What do you think?
Rate this book
The Abyss Beyond the Reflection
A collection of ten short stories bleeding with weird horrors, driven by characters who have amazing depth.
A socialite dives into abyssal depths, only to be followed by a beloved fan... A couple stumbles onto strange, wooden statues in the middle of the woods... Three white statues appear throughout the world, soon wells appear in each sets middle, and a teacher finds out what's below or above... A castaway is saved by a schooner, but where it's going, he can't possibly imagine... Doorways appear after eye surgery, what and where they reveal is maddening... A stage magician finally reaches the other side, but leaves behind more than he wishes... The storm comes, the rain pours, but doesn't stop... A new roommate who sleeps during the day, up and gone all night, and a curiosity that leads the protagonist to discover that he isn't what or who he believes.
“This collection of stories comes chock-full of psychological weirdness as well as gritty detailed creature horror, a combination I personally enjoy. The gore is strong but not too extreme. The oddity is as extant as it ought be in any proper entry of the Weird Fiction genre.” — Jordan Anderson, author of For A Glimpse Beyond the Terminus.
“Reading The Abyss Beyond the Reflection reminded me of how much fun horror and weird fiction can be. The way everything is described brought the stories to life and every character showed amazing depth. Micah Castle's writing demonstrates that he has a strong passion for his craft and if you love horror fiction you won't want to pass this book up.” — David Watson, The All Night Library
“A great collection of stories. The ones that didn’t really grab so much me were easily outweighed by the ones that did. Micah Castle obviously has a great love of the Lovecraft tale but manages to put his own contemporary twists on the classic ideas. This is highly recommended for fans of the aforementioned Howard, and those fans of weird stories in general.” — Morgan Tanner, short story author
A socialite dives into abyssal depths, only to be followed by a beloved fan... A couple stumbles onto strange, wooden statues in the middle of the woods... Three white statues appear throughout the world, soon wells appear in each sets middle, and a teacher finds out what's below or above... A castaway is saved by a schooner, but where it's going, he can't possibly imagine... Doorways appear after eye surgery, what and where they reveal is maddening... A stage magician finally reaches the other side, but leaves behind more than he wishes... The storm comes, the rain pours, but doesn't stop... A new roommate who sleeps during the day, up and gone all night, and a curiosity that leads the protagonist to discover that he isn't what or who he believes.
“This collection of stories comes chock-full of psychological weirdness as well as gritty detailed creature horror, a combination I personally enjoy. The gore is strong but not too extreme. The oddity is as extant as it ought be in any proper entry of the Weird Fiction genre.” — Jordan Anderson, author of For A Glimpse Beyond the Terminus.
“Reading The Abyss Beyond the Reflection reminded me of how much fun horror and weird fiction can be. The way everything is described brought the stories to life and every character showed amazing depth. Micah Castle's writing demonstrates that he has a strong passion for his craft and if you love horror fiction you won't want to pass this book up.” — David Watson, The All Night Library
“A great collection of stories. The ones that didn’t really grab so much me were easily outweighed by the ones that did. Micah Castle obviously has a great love of the Lovecraft tale but manages to put his own contemporary twists on the classic ideas. This is highly recommended for fans of the aforementioned Howard, and those fans of weird stories in general.” — Morgan Tanner, short story author
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
117 pages, Paperback
Published June 7, 2018
13 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Micah Castle
42 books116 followersMicah Castle is a weird fiction and horror writer. He's an author of multiple books, and his stories have appeared in various magazines, websites, and anthologies.
While away from the keyboard, he enjoys spending time with his wife, playing with his animals, spending hours in the woods, and can typically be found reading a book or writing somewhere in his Pennsylvania home.
While away from the keyboard, he enjoys spending time with his wife, playing with his animals, spending hours in the woods, and can typically be found reading a book or writing somewhere in his Pennsylvania home.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 22, 2025
This collection delivers an intriguing lineup of cosmic tales that feel strange and quietly unnerving. Micah has a knack for crafting moods that pull you just off balance, and really showcases that here
The writing is mostly smooth, but occasionally feels as if the author is learning as they go, which can slow the momentum. The imaginative setups and lingering tension more than make up for those moments.
A solid choice for readers who like a little cosmic and mind-bending horror
The writing is mostly smooth, but occasionally feels as if the author is learning as they go, which can slow the momentum. The imaginative setups and lingering tension more than make up for those moments.
A solid choice for readers who like a little cosmic and mind-bending horror
July 2, 2018
This collection of ten stories was an enjoyable, yet harrowing experience for me. Although all different, the stories are held together by a central theme; abysses, voids, chasms, gateways to other worlds; or just holes. There was definitely a touch of the Lovecraft in these tales.
The Abyss Beyond the Reflection, the title story (and a great title, by the way), kicks things off brilliantly. Set in the future where technology has come up with the ultimate experience in celebrity stalking, a man in his thirties longs to live a day in the body of his favourite blonde bombshell. But of course, things don’t go all that swimmingly. Eyeballs are removed, an abyss reveals itself in a mirror that leads to a terrifying other place, and all is not well in the world of this certain celebrity.
I was reminded of the Red Dwarf episode, Back to Reality, but obviously there was little comedy in this story. What made this tale all the more scary was that it wasn’t a million miles away from the direction society, with the whole celebrity culture, seems to be going. A great start to the collection.
The second story, Driftwood Mannequins, didn’t quite wow me like the first. When a couple trekking through the woods stumble across a pair of, well, driftwood mannequins, one of them decides to investigate. Not the best idea in the world. This one could have perhaps been elaborated upon, but thinking of it now, it did end with a creepy twist. So yeah, probably ignore the first sentence about this one.
Things started to really hot up with Three White Demons. An excavation crew make a startling discovery, and one of them calls a friend of his who he is sure will dig it (get it?) as he’s a big sci-fi geek. When the man, Thomas, visits the site he becomes fascinated by the structures that appear 2001 monolith-esque. A great chasm appears between the structures and good old Health and Safety deems it far too dangerous to investigate. But Thomas, desperate for something exciting in his life, decides to have a look down there himself. What he discovers is the thing of science fiction nightmares.
The White Sea was not only brilliantly Lovecraftian in its ideas, but also in its execution. A man with a huge inheritance from his parents embarks on a journey across the sea to Alaska. There’s something very strange about the crew he hires, though, and especially the captain. His journey seems to be taking longer than expected but when he discovers exactly where’s he headed, it’s too late to turn back. The sense of utter helplessness aboard the boat was really well executed here. That and the damn freaky creatures living in the water, but I’ll say no more.
The Doorway tells of a man who’s told he is crazy, and medicated accordingly. But the doorway is everywhere, and no matter how he is treated by the doctors, it finds a way to creep into his psyche. The things beyond this doorway could send a sane man crazy, and a crazy man even crazier.
The story of two popular stage magicians is recounted in Nowhere Better Than Here. Marvelous Marco, assistant to The Fantastique Frederick becomes increasingly agitated and a little fearful at his colleague’s (boss’s?) fascination with strange old books that apparently give answers to the great unknown. Another terrifying void makes an appearance here when Fred finally makes his discovery. I felt that this one could have been a more, I don’t know the right word, but there was just something lacking. Saying that, though, I did hammer through this one, such was the way the story drew me in, so I can’t complain too much.
Never-ending Rain was about… go on, have a guess. I loved this one. Imagine if it rained forever, well, for as long as it took for us petty humans to be wiped out completely that is. But it wasn’t just the prospect of drowning in the world’s biggest rain-ocean that was at the heart of this story, it was what would happen after the world was turned into this epic swimming pool. There were yet more weird alien-type monster creatures here. Creepy stuff, man.
Qaeceit’s Mirror slowed things down a bit for me. A strange man who’s spent his life travelling, moves in with a student who needs a roommate quick. When the man sleeps all day and goes out all night, the student begins to suspect something weird going on. There is some good gore going on here, but the whole thing didn’t really do it for me.
The Space Passed the Stars was a fun flash fiction piece that will teach you to definitely think about the awesomeness and vastness of space. Don’t just pass it off as meh, it’s just some black with twinkles in it!
A Star Collector, another flash piece, brings things to a strange abyssian and voidian (they are now words!), weird-as-hell finish. Although thinking more about it, the whole book had that weird vibe throughout.
So all in all, a great collection of stories. The ones that didn’t really grab so much me were easily outweighed by the ones that did. Micah Castle obviously has a great love of the Lovecraft tale but manages to put his own contemporary twists on the classic ideas. This is highly recommended for fans of the aforementioned Howard, and those fans of weird stories in general.
The Abyss Beyond the Reflection, the title story (and a great title, by the way), kicks things off brilliantly. Set in the future where technology has come up with the ultimate experience in celebrity stalking, a man in his thirties longs to live a day in the body of his favourite blonde bombshell. But of course, things don’t go all that swimmingly. Eyeballs are removed, an abyss reveals itself in a mirror that leads to a terrifying other place, and all is not well in the world of this certain celebrity.
I was reminded of the Red Dwarf episode, Back to Reality, but obviously there was little comedy in this story. What made this tale all the more scary was that it wasn’t a million miles away from the direction society, with the whole celebrity culture, seems to be going. A great start to the collection.
The second story, Driftwood Mannequins, didn’t quite wow me like the first. When a couple trekking through the woods stumble across a pair of, well, driftwood mannequins, one of them decides to investigate. Not the best idea in the world. This one could have perhaps been elaborated upon, but thinking of it now, it did end with a creepy twist. So yeah, probably ignore the first sentence about this one.
Things started to really hot up with Three White Demons. An excavation crew make a startling discovery, and one of them calls a friend of his who he is sure will dig it (get it?) as he’s a big sci-fi geek. When the man, Thomas, visits the site he becomes fascinated by the structures that appear 2001 monolith-esque. A great chasm appears between the structures and good old Health and Safety deems it far too dangerous to investigate. But Thomas, desperate for something exciting in his life, decides to have a look down there himself. What he discovers is the thing of science fiction nightmares.
The White Sea was not only brilliantly Lovecraftian in its ideas, but also in its execution. A man with a huge inheritance from his parents embarks on a journey across the sea to Alaska. There’s something very strange about the crew he hires, though, and especially the captain. His journey seems to be taking longer than expected but when he discovers exactly where’s he headed, it’s too late to turn back. The sense of utter helplessness aboard the boat was really well executed here. That and the damn freaky creatures living in the water, but I’ll say no more.
The Doorway tells of a man who’s told he is crazy, and medicated accordingly. But the doorway is everywhere, and no matter how he is treated by the doctors, it finds a way to creep into his psyche. The things beyond this doorway could send a sane man crazy, and a crazy man even crazier.
The story of two popular stage magicians is recounted in Nowhere Better Than Here. Marvelous Marco, assistant to The Fantastique Frederick becomes increasingly agitated and a little fearful at his colleague’s (boss’s?) fascination with strange old books that apparently give answers to the great unknown. Another terrifying void makes an appearance here when Fred finally makes his discovery. I felt that this one could have been a more, I don’t know the right word, but there was just something lacking. Saying that, though, I did hammer through this one, such was the way the story drew me in, so I can’t complain too much.
Never-ending Rain was about… go on, have a guess. I loved this one. Imagine if it rained forever, well, for as long as it took for us petty humans to be wiped out completely that is. But it wasn’t just the prospect of drowning in the world’s biggest rain-ocean that was at the heart of this story, it was what would happen after the world was turned into this epic swimming pool. There were yet more weird alien-type monster creatures here. Creepy stuff, man.
Qaeceit’s Mirror slowed things down a bit for me. A strange man who’s spent his life travelling, moves in with a student who needs a roommate quick. When the man sleeps all day and goes out all night, the student begins to suspect something weird going on. There is some good gore going on here, but the whole thing didn’t really do it for me.
The Space Passed the Stars was a fun flash fiction piece that will teach you to definitely think about the awesomeness and vastness of space. Don’t just pass it off as meh, it’s just some black with twinkles in it!
A Star Collector, another flash piece, brings things to a strange abyssian and voidian (they are now words!), weird-as-hell finish. Although thinking more about it, the whole book had that weird vibe throughout.
So all in all, a great collection of stories. The ones that didn’t really grab so much me were easily outweighed by the ones that did. Micah Castle obviously has a great love of the Lovecraft tale but manages to put his own contemporary twists on the classic ideas. This is highly recommended for fans of the aforementioned Howard, and those fans of weird stories in general.
June 11, 2024
This was a great cosmic horror collection.
These stories reminding me of such works as Philip K. Dick, Lovecraft, and even some Ramsey Campbell, the writing is very easy to read, and as much as all the stories are cantered around doorways to other reals, they are different enough not to get reparative.
The characters are diverse and well developed and feel like real people.
So if you like books or movies like Event Horizon, The Fisherman by John Langan, The Twilight Zone, that I think you will love these stories.
These stories reminding me of such works as Philip K. Dick, Lovecraft, and even some Ramsey Campbell, the writing is very easy to read, and as much as all the stories are cantered around doorways to other reals, they are different enough not to get reparative.
The characters are diverse and well developed and feel like real people.
So if you like books or movies like Event Horizon, The Fisherman by John Langan, The Twilight Zone, that I think you will love these stories.
June 7, 2018
The Abyss Beyond The Reflection by Micah Castle is an anthology for readers that love the bizarre and love hearing about terrifying realities within our own. Within this book lies 10 tales of horror, science fiction and weird fiction. Each of these stories uses horrific imagery to bring it to life along with characters that come across as real people.
In the first story called The Abyss Beyond The Reflection, you get a look at how technology and being obsessed with celebrities can be a dangerous combination. In the future fans of celebrities can view the celebrities lives in real-time using virtual reality. Though sometimes if you get too close to the people you admire you see a reality that is too horrifying to comprehend. I loved the concept here and the idea of how even though the lead character has a pathetic life what he finds in the life of a celebrity is far worse.
Another story I enjoyed was Three White Demons. This one follows an unhappy college professor who is tipped off to a major discovery by a friend. At an archaeological site there are three white monoliths that may be the key to other dimensions. I loved the scientific explanation used to describe the discovery. I also loved how the Professor looks at this as the key to changing from his dull life to a reality that you would see in a Science Fiction novel. What he finds is not what he was hoping for, I loved the ending of this story which shows that some things are better left unknown.
The White Sea is a story that has a H.P. Lovecraft feel to it. It’s about a down on his luck author who after the death of his parents takes a trip on a schooner in hopes of inspiration. He soon discovers that the ship’s captain has an agenda and serves a mysterious God. The writing in this story is brilliant, we hear the whole story from the main character’s viewpoint and the descriptions of the sea demons and the protagonist’s reaction to everything makes this a memorable piece of fiction.
Qaeceit’s Mirror is a different kind of vampire tale. This one follows the story of a college student who has a new roommate who sleeps during the day and has some odd habits. I loved the vampire’s origin story and would love to see a longer work made from this one. I figured in the beginning that this was going to be a vampire story yet the way its told made it feel fresh and new. I guess there is always a way to put an original spin on an old idea.
Reading The Abyss Beyond the Reflection reminded me of how much fun horror and weird fiction can be. The way everything is described brought the stories to life and every character showed amazing depth. Micah Castle’s writing demonstrates that he has a strong passion for his craft and if you love horror fiction you won’t want to pass this book up.
In the first story called The Abyss Beyond The Reflection, you get a look at how technology and being obsessed with celebrities can be a dangerous combination. In the future fans of celebrities can view the celebrities lives in real-time using virtual reality. Though sometimes if you get too close to the people you admire you see a reality that is too horrifying to comprehend. I loved the concept here and the idea of how even though the lead character has a pathetic life what he finds in the life of a celebrity is far worse.
Another story I enjoyed was Three White Demons. This one follows an unhappy college professor who is tipped off to a major discovery by a friend. At an archaeological site there are three white monoliths that may be the key to other dimensions. I loved the scientific explanation used to describe the discovery. I also loved how the Professor looks at this as the key to changing from his dull life to a reality that you would see in a Science Fiction novel. What he finds is not what he was hoping for, I loved the ending of this story which shows that some things are better left unknown.
The White Sea is a story that has a H.P. Lovecraft feel to it. It’s about a down on his luck author who after the death of his parents takes a trip on a schooner in hopes of inspiration. He soon discovers that the ship’s captain has an agenda and serves a mysterious God. The writing in this story is brilliant, we hear the whole story from the main character’s viewpoint and the descriptions of the sea demons and the protagonist’s reaction to everything makes this a memorable piece of fiction.
Qaeceit’s Mirror is a different kind of vampire tale. This one follows the story of a college student who has a new roommate who sleeps during the day and has some odd habits. I loved the vampire’s origin story and would love to see a longer work made from this one. I figured in the beginning that this was going to be a vampire story yet the way its told made it feel fresh and new. I guess there is always a way to put an original spin on an old idea.
Reading The Abyss Beyond the Reflection reminded me of how much fun horror and weird fiction can be. The way everything is described brought the stories to life and every character showed amazing depth. Micah Castle’s writing demonstrates that he has a strong passion for his craft and if you love horror fiction you won’t want to pass this book up.
August 14, 2023
Enjoyed the Audible edition. Favorites were Nowhere Better Than Here, Qaeceit's Mirror, and Three White Demons.
January 25, 2024
it was good
It was good. Just not up my alley. I don’t typically read open ended stories. I like them to be tied up in neat little bows.
It was good. Just not up my alley. I don’t typically read open ended stories. I like them to be tied up in neat little bows.
December 7, 2023
An intriguing collection with a focus on cosmic horror. I really enjoyed the strange worlds and concepts found in these stories!
April 21, 2024
Thank you, Micah Castle
This Lovecraftian Collection of 10 stories will suck you into the matrix beginning with the first story. The stories are of alternative worlds, voids, and the supernatural. I enjoyed the stories and will continue reading more from this author.
Mental Health
Cosmic Horror
Science Fiction
This Lovecraftian Collection of 10 stories will suck you into the matrix beginning with the first story. The stories are of alternative worlds, voids, and the supernatural. I enjoyed the stories and will continue reading more from this author.
Mental Health
Cosmic Horror
Science Fiction
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2018
Short stories with cliff hangers? Yes please
The Abyss Beyond the Reflection is a combination of science fiction and horror. I love anything that involves those two genres, and the fact that there is the best of both worlds in one book is amazing!!!
There were some stories where they just . . . Ended. I wanted more. Some just ended and I was fine with the cliff hanger.
What was my favorite story? It would have to be the first one, The Abyss Beyond the Reflection. A man goes into “The Experience”. An office that allows everyday people to be plugged into the minds of celebrities. They can see, feel, hear, and hear their thoughts. The main character decides he wants to plug-in to one of the young starlets, and finds out that there is a terrible tragedy that has occurred and he witnessed it. Well, that is an understatement. He ends up unplugging, and tries to save her. Well, I will just leave it at that.
Another one of my favorites was The White Sea. A ship with a crew and a man who accompanied them. He finds out that there is a dark truth to the captain, the sea, and the ship. That there is a sacrifice to be made to get to where they need to go.
You do have to go into the book with an open mind as they are psychological thrillers. They make you think, and see what you have never seen before. The stories are dark, exciting, mysterious, and amazing
The Abyss Beyond the Reflection is a combination of science fiction and horror. I love anything that involves those two genres, and the fact that there is the best of both worlds in one book is amazing!!!
There were some stories where they just . . . Ended. I wanted more. Some just ended and I was fine with the cliff hanger.
What was my favorite story? It would have to be the first one, The Abyss Beyond the Reflection. A man goes into “The Experience”. An office that allows everyday people to be plugged into the minds of celebrities. They can see, feel, hear, and hear their thoughts. The main character decides he wants to plug-in to one of the young starlets, and finds out that there is a terrible tragedy that has occurred and he witnessed it. Well, that is an understatement. He ends up unplugging, and tries to save her. Well, I will just leave it at that.
Another one of my favorites was The White Sea. A ship with a crew and a man who accompanied them. He finds out that there is a dark truth to the captain, the sea, and the ship. That there is a sacrifice to be made to get to where they need to go.
You do have to go into the book with an open mind as they are psychological thrillers. They make you think, and see what you have never seen before. The stories are dark, exciting, mysterious, and amazing
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews