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Inside
Your home is your sanctuary… until it’s not. A locked front door is to an adult what a duvet it is to a child. Once the key is turned in the lock, and once the child is safely snuggled under the duvet, the monsters are kept at bay.
Except they’re not. A closed door won’t keep out the boogeymen… And a blanket won’t keep away the monsters. The safety of our cosy homes is a lie. There are bad people out there, who want to do bad things to you in the dead of night, and a locked door isn’t going to stop them. There are bad things already lurking IN our homes; monsters that live in the shadows and in closets, just waiting for you to close your eyes at night.
From the real to the supernatural, this collection of stories, held together with a wraparound story, explores all manners of evil that can invade our homes at night.
Lock your doors, bolt your windows and sleep with the light on, because THEY are coming to get you….
Except they’re not. A closed door won’t keep out the boogeymen… And a blanket won’t keep away the monsters. The safety of our cosy homes is a lie. There are bad people out there, who want to do bad things to you in the dead of night, and a locked door isn’t going to stop them. There are bad things already lurking IN our homes; monsters that live in the shadows and in closets, just waiting for you to close your eyes at night.
From the real to the supernatural, this collection of stories, held together with a wraparound story, explores all manners of evil that can invade our homes at night.
Lock your doors, bolt your windows and sleep with the light on, because THEY are coming to get you….
- GenresHorror
108 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 29, 2019
102 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Sam West
62 books234 followersSam West is a British, extreme horror author with more than forty books to her name. If you like your fiction dark, gritty, gory, perverse and truly terrifying, then you're in the right place.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 24, 2022
Max and his wife want to spend some quality time home alone without their children. When he has a look at this author's Facebook page he comes across numerous posts of a female stalker. While his wife is taking a bath he reviews three stories for a forthcoming horror anthology: The Child Eater, The Uninvited and The Gilded Cage (great inset tales, hats off!). Why does it take his wife so long to finish her bathing routine? What about the dark shadows he imagined having seen outside? When his wife enter things seem different... This is a classic balls to the wall pulp classic only Sam West can come forward with. Nasty action, eerie elements and a rough twist that makes your hair stand without end (LOL). Great stuff, excellent frame story, terrifying villain. Come inside where the real horror is. Highly recommended!
December 10, 2019
Great extreme
I love Sam West and the extreme horror and writes and this book is no exception. Full of blood and gore my only complaint is as you get into the story of ends. They seem to be getting shorter and feels like it's over as it's started. Which feels such a shame as her writing is so good and her extreme work is brilliant. It doesn't take away how good the book is. I just find it too short and from someone who read A LOT I just want more. But I would recommend all the same.
I love Sam West and the extreme horror and writes and this book is no exception. Full of blood and gore my only complaint is as you get into the story of ends. They seem to be getting shorter and feels like it's over as it's started. Which feels such a shame as her writing is so good and her extreme work is brilliant. It doesn't take away how good the book is. I just find it too short and from someone who read A LOT I just want more. But I would recommend all the same.
December 2, 2019
Intriguing set up
Sam West used an intriguing set-up for this collection. The stories were less extreme than usual (although I may just be jaded) but they were still well-crafted and fun. A few spelling errors (eg: needing written instead of kneading) but overall good fun. My favorite was the Child Eater and Max Angel’s main story.
Sam West used an intriguing set-up for this collection. The stories were less extreme than usual (although I may just be jaded) but they were still well-crafted and fun. A few spelling errors (eg: needing written instead of kneading) but overall good fun. My favorite was the Child Eater and Max Angel’s main story.
December 7, 2019
Home Is Where The Horror Is
Locked doors and security systems won't save you... you'll be checking over your shoulder after Sam West gets INSIDE your mind!
Locked doors and security systems won't save you... you'll be checking over your shoulder after Sam West gets INSIDE your mind!
April 23, 2020
Good Compilation of Horror Shorts Dealing with the Theme of Home Invasion
The book started off a bit slow for an "extreme horror" but picked up pace as the story/stories progressed.
My brief review and rating of each story:
- The wrap-around story (4/5): The main story deals with the realistic fear (especially if you are a celebrity, famous or handsome/beautiful) of being stalked online. Chilling, tense and unsettling.
- The Shadow Man (2/5): It was an okay tale but unoriginal since it's basically a retelling of the Slenderman creepy-pasta.
- The Univited (4/5): A story dealing with a man giving in to his hatred and dark side by turning on his wife and her friends during a dinner get-together after a visit from the devil himself. Shocking in its brutal and senseless violence as was the intention of the story. I enjoyed this one the most out of the four.
- The Gilded Cage (2.5/5): The last of the shorts. A night has unexpected twists and turns after a woman orders a hit on her husband. This story started out for me as a black comedy (but I might be the only one finding it funny since I have a weird sense of humour) and then turned into a corny, weird, erotic fest that is probably the wet dream/dark fantasy of some goth girl. More dark erorica than horror this one is. The ending turned a rather stupid story into something I have mixed feelings about.
In short, all four stories in "Inside" (three short and one wrap-around main story) was entertaining and worth the read if you are a lover of horror.
The book started off a bit slow for an "extreme horror" but picked up pace as the story/stories progressed.
My brief review and rating of each story:
- The wrap-around story (4/5): The main story deals with the realistic fear (especially if you are a celebrity, famous or handsome/beautiful) of being stalked online. Chilling, tense and unsettling.
- The Shadow Man (2/5): It was an okay tale but unoriginal since it's basically a retelling of the Slenderman creepy-pasta.
- The Univited (4/5): A story dealing with a man giving in to his hatred and dark side by turning on his wife and her friends during a dinner get-together after a visit from the devil himself. Shocking in its brutal and senseless violence as was the intention of the story. I enjoyed this one the most out of the four.
- The Gilded Cage (2.5/5): The last of the shorts. A night has unexpected twists and turns after a woman orders a hit on her husband. This story started out for me as a black comedy (but I might be the only one finding it funny since I have a weird sense of humour) and then turned into a corny, weird, erotic fest that is probably the wet dream/dark fantasy of some goth girl. More dark erorica than horror this one is. The ending turned a rather stupid story into something I have mixed feelings about.
In short, all four stories in "Inside" (three short and one wrap-around main story) was entertaining and worth the read if you are a lover of horror.
June 19, 2021
Individual ratings:
Overarching story - 4: I found this very creepy, and I absolutely loved how it was structured. Having the other short stories scattered throughout also built up a lot of tension as I waited to find out what would happen next. This was probably my favourite out of all of them, and it had an ending that I wasn't expecting.
The Shadow Man - 4: Another story that I really loved from this collection. I love a classic babysitter scary story, and this was done extremely well. Once again, this was an ending that I wasn't expecting, and I really enjoyed it overall. It had some great creepy moments throughout.
The Uninvited - 2.5. I didn't really enjoy this one as much. It achieved what it set out to do, but I just don't enjoy this kind of story, so it didn't work for me personally.
The Gilded Cage - 1.5. Okay, this really didn't work for me. The whole thing just seemed kind of pointless, and it honestly read like a bad fanfiction. I found myself skimming through parts just to get through it. The main character was extremely confusing, and the ending made absolutely no sense. Overall, this story just did not work for me.
I had a very mixed experience with this short story collection. There were some stories that I loved, and others that I didn't really care for. I do however recommend it for the two stories that I mentioned above that I did enjoy, because those are definitely worth the read.
Overarching story - 4: I found this very creepy, and I absolutely loved how it was structured. Having the other short stories scattered throughout also built up a lot of tension as I waited to find out what would happen next. This was probably my favourite out of all of them, and it had an ending that I wasn't expecting.
The Shadow Man - 4: Another story that I really loved from this collection. I love a classic babysitter scary story, and this was done extremely well. Once again, this was an ending that I wasn't expecting, and I really enjoyed it overall. It had some great creepy moments throughout.
The Uninvited - 2.5. I didn't really enjoy this one as much. It achieved what it set out to do, but I just don't enjoy this kind of story, so it didn't work for me personally.
The Gilded Cage - 1.5. Okay, this really didn't work for me. The whole thing just seemed kind of pointless, and it honestly read like a bad fanfiction. I found myself skimming through parts just to get through it. The main character was extremely confusing, and the ending made absolutely no sense. Overall, this story just did not work for me.
I had a very mixed experience with this short story collection. There were some stories that I loved, and others that I didn't really care for. I do however recommend it for the two stories that I mentioned above that I did enjoy, because those are definitely worth the read.
September 5, 2021
Another great story within a story.
Love her writing and content. Always raising the hair on my neck. Great series with twist and violent turn aplenty. You feel the characters as intended and it's full of sex, violence, and sometime paranormal mayhem. Can't miss if your searching for something interesting....just make sure this genre is something your okay with from the start. Well done mi'lady lol!!!!!
Love her writing and content. Always raising the hair on my neck. Great series with twist and violent turn aplenty. You feel the characters as intended and it's full of sex, violence, and sometime paranormal mayhem. Can't miss if your searching for something interesting....just make sure this genre is something your okay with from the start. Well done mi'lady lol!!!!!
December 18, 2019
A solid 3.5 stars
Good quick read. I liked all of the stories . If you like Sam West , this is another good one from her.
Good quick read. I liked all of the stories . If you like Sam West , this is another good one from her.
February 8, 2021
Good
Good book well written. Some very descriptive settings and great characters. Well worth a read if you like horror stories
Good book well written. Some very descriptive settings and great characters. Well worth a read if you like horror stories
May 7, 2022
Creepy!!!
Loved it!!!! Makes you really think, what's really going on inside while you are sleeping 😴😴😴. Loved the stories within a story also.
Loved it!!!! Makes you really think, what's really going on inside while you are sleeping 😴😴😴. Loved the stories within a story also.
August 26, 2020
A bizarre set of stories
A writer, a wife, and a psychotic stalker. What can go wrong? This story was awesome and very disturbing, but also enjoyable.
A writer, a wife, and a psychotic stalker. What can go wrong? This story was awesome and very disturbing, but also enjoyable.
December 31, 2019
Don't read this book if you are of a delicate constitution. Very bad things happen to people in this book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews