not yet published
Expected 9 Jun 26Rejection is a part of life. But if you sit on it, let it fester, it can become something truly awful. Like 28 various short horror stories!
Do you like ghosts? Killer trees? Sea monsters? Cat creatures? Evil doppelgangers? Diseases that slowly turn you into gold? Then this is the short story collection for you!
These tales were thoughtfully picked from a slew of stories that have been rejected by at least one publisher. It seems that one person's failure is another's reading material (and potential nightmare fuel).
Do you like ghosts? Killer trees? Sea monsters? Cat creatures? Evil doppelgangers? Diseases that slowly turn you into gold? Then this is the short story collection for you!
These tales were thoughtfully picked from a slew of stories that have been rejected by at least one publisher. It seems that one person's failure is another's reading material (and potential nightmare fuel).
299 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 9, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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April 21, 2026*Huge thanks to Radar for a digital ARC of this one!*
I connected with Radar a number of years back and have always enjoyed the content he’s been releasing on various social media platforms, as well as his support to many authors. A few years back, I had the pleasure of reading his book ‘Drowning in the Drink’ and really enjoyed it, but I haven’t managed to read anything else from him. Recently, I saw him post a Tik Tok looking for reviewers for his upcoming release ‘The Horrors of Rejection.’ A short story collection compiling all of the stories he’s submitted over the years that were rejected for one reason or another, I reached out to see about a review copy. Radar kindly emailed one over and while I was wrapping up ‘The Dorians,’ I dove into this between chapters, flying through it.
What I liked: Every author out there has tens, if not hundreds of short stories that they’ve submitted over the years that for some reason, were not accepted for publication. It’s the nature of the game and a cold reality you need to accept if you want to try your hand at having work accepted and published outside of the DIY/Indie route. Radar lays this out in the introduction before we dive into the stories that comprise the collection.
The stories ranged in length, from poetry, to a page, to novelette length, but each one was a lot of fun and though the stories were written with the purpose of submitting to various open calls, it was interesting to see a bit of a few themes emerge when all was said and done. We had a number of stories set in/around the water and similar with the woods.
The stand out stories for me were a trio that hit hard and were very snappy.
First was ‘Show Some Teeth.’ This story followed an employee, struggling to deal with a horrendous boss at work, while realizing the crows outside are acting strangely. The story was a lot of fun and went from brooding to dark very quickly. My favorite story within.
Next was ‘From a Bathtub to the Ocean.’ This story throws us into the middle of an extreme situation where a man has abandoned ship after a fire started and he’s coming to grips with what happened, his role in it and what that means for his life. Really engaging.
And the third was ‘Immurement.’ If not for ‘Show Some Teeth’ this would’ve been my favorite of the collection. This one picks up with Thomas, trapped in something and trying to fight his way out. The story begins as a very claustrophobic tale, before we learn the ‘why’ of his predicament and we realize just how awfully dark this story really is.
What I didn’t like: While it might’ve been an almost impossible task, I would’ve loved to have seen a brief note prior to each story mentioning what the open call was. Not so much to whom the story was being submitted, but what was the theme or submission requests. IE – 1,500 word limit for grief horror. Or, 3,000 word limit for nautical survival. I think that would’ve helped a few of the stories have a bit more context and work better as to why Radar did what he did in the chosen word count, otherwise some of the stories you’ll be wondering why things were rushed or felt unanswered. Often in submissions, you’ll have a specific constraint that will always make you decide on doing something (either limit characters or details etc.) and I think knowing some of that would’ve allowed some of the stories that didn’t hit as much with me make a bit more sense.
Why you should buy this: Radar’s a very talented writer and a number of these stories are superb. I’m actually a bit surprised a few of these haven’t been picked up somewhere, but that’s the frustrating reality of the anthology world. This was a short story collection that’ll have something for every reader and is a fantastic way to introduce yourself to his writing if you’ve not read anything of his yet.
