What do you think?
Rate this book
Shallow Graves
Did you wake to the sound of the garden gate rattling in the night, or an unexplained creak in the living room floorboards? Is something stirring in the basement?
Are you, the reader, safe in the train carriage on your commute home from work? Are you safe at night reading in the comfort of your favourite armchair or do you lay awake at night clutching the baseball bat?
In this terrifying collection you'll find renegade filmmakers, masked maniacs, opportune thieves, and disturbed individuals. People you interact with every day who have dirty little secrets. Do you really know what your neighbours are up to?
From Robert Essig, author of Stronger Than Hate, In Black and Death Obsessed; and Jack Bantry, editor of Splatterpunk Zine, comes 11 tales of horror and examination of the dark side of human behaviour that will fray your nerves, leaving you to double and triple check that you've locked the door at night.
Listen closely. Is that the sound of a shovel you can hear, digging your shallow grave?
Are you, the reader, safe in the train carriage on your commute home from work? Are you safe at night reading in the comfort of your favourite armchair or do you lay awake at night clutching the baseball bat?
In this terrifying collection you'll find renegade filmmakers, masked maniacs, opportune thieves, and disturbed individuals. People you interact with every day who have dirty little secrets. Do you really know what your neighbours are up to?
From Robert Essig, author of Stronger Than Hate, In Black and Death Obsessed; and Jack Bantry, editor of Splatterpunk Zine, comes 11 tales of horror and examination of the dark side of human behaviour that will fray your nerves, leaving you to double and triple check that you've locked the door at night.
Listen closely. Is that the sound of a shovel you can hear, digging your shallow grave?
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
160 pages, Paperback
First published March 6, 2020
10 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Robert Essig
97 books290 followersRobert Essig is the author of 30 books such as Baby Fights, Disco Rice, and Master of Bodies, which was nominated for a Splatterpunk Award. He has published over 130 short stories and edited three anthologies. Robert lives with his family in east Tennessee.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 1, 2021
Excellent collection of short stories. Reminded me of the NIGHT GALLERY reboot from the late 90s/early aughts that traumatized me. Especially loved the one with the kid at the video store.
July 15, 2020
These authors write well together.. One of the best stories in the book had both of their names as the authors.
This is a great bag of good short stories.
A couple of them fell flat on the ending. Like maybe they needed a bit more.
There were a couple of stories that were very creative. Specifically a story about a guy who buys a house, and posts an ad for people to come get the last tenant's stuff. It was hilarious in a morbid kind of way.
There's even a touch of scify... A story about how skin burned if it came into contact with other skin.
There was no lack of creativity in the stories
This is a great bag of good short stories.
A couple of them fell flat on the ending. Like maybe they needed a bit more.
There were a couple of stories that were very creative. Specifically a story about a guy who buys a house, and posts an ad for people to come get the last tenant's stuff. It was hilarious in a morbid kind of way.
There's even a touch of scify... A story about how skin burned if it came into contact with other skin.
There was no lack of creativity in the stories
May 31, 2020
A big thanks to Robert Essig for sending me a review copy!
First of all, I love the cover of this book and can't wait to photograph it! I also love the little chapter separator illustration in the book. Now, let's get to the details.
This book contains eleven short stories by Robert Essig and Jack Bantry, most of which have been published elsewhere. They each have their own stories and some are written together. I really enjoyed this collection and most of these were 4-star stories for me. There is a bit of variety here and I feel like these stories will be liked by those new to horror as well as seasoned readers. I am going to give a short synopsis and thoughts on my absolute favorites from the collection.
Clarissa (Robert & Jack) - A girl kept in a cellar makes a shocking discovery. This one was short and sweet, but really packed in the horror. This one gave me chills.
Like Ants on a Carcass (Robert) - This one is a unique story about a guy who wants to get rid of the possessions of the previous owners of his house. I loved the ending of this one!
Dermoufusion (Robert) - This is another very unique story about people who's skin sticks together if they touch. I could feel the pain while reading this one.
By Maggots be Driven (Robert) - This is probably my most favorite out of this collection. It's about a mom who finds a maggot crawling on her and it gets worse from there.
My least favorites in this collection were The Itch (Jack) and Wicking (Robert & Jack), but I even gave those stories 3 stars.
The stories in this collection are short, but they get across what they need to in just a few pages and for those who don't like stories with ambiguous endings, these all have a nice conclusion. I definitely recommend this collection!
First of all, I love the cover of this book and can't wait to photograph it! I also love the little chapter separator illustration in the book. Now, let's get to the details.
This book contains eleven short stories by Robert Essig and Jack Bantry, most of which have been published elsewhere. They each have their own stories and some are written together. I really enjoyed this collection and most of these were 4-star stories for me. There is a bit of variety here and I feel like these stories will be liked by those new to horror as well as seasoned readers. I am going to give a short synopsis and thoughts on my absolute favorites from the collection.
Clarissa (Robert & Jack) - A girl kept in a cellar makes a shocking discovery. This one was short and sweet, but really packed in the horror. This one gave me chills.
Like Ants on a Carcass (Robert) - This one is a unique story about a guy who wants to get rid of the possessions of the previous owners of his house. I loved the ending of this one!
Dermoufusion (Robert) - This is another very unique story about people who's skin sticks together if they touch. I could feel the pain while reading this one.
By Maggots be Driven (Robert) - This is probably my most favorite out of this collection. It's about a mom who finds a maggot crawling on her and it gets worse from there.
My least favorites in this collection were The Itch (Jack) and Wicking (Robert & Jack), but I even gave those stories 3 stars.
The stories in this collection are short, but they get across what they need to in just a few pages and for those who don't like stories with ambiguous endings, these all have a nice conclusion. I definitely recommend this collection!
July 15, 2020
A trip to Amsterdam leads to a horrific life lesson in sexual deviance. Maggots play a pivotal role exposing a killer in a way like no other. House thieves receive an unexpected Lovecraftian surprise.
From frantic psychos, to creepy crawly creatures to the darkened secrecy of the unknown, Death’s Head Press presents this short story collection from authors Robert Essig & Jack Bantry. With the wide range of subject matter and even flow of storylines, these authors equally provide an overshadow of fear by balancing all horror aspects. Along with providing tag teaming works of fiction throughout the book, this duo also join forces at times to provide grisly primal results. Both are able to give personality to those that aren’t human and have a ravenous appetite for the gruesome. It’s easy to lose oneself among the many waves of spontaneous nauseated shocks. I really enjoy reading flash and short fiction, it takes the monotony away from having the task of a full novel. This is a high recommendation for those readers who want that perfect break.
Last word of advice, by all means possible, avoid masking tape, jugs of gasoline, shovels and trunks of cars. But do not avoid this book!
For more recommendations, please check out https://horrorbookwormreviews.wordpre...
From frantic psychos, to creepy crawly creatures to the darkened secrecy of the unknown, Death’s Head Press presents this short story collection from authors Robert Essig & Jack Bantry. With the wide range of subject matter and even flow of storylines, these authors equally provide an overshadow of fear by balancing all horror aspects. Along with providing tag teaming works of fiction throughout the book, this duo also join forces at times to provide grisly primal results. Both are able to give personality to those that aren’t human and have a ravenous appetite for the gruesome. It’s easy to lose oneself among the many waves of spontaneous nauseated shocks. I really enjoy reading flash and short fiction, it takes the monotony away from having the task of a full novel. This is a high recommendation for those readers who want that perfect break.
Last word of advice, by all means possible, avoid masking tape, jugs of gasoline, shovels and trunks of cars. But do not avoid this book!
For more recommendations, please check out https://horrorbookwormreviews.wordpre...
March 19, 2020
Shallow Graves is a short story collection from Robert Essig and Jack Bantry containing stories from each author and a few they wrote together. As one might expect from these authors, this collection is dark, disturbing, and full of mind-wrecking horrors.
“Starving Artist” by Essig is a twisted psychological horror with a touch of the paranormal. The building tension and horror leads you down a path of madness will-you-nill-you.
“The Itch” by Bantry is a fast-paced graphic tale of consequences written in Bantry’s classic extreme horror style.
“Clarissa” is written by both Essig and Bantry. This is a brutal, horrifying tale of imprisonment, torture, and unimaginable revelation. This story turned out to be wholly unpredictable. It crosses boundaries as only slatterpunk can do. Check your intestinal fortitude before you dive into this one!
“Like Ants on a Carcass” by Essig messed me up. Messed. Me. Up. This is a horrifying extreme horror statement of humanity that is too close to truth for comfort. It’s terrifying in its detail and premise.
“Special Delivery” is a gem of an extreme horror short by Bantry. This is one of those stories that catches you off guard, then really sticks it to you. Fast and fantastic.
“A Lesson in Renegade Filmmaking” is by both Essig and Bantry. This is a disturbing and ultimately horrifying tale of youthful innocence and hidden horrors.
“Dermousfusion” by Essig is a creative sci-fi horror where the terrifying state of humanity is still not as horrific as humans themselves.
“Rejected” is a fast-paced, brutal werewolf story by Bantry. This story has classic elements as well as modern adaptions and, of course, Jack Bantry’s expert extreme horror touch. A great read for all werewolf fans.
“Wicking” is a twisted Splatterpunk tale by Essig and Bantry. This story starts out with a bang and just keeps pummeling your brain. Interesting to me are the underlying elements of social commentary. These are seamless, integral parts of the story, not blatant or distracting, but they spoke to me.
“By Maggots be Driven” by Essig is a haunting tale of insanity with a touch of extreme horror ew to keep it rolling. While I found it to be a bit predictable due to the flowing forshadowing, that did not take away from the building tension for me. This is one of those gripping stories you can’t put down.
“Keep Safe” by Bantry is a tale of bad decisions with a surprise ending I cannot begin to comment on without giving something away. This was a fun read.
Fans of Robert Essig and/or Jack Bantry do not want to miss this eclectic collection. Extreme Horror fans who have not had the pleasure of reading these authors also do not want to miss this. It is an impressive and shelf-worth extreme horror addition to one’s collection. Just keep in mind, this is extreme horror and much of the subject matter is not for the easily offended or the squeamish.
“Starving Artist” by Essig is a twisted psychological horror with a touch of the paranormal. The building tension and horror leads you down a path of madness will-you-nill-you.
“The Itch” by Bantry is a fast-paced graphic tale of consequences written in Bantry’s classic extreme horror style.
“Clarissa” is written by both Essig and Bantry. This is a brutal, horrifying tale of imprisonment, torture, and unimaginable revelation. This story turned out to be wholly unpredictable. It crosses boundaries as only slatterpunk can do. Check your intestinal fortitude before you dive into this one!
“Like Ants on a Carcass” by Essig messed me up. Messed. Me. Up. This is a horrifying extreme horror statement of humanity that is too close to truth for comfort. It’s terrifying in its detail and premise.
“Special Delivery” is a gem of an extreme horror short by Bantry. This is one of those stories that catches you off guard, then really sticks it to you. Fast and fantastic.
“A Lesson in Renegade Filmmaking” is by both Essig and Bantry. This is a disturbing and ultimately horrifying tale of youthful innocence and hidden horrors.
“Dermousfusion” by Essig is a creative sci-fi horror where the terrifying state of humanity is still not as horrific as humans themselves.
“Rejected” is a fast-paced, brutal werewolf story by Bantry. This story has classic elements as well as modern adaptions and, of course, Jack Bantry’s expert extreme horror touch. A great read for all werewolf fans.
“Wicking” is a twisted Splatterpunk tale by Essig and Bantry. This story starts out with a bang and just keeps pummeling your brain. Interesting to me are the underlying elements of social commentary. These are seamless, integral parts of the story, not blatant or distracting, but they spoke to me.
“By Maggots be Driven” by Essig is a haunting tale of insanity with a touch of extreme horror ew to keep it rolling. While I found it to be a bit predictable due to the flowing forshadowing, that did not take away from the building tension for me. This is one of those gripping stories you can’t put down.
“Keep Safe” by Bantry is a tale of bad decisions with a surprise ending I cannot begin to comment on without giving something away. This was a fun read.
Fans of Robert Essig and/or Jack Bantry do not want to miss this eclectic collection. Extreme Horror fans who have not had the pleasure of reading these authors also do not want to miss this. It is an impressive and shelf-worth extreme horror addition to one’s collection. Just keep in mind, this is extreme horror and much of the subject matter is not for the easily offended or the squeamish.
March 20, 2020
The Newest Release from Robert Essig and Jack Bantry is here. An 11 story collection by way of Deaths Head Press. Does the duo kill it? Or should this one be left in its own shallow grave?
This collections served as my introduction to both authors, so initially, I was unsure what to expect. What we have here is a collection of Brutal, Sick stories. Some of these were tough to read because of the subject matter in them. I’m not one for trigger warnings, but those readers who care about that type of thing might want to seek them out. That being said, despite how tough some of these could be, I found myself unable to peel my eyes away from the horror before me.
Many of the stories in here are on the shorter side, or at least felt that way. I read the kindle edition, so it had locations instead of pages, but the brevity of the stories played to their strengths. I’m all for an epic short, but in this collection, smaller pieces just seem better suited to the material.
A few of the standouts in here for me were Starving Artist, Like Ants on a Carcass, and A Lesson in Renegade Filmmaking. The rest of the stories ranged from ok to great, the stories I highlighted were just a few of my favorites.
If you’re a fan of in your face, brutal horror, this is a collection for you. If you’re squeamish, or have issues with certain triggers, this may not be for you. Either way, I personally enjoyed the collection, even if it made me feel a bit mortified at times.
4/5 Stars
This collections served as my introduction to both authors, so initially, I was unsure what to expect. What we have here is a collection of Brutal, Sick stories. Some of these were tough to read because of the subject matter in them. I’m not one for trigger warnings, but those readers who care about that type of thing might want to seek them out. That being said, despite how tough some of these could be, I found myself unable to peel my eyes away from the horror before me.
Many of the stories in here are on the shorter side, or at least felt that way. I read the kindle edition, so it had locations instead of pages, but the brevity of the stories played to their strengths. I’m all for an epic short, but in this collection, smaller pieces just seem better suited to the material.
A few of the standouts in here for me were Starving Artist, Like Ants on a Carcass, and A Lesson in Renegade Filmmaking. The rest of the stories ranged from ok to great, the stories I highlighted were just a few of my favorites.
If you’re a fan of in your face, brutal horror, this is a collection for you. If you’re squeamish, or have issues with certain triggers, this may not be for you. Either way, I personally enjoyed the collection, even if it made me feel a bit mortified at times.
4/5 Stars
May 11, 2020
Shallow Graves is a collection of short stories that takes you down a rabbit hole that you should expect to go down when you see Robert Essig on the cover of a book! This was my first time reading anything by Jack Bantry and was pleasantly surprised to figure out that these two authors are like peas in a pod! All of the stories are good, but I found 6 of them really good! My favorites? “The Itch,” “Clarissa,” “Like Ants on a Carcass,” “A Lesson in Renegade Filmmaking,” “Rejected,” and “By Maggots Be Driven.” Blood, gore, dismemberment, it’s all brilliantly there! So if you have a couple of hours to sit and read, I highly recommend this collection.
April 12, 2020
This book brought back memories of The Twilight Zone. Each story with its own twist of unexpected misfortunes based on choices or the curiosity of a character. Some of them like "Starving Artist" seemed vaguely familar. Others were eye opening and sad like "Clarrisa". "A Lesson In Renegade Filmmaking" was one of my favorite tales. Overall the story telling was spot on. It may be to much for some, but overall a worthy read.
May 28, 2020
11 short stories all uniquely interesting and appealing. A real page turner! I got this paperback free in exchange for a honest review. My favorite was Like ants on a Carcass. Storyline is basically a yard sale or house sale and everything is for free. EVERYTHING!!! 1 error which I already mentioned to author I found was a bicycle in 1 of the stories left in a garage with a flat tire miraculously would up in another location. But regardless I enjoyed all stories.
March 21, 2020
Dark stories at their finest. I've found that collaborations can be hit or miss but this collection is a hit. The author's styles are apparent yet complimentary. A couple of the stories were sub-par, in my opinion, but that is likely because the rest were so outstanding. If you enjoy horror, give it a read.
February 6, 2022
Such an excellently seamless collection of short stories. It was easy to feel like they were written together by a single entity and then compiled. Can't wait to read the next set of shorts headed by Essig! One of the best indie horror anthologies I've read in awhile!
March 16, 2020
This is an awesome collection of short stories by a couple of awesome authors and it’s published by an awesome company! Awesome!
And vulgar, and putrid, and repugnant. There are brutal, vile moments throughout this book, I even had to get a drink of water once!
I enjoyed every story, some more than others (of course), but I didn’t feel let down by a single tale.
Bantry and Essig know what their doing, and they do it well, really well, and this books reads fast, a wicked page turner for sure.
I even caught a 30 day ban on Facebook for ranting about it, totally worth it too!
5/5 Skulls
☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
And vulgar, and putrid, and repugnant. There are brutal, vile moments throughout this book, I even had to get a drink of water once!
I enjoyed every story, some more than others (of course), but I didn’t feel let down by a single tale.
Bantry and Essig know what their doing, and they do it well, really well, and this books reads fast, a wicked page turner for sure.
I even caught a 30 day ban on Facebook for ranting about it, totally worth it too!
5/5 Skulls
☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews