This is Halloween

by James A. Moore

Author James A. Moore offers up ten autumnal tales of the darker things that lurk just around the corner of Indian Summer. A man learns of a town's obsession with scarecrows and tries to find the answers as to why they are so important. Children move through familiar streets and find that Halloween makes everything different. Tis' the season when ghosts are real, witches soar through the night, and things in the Beldam Woods are not always what they seem. Sometimes it's the monsters that wear the masks.

Genres: Horror, Halloween, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Holiday, Supernatural

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 2016

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

James A. Moore was the award winning author of over forty novels, thrillers, dark fantasy and horror alike, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) and his most recent novels, seven Forges, The Blasted Lands, City of Wonders , The Silent Army and the forthcoming The Gates of The Dead (Book Three in the Tides of War Series) and A Hell Within, co-authored with Charles R. Rutledge.

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread



What a great read for Halloween Day! 🍁🎃🍁👻



This book has several short stories but they all are connected in one way or another.

The Dry Season
Harvest Moon
Hathburn Ave
Bone Harvest
Harvest Gods, Revisited
Patchwork
Night Eyes
Blood Tide
Shades Of Grey
The Walker Place

I loved them all but my two favorites are: Bone Harvest & Harvest Gods, Revisited. Super creepy!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it's also on Kindle Unlimited at this time.

Also, I didn't realize until the end of the book and I saw the authors picture, did I realize he wrote The Seven Forges books that I loved. Imagine that 😊

Happy Reading and Happy Halloween 🍁🎃🍁💀👻💀👀

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Latasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK! See that awesome cover? Well the stories live up to it. Some of the stories were connected but I didn't mind because I would read full length books about any of these! There is 10 stories in here, they are:
introduction
The Dry Season
Harvest Moon
Hathbourn Avenue
Bone Harvest
Harvest Gods Revisited
Patchwork
Night Eyes
Blood Tide
Shades of Grey
The Walker Place



There is no way I could pick my favorite out of these 10. All of them were so good. The Walker Place is the last story and it gives you a proper scary Halloween ending. I think I will read this book every Halloween from here on out. This is Halloween is the PERFECT book to read for the spooky season or if that is your way of life (like me!). This is the first thing I have read by this author but it most definitely won't be the last.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love Fall, costume parties, candy, caramel apples, pumpkins, black cats......but I especially love scary stories! Ghosts, ghouls and all things that go bump in the night! This story anthology caught my eye as I was trolling Kindle Unlimited looking for something scary to read. The cover art caught my eye immediately....so awesome!

This Is Halloween gathers 10 deliciously creepy and bizarre Halloween tales. From the dangers of trick or treating to the threat of wicked secret traditions, the stories are varied and very creepy. My two favorites are: Harvest Moon...the tale of a small town with a strange annual tradition, and The Walker Place...sometimes the scariest house in town is vacant for a very good reason!

The stories are all well-written. I enjoyed all 10 of them. This anthology was perfect for giving me a bit of Fall fright, even in the off-season. :)

This is the first book by James A. Moore that I have read. I'm definitely going to be reading more by this author. He has a nice long list of published books in horror, sci-fi and fantasty genres including The Haunted Forest Tour, Under the Overtree, and the Serenity Falls series.

[Luke Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to Jim Moore for this lovely toast of nostalgia, where the crispy crackle of dead leaves mingle with the electricity of fear, paranoia, and all things spooky. A triple-entendre homage to the holiday, his New England home, and the heritage of Poe, Lovecraft, and a bit of Hawthorne, Jim Moore serves up a mixed bag of spooky short stories that celebrate the bizarre, the macabre, and yes, the warm and fuzzy feelings of fall. Many life lessons are wrapped up and bundled in costume and disguise, and if you're seeking an unnerving halloween anthology of short stories, look no further. This is what you should be reading.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sneaking out was not hard. It never is, really, for ten-year-old boys on a mission. Larry gathered his Ouija board and they carefully climbed out of his bedroom’s ground floor window, moving single file and dressed in their costumes again, because Halloween only comes once a year and costumes are far too cool not to wear.

This is Halloween by James A. Moore is a collection of short stories that, in my opinion, perfectly captures the essence of Halloween. Some stories resonated with me more than others, but overall, the atmosphere created by the author was impeccable.

One aspect I particularly appreciated was the unexpected reference to the supernatural suspense series featuring private investigator Wade Griffin and Sheriff Carl Price, one of my all-time favorites. Although I didn't catch all the other references and Easter eggs related to the author's previous works, this detail added an extra layer of depth to the reading experience and made me want to buy and read more of his works as soon as possible.

Some stories in the collection evoke late Richard Laymon vibes and were a real pleasure to read, adding a mischievous and horrific touch that made the experience even more engaging, culminating in the final story whose ending is simply one of the best Halloween-themed conclusions I've ever read.

Additionally, the beautiful cover designed by Dan Brereton was an added value that immediately caught my attention, prompting me to buy this book for my Kindle some time ago.

In conclusion, This is Halloween is a must-read for horror genre lovers and anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the autumnal and spooky atmosphere of Halloween.

Raley, who had gotten back a little of his confidence, said, “What were those things, Mr. Gramling?” Gramling said, “Here's all I'm going to say on the subject, son. There are old things in these hills and in the shadows of the mountains. Things best left alone. So from now on, when your elders tell you not to go into the woods on All Hallows’ Eve, you listen.”

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS IS HALLOWEEN, a collection of ten stories by James A. Moore is the perfect addition to help get you into the "halloween spirit". I have to admit that I had read each of these stories in other places previously, but it was nice to have them all together, in one volume. My particular favorites were the stories that dealt with the Bedlam Woods (DARK HARVEST), and of the "characters" from there. For those new to James A. Moore's work, there is a lot to appreciate in here, and no prior knowledge of his novels is necessary.

Highly recommended!

[Nakia's Hideaway]

2 out of 5!

I DNF'd after Harvest Gods Revisted (page 78).

This collection of short spooky stories by James A. Moore started off on good footing for me.

I really enjoyed The Dry Season. It set the tone for the book (or so I thought) and I was ready for the ride.

Harvest Moon was also enjoyable, but somewhat forgettable for me.

Then came one of my favorite stories, Hathburn Avenue. I'm learning I really enjoy horror stories that involve children. Who knew?

Bone Harvest I was not that into and found myself skimming along to get to the ending quicker.

Luckily, Harvest Gods Revisited redeemed things for me. This was another favorite.

Then... things went downhill from there on.

I started finding James A. Moore's writing to be problematic/misogynistic.

Patchwork includes a pedophile character named Denny. As a mother I was not interested in this story so I quickly abandoned this one.

Then I decided to read some reviews to see if anyone else had the same issues. That's when I learned that the story Blood Tide includes an attempted sexual assault. Of course I had to see for myself. Sure enough I found it on page 150. Needless to say, this is when I decided to DNF this book.

Not only was there the attempted sexual assault in Blood Tide, but also the way James A. Moore described the female character who gets assaulted was just disgusting.

Also in the story Shades of Grey he gives a non-binary character, whom he described as "an androgynous youth," no respect with the descriptions of their appearance, focusing on their sexual appeal.

This is not the type of horror that I enjoy.


I go more in depth in my October Spooky Reads video on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/FSuzwqGEs7M.

[Stephanie Moon · Rating 1 out of 5]

For a collection titled "This is Halloween" I was confused because a lot of the short stories were not Halloween themed at all. I actually had high hopes for this collection and it started off decent but after reading consecutive short stories actively describing women for their physical traits only, I lost interest and skimmed the remainder of the stories. It seems like rape and any type of harm towards women is the main theme of this collection and it's honestly ridiculous. The author is a good writer but for me there seems to be a lot of underlying sexism. There's honestly no excuse for it. I wish someone would explain to these sexist, male authors that women aren't going to think someone who's actively trying to attack her is "sort of cute." Like dude, get a grip. A bit outdated. I could care less about nominations and awards he has won for other material, it's a hard pass on the rest of his work.

[Ataraxia° ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

10 dark and spooky - bone chilling short stories perfect for Halloween! Promise to have you going back over them and rereading them. 👻🎃

[Sarah ♡ (let’s interact!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a solid collection of short Halloween themed stories, then you have come to the right book! 🎃
The standout stories to me were all the ones that had the word “harvest” in their titles, funnily enough. Harvest Moon (god that ending was depressingly grim but well done!), Bone Harvest, and Harvest Gods {Revisited}.

4 Stars

[nas · Rating 1 out of 5]

what the fuck was this?? this was awful. the stories were really boring, the way this author writes about women was awful, i wonder if he has ever even talked to a single one. seems like he just wanted to write about torturing some women and make them find it okay, which it isn't ???? seriously, the only nice thing about thos book were some describtions of autumn. don't read it. why this book is getting so many 4 & 5 star reviews is the biggest mystery about this book

[Badseedgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for the HA 2022 Halloween Challenge: Pumpkin/Jack o' Lantern

I actually purchased this book in September 2021 for the HA 2021 Halloween challenge, and then never read it. It really is a shame because I missed an entire year of reading more from this author. Most of these stories are connected to one (or more) full length novels by James A. Moore. So this is more James A. Moore propaganda and less anthology. That being said, I added three of his books to my TBR list before I had even finished the anthology. So it was successful propaganda. I especially liked the stories about Beldam Woods, and that will be my next read by the author.

The Dry Season
Harvest Moon
Hathburn Ave
*Bone Harvest
*Harvest Gods Revisited
*Patchwork
Night Eyes (w/ Charles Rutledge)
#Blood Tide
#Shades of Grey
The Walker Place

My favorite story was Harvest Moon. I found the entire story to be incredibly creepy by it. And the ending was incredibly horrific to me personally.

[Mercy Nurse · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oof, I hate false advertising. You won’t find anything about Halloween or even Halloween adjacent in this anthology. You will, however, find a collection of gross r@p3 fantasies clearly written by a misogynist. Yeahhh, no thanks, hard pass.

[Charlene (Char)🍁☕️📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Halloween Treat

I read this book as I thought this would be a great read for the Halloween season and I was right. This book consists of 10 stories with a Halloween theme. I’ve read many of books where there were several stories written by the author some I liked some I didn’t, but this is the first where I’ve read all the stories and enjoyed them! This author is truly talented with his story telling and has a great flair for the spooky and haunting. I did enjoy how Bone Harvest and Patchwork are tied together! This made this book an even better treat. I’ll definitely be reading more books from this author and you should too!
Harvest Moon, Hathburn Avenue, Patchwork and Shades of Grey are great stories and display the author talent. A great spooky read for the Halloween season.

[Иван Величков · Rating 5 out of 5]

Една от най-приятните изненади за тази година. Покрай есенното си четене този октомври прехвърлих доста сборници с хелоуински истории и въпреки бомбастичните заглавия на някой от тях, тази ми се открои най-много. И няма как, имам предчувствието, че г-н Мур е много, ама много от нашите хора (визирам ЛАЗАРУС и всичките ми откачени братчета и сестричета там). Та ако искате перфектните хелоуински разкази, без напъни, без оригиналничене и без пълнеж – това са вашите десет истории. На мен любими ми станаха четирите за вещицата и тримата ѝ изродски синове – Боунс, Пач и Стикс, но едно по едно:
“The Dry Season” – Класика с много добър финален обрат. Две майки ще се разходят за лакомства с децата си вечерта на Хелоуин и ще се сблъскат челно с тъмната страна на празника.
“Harvest Moon” – Малко градче със странни есенни традиции и един пенсионер, който е решил да го направи дом. Отново класика, отново чудесен обрат.
“Hathburn Avenue” – Красива меланхолична история за подтисната вина и Хелоуин, няма да се потретвам. Банда хлапета посещават къща, изненадващо подобна на онази в която скоро е починал при пожар техен приятел.
“Bone Harvest” – Малии, на това може да завиди Баркър. Двама ботанисти са се забутали в блатото до Вещерската падина. Там ще попаднат на няма такъв изрод. Първото представено ни отроче на вещицата Алвина – Боунс.
“Harvest Gods Revisited” – Хлалпе се изгубва в гората по пътя за вкъщи. Странен старец му помага и двамата сключват сделка уж на майтап. Стикс, обаче никога не се шегува.
“Patchwork” – И да приветстваме Пач. Група момичета от близкия интернат са решили да вгорчат живота на новото попълнение. Детската жестокост стига до крайности в Вещерската падина, когато се появява неочакван спасител. Ама много неочакван.
“Night Eyes” – Хелоуинска приказка. Нямаше нищо толкова изненадващо, но толкова добре написана, че те държи на ръба на стола. Група деца решават да се предизвикат, като посетят къщата на местния особняк. Само че къщата е доста далече от центъра, а не е добре да се ходи в гората на връх Хелоуин. Малко стил Бредбъри влезе, не че се оплаквам.
“Blood Tide” – Двама надрусани изнасилващи ще се пробват с грешното момиче.
“Shades of Grey” – Частен детектив проследява серия мистериозни убийства. Това ще го доведе до самата Алвина и ще му стъжни живота.
“The Walker Place” – Да се промъкнеш в обитавана къща, за да видиш призрак. И то, познайте на коя дата. Ми няма как да свърши добре. Ами ще го кажа отново – КЛАСИКА и класа.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic i love all things Halloween and this book was no exception. This book contains ten creepy twisted tales of Halloween horror some are stand alone stories and others are connected in a series about a witch Alvina Bathory and her sons Robert,Jack and Patrick. So when you read this book some of them will have a connection to other stories and some will just be stand alone tales. I love creepy and spooky Halloween stories I love rereading them close to Halloween to get into the festive spirit. This book was entertaining and enjoyable to read i definitely recommend reading this book for all Halloween lovers out there.


The Dry season two mothers Linda and Nancy are taking a group of children trick or treating and are disturbed throughout the night by the sensation Simeon is watching and following them. The vengeful spirit of a mother is after Nancy for spreading lies about her son Martin they got him killed. Very spooky story.

Harvest moon a retired widower moves from the city to the quiet small town of summitville but finds himself creeped out by the towns dedication to the Halloween holiday and all the scarecrows. He delves into the past of the town and discovers a creepy history with the scarecrows including the original one from over a hundred years ago comes to life every Halloween and takes one person with it. I absolutely loved this story, without a doubt this one is my favourite out of this collection I just love a good spooky creepy story of a Halloween scarecrow coming to life.

Hathburn Avenue is a creepy story of a young boy and his mates trick or treating on Halloween night the first Halloween after his best friend Chuck and his family’s death by their house catching on fire one night. Throughout the night the group is stalked by a vengeful spirit seeking revenge on Mike one of the trick or treaters for causing the fire. This was a very spooky story to read I loved it.


Bone harvest this is a story that is a part of a series connected to other stories in this book. Botanists Natalie and Reggie are studying a dangerous plant when they get attacked by a bear that wounds Natalie pretty bad, and goes after Reggie but something gets the bear a creature called old bones aka Robert Bathory a inhuman creature son of a witch Alvina Bathory that makes a body of the bear and goes after them wanting their bones it’s thoughts are on its mother. A very creepy story.


Harvest gods revisited this is connected to the Bathory stories Raymond a young boy whose father has passed away and his mother finds herself a boyfriend Lawrence who is very strict and doesn’t believe in fun, missing his mother’s old tradition of going out to chunky e cheese, watching movies with his mother, he meets a strange man named Jack who is a Bathory who offers him a deal to bring his father back from the dead in exchange for Lawrence. A twisted tale to read. I really enjoyed reading this one especially its my second favourite out of this collection.

Patchwork this one is connected to the other Bathory stories brother to Jack and Robert son to the witch Alvina Bathory this story is about Patrick pretending to be human and living with the humans and doing his mothers will she seeks the young teenager Erica. It was an interesting story to read.

Night eyes tells the story of a group of friends trick or treating who break the rule and go into the woods on Halloween night only to find themselves surrounded by dark shadowy creatures with glowing eyes and find themselves in for a night of horror.


Blood tide this was an interesting story very mysterious it starts with two people Albert and Jason who obviously know each other very well and strongly hint at inhuman origins and killing friends and such. Albert and Jason discuss needs and a young woman is brought into the conversation nothing about what kind of needs involving the woman is mentioned so it remains a mystery. But the story moves onto two broke junkies Matt and Louis who focus on Margaret aka Maggie a call girl to pay her way through college seeking to mug and sexually assault her their efforts are foiled when they’re attacked by crows to death. The end of the story is Maggie is safe and sound in her bed sleeping being watched by Jason obviously this is the woman mentioned in the beginning but a lot of details remain a mystery on what he wants from her. I rather enjoyed reading this story I liked the mysterious element to it a different kind of horror of the unknown.


Shades of grey this one Is part of the Bathory stories with Erica/Alvina Bathory witch. Neil is a private investigator he takes peoples pictures and gathers information for clients but finds himself involved in something much darker than imagined when two young women claim their being followed by something not someone and end up dead he finds himself being targeted. A creepy horror story.


The Walker place a creepy story of three young boys playing with ouija board hunting for ghosts they go to the Walker house where the whole family was murdered what could be more haunted right…. Well they get more than they bargained for in this spine chilling tale of horror

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a love/hate relationship with Moore's work. It's excellent at capturing the Autumn vibe and often fast paced and easy to binge read. On the other hand, there's sometimes a lot of SA in his work, which can make it unpleasant to read. That said, there wasn't as much in this collection as I feared, and most of these stories were fun seasonal reads.

Highlights (for me):

"Harvest Gods Revisted" - I want more Mr. Sticks! And more Beldam Woods (fortunately it pops up in multiple stories included here). In this story, a boy makes a deal with the mysterious Mr. Sticks to trade his mom's unlikable boyfriend for a younger sibling and the chance to get his deceased dad back. This one was really good at capturing the Halloween spirit and vibe.

"Night Eyes" - The group of kids at the center of this story were very believably written and reminded me (in the best way) of Stephen King's writing. The creatures in the woods here were also effectively creepy.

"Harvest Moon" - Ben moves into a small town with very interesting Halloween traditions involving homemade scarecrows and a mysterious sorcerer from the town's distant past. I'm a big creepy scarecrow fan, so this one was right up my alley.

"Shades of Grey" - My personal favorite. A private detective encounters a murderous witch while tailing a client. The description of the witch and the way she moves when stalking her prey were very eerie. Unfortunately, she notices our hero and proceeds to target him and his family.

I do have to mention one story I couldn't finish, "Patchwork," where one of the main characters is a pedophile and the reader is apparently just supposed to roll with that and the character's gross thoughts. I had to tap out of this one, but it was the only story in the collection that I found particularly triggering, so overall, I think this one was a win. A solid read for Halloween season.

[Justyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bram Stoker Award nominee James A. Moore presents what Christopher Golden in the introduction calls, “love letters to fear” in the form of 10 short stories.

“The Dry Season”
A couple women take their kids out for trick-or-treating to the house of a dead murderer. I liked the concept and atmosphere, though I had no idea what was going on at the end. 3/5

“Harvest Moon”
A retiree makes his home in Summitville where he finds out about their Halloween traditions. This was a cool small town story with a subtly creepy supernatural element. 4/5

“Hathburn Avenue”
A group of trick or treaters stumble upon a mysterious house resembling one of the kids who died. This story gripped me from start to finish, a classic Halloween and ghost story. 5/5

“Bone Harvest”
Two botanists search Witch’s Hollow for an elusive plant, but encounter a deadly force known as Old Bones. This was pretty engaging and action-packed, but it didn’t even mention or attempt to be related to Halloween, which was disappointing. 3/5

“Harvest Gods Revisited”
A boy meets a strange old man in the woods on Halloween. I liked the concept, though I felt the execution could’ve been better with less telling and more showing, especially at the end. 3/5

“Patchwork”
Related to the Bone Harvest story, this longer piece follows different characters, a milkman, a townswoman’s family, and some students who are drawn to Witch’s Hollow and the poisonous mushrooms. It was an enjoyable story, though where was Halloween!? 3/5

“Night Eyes”
A group of friends goes trick-or-treating in Wellman, Georgia and encounter something malevolent in the woods. I liked the characters and ideas, but structurally this story wasn’t great. Like many of the stories so far, it starts with a crap ton of exposition before getting to the present action. I also found the flashback with the Blackbourne kids interesting, but it didn’t relate to the scene in the woods. I also found the ending wrapped up too fast. Overall, I liked the story, but it could’ve been fleshed out more. 3/5

“Blood Tide”
Two mystery men look at a house while a college girl gets attacked by two rapists. Again, there was interesting character work and a gruesome ending, but the characters weren’t likable (noticing a misogynistic theme) or fleshed out enough (too many for a short story). Also, where was Halloween? 2/5

“Shades of Grey”
In yet another story not about Halloween, a private investigator tracks down a mysterious entity causing a trail of murders. I enjoyed this one, felt engaged, and liked learning more about the witch character referenced in the other stories. 4/5

“The Walker Place”
In a classic Halloween haunted house story, a group of friends decides to sneak into the infamous Walker Place. This was a solid close to the collection filled the Halloween ambiance, spooks, and childhood naiveté, although leading to a predictable ending. 3/5

As with many collections and anthologies, the quality and preferences for the pieces vary. This is Halloween is a fitting read for the October season, though I was disappointed not all (only 6) were about the holiday, though it was interesting to see interconnected details and characters between stories. Moore is a solid horror writer with a cool world in Beldam Woods, and for the most part even if I didn’t like the stories, they were entertaining and engaging.
3.3/5 stars

[absolutely _ grim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good Halloween vibes but the author's descriptions of female bodies was eye roll-inducing.

[Tyler Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated each story and got an average of 4.1
Over all, I loved the collection. Only 1 story out of 10 I didn't care for. I need to read more by James A. Moore!

[Erin Talamantes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthology of 10 horror stories that deal with monsters of all sorts.
The Dry Season- Two women take a group of children trick or treating, they can’t help but notice the abandoned house of a deceased murderer is now occupied once more.
Harvest Moon- Benjamin retires to Summitville, a nice peaceful little town, which proves to be perfect. Until he learns of their obsession with scarecrows.
Hathburn Avenue- a group of trick or treaters find themselves going to a house that eerily resembles one that just recently burned down.
Bone Harvest- two botanists enter Witch’s Hollow where many deadly plants live, but the plants aren’t the only thing they need to beware of.
Harvest Gods Revisited- a young boy who is dissatisfied with how much time he spends with his mom, meets a man in the woods who’s willing to make a deal with him.
Patchwork- several intertwining stories including two milkmen who each have a dark secret, a group of girls who are viscous towards the new girl at school, and a family who isn’t as perfect as they portray.
Night Eyes- a group of trick or treaters decide to go into the woods, despite the warnings of their parents, and end up encountering something...a little less human.
Blood Tide- two men on drugs decide to attack a woman and attempt to rob and rape her, but they didn’t expect any disruptions.
Shades of Grey- a private investigator gets involved in a series of murders that seem to be of supernatural nature.
The Walker Place- a group of friends decide to sneak out at night and go to a haunted house to encounter a ghost, they end up getting more than they bargained for.

This is exactly what I want when I want to read a spooky Halloween collection.
In the introduction it’s said that Moore dreamt of living in New England because of the presence of the horror genre there and I can understand where he’s coming from
I picture myself reading these by a window, with leaves scattered outside and a chill in the air. It captures that fall feeling inside pages.
This put me in the perfect Halloween mood, it felt like the book just oozed Halloween goodness.
Each story feels unique and can hold its own, but they still feel connected and cohesive.
Some of the stories also tied into each other which I also really enjoyed, it help with the cohesion of the overall book.
I love that it dealt with supernatural elements, but also the human monsters that I find to be more scary and terrifying.
I felt myself sometimes siding with the supernatural beings and not as inclined to root for some of the human characters. Some of the stories did well with capturing how evil humans can be and how not all monsters are these creepy inhuman beings.
Some of the stories do deal with attempted rape, pedophilia, domestic violence, and mentions violence against children. The topics aren’t too gruesome or too detailed, but are mentioned so keep that in mind as they could be triggering for some.
I was surprised by each story and really felt like they all did a good job of keeping me interested and wanting to continue reading.
Harvest Moon, Patchwork, and Night Eyes were probably my top favorites, but I really enjoyed all of them.
This is a perfect read to get you into the Halloween spirit and it’s full of good stories and fun spooks.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book last October and saved it to read during the Halloween season of this year (2021). I was very much looking forward to it and figured it would set the mood for my favourite holiday.

The first three stories were the ones I enjoyed: "The Dry Season," "Harvest Moon," and "Hathburn Avenue." They had creepy vibes, a perfect Halloween theme, and interesting concepts to all of them. The childhood nostalgia of trick-or-treating was present, as well as a freaky scarecrow concept that never fails to make me giddy.

Beyond these stories, the book started to lose me, although I felt like I was nearly revived by "Harvest Gods, Revisited." After that leap into a classic legend of Halloween, I was back to being lost. The rest of the stories were forgettable for me. "Blood Tide" in particular was confusing and I was left feeling like I missed something that would have made the story cohesive. I also found the editing to be lacking.

By the end of "This is Halloween," I was left with an appreciation for the first few stories, but not much else.

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am so sorry but literally what even was this? What is with the constant sexualization of the female characters here? Like are you good?? I don’t wanna read a story that feels the need to go so into detail about some creep looking too closely at young girls. Saying the quiet part out loud are we? I really tried here. I found myself taking screenshots to share with friends just to be like “what the fuck is this??”. You can write scary stories that don’t have constant themes of sexual violence. Like get some new material what is happening in your head here, guy? Then there was the straight up r@pe related story???? I’m out. Bye.

[Halley Hopson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Dry Season - 3
Harvest Moon - 4
Hathburn Avenue - 3.5
Bone Harvest - 2
Harvest Gods, Revisited - 2
Patchwork- 2 (way too long and convoluted for a short story)
Night Eyes - 3
Blood Tide - 2 (TW: sexual assault)
Shades of Gray - 2 (gross male gaze)
The Walker Place - 4

There were a couple of decent stories in here but half of them were really gross and sexual assault male gaze-esque with no trigger warning for sexual assault or pedophilia and it felt gross.

[Mommacat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deliciously creepy, downright scary and practically perfect in every way. James Moore assembled his Halloween short stories in one volume.

If I had to say something negative about the book, it would be that it ran out of words and I had to stop reading. MORE, Mr. Moore, please!

[Melissa Hoch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mediocre at best

Some of the short stories were ok but most were lame, predictable and mildly disturbing. The story that featured a pedo was COMPLETELY unnecessary and just plain disgusting. I had to skip it completely after 4-5 paragraphs. All in all don’t waste your time.

[R.J. Roles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wickedly delicious. Utterly brutal. Highly recommended!

[Kathy Brackin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Halloween book! Every story was creepy 🎃👻

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most captivating collection, but it has some hair raising offerings that ring true and authentic to the spirit of Halloween, New England style.

Favorites:

‘Night Eyes’
‘Shades of Gray’
‘The Walker Place’-Perfect haunted house story.

[Amin (Sagittarian_bookaholic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: This is Halloween
Author: James A. Moore
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ebook

✳️Here I am, sharing a review of a Halloween themed book at Thanksgiving. I know 😅, but who doesn't like a couple of scary stories? This book caught my eyes instantly as I scrolled the net searching for a book with 'pumpkin on the cover' for my bingo challenge. If you are looking for spooky Halloween tales, I strongly recommend the book 'This is Halloween' which is a collection of 10 short stories authored by James A. Moore.✳️

Without spoiling anything, Iam gonna give you guys a heads up.

Trick or Treating Gone bad/ related incidents:
🔸The Dry Season
🔸Hathburn Avenue
🔸Night Eyes
🔸The Walker Place

🔸Harvest Moon - A town fixated on scarecrows.

Stories that are directly intertwined:
🔸Bone Harvest
🔸Harvest Gods Revisited
🔸Patchwork
🔸Shades of Gray

🔸Blood Tide - Still, I'm not sure it's a boon or a curse.

✳️My favorite stories amongst them were Night eyes, Shades of Gray and The Walker place. I would really like to go through each of these stories one by one. But I'm not going to do this since it's definitely gonna throw the suspense away. Some of these stories were independent, but some were connected somehow. This was definitely a good read for me and Iam eager to read his other works as well.✳️