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A Haunt of Travels
Take a journey through a haunt of travels...A retirement community holds the secrets to decades long serial murders. Three friends take a road trip and soon find themselves pitted against a maniac. A blood splatter analyst finds himself in a town that doesn't seem to exist.Immerse yourself in terror and suspense with each turn of the page along this expedition of fear known as the haunt of travels.
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
239 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 16, 2020
33 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
A.W. Mason
10 books23 followersA.W. Mason lives in Florida with his cats Wallace and Belle, retired extreme parkour artists (who look so dapper in their little helmets and knee pads). He enjoys all the nachos, getting lost in the woods, and naps.
Mason has published several books including A Haunt of Travels, The Cleanup Crew, The Scampering (co-authored with Alana K Drex), and Judy Martin's Final Curtain Call. His short stories have appeared in various anthologies. Find him at the social media below:
IG/Threads/TikTok: a.w.mason.author
Twitter: awmasonauthor
TikTok: a.w.mason.author
Mason has published several books including A Haunt of Travels, The Cleanup Crew, The Scampering (co-authored with Alana K Drex), and Judy Martin's Final Curtain Call. His short stories have appeared in various anthologies. Find him at the social media below:
IG/Threads/TikTok: a.w.mason.author
Twitter: awmasonauthor
TikTok: a.w.mason.author
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 31, 2020
This collection of stories right here kept me up WAY too late at night because I just couldn’t stop reading once I started. Each story completely drew me in and some even had me cringing and squeezing my eyes shut because I was so thoroughly disturbed. In the best way possible of course! I’m usually not a huge fan of short story collections but this one just knocks it right out of the park. There’s not a single story I didn’t enjoy and the thought of trying to pick a favourite is agonizing because they’re all so good but if I was forced to pick, I’d go with The Shack. That story just full on creeped the hell out of me! Do yourself a favour and pick up this collection, it’s one of the best horror novels I’ve read all year and I promise you won’t regret it!
June 23, 2020
This fine debut collection of short stories is a mix of horror, crime, suspense and science fiction that’s worth a read. My favorite is “The Space Man,” which reminded me of classic Bradbury with a twist of Rod Serling. Other stories in A Haunt of Travels lean more towards horror but check out “Twenty Mile Chances,” which reads like a Richard Bachman story and ends on an emotional high note.
July 11, 2021
It’s usually difficult to review short story collections. A lot of times you’ll really enjoy one or two of the stories while the others are decent, or not quite as gripping. That wasn’t my experience with “A Haunt of Travels” by A.W. Mason ( @holden_beerfield ). This collection contains 11 short stories, and I can say I found something to enjoy about nearly every one of them.
The cover accurately describes this collection as “Tales of terror and suspense”. I think adding suspense to a story very early on, and immersing the reader in a new world that is eager to be explored right away, is Mason’s greatest strength. Each story made me look forward to the next one, because I wanted to see what creative idea the author would introduce me to next. From the life of a retired serial killer to a dystopian world where bullets fall from the sky like rain, there is a lot to be entertained by with this collection.
My main criticism of A Haunt of Travels is that some of the stories felt incomplete, or not as fleshed out as they could be. And there were a few endings that left me feeling like the story itself deserved more. Otherwise, these tales were impressive, imaginative, and immersive. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what wild idea Mason brings to life next.
The cover accurately describes this collection as “Tales of terror and suspense”. I think adding suspense to a story very early on, and immersing the reader in a new world that is eager to be explored right away, is Mason’s greatest strength. Each story made me look forward to the next one, because I wanted to see what creative idea the author would introduce me to next. From the life of a retired serial killer to a dystopian world where bullets fall from the sky like rain, there is a lot to be entertained by with this collection.
My main criticism of A Haunt of Travels is that some of the stories felt incomplete, or not as fleshed out as they could be. And there were a few endings that left me feeling like the story itself deserved more. Otherwise, these tales were impressive, imaginative, and immersive. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what wild idea Mason brings to life next.
January 26, 2022
"A thick gray storm cloud rolled in and blocked out the sun. He hoped the weather would be better in Florida."
The above quote was my favorite last line in this collection. Taken alone and out of context, it gives the impression it is just another day -- but as the ending to THIS particular story (THE SHACK) it had me feeling a heavy, unrelenting sadness. That @holden_beerfield can accomplish such emotion, and especially in a short story should speak volumes to the strength of his voice as a writer.
I'm going to list my top 3 below, but there weren't any I didn't like. In this collection I found gory horror, psychological horror, science, crime/thriller, and even a refreshing story at the end that was nice, because after these dark and disturbing tales I quite enjoyed that piece.
My Top 3:
LOST & FOUND: Homeward bound to see his dying mother, a man deep in addiction has an accident that is the catalyst for many Hellish encounters. Will he make it home to his mama?
THE SHACK: Three friends are going to wish they never stopped at that rundown 'quickie mart' in the boonies. They will uncover something hideous, and what happens next is some of the hardest scenes I've ever read in horror!
TWENTY MILE CHANCES: Compete in the race of your life to win getting back the one you love? I think we'd all want a chance at that...but the company in charge of reanimating life, isn't telling contestants all the deets... (I couldn't figure out what would happen next and I enjoyed the crap outta it!)
AN AFTERNOON IN AMHERST (Yeah, I fibbed, here's a 4th!) Sent by his work to a podunk Nebraskan town to relay blood splatter evidence for a murder trial, it is evident right away something is horribly twisted about the small town. I really enjoyed the set up for this story and don't want to give anything away, but the ending was another satisfactory thrill for my horror-loving self.
After reading this collection, I'll read anything by Mason. I highly recommend this one!
The above quote was my favorite last line in this collection. Taken alone and out of context, it gives the impression it is just another day -- but as the ending to THIS particular story (THE SHACK) it had me feeling a heavy, unrelenting sadness. That @holden_beerfield can accomplish such emotion, and especially in a short story should speak volumes to the strength of his voice as a writer.
I'm going to list my top 3 below, but there weren't any I didn't like. In this collection I found gory horror, psychological horror, science, crime/thriller, and even a refreshing story at the end that was nice, because after these dark and disturbing tales I quite enjoyed that piece.
My Top 3:
LOST & FOUND: Homeward bound to see his dying mother, a man deep in addiction has an accident that is the catalyst for many Hellish encounters. Will he make it home to his mama?
THE SHACK: Three friends are going to wish they never stopped at that rundown 'quickie mart' in the boonies. They will uncover something hideous, and what happens next is some of the hardest scenes I've ever read in horror!
TWENTY MILE CHANCES: Compete in the race of your life to win getting back the one you love? I think we'd all want a chance at that...but the company in charge of reanimating life, isn't telling contestants all the deets... (I couldn't figure out what would happen next and I enjoyed the crap outta it!)
AN AFTERNOON IN AMHERST (Yeah, I fibbed, here's a 4th!) Sent by his work to a podunk Nebraskan town to relay blood splatter evidence for a murder trial, it is evident right away something is horribly twisted about the small town. I really enjoyed the set up for this story and don't want to give anything away, but the ending was another satisfactory thrill for my horror-loving self.
After reading this collection, I'll read anything by Mason. I highly recommend this one!
January 8, 2022
This is a very strong debut collection of short stories; the most pleasing aspect of this book being all eleven stories are so different and from varying genre, so I had no idea what was coming next with each story. As the book progresses, each story gets stronger and stronger and all of them held my attention.
My favourite being ‘Passing Flights’ - a cohort of student pilots encounter a flight simulator, which isn’t all it seems. I really loved the introduction quote for this story and the devastation at the end! Definitely a 5star story that one.
I also really loved ‘Retirement’ - the story of a retired serial killer, now living in a retirement community with a neighbour, who gets a little too nosey!
Definitely some awesome gore within the pages… some of my favourite scenes coming from the story ‘Terror on Central Park West’, which was a close contender of being my favourite: a trip to a museum takes an unexpected twist…..I certainly won’t be visiting the Natural History Museum anytime soon!
I also next expected to find myself getting a little bit emotional at one of the stories, but I was definitely overcome with all the feels - it got me thinking, if I had the opportunity to bring back a loved one, who would I want to bring back, for that final goodbye? I won’t say any more, as I don’t want to spoil it.
Overall this is a really strong debut novel and I’m excited to see what A.W. Mason produces next.
My favourite being ‘Passing Flights’ - a cohort of student pilots encounter a flight simulator, which isn’t all it seems. I really loved the introduction quote for this story and the devastation at the end! Definitely a 5star story that one.
I also really loved ‘Retirement’ - the story of a retired serial killer, now living in a retirement community with a neighbour, who gets a little too nosey!
Definitely some awesome gore within the pages… some of my favourite scenes coming from the story ‘Terror on Central Park West’, which was a close contender of being my favourite: a trip to a museum takes an unexpected twist…..I certainly won’t be visiting the Natural History Museum anytime soon!
I also next expected to find myself getting a little bit emotional at one of the stories, but I was definitely overcome with all the feels - it got me thinking, if I had the opportunity to bring back a loved one, who would I want to bring back, for that final goodbye? I won’t say any more, as I don’t want to spoil it.
Overall this is a really strong debut novel and I’m excited to see what A.W. Mason produces next.
July 6, 2021
A collection of 11 stories that were mind-bending and brilliant ! Horror meets Slasher film meets Twilight vibes this was a great variety of stories with many different genres. Each story was unique in its own way and very different from one another which kept me the reader super interested on what was coming next. It was hard to pin point which stories were my favorite all of them were great ! Here are just a few I'm highlighting but all were worth the read.
Lost & Found - When a drug addiction goes on the worst kind of trip literally trying to make it home to see his mum in her final hours per the conversation with her doctor a series of unfortunate events happen on his journey. Did he hit the boy, did he not hit the boy ?
The Space Man - When a man named Pierce has been left to rot up in space. Will he ever make it home ? I really liked the twist on this story!
Terror on Central Park West - This reminded me of the movie A night at the museum but with a gory ending. It was left on a cliff hanger which left me wanting more from this story. Hope A.W. Mason will continue this one I'm hooked.
Excited to read more from this author. Check this one out if you haven't already !
Lost & Found - When a drug addiction goes on the worst kind of trip literally trying to make it home to see his mum in her final hours per the conversation with her doctor a series of unfortunate events happen on his journey. Did he hit the boy, did he not hit the boy ?
The Space Man - When a man named Pierce has been left to rot up in space. Will he ever make it home ? I really liked the twist on this story!
Terror on Central Park West - This reminded me of the movie A night at the museum but with a gory ending. It was left on a cliff hanger which left me wanting more from this story. Hope A.W. Mason will continue this one I'm hooked.
Excited to read more from this author. Check this one out if you haven't already !
April 23, 2020
Thank you to the author, my good friend Mason, for letting me beta read his first novel! A novel of short stories. “Tales of terror and suspense” as the cover says. And it’s true!
It’s such an amazing debut, Mason! Truly. Every story delivered. They delivered the horror, the suspense, the scare, the mystery and intrigue. And they were all different and all such new fresh ideas. Every time I got done with a story I just always thought, “huh, well that was clever as shit!”
The writing is on par with every seasoned novelist. I just read the short stories and got lost in them without thinking about it being a debut and whether it was clunky or not, because it wasn’t!
Honestly couldn’t have asked for more from a set of short stories, almost all of them were 5 star stories for me. I’ll detail out the star rankings at the end of this review.
I thought the length of the novel itself was appropriate at 245 pages. I thought the cover was great and pleasing to the eye and to the set of stories collected within. I thought the title was great, I haven’t heard it before. A Haunt of Travels. I thought the length of each individual short was really well done. The longest being 45 pages, and worth it, the shortest being the bonus story at the end at 4 pages, but that one not included the shortest was 8, but that 8 pager was a doozy and packed a punch!
Without further ado here’s the star rankings in order of how the stories appear in the book:
Lost & Found - 3.5 stars
Retirement - 5 stars
The Space Man - 4 stars
The Shack - 5 stars
Passing Flights - 5 stars
Sunshine & Bullets - 5 stars
The Arm Thief - 5 stars
Twenty Mile Chances - 5 stars
An Afternoon in Amherst - 5 stars
Terror on Central Park - 5 stars
Carentan - N/A, it’s a poem and I don’t feel I can accurately asses a poem - I really don’t like poems
Bonus story: The Keeper of Goldfish - 5 stars
It’s such an amazing debut, Mason! Truly. Every story delivered. They delivered the horror, the suspense, the scare, the mystery and intrigue. And they were all different and all such new fresh ideas. Every time I got done with a story I just always thought, “huh, well that was clever as shit!”
The writing is on par with every seasoned novelist. I just read the short stories and got lost in them without thinking about it being a debut and whether it was clunky or not, because it wasn’t!
Honestly couldn’t have asked for more from a set of short stories, almost all of them were 5 star stories for me. I’ll detail out the star rankings at the end of this review.
I thought the length of the novel itself was appropriate at 245 pages. I thought the cover was great and pleasing to the eye and to the set of stories collected within. I thought the title was great, I haven’t heard it before. A Haunt of Travels. I thought the length of each individual short was really well done. The longest being 45 pages, and worth it, the shortest being the bonus story at the end at 4 pages, but that one not included the shortest was 8, but that 8 pager was a doozy and packed a punch!
Without further ado here’s the star rankings in order of how the stories appear in the book:
Lost & Found - 3.5 stars
Retirement - 5 stars
The Space Man - 4 stars
The Shack - 5 stars
Passing Flights - 5 stars
Sunshine & Bullets - 5 stars
The Arm Thief - 5 stars
Twenty Mile Chances - 5 stars
An Afternoon in Amherst - 5 stars
Terror on Central Park - 5 stars
Carentan - N/A, it’s a poem and I don’t feel I can accurately asses a poem - I really don’t like poems
Bonus story: The Keeper of Goldfish - 5 stars
December 15, 2021
Delightful! I loved every story. So many of them very relatable and familiar but not too derivative. The Arm Thief and Twenty Mile Chances are real stand outs for me, but perhaps my favorite is The Shack. Brutal, and chilling. Well done Mr Mason! Enjoyed every page and every word. Can't wait for more.
May 24, 2020
I loved it! I thoroughly enjoyed each story for different reasons. It gave me major Twilight Zone vibes and I dig that! Well done.
December 1, 2023
A collection of unique stories that blend to create a fun reading experience.
I enjoyed the grit and originality in these stories. While the author seemingly found inspiration through real-life and fictional muses, he made each story his own in an impressive way.
Some of my favorites were The Space Man, Passing Flights, The Arm Thief, and Terror on Central Park West.
Every story was entertaining and intriguing. You can’t go wrong by grabbing yourself a copy of this collection!
I enjoyed the grit and originality in these stories. While the author seemingly found inspiration through real-life and fictional muses, he made each story his own in an impressive way.
Some of my favorites were The Space Man, Passing Flights, The Arm Thief, and Terror on Central Park West.
Every story was entertaining and intriguing. You can’t go wrong by grabbing yourself a copy of this collection!
January 29, 2021
I was stoked to get to read this collection, his first published book, from my favorite duder, Mason! ⠀
⠀
You’ll find 11 stories inside (with a bonus story!) all ranging from horror/sci fi/terror/suspense/fantasy/crime - something for everyone! ⠀
⠀
First off, I loved his prose, he does such a fantastic job getting your attention in each story and pull you along with just the perfect amount of descriptions and mystery. He let’s you use your imagination. ⠀
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I will never get over the talent it takes to tell a short story in such a small amount of time and when you’re finished reading it, you feel like it wasn’t missing anything and feels complete. ⠀
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My favorites:⠀
⠀
LOST & FOUND⠀
-what is real?⠀
-regret ⠀
-second (& more) chances ⠀
⠀
RETIREMENT ⠀
-murder⠀
-secrets ⠀
-nosy neighbors ⠀
⠀
TWENTY MILE CHANCES⠀
-you get to bring a deceased loved one back ⠀
I LOVED THIS STORY- I was on this one when my dad was taken to the hospital and it stirred up a lot of emotions of gratefulness and reminded me how different my day could have gone with him. ⠀
⠀
THE SHACK⠀
-stabby ⠀
-horror for sure ⠀
-I had to stop and gag a lot (I was really glad it was not for shock and definitely understood why it was part of the story)⠀
-I wasn’t smiling on this one 😱⠀
⠀
AN AFTERNOON IN AMHERST⠀
-creepy cults ⠀
⠀
TERROR ON CENTRAL PARK WEST⠀
-best first line!⠀
-kids are jerks⠀
-DINOSAURS ⠀
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I don’t have space to go into every story but I took a lil piece of every one away with me. It was definitely one of the best collections I’ve read in a while! ⠀
⠀
I’m so excited to read more from him, he’s got a gift, that’s for sure. If you’re looking for a new collection to dig into, I will be shouting this one forever 💁♀️⠀
⠀
August 6, 2020
Thanks to the author for the early copy in exchange for my honest review
This was a fun one to read because it’s from a fellow Bookstagrammer! Here we have a collection of 11 short stories that all fall within the horror and suspense genres. As with all short story collections, there will always be standouts and I think my favorite one was Retirement. I would love more from that story and learning more about The Blue Collar Butcher – fingers crossed for something more!
A HAUNT OF TRAVELS is just under the 250 page mark and each story, no matter the length, had a great pacing to it. Being more of a speed reader, pacing is everything and can honestly make or break a book for me (even if I’m loving the actual story). There was a good variety between all of the entries in this collection. Not all of them felt the same, nothing felt repetitive, and it showcased a good diversity in the writing.
Overall, a solid debut, especially considering this is a short story collection. There’s a good range here and I enjoyed them all. I know they aren’t for everyone, but if you’re looking for some horror and suspense themed short stories, then keep this one on that TBR of yours.
This was a fun one to read because it’s from a fellow Bookstagrammer! Here we have a collection of 11 short stories that all fall within the horror and suspense genres. As with all short story collections, there will always be standouts and I think my favorite one was Retirement. I would love more from that story and learning more about The Blue Collar Butcher – fingers crossed for something more!
A HAUNT OF TRAVELS is just under the 250 page mark and each story, no matter the length, had a great pacing to it. Being more of a speed reader, pacing is everything and can honestly make or break a book for me (even if I’m loving the actual story). There was a good variety between all of the entries in this collection. Not all of them felt the same, nothing felt repetitive, and it showcased a good diversity in the writing.
Overall, a solid debut, especially considering this is a short story collection. There’s a good range here and I enjoyed them all. I know they aren’t for everyone, but if you’re looking for some horror and suspense themed short stories, then keep this one on that TBR of yours.
September 27, 2020
A Haunt of Travels is a recently released short story collection filled with terror and suspense. The stories themselves range from light sci-fi to violent horror though, illustrating the collection's diversity.
Overall, each story was entertaining and any fan of speculative fiction will probably like the majority of them. The hard thing though, is essentially having to compete with all the greats that have come before.
Having to be compared to the incredible short stories of Stephen King, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury is hard, but as a short fiction writer myself, I understand that this is unavoidable.
If you haven't read any of the before mentioned authors' short fiction, then you probably should just read those first. But if you're feeling like experimenting with something newer, and you want to support an independent author, then you could do far worse than this collection.
Overall, each story was entertaining and any fan of speculative fiction will probably like the majority of them. The hard thing though, is essentially having to compete with all the greats that have come before.
Having to be compared to the incredible short stories of Stephen King, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury is hard, but as a short fiction writer myself, I understand that this is unavoidable.
If you haven't read any of the before mentioned authors' short fiction, then you probably should just read those first. But if you're feeling like experimenting with something newer, and you want to support an independent author, then you could do far worse than this collection.
July 31, 2020
I finished #AHauntOfTravels by the very talented @holden_beerfield the other night and I was blown away. It is a collection of 11 stories that are sure to have you on the edge of your seat and make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. My favourite story was #TwentyMileChances. I was extra pleased to see that #AWMason included his first piece of writing, that I previously had the pleasure of reading, #TheKeeperOfTheGoldfish. I’ve told him before and I’ll say it again, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it is expanded into a full novel as it is excellent!!
If you are looking for an book full of suspenseful, page turning stories, this is the book for you. Also, support indie writers!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
If you are looking for an book full of suspenseful, page turning stories, this is the book for you. Also, support indie writers!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
June 19, 2020
I really enjoyed this collection! There was a good mix of stories. There were some that were so based in reality, some that were psychological thrillers, and some that are low key horror. I felt like each story was well defined and the characters were pretty fleshed out, even for the short amount I met them.
My only (slight) gripe about this collection is that some stories were fairly predictable. That isn't really a bad thing though, because they way we got to the ending was unexpected.
My only (slight) gripe about this collection is that some stories were fairly predictable. That isn't really a bad thing though, because they way we got to the ending was unexpected.
June 2, 2020
Excellent Read
I love the authors mixed genres in the short stories. If you are a fan of sci-fi and murder mystery then this is a book you will enjoy. Several of the stories made me want to know more. I honestly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author. Please buy as you will not be disappointed.
I love the authors mixed genres in the short stories. If you are a fan of sci-fi and murder mystery then this is a book you will enjoy. Several of the stories made me want to know more. I honestly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author. Please buy as you will not be disappointed.
May 24, 2021
A stunning collection of stories that'll either keep you awake in horror or wonder. From science fiction to body gore-esque horror, each story is beautifully laid out in it entirety from start to finish. I highly recommend spending a few days or even weeks on the book to thoroughly enjoy each small tale told inside. My personal favorite is The Arm Thief.
August 26, 2021
I really enjoyed this collection of short fiction. I liked the range of genres, and I especially loved the excellent vocabulary used throughout the book. Every story was good but my standouts are — Retirement, Passing Flights, Twenty Mile Chances, and An Afternoon In Amherst. I can't wait to read what my friend comes up with next.
May 31, 2020
Excellent!! If you are a fan of sci-fi, horror and mystery you will love this book. Loved the different genres. Looking forward to future books.
June 23, 2020
An excellent collection. Proper review coming soon, but I really enjoyed this debut collection of stories. So good!
August 25, 2020
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. Each one was fantastic in its own way. My favourites were The Shack and Space Man. I recommend checking this out, you can find it on Amazon.
November 19, 2023
I picked this up to fit a challenge prompt, and the lesson learned here is this: don’t join reading challenges unless you know what the prompts are beforehand, or else you’ll find yourself stuck within super strict parameters and get stuck reading dross like this, an anthology of ‘scary’ tales.
Mason is clearly a big Stephen King fan. His junkie MC heading home to see his mother evokes The Stand’s Larry Underwood, and his aging serial killer in Retirement brings to mind the aging Nazi in Apt Pupil. His story Twenty Miles Chances reminded me a little of The Long Walk, and then there’s the times that he straight up mentions things from the King and/or Joe Hill universes (the car from Christine and Judas Coyne, the rock star MC of Hill’s excellent Heart-Shaped Box.)
Unfortunately, Mason is no King, as this sentence from The Shack attests: “Fat salty tears plummeted from her chin like melting snow from an early spring rooftop.”
I mean.
The thing that connects these stories is not that they are scary or have a travel link, but that they are filled with overwrought villains, emotional outbursts, outrageous melodrama, screwy timeframes, abrupt endings, and purple prose galore. (I did enjoy Passing Flights, so it wasn’t all bad.)
Mason is clearly a big Stephen King fan. His junkie MC heading home to see his mother evokes The Stand’s Larry Underwood, and his aging serial killer in Retirement brings to mind the aging Nazi in Apt Pupil. His story Twenty Miles Chances reminded me a little of The Long Walk, and then there’s the times that he straight up mentions things from the King and/or Joe Hill universes (the car from Christine and Judas Coyne, the rock star MC of Hill’s excellent Heart-Shaped Box.)
Unfortunately, Mason is no King, as this sentence from The Shack attests: “Fat salty tears plummeted from her chin like melting snow from an early spring rooftop.”
I mean.
The thing that connects these stories is not that they are scary or have a travel link, but that they are filled with overwrought villains, emotional outbursts, outrageous melodrama, screwy timeframes, abrupt endings, and purple prose galore. (I did enjoy Passing Flights, so it wasn’t all bad.)
January 22, 2023
The title alone grabbed me. I’m a huge Stephen King and It fan. Definitely a fan of A.W. Mason’s work.
Had a fun, and terror induced, voyage through many genres. Horror, sci-fi, fantasy, detective-I enjoyed it all. This author has range and places such fun literary and movie references throught his work. One of my favorites was Judas Coyne and a heart-shaped ring! He does such a great job of pulling you in and adding little details to make it seem like you’re there.
Had a fun, and terror induced, voyage through many genres. Horror, sci-fi, fantasy, detective-I enjoyed it all. This author has range and places such fun literary and movie references throught his work. One of my favorites was Judas Coyne and a heart-shaped ring! He does such a great job of pulling you in and adding little details to make it seem like you’re there.
December 21, 2023
A.W. Mason covers all the horror sub-genres in this impressive and original anthology. As you can expect, not all the stories are zingers, but the 90% will definitely frighten, excite and keep you in suspense throughout. Haven’t read an anthology this good since Christopher Robertson’s seasonal releases of his October Society. Definitely recommended for fans of The Black Mirror show.
November 15, 2021
I like me some creepy short stories. Yes please.
Thank you.
Good stuff. I really liked them.
Thank you.
Good stuff. I really liked them.
January 13, 2023
"Demons and ghosts, they never seem to leave"
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A Haunt of Travels spoilers/ review
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A collection of short stories from AW Mason which cover a variety of topics and themes and every story is fantastic. Here's a brief review for each
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Lost And Found --> Dan's mother is dying and he wants to see her one last time. But this isn't a straight forward trip... A fresh and original story that is also kind of familiar. There's a big shock initially, and there's some unexpected twists and turns to this one. Part of me would have liked this to have a longer ending, but the story is touching and there's a nice hidden message. 4.5/5 ⭐
Retirement --> Dean is retired, and looks over news articles about terrible crimes. When his neighbour Rachel comes knocking, things take an unusual turn... A good, speedy story and a nice play on serial killers. 4.25/5 ⭐
The Space Man --> Hank Pierce went on a space exploration adventure, before disappearing. Sandy Winthrop and their crew work to save him. But can they?... What starts as a nice fun sci fi story does get more dramatic and darker as it progresses. The twist is clever and unexpected which works! 4.5/5 ⭐
The Shack --> A young man is driving a wounded woman to hospital, all the while someone is shooting at them. Hold up. Let's flash back and see if we can resolve this mystery... The cold/ Mysterious opening is a clever ploy and draws you in. The main story is well written, interesting and produces a dark, gripping tale. 4.5/5 ⭐
Passing Flights --> Audrey, Cliff, Jordan and Sheri are trainee pilots working the simulator... I didn't click with this one as much as the others. But you know. Well written, good concept, just me being me. 4/5 ⭐
Sunshine and Bullets --> in a strange place where you can never leave, Alton's curiosity leads him to strange places... It's like a Philip K Dick tale in a way. I won't say which as that's big spoilers. I enjoyed the concept and it's well executed but I hungered for more. 4.25/5 ⭐
The Arm Thief --> The Chip was a revolutionary device inserted into people's arms and stored data. People used to steal arms and data in the process. But that was years ago and things changed. So who's stealing arms now?!... My favourite in the collection. It starts ever so well and carries the momentum with it. It effortlessly blends a couple of genres, everything about it worked. Considering where it starts and ends, it does work very well and addressees a problem along the way. 5/5 ⭐
Twenty Mile Chances --> America is a dictatorship. But if you run 20 miles you can get the soul of a loved one back... Think of "the Long Walk" and you're along the right lines. It asks a good question along the way and it's a very well done tale. 4.5/5 ⭐
An Afternoon in Amherst --> David Rathbone has been called out to Amherst, Nebraska. But the town is a ghost town. Or is it?... A really good story again. Again, unexpected in a number of ways, and I liked the isolated mysterious town theme. Personally, I was hungry for more 4.5/5
Terror On Central Park West --> Richard Lipschitz is an easy target for the bullies, but life changes at the museum... Another fun story which gets dark. It's good but I feel we needed more from this cast. It does feel like a big homage to Night At The Museum 4.25/5 ⭐
Carentan --> a darkly poetic piece... I can't say much without giving it all away but it's good. 4/5 ⭐
The Keeper of the Goldfish --> The narrator is looking forward to their new job... I feel this is inspired by Flowers for Algernon. A sweet, nice tale to close on. 4.25/5 ⭐
Overall 4.25/5 ⭐ for this collection. I look forward to more from AW soon!
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A Haunt of Travels spoilers/ review
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A collection of short stories from AW Mason which cover a variety of topics and themes and every story is fantastic. Here's a brief review for each
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Lost And Found --> Dan's mother is dying and he wants to see her one last time. But this isn't a straight forward trip... A fresh and original story that is also kind of familiar. There's a big shock initially, and there's some unexpected twists and turns to this one. Part of me would have liked this to have a longer ending, but the story is touching and there's a nice hidden message. 4.5/5 ⭐
Retirement --> Dean is retired, and looks over news articles about terrible crimes. When his neighbour Rachel comes knocking, things take an unusual turn... A good, speedy story and a nice play on serial killers. 4.25/5 ⭐
The Space Man --> Hank Pierce went on a space exploration adventure, before disappearing. Sandy Winthrop and their crew work to save him. But can they?... What starts as a nice fun sci fi story does get more dramatic and darker as it progresses. The twist is clever and unexpected which works! 4.5/5 ⭐
The Shack --> A young man is driving a wounded woman to hospital, all the while someone is shooting at them. Hold up. Let's flash back and see if we can resolve this mystery... The cold/ Mysterious opening is a clever ploy and draws you in. The main story is well written, interesting and produces a dark, gripping tale. 4.5/5 ⭐
Passing Flights --> Audrey, Cliff, Jordan and Sheri are trainee pilots working the simulator... I didn't click with this one as much as the others. But you know. Well written, good concept, just me being me. 4/5 ⭐
Sunshine and Bullets --> in a strange place where you can never leave, Alton's curiosity leads him to strange places... It's like a Philip K Dick tale in a way. I won't say which as that's big spoilers. I enjoyed the concept and it's well executed but I hungered for more. 4.25/5 ⭐
The Arm Thief --> The Chip was a revolutionary device inserted into people's arms and stored data. People used to steal arms and data in the process. But that was years ago and things changed. So who's stealing arms now?!... My favourite in the collection. It starts ever so well and carries the momentum with it. It effortlessly blends a couple of genres, everything about it worked. Considering where it starts and ends, it does work very well and addressees a problem along the way. 5/5 ⭐
Twenty Mile Chances --> America is a dictatorship. But if you run 20 miles you can get the soul of a loved one back... Think of "the Long Walk" and you're along the right lines. It asks a good question along the way and it's a very well done tale. 4.5/5 ⭐
An Afternoon in Amherst --> David Rathbone has been called out to Amherst, Nebraska. But the town is a ghost town. Or is it?... A really good story again. Again, unexpected in a number of ways, and I liked the isolated mysterious town theme. Personally, I was hungry for more 4.5/5
Terror On Central Park West --> Richard Lipschitz is an easy target for the bullies, but life changes at the museum... Another fun story which gets dark. It's good but I feel we needed more from this cast. It does feel like a big homage to Night At The Museum 4.25/5 ⭐
Carentan --> a darkly poetic piece... I can't say much without giving it all away but it's good. 4/5 ⭐
The Keeper of the Goldfish --> The narrator is looking forward to their new job... I feel this is inspired by Flowers for Algernon. A sweet, nice tale to close on. 4.25/5 ⭐
Overall 4.25/5 ⭐ for this collection. I look forward to more from AW soon!
July 24, 2020
A Haunt of Travels is a short story collection with such a great mix of genres that it's easy to read through without ever getting bored. They're all uniquely entertaining with a feeling of tribute to familiar favorites. Definitely recommend checking this one out.
March 13, 2024
Y’all know I LOVE a story set in my perpetually muggy home state, so I was tickled to discover that many of these stories take place in and around Florida. All eleven of these stories, which range from horror to science fiction to crime and suspense, were a blast to read. I can’t wait to grab my highlighter and hunt for all the connections between the tales on my second read through (just not in my precious signed copy - gotta get another one!).
Each story is so unique, showcasing Mason’s incredible versatility, but I do have to spotlight Retirement as my favorite of the bunch. That one had me grinning from ear to ear the whole way through. Simply Flawless!
Each story is so unique, showcasing Mason’s incredible versatility, but I do have to spotlight Retirement as my favorite of the bunch. That one had me grinning from ear to ear the whole way through. Simply Flawless!
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