Sleep Paralysis

by Patrick Lacey

Sleep A transitional state between wakefulness and sleep, accompanied by powerful hallucinations and muscle weakness, preventing one from moving.

A website that specializes in suffering.
A basement filled with secrets and bones.
An apartment housing more than just ghosts.

These are the stories that stay with you long after you've read them. These are the things that visit your dreams. And nightmares ...

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Collections

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2016

About the author

Patrick Lacey was born and raised in a haunted house. He currently spends his nights and weekends writing about things that make the general public uncomfortable. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, his oversized cat, and his muse, who is likely trying to kill him.

Twitter: @patlacey
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrick.lace...
Blogspot: http://patrickclacey.wordpress.com/

Reviews

[Frank Errington · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 of 5 Stars Review copy

Over the centuries, symptoms of Sleep Paralysis have been described in many ways and often attributed to an "evil" presence: unseen night demons in ancient times, the old hag in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and alien abductors. Almost every culture throughout history has had stories of shadowy evil creatures that terrify helpless humans at night. People have long sought explanations for this mysterious sleep-time paralysis and the accompanying feelings of terror.

In his new collection Patrick Lacey presents eighteen tales of horror to keep you up at night.

Worm Garden - "A Quaker cemetery dating back to the seventeenth century, sometimes referred to as the Worm Garden because of the unusual moisture in the soil that lasted most of the year." The perfect setting for best friend paranormal investigators who share more than an interest in ghosts.

Operation Parasite -A deftly told story of a man who believes an evil corporation has bio-engineered parasites which are now in each of us waiting to take control. Is it a story of one man's raging paranoia...or is he actually telling the truth.

Pen Pals - A totally cool tale of a third grader assigned a pen pal who has some frightening powers.

Downing In Filth - A delightfully disgusting story of the host of a "Hoarders" type TV show who becomes afflicted after a strange encounter at one subject's home. "Long live the filth,"

Lost and Found - The story of a boy with a speech impediment who doesn't stutter when talking to a dead girl.

First Bell - A sad ghost story set on the one year anniversary of a school shooting. Poignant and touching.

Send Your End - "Send Your End. It's a secret website with a generic black background and a single field in which to type a password. After typing in the password, the screen is filled with thumbnail of videos and an option to submit. There are thousands." A story of a strange addiction. Disturbing, yet well-told.

The Lynnwood Vampires - A gritty tale of a new cult taking over a community and one father's fight to protect his daughter. We hear the words, "It's just a phase." quite often, but when does a phase become something worse.

Norton - The familiar story of a stuffed animal with something evil within. This tale of such a bunny takes an interesting turn.

Cold Call - "I'd sell my soul for a second chance." Be careful what you wish for. You never know who might me listening.

Bad Egg - A woman whose biological clock is ticking wants a baby in the worst way. Patrick Lacey is happy to oblige with this crazy tale.

Critter Marrow - If there is a theme in this collection, I'd have to say it's the author's ability to take the simplest day-to-day activities and inject an element of horror to give the reader something different. This time it's the spam folder for a work e-mail system.

Last Words - "I think that everyone is really two different people. There's the person you are to the world, and there's the person you are to yourself. In my experience, they're quite...incompatible." When Peter finds a hidden trap door in the basement of his recently deceased father's basement those words take on a whole new meaning.

Lost Things - A homeless man, a dumpster, and a baby and voilà, an instant horror story.

The Boss - One of the stranger stories in this collection, but truthfully the weirdest part is someone making 50K a year flipping burgers for a living.

Mrs. Alto's Garden - As I read this tale, I couldn't keep from thinking, "Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" In Mrs. Alto's garden the answer is quite different than the one in the children's nursery rhyme.

Big Bertha - Big Bertha is the oldest game in the arcade. I've always found arcades to be creepy, especially when they're closed and they don't want you to leave.

Full Disclosure - The collection finishes with another ghost story. A ghost who haunts his old apartment and falls in love with it's newest tenant, but then she brings home a cuckoo clock with something evil attached. I loved this story. My wife works at a nursing home and occasionally when a resident passes they will leave some personal item behind and my wife will bring it home. I always worry that she'll bring home some stray spirit.

Admittedly some stories were stronger than others, but they were all entertaining as Patrick Lacey repeatedly took an everyday situation and turned it on its head.

Recommended.

Sleep Paralysis, from Great Old Ones Publishing, is available now in both paperback and e-book formats.

[Kenneth McKinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worm Garden -

What would you cause you to feel more guilty - sleeping with your best friend's girlfriend behind his back or taking him to a sacrificial altar on a ghost hunting trip?

3 1/2 out of 5 stars


Operation Parasite -

Conspiracy theorists. Manny is one. Is he onto something or is he a dangerous whack job?

4 out of 5 stars


Pen Pals -

Who's on the other end of those pen pal letters? That's what James is afraid to know. Great Twilight Zone-ish tale!

5 out of 5 stars


Drowning in Filth -

The next time you're flipping the channels and you see a show about hoarders, you might think twice that it couldn't happen to you. Excellent creepy-crawly tale.

5 out of 5 stars



Lost and Found -

A stuttering boy finds strength from the body of a murdered girl. A little too thin of a plot and more questions than answers for me.

3 out of 5 stars



First Bell -

A survivor of a high school shooting can see the ghosts of that horrific day a he relives it over and over. More like a victim having a flashback than a real story.

2 1/2 out of 5 stars



Send Your End -

A website called Send Your End where people send in video of them killing themselves is addicting to high school senior, Marissa. She tries to enlist her favorite teacher into helping her. But some things are beyond our control.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars


The Lynnwood Vampires -

If the high school kids in your small town start dressing all in black, dye their hair black, bleach their skin and get numerous face piercings, it may not just be a goth phase. Great storyline and character development make this one a fun read.

5 out of 5 stars


Norton -

Ritchie's daughter, Veronica, finds a beat up stuffed bunny outside of a burger joint and wants to take it home. Ritchie agrees out of feeling guilty that his wife has recently left him and Veronica. She names the bunny Norton. Oh the things Norton can do. With shades of Chucky from Child's Play, Norton was a good story that could've benefitted from not ending so abruptly.

4 out of 5 stars


Cold Call -

A struggling single mother gets a telemarketing call like no other. Make sure, when you're walking home with your friends from the bar and complaining about your life, that you don't offer to sell your soul for a better life. You just might be heard.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars



Bad Egg -

A woman who can't have children is raped by a reptilian-like creature. How bad does she want to have a child?

3 out of 5 stars



Critter Marrow -

Odd sounding name in an odd SPAM email that Gary can't seem to delete from the company email. What do you do with a haunting email that you can't delete?

3 1/2 out of 5 stars



Last Words -

How well do we know our family? Everyone has two sides. One is who you really are and the other is what you show other people. Are you sure you know who your father really was? Great story about how we think we know our families only to find a hidden side and what would you do with that knowledge.

5 out of 5 stars



The Boss -

No one rarely sees the boss of the grimy fast food dive that Perkins is sitting at. When a drunk customer complains about her food and demands to see the boss, she quickly understands why.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars


Mrs. Alto's Garden -

Death makes the best fertilizer. At least that's what Mrs. Alto says. An enjoyable story that has shades of Charles L. Grant and H.P. Lovecraft.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars


Big Bertha -

Big Bertha is one of those older arcade games where you throw balls into her cavernous mouth while cheesy carnival music plays as she's bellowing, "Feed me!" Now imagine how creepy this game could be in the dark. A fun and silly read.

4 out of 5 stars


Full Disclosure -

A tale from a ghost's perspective as it tries to help out a beautiful girl who has moved into his old apartment and unknowingly brings home a demonic clock.

4 out of 5 stars


A solid effort from Lacey. Some of the stories were silly, but fun. It was best to just sit back, don't take things too seriously and enjoy the ride.


Overall, a solid 4 out of 5 stars.


This ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.


You can also follow my reviews at the following links:

https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com

http://intothemacabre.booklikes.com

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...

[Nev Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Patrick Lacey has nailed it in every way possible with this collection. This, ladies and gentlemen, should be used as a reference book for an aspiring author that wants to gather together a few of their short stories and release it in one book."

See here for the full review:

Sleep Paralysis

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another home run for one of my favorite writers!!!!

I'll be writing a proper review soon. I recommend this to everyone! I feel that readers that don't necessarily love the horror genre will enjoy Lacey's 'Sleep Paralysis'.

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of 18 dark tales that manage to horrify and delight at the same time. While poking sarcastic fun at everything from reality TV to those annoying telemarketer calls, the author never loses his grip on the good old fashioned creep out factor.
I enjoyed every story and I don't want to spoil any of them for you. My absolute favorites were the following...
"Pen Pals" in which letters written by a 3rd grader travel much further than any postman delivers.
"Drowning In Filth" A popular host of a hoarders type TV show gets more than she bargained for when she is called to Amanda Cunningham's house.
"Lost And Found" in which a boy with a speech impediment finds his voice.. sort of.
"Send Your End" Was creepy as hell! Perhaps a cautionary tale of internet addiction.
In "Lynnwood Vampires" a father is concerned about the influence his daughter's new boyfriend is having over her.
In "Norton" a newly separated single father regrets letting his daughter bring home a stuffed animal.
"Cold Call" is the story of a woman having a devil of a time with harassing phone calls.
"Bad Egg" is about Laura, a woman who is heartbroken over her inability to conceive a child.
"Last Words" After the death of his father a man discovers some long hidden secrets.
"Lost Things" Henry, a homeless man finds a new purpose in life.
"The Boss" will make you think twice about complaining next time the local fast food place screws up your order. If they offer to fix it just let them.
"Mrs. Alto's Garden" Kristen meets her new neighbor and learns some gardening tips that they don't teach you in home and garden magazines.

I received an advance copy for review.

[Russell Coy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a rare and joyful thing for me to read a book and realize I'm in the hands of an author who can go absolutely anywhere, who works without a formula and without a net. Such is the case with this stellar debut collection.

These eighteen tales give us everything from insectoid abominations to serial killing dads to ghosts falling in love. Lacey writes these with an awareness of our expectations and a cheerful willingness to subvert them. He establishes a few pet themes here--parenthood, bizarre events in mundane settings, underdog protagonists(most of whom are teachers, incidentally)--and a clear, tight prose style that reminded me of Ray Garton.

My favorites of the bunch were:

PEN PALS
SEND YOUR END
THE LYNNWOOD VAMPIRES
NORTON
COLD CALL
LOST THINGS
FULL DISCLOSER

I was lucky enough to receive an advance readers copy of this winning batch of horror, and I'm happy I get to help spread the word about it before it drops. This is a great book from an exciting new voice in dark fiction.

[Trisha Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic collection - loved the ambiguity of some of the stories

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunted arcade machines, carnivorous plant life, and even a handjob from a teddy bear. Sleep Paralysis is a solid collection of 18 short stories--or, more aptly, 18 strange tales that will make you question whether or not the author is on a slew of incompatible medications. Each story has its own voice, allowing the reader to slip into each of the alternate dimensions housing these writings. The characters are developed and are relatable--well, maybe not the handjob giving stuffed animal, but I'm not here to judge. The writing is easy and flows with each paragraph, which makes it nice and effortless to read the stories. All in all, this was an excellent read, the stories were original, well written, and I would highly recommend this collection.

[Zakk Madness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Late last year, in one of those author promoting author moments, I was given the opportunity to read a novella from Patrick Lacey. That novella, A Debt To Be Paid, was my first experience with Lacey’s brand of dark fiction. I dug it quite a bit. It was eerie, brooding, all-in-all a lot of fun. So when the opportunity came about to get my hands on Sleep Paralysis, Lacey’s short story collection, I dove right in, with a fair amount of excitement might I add.

I try to go into reads as a clean slate, with as little hype as possible, so as not to place insurmountable hurdles before a book. It can be sabotage for a reader to start a read with expectations, and unfair for a writer. But sometimes it’s unavoidable. I’ve always said that I am not a critic, I am a fan. Reading dark fiction isn’t a job, it’s a pleasure. So it’s a nice moment when your enthusiasm as a reader gets returned back to you in the form of solid, enthusiastic, pleasurable reads.

A Debt To Be Paid, while quite enjoyable and a great dark-and-stormy-night read, didn’t really knock my socks off. The same sentiment can’t be said for Sleep Paralysis. I still can’t find my socks. The line-up for SP consists of eighteen short stories, every one of them top-shelf horror, with perhaps ten that either kicked me straight in the feels or caused an outburst of excitement from my inner genre super fan.

I dig Patrick’s style, a lot. Energetic and easily accessible, not simple by any means, but seductive. The tales flow smoothly. You don’t realize how connected you are to a story until the pay-off knocks you on your ass, even when you suspect where it might be going, and it still hits hard. That’s impressive and exciting. The urge to stop reading and drop a line to the author telling them how much you enjoyed a piece doesn’t happen often, it happened here. Every story in Sleep Paralysis is a delight.

My favorite stories of the collection are (in order of appearance):

Drowning In Filth
Lost And Found
First Bell (overall favorite)
Send Your End
The Lynnwood Vampires
Cold Call
Last Words
Full Disclosure
The list could really go on and on.

Sleep Paralysis is definitely a recommended read and a strong contender for a year-end favorites list. Suffice to say that I am fully on board and looking forward to Mr. Lacey’s next offering.

“I think that everyone is really two different people. There’s the person you are to the world, and there’s the person you are to yourself. In my experience, they’re quite…incompatible.”

Overall score: An enthusiastic 5/ 5

Zakk is a big dumb animal!

**Note: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher/ publicist. I am submitting this review voluntarily. This is an honest review, these are my unbiased feelings.

[Kyle Rader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to receive and advanded readers copy of this short story collection and it did not disappoint.

I always find it difficult to review collections and anthologies. I feel that calling out specific stories or authors does a disservice to the others, as what I feel is good (or bad) does not reflect the whole. It is a bit easier when reviewing one author's collection, even though the same logic applies, save for certain stories.

The volume of stories in Sleep Paralysis is great. You get about 240 pages filled with all manner of stories, from ghost stories, mystery stories and some downright sentimental, poignant tales. The latter may surprised you, but I recommend giving them a fair shake. One of these stories is "Last Words", which deals with the grief that comes with the loss of a loved one--in this case, a father. The writing is superb; you generally feel for all characters involved, even when the grief takes a turn. Without spoiling the tale, what Patrick does here is to turn the grief into another kind of grief, a one that hardly any one of us will ever experience. It is the grief of the guilty, when you uncover something that shatters your image of the one you lost. This tale is fantastic and should not be skimmed over.

I would also like to highlight the amount of "body horror" in the collection. I personally feel that this genre is neglected; the bastard, middle-child of, not just the horror community, but dark fiction in general. Cronenberg, the "Alien" franchise, the "Body Snatchers" and even DC/Vertigo's "Animal Man" comics, all share this theme, albeit, in different ways. Now, I don't want to give the impression that ALL of the stories contain body horror; far from it. However, when Patrick does go to this, he really goes full Bronson. You can clearly tell that he enjoyed writing it, and you will too, as well as be properly disgusted and freaked out. He is well within his wheelhouse when he goes to this genre and I for one, would like to see more of this in the future from him.

Essential Tracks: (My opinion. Give them all a shot)

Last Words
The Lynnwood Vampires
Bad Egg
Critter Marrow
Big Bertha
Drowning in Filth

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so loved this, could barely put it down. It effectively creeped the crap out of me and in quick little spurts. Horror fans, pick up this book!

[SB Senpai Manga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve now finished all of Patrick Lacey’s books and I can say that he’s now one of my favorite writers. These short stories show that he’s perfectly able to write full novels as well as the short story. Both can fill you with fear. Here you will find more conspiracies, apartment life, solicitors, ghosts, and a much better version of Pen Pals! I will continue to read more from him as he writes more books.

[Katia M. Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly gross

This was a great collection of horror shorts. They were more along the grotesque, odd, and visceral side of things rather than psychological or paranormal, so if you enjoy icky stuff, you will like this. I did find a few typos and some descriptive repetition between stories. The author has a habit of describing urine dribbling down someone's leg when they are frightened. That might work in maybe one or two stories in the same collection, but more than three times and it starts to become boring. Aside from those couple of things, these were well written and fun to read. My favourites were: Worm Garden, Pen Pals, The Lynnwood Vampires, Bad Egg, and The Boss. I could almost taste the grease in the last one.

[Eric Kapitan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found many of these stories to be original and creative. Some were a tad weaker than others but overall if you're looking for a good Horror Anthology with different types of stories I would recommend this. The writer has a firm grasp on storytelling and character development.

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were entertaining but some of them were not that great.