I connected with Radar a number of years back and have always enjoyed the content he’s been releasing on various social media platforms, as well as his support to many authors. A few years back, I had the pleasure of reading his book ‘Drowning in the Drink’ and really enjoyed it, but I haven’t managed to read anything else from him. Recently, I saw him post a Tik Tok looking for reviewers for his upcoming release ‘The Horrors of Rejection.’ A short story collection compiling all of the stories he’s submitted over the years that were rejected for one reason or another, I reached out to see about a review copy. Radar kindly emailed one over and while I was wrapping up ‘The Dorians,’ I dove into this between chapters, flying through it.
What I liked: Every author out there has tens, if not hundreds of short stories that they’ve submitted over the years that for some reason, were not accepted for publication. It’s the nature of the game and a cold reality you need to accept if you want to try your hand at having work accepted and published outside of the DIY/Indie route. Radar lays this out in the introduction before we dive into the stories that comprise the collection.
The stories ranged in length, from poetry, to a page, to novelette length, but each one was a lot of fun and though the stories were written with the purpose of submitting to various open calls, it was interesting to see a bit of a few themes emerge when all was said and done. We had a number of stories set in/around the water and similar with the woods.
The stand out stories for me were a trio that hit hard and were very snappy.
First was ‘Show Some Teeth.’ This story followed an employee, struggling to deal with a horrendous boss at work, while realizing the crows outside are acting strangely. The story was a lot of fun and went from brooding to dark very quickly. My favorite story within.
Next was ‘From a Bathtub to the Ocean.’ This story throws us into the middle of an extreme situation where a man has abandoned ship after a fire started and he’s coming to grips with what happened, his role in it and what that means for his life. Really engaging.
And the third was ‘Immurement.’ If not for ‘Show Some Teeth’ this would’ve been my favorite of the collection. This one picks up with Thomas, trapped in something and trying to fight his way out. The story begins as a very claustrophobic tale, before we learn the ‘why’ of his predicament and we realize just how awfully dark this story really is.
What I didn’t like: While it might’ve been an almost impossible task, I would’ve loved to have seen a brief note prior to each story mentioning what the open call was. Not so much to whom the story was being submitted, but what was the theme or submission requests. IE – 1,500 word limit for grief horror. Or, 3,000 word limit for nautical survival. I think that would’ve helped a few of the stories have a bit more context and work better as to why Radar did what he did in the chosen word count, otherwise some of the stories you’ll be wondering why things were rushed or felt unanswered. Often in submissions, you’ll have a specific constraint that will always make you decide on doing something (either limit characters or details etc.) and I think knowing some of that would’ve allowed some of the stories that didn’t hit as much with me make a bit more sense.
Why you should buy this: Radar’s a very talented writer and a number of these stories are superb. I’m actually a bit surprised a few of these haven’t been picked up somewhere, but that’s the frustrating reality of the anthology world. This was a short story collection that’ll have something for every reader and is a fantastic way to introduce yourself to his writing if you’ve not read anything of his yet.
June 3, 2026
This evening I read The Horrors of Rejection by Radar DeBoard.
Within these 28 short stories is a scare for everyone. Pick your poison! For me, some of my favorite creeps are always..trapped on a boat at sea…no where to escape, killer trees, anytime there are spidery elements, claustrophobic spaces, and of course “should i answer that call?”. And as someone who appreciates learning new words I now know what “Immurement” means. Hopefully I will never find a need to use it in a sentence.
I really enjoyed this book! It was a fun, fast read that kept a great pace due to wide variety of situations and monsters. Human or otherwise.
I went on to buy another one of his books, Just Keep Running, and I’m looking forward to jumping into it this summer. Horror fans “summer reads” lists look a little different, I suppose, lol.
This is also a great book for folks just wading into horror and maybe younger readers who can handle some blood and body horror but don’t need to see a lot of “adult relations” or swearing every other word.
Definitely recommend!
I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the author. This is my voluntary and honest review.
Within these 28 short stories is a scare for everyone. Pick your poison! For me, some of my favorite creeps are always..trapped on a boat at sea…no where to escape, killer trees, anytime there are spidery elements, claustrophobic spaces, and of course “should i answer that call?”. And as someone who appreciates learning new words I now know what “Immurement” means. Hopefully I will never find a need to use it in a sentence.
I really enjoyed this book! It was a fun, fast read that kept a great pace due to wide variety of situations and monsters. Human or otherwise.
I went on to buy another one of his books, Just Keep Running, and I’m looking forward to jumping into it this summer. Horror fans “summer reads” lists look a little different, I suppose, lol.
This is also a great book for folks just wading into horror and maybe younger readers who can handle some blood and body horror but don’t need to see a lot of “adult relations” or swearing every other word.
Definitely recommend!
I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the author. This is my voluntary and honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was fortunate enough to be able to BETA read this collection for Radar. This collection is so fun because it’s such an eclectic blend of horror! Not to mention the reason behind the title. All of these stories had been rejected by at least one publisher at some point in time and now they’re all being published together in one huge collection. There’s a story for everyone in this one and such a fantastic time. I’m so happy to see all these stories be brought to life for others to enjoy now. Be sure to snag this one on release day!!
Thank you to Radar for allowing me to read through your short stories and listening to my thoughts all this time ago. You’re a true gem in the indie horror community and love watching your growth and success!
Thank you to Radar for allowing me to read through your short stories and listening to my thoughts all this time ago. You’re a true gem in the indie horror community and love watching your growth and success!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Crows with teeth?!
A collection of short punchy freaky/horror stories! Having never read any of Radar’s work before, this book is tales he’s written that never made it to publishing (hence - rejection!) and boy are there some mad little bits. As it’s made up of a fair few works of art, I think there’s something for everyone in here. My favourite (or now, nightmare material) is crows with teeth - a bit mental yet somehow super relatable 🤣
This book of books has now opened up another author to me, and I can’t wait to get into more of Radar’s work!
A collection of short punchy freaky/horror stories! Having never read any of Radar’s work before, this book is tales he’s written that never made it to publishing (hence - rejection!) and boy are there some mad little bits. As it’s made up of a fair few works of art, I think there’s something for everyone in here. My favourite (or now, nightmare material) is crows with teeth - a bit mental yet somehow super relatable 🤣
This book of books has now opened up another author to me, and I can’t wait to get into more of Radar’s work!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you to the author for this advanced reader copy!
This book was awesome and has a little something for everyone. This is a short story collection of horror stories with a wide range of themes! Lots of nautical themes to feed your thalassophobia which is perfect to give me the creeps as I already hate the ocean!
Some of my favorites from this collection were: From a Bathtub to The Ocean, Everybody Loves Ice Cream, and Forested Whispers. This was my first read from this author as well and I'll definitely be checking out more of his work!
This book was awesome and has a little something for everyone. This is a short story collection of horror stories with a wide range of themes! Lots of nautical themes to feed your thalassophobia which is perfect to give me the creeps as I already hate the ocean!
Some of my favorites from this collection were: From a Bathtub to The Ocean, Everybody Loves Ice Cream, and Forested Whispers. This was my first read from this author as well and I'll definitely be checking out more of his work!
May 18, 2026
Thank you to the author for the arc!! I have just finished reading it after a good few days!
I’m really sorry to say but I’m quite disappointed with this book. Don’t get me wrong there were a few stories I loved but the majority of them I just couldn’t get into and then when I did they were cut off short
I really loved; Durable tires, Catastrophic Holiday, brewed with extra blood and the squelches. I don’t know what I was expecting but this book wasn’t for me sorry! 😢
I’m really sorry to say but I’m quite disappointed with this book. Don’t get me wrong there were a few stories I loved but the majority of them I just couldn’t get into and then when I did they were cut off short
I really loved; Durable tires, Catastrophic Holiday, brewed with extra blood and the squelches. I don’t know what I was expecting but this book wasn’t for me sorry! 😢
May 11, 2026
This book has something for everyone and starts with a very uplifting message. Stories range from poems to almost novella length (it’s on me not knowing the right phrase after staying up all night reading) We all face rejection in our lives but this book shows us that it doesn’t have to stop you. Believe in yourself and read some crazy stories in the meantime! 10/10 would recommend!
Review of advance copy received from Author
A lot of cool tales in here. If you I like creature features this is one to read. A few nautical stories, as well as nature strikes back. A couple of my favourites were Bleeding Gold, Those of Eight, and Violet Shine. Check it out. 😁
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews