A long abandoned theme park holds a deadly secret, a cabin trip becomes a fight for survival, a writer returns to a town claimed long ago by eminent domain, a tragic incident on a mountain highway, a Christmas story of child wonderment and the ancient monsters who haunt us, a college dorm with a frightening history, a resurfacing memory with unsettling realizations, a confusing suicide, and the terrifying truth about a quaint urban legend in a small mining town. Curl up in front of a warm fire on a silent night and choose your poison.
C.K. Walker has been published by Jitter Press, The Altar Collective, and Thought Catalog. Her stories have been adapted for audio by Chilling Tales for Dark Nights and the NoSleep Podcast.
it's not like the first book but I enjoyed it, especially Borrasca till I knew there's a sequel and now I can't find it online. anyway the writer should've let the ending as it is without a sequel
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Creepypasta seems to have grown out from the tradition of chain emails and urban legends and they can pack the same kind of narrative punch, both pared down and vague enough to get your gears turning. In this sense, they almost weaponize their half-assedness. It’s no surprise to me they often deal in nostalgia, there’s something about the nature of them that harkens back to the feeling of being a young kid and hearing a story or tall tale being told by an older neighborhood kid or a slightly mysterious relative and wondering if it might be true.
From what I understand, our author CKW was able to make a pretty good career for herself out of posting versions of this stuff on the internet. I am not well enough versed in creepypasta to say whether or not her work really shines in this way. I can say she has some great ideas and some bits and pieces of these stories were very compelling and effective. But they also were all very samey—and kind of underwritten, though like I said, that seems like it might be part of the point.
I wish this had been around when I was a bookish sixth grader hiding in the dark dusty library of my elementary school. That would have been the perfect time to encounter these stories. But now, I think I’m just sort of beyond it—or I am not familiar enough with the form to truly appreciate the skill of it. I may check out more work by this author, but this wasn’t the home run it had been sold to me as.
This sequel is just as good as the first Cold, Thin, Air! This author truly is a talented author and I enjoy reading her works very much. My favorite story was Blue Ridge which was a sequel to Paradise Pine from the first version of this book. Paradise Pine reiterates why you should not stay at cabins in the woods and Blue Ridge makes you even more suspicious of them because you never know what kind of story or history they have lurking in their walls or in the forest surrounding it.
Don't get me wrong, the forest is a favorite place of mine but it is also mildly terrifying with all of the unknowns that can be out there. and then you have Borrasca parts one and two which is just disturbing on so many levels that long after you finish reading it, you are still thinking about it. I highly recommend reading this book if you love dark and disturbing tales but if you're going to read Blue Ridge, check out the first collection of Cold, Thin, Air, and read Paradise Pine first.
‘Cold, Thin Air: Vol. 2’ by C.K. Walker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Finished on April 18, 2018 Read with Kindle Unlimited Subscription FREE on Kindle Unlimited | $2.99 on Kindle | $9.99 in Paperback
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A long abandoned theme park holds a deadly secret, a cabin trip becomes a fight for survival, a writer returns to a town claimed long ago by eminent domain, a tragic incident on a mountain highway, a Christmas story of child wonderment and the ancient monsters who haunt us, a college dorm with a frightening history, a resurfacing memory with unsettling realizations, a confusing suicide, and the terrifying truth about a quaint urban legend in a small mining town. Curl up in front of a warm fire on a silent night and choose your poison.
MY REVIEW: ‘Cold, Thin Air’ is a collection of short stories from C.K. Walker, a frequent author on my favorite audio drama, The NoSleep Podcast. I’d heard several of the tales in this collection brought to life on the show, but it was still a delightful experience to read them myself. While the audio versions are always a thrill, it’s an entirely different thing to read them in your own voice and imagine things the way only you can.
Walker is excellent at creating atmospheres that draw you in immediately, chill you deeply, and keep you wanting more.
This collection includes the stories:
“Mayhem Mountain” -- In this story, a group of childhood friends comes together to purchase the long-defunct amusement park that holds many lovely memories for them all. The long-awaited day comes when the majority of the rides have been inspected and cleared for safety, so the group gathers to spend a day alone in the park riding, enjoying, and reminiscing on their most favorite attractions. When they get to “Mayhem Mountain”, a coaster with a mixed consensus between the friends, their day turns truly horrific.
I like this story a lot. Walker takes what should be a fun-filled and nostalgic day and turns it completely on its head. If you’re not already afraid of roller-coasters, this story might change your mind.
“Blue Ridge: A Sequel to Paradise Pine” -- In this tale, another group of friends comes together to spend a relaxing and drunken weekend at a cabin in the woods. But they quickly realize they aren’t alone, and the things that are stalking them are beyond belief.
Friends gathered together, isolated, in the woods is not a new concept in horror fiction, but the “monsters” in “Blue Ridge” are. At first, they’re almost laughable, but as the story progresses, that humor turns to terror. This is a fun story.
“Dollhouse” -- A writer decides to return to their hometown, one that was long ago taken over by the government and gutted of all residents. Upon their return, they are struck by the eeriness of a town abandoned. Then, they spot a house they didn’t remember being there. Of course, they enter and quickly wishes they hadn’t.
If you’re freaked out by dolls, this is probably the story for you. This is a creepy meld of spooky dolls and a ghost story. It’s immensely entertaining in its bizarreness.
“Copper Canyon” -- Told from multiple points of view, “Copper Canyon” chronicles the last few days of Stella and the children who accompany her. Despite complaining of debilitating headaches, no one thinks twice about letting Stella drive the kids a long way home. Through 911 transcripts and the reflections of her husband on that fateful day, we learn of Stella’s strange behavior that leads to fatal consequences.
I think this is my favorite story in the collection. I enjoyed when NoSleep did this story, as there is plenty of room for talented voice acting, but reading it for myself was great. It’s a puzzling tale right up until the very end culminating in one hell of an ending.
“Christmas Magic” -- “Christmas Magic” is about how the innocence and naivete of a child can result in tragedy.
This story is short and sweet. Sweet in a messed up, horror-loving way. It’s simple, but it’s perfect in its simplicity.
“It Comes on Christmas” -- “It Comes on Christmas” is a Krampus tale, but it twists the legend a little bit. Krampus doesn’t only come for the naughty children. The parents and their parenting style just might have something to do with whether or not their child is chosen.
I loved this story! It took me a little bit to realize it was a Krampus tale (who doesn’t love Krampus), and it really threw me for a loop once I realized just what Walker had done with the legend. Walker’s creativity is unbounded.
“Room 733” -- Two best friends, Lydia and Becca, consider themselves lucky to have been placed together in their college dorm. Until they discover they’ve been placed next to the infamous “Suicide Room”, a room in which several students have killed themselves over the years. At first, they’re just a little creeped out, but they decide it’s just stories and everything will be fine. Then, things start to get scary as the girls start to hear strange noises from the empty room. They investigate and discover the fatal truth about the room.
If you’ve been around for my other reviews, you know how much I love a good ghost story. There’s really not much else I enjoy more. “Room 733” is a good ghost story if there ever was one. It satisfied my “spooky tooth”. (Is that a thing? When you just crave a well-done scary story, especially of the ghostly variety?)
“Paleontologists Were We” -- Two young boys are obsessed with dinosaurs, fossils, and paleontology. Together, they excavate the protagonist’s yard searching for “scientific discoveries”. Their mirth is tampered, though, when their parents suddenly no longer allow them to play outdoors as they had been because bodies were being discovered in their town. This doesn’t stop the kids, of course. Gathering their tools, they finally make the discovery they’d been searching for, but it’s only in hindsight that the truth dawns on them.
I love stories about childhood memories suddenly coming clear with adult insight. This is one of those, and when the truth comes out, it’s a terrible, confounding realization. This is a short story but, in my opinion, it is one of the diamonds of the collection.
“The Suicide of Bradley Alligan” -- Megan learns of the apparent suicide of her boyfriend, Bradley. He plunged to his death off a bridge, but not before recording his actions with a dash cam. Even years later, this fact plagues Megan, as it was completely out of Bradley’s character to do such a thing. The authorities relinquish the tape to her, but she never watches it. She just can’t bring herself to. Then, she goes missing.
Her son, Robby Alligan, has to come to terms with his mother’s disappearance and its aftermath. In his efforts, he decides to find the tape that had plagued his mother all of his life. He’s shocked not only to find she’s watched it but to learn the truth that laid in the background all these years.
Oh man, this is a wild story. It goes in a direction I hadn’t expected at all but in the best sort of way. This is a well-done example of how tragedy and the human experience makes great horror.
“Borrasca” -- This is the tale of Drisking, Missouri, and the dark secrets it keeps. It follows the story of a young boy who moves to the town at nine years old and comes of age there. When his sister disappears shortly after moving there, it casts a pallor forever over him and his family. Then, when he’s a senior in high school, one of his two best friends goes missing, too. It’s the last straw; it’s time for answers, but what he discovers is life-changing.
Whenever I talk to someone new about The NoSleep Podcast, their “Borrasca” episode is the one I recommend they listen to if they’re only going to listen to one episode. Not because it’s my favorite story the podcast has ever done (although, it is up there!), but because I think it’s the best example of the talent behind the show. “Borrasca” is an epic tale, and I don’t think anyone but the folks at NoSleep could have done it justice.
“Borrasca” is one of those slow-burn sorts of horror stories. There’s nothing supernatural or paranormal about it. It’s simply a tale of the worst of humanity, and those are often the most chilling stories of all.
This is a delightful collection of extremely well-done horror stories. Don’t hesitate if you enjoy horror stories as much as I do. Walker will not disappoint.
Room 733 was really good, the others were ... not. I thought these were supposed to be horror stories? Most of them are just tragic tales of messed up towns or families, or parodies of horror stories. At least I think they must be parodies, because they're so over the top and ridiculous. Not scary or chilling, that's for sure. Not a fan of the tropes, and the writing is just ok. Recommend Room 733, and I think it's available online for free. Leave the rest if you're a fan of classic horror or subtle scares.
This is miles better than Volume 1. Everything that made Volume 1 weak in places has been improved on and covered up. This volume does contain Borrasca, which is an online horror classic for good reason, so that helps greatly. Outside of that, though, the rest of the stories are good. Even the short one and two pagers are showcases of Walker's talent. The characters are all real, and she has a knack for making me invest in them, even in such a short span, and she is particularly good at writing twists. In Volume 1 I complained that sometimes they came out of nowhere at some times and were basically spelled out at others, but Volume 2 manages to strike that middle ground.
The only thing that keeps me from giving this 5 stars is the story of Dollhouse, which I found to be rather weak and, in all honesty, boring. I was unsatisfied with the setup, payoff, character, and story. It is, in my opinion, the second weakest individual story of Walker's that I've read, beat out only by Deepwoods Part 2. If you consider Deepwoods Part 1 and 2 to be the same story, then I would go do far as to say Dollhouse is her worst.
Everything surrounding Dollhouse, though, I enjoyed greatly. I'll be picking up Volume 3 as soon as I can.
I initially wanted to get this book because I love borrasca and knew the first 4 parts were in this. Then I decided to buy this and all I can say is some of the stories are genuinely scary and uncomfortable while others are dull or the ending is confusing. Like borrasca, it comes on Christmas, and copper canyon are great! Although mayhem mountains ending confused me. Then there's my least favorite story, the suicide of Bradley alligan. It's ending left a lot to be desired and the author forgot his name on the first page. It said "it wasnt in Stephen's character" after saying Bradley's name four times prior, how do you fuck up the name of your TITLE CHARACTER after writing it four times. I still recommend getting this book if your a fan of walkers work, it's worth it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
cold, thin air: Volume 2 by C.K. Walker was the second collection in the cold, thin air series, and was another set of short stories, which again, varied vastly in their quality. You have some that were short and truly creepy and unsettling, and you have others... that ruined a short story from the previous collection. Borrasca definitely stands out as the one that was the most unique and unheard of story, and Copper Canyon was by far the most unsettling. Again, this book suffered from the same fate as a lot of indie publishings go, in that it had some severe editing errors, but all in all, definitely a good spooky read for the season.
