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Strange Tales of the Macabre

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In this macabre collection of short fiction, E. Reyes tells stories about the unknown, about demise, and about the human psyche.

A creature from the woods lurks at a young boy’s window in “The Smile.” A clown with a struggling roller coaster ride makes the ultimate sacrifice in “The Haunted Circus Ride.” A group of friends break into a home and are in for a night of unsuspected terror in “Home Invasion.” Thanksgiving day has turned into something sinister when a man goes to his parents’ house in “My Brother Daniel.” Something is off about a curtain visit in “Mommy Dearest.” A girl is on the brink of losing her mind in “Paranoid.” A teen discovers a true crime book with a first-person point of view that haunts his memories in “The Crime Book.” A peculiar bat becomes a pest in “Bela Lugosi at My Window.” A man is on a drunken and drugged-up path of self-destruction in “This Kind of Hell.” A turn of events at a funeral cause the unthinkable to happen in “Resurrection (A Love Song to Stephen King’s Pet Sematary).” A young girl’s doll becomes a conduit for ancient evil in “Isabella’s Doll.” A creepy kid is alone at night, swinging on a swing set in the middle of October in “The Little Boy.” A dark comedy ensues with gore and the undead in "Zombies at the Dollar Palace."

Featuring 10 short stories and 2 pieces of flash fiction, Strange Tales of the Macabre is a strange and bizarre read that centers around death and the unexplainable.

134 pages, Paperback

Published November 6, 2020

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About the author

E. Reyes

54 books165 followers
E. Reyes is a writer, a horror fanatic, and the author of the novel The House on Moon Creek Avenue. Overloading on books and movies and working retail, Reyes brings terror and the unimaginable to everyday life with his experiences and transcends them into a different range of characters and situations. When not watching scary movies and reading books, E. Reyes is busy being a father and a husband and putting in time playing Xbox. He resides in Arizona.

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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for Peter.
4,158 reviews827 followers
August 27, 2021
Wow, what a positive surprise here! Just hits and no misses in this 12 stories anthology. The author placed his characters in a fictive town named Devil's Hill (it could be almost everywhere USA). My personal favorite was Resurrection a homage to Stephen King's Pet Sematary. Eerie, inventive, fluently written, absolutely fine pieces of horror with a nasty twist. Ideal for the forthcoming Halloween season. Highly recommended!
Profile Image for Lauren.
151 reviews14 followers
July 29, 2019
First, a huge thank you to the author for sending me a copy of Strange Tales of the Macabre. (Gotta love a title like that!) There are 12 stories included in this collection with a bit of everything for everyone. I love the mix of flash fiction and short stories, it keeps the reading experience interesting and quick! I flew through these. As for the stories themselves, there was a blend of the supernatural, cosmic, and very real, human horror with a healthy dose of blood and guts. I'm not going to rehash all 12 stories but I do want to highlight some of my favorites.

The first story, The Smile, is a great introduction to the entire collection. It's short, at only three pages, it's over before you feel the impact; like a flash of lightning illuminating a dark room. It was a chilling little tale.

Home Invasion starts off giving you the impression that things for these three friends are certainly going to go from bad to worse. But until you really get into the meat of the story you don't realize just how bad it's going to get. And I'll always and forever love a crazy storm included in a horror story, it's instant atmosphere.

My Brother Daniel it probably my overall favorite story in the collection. It's gruesome enough and then it takes an unexpected turn. I love unreliable narrators, they really add to the tension.

The Crime Book is a perfect example of a story within a story. This one left me wanting more! Not because it was lacking but because it was so haunting and creepy. I would love to see this one expanded into its own novella.

Bela Lugosi at my Window made me giggle. I think horror in the first person is so hard to do because you sometimes miss out on that rich description but it also allows for a little playfulness which this story definitely had. You know, as playful as a vampire at your window can be! It was a fun take on vampire lore which is usually pretty stoic.

The final story (this one was the perfect bookend in my opinion) Zombies at the Dollar Palace was a funny and visceral jaunt through, you guessed it, a zombie apocalypse. Zombies are still one of my favorite monsters because they lend themselves nicely to being terrifying and hilarious and this story blended those perfectly. I laughed at the one liners but man what a bleak way for the world to end.

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories; they were bloody fun. Most had at least a bit of humor yet I was checking the shadowy corners after the lights were off. I'll definitely be watching E. Reyes' career.
Profile Image for E. Reyes.
Author 54 books165 followers
January 7, 2024
Like Devil's Hill, I first published Strange Tales of the Macabre in 2019, immediately after Devil's Hill. Publishing this one without the proper editing, proofreading, and critical insight qualifies it as an entry in my how-to-not-f*ck-it-all-up-from-the-get-go manual. These tales were also written from 2016 to 2019.

After releasing it in 2019, like Devil's Hill, I rereleased Strange Tales of the Macabre in 2020.

The stories in this collection are good, but they are clearly from a young writer who needed more experience with grammar, reading more books, and writing more.

Velox Books reissued this in 2023, and I am happy they wanted to do so. I hope readers will enjoy this one. These stories were fun to write.

If you want a taste of my newest books, I suggest The Love Song of Nathan Crane, Jack Forest, Soul Collector, and Evening of the Mutated Undead. Thank you all, and keep it spooky!

Here's some more info taken from my how-to-not-f*ck-it-all-up-from-the-get-go manual:

I got back into writing and reading after I figured out that making rap music wasn't really for me--especially the business and politics part. The last music project I did was in April 2013. I immediately returned to my roots (I was an avid Goosebumps books reader), and, as you can tell by some of my earlier works, I started reading R.L. Stine books again. I started reading the new Goosebumps, Fear Street, and Goosebumps Series 2000 (I was too absorbed in music to even think about reading). When I read Stephen King for the first time, the book was Cell, I was instantly drawn into the more adult side of horror literature, and I knew in my heart and soul that writing books is what I was born to do.

My first short stories were horrendous, but I loved writing them. Most of those got nuked, never to have a life on a page inside a book. And I started reading and reading like the kid I used to be. I knew this was what I was meant to do. I knew it even more after reading more of King's work. In 2016, when I found out that I could publish my books without having to send them off and wish for the best, I was thrilled. But, man, oh man, I wish I could have sat on those stories a little longer while I read more, learned more, wrote more, and had a whole plan before self-publishing.

My mistakes in publishing too early, jumping the gun before proper editing, proofreading, and having some critical insight into my work should be every aspiring author's how-to-not-f*ck-it-all-up-from-the-get-go manual. I was so happy, inspired, and anxious to publish and have a book of mine out there. Little did I know, I needed more insight into the grammar (I got my GED after being out of high school for eight years and had just started community college, taking Writing courses, of course), I needed professional editing, and I needed to let my stories sit somewhere safe while I forgot about them for a while and went on to the following stories.
Profile Image for Randomly.eric.
196 reviews7 followers
August 11, 2021
From zombies to killer dolls, dream loops to home invasion, this collection brought a little of everything. I loved that all the stories took place in the same city, giving it an overall creepy universe feel.

Overall I give the collection a very solid 😈😈😈😈/5 Devil's Hill grins
Profile Image for Kim Napolitano.
307 reviews42 followers
May 16, 2019
I was gifted this book for an honest review.

What can I say? This author gets better and better with every book! This collection of short stories is another example of amazing story telling! Christmas in the Empty Cabin has to be my favorite but each story is carefully crafted with characters you care about! The House by the Woods is a tear jerker. I was graciously gifted this book for early review so no spoilers from me. Mr. Reyes should be on your to read list and any visit to Devil’s Hill is a must do. Read immediately!
Profile Image for Alana K. Drex.
Author 14 books102 followers
July 6, 2021
This book of tales blew me away! It reminded me of the old Scary Tales to Tell in the Dark books but for adults! I have some absolute faves I will not be able to forget -- um, like when I'm trying to sleep?! I'm going to list my 3 faves, but I liked them all!

My 3 Faves:
THE HAUNTED CIRCUS RIDE: A clown spiraling into depression who will do anything to be successful.
MOMMY DEAREST: Creep Factor 100! I wanted more -- but it also has that awesome vibe reminiscent of the aforementioned Scary Tales books with the ending, so it works!
ZOMBIES AT THE DOLLAR PLACE: Funny, gruesome, apocalyptic fun!!
Ok, 4th one (I lied)...
THE CRIME BOOK: A book of murder offered as a reading choice to a high-school student ....that seems to be the only copy ...😱 (Reyes says this happened to him!)

I also read the Afterward and E. Reyes goes into his appreciation for David Sedaris and his love of comedy. It rang a bell for me because these stories while disturbing and chilling, were also funny in parts. Highly recommend, I will be picking up his novel DEVIL'S HILL.
Profile Image for Maggie McGonigle .
3 reviews
May 27, 2019
From murderers to creepers to ghosts, Strange Tales of the Macabre has something for every horror fan. Some stories made my eyes light up and I definitely said, “Ooooohhh” out loud as a delighted smile spread across my face. To a stranger, that smile may have looked a bit deranged. The stories are written in a way that made me feel nostalgic, but like I was reading something new and different at the same time. It is hard to choose a favorite story in the collection, so here are my top five favorites: Home Invasion, The Midnight Visitors, Mommy Dearest, Christmas in the Empty Cabin, and The House by the Woods. I have read Devil’s Hill from E. Reyes and I’m ready for the next collection.

I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Lucy.
112 reviews45 followers
June 8, 2022
This is a great collection of short horror stories! I was drawn in by the first story, ‘The Smile’ and also really enjoyed ‘The Haunted Circus Ride’ and ‘The Crime Book’.

I really appreciated the ‘behind the stories’ section at the end of the book too - thought that was super interesting!
Profile Image for Kia (kiastillreadsandwrites).
141 reviews59 followers
May 25, 2019
I was fortunate enough to be a beta reader for E. Reyes on Strange Tales of the Macabre, his second anthology. It’s a great read for any horror fans looking for a bit of fun (and some really well-written gore)! The stories in this collection are every bit as good as those in Reyes’ first offering, Devil’s Hill, but I personally liked the first collection more, simply because they were much more frightening in the traditional sense.

Strange Tales covers a wide range of horror types - from hauntings to supernatural beings to loss/grief and everything in between - and that is what makes it stand out from “generic” horror anthologies. You’re hit in every emotion as you read through the stories, and that makes them linger in your mind, long after the last lines are finished.
Profile Image for Iseult Murphy.
Author 32 books147 followers
December 9, 2019
A spooky collection

A great collection of horror stories. While some of the tropes are familiar, the author puts a new and interesting spin on them. I liked that some of the stories were set in Devil’s Hill. That is one town I would not like to visit, but it sure is fun to read about.
Profile Image for J.M. Horn.
Author 12 books14 followers
May 17, 2020
Solid collection of horror stories.

Throughout the stories, the author does a good job of creating the settings and develop the characters. The author's voice can be felt as you read each one.

A few of my favorite stories were Christmas in an Empty Cabin, The Midnight Visitors, and my Brother Daniel.

I would definitely recommend picking this collection up.
Profile Image for Wofford Jones.
Author 19 books69 followers
June 27, 2021
I recently finished @ereyesauthor Strange Tales of the Macabre: Stories (along with a nice cup of coffee). I have to say that I’m very impressed with these selections. I enjoyed my reading time as I journeyed through his dark tales of horror. If you want stories that can raise your eyebrows in shock, widen your eyes in horrific wonder, cause you verbalize at shocking moment within and make you laugh out loud (there is comedy in some of these), then this is a collection for you. E. Reyes keeps the creep factor high and the spooky on point. These tales are perfect with the right amount of dark magic to tickle your spine at whatever time of the year you read them. These stories are engrossing and satisfying but they will leave you wanting more of his work. My top favorites are: ‘Home Invasion”😳 “The Crime Book”😱, “Paranoid”☠️ and “Resurrection”🤯. I wanna thank E.Reyes for this collection he put out. I had one of the best times reading. Keep doing what you’re doing because you do it well. I’ll be back very soon for another dosage of your writing.
Profile Image for Ali  O.
956 reviews53 followers
May 24, 2025
Strange Tales Of The Macabre
Tales by E. Rayes
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This a fantastic collection of spooky short stories. Each one is unique and has a good amount of creep within them! They also contain different levels of disturbingness! 😱 There’s gore, killing, odd behaviors, terror and so much more in these 12 stories!

A few of my top favorites are:
•Home Invasion
•Paranoid
•The Crime Book
•Resurrection (A Love Song to Stephen King’s Pet Semetary)
•Zombies at the Dollar Palace

This is the first book that I’ve read from this author, but I’m excited to be adding a bunch more of his books to my list! 📚

I listened to the audio version and the narrator did an excellent job!
*It’s a fun and crazy horror read and definitely one to check out!!*
Profile Image for Byron Griffin.
Author 29 books21 followers
November 20, 2020
This is book is wonderfully thrilling, beginning with a terrifying tale that made me glad that I read it a while before I was planning on going to bed. If you are looking for a good horror anthology to evoke feelings of fear then you will not go wrong by buying this book. I love dipping into stories in anthologies, as I do not normally read them cover to cover instead picking them up whenever I feel like a short horror story to enliven the senses swiftly, and this is certainly one of the best I have available to dip into! Honestly you will not regret buying this book!
Profile Image for Derek Hutchins.
Author 13 books26 followers
August 20, 2021
First time reading this author. I enjoyed several of the stories, I think Reyes has a good mind for ideas, and I was really loving the concepts behind some of these tales. The one about the haunted roller coaster ride and the one inspired by pet semetary were my favourites. The author has a good sense of humour and some of the stories are more funny than scary. The reading level is about equal to fear street, though some of the stories deal with darker subject matter, so if that’s what you’re looking for, give it a shot.
Profile Image for Avalon Roselin.
Author 6 books46 followers
January 4, 2022
A twisted collection of creepy tales

Was reading these stories before bed my best idea ever? Maybe not, but as a fan of Creepshow and other 80s thrill & chill horror, I would say it was worth it.
Like any anthology there were some stories I didn't like as much as others, but my favorites felt almost tailor made for me. There is a pretty good mix in this book, so if you miss new episodes of Tales from the Crypt I would definitely recommend this to you!
Profile Image for Perfectly Imperfect.
66 reviews2 followers
September 28, 2025
4.5 rounded up to 5 stars

The writing of the author was much better and in this collection, everything from short to "less short" stories were excellent. I deducted 0.5 star because the last story was a bit "frivolous". However, in terms of horror, chill, obsession, and psyche, the writing was fluid and memorable.

I already read the Devil I and II. I will continue to explore the works of the author.

May the author find attract more readers!

Best wishes,
Profile Image for Ben Vandersluis.
56 reviews
March 18, 2026
DNF at 48%.

Not for me I guess. Thought the first story was pretty well done, gave me good goosebumps, but the charm kinda faded after that. Quality trended down, violence/gore up.

I bailed after I read a story that had the same paragraph repeated twice in a row — clearly a revision that was added without removing the original paragraph. It’s an easy mistake, but come on. Can’t expect me to finish something you aren’t running past a proofreader first, minimum.
Profile Image for looneybooks79.
1,826 reviews46 followers
August 22, 2021
Some fairly good stories in here, especially the finale… I’m always up for a zombie story! Reyes is a fan of Halloween, that’s clear! And the return of devil’s Hill in his stories is like his own Woodsboro or Castle Rock! I even loved the small reference to a certain El Segrador (the paranormal loving mexican crime boss with a ranch) 👍
Well done!
155 reviews11 followers
September 7, 2021
Great Anthology

Every short story in this collection was outstanding. I had to write a review for this book. It's a must read for fans of horror stories with a twist. Amazing depth and character development considering how short the stories are.
67 reviews5 followers
January 14, 2024
A wonderful collection of dark and supernatural short story horror. Sprinkled with humour, in some of the stories. This chilling anthology, will leave you wanting more. Gripping and gory, this is a fantastic, page turning, spooky read. Highly Recommend.
Profile Image for Zombie0721.
80 reviews4 followers
March 14, 2024
Very good short story collection. Not a bad story in the bunch either several just being downright fun ( lookin at you Lugosi at my window) well worth a read and while your at it check out the authors other books. You may find you enjoy your time at Devils Hill. Stay spooky🎃
Profile Image for Sophia.
145 reviews1 follower
June 15, 2022
i definitely would have been more scared if i was reading this at home before bed instead of at work
Profile Image for Jennifer.
958 reviews7 followers
October 12, 2024
These were all excellent. My favorites in no particular order were:
Mommy Dearest
Paranoid
The Crime Book
Profile Image for Wendy ( ͡°❥ ͡°).
120 reviews8 followers
August 9, 2024
Strange Tales of the Macabre by E. Reyes is a spooky collection of short horror stories that really get into the darkest parts of the human mind. With vivid descriptions and surprising twists, Reyes tells creepy stories that stick with you long after you finish reading. A must-read for anyone who's into scary stuff.
Profile Image for Nicole Trouten.
14 reviews2 followers
November 5, 2020
After meeting @ereyeshorror on Instagram and hearing some great things about his work I just had to give his newest short story collection a try. Just look at that cover! I’m glad I did, I had so much fun. ⁣
.⁣
.⁣
From the silly to the sinister, from haunted places to terrifying faces, this collection has something for everyone. The stories themselves were good, but I loved how they were told in a way that made me feel like I was sitting around a campfire at night with a good friend: familiar, casual, and straight to the point. This style gave me a warm feeling in spite of the creepy tales and kept my attention. ⁣
.⁣
.⁣
My favorites stories were ⁣
•The Smile ⁣
•My Brother Daniel ⁣
•The Crime Book⁣
•Christmas in the Empty Cabin⁣
•The House by the Woods ⁣
But I have to say that no story failed to entertain. ⁣
.⁣
So, give E. Reyes a try and support an new author. I’m excited to read his other collection this fall. 🎃🖤
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews