Tales from a Talking Board

by Ross E. Lockhart (Editor), Kristi DeMeester, J.M. McDermott

Can we speak with the spirits of the dead? Is it possible to know the future? Are our dreams harbingers of things to come? Do auspicious omens and cautionary portents effect our lives?

Edited by Ross E. Lockhart, Tales from a Talking Board examines these questions–and more–with tales of auguries, divination, and fortune telling, through devices like Ouija boards, tarot cards, and stranger things.

So dim the lights, place your hands upon the planchette, and ask the spirits to guide you as we present fourteen stories of the strange and supernatural by Matthew M. Bartlett, Nadia Bulkin, Nathan Carson, Kristi DeMeester, Orrin Grey, Scott R. Jones, David James Keaton, Anya Martin, J. M. McDermott, S. P. Miskowski, Amber-Rose Reed, Tiffany Scandal, David Templeton, and Wendy N. Wagner.

Edited by Ross E. Lockhart
Cover Design by Yves Tourigny

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Halloween, Paranormal, Ghosts, Adult

209 pages, Paperback

First published October 24, 2017

About the author

Ross E. Lockhart is the Publisher/Editor in Chief of Word Horde. A lifelong fan of supernatural, fantastic, speculative, and weird fiction, Lockhart holds degrees in English from Sonoma State University (BA) and SFSU (MA). He is a veteran of small-press publishing, having edited scores of well-regarded novels of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. Lockhart edited the acclaimed Lovecraftian anthologies The Book of Cthulhu and The Book of Cthulhu II and Tales of Jack the Ripper (2013). Forthcoming are The Children of Old Leech (with Justin Steele, 2014), and Giallo Fantastique (2014). Lockhart's rock-and-roll novel, Chick Bassist, was published by Lazy Fascist Press in 2012. Lockhart lives in an old church in Petaluma, California, with his wife Jennifer, hundreds of books, and Elinor Phantom, a Shih Tzu moonlighting as his editorial assistant. Find Ross online at http://www.haresrocklots.com

Reviews

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to rate this collection. I buddy read it with a friend on #bookstagram and I even messaged her to see how she was going to break this collection down. I was sent a copy by the editor of the collection at Word Horde for an honest review. I was 100% sold out on the cover. I *love* the cover.
But this collection has some issues. There are some real gems mixed in with some near misses and some stories that just were good--they were not awful but unfortunately, they weren't very memorable or great, either. I decided to just do a breakdown of star rating for each story and then do an average for an overall score of 3-3.5 stars.
Tales from a Talking Board opens with the story, “YesNoGoodbye,” by Kristi DeMeester and it's my opinion that this is the best story the collection had to offer. Really, really great story--5 stars
“The Devil and the Bugle Boys,” by J.M. McDermott--2 stars
“WeeGee WeeGee, Tell Me Do.” by Anya Martin--2 stars
“When The Evil Days Come Not” by Nathan Carson--3.5 stars
“Grief" by Tiffany Scandal--3.5 stars (this one was pretty strong despite a slow start
“Spin the Throttle" David James Keaton--2 stars (I was just confused by this story honestly)
“Pins” by S.P. Miskowski--5 stars I want to look up more writing by this author
“Deep Into the Skin”Matthew M. Bartlett-- 4.5 stars
“Burnt Sugar Stench” by Wendy N. Wagner-- 3 stars
“Worse Than Demons,” by Scott R. Jones-- 4 stars
“The Empress and the Three Swords” by Amber-Rose Reed-- 2 stars
“Questions and Answers” by David Templeton--3.5 stars
“Harpuspicate or Scry” by Orrin Grey- 4 stars
"May You Live in Interesting Times,” by Nadia Bulkin--5 stars
This is a collection to have in your collection for the Nadia Bulkin and Kristi DeMeester stories alone, along with the 4 star stories in the collection but it's tough to get through some of the not-so-stand-out stories, making this a middle of the road anthology for me, unfortunately.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars - Ouija Board Anthology
Video Review: https://youtu.be/NQhahAbrZL8
The theme of this anthology collection was absolutely brilliant. Like so many people who grew up in religious homes, I was always warned to stay away from Ouija boads in case I accidentally summoned a demon into my soul. With this fear planted in me from a young age, I knew this collection would be right up my alley.

As is always the case with anthologies, I enjoyed some of the stories more than others. Yet, as a collected work, I was very impressed by the quality of all the fourteen stories, which were very well written. The editor collected a fantastic range of stories, representing so many different facets of the horror genre. There was a good mix of supernatural and realistic horror. Some of the stories were quite dark and gruesome, while others could be safely consumed by readers who do not typically read the genre.

The challenge of having such a specific anthology theme is that the stories can potentially feel repetitive. However, this was not the case with this collection. The authors avoided this pitfall by each approaching the concept of Ouija boards in a unique and creative way. A few of the stories in the collection took more traditional approaches to the topic, which I certainly enjoyed, while other stories used the idea of the board in completely unexpected ways. Some interpretations were quite literal, while others were completely outside of the box.

The book starts with a fascinating, brief introduction explaining the history of the Ouija board, moving from spiritual tools to benign toys for children. This introduction provided readers, like myself, with the necessary context and background to fully appreciate the collection as a whole.

Here are my thoughts on the individual short shories:

Kristi Demeester - "YesNoGoodbye"
The anthology started out strong with this creepy short story. Told in first person perspective, the narrative was absolutely engrossing, from beginning to end. The story had some fantastic diverse representation with a closeted lesbian protagonist. The writing was clear and concise with vivid, creepy, descriptions scattered throughout the pages. Blending together realistic horror with the supernatural, the story touched upon some very dark and disturbing subject matter. I love a story that can make me so uncomfortable, twisting my stomach into knots. This was one of my favourite stories in the collection.

J. M. McDermott – The Devil and the Bugle Boys
This story had a nostalgic, yet dark tone featuring a group of immature, profane teenager who felt like very realistic adolescent boys.

Anya Martin – Weegee Weegee, Tell Me Do
Featuring a stage performer, this story was a departure from the more classic stories of children playing with boards.

Nathan Carson – When the Evil Days Come Not
This was a compelling narrative set a mysterious school with only three students. The use of the Ouija board set up a wonderfully ominous situation. Mixing together elements of mystery with horror, this story was unexpected and dark.

Tiffany Scandal – Grief
As the title suggested, this is quite emotional and sad read.

David James Keaton – Spin the Throttle
This was an interesting re-imagining of the Ouija board experience without using an actual board. This story included some dark and gruesome moments.

S.P. Miskowski – Pins
Centered around fortune telling rather than Ouija boards, this story was more about the people than the supernatural.

Matthew M. Bartlett – Deep into the Skin
This was easily the most intense and gruesome story in the entire collection. This one is not the for feint of heart. Dark and suspenseful, this story was so memorable and another one of my personal favourites.

Wendy N. Wagner – The Burnt Sugar Stench
This was an interesting, mind-bending story, which left me craving candy. It read more like a piece of science fiction, than horror. As a fan of both genres, I really enjoyed this one even though it did not have the strongest connection the collection's theme.

Amber-Rose Reed – The Empress and the Three of Swords
This was one of the shorter, quieter stories in the collection.

Scott R Jones – Worse than Demons
This story was written as the transcripts of an interview with a fictional horror filmmaker. The movies described sounded so compelling that I kept wishing they were real so I could actually watch them.

David Templeton – Questions and Answers
This was one of the probably the entertaining story in the collection. The idea entire behind this story was incredibly creative and fun. This was not at all scary, but surprisingly heart-warming. Regardless of genre, this was simply just a very good story that will appeal to a wide range of readers.

Orrin Grey – Haruspicate or Scry
I appreciated that this story addressed the social pressures of having children. The author provided an honest narrative of a women who simply had no desire to get pregnant and start a traditionally family. Despite addressing these serious topics, the story will managed to create an unsettling tone.

Nadia Bulkin – May You Live in Interesting Times
Written by an Indonisian author, this story is an excellent example of diversity in horror. Featuring a Muslim, Malasyian main character, this story offered a unique perspective rarely show in the genre. The politics and social demographics of Indonesia were written seamlessly into the plot, while still providing a wonderfully creepy story. The narrative was dark and compulsive, with an ending that made me do a double take. This is another story I highly recommend.

Anthologies are great opportunities to sample the work of several writers at one time. I personally intend to check out more stories by several of the talented authors featured in this collection.

I would highly recommend this anthology to wide range of readers from horror newbies to novices. Regardless of your experience reading the genre, there are stories in this collection that will appeal to just about every reader.

I requested this book from Word Horde Publishing (because, again, Ouija board themed anthologies are pretty much amazing).

[Karl]

This copy is inscribed and signed by Ross E. Lockhart.

Contents

001 - Ross E. Lockhart – A Brief History of Talking Boards
007 - Kristi DeMeester – “YesNoGoodbye”
017 - J. M. McDermott – "The Devil and the Bugle Boys"
029 - Anya Martin – "Weegee Weegee, Tell Me Do"
049 - Nathan Carson – "When the Evil Days Come Not"
067 - Tiffany Scandal – "Grief"
079 - David James Keaton – "Spin the Throttle"
095 - S.P. Miskowski – "Pins"
105 - Matthew M. Bartlett – "Deep into the Skin"
121 - Wendy N. Wagner – "The Burnt Sugar Stench"
135 - Scott R Jones – "Worse than Demons"
149 - Amber-Rose Reed – "The Empress and the Three of Swords"
157 - David Templeton – "Questions and Answers"
175 - Orrin Grey – "Haruspicate or Scry"
191 - Nadia Bulkin – "May You Live in Interesting Times"
209 - Copyright Acknowledgments
216 -About The Editor

[Feli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read many mixed reviews about this anthology and so put it on hold for some time. I got it from December’s Nocturnal Reader’s Box (2017) and also scored a signed copy *yeahh*. I absolutely fell in love with the cover and I love stories about Ouija boards and so I wanted to get a bit of a distance to all those bad reviews before starting to read it myself.

I have to say that some of the reviews I’ve read were DNFs after a few stories and in my opinion the collection gets stronger in the end.

I tried to make a ranking of all the 14 stories which are included here and thus left out the 0.5 rating for stories which were in-between two ratings because the order I chose should reflect this.

5 Stars
1. Haruspicate or Scry – Orrin Grey
2. Weegee Weegee, Tell Me Do – Anya Martin

4 Stars
3. May You Live In Interesting Times – Nadia Bulkin
4. Deep Into The Skin – Matthew M. Bartlett
5. Worse than Demons – Scott R. Jones
6. Questions and Answers – David Tempelton

3 Stars
7. Grief – Tiffany Scandal
8. When The Evil Days Come Not – Nathan Carson
9. YesNoGoodbye – Kristi DeMeester
10. The Devil and the Bugle Boys – J. M. McDermott
11. Pins – S. P. Miskowski
12. The Burnt Sugar Stench – Wendy N. Wagner

2 Stars
13. 2* Spin The Throttle – David James Keaton
14. 2* The Empress And The Three Swords – Amber-Rose Reed


A few thoughts on some of the stories:

Questions and Answers – David Tempelton:
This started really well and I liked it a lot. It was an interesting idea but it didn’t really get me in the end. I expected a bit more from this great premise.

Grief – Tiffany Scandal
Really slow start but the ending was worth it! Creepy and good!

YesNoGoodbye – Kristi DeMeester
I am not sure anymore of how I think about Kristi DeMeester. I like her style and the stories she writes like many others do. But as you can read in my review of her Everything That's Underneath I have some problems with her every repeating themes and I am definitely missing something new here. It was the same as all her stories just with an Ouija Board. It is good as always but for my taste, there’s something missing and I cannot rate it more than 3.5 stars because of that. I gave her collection 4 stars (but had some issues with it) but cannot go higher here.

Pins – S. P. Miskowski
Good, but I am not sure I got it right in the end.

The Burnt Sugar Stench – Wendy N. Wagner
This was freaky. I mean, good writing and interesting story. Fast paced and full of actions. But also really different and the plot was a bit thin.

Spin The Throttle – David James Keaton
Ähm… well… I didn’t get it. This was weird.

The Empress And The Three Swords – Amber-Rose Reed
This story just left no impression. I’ve read it and didn’t know what to think about it. I opened the book today (a week later after finishing) and had absolutely no idea what this story was about or anything else about it.

My overall rating for this collection is 3.5 Stars but as I left out the 0.5 ratings for some stories and I thought the Introduction was quite interesting + I really enjoyed reading this anthology I round it up to full 4 stars.

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

"What do you mean you don't believe in ghosts? You read horror books!"

I get that a lot. It is surprising how many people think that because you love a literary genre titled horror you must believe in all the things between the pages. Ghosts, Demons, anything supernatural. I used to reply. "If you like to read Tolkien. do you believe Hobbits are real?" but I got tired of the blank looks. No, I do not believe in the supernatural. I believe in the preternatural. For me, Horror is not about understanding the supernatural but understanding ourselves and the fear and doubts that bind us.

And if one more person says, "I like horrors books too. Especially true ones like The Amnityville Horror" I'm going full Jody on them.

Now to the review...

Full discloser. I have never used a Ouji board, either by myself or with others and probably never will. First of all, if you know they are not real, they are kind of boring. Second, while it is not real. our imaginations are and I do believe believing something is happening when it isn't affect us and not always positively.

But Ouji boards are part and parcel to many plots of horror stories. They are the conventional gateway to the spirit world for many residents who live between the pages of a horror novel. Tales from a Talking Board edited by Ross E. Lockhart consists of 14 pieces of short fiction covering the board but isn't limited to it. Some of the stories involve seances, divination, tarot cards among other things. But they all have to do with conversing with the spirits in one way or another.

There are some good stories here but none that really blow me other into the other dimension. All the authors are skillful but not all caught me up in their story. This is not to say it isn't quite entertaining. it is. Interestingly I wanted more stories actually about Ouji Boards and I found those that kept to the traditional the most satisfying. On the other hand, I did appreciate how many of the writers seem to be looking for something new to say about this tried and true warhorse.

Of the stories, I especially liked the early 20th century vaudeville setting of "Wegee Weegee, Tell Me Do" by Anya Martin. It captures the early days of the Ouji board craze with a feminist twist. "Spin the Throttle" by David James Keaton tells us we can have the frights of the board without the board. But the one that made my hairs stand on end was Tiffany Scandal's "Grief"which is about as straight a horror story you will find here.

There were others that stood out. Nathan Carson's "When the Evil Days Come Not" is part mystery, part horror and very different. Nadia Bulkin's "May You live in Interesting Times" is a much needed look at the subject from another culture. Finally for this short and incomplete survey, "Questions and Answers" by David Templeton is a humorous look at the Ouji while giving us a glimpse on what is happening n the other side.

There are eight other tales or varying quality but the above six stands out. As with many anthologies there is the usual unevenness but certainly there is enough to entertain. This collection would appeals mostly to those who either have an interest in Ouji boards or just likes tales about communication with the dearly departed. It's a good if not exceptional collection.

[Gabrielle (Reading Rampage) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a little obsessed with Ouija boards lately: I am not really interested in using one, but I find them to be rather beautiful and fascinating objects. When I saw this little collection, edited by Ross Lockhart, it was impossible to resist getting a copy.

As you might have guessed, the theme of this anthology is spirit boards, but also all and any kinds of divination. Some stories are silly and fun, while other are more dramatic and emotional. But as with most anthology, this one is a bit of a mixed bag – that nevertheless contains a few stand out pieces that make the less exciting stories worth it.

The absolute best of “Tales From a Talking Board” for me was Orrin Grey’s “Haruspicate or Scry”. I have seen his name before in other collections I have enjoyed (namely “The Children of Old Leech” (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)), and now I think I will pursue his work more seriously, because his little story definitely struck a nerve. Sure, part of it is about communicating with the Other Side, but mostly, it’s a story about the social pressure to be a mother, the weight of having such a decision imposed on you and the resulting trauma. I felt very strongly for the nameless protagonist, and while creepy, I enjoyed the conclusion.

Other stand outs were “YesNoGoodbye”, “Grief”, “Deep Into the Skin” and the rather hilarious “Questions and Answers” – which gives a whimsical explanation about who is moving the planchette when you use a Ouija board.

Overall, a fun little Spooktober read with just enough good stuff to keep it interesting, and one shining gem tucked in at the end.

[HorrorBabe911 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Out of almost 12/13 short stories here only liked 2. I was almost close to DNF but I pushed thru just to make sure there weren’t good stories I would miss. But it was a flop.

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best stories were Deep Into The Skin for flat out horror and Questions & Answers for a cleverness I appreciated. At an average score of 3.57 it’s above average for an anthology.

YesNoGoodbye ★★★☆☆
Sad story about an abused girl, the boy who loves her, and the demon who won’t help them.

The Devil and the Bugle Boys ★★☆☆☆
Marching band mormons question their faith.

Weegee Weegee, Tell Me Do ★★★★☆
A woman’s possessed hands set her free!

When The Evil Days Come Not ★★★☆☆
A ghost comes to an orphanage to take his revenge. Things don’t go as planned.

Grief ★★★★☆
Grieving parents open a doorway forgetting that more than one can come through.

Spin the Throttle ★★★☆☆
That’s the strangest story I’ve ever read in my life. I can’t even tell if I liked it. It was surreal and violent and odd.

Pins ★★★★☆
A woman breaks free from abuse but has to take the kids.

Deep into the Skin ★★★★★
Now that was some horror! Dark occult happenings slam into the life of a struggling small town tattoo artist.

The Burnt Sugar Stench ★★★★☆
Quick, fun, action packed, Dr. Strange sort of story featuring the Russian mob, a collegiate psychic, and interdimensional evil spiders!

Worse Than Demons ★★★☆☆
A Hollywood producer is interviewed about a biographical piece he’s making concerning that time in his youth when he contacted God with Ouija Board and the consequences to his school. Can’t decide if I liked it, lol.

The Empress and the Three of Swords ★★☆☆☆
An unfinished tarot reading with no answers or point.

Questions & Answers ★★★★★
Awesome little story about the dead who operate the other side of the Ouija Board. It’s a layered clever tale where all the threads come together neatly.

Haruspicate or Scry ★★★★☆
Creepy little tale of stealth reincarnation.

May You Live In Interesting Times ★★★★☆
A sort of demon story with a lot of intriguing non Western references. A peak at a different culture with some vicious Boo!

This anthology was part of the December 2017 Nocturnal Readers Book Box.

[Romi || Romi Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I just want to say how much I love the cover – it’s such an original way to use the cover!

Now onto the review of the stories. This anthology had some really good ones in it, but unfortunately, not all of them were hits (or even came close) to me. Of the fourteen stories, I only genuinely loved about five. The others I can’t even remember properly by now and one, “Spin the Throttle” by David James Keaton, I just skipped after being confused for about three pages (hate to do that though!).

I expected all of the stories to be about the use and dangers of Ouija boards. Most of them were, but there were also a couple of stories where they didn’t use a talking board, but instead another way to communicate with the “other side”. Besides that, I expected this book to be way, way, creepier than it was. Or maybe I’m just getting used to being creeped out? Who knows!

The stories I loved were “Grief” by Tiffany Scandal, “Questions and Answers” by David Templeton and “Haruspicate or Scry” by Orrin Grey. These just had a good structure and story in general that the other stories lacked, in my humble opinion. The story that creeped me out the most was the first one “YesNoGoodbye” by Kristi DeMeester, but unfortunately that didn’t necessarily mean I liked it. It was what I expected from this anthology though, and that’s what made it a good first story.

All in all, I didn’t really look forward to picking this book up to read, but there were some stories that I’d like to reread in the future!

* This book was included in The Nocturnal Reader’s Box of December *

[Dez Nemec · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like this book had so much potential, but just totally fell flat. Overall the stories were okay, but not great. Most of them weren't even good in my opinion. I thought that "Questions & Answers" was by far the best story in the book. It's about a bunch of dead folks taking a class on how to work the Ouija from the afterlife side of things. Great little story. Otherwise, this was a waste of my time.

[Bookteafull (Danny) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF’ed

Made it to the third short story and it just wasn’t entertaining or even well written tbh. The stories I read were dull, basic, and had no sense of plot. It’s like a group of authors came together and wrote ‘words, words, words, Ouija, words, words, devil, words, goodbye.’

[Melissa Chung · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this collection of short stories the very first day of October. I had high hopes. A whole book filled with Ouija Board stories how fun! Out of 14 short stories, I really liked 4. I’m not sure if 4/14 stories is a good thing. I went back and forth with myself if I should keep this book on my shelves. I’m still undecided. For now I’ll keep it. Giving this book a 3.5 stars.

In all of my short story collection reads, I’ll only be discussing my favorites.

Story seven: Pins is about a mom and her twin girls. They are on a road trip. This story has a psychic with tarot cards instead of a Ouija. This story is kind of strange. It seems the mom is on the run from someone or something. She is disguising the trip as something fun, maybe to keep the girls placid. The ending is very sinister.

Story eight: Deep into the skin is about a tattoo artist who ends up creating a Ouija board on a young woman’s skin against his will and the terrible outcome of that. Reminds me of my Halloween look this year.

Story twelve: Questions and Answers is a cute and quirky story about the afterlife and the many jobs you could apply for. We the readers find ourselves at an afterlife college course teaching Ouija Board Operators. I really found this story delightful.

Lastly is story thirteen: Haruspicate or Scry is about a woman majoring in English and Philosophy. Her most influential teacher before he passed made her promise that she would seek his spirit after he was gone. Really liked this one too. The creep factor was slow and deliberate.

I do have a runner up story, story nine: The Burnt Sugar Stench is about a medium who has been used by the mafia so much for future revelations that she has opened a rip/hole/tear in the fabric of time and a very Love Craftian creature tries to break free.

Overall was this collection worth a read? I think so just to read some of its gems and hopefully the authors that helped in the creation of this collection will be a new found favorite. The cover is pretty cool as well.

[Micah Castle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tales from a Talking Board is a collection of fourteen weird and horror stories on the odd, for-kids-but-not-really board game, the Ouija Board. Each story has a different weird or chilling take on the Ouija Board, and the introduction by Ross Lockhart is very informative on the history of the Ouija/Talking Board, which I really enjoyed.

While all stories found within are good, there are a few that are my favorite: Kristi DeMeester's "YesNoGoodBye", Nathan Caron's "When the Evil Days Come Not", Tiffany Scandal's "Grief", Matthew M. Bartlett's "Deep into the Skin", David Templeton's "Questions and Answers", and Orrin Grey's "Haruspicate or Scry."

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enjoying this so DNFing st 24%. May come back to it at some point as it is short stories.

[Natalie HH · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really dislike giving negative feedback on stories that authors and editors have worked so hard on creating and birthing into the world, but I feel a sense of personal responsiblity to save my fellow readers time and $ where due...

Things I loved:

✔ The Cover!

Things I didn't:

🚫 Everything else! OK hold up - credit where it's due. One single lowly story is worth mentioning for its creativity and unique approach and very "Stranger Things" vibe - undoubtedly what snagged me. If you do pick this up, beeline straight to "The Burnt Sugar Stench".

And an honourable mention goes to "Deep into the Skin" for the horrific portrayal of a Ouija board! Style points for sure.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tales of a Talking Board is a book of 15 short stories written by various authors, such as - Kristi DeMeester, Anya Martin, Mathew M. Butler, David Templeton, just to name a few and edited by Ross E. Lockhart. The stories are mainly based on using a Ouija board.

All the stories are different from one another, never falling into a repetitive pattern with the subject matter, each author spinning a well written and unique tale, stamping their story with their own writing style.

Out of the 15 tales I really liked seven, three were ok, and five just didn’t do much for me. If I had to pick one that was a favorite in the collection I’d have to say *Questions and Answers*. So ten out of fifteen I’d say that’s pretty good and worth reading, I have to add the cover of this book is definitely on the fav book cover list of reading this year.

Can’t start the new year off better!
4 stars.

[Joe Zanetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found "Tales from a Talking Board" an enjoyable read, from beginning to end. Ross Lockhart did an outstanding job in putting together a beautiful book, and assembling a cadre of writers who weaved some incredible tales for this anthology. In some form or another, these tales revolve around talking boards (mainly) and other forms of spirit communication. The stories cover a large spectrum in terms of themes; exploring revenge, grief, trauma, hope, depression, the divine, and more. I enjoyed the talking boards used, in some instances, as a desperate attempt to find a way out of terrible circumstances, or to inquire about change in one's life; people searching for hope where they can't find it anywhere else. For many of these people, unfortunately, they don't always find what they are looking for, or they find something else entirely, much to their detriment. Overall, I enjoyed each story to certain degrees, but my favorites are:

YesNoGoodbye - Kristi DeMeester
Weegee Weegee Tell Me Do - Anya Martin
Grief - Tiffany Scandal
Deep into the Skin - Matthew M. Bartlett
The Burnt Sugar Stench - Wendy N. Wagner
Worse than Demons - Scott R Jones
Questions and Answers - David Templeton
Harupiscate or Scry - Orrin Grey
May You Live in Interesting Times - Nadia Bulkin

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories related to Ouija boards. Very good. Best story was "Questions and Answers".

[Chelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

For a book about Ouija Boards, the collected tales really missed the mark. Like the ouija boards were there...but they were just props. I wanted scary stories not whatever this mess was. The stories weren't even poorly written they just weren't scary or relevant. They were well-written and boring.

[lee_readsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

If only I could give 3.5 stars

[Lindsay Farassat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was pretty bored by almost all of these stories. I stopped maybe three before the end. The only one I really enjoyed was "Deep Into the Skin," and maybe "YesNoGoodbye." None of the other stories I read were scary, or even very entertaining.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty bad overall. A few stories had interesting premises and Orrin Grey’s story was decent, but the majority of the book was written poorly and tried too hard to shock.

[L. Smashing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read this since I got it in the Nocturnal Readers Box back in December. This is a book you display. The cover is my favorite part. It's awesome.

YesNoGoodbye - Kristi Demeester ★★★★☆
I read this one twice just to make sure I didn't miss anything. I'm not a fan of Kristi DeMeester, but I enjoyed this short story.

The Devil and the Bugle Boys - J.M. McDermott ★★☆☆☆
I was underwhelmed.

Weegee Weegee, Tell Me Do - Anya Martin ★★★★★
I clearly loved this one.

When The Evil Days Come Not - Nathan Carson ★★☆☆☆

Grief - Tiffany Scandal ★★★★☆
This one is pretty sad, but could easily be the plot of a horror movie.

Spin the Throttle - David James Keaton ★☆☆☆☆
I have no idea what happened.

Pins - S.P. Mishkowski ★★★☆☆
This one left me with so many questions.

Deep into the Skin - Matthew M. Bartlett ★★★★★
This is more my taste of horror.

The Burnt Sugar Stench - Wendy N. Wagner ★★★☆☆
Malic acid. That's creative.

Worse Than Demons - Scott R. Jones★★☆☆☆
Didn't make much of an impression on me since I couldn't remember what it was about only a day later...

The Empress and the Three of Swords - Amber-Rose Reed ★★★☆☆
This felt more like a snippet, almost unfinished, or like the author didn't know how to end it. There didn't seem to be much of a point, but I actually liked the ending.

Questions & Answers - David Templeton ★★★★★
This is a nice break from some of the dark, gloomy, and weird horror that fills this book. It's not really horror at all, but fits with that supernatural-humor genre.

Haruspicate or Scry - Orrin Grey ★★★★★
Even though you see the twist coming a mile away because it builds up to it, I still really enjoyed this one.

May You Live In Interesting Times - Nadia Bulkin ★★★★☆
This one definitely had a twist ending that I didn't see coming, and it was a great way to round out this collection of occult-themed short stories.

[Missy (myweereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve just finished reading Tales From The Talking Board edited by Ross E.Lockhart. This book is filled with 14 short stories themed around the Ouija board, spirits, divination and fortune telling.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The first story “Yesnogoodbye” by Kristi DeMeester was short and creepy. The minute it finished I was like ok I’m going to keep reading and before I knew it I had the book finished. A few other stand out stories for me were “Weegee Weegee, Tell Me Do” was awesome!! It’s about a woman who wants to become a successful singer in the 1920s but she has some obstacles that are preventing her from reaching her dream. “When The Evil Days Come Out” was a creepy tale about a boy that arrives at an orphanage and a priest that seems strange in his routines 😟 “Grief” was a sad and haunting one, “Deep Into The Skin” was about rituals and a troubled tattoo artist and lastly my overall favourite was “Questions And Answers” by David Templeton. This one was the least scariest but more on the funny side about a class getting Spirit Board Training on the Otherside once they passed so they could take calls from the living via the Ouija board 👻😈 I think this book is a great way to read some creep, haunting and funny stories in between your big reads 💀

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable collection of short stories, all based around talking boards.

It would be wrong to consider this book as 'horror', as some of the stories are funny light hearted and sometimes funny, so maybe 'macabre lite' would be a better description. This is a rare occasion of a story collection where I can't pick out a weak link in the chain, as all are of a good standard.

As I said earlier, if you want a dark horror collection, this isn't it. Some of the talking board elements also occasionally feel a little forced, but maybe I'm wrong about this.

You can absolutely read this collection with the lights on, but you will enjoy it whatever light setting you use.

I highly recommend it!

[Adrienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually don’t read the summaries printed on the back of books because sometimes I feel like they give away too much. Maybe that’s why I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I went into this thinking it would be real-life, true stories about Ouija boards. That was my mistake. Instead the book focuses on fictional short stories, most of which I was like ‘meh’. I do like ‘Questions and Answers’. I thought that was a fun little story but other than that, it wasn’t what I was expecting. Maybe I should start reading the summaries. On the plus side, I love the cover! But overall, it just wasn’t what I hoped it would be

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this as part of a Nocturnal Readers box. Was excited as I spent many a late night as a teen with my best friend using a Ouija board.
Sadly disappointed in this collection overall. A few of the stories had little to nothing to do with the Ouija board. There were a couple of stand outs, though:
“Weegee, Weegee, Tell Me Do” - campy, with an undertone of real, serious issues
“Deep into the Skin” - scariest of the lot
“Questions and Answers” - fun plot line
“Haruspicate or Scry” - interesting Dorian Gray-like twist
Hoped for more from this as stories starring the Ouija are hard to come by. 2/5

[Stephanie (Books in the Freezer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most short story collections, some stories are hit-or-miss. I liked the direction some of the authors took with the Ouija prompt. My favorites in this collection are Kristi DeMeester's "YESNOGOODBYE", Matthew M. Bartlett's "Deep Into the Skin", David Templeton's "Questions and Answers" and Nadia Bulkin's "May You Live in Interesting Times." The other stories weren't bad, I just didn't find them very memorable.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tales from a Talking Board compiles stories about various methods of divination and the occult. The introduction details the spiritualism movement, remarkable in both its popularity and lack of unifying text, belief, or rules. The talking board was used as a spiritualist tooll until it became a parlor game. It became creepy when The Exorcist used it as a vehicle for demonic possession. Lockhart also adds a personal touch with a hilarious story of a lying parochial school teacher trying to scare their class with the oujia board.

* Yesnogoodbye by Krist Demeester

Cassandra lives with her abusive father and her best friend is in love with her, but afraid to say anything. Together, the girls call something from the Ouija board with surprising results. This one dealt with everyday troubles like coming to terms with oneself, abuse, and the will to escape your situation as a helpless teen. The supernatural elements brought in power than teens wouldn't usually have. This story had disturbing elements, but had a bittersweet ending. I would love to read Demeester's full length books.

* Weegee, Weegee, Tell Me Do by Anya Martin

An abused wife named Orlaugh goes to vaudeville shows as a release and meets her idol Great Marie Cahill. Marie insists Orlaugh has talent to become a performer and offers her lessons. This story had the most realistic characters. Orlaugh wanted so much more than serving an abusive husband. Marie is aging and sees the end of her career, but she's riding it out as much as she can. Daisy, Orlaugh's best friend, can talk her way out of or into anything and wants the best for her friend. All of them felt like people I knew without being too detailed or wordy. The story is also surprisingly sweet despite the dark subject matter.

* Grief by Tiffany Scandal

A man and woman lose their son and seek out a way to speak to him again. This story was one of the most heartbreaking. Their son unexpectedly lost his battle with cancer. The events leading up to it are so sad. The mother knew something was wrong and kept checking in on him, but when she left for a short time, he died. The parents blamed each other and themselves, isolating each from the other. The depiction of grief feels real and they just want to see their son even one more time. This is a be careful what you wish for plot and the real emotion balanced with the dark supernatural element makes a satisfying short story.

* Deep Into the Skin by Matthew M. Bartlett

A tattoo artist is forced to tattoo a Oujia board on a young girl who was brought by clearly dangerous members of a cult. It's his best work, despite the coerced nature, and he figures the whole thing is over until he receives an invitation to the ritual to follow. This was my favorite story of the bunch. The main character uses his beard, tattoos, and scars as armor against a world that hurt him when he was a nerdy kid. He lives in a seedy town with corruption, black magic, and cults but always held himself apart from all that even though he isn't the most moral person. This event shatters that illusion and plunges him headfirst into that world. The ritual leads to a horrific scene of body horror and unexpected revenge. This story balanced horror and character development the best.

* Haruspicate or Scry by Orrin Gray

A woman has a professor that she forms a bond with and he becomes her father figure. She gets married where the professor gives her away. About the same time she gets pregnant, the professor dies. To honor his last wishes, she does some sort of seance or divination every week to see if he can communicate a line of text previously chosen. This story is well written and unexpected. What I especially liked was the portrayal of the woman. She never really wanted kids and chose to kept her pregnancy because of pressure from her husband and his family. The pregnancy made her miserable and the following birth did nothing to improve it. She doesn't feel much for her baby and struggles to do anything to care for it. I appreciate this portrayal especially since the media pushes this magical bonding that's supposed to make everything perfect. That doesn't happen for everyone and it's nice to see the other side of things that doesn't get acknowledged. The supernatural part sneaks up on you and is deeply unsettling.

While I loved these stories, other stories in the anthology seemed incomplete, like I missed a page. Others didn't feel scary or supernatural enough to merit being part of the collection. I highly recommend the above stories and I wouldn't read most of the other stories again.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tales from a Talking Board is an anthology assembled by Ross E. Lockhart. It is a series of short fiction stories mainly addressing the use of Ouija boards. I received my copy in a book subscription box service last year. I must admit I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had originally hoped…I was thrilled to receive such a unique looking book, but the stories included left something to be desired. I rated Tales from a Talking Board 3 stars and I feel even that may have been slightly too generous.

Although the majority of the stories were lacking for me I did enjoy some of them and they are as follows; Yesnogoodbye by Kristi DeMeester, Grief by Tiffany Scandal, Deep into the Skin by Matthew M. Bartlett, Pins by S.P. Miskowski and, Questions and Answers by David Templeton. Yesnogoodbye by Kristi DeMeester was by far the best story from the whole collection and was probably the only reason I rated it 3 stars instead of 2. I have read some of her other short fiction works before and I absolutely adore her writing style, she truly has a gift for creating chilling and memorable tales.

The rest of the short stories were mostly bland, not really exciting at all and a few were just plain confusing. The Devil and the Bugle Boys by J. M. McDermott and Spin the Throttle by David James Keaton were among my least favourites. They were actually quite terrible to be completely honest. It’s a shame really because the idea of putting together a collection of stories inspired by the occult has, in my opinion, a lot of potential and it could have been a fantastic collection. Oh well…

Overall, it was a very average read and those few stories that were good saved this book for me. Would I recommend it…no, not really…I would, however, recommend that you seek out more of Kristi DeMeester’s works because her short story game is strong as fuck. Period.