I enjoyed Cold, Thin Air 1 a lot in part because (slight spoilers) the scares were always rooted in reality, where the monster all along was the worst of human nature or fault of our minds. While Cold, Thin Air 2 also has some stories like that, it starts leaning a little "creepypasta-y", and while I like creepypastas, it just wasn't what I was fully hoping for. Still good though!
There were more typos and other errors (dropped words, I think a wrong name from a previous draft once) in this book than the first book, some which were pretty bad. Whoever is doing editing for Walker is doing a poor job, and if there is no editor, they should at least get a proofreader.
C.K. Walker is an absolute horror debut success. I am personally offended that Hollywood makes dribble into movies but overlooks talent like this. If you're a horror fiction fan: I promise you will like C.K. Walker. Horror is largely overdone as a genre, so its refreshing to see a new TAKE on popular themes and tropes. I guarantee theres more than one story in each book that will make you take a step back and say, "Well that was messed up and not at all what I expected."
As this is anthology series it's difficult to review in full but Cold Thin Air vol. 1-3 are freaking fantastic.
The stories in Cold, Thin Air vol 2 have more breathing room but sometimes lack the firs volume's intensity. Vol 1 stories could end abruptly, but more often than not felt like a stab in the guts. Vol 2 starts off strong with Mayhem Mountain, a story of a roller coaster ride through hell. Ends ultra grim. Room 733, Dollhouse, and The Suicide of Bradley Alligan are also good. Copper Canyon is a disjointed narrative and similar to the domestic horrors in vol 1. Several of CK Walker's stories feature the evil machinations of the wealthy.
This was my favorite of the "cold, thin air" volumes. There were a couple of the stories here that stuck with me a bit and my mind kept coming back to. A very disturbing drive through an Arizona canyon, creepy dolls are always a delight, and I'd never dreamed that the scariest monster ever could be so simple a toddler could draw it. There were a few typos here and there, more like spellcheck errors, but they were minor and didn't distract from the storytelling at all.
All the stories in this little book are entertaining, but the high rating comes a little from the Copper Canyon story, but mostly from the last story. I have actually read Borrasca in the past on No Sleep, but it's a story that you start to catch on to other clues the more you read it. It is also so disturbing that you end up thinking about it for hours afterwards. I need a conclusion to Borrasca!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I initially bought this book to have a copy of one of my favorite Creepypasta series, Borrasca. However I was surprised when I read some of the other short stories. They were not as long, and with less detail the stories weren’t quite as good, but still fun reads! A great book for people who can only read for short periods at a time.
The second volume of C.K. Walker's Cold, Thin Air series is probably my favorite collection of her short stories. Borrasca is, obviously, a masterpiece and one of my favorite pieces of fiction ever written, but Mayhem Mountain, Copper Canyon, and Christmas Magic are also deeply unsettling stories that still get under my skin.
Still good. I liked the first better. The best stories were borrasca, room 733, and blue ridge. I'd heard two of them on the no sleep podcast already. Most of the rest bordered on the absurd. Still creepy, though!
Not as good as the first book, in my opinion I really only appreciated Room 733 and Copper Canyon. I’m leaving out Borrasca from this because she only included the first 2 parts of 5 and so I feel it’d be a bit unfair of me to rate this five stars when the other stories were a bit tamer.
Dark, harrowing, creepy collection. Very good stories. A lot of them are read as creepypasta's on youtube as well, so between listening and reading I was able to fly through these stories. Some instantly recommended to friends. Excellent book
Was introduced to this author by the NoSleep Podcast. Borrasca is both the saddest and scariest story ever. Love the way the endings screw around with assumptions.
Mostly NoSleep-like stories but I remember hearing Borrasca on the podcast and not understanding it at all. Reading it at the end of this book, OH MY FREAKING GOD, that is MESSED UP!!!