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Every House Is Haunted
"There are haunted places in the world, all existing in reality and every bit as tangible and accessible as the house next door. Sometimes it is the house next door." In this brilliant debut collection, Ian Rogers explores the border-places between our world and the dark reaches of the supernatural. The landscape of death becomes the new frontier for scientific exploration. A honeymoon cabin with an unspeakable appetite finally meets its match. A suburban home is transformed into the hunting ground for a new breed of spider. A nightmarish jazz club at the crossroads of reality plays host to those who can break a deal with the devil...for a price. With remarkable deftness, Rogers draws together the disturbing and the diverting in twenty-two showcase stories that will guide you through terrain at once familiar and startlingly fresh.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2012
107 people are currently reading
2633 people want to read
About the author
Ian Rogers
119 books197 followersIan Rogers is the author of the award-winning collection, Every House Is Haunted. His novelette, “The House on Ashley Avenue,” was a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and is currently being adapted into a feature film produced by Sam Raimi. His debut novel, Family, was published by Earthling Publications. He is also the creator of the Black Lands series. The first book, Sycamore, was published by Cemetery Dance Publications.
Ian's short fiction has appeared in several publications, including Tor.com, Cemetery Dance, Broken Pencil, and Shadows & Tall Trees. His work has been selected for The Best Horror of the Year and Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing.
Ian lives with his wife and two cats in Peterborough, Ontario. For more information, visit ianrogers.ca.
Ian's short fiction has appeared in several publications, including Tor.com, Cemetery Dance, Broken Pencil, and Shadows & Tall Trees. His work has been selected for The Best Horror of the Year and Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing.
Ian lives with his wife and two cats in Peterborough, Ontario. For more information, visit ianrogers.ca.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
April 6, 2020
3.5 stars
even though i have come a long way w/r/t my feelings towards short stories, i still have trouble writing reviews for them. i have written reviews in which i have painstakingly reviewed each individual story, but that is such a pain in the ass, because sometimes certain stories in a collection will just leave me cold, and once you've committed to that structure of a review, it's like "AARRGGH what was i thinking?"
and that is why i am not going to do that with this book. this book is a collection of 6 years worth of stories, and while they can loosely be grouped into an overarching stylistic similarity of "dark fantasy," they take on a number of different forms, lengths, and styles, some of which i really responded to and some which just left me a little flat.
the stories are loosely gathered in groupings designated by the parts of a house: the vestibule, the library, the attic, the den, and the cellar. and while some of these stories do in fact slot tidily into these groupings; for example - three of the stories in "the library" segment feature books in some way, some of them are less bang-on obvious. i speak exactly two words of german: das unheimliche, which of course means "uncanny," but more importantly, "heimliche" means "homely," so the truer meaning of the word is something like, "that which makes us uncomfortable in the place where we should be feeling most comfortable." and that's what many of these less-obvious stories do. while some of them do feature haunted houses or houses haunted by memories, troubled relationships, spiders, the past - some of them are just about discomfort within our supposed comfort zones: family, friends, work. the familiar rendered unfamiliar, and a little creepy.
but knowing what you know about me (do you know? have we met?), i am coming out of a long held "short stories? bluck!!" stance and while some of these stories didn't work for me, i can't be trusted, so you're on your own.
so - brief summaries only, and make of them what you will
Aces
first sentence is aces. hahahaaha!! DO YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE?
Soelle got kicked out of school for killing one of her classmates.
actually - the whole first paragraph is pretty good, and sets up the entire collection nicely:
Soelle got kicked out of school for killing one of her classmates. They couldn't prove she actually did it, which was why she received an expulsion instead of a murder charge, but there was no doubt among the faculty that she was responsible. Soelle told me she didn't care if they kicked her out or put her in jail. She just wanted her tarot cards back.
basically, a spooky little girl with powers who is having an adverse effect on reality while her older brother/guardian tries to protect her and simultaneously protect the town from her.
Autumnology
this one touches explicitly on the whole das unheimliche theme when a character is confronted with a tree in full autumnal splendor despite all the surrounding trees having succumbed to winter bareness:
It's hard to explain why the tree frightened me so. I think it was what it represented. A place where it was always autumn. There was something unnatural about the idea. Unnatural. Un-nature. The tree was something that shouldn't be. It was a tree out of time. A living monument that shouldn't exist, and yet at the same time couldn't be ignored.
it's more of a quietly haunting story rather than a scary one. unsettling.
Cabin D
this one is probably my favorite. ancient malevolent forces and a very hungry man. a good build and a satisfying resolution.
Winter Hammock
lovecraft tentacles/zombies/mutations. like This is Not a Test in the "boredom of the apocalypse," parts, but also its own thing. an escalation of dread. and tentacles.
A Night in the Library with the Gods
haunted books. this story, like many of them, has a stephen king feel to it. or that x-file episode blood:
The Nanny
another one i really liked. a neat premise: exorcism by babysitting
The Dark and the Young
moar magical books. this one is way more sci-fi-ish, so i liked it significantly less than the other one, even though it is like 4 times as long. it's good, but it's got that thing that makes my head hurt. i have never read lumley, but this one reads the way i always imagined lumley would read. feel free to tell me i am wrong.
The Currents
this one is good- it reads like a folktale or song. i could see nick cave writing a ballad based on this.
Leaves Brown
this has a little callback to autumnology, and another iteration of the theme of "home."
"There's a writer who said you can't go home again. He was only partly right. You can go home again, but when you come back you find out home isn't home anymore. It's just a place where you used to live. It's lost something, but you can't tell what it is. It's like an itch that you can't scratch."
Wood
frankly, i am mystified by this one. the tone is suitably creepy, but i have no idea what the hell happened. this is like a meaner giving tree. and a little bit like this movie:
The House on Ashley Avenue
similar to the nanny in that it is a more traditional haunted house story. this one might be my favorite, actually. it's a perfectly encapsulated little tale, with a solid ending.
The Rifts Between Us
sci fi and a short story? brother - you are going into this with two strikes against you. this is how i feel about most sci-fi - great ideas but the execution bored me to death. this one had what i feel was a particularly inelegant info-dump. which i think is my general problem with sci-fi.
Vogo
this is a very short story about a lake monster in which no one has intercourse with a lake monster, which is a change from most of the lake-monster lit i have read.
The Cat
NO - THIS ONE!! THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE STORY!
it kind of reminded me of that amazing stories episode - Thanksgiving even though it is nothing like that episode except in terms of unexpected sources of secret wishes coming true.
i don't know why i can't seem to stop comparing these stories to completely unrelated things. but this is my path, now.
Deleted Scenes
this is a clever idea, and a treat for film geeks and fanboys. i enjoyed it, especially the sad trombone ending.
The Tattletail
this is pretty cute. slap some illustrations in here, and you got yourself a very marketable children's picture book. i would buy it
Charlotte's Frequency
where sci-fi meets spiders. this would also have been a fun episode of amazing stories. or to make myself sound about five years younger: tales from the crypt. or creepshow. no, that makes me even older. damn. but it's good - a little nod to Charlotte's Web, but with more dead bodies.
Relaxed Best
It looks like a Philip Marlowe novel exploded in here, observes one character. that is my take on it as well.
Hunger
another teeny tiny one, but the length works for it. more of a sensory piece than anything, but the sense is good and spooky, like that first episode of walking dead with all that hospital-confusion before it just turned into a show about people talking endlessly.
Inheritor
these family secrets are worse than your family secrets
Twillingate
dreamy childhood story more about wonder and innocence and that loss than anything truly ghostish. a haunty feeling without any true haints.
The Candle
another one with an effective atmosphere, but that i don't really get. like wood, i liked it without really knowing what it is about, really.
and that is my review!!
i would definitely read more by this author, especially if the next book is a full-lengther. and is about cats.
come to my blog!
even though i have come a long way w/r/t my feelings towards short stories, i still have trouble writing reviews for them. i have written reviews in which i have painstakingly reviewed each individual story, but that is such a pain in the ass, because sometimes certain stories in a collection will just leave me cold, and once you've committed to that structure of a review, it's like "AARRGGH what was i thinking?"
and that is why i am not going to do that with this book. this book is a collection of 6 years worth of stories, and while they can loosely be grouped into an overarching stylistic similarity of "dark fantasy," they take on a number of different forms, lengths, and styles, some of which i really responded to and some which just left me a little flat.
the stories are loosely gathered in groupings designated by the parts of a house: the vestibule, the library, the attic, the den, and the cellar. and while some of these stories do in fact slot tidily into these groupings; for example - three of the stories in "the library" segment feature books in some way, some of them are less bang-on obvious. i speak exactly two words of german: das unheimliche, which of course means "uncanny," but more importantly, "heimliche" means "homely," so the truer meaning of the word is something like, "that which makes us uncomfortable in the place where we should be feeling most comfortable." and that's what many of these less-obvious stories do. while some of them do feature haunted houses or houses haunted by memories, troubled relationships, spiders, the past - some of them are just about discomfort within our supposed comfort zones: family, friends, work. the familiar rendered unfamiliar, and a little creepy.
but knowing what you know about me (do you know? have we met?), i am coming out of a long held "short stories? bluck!!" stance and while some of these stories didn't work for me, i can't be trusted, so you're on your own.
so - brief summaries only, and make of them what you will
Aces
first sentence is aces. hahahaaha!! DO YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE?
Soelle got kicked out of school for killing one of her classmates.
actually - the whole first paragraph is pretty good, and sets up the entire collection nicely:
Soelle got kicked out of school for killing one of her classmates. They couldn't prove she actually did it, which was why she received an expulsion instead of a murder charge, but there was no doubt among the faculty that she was responsible. Soelle told me she didn't care if they kicked her out or put her in jail. She just wanted her tarot cards back.
basically, a spooky little girl with powers who is having an adverse effect on reality while her older brother/guardian tries to protect her and simultaneously protect the town from her.
Autumnology
this one touches explicitly on the whole das unheimliche theme when a character is confronted with a tree in full autumnal splendor despite all the surrounding trees having succumbed to winter bareness:
It's hard to explain why the tree frightened me so. I think it was what it represented. A place where it was always autumn. There was something unnatural about the idea. Unnatural. Un-nature. The tree was something that shouldn't be. It was a tree out of time. A living monument that shouldn't exist, and yet at the same time couldn't be ignored.
it's more of a quietly haunting story rather than a scary one. unsettling.
Cabin D
this one is probably my favorite. ancient malevolent forces and a very hungry man. a good build and a satisfying resolution.
Winter Hammock
lovecraft tentacles/zombies/mutations. like This is Not a Test in the "boredom of the apocalypse," parts, but also its own thing. an escalation of dread. and tentacles.
A Night in the Library with the Gods
haunted books. this story, like many of them, has a stephen king feel to it. or that x-file episode blood:
The Nanny
another one i really liked. a neat premise: exorcism by babysitting
The Dark and the Young
moar magical books. this one is way more sci-fi-ish, so i liked it significantly less than the other one, even though it is like 4 times as long. it's good, but it's got that thing that makes my head hurt. i have never read lumley, but this one reads the way i always imagined lumley would read. feel free to tell me i am wrong.
The Currents
this one is good- it reads like a folktale or song. i could see nick cave writing a ballad based on this.
Leaves Brown
this has a little callback to autumnology, and another iteration of the theme of "home."
"There's a writer who said you can't go home again. He was only partly right. You can go home again, but when you come back you find out home isn't home anymore. It's just a place where you used to live. It's lost something, but you can't tell what it is. It's like an itch that you can't scratch."
Wood
frankly, i am mystified by this one. the tone is suitably creepy, but i have no idea what the hell happened. this is like a meaner giving tree. and a little bit like this movie:
The House on Ashley Avenue
similar to the nanny in that it is a more traditional haunted house story. this one might be my favorite, actually. it's a perfectly encapsulated little tale, with a solid ending.
The Rifts Between Us
sci fi and a short story? brother - you are going into this with two strikes against you. this is how i feel about most sci-fi - great ideas but the execution bored me to death. this one had what i feel was a particularly inelegant info-dump. which i think is my general problem with sci-fi.
Vogo
this is a very short story about a lake monster in which no one has intercourse with a lake monster, which is a change from most of the lake-monster lit i have read.
The Cat
NO - THIS ONE!! THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE STORY!
it kind of reminded me of that amazing stories episode - Thanksgiving even though it is nothing like that episode except in terms of unexpected sources of secret wishes coming true.
i don't know why i can't seem to stop comparing these stories to completely unrelated things. but this is my path, now.
Deleted Scenes
this is a clever idea, and a treat for film geeks and fanboys. i enjoyed it, especially the sad trombone ending.
The Tattletail
this is pretty cute. slap some illustrations in here, and you got yourself a very marketable children's picture book. i would buy it
Charlotte's Frequency
where sci-fi meets spiders. this would also have been a fun episode of amazing stories. or to make myself sound about five years younger: tales from the crypt. or creepshow. no, that makes me even older. damn. but it's good - a little nod to Charlotte's Web, but with more dead bodies.
Relaxed Best
It looks like a Philip Marlowe novel exploded in here, observes one character. that is my take on it as well.
Hunger
another teeny tiny one, but the length works for it. more of a sensory piece than anything, but the sense is good and spooky, like that first episode of walking dead with all that hospital-confusion before it just turned into a show about people talking endlessly.
Inheritor
these family secrets are worse than your family secrets
Twillingate
dreamy childhood story more about wonder and innocence and that loss than anything truly ghostish. a haunty feeling without any true haints.
The Candle
another one with an effective atmosphere, but that i don't really get. like wood, i liked it without really knowing what it is about, really.
and that is my review!!
i would definitely read more by this author, especially if the next book is a full-lengther. and is about cats.
come to my blog!
August 1, 2017
I have had the best luck in horror lately! Two great collections back to back! This collection by Ian Rogers is totally different than Bracken MacLeod's 13 Views of Suicide Woods that I reviewed earlier.
Yet still a five star collection. Just goes to show you that authors have totally different voices and you really get a feel for that in a collection like this.
I've seen Ian Rogers compared to Shirley Jackson's style and I would totally agree with that. He has an elevated level of prose under his belt and sometimes I found the descriptions so compelling, I would re read them a few times before moving on in the story. Especially in stories like "Cabin D" and "A Night in the Library with the Gods"
These stories range from the beautiful and poetic, like "Autumnology" to like an X Files vibe like the "Dark and the Young" and then my favorite kind of stories that Ian writes, the dark and humorous like "Aces" and "The Cat". I would say that's his wheelhouse, the ones that are drawing you in with clever dialogue and humor but also carry around a sense of the creeps lurking around the edges.
The book is broken down into mini collections, The Vestibule, The Library, The Attic, the Den and the Cellar. I loved the first collection very much and the Attic and the Cellar close behind. One of my favorite stories was "the Currents", a family finds a man washed up from the river that they believe to be dead. Really an interesting read because you have no idea where it's going, it's like being around the campfire at night with a creative storyteller.
Of course there are always a few stories in these collections that don't grab you or you don't resonate with them. Not every story is a home run.
I also would tell readers that this collection isn't necessarily terrifying. I'd use words like haunting, creepy, strange, supernatural or paranormal and just entertaining as hell. Classic. Classic tales of the dark and mysterious. I highly recommend this book.
Yet still a five star collection. Just goes to show you that authors have totally different voices and you really get a feel for that in a collection like this.
I've seen Ian Rogers compared to Shirley Jackson's style and I would totally agree with that. He has an elevated level of prose under his belt and sometimes I found the descriptions so compelling, I would re read them a few times before moving on in the story. Especially in stories like "Cabin D" and "A Night in the Library with the Gods"
These stories range from the beautiful and poetic, like "Autumnology" to like an X Files vibe like the "Dark and the Young" and then my favorite kind of stories that Ian writes, the dark and humorous like "Aces" and "The Cat". I would say that's his wheelhouse, the ones that are drawing you in with clever dialogue and humor but also carry around a sense of the creeps lurking around the edges.
The book is broken down into mini collections, The Vestibule, The Library, The Attic, the Den and the Cellar. I loved the first collection very much and the Attic and the Cellar close behind. One of my favorite stories was "the Currents", a family finds a man washed up from the river that they believe to be dead. Really an interesting read because you have no idea where it's going, it's like being around the campfire at night with a creative storyteller.
Of course there are always a few stories in these collections that don't grab you or you don't resonate with them. Not every story is a home run.
I also would tell readers that this collection isn't necessarily terrifying. I'd use words like haunting, creepy, strange, supernatural or paranormal and just entertaining as hell. Classic. Classic tales of the dark and mysterious. I highly recommend this book.
October 30, 2018
I have been killing it with these short story collections lately! Of course, this one was recommended to me a while back by my friend Sadie, so I decided to finally add it to my Halloween TBR. I have so many books that are just sitting on my TBR bookshelf calling to me. I can't read fast enough.
This is a superb collection of horror stories that are divided into sections of a haunted house. I love that! It really added to the atmosphere of each story. The sections are The Vestibule, The Library, The Attic, The Den, and The Cellar. We literally move from the front of the house all the way down to the dark depths of the cellar, and the stories reflect that shift in wandering through parts of a house.
Before I talk about the stories I have to bring up the Introduction by Paul Tremblay. Never have I related to an introduction as much as this one! It's fantastic, and sets up the book perfectly.
So, the stories! There isn't a weak story in this collection. As always, I enjoyed some more than others, but as a whole this is a very strong collection. Aces is the perfect first story. It's weird and quirky and so much fun. It reminded me a lot of Joe Hill. Winter Hammock is a dystopian nightmare that builds dread slowly over the course of the story. The Nanny is a supernatural tale about a woman who has devoted her life to the ghosts of children. The Dark and the Young gave me a sci-fi vibe that explored the lengths a person will go to over a dark obsession. I loved the characters in Leaves Brown. A grandfather and his grandson share a special, sinister bond. One morning the grandfather decides to explain that bond to the young boy, who seems wise beyond his age. I think The House of Ashley Avenue is one of my favorites in this collection. I love the idea that there is a group of people who deal with the aftermath of a haunted house murder. If people work so hard to cover up such inexplicable cases, perhaps haunted houses truly exist? I've read books about evil dogs, but a vengeful cat? It works. The Cat is such a fun little nasty tale. And finally, since apparently I could practically mention every story in the book, Charlotte's Frequency has me absolutely rethinking all of the spiders I've found in my house and left to take care of any bugs that happen to also find their way inside. This one is truly unsettling.
Again, a big thank you to Sadie for convincing me to pick this one up. We have such similar tastes, and very rarely do we disagree. Once again, she knew I needed this one.
This is a superb collection of horror stories that are divided into sections of a haunted house. I love that! It really added to the atmosphere of each story. The sections are The Vestibule, The Library, The Attic, The Den, and The Cellar. We literally move from the front of the house all the way down to the dark depths of the cellar, and the stories reflect that shift in wandering through parts of a house.
Before I talk about the stories I have to bring up the Introduction by Paul Tremblay. Never have I related to an introduction as much as this one! It's fantastic, and sets up the book perfectly.
So, the stories! There isn't a weak story in this collection. As always, I enjoyed some more than others, but as a whole this is a very strong collection. Aces is the perfect first story. It's weird and quirky and so much fun. It reminded me a lot of Joe Hill. Winter Hammock is a dystopian nightmare that builds dread slowly over the course of the story. The Nanny is a supernatural tale about a woman who has devoted her life to the ghosts of children. The Dark and the Young gave me a sci-fi vibe that explored the lengths a person will go to over a dark obsession. I loved the characters in Leaves Brown. A grandfather and his grandson share a special, sinister bond. One morning the grandfather decides to explain that bond to the young boy, who seems wise beyond his age. I think The House of Ashley Avenue is one of my favorites in this collection. I love the idea that there is a group of people who deal with the aftermath of a haunted house murder. If people work so hard to cover up such inexplicable cases, perhaps haunted houses truly exist? I've read books about evil dogs, but a vengeful cat? It works. The Cat is such a fun little nasty tale. And finally, since apparently I could practically mention every story in the book, Charlotte's Frequency has me absolutely rethinking all of the spiders I've found in my house and left to take care of any bugs that happen to also find their way inside. This one is truly unsettling.
Again, a big thank you to Sadie for convincing me to pick this one up. We have such similar tastes, and very rarely do we disagree. Once again, she knew I needed this one.
August 11, 2022
Every house is haunted, but not literally in this debut collection of strange and unexpected tales.
These are not the ghost stories or typical horror you might expect from the title. These hauntings do not necessarily involve spirits, although some do, There are many ways to be haunted, by the past, by missed chances, and regrets. It is not always a house or even a place that is haunted, sometimes under the right circumstances, it can be a person who is haunted no matter where they go.
I enjoyed most of the stories but there were a couple that were too sci-fi for my taste, though you may like those better than I do. Sci-fi is just rarely my thing. Some had ambiguous endings. I know there are readers who enjoy being able to decide for themselves how a story ends but I prefer a more definitive beginning middle and end.
A few of my favorites were Aces- about a young girl who seems to be not of this world.
The Currents- about a family who finds a man that seems to have drowned,
and The House On Ashley Avenue- which was more along the lines of what I was expecting from the title, a haunted house story.
All in all a decent collection even though it was not what I expected. If you like fantasy/sci-fi/dark fiction, give this one a read.
My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications for the review copy.
These are not the ghost stories or typical horror you might expect from the title. These hauntings do not necessarily involve spirits, although some do, There are many ways to be haunted, by the past, by missed chances, and regrets. It is not always a house or even a place that is haunted, sometimes under the right circumstances, it can be a person who is haunted no matter where they go.
I enjoyed most of the stories but there were a couple that were too sci-fi for my taste, though you may like those better than I do. Sci-fi is just rarely my thing. Some had ambiguous endings. I know there are readers who enjoy being able to decide for themselves how a story ends but I prefer a more definitive beginning middle and end.
A few of my favorites were Aces- about a young girl who seems to be not of this world.
The Currents- about a family who finds a man that seems to have drowned,
and The House On Ashley Avenue- which was more along the lines of what I was expecting from the title, a haunted house story.
All in all a decent collection even though it was not what I expected. If you like fantasy/sci-fi/dark fiction, give this one a read.
My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications for the review copy.
December 28, 2023
Ian Rogers seems like a terrific writer. But many of the stories in this collection read like the opening chapters of a series of Stephen-King-esque novels, rather than discrete works unto themselves. If Mr. Rogers ever decides to flesh out one of these concepts into a fully fledged novel, I'll gladly buy it.
November 1, 2012
Full disclosure, before I get into the meat of this review: Ian and I are friends, though we’ve only met in person a couple of times. I’ve known him since we were both published together in Bound for Evil back in 2008, and we both did our first ever book signing at that year’s Readercon. You can rest assured, though, that while our friendship affects how excited I am to see him have such a handsome book in print, it wouldn’t be enough to make me be as effusive in my praise as I am about to be.
Every House is Haunted, in addition to having a great title, is about as assured a debut collection as you’re ever likely to find. Ian writes in the grand tradition of folks like Stephen King, Richard Matheson (albeit with fewer Twilight Zone endings), or Shirley Jackson, but he also manages to make the stories entirely his own. Many of the stories involve haunted houses, as you might gather from the title, but rarely are they haunted in the usual sense. Many other stories, including some of my favorites, feature a sort of blue collar approach to the supernatural. The agencies that deal with the occult in Ian’s world are believably bureaucratic, peopled with the kinds of folks you’d find working in cubicles in any office building.
In fact, a big part of what makes Ian’s stories so good is their very human heart. While often ominous or creepy (and occasionally very funny), the stories in Every House is Haunted never feel the least bit mean-spirited. There’s always a warmth and sympathy at the center of each story, no matter how grim the subject matter becomes.
I have favorites from the book, of course. “Cabin D,” “The Cat,” and “Inheritor” all jump to mind. But really, it’s not any one story or stories that makes Every House such a success, but the way they combine to form a whole that is more than the sum of even its (already quite exceptional) parts.
Every House is Haunted, in addition to having a great title, is about as assured a debut collection as you’re ever likely to find. Ian writes in the grand tradition of folks like Stephen King, Richard Matheson (albeit with fewer Twilight Zone endings), or Shirley Jackson, but he also manages to make the stories entirely his own. Many of the stories involve haunted houses, as you might gather from the title, but rarely are they haunted in the usual sense. Many other stories, including some of my favorites, feature a sort of blue collar approach to the supernatural. The agencies that deal with the occult in Ian’s world are believably bureaucratic, peopled with the kinds of folks you’d find working in cubicles in any office building.
In fact, a big part of what makes Ian’s stories so good is their very human heart. While often ominous or creepy (and occasionally very funny), the stories in Every House is Haunted never feel the least bit mean-spirited. There’s always a warmth and sympathy at the center of each story, no matter how grim the subject matter becomes.
I have favorites from the book, of course. “Cabin D,” “The Cat,” and “Inheritor” all jump to mind. But really, it’s not any one story or stories that makes Every House such a success, but the way they combine to form a whole that is more than the sum of even its (already quite exceptional) parts.
September 12, 2016
The stories in this book weren't exactly what I expected (straight up horror), but I greatly enjoyed this collection nonetheless. Quite a few of them seemed to fall more into the realm of fantasy, though there were definitely some creepy moments in there. I also liked the variety in this collection in tone, mood, and length.
I liked all the stories, but I think my favorites were "The Dark and the Young", "The Rifts Between Us", and "Charlotte's Frequency". On the whole, I definitely recommend this collection.
I liked all the stories, but I think my favorites were "The Dark and the Young", "The Rifts Between Us", and "Charlotte's Frequency". On the whole, I definitely recommend this collection.
January 22, 2016
An impressive debut collection by yet another talented Canadian writer of weird fiction.
There is a wide range of style and subject matter on display, which I suppose can be seen either as a young writer's excitement at experimentation, or as exploration in search of a distinctive voice. Not all the experiments succeed, but Rogers is never dull, and always intelligent.
He has a gift for the surreal, especially piquant in its lack of pretension. His prose and characters are usually the sort one might find in mainstream pop fiction, but the things that happen certainly are not, and the strangeness of the juxtaposition is generally effective. Many of the stories barely make any sort of orthodox narrative sense, but they evoke powerful images and create a mood of unease which lingers after you've finished---long after specifics about the elusive and perplexing plots have vanished from the mind.
Once or twice Rogers goes too far. "Hunger" is so elliptical that I can't say what happens in it, and too brief to have much impact. There are a few humorous tales which leave me cold, although "The Cat" is great ghoulish fun.
"The Rifts Between Us" is a fascinating blend of banal sf trappings and sheer weirdness. The premise---exploring the borderlands of death by hitching a ride on a mental ray transmitted by the moribund---is truly nutty, but Rogers makes it work by unleashing a succession of bizarre images and sustaining an atmosphere of dread. This story feels like a bad dream, as does "The Candle", a splendidly disturbing vignette chosen to finish the book.
"Leaves Brown" and "The Currents" remind me of good early Bradbury, and Rogers several times expresses a dark fascination with the dying year which the creater of "The October Country" would have understood. "Inheritor" and "The Nanny" are also fine.
There are two noteworthy narratives of a more straightforward variety. "The Dark and the Young" has some effective ideas, but is a little spoiled by a central glaring anachronism, an ancient Sumerian book, although books of the kind described were not invented until thousands of years after the Sumerians closed up shop. "The House on Ashley Avenue" seems to be going somewhere interesting, with carefully developed characters and intriguing references to a mysterious "Mereville Group", but then an apparition pops up, and is dispelled with despatch, leaving a distinct sense of incompleteness---Rogers could have done more with such a promising start to his story (although the ghost is an unusual and striking one!).
Altogether an auspicious debut, and I'll be looking out for Rogers in the future.
There is a wide range of style and subject matter on display, which I suppose can be seen either as a young writer's excitement at experimentation, or as exploration in search of a distinctive voice. Not all the experiments succeed, but Rogers is never dull, and always intelligent.
He has a gift for the surreal, especially piquant in its lack of pretension. His prose and characters are usually the sort one might find in mainstream pop fiction, but the things that happen certainly are not, and the strangeness of the juxtaposition is generally effective. Many of the stories barely make any sort of orthodox narrative sense, but they evoke powerful images and create a mood of unease which lingers after you've finished---long after specifics about the elusive and perplexing plots have vanished from the mind.
Once or twice Rogers goes too far. "Hunger" is so elliptical that I can't say what happens in it, and too brief to have much impact. There are a few humorous tales which leave me cold, although "The Cat" is great ghoulish fun.
"The Rifts Between Us" is a fascinating blend of banal sf trappings and sheer weirdness. The premise---exploring the borderlands of death by hitching a ride on a mental ray transmitted by the moribund---is truly nutty, but Rogers makes it work by unleashing a succession of bizarre images and sustaining an atmosphere of dread. This story feels like a bad dream, as does "The Candle", a splendidly disturbing vignette chosen to finish the book.
"Leaves Brown" and "The Currents" remind me of good early Bradbury, and Rogers several times expresses a dark fascination with the dying year which the creater of "The October Country" would have understood. "Inheritor" and "The Nanny" are also fine.
There are two noteworthy narratives of a more straightforward variety. "The Dark and the Young" has some effective ideas, but is a little spoiled by a central glaring anachronism, an ancient Sumerian book, although books of the kind described were not invented until thousands of years after the Sumerians closed up shop. "The House on Ashley Avenue" seems to be going somewhere interesting, with carefully developed characters and intriguing references to a mysterious "Mereville Group", but then an apparition pops up, and is dispelled with despatch, leaving a distinct sense of incompleteness---Rogers could have done more with such a promising start to his story (although the ghost is an unusual and striking one!).
Altogether an auspicious debut, and I'll be looking out for Rogers in the future.
February 22, 2019
This is an exceptional collection of short stories, each one is enjoyable with an easy to read style and surprising depth.
Ian likes to keep you on your toes as each piece is very different to one another. The styles, tone and subject matter varies throughout but the quality is always high, it’s particularly impressive for a debut collection.
I'll definitely have to check out more of Ian's work!
Ian likes to keep you on your toes as each piece is very different to one another. The styles, tone and subject matter varies throughout but the quality is always high, it’s particularly impressive for a debut collection.
I'll definitely have to check out more of Ian's work!
October 22, 2012
I love ghost stories, so by the title alone I was instantly drawn to this book. The stories, however, are not focused solely on apparitions and spooky old houses. The book does have its fair share, though. I think Paul Tremblay puts it best in his introduction: "Ian's stories are explorations of the cosmic, social, and paranormal what-ifs, of the terrible and wonderful awe of possibility. Yeah, that's this book in a nutshell.
The book is segmented in five parts, with a few stories in each: the vestibule, the library, the attic, the den, and the cellar. The stories don't use those rooms as their theme so much as reflect the exploration of Ian's imagination.
Things start off creepy as heck with "Aces," about a young man coping with his teen sister, Soelle, whose been kicked out of school. That doesn't sound so bad until you discover it's because one of her classmates died after Soelle gave her a malicious tarot reading that sent to panicking girl into the path of a bus--and it's not the first time Soelle's fascination with the paranormal has played part in someone's death or disappearance. The story carries that squabbling brother/sister tone perfectly and only amplifies it as Soelle starts to embrace the idea of being seen by everyone as a witch.
"Cabin D" had a great Stephen King kind of vibe when a man named Henry walks into a diner and orders everything on the menu. The waitress finds him mildly amusing at first, but his odd, fatalistic mood grinds on her. The story seems to take in one long, straining breath through the first half of the story, and then it switches to Henry's point of view and it's like that breath is being forced out for some great purpose, and it all has to do with an abandoned cabin where Henry has to go. This one may have been one of my favorites from the collection.
Another stand out is "The Dark and the Young," about a translator specializing in ancient texts, fresh out of college and desperate for work. She's setup with a prime gig, albeit with modest pay and odd accommodations. She winds up in a neighborhood almost in the middle of nowhere, working in what looks like an old glove factory on the outside, but is a secret underground installation housing one very dangerous piece of literature. Think Necronomicon with a chip on its shoulder. This story worked wonderfully for me, especially as I'd recently watched The Cabin in the Woods, and the whole secret underground installation motif was played to the hilt. Loved it.
I could prattle on about some of the stories that captivated me, like "Wood" and "The Cat" and a disturbing bit of flash fiction called "Hunger," but sufficed to say that this book will rank highly on my year-end favorites list. There are but a couple stories that fell flat, due to ending so abruptly as things were getting good, but the overall collection is just a great showing of Ian's evolution as an author. And to think he's just getting warmed up. If Ian wasn't already on my "authors to watch out for" list, this book would have cemented it.
The book is segmented in five parts, with a few stories in each: the vestibule, the library, the attic, the den, and the cellar. The stories don't use those rooms as their theme so much as reflect the exploration of Ian's imagination.
Things start off creepy as heck with "Aces," about a young man coping with his teen sister, Soelle, whose been kicked out of school. That doesn't sound so bad until you discover it's because one of her classmates died after Soelle gave her a malicious tarot reading that sent to panicking girl into the path of a bus--and it's not the first time Soelle's fascination with the paranormal has played part in someone's death or disappearance. The story carries that squabbling brother/sister tone perfectly and only amplifies it as Soelle starts to embrace the idea of being seen by everyone as a witch.
"Cabin D" had a great Stephen King kind of vibe when a man named Henry walks into a diner and orders everything on the menu. The waitress finds him mildly amusing at first, but his odd, fatalistic mood grinds on her. The story seems to take in one long, straining breath through the first half of the story, and then it switches to Henry's point of view and it's like that breath is being forced out for some great purpose, and it all has to do with an abandoned cabin where Henry has to go. This one may have been one of my favorites from the collection.
Another stand out is "The Dark and the Young," about a translator specializing in ancient texts, fresh out of college and desperate for work. She's setup with a prime gig, albeit with modest pay and odd accommodations. She winds up in a neighborhood almost in the middle of nowhere, working in what looks like an old glove factory on the outside, but is a secret underground installation housing one very dangerous piece of literature. Think Necronomicon with a chip on its shoulder. This story worked wonderfully for me, especially as I'd recently watched The Cabin in the Woods, and the whole secret underground installation motif was played to the hilt. Loved it.
I could prattle on about some of the stories that captivated me, like "Wood" and "The Cat" and a disturbing bit of flash fiction called "Hunger," but sufficed to say that this book will rank highly on my year-end favorites list. There are but a couple stories that fell flat, due to ending so abruptly as things were getting good, but the overall collection is just a great showing of Ian's evolution as an author. And to think he's just getting warmed up. If Ian wasn't already on my "authors to watch out for" list, this book would have cemented it.
December 21, 2015
Well written with some pieces reminiscent of Stephen King, but....the storytelling style wasn't my cuppa; too many of these stories plopped the reader into a white box and goals / motivation were murky or there was no clear beginning / middle / end to the tales. So while these were all really cool 'snapshots', any narrative drive felt like it was missing and so I needed to set this collection aside and move on.
April 11, 2021
Well, this is exciting! https://www.tor.com/2021/04/08/netfli...
January 27, 2022
A wonderful, eclectic mix ranging from horror, science fiction, speculative fiction, weird fiction, and contemporary mythic fantasy.
February 23, 2016
A few stories into Every House Is Haunted, Rogers’ debut collection, I thought I had it pegged. A little bit of Matheson, some Lovecraft, a dash of Frank Capra (yes, you read that correctly. Don’t worry, I’ll explain). Moving further into the nooks, crannies and dark corners of the haunts contained herein, I came to appreciate the sheer range of Ian’s imagination and his skill as a weaver of words. If you want something easily consumed, labeled and set aside, you’d best look elsewhere. These stories dig under the skin, wriggle to the bone and stick with you.
The great unknown within almost all of the stories here is death. Whether characters are trying to cheat it, ease the transition into it, glimpse beyond it or skirting its edges precariously, death is ever present. Despite this, Rogers writes his characters and situations with true compassion. It’s not really a sentimental thing (this is why Capra came to mind at first), so much as a positive attitude in the face of man’s oft-cited greatest fear.
The angles Rogers takes to examine mortality and whatever may come after are as varied as they are fascinating, each story having its own particular spin. Standouts include
Winter Hammock
A series of increasingly unbalanced journal entries written by a man secluded in a warehouse as unspeakable things encroach outside.
The Rifts Between Us
A surreal and melancholy tale featuring a group of intrepid explorers who traverse the cusp of death, quite literally.
The House on Ashley Avenue
A deeply unnerving novelette in which the haunted house is as much a character as the people in it.
Although the stories in this collection aren’t explicitly connected for the most part, some feature an organization of paranormal investigators called the Mereville group. These were the ones that left me wanting more, if only because the mythos is so intriguing. Given the allusive way they’re written (it seems Rogers knows a lot more about this group than what we get here), I’d venture that we’ll be reading more about the Mereville group in books to come.
Even the unconnected stories here have some common themes and details, and come across as being pieces of a greater whole, a rich metaphysical tapestry. I enjoyed them all, and would recommend Every House Is Haunted wholeheartedly to anyone who likes their horror quiet, subdued and thoughtful. This is a highly auspicious debut, and a damned fine bunch of tales.
originally posted at http://www.horrornovelreviews.com
The great unknown within almost all of the stories here is death. Whether characters are trying to cheat it, ease the transition into it, glimpse beyond it or skirting its edges precariously, death is ever present. Despite this, Rogers writes his characters and situations with true compassion. It’s not really a sentimental thing (this is why Capra came to mind at first), so much as a positive attitude in the face of man’s oft-cited greatest fear.
The angles Rogers takes to examine mortality and whatever may come after are as varied as they are fascinating, each story having its own particular spin. Standouts include
Winter Hammock
A series of increasingly unbalanced journal entries written by a man secluded in a warehouse as unspeakable things encroach outside.
The Rifts Between Us
A surreal and melancholy tale featuring a group of intrepid explorers who traverse the cusp of death, quite literally.
The House on Ashley Avenue
A deeply unnerving novelette in which the haunted house is as much a character as the people in it.
Although the stories in this collection aren’t explicitly connected for the most part, some feature an organization of paranormal investigators called the Mereville group. These were the ones that left me wanting more, if only because the mythos is so intriguing. Given the allusive way they’re written (it seems Rogers knows a lot more about this group than what we get here), I’d venture that we’ll be reading more about the Mereville group in books to come.
Even the unconnected stories here have some common themes and details, and come across as being pieces of a greater whole, a rich metaphysical tapestry. I enjoyed them all, and would recommend Every House Is Haunted wholeheartedly to anyone who likes their horror quiet, subdued and thoughtful. This is a highly auspicious debut, and a damned fine bunch of tales.
originally posted at http://www.horrornovelreviews.com
April 14, 2019
Such an impressive debut. I really loved this story collections and has become one of my favourite ones. Ian Roger's writing style is amazing and even in the stories I liked less, I found that the concepts he introduced were really interesting and you he creates characters that you can empathize with in a few lines. I can't wait to see what this writer is planning to do next
October 23, 2013
A fantastic collection of short horror stories. Rogers has an immensely original and unpredictable imagination. Stories like "Aces" and "Inheritor" are absolutely captivating. I can't wait to see what he writes next!
May 23, 2020
Review 5/23/20: I went into Every House is Haunted knowing I was going to love it again and spoiler alert, I did. The stories were just as well crafted, well written, dark, disturbing, and as beautiful as I remember. I was so excited yet a touch nervous to get to Leaves Brown because I have been singing its praises from the moment I finished it last time but I did have a nagging thought it wasn't going to live up to the monolithic tower of perfection I built it up to be. It definitely did not disappoint this time around. It read almost like a Bradbury short story in its picture perfect descriptions of autumn with the dark undertones and horrific implications yet Rogers' voice is very much his own. Leaves Brown is still my favorite but I was surprised that upon this re-read, I discovered stories I vaguely remembered but didn't recall loving last time as much as I did this time. I read stories in different lights given the current state of affairs, personal and societal. And that is exactly why I re-read books folks! You never know what new gem you're going to uncover. Not to mention, re-reading something dear to you is as cozy as snuggling in a blanket with a hot coffee on a rainy autumn afternoon. But I digress...
One story that made a bigger impact was The Rifts Between Us. This story hit me hard. It packs a very sci-fi punch, which is what I was distracted by the first time, but oh my goodness is it riddled with deep, complex, philosophical, and religious thoughts. I needed this re-read to really be able to wade past the sci-fi (which, do not get me wrong, is very interesting!) and delve deep, deeper still, into the misty gray depths of the human soul.
"They call me a virus. They call me a myth. They call me a terrorist. They call me mass hysteria." This is a quote from the short story, Hunger. Reading it the first time, I enjoyed it as a zombie-esque romp through a post apocalyptic city but reading it this time, it resonated with me a bit more personally. The quote, and the entire story, feels very apropos given everything unfolding with the COVID-19 pandemic.
I really could make a comment on every story in the collection but these short stories stand strongly on their own, I don't need to try and sell them too hard; plus there's 22 so we'd be here for awhile! If it's possible, I loved Every House is Haunted moreso this time than last. So regardless of it being your first time reading or your 21st time reading, pick up the book and savor every word Rogers gives you.
*********
First Review: Do you know early on if a book will be a 5 star read? I usually have an inkling whether or not I'm going to love it. With Every House is Haunted, I knew from the opening line of the first story that I was going to love it. Truthfully, I fell in love with the table of contents but I reserved my judgement until I actually got to the stories. The stories were broken up into five sections - The Vestibule, The Library, The Attic, The Den, and The Cellar. Ian Rogers literally takes the reader on a tour of a haunted house. There were some (many) fantastic stories in this collection. However, every story was at least good; entertaining to say the least. Which is a feat unto itself in a collection of 22 stories.
Cabin D spoke to me as there are plenty of falling down barns and houses in the area of rural Tennessee where I live (and Cabin D was actually set in Tennessee!) Each time I pass one, my eyes are drawn to them, their histories, their secrets, their ghosts.
My favorite story in the entire collection and possibly one of my favorite stories ever, is Leaves Brown. The story itself was creepy yet sweet; a grandfather sharing a dark family secret with his grandson. But what was stellar about this story was the beautiful and intricate imagery. The grandfather talking about fall made me so yearn for that season - “if seasons were a four course meal, fall would be dessert”. I want to quote the entire story. It was absolutely packed with the dreamiest prose. Leaves Brown was haunting and beautiful, nostalgic and bittersweet. I would have purchased the book for that story alone.
Then there were stories like The Cat which was fun and humorous, dark humor but humor nonetheless.
Rogers is truly an adept and brilliant writer; his range of storytelling is so broad and this collection really showcases this. Every House is Haunted is horror at it's finest because it's not just traditional horror, it's moody, it's dark, it's paranormal, it's morbidly beautiful.
“But you don't believe in haunted houses, Daniel. Just haunted people.”
One story that made a bigger impact was The Rifts Between Us. This story hit me hard. It packs a very sci-fi punch, which is what I was distracted by the first time, but oh my goodness is it riddled with deep, complex, philosophical, and religious thoughts. I needed this re-read to really be able to wade past the sci-fi (which, do not get me wrong, is very interesting!) and delve deep, deeper still, into the misty gray depths of the human soul.
"They call me a virus. They call me a myth. They call me a terrorist. They call me mass hysteria." This is a quote from the short story, Hunger. Reading it the first time, I enjoyed it as a zombie-esque romp through a post apocalyptic city but reading it this time, it resonated with me a bit more personally. The quote, and the entire story, feels very apropos given everything unfolding with the COVID-19 pandemic.
I really could make a comment on every story in the collection but these short stories stand strongly on their own, I don't need to try and sell them too hard; plus there's 22 so we'd be here for awhile! If it's possible, I loved Every House is Haunted moreso this time than last. So regardless of it being your first time reading or your 21st time reading, pick up the book and savor every word Rogers gives you.
*********
First Review: Do you know early on if a book will be a 5 star read? I usually have an inkling whether or not I'm going to love it. With Every House is Haunted, I knew from the opening line of the first story that I was going to love it. Truthfully, I fell in love with the table of contents but I reserved my judgement until I actually got to the stories. The stories were broken up into five sections - The Vestibule, The Library, The Attic, The Den, and The Cellar. Ian Rogers literally takes the reader on a tour of a haunted house. There were some (many) fantastic stories in this collection. However, every story was at least good; entertaining to say the least. Which is a feat unto itself in a collection of 22 stories.
Cabin D spoke to me as there are plenty of falling down barns and houses in the area of rural Tennessee where I live (and Cabin D was actually set in Tennessee!) Each time I pass one, my eyes are drawn to them, their histories, their secrets, their ghosts.
My favorite story in the entire collection and possibly one of my favorite stories ever, is Leaves Brown. The story itself was creepy yet sweet; a grandfather sharing a dark family secret with his grandson. But what was stellar about this story was the beautiful and intricate imagery. The grandfather talking about fall made me so yearn for that season - “if seasons were a four course meal, fall would be dessert”. I want to quote the entire story. It was absolutely packed with the dreamiest prose. Leaves Brown was haunting and beautiful, nostalgic and bittersweet. I would have purchased the book for that story alone.
Then there were stories like The Cat which was fun and humorous, dark humor but humor nonetheless.
Rogers is truly an adept and brilliant writer; his range of storytelling is so broad and this collection really showcases this. Every House is Haunted is horror at it's finest because it's not just traditional horror, it's moody, it's dark, it's paranormal, it's morbidly beautiful.
“But you don't believe in haunted houses, Daniel. Just haunted people.”
April 29, 2013
Many of the 22 short stories in Every House is Haunted, the debut collection by Ian Rogers, feel connected. As the title suggests, this is a book about hauntings, though the stories Rogers tells venture beyond the well-worn template of the haunted house tale. On top of this unifying theme, several stories also feature paranormal investigators, something like agents Mulder and Scully of the X-Files, or hint at a shadowy group overseeing such intrusions. Rogers seeks to establish a common world in which paranormal events and entities are controlled, studied and policed by a broad and shadowy organization devoted to these functions.
Rogers starts off strong with "Aces," on its surface a routine family drama in which Toby's sister has trouble in school and exhibits weird behavior, like many adolescents. This seeming normalcy masks the extreme strangeness of what's really going on with the sister, who is obsessed with finding "aces," playing cards which she discovers in strange places, such has hovering in mid-air. Toby only comes to understand his sister's unusual nature when paranormal investigators arrive and explain.
Another strange and surreal piece early in the book, "A Night at the Library With the Gods" again displays Rogers' skill for creating a familiar, mostly normal world, then gradually increasing the strangeness until the reader recognizes they're in something more akin to nightmare. In "The Dark and the Young," linguist Wendy takes a mysterious job, translating an occult "black book." Some of the rituals described in this bizarre text make Wendy and some of her coworkers hesitant to participate.
A few less mature stories are sprinkled throughout, and in my opinion Rogers could have made a stronger debut impression by omitting these. I understand the desire to include early work, and indeed this flaw is so common in first collections I'm hesitant to mention it. At any rate, the few less-compelling pieces are more than offset by a high overall quality. The more recent stories seem generally darker, more macabre or surreal.Rogers closes the collection with a powerful series of tales, deftly and confidently told.
In "The Inheritor," Daniel Ramis unexpectedly inherits a house from his father, with whom he had a terrible relationship. He visits the childhood home, a place evoking the terrible memory of his sister's early death. Daniel always thought his father had sold the house when he moved, and can't understand why he'd held onto it. Along with the house, Daniel is also left contents of safe deposit box: a gun, and a note from his father hinting at explanation. All that remains is for Daniel to discover what responsibility comprises the most horrible aspect of his father's legacy.
A husband in "The Candle" gives his wife a guilt trip about possibly forgetting to blow out a candle before coming to bed. Time passes, and feeling guilty, he goes downstairs and finds something weird and disquieting in the dark. Here's another story that starts off realistic, then takes a weird disconnect, making a subtle and eerie observation of the ways we open gaps in relationships through small acts of selfishness or distrust.
The last tale, "The Secret Door" makes a powerful ending to the book. Sarah and husband move into an old country house, and find a secret door bricked up on back side. She sleeps, and wakes again to find her husband's not there. Other details, such as the bed and their car, inexplicably have changed. The story veers more deeply into surrealism. Sarah envisions a boy yelling from the bottom of a well, telling her she's the one who put him there, hinting at connection to her earlier decision never to have kids. Her experience swerves between alternating realities, now alone and sick, then with her husband telling her she's not well. It depicts increasing detachment from reality, a creepy back-and-forth between the real and the surreal.
Every House is Haunted is an above-average short fiction collection, especially noteworthy as a debut. The writing is both transparent enough for mainstream readers, and artful enough for those who like their prose with an edge. At his best, Rogers is very compelling, and the growth demonstrated within these pages suggest he's one to watch. 4 1/2 stars.
Rogers starts off strong with "Aces," on its surface a routine family drama in which Toby's sister has trouble in school and exhibits weird behavior, like many adolescents. This seeming normalcy masks the extreme strangeness of what's really going on with the sister, who is obsessed with finding "aces," playing cards which she discovers in strange places, such has hovering in mid-air. Toby only comes to understand his sister's unusual nature when paranormal investigators arrive and explain.
Another strange and surreal piece early in the book, "A Night at the Library With the Gods" again displays Rogers' skill for creating a familiar, mostly normal world, then gradually increasing the strangeness until the reader recognizes they're in something more akin to nightmare. In "The Dark and the Young," linguist Wendy takes a mysterious job, translating an occult "black book." Some of the rituals described in this bizarre text make Wendy and some of her coworkers hesitant to participate.
A few less mature stories are sprinkled throughout, and in my opinion Rogers could have made a stronger debut impression by omitting these. I understand the desire to include early work, and indeed this flaw is so common in first collections I'm hesitant to mention it. At any rate, the few less-compelling pieces are more than offset by a high overall quality. The more recent stories seem generally darker, more macabre or surreal.Rogers closes the collection with a powerful series of tales, deftly and confidently told.
In "The Inheritor," Daniel Ramis unexpectedly inherits a house from his father, with whom he had a terrible relationship. He visits the childhood home, a place evoking the terrible memory of his sister's early death. Daniel always thought his father had sold the house when he moved, and can't understand why he'd held onto it. Along with the house, Daniel is also left contents of safe deposit box: a gun, and a note from his father hinting at explanation. All that remains is for Daniel to discover what responsibility comprises the most horrible aspect of his father's legacy.
A husband in "The Candle" gives his wife a guilt trip about possibly forgetting to blow out a candle before coming to bed. Time passes, and feeling guilty, he goes downstairs and finds something weird and disquieting in the dark. Here's another story that starts off realistic, then takes a weird disconnect, making a subtle and eerie observation of the ways we open gaps in relationships through small acts of selfishness or distrust.
The last tale, "The Secret Door" makes a powerful ending to the book. Sarah and husband move into an old country house, and find a secret door bricked up on back side. She sleeps, and wakes again to find her husband's not there. Other details, such as the bed and their car, inexplicably have changed. The story veers more deeply into surrealism. Sarah envisions a boy yelling from the bottom of a well, telling her she's the one who put him there, hinting at connection to her earlier decision never to have kids. Her experience swerves between alternating realities, now alone and sick, then with her husband telling her she's not well. It depicts increasing detachment from reality, a creepy back-and-forth between the real and the surreal.
Every House is Haunted is an above-average short fiction collection, especially noteworthy as a debut. The writing is both transparent enough for mainstream readers, and artful enough for those who like their prose with an edge. At his best, Rogers is very compelling, and the growth demonstrated within these pages suggest he's one to watch. 4 1/2 stars.
June 27, 2020
A few years back, I snagged a ChiZine story bundle ebook package, specifically for three books: 'Experimental Film,' 'The Bone Mother' and this one, 'Every House is Haunted.' Since that time, as most will know in the horror community, ChiZine imploded. When this happened I reached out to each author, wanting to make sure they were compensated by myself for each of these ebooks. Ian was very gracious in his replies (as were Gemma and David for the other two books), so while I do not support any of what ChiZine did, I still wanted to support the authors.
Frankly - if I would've known Andrew Pyper gave this a blurb, I would've read it right when I got it!
I recently read Ian's novella 'Go Fish' that came out through Tor and was blown away by this world. When I posted my review, my friend Lauren mentioned that 'Go Fish' was in fact a world related to some of the stories in this collection!
What I liked: Ian has written some absolutely stunning stories in this collection. Many of these will be ingrained into my brain for some time. It opens with the fantastic 'Aces' a story about a sister who has odd, special powers. Soelle continues to develop them and at one point I was stunned when Ian described a scene featuring Soelle wanting to "test" something. 'Cabin D' was a great piece of mystery writing. Henry enters the restaurant and just starts eating, all to prepare for a feast. Loved it. 'A Night in the Library With the Gods' was a very cool story. I really enjoyed the open ended-ness of the world this seemed to be alluding to. 'The Nanny' (at least I thought so!) was another story intertwined in the world from 'Go Fish.' This was a heart breaking piece about a haunted house and it's inhabitants. 'The Currents.' Wow. As I mentioned on Twitter, every story that involved Cape Breton or the east coast of Canada, I knew I was in for some darkness and some ghostly happenings, but 'The Currents' took it to another level. A body is found. He is alive. They bring him home, give him warmth and food, but the family knows he isn't from 'around here.' Loved it. 'Wood' was an amazing take on fairy tale story telling and 'Vogo' was of course a really fun lake monster story.
The gem for me of course, was 'The House on Ashley Ave.' I had heard great things about this story before and with knowing it's relation to 'Go Fish' was really excited to read it and find out a little bit more about 'the eight.' Rogers can write dark and creepy so well, that I was completely engrossed.
What I didn't like: Broken record as always with collections, but a few stories I just didn't click with. It's never that they are bad or horribly written or anything, it's really just the nature of short story collections.
Why you should buy this: Well, now, this is a bit of a issue! I'm not sure if Ian has sorted out the book being rereleased. Currently the ebook is unavailable, but the paperbacks can still be ordered through after market dealers. I hope we get rerelease news soon, and if I some how missed that, my sincere apologies.
As for the collection itself - this was such a great grouping of stories. Ian delivers scares and chills time and time again and he really has crafted a wonderful world with a mysterious corporation and the dreaded 'eight.' I can't recommend this one enough!
Frankly - if I would've known Andrew Pyper gave this a blurb, I would've read it right when I got it!
I recently read Ian's novella 'Go Fish' that came out through Tor and was blown away by this world. When I posted my review, my friend Lauren mentioned that 'Go Fish' was in fact a world related to some of the stories in this collection!
What I liked: Ian has written some absolutely stunning stories in this collection. Many of these will be ingrained into my brain for some time. It opens with the fantastic 'Aces' a story about a sister who has odd, special powers. Soelle continues to develop them and at one point I was stunned when Ian described a scene featuring Soelle wanting to "test" something. 'Cabin D' was a great piece of mystery writing. Henry enters the restaurant and just starts eating, all to prepare for a feast. Loved it. 'A Night in the Library With the Gods' was a very cool story. I really enjoyed the open ended-ness of the world this seemed to be alluding to. 'The Nanny' (at least I thought so!) was another story intertwined in the world from 'Go Fish.' This was a heart breaking piece about a haunted house and it's inhabitants. 'The Currents.' Wow. As I mentioned on Twitter, every story that involved Cape Breton or the east coast of Canada, I knew I was in for some darkness and some ghostly happenings, but 'The Currents' took it to another level. A body is found. He is alive. They bring him home, give him warmth and food, but the family knows he isn't from 'around here.' Loved it. 'Wood' was an amazing take on fairy tale story telling and 'Vogo' was of course a really fun lake monster story.
The gem for me of course, was 'The House on Ashley Ave.' I had heard great things about this story before and with knowing it's relation to 'Go Fish' was really excited to read it and find out a little bit more about 'the eight.' Rogers can write dark and creepy so well, that I was completely engrossed.
What I didn't like: Broken record as always with collections, but a few stories I just didn't click with. It's never that they are bad or horribly written or anything, it's really just the nature of short story collections.
Why you should buy this: Well, now, this is a bit of a issue! I'm not sure if Ian has sorted out the book being rereleased. Currently the ebook is unavailable, but the paperbacks can still be ordered through after market dealers. I hope we get rerelease news soon, and if I some how missed that, my sincere apologies.
As for the collection itself - this was such a great grouping of stories. Ian delivers scares and chills time and time again and he really has crafted a wonderful world with a mysterious corporation and the dreaded 'eight.' I can't recommend this one enough!
October 21, 2016
I'll be the first to admit/point out that I didn't finish this book.
The stories aren't bad or poorly-written. Mr. Rogers has very cool ideas at work in his noggin, and it's great that he gets to explore them, yet at times, they appear to lack clear endings. Often, a story will open, unfold, slowly revealing its dark machinations--and then abruptly stops.
For one thing, "Aces" was beautiful, touching, and more than a little creepy; I loved it. "Autumnology" was super-short (3 pages!), but still eerie and melancholic.
Then things began getting iffy with "Cabin D." I liked its beginning, but with a few grammatical uses that I found a little distracting, but the second half of the story takes the narrative fully in another direction, throwing in lot of background/characterization into a few pages, and then abruptly stopped.
"Winter Hammock" was a fairly formulaic Cthulhu-type apocalyptic tale, as described in journal entries by a lone survivor. It lost steam fairly early – another example of pacing being a problem – but I still enjoyed its mood and atmosphere. "Library of the Gods" was just plain odd, and reminded me a bit of a Jorge Luis Borges story. "The Nanny" had an interesting premise, and was told in a quiet, even sweet, manner, and then again, an abrupt ending hurt the mood.
While I understand that a short story does not necessarily have to have a pronounced ending (in fact, generally speaking, they *don't*), but there's still a certain way of orchestrating a tale so that it feels like it has a beginning, middle, and end; here, it's more beginnings and middles that face the directions of ends, yet never quite reach them.
It's really too bad, too; it has a great title, an excellent opening story, a cool layout of story "groupings" ("The Foyer," "The Attic," "The Basement," etc.), and amazing artwork and layout by the great Danny Evarts. But unfortunately, at least for the time being, this was a book that I chose not to finish.
The stories aren't bad or poorly-written. Mr. Rogers has very cool ideas at work in his noggin, and it's great that he gets to explore them, yet at times, they appear to lack clear endings. Often, a story will open, unfold, slowly revealing its dark machinations--and then abruptly stops.
For one thing, "Aces" was beautiful, touching, and more than a little creepy; I loved it. "Autumnology" was super-short (3 pages!), but still eerie and melancholic.
Then things began getting iffy with "Cabin D." I liked its beginning, but with a few grammatical uses that I found a little distracting, but the second half of the story takes the narrative fully in another direction, throwing in lot of background/characterization into a few pages, and then abruptly stopped.
"Winter Hammock" was a fairly formulaic Cthulhu-type apocalyptic tale, as described in journal entries by a lone survivor. It lost steam fairly early – another example of pacing being a problem – but I still enjoyed its mood and atmosphere. "Library of the Gods" was just plain odd, and reminded me a bit of a Jorge Luis Borges story. "The Nanny" had an interesting premise, and was told in a quiet, even sweet, manner, and then again, an abrupt ending hurt the mood.
While I understand that a short story does not necessarily have to have a pronounced ending (in fact, generally speaking, they *don't*), but there's still a certain way of orchestrating a tale so that it feels like it has a beginning, middle, and end; here, it's more beginnings and middles that face the directions of ends, yet never quite reach them.
It's really too bad, too; it has a great title, an excellent opening story, a cool layout of story "groupings" ("The Foyer," "The Attic," "The Basement," etc.), and amazing artwork and layout by the great Danny Evarts. But unfortunately, at least for the time being, this was a book that I chose not to finish.
December 10, 2016
Standouts:
Cabin D - Intriguing beginning gave way to fascinating ending.
The Nanny - This just made for a neat ghost story.
The Cat - I could use a cat like this, but I don't know if I'd survive.
Charlotte's Frequency - Creepy and weird. Me likey. After reading, I wondered who'd win in a Cat vs. Charlotte battle.
The Tattletail - Kinda cute, actually.
Inheritor - I kinda saw where this was headed but it still made for a darned good yarn.
The Candle - Appropriately creepy and a good book ender although I'm not exactly sure what the heck happened.
Ho-hum
Autumnology - I get it, but I think I'd get it more when I'm an old geezer. Physically, not just in mind.
The Dark and the Young - This was just too long and explained things too much but with little point.
Woods - I liked the thought behind this but the ending just didn't do anything for me.
Relaxed Best - In a different anthology, I might have liked this better as I like noir, but I just didn't care for where it went.
Twillingate - Meh.
All the rest of the tales fell somewhere in between awesome and meh, but even in the Ho-hum category, I didn't actually hate any of the stories.
3.5 stars
Cabin D - Intriguing beginning gave way to fascinating ending.
The Nanny - This just made for a neat ghost story.
The Cat - I could use a cat like this, but I don't know if I'd survive.
Charlotte's Frequency - Creepy and weird. Me likey. After reading, I wondered who'd win in a Cat vs. Charlotte battle.
The Tattletail - Kinda cute, actually.
Inheritor - I kinda saw where this was headed but it still made for a darned good yarn.
The Candle - Appropriately creepy and a good book ender although I'm not exactly sure what the heck happened.
Ho-hum
Autumnology - I get it, but I think I'd get it more when I'm an old geezer. Physically, not just in mind.
The Dark and the Young - This was just too long and explained things too much but with little point.
Woods - I liked the thought behind this but the ending just didn't do anything for me.
Relaxed Best - In a different anthology, I might have liked this better as I like noir, but I just didn't care for where it went.
Twillingate - Meh.
All the rest of the tales fell somewhere in between awesome and meh, but even in the Ho-hum category, I didn't actually hate any of the stories.
3.5 stars
August 7, 2014
Winner of the ReLit Award for Best Short Fiction, Ian Roger’s debut is a corker, a paean to everything that scares us. Like the best of horror fiction, Rogers’ stories defy easy categorization. A jazz club may or may not be Hell, but is certainly not a place you want to visit. A loveable housecat proves adept at exterminating pests of all sizes. A campfire story takes an unusual turn. And in “Deleted Scenes” (my favourite in a collection rife with nominees), an actor finds himself employment by filming scenes never meant to be seen. Rogers has a way of tweaking even the most mundane idea and making it sparkle anew. Believe me, I’ll never look at a spider the same way again. Or ever again.
Find the full review at my website.
Find the full review at my website.
January 14, 2013
Probably the most satisfying short story collection by a single author that I've read in over a year. Rogers goes for the dread rather than the gross-out, which is a nice change of pace from the recent batch of work from newer horror authors. Some may not like many of the stories ending on a note of ambiguity, although it never hurts to exercise one's mind every now and then. Highly recommended.
June 6, 2021
While both wildly imaginative and very well written this book relies heavily upon perhaps my most loathed problem with books, ambiguity. You’ll feel dropped into the middle of a story with no clear beginning or ending. Just when you things are getting good, bam, it ends. But yeah, besides that I enjoyed it.
October 24, 2016
Wow! I really like the way this guy writes. This is a book of supernatural/horror short stories. Each one of them had the feel, to me anyway, of an episode of The Twilight Zone. I didn't find them terribly scary but they definitely were all disturbing on one level or another. Good collection!
March 1, 2019
I loved this collection. So many stories and all with different ideas than I’ve read before. Some more fleshed out than others. Some borderline flash fiction but not a dud in the box. That’s pretty damn rare!
Reminded me of reading Night Shift.
Reminded me of reading Night Shift.
Want to read
November 26, 2014This is copy 64 of 150 signed and numbered copies.
December 26, 2015
A strong collection of horror stories!
December 30, 2015
really fantastic collection. I think the first story, Aces, was my favorite.
January 15, 2025
Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ Every House is Haunted by Ian Rogers.
ⓖⓔⓝⓡⓔ short horror collection
~ "And the answer, my boy, would be autumn. Forever autumn. Right here. In this spot" ~
I was able to get my hands on this stunning edition of "Every House is Haunted" at the exact right time. I was so thirsty for short horror, just saw "Heretic" in the cinema and even though I was satisfied, I wanted to have something extra ~ a little spooky dessert to my main.
Turned out, this book is one whole dinner course of its own. 🍔
We get short stories that feel like ominous appetizers with a punch (like Vogo), stories that are complex and rich like a lavish main dish (like A night in the library with the Gods) and sticky, sweet ones that are new, creepy favorites (like Wood and Autumnology for me).
I didn't enjoy all stories, but as with every collection, that's to be expected. However, I enjoyed many and especially Autumnology so much, I read it twice.
This collection is awesome as it is very diverse in horror. I personally loved how many stories can be interpreted by the reader, as they leave room to speculate.
If you are looking for a creature feature or for melancholic horror, for ominous stories or supernatural horror, for dystopian, you name it, you'll find a story up your alley in this collection - I promise. 🤝
ⓖⓔⓝⓡⓔ short horror collection
~ "And the answer, my boy, would be autumn. Forever autumn. Right here. In this spot" ~
I was able to get my hands on this stunning edition of "Every House is Haunted" at the exact right time. I was so thirsty for short horror, just saw "Heretic" in the cinema and even though I was satisfied, I wanted to have something extra ~ a little spooky dessert to my main.
Turned out, this book is one whole dinner course of its own. 🍔
We get short stories that feel like ominous appetizers with a punch (like Vogo), stories that are complex and rich like a lavish main dish (like A night in the library with the Gods) and sticky, sweet ones that are new, creepy favorites (like Wood and Autumnology for me).
I didn't enjoy all stories, but as with every collection, that's to be expected. However, I enjoyed many and especially Autumnology so much, I read it twice.
This collection is awesome as it is very diverse in horror. I personally loved how many stories can be interpreted by the reader, as they leave room to speculate.
If you are looking for a creature feature or for melancholic horror, for ominous stories or supernatural horror, for dystopian, you name it, you'll find a story up your alley in this collection - I promise. 🤝
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