Green Grow the Rashes and Other Stories

by William Meikle

If you're looking for a taster of my work, this is who I am. These seven short stories, all previously published in magazines or anthologies, contain magic, monsters, ghosts, history, beer, Scotland, scifi, fantasy, horror, singing, more beer and fun.

This is who I am.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Collections, Supernatural, Fantasy

73 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 28, 2015

About the author

I'm a Scottish writer, now living in Canada, with more than thirty novels published in the genre press and over 300 short story credits in thirteen countries.

My work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies and I have recent short story sales to NATURE Futures and Galaxy's Edge. When I'm not writing I play guitar, drink beer and dream of fortune and glory.

For an intro to me, my writing and my accent see my Youtube channel

Reviews

[Karl]

Chapbook series Number 6.

[Badseedgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tend to be stingy with my stars when I rate books. I'm not cruel, I really, really have to dislike a book to give it one star. On the flip side I have to feel very strong about a book to give it 5 stars. I average about 11% of the books I rate each year get a 5 star rating. Why this tangent into my rating system for books? Because when I say this was a 5 star collection of stories, and you should read it, I want you, the reader of this review to understand I'm serious.

With seven stories and 52 pages, this is more of a novella then a novel, but those 7 stories make the most of those 52 pages. Every story in this book is really strong. They range from the straight out horror of "The Sweller in the Dress Hold" and "The Dark Island", Fantasy of "Green Grow the Rashes" and "In the Spring", through the sci-fi feeling "Out of The Black" and the dark comedy of "Too Many." But for creep factor, "The Just One" takes the cake. It felt claustrophobic in the very best way and I had to turn on my bedside light to finish it.

The thing is all seven stories are awesome. Don't believe me, get it and see for yourself.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tiny anthology seems like a very good representation of the author’s work. I’ve read him before and it’s pretty much always the same reliable level of quite good. Short scary stories that rely more on atmosphere than gore and guts, which isn’t to say there isn’t any of that. The tales are original and more often than not have a distinctly Scottish texture to them, some sort of an island lore lure. This collection was free and only took about 50 minutes and entertained plenty during that time.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid collection of stories I've enjoyed dipping in and out of between longer books. I really dig Meikle's style.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice collection of horror tales

The seven tales are all different but they are the same in that they do a great job in sucking you in. Meikle is a master at settings, building the world of his story so quickly and efficiently that it makes you a part of it without bogging down the narrative. All the tales are great reads.

Highly recommended for fans of the short horror tale. Also there is a fairly lengthy interview with Meikle at the back that is a great read as well.

[Charles van Buren · Rating 5 out of 5]

More good stories from Meikle

This small volume of mostly horror stories also includes one dystopian SciFi and one fantasy story. The horror stories mix personal terror with some creatures which may fit in the Lovecraft mold. One of those stories features a ship from Haiti with even more than you would expect on board. There is also one little trip to Hell which reminds that sin doesn't have to be big or what we would consider really evil to ...trip you up. No excessive gore or shlock. Just well written and plotted stories.

I downloaded this book via Kindle Unlimited.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining paranormal listening 🎶🔰

Another seven will written fantasy world 🌎 haunting horror ghost 👻 demon adventure thriller short stories by William Meikle (The William Meikle Chapbook Collection book 6). Each story is different with interesting will developed characters and story line with lots of misdirection, twist, action, and violence leading to the unexpected conclusions. As with all box 📦 sets some of the stories are more entertaining than others but I found these quite good..Enjoy the adventure of reading 👓 or listening 🎶 to books 📚. 2022 😄😢

[Cora Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are my kind of stories!
Loved them and the voice, however for each one of them the ending felt way too rushed, frustratingly so...

[Zain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Him

William Meikle says his stories are who he is. Well, then, if that is true then he must be a wonderful person because his stories are wonderful!

[Michael Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of seven rather exceptional short stories from a writer who is very rapidly climbing to the top of my 'must read everything this person's written' list.

They're mostly (though not all) horror stories and they are without exception magnificent examples of their craft. From the mystery and the melancholy hideousness of the title story onwards, the quality just doesn't drop. There's a story set in the far future after the sun has dimmed, reminiscent of Hodgson's 'The Night Land'; the punning title of 'Sweller in the Dress Hold' conceals an unexpected and nauseating horror; a tale on a remote island's lighthouse evokes shades of Laird Barron or Lovecraft. But each story and setting is unique and its own thing, and although Meikle can skilfully echo the best strains of such writers as Hodgson in particular, his style remains very much his own, and as far as I'm concerned he is fast becoming the 'go to guy' in contemporary horror writing.

The fact that this sampler collection is a FREE ebook means that you - yes, YOU! - need it right now.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story collection has been a fun read. The stories are primarily paranormal and since they are short stories the horror level couldn't reach the kind of horror you will find in a novel. They all were creepy, some more creepy than others but I enjoyed all of them. The author has a talent for vivid imagery and portraying widely diverse types of protagonists and their varied situations clearly and in an interesting way.
All of these tales could have taken place in the Twilight Zone.
This is the first thing I have read from this author and it won't be the last. I recommend this book to fans of creepy well written short stories or Twilight Zone style stories.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Green Grow the Rashes - who or what is the shadow in the bar.
2. Out of the Black - volunteering to go topside, as Earth that is now an ice sheet, to look for ore what will he find.
3. The Sweller in the Dress Hold -so what do 2 dockers find in the hold of the ship The Dress.
4. The Just One - will the lighthouse keeper survive a night on his own.
5. In the spring - so what is growing in her garden.
6. The Dark Island - can he find the answer to the puzzle.
7. Too Many - so after her heart attack why is she in Hell.
Enjoyable short stories

[Joao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good short story anthology. The best two stories for me were The Sweller in the Dress Hold and The Just One. William Meikle relies on the ambiance to provide the creepiness in the story, except in the last one, Too Many, which is a little bit out of place, with its slight humorous tone. The Dark Island particularly reminded me of classic Lovecraft.

[Alan Loewen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Intriguing Collection of Weird Ficrion

Ranging from science fiction to dark fantasy to outright Lovecraftian horror, Meikle demonstrates his chops as a professional author who can write intelligently on a number of various genre settings.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of seven of Meikle's short stories previously printed elsewhere. They range to a variety of different subjects. For the most part they were pretty enjoyable and gave a look into the various types of themes the author uses. 3./5*

[H Jesseman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. A couple were a bit pretentious but on the whole solid stories.

[mel toland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection

This is a good sampler of the authors work. Stories of horror, with a touch of humor. And you can't beat the price! Recommended.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the short stories, shared some with my son

[Shell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice variety of short stories!

[Seth Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

another winner

I’ve read several collections by William, and I’ve enjoyed everyone. This has all the hallmarks of Meikle’s story-telling, which means you’re in for fun.

[Vonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories

[Charles Ray]

Transplanted Scot, William Meikle—now residing in Canada—is, in my view, the 21st century version of Edgar Allan Poe. No, he’s not a drug addict, at least not as far as I know, but the stories he churns out would make a drug addict quit cold turkey. Even when he writes humor, his stuff is downright scary. The collection of short stories in Green Grow the Rashes is no exception. From a down-at-the-heels singer who sees a green ghost, to the ‘thing’ hiding in the banana boat, Meikle conjures up some of the weirdest, scariest, and absolutely entertaining scenarios. If you like your short fiction with an edge, check this one out.

[Mark Abrams · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with any short story collection, I liked some of the stories more than others. Some were absolutely great and some were just, well, there. Overall, I liked this collection and would highly recommend it to readers of horror and speculative fiction in general.

I have been a fan of this author for quite some time and have found that he consistently does not disappoint!

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great range of short stories and a good taster into his style of writing.