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Keep It Inside: and Other Weird Tales
From Mark Anthony Smith, author of Something Said, comes Keep It Inside. A mix of short stories and flash fiction, Keep It Inside & Other Weird Tales features a variety of works to satisfy the tastes of any horror lover – from the gruesome to the sinister, the strange to the outright bizarre.
89 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 14, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 21, 2021
Enthralling, Disturbing, and Unique!
This collection of short fiction kept me riveted from first page to last. It also left some beautifully-gruesome images I'll never forget. I enjoyed all the stories, but my favorites were "The Prairie Lures," "Wood Fooks," "Crown of Slugs," "We Are Beneath," and "Scare the Crows." Mark Anthony Smith has a distinctive voice and a blazing imagination. I'll read anything this dude writes. Highly recommended!
This collection of short fiction kept me riveted from first page to last. It also left some beautifully-gruesome images I'll never forget. I enjoyed all the stories, but my favorites were "The Prairie Lures," "Wood Fooks," "Crown of Slugs," "We Are Beneath," and "Scare the Crows." Mark Anthony Smith has a distinctive voice and a blazing imagination. I'll read anything this dude writes. Highly recommended!
September 29, 2021
As much as I love a good horror story, these just didn't do it for me. Some of them were unusual and all of them were short. I really tried, but I guess these stories just aren't the type that thrill me. I did not like the narrator either.
December 13, 2020
I received a copy of Mark Anthony Smith’s Keep It Inside and Other Weird Tales from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I just finished reading this gem for the second, but not the last time, today. Once again, I got so caught up in the stories I forgot to mark the passages I meant to highlight. The ones that made me cry out, “That’s so beautifully written! Oh, please let all my doors be locked.” But maybe noting those pages is unnecessary for the images won’t stop scrolling madly through my mind. King once said, “If you’ve missed Laymon, you’ve missed a treat.” If you followed King’s advice and read Laymon and found it a treat, or you’re a fan of Lovecraft, Blackwood, Ketcham, or Machen, you're in for a treat for sure with these bold tales.
Mark Anthony Smith has delivered a deliciously creepy mix of stories touching on subjects ranging from the disquiet that begins when something is forgotten, through the effects of the withdrawals from cannibalism, to a pact with the strangest creatures yet. There are stories that you will read with a growing sense of unease, stories that will make you afraid to go camping in the woods ever again, such as where a friend steps out of the light, away from the circle of safety and doesn’t return, and stories of ancient trees filled with animus. I've felt that in the trees, haven't you? Now Smith has put the detailed pictures in my head, and I'll never go back.
If you are like me, you won’t be able to shake the image of the man who climbs inside a farmer’s warm and sticky carcass, like a grizzly overcoat to disguise himself from the monsters, then pulls the skull over his head. Smith’s world is populated by beings with animal features: cloven feet like a goat, scales and pelts, talons, claws, rats’ whiskers, gelatinous bodies, snouts, and tails. Smith explores our fears and thrusts them upon us. In every story, the disquiet grows gradually as the hooks, the claws, or the talons sink into the scaly flesh. By the time the victim feels the pinch, it's too late; the barb has set. It was already too late for me when I picked up Smith’s book. And there is so much more than I could cover here.
Highly recommended. (I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion; however, now that the collection has been released, I just purchased another copy, so this is my doubly honest opinion!)
Mark Anthony Smith has delivered a deliciously creepy mix of stories touching on subjects ranging from the disquiet that begins when something is forgotten, through the effects of the withdrawals from cannibalism, to a pact with the strangest creatures yet. There are stories that you will read with a growing sense of unease, stories that will make you afraid to go camping in the woods ever again, such as where a friend steps out of the light, away from the circle of safety and doesn’t return, and stories of ancient trees filled with animus. I've felt that in the trees, haven't you? Now Smith has put the detailed pictures in my head, and I'll never go back.
If you are like me, you won’t be able to shake the image of the man who climbs inside a farmer’s warm and sticky carcass, like a grizzly overcoat to disguise himself from the monsters, then pulls the skull over his head. Smith’s world is populated by beings with animal features: cloven feet like a goat, scales and pelts, talons, claws, rats’ whiskers, gelatinous bodies, snouts, and tails. Smith explores our fears and thrusts them upon us. In every story, the disquiet grows gradually as the hooks, the claws, or the talons sink into the scaly flesh. By the time the victim feels the pinch, it's too late; the barb has set. It was already too late for me when I picked up Smith’s book. And there is so much more than I could cover here.
Highly recommended. (I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion; however, now that the collection has been released, I just purchased another copy, so this is my doubly honest opinion!)
February 11, 2021
"Keep It Inside: and Other Weird Tales" written by the author Mark Anthony Smith is a collection of short stories. It is the first book that I have read penned down by the author.
The collection starts with "The Prairie Lures". When the protagonist joined the Reconnaissance Patrol. Total 6 people set out on a patrol and they only had to report their observations, keeping themselves out of trouble at the same time. 6 lads entered the dark forest but will they be able to return?
In Wood Fooks, two friends went to rent a gaffe near Goadley so they can fish over the weekend. During dark, they saw a shadow dragging a man that seems dead.
In "The Clifftop Terrors, a family went on a holiday. Dave's wife Holly felt that she has seen something bigger walking between two and four legs.
Language used in the stories is simple. I read this collection at night time, I felt little spooky. The stories are terrifying yet entertaining. "A Face At The Window" and "The Prairie Lures" are my favorite from the collection. I like the way each story ends. Length of the book is 86 pages only so one can read it in a single sitting. If you are a fan of horror genre, you should pick this anthology.
The collection starts with "The Prairie Lures". When the protagonist joined the Reconnaissance Patrol. Total 6 people set out on a patrol and they only had to report their observations, keeping themselves out of trouble at the same time. 6 lads entered the dark forest but will they be able to return?
In Wood Fooks, two friends went to rent a gaffe near Goadley so they can fish over the weekend. During dark, they saw a shadow dragging a man that seems dead.
In "The Clifftop Terrors, a family went on a holiday. Dave's wife Holly felt that she has seen something bigger walking between two and four legs.
Language used in the stories is simple. I read this collection at night time, I felt little spooky. The stories are terrifying yet entertaining. "A Face At The Window" and "The Prairie Lures" are my favorite from the collection. I like the way each story ends. Length of the book is 86 pages only so one can read it in a single sitting. If you are a fan of horror genre, you should pick this anthology.
November 9, 2020
Let the cannibalistic creepfest begin!
This collection of flash-fiction horror is a diatribe on sanity, well written and creepy to the bone. From ghouls to cannibals, monsters to a hateful child, and animals to your ex-wife, Mark Anthony Smith has brought together a super-fine collection of horror stories for your reading pleasure. Highly recommend to horror fans and to anyone who likes the creepy in a flash!
This collection of flash-fiction horror is a diatribe on sanity, well written and creepy to the bone. From ghouls to cannibals, monsters to a hateful child, and animals to your ex-wife, Mark Anthony Smith has brought together a super-fine collection of horror stories for your reading pleasure. Highly recommend to horror fans and to anyone who likes the creepy in a flash!
May 16, 2021
This is a slender volume of twenty very short stories and a couple of illustrations. Each of the tales have a dash of darkness, and having some elements repeated across the stories - particularly forests and the military - made it feel very cohesive. My favourite aspect was the humorous wordplay. If dark fiction can be classified as light reading, that's a good description of this fun collection. I enjoyed it a lot and it entertained me while my head was too muddled to read non-fiction.
November 14, 2020
Fun read!
Well written short stories! I particularly enjoyed the author-voice and his unique way of telling the stories. I enjoyed every word!
Well written short stories! I particularly enjoyed the author-voice and his unique way of telling the stories. I enjoyed every word!
March 11, 2022
Very well written, funny at times at how the horror theme is presented. Love the audio version, they picked the perfect voice to read, he even sounds spooky. I recommend this book, drama, comedy, horror all wrapped up in one.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews