Graymatter

by Nicholas E. Gray

One boy finds a portal in the woods. At first, it’s all fun and games, but things quickly take a turn. A Man discovers why his company no longer allows smoking on the premises. Another man finds a video tape that changes his perspective on the world around him. And three boys go Trunk-or-Treating but they come across something that will change their lives forever!

Graymatter is a chilling collection of horror shorts sure to keep you up late. These tales are sure to have something for everyone. So, hold on to your hats while Nicholas Gray rattles the GRAYMATTER in your skull!

Genres: Horror

92 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 19, 2020

About the author

Nicholas Gray is an aspiring horror author that resides in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He got his start writing creepypastas for narrators on YouTube and has had his work featured on the official creepypasta website.

He was overcome so many obstacles in his life. Born with a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) he was told he wouldn't read, write, talk, or be able to tie his shoes. Everyday he's proving them wrong, for he has learned how to do bunny ears and currently has his shoes tied! Gray is also a Cancer survivor, suffering from stage 3B Hodgkin's Lymphoma back in 2012. He has since been "cured," and is living a good life with his family in his home state of Michigan.

Reviews

[Daniel Volpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great, short collection of stories. They all have the elements of horror and dread, but also play with emotion. My favorite one is "The Thing in the ward". This story seemed autobiographical, as the author is a cancer survivor. The emotion and pain the narrator displays in the early part of the story is gripping. The monster and action scenes are all done and visceral. No misses in this creepy collection.

[Tyler Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

8 stories. I rated each individually (as I do with anthologies and collections) and it came out to 4.25 (I updated the status's after each story as I was reading). I enjoyed all the stories. I think Morbideo stands out as my favorite. Definitely some creepy stories!

[Working Man Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this short story collection. Tons of fun. My favorite story is Morbideo, came off as a Bizzaro horror story. Review coming soon on my channel.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.7/5

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true masterpiece. You wont regret getting this one.

[DarkBetweenPages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Adult | Horror | Dark Fiction

4 out of 5 stars! (for the whole collection)

First off I have to start by saying how proud I am of Nick! Nick is a fellow BookTuber and it’s always exciting to see people whom I consider friends making their dreams become a reality. Now to all my readers out there, although Nick is a friend this will not stop me from providing an honest review.

Graymatter is a fun collection! and by that I mean dark, gruesome, spooky but loads of fun. Some great concepts here! These short stories are those type of stories narrated by the main character that end with a big cliffhanger….leaving you wanting more. Oh and I can’t forget each has a great moral to the story as well.

While reading this collection I felt as if I was chilling with Nick while he told me some truly eerie stories. Nick has a way of writing different characters and really bringing their personality traits forward. For example one story is about a dognapper, he makes a living taking other people dogs and than just hangs at home until the owner puts out a reward. Once they do he jumps on it claiming his prize. The guy is an honest dirt-bag and I was appalled the whole time I read this story! Honestly, if you can feel those emotions while reading that’s when you know the author did something right. These are things you just don’t forget even after finishing the read.

There is one tiny negative that pulled my star rating back on this horror collection. Although an editor was hired there seems to be a lot that was missed. Spelling mistakes, grammar, repetitiveness and some sentences weren’t even proper English. Although I can understand these mistakes as everyone is human and while the author is pouring their thoughts and passions out onto paper it takes a lot of time to make the story crisp and clean. Multiple read through’s alone, even before editing (if it’s an option, which isn’t the case for most indie authors). That being said even after taking these steps and even hiring an editor a lot was missed. Although I am not one to talk negative about others or tell them how to do their job, I really feel whoever did edit this collection for Nick did not provide the service he paid for and I hope this won’t deter people from picking it up. Editing can really hurt an author! Some people won’t even finish a read or give it an awful review solely on the editing.

All in all honestly this collection was great! Again, Nick had great concepts, awesome characters and not to forget your mind and emotions will be stirred. I say it’s totally worth giving it a go. Also if you would like to check out my video review on my BookTube channel that would be awesome!


Thank you so much Nick for sending me a copy to read and review. I am so proud to own a physical copy and to have it sitting on my shelves. I can’t wait to see what else you have for us in the future.

Publisher: Independently published

Release Date: April 19, 2020

And of course thank you all for reading

Your PROUD Book Worm

-Nichole

[READERS RETREAT · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of Horror short stories from an indie Author

[Lisa Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graymatter is a collection of next level extreme and bizarro horror from Nicholas Gray. These stories are brash and brutal in both content and presentation. This revised edition smooths out the errors found in the first release, showing Gray’s growth as a writer.

“Portal in the Woods” is an evocative tale about a portal a boy finds in the woods and is told in first person. It’s a quick, disconcerting read.

“The Dognapper” is a brutal, twisted tale about a man who steals dogs. The content is not for the faint of heart.

“Morbideo” is a graphic, gruesome story, part bizarro horror and part sci-fi horror. This story will mess with your head and should not be read while indulging in snacks.

“No Smoking” is suspenseful and enjoyably crass, with dark humor and colorful characters.

“Highway to Hell” is a fast-paced tale with some truly disturbing content. It combines real life horrors with bizarro horror and is full of tension.

“The Pale Man is a very dark tale, horrifying on several levels.

“Trunk or Treat” is a suspenseful little Halloween story told in first person. It is the least graphic of the stories but is sure to disturb most horror fans regardless.

“My Son Heard Santa on the Roof” begins with that line and turns into a horrifying Christmastime nightmare.

“The Thing in the Ward” is an evocative sci-fi horror tale that begins with gut-wrenching real-life horror, turns ominous, then explodes into terror. A very well-written, classically formulated story.

These stories are all unique, incredibly disturbing tales. A great collection for daring readers and extreme horror fans.

[Syon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a fun time with Nicholas Gray’s collection of Creepy Pasta style short stories! While I prefer most of the horror I read to lean towards the psychological and depraved side of things, I think Gray does a good job writing atmospheric set pieces involving the supernatural. Some of these stories were spooky fun, while others were gory and much darker. I definitely wished all of them fell into the latter category, as I feel it is what Gray writes the most convincingly. The author does a great job setting up his characters, and moves the story along at a good pace. My gripes with this book involve some of the editing, as well as sections of awkward phrasing which took me out of the otherwise foreboding mood which Gray did his best to draw me into. My favorite stories from the collection were MORBIDEO, NO SMOKING, HIGHWAY TO HELL, and THE DOGNAPPER. There were several moments, particularly in MORBIDEO and HIGHWAY TO HELL, which sent genuine chills down my spine. Gray has a vivid imagination, and doesn’t shy away from utilizing the darker side of it. Overall, this was an entertaining read that is perfect for Halloween or a road trip. While some technical flaws really do hamper the reading experience, there is enough fun to be had here, especially if you are a fan of Creepy Pastas! With some tighter editing and greater attention to detail, I think Nicholas Gray has some truly frightening stories in store for us. 3 out of 5 stars!

[Christina Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graymatter is a collection of short stories that I really enjoyed. Gray did a fantastic job with his descriptors and made me feel as I was watching the stories unfold on film. I could see the horror and feel the tension in his characters as the stories progressed. My favorites were Highway to Hell, The Pale Man, and That Thing In The Ward.

This is my first read by Nicholas Gray. He definitely has a talent in storytelling and I look forward to reading more from him! Check out this awesome collection!

[Jeremy Fee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the "Revised Edition" of this collection of short stories and really enjoyed it; I felt like the stories did a great job of eliciting emotional responses from me, especially hating characters like the dognapper. My favorite story was actually the first one in the book. It had a sweet innocence to it, with the children's tree-house and two young friends playing with the portal in the woods.

I recommend this book for anyone looking for some scary stories and weird tales, especially people who like strange creatures such as those influenced from cosmic horror.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story collection. All stories were 5 stars. Original and super creepy.

[Holly Horror · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first read by Nicholas Gray. I'm not usually into shorts, but Grays mini horror stories in this book is a great collection of bone chilling stories and was enough to keep me flipping pages. My favorite is The Thing In The Ward.

[Bookworm of the Damned · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this video, I review the book "Graymatter" by Nicolas Gray. This is a short story collection with creepypasta type stories.

https://youtu.be/zEj5kSGDzf4

[Glori Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the short story ‘No Smoking’ first. While I could appreciate the premise, the grammar, vocabulary, and syntax all require editing.
I am available for further discussion regarding these issues, as I have extensive editing experience and can confidently recommend that making a few changes would drastically improve the reading experience!
I may purchase the complete book as I was pleasantly surprised by the originality of the story. As much as I read, it’s very difficult to find original material with credible characters, and I’m often disappointed with my purchases.
These items that may seem negligible to some readers can ruin the pace and quality of the material, and his imagination deserves more. 😉

[Nate Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really nice collection of Horror short stories that leaves you begging for more. This is both a positive and a negative as some of the stories end with such a cliff-hanger it leaves your imagination to work out the rest but that is the beauty in these stories it leaves you to decide what could have happened.

[Tome Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun introduction to Nicholas Gray. All the stories were interesting, easy to read and enjoyable. My favorite was No Smoking. I’m looking forward to reading a full length novel from him in the future. 4 stars!