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The Rules of the Road
Do you ever wonder why it is you sometimes see a single shoe on the side of the road? What happens if you don’t hold your breath when you pass a cemetery? Why should you pay careful attention to that strange speed limit sign, the one that reads 67 MPH?
When an amateur journalist encounters a mysterious radio program while driving alone one late night, he is presented with a set of instructions with potentially fatal consequences. After escaping with his life, obsession takes hold and he is determined to find out who is behind the broadcast and who else it has affected. His investigation leads him to speak with travelers and truckers, vagabonds and vacationers, models and rock stars, each with their own sinister encounter with the strange program. His search draws him into a world of deadly discovery from which there is no turning back.
So settle down and buckle up. Stay alert for the signs to survive. Do not adjust that dial. Prepare to be a lucky—or unlucky—listener to "The Rules of The Road." What will the static settle on for you?
__________________________________________________________________________
“I defy you to keep this book off your mind during your daily commute. Jones not only brings the terror, but also introduces you to a new way of living. Are you really going to drive by that lonely, lost shoe?"
-Christopher O'Halloran, author of Pushing Daisy and the novelette, "Possess and Serve".
C.B. Jones’ mosaic novel, The Rules of the Road, takes you on a staggering journey, interweaving disparate stories to produce a cohesive and creepy chronicle. This debut has heart and wit, with plenty of oddities to make you question reality.
—Shane Hawk, author of Anoka
“Deeply unsettling, hilarious, and wildly creative. Late night drives with the radio on will never be the same.”- Derek Walker, author of The X.
When an amateur journalist encounters a mysterious radio program while driving alone one late night, he is presented with a set of instructions with potentially fatal consequences. After escaping with his life, obsession takes hold and he is determined to find out who is behind the broadcast and who else it has affected. His investigation leads him to speak with travelers and truckers, vagabonds and vacationers, models and rock stars, each with their own sinister encounter with the strange program. His search draws him into a world of deadly discovery from which there is no turning back.
So settle down and buckle up. Stay alert for the signs to survive. Do not adjust that dial. Prepare to be a lucky—or unlucky—listener to "The Rules of The Road." What will the static settle on for you?
__________________________________________________________________________
“I defy you to keep this book off your mind during your daily commute. Jones not only brings the terror, but also introduces you to a new way of living. Are you really going to drive by that lonely, lost shoe?"
-Christopher O'Halloran, author of Pushing Daisy and the novelette, "Possess and Serve".
C.B. Jones’ mosaic novel, The Rules of the Road, takes you on a staggering journey, interweaving disparate stories to produce a cohesive and creepy chronicle. This debut has heart and wit, with plenty of oddities to make you question reality.
—Shane Hawk, author of Anoka
“Deeply unsettling, hilarious, and wildly creative. Late night drives with the radio on will never be the same.”- Derek Walker, author of The X.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 24, 2021
83 people are currently reading
4508 people want to read
About the author
C.B. Jones
6 books65 followersC.B. Jones is an author from somewhere in the middle of America. His work has appeared on "The NoSleep Podcast" and in Cosmic Horror Monthly . His debut novel, The Rules of the Road was released in 2021.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
December 16, 2024
Step On a Crack...
Break Your Mother's Back
THE RULES OF THE ROAD
by C.B. Jones
No spoilers. 2 stars. I hated to give this novel just 2 stars, but honestly, I've been reading it for 2 weeks, and except for 2 chapters, I couldn't endure it another day. And so this novel became one of my rare DNF's at 65%...
The story started out with the book's narrator on a long trip late at night hearing a bizarre radio broadcast warning him that if he should pass a single shoe on the side of the road, he must stop his car and put one of his socks inside that shoe then quickly get back into the car and leave...
If he doesn't follow the rule of the road...
The broadcaster warns that the shoe's owner, lurking behind roadside shrubs, might give him a good scare because his torso tapers down to one leg
And he's not an amputee...
He'll be waiting for the narrator down in the ditch and will drag himself, if he has to, to get him...
The narrator obeys his rule of the road and lives to do research on this radio phenomenon thus you, the reader, are treated to more rules of the road as told by other unfortunate travelers in the form of a short story chapter dedicated to them and their experience...
This novel sounded like a good story, and the narrator's story was a good hook, but as the novel progressed, it became repetitive and boring.
It made me feel claustrophobic, like being compelled, as the old superstition goes, to avoid all the cracks on the sidewalk, or I'd break my mother's back.
Good idea. Poor execution.
Break Your Mother's Back
THE RULES OF THE ROAD
by C.B. Jones
No spoilers. 2 stars. I hated to give this novel just 2 stars, but honestly, I've been reading it for 2 weeks, and except for 2 chapters, I couldn't endure it another day. And so this novel became one of my rare DNF's at 65%...
The story started out with the book's narrator on a long trip late at night hearing a bizarre radio broadcast warning him that if he should pass a single shoe on the side of the road, he must stop his car and put one of his socks inside that shoe then quickly get back into the car and leave...
If he doesn't follow the rule of the road...
The broadcaster warns that the shoe's owner, lurking behind roadside shrubs, might give him a good scare because his torso tapers down to one leg
And he's not an amputee...
He'll be waiting for the narrator down in the ditch and will drag himself, if he has to, to get him...
The narrator obeys his rule of the road and lives to do research on this radio phenomenon thus you, the reader, are treated to more rules of the road as told by other unfortunate travelers in the form of a short story chapter dedicated to them and their experience...
This novel sounded like a good story, and the narrator's story was a good hook, but as the novel progressed, it became repetitive and boring.
It made me feel claustrophobic, like being compelled, as the old superstition goes, to avoid all the cracks on the sidewalk, or I'd break my mother's back.
Good idea. Poor execution.
August 29, 2023
Fact or fiction, that suspension of disbelief is why I love a good ol creepasta stories. As many other reviews have said, this book toes the line between “first-hand encounters” and the Twilight Zone, which is just *perfecto* it’s one man’s quest after his encounter with Buck Hensleys broadcast to find other witnesses to this phenomenon using his blog. He quickly becomes immersed in the case as more people write in to tell him of their own experiences and possible consequence of the rules of the road. The book just felt familiar to me. Maybe because it draws inspiration from so many corners of “the unexplained”
creepy and fun!
While I think the ending wrapped up all the stories and bloggers investigation in a satisfying way,
I would do anything for a buck Hensley podcast! Maybe with a series of new buck hensley accounts and a possible new investigation to find the broadcast. 🤌🤩
creepy and fun!
While I think the ending wrapped up all the stories and bloggers investigation in a satisfying way,
I would do anything for a buck Hensley podcast! Maybe with a series of new buck hensley accounts and a possible new investigation to find the broadcast. 🤌🤩
September 2, 2023
I genuinely really loved this book. It creeped me out, it’s so well written.
February 14, 2024
I really liked the first part with the stories of people who heard the Rules of the Road broadcasts, I have a thing for radio based horror (oddly enough because you couldn't pay me enough to willingly listen to the radio) so that was really up my proverbial alley. However the ending is where things sort of just unraveled for me and I was left with a feeling of oh-okay. Still well worth the read just for the vignettes.
The book is in the same vein as Alice Isn't Dead by Joseph Fink and I would recommend it for readers who enjoy the general vibe of Fink's writing style a lot of its best elements are present in Jones' style but with a gritter tone.
It was also a surprisingly quick read for a book that's over 300 pages long.
The book is in the same vein as Alice Isn't Dead by Joseph Fink and I would recommend it for readers who enjoy the general vibe of Fink's writing style a lot of its best elements are present in Jones' style but with a gritter tone.
It was also a surprisingly quick read for a book that's over 300 pages long.
June 8, 2025
3.5 stars
An unnamed narrator hears an eerie radio broadcast giving a “Rule of the Road” which he’s told to follow lest something bad happen to him. Both freaked out and fascinated he uses the internet to seek out others who may have heard the broadcast from Buck Hensley and he finds even more than he bargained for.
I love the idea of a scary radio broadcast coming across the airwaves (or your devices) late at night as you speed down the highway. This was nice as it contained various stories and a semi-explanation.
Read as part of the Horror Aficionados’ summer horror challenge, read a book set on a road trip (actually there are lots of them in this book.)
An unnamed narrator hears an eerie radio broadcast giving a “Rule of the Road” which he’s told to follow lest something bad happen to him. Both freaked out and fascinated he uses the internet to seek out others who may have heard the broadcast from Buck Hensley and he finds even more than he bargained for.
I love the idea of a scary radio broadcast coming across the airwaves (or your devices) late at night as you speed down the highway. This was nice as it contained various stories and a semi-explanation.
Read as part of the Horror Aficionados’ summer horror challenge, read a book set on a road trip (actually there are lots of them in this book.)
February 19, 2022
**Note: I was provided a copy of this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.**
You can also read my review over at HorrorTree.com: https://horrortree.com/epeolatry-book...
Have you ever stumbled upon some random AM radio station while driving through the middle of nowhere? Extra points if you were traveling along a long desolate road in the middle of the night. Usually, it’s just some lower power signal of a fire and brimstone preacher, or some local sports talk broadcast. But there are always urban legends of some strange recording of ominous noises or some pirate signal broadcasting some guy ranting about chem trails and the secret cabal of lunch ladies across the Midwest.
Well, Rules of the Road by C.B. Jones stirs up those same feelings of unease through a collection of short stories wrapped in one framing story, a la Clive Barker’s Books of Blood. With each story you get another piece of the puzzle, another clue as to what is going with this strange radio broadcast sharing, ‘Rules of the Road’, which, if you don’t follow, may have deadly consequences. I’ll give you one example. If you come across a single shoe lying beside the road, you must stop and place one of your own socks within. What happens if you don’t do this? Probably something bad, really bad. So, why take a chance? What’s one less sock?
This book is an unsettling trip through the horrors of modern Americana. Discover the things that scare those who call the road home, like missed cellphone calls, social media, and the loss of self, Geo Metros (super creepy), mysterious phone numbers on bathroom stalls, and the ever-pernicious boiled peanuts!
My personal favorites from this are ‘Landslide’ and ‘What’s Your Name?’ Both take wonderfully unexpected turns.
So, if you like books similar to Brotherhood of the Wheel by R.S. Belcher or the Lost Signals anthology edited by Max Booth III, be sure to check out this new release from up-and-coming horror author C.B. Jones.
You can also read my review over at HorrorTree.com: https://horrortree.com/epeolatry-book...
Have you ever stumbled upon some random AM radio station while driving through the middle of nowhere? Extra points if you were traveling along a long desolate road in the middle of the night. Usually, it’s just some lower power signal of a fire and brimstone preacher, or some local sports talk broadcast. But there are always urban legends of some strange recording of ominous noises or some pirate signal broadcasting some guy ranting about chem trails and the secret cabal of lunch ladies across the Midwest.
Well, Rules of the Road by C.B. Jones stirs up those same feelings of unease through a collection of short stories wrapped in one framing story, a la Clive Barker’s Books of Blood. With each story you get another piece of the puzzle, another clue as to what is going with this strange radio broadcast sharing, ‘Rules of the Road’, which, if you don’t follow, may have deadly consequences. I’ll give you one example. If you come across a single shoe lying beside the road, you must stop and place one of your own socks within. What happens if you don’t do this? Probably something bad, really bad. So, why take a chance? What’s one less sock?
This book is an unsettling trip through the horrors of modern Americana. Discover the things that scare those who call the road home, like missed cellphone calls, social media, and the loss of self, Geo Metros (super creepy), mysterious phone numbers on bathroom stalls, and the ever-pernicious boiled peanuts!
My personal favorites from this are ‘Landslide’ and ‘What’s Your Name?’ Both take wonderfully unexpected turns.
So, if you like books similar to Brotherhood of the Wheel by R.S. Belcher or the Lost Signals anthology edited by Max Booth III, be sure to check out this new release from up-and-coming horror author C.B. Jones.
December 12, 2022
If I had a dollar for every time this year I was left disappointed by a horror novel about the American Highway System with an orange-and-black cover that had a skull motif... I would have two dollars. Which is not a lot, but it is strange that it's happened twice.
I'm no stranger to short story collections, but this was the first time I can recall one trying to masquerade as a coherent novel. Each chapter save for the first and final follow the experiences of different people who had the misfortune of hearing a strange radio broadcast directing them to do unusual things under threat of great peril. The protagonist introduced at the top of the book is compiling all these encounters to reconcile the experience he himself had, but that's more or less the only thing linking them. I couldn't discern any recurring theme beyond "sometimes bad things happen to good people", but even that doesn't hold up because some characters were written to be so unlikeable it read as parody. I guess a more honest through-line for all of these chapters would be a message of "wouldn't it be fucked up if this happened?"
Blatantly supernatural goings-on notwithstanding, each person that submitted their encounter to the protagonist apparently had perfect recall and was able to recite the entire, multi-paragraph broadcast that changed their life verbatim, often years after the fact. It was a minor extension of my suspension of disbelief compared to everything else that was going on, but that in particular stuck out to me as a bridge too far.
What we're left with is a jumble of short stories of varying degrees of quality (I actually liked the one about the rock band and the woman who basically used her curse to become a femme fatale!) and a protagonist who doesn't really seem to have a place in the overall narrative, which begs the question as to why it was told from his perspective at all and not someone else's. I found the ending to be particularly unsatisfying; I understand that I'm not owed a nice, coherent ending where everything is wrapped up and explained, and I don't even usually want that in the horror genre specifically, but what I got here landed somewhere in the middle where the only questions being answered were the ones I wasn't asking.
I don't regret the time I spent with this book, but I'd have to get a pretty specific recommendation request before I'd suggest this one.
I'm no stranger to short story collections, but this was the first time I can recall one trying to masquerade as a coherent novel. Each chapter save for the first and final follow the experiences of different people who had the misfortune of hearing a strange radio broadcast directing them to do unusual things under threat of great peril. The protagonist introduced at the top of the book is compiling all these encounters to reconcile the experience he himself had, but that's more or less the only thing linking them. I couldn't discern any recurring theme beyond "sometimes bad things happen to good people", but even that doesn't hold up because some characters were written to be so unlikeable it read as parody. I guess a more honest through-line for all of these chapters would be a message of "wouldn't it be fucked up if this happened?"
Blatantly supernatural goings-on notwithstanding, each person that submitted their encounter to the protagonist apparently had perfect recall and was able to recite the entire, multi-paragraph broadcast that changed their life verbatim, often years after the fact. It was a minor extension of my suspension of disbelief compared to everything else that was going on, but that in particular stuck out to me as a bridge too far.
What we're left with is a jumble of short stories of varying degrees of quality (I actually liked the one about the rock band and the woman who basically used her curse to become a femme fatale!) and a protagonist who doesn't really seem to have a place in the overall narrative, which begs the question as to why it was told from his perspective at all and not someone else's. I found the ending to be particularly unsatisfying; I understand that I'm not owed a nice, coherent ending where everything is wrapped up and explained, and I don't even usually want that in the horror genre specifically, but what I got here landed somewhere in the middle where the only questions being answered were the ones I wasn't asking.
I don't regret the time I spent with this book, but I'd have to get a pretty specific recommendation request before I'd suggest this one.
July 21, 2021
I was lucky enough to beta read this for C.B. and it was truly an exhilarating experience. Every chapter comes with a pressing question built in: what is the next rule of the road going to be? It demands you read on, and resulted in me blazing through this in two days.
Part novel, part short story collection, The Rules of the Road features a diverse cast of characters who find themselves in varying degrees of peril. Jones does a fantastic job of getting you invested in each one despite you not getting 300 pages with them. The fact that you care about these weary travelers makes the tension that much higher!
It would be easy for a book like this to feel repetitive, but C.B. builds the stakes so masterfully that I never once had time to rest. There's no point in wondering where he's going to take the story next; he pulls you along like a trusty tow truck.
The mark of a truly great book is if it stays with you after completion. Well, it's been a couple months now, and I can say with certainty that every time I see a lost shoe on the side of the freeway, I think of The Rules of the Road.
Part novel, part short story collection, The Rules of the Road features a diverse cast of characters who find themselves in varying degrees of peril. Jones does a fantastic job of getting you invested in each one despite you not getting 300 pages with them. The fact that you care about these weary travelers makes the tension that much higher!
It would be easy for a book like this to feel repetitive, but C.B. builds the stakes so masterfully that I never once had time to rest. There's no point in wondering where he's going to take the story next; he pulls you along like a trusty tow truck.
The mark of a truly great book is if it stays with you after completion. Well, it's been a couple months now, and I can say with certainty that every time I see a lost shoe on the side of the freeway, I think of The Rules of the Road.
April 10, 2022
One of the most entertaining reads of the year. It strikes a perfect balance of nightmare-inducing terror and comic cheese reminiscent of 80s horror flicks. I'd love to see Shudder snatch up the television rights and turn this collection into a thematic series. Comment below if you have any ideas on casting, especially for Buck Hensley!
January 5, 2026
I picked this up looking for something with vibes like A Lonely Broadcast: Book One or Tales from the Gas Station: Volume One and this was recommended. I picked this up initially a couple years ago but paused it for a while for some reason or another... having picked it back up, I think it was because I knew this wouldn't quite scratch that itch.
This starts as a kind of anthology, united by one person researching The Rules of the Road, a mysterious radio broadcast that appears randomly and has dire consequences if they're not followed. When it's just that? Fun! A little repetitive but it's a fun uniting story thread. But then it gets a little too into that overarching story, and the last 30% is basically all that and no more fun Rules of the Road stories. That last 30% just reveals too much in my opinion. It's unnecessary and would've been better without it, again, in my opinion.
When it's an anthology series though, it does prove itself about as fun as a decent episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark, and about as spooky. It's got Urban Legends vibes. Like a knockoff of a trend of a trend but has its own janky sort of charm. I didn't hate this, and the audiobook was pretty good - lots of different voice acting for each story, which was very cool. I enjoyed that.
A solid 3 star story.
This starts as a kind of anthology, united by one person researching The Rules of the Road, a mysterious radio broadcast that appears randomly and has dire consequences if they're not followed. When it's just that? Fun! A little repetitive but it's a fun uniting story thread. But then it gets a little too into that overarching story, and the last 30% is basically all that and no more fun Rules of the Road stories. That last 30% just reveals too much in my opinion. It's unnecessary and would've been better without it, again, in my opinion.
When it's an anthology series though, it does prove itself about as fun as a decent episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark, and about as spooky. It's got Urban Legends vibes. Like a knockoff of a trend of a trend but has its own janky sort of charm. I didn't hate this, and the audiobook was pretty good - lots of different voice acting for each story, which was very cool. I enjoyed that.
A solid 3 star story.
October 6, 2024
Unique plot, super atmospheric, this would make a great movie!
August 30, 2021
"The Rules of the Road takes you on a staggering journey, interweaving disparate stories to produce a cohesive and creepy chronicle. This debut has heart and wit, with plenty of oddities to make you question reality."
—My front-cover blurb
—My front-cover blurb
January 17, 2023
Loved this one. It had those stories within a story going on. It's basically about a DJ that interrupts radio waves with rules of the road. The driver has to follow these rules or perhaps face certain consequences. This is about one man's journey to track him down and we hear different stories from different perspectives as the mystery unfolds.
It's just great fun all the way through. I've been thinking about the ending, too, and although at first I wasn't keen on it, I think C.B. Jones has done a really good job here. Definitely deserving of five stars.
Great writing and just cool ideas running all the way through.
Highly recommended.
2nd read through.
Audiobook update...
Adding a little extra here...
I read this on ebook a while back, and I knew then that this would be an exceptional audiobook if done right. Well, the team involved in this have done a fantastic job. Great character voices all the way through. If you have read the book, It's just a whole other experience. If you haven't read it you are in for one hell of a treat. Completely alive. Wonderful.
Absolutely five stars all the way. And again, that ending now feels very right.
It's just great fun all the way through. I've been thinking about the ending, too, and although at first I wasn't keen on it, I think C.B. Jones has done a really good job here. Definitely deserving of five stars.
Great writing and just cool ideas running all the way through.
Highly recommended.
2nd read through.
Audiobook update...
Adding a little extra here...
I read this on ebook a while back, and I knew then that this would be an exceptional audiobook if done right. Well, the team involved in this have done a fantastic job. Great character voices all the way through. If you have read the book, It's just a whole other experience. If you haven't read it you are in for one hell of a treat. Completely alive. Wonderful.
Absolutely five stars all the way. And again, that ending now feels very right.
August 8, 2021
This book made me anxious. I was beginning to think I would never drive again. I made plans to walk everywhere silently for the foreseeable future.
I'm sure you are asking yourself right now "it can't really be that bad?" The answer can't be yes because I don't know you but, for me it was. I was beginning to think the book was gonna have my name in it and I would have to throw it across the room and just never read again.
The book is broken into short stories but they all deal with the rules of the road. These are the types of rules you will definitely want to follow. There are stories that stick out much more than others for example I loved "Alone" much more than I did "Left Off the Dial". All of the stories were good though and you definitely need to pick this book up if at any point you want to feel like a book might be talking to you specifically.
I'm sure you are asking yourself right now "it can't really be that bad?" The answer can't be yes because I don't know you but, for me it was. I was beginning to think the book was gonna have my name in it and I would have to throw it across the room and just never read again.
The book is broken into short stories but they all deal with the rules of the road. These are the types of rules you will definitely want to follow. There are stories that stick out much more than others for example I loved "Alone" much more than I did "Left Off the Dial". All of the stories were good though and you definitely need to pick this book up if at any point you want to feel like a book might be talking to you specifically.
August 30, 2021
A hell of a debut from C.B. Jones! I had the pleasure (or not?) of reading this partially on the actual road while on a road trip. This totally made the experience more fun! I was constantly noticing little things, like phone numbers in bathrooms and all of a sudden hearing Free Bird playing. This is a unique and fun take on the oral history/interview style of story-telling that I so appreciated. I've read some not-so-great takes of that style in the past and this one is just so much better.
Bonus: each chapter title is a song! I made a playlist from it and it rocks.
Highly recommend this one!
Bonus: each chapter title is a song! I made a playlist from it and it rocks.
Highly recommend this one!
March 24, 2023
A killer debut novel. Jones takes you on a journey, starting with an amateur journalist trying to learn more about a strange road broadcast known as "The Rules of the Road". But as his obsession takes him across the country, following leads and trying to hunt down the mysterious radio host Buck Hensely, he discovers the dark truths behind the broadcast, and gathers terrifying stories along the way.
May 13, 2023
Long story short: I absolutely loved the book! The premise of a strange radio broadcast, with established rules to follow on the road, as it is viewed through multiple perspectives, worked so well I just couldn't stop reading. It's C.B. Jones’ debut novel, a mosaic novel as it's been called -quite correctly. It has a little bit of everything: a creepypasta atmosphere, lots of surprises, great writing, compelling narratives, and, despite the somewhat ambiguous resolution, it will keep you turning the pages to see what it all amounts to. Definitely worth your time if late night driving with the radio has ever creeped you out! Very highly recommended.
January 25, 2022
The great thing about an urban legend is its staying power. How long it lasts in the mind after you've encountered it.
What is it about these tricks and quirks of superstition, these rituals against the unknown, that prompt us to alter our behavior in ways we can't explain?
Jones, in this novel-in-stories, gives us a compelling exhibition of characters to ask this question, each of which is presented within an ingenious framing device: the radio.
It might be a bit out of style, these days, but the radio once was an ocean of sound, through which cars would drift, aimlessly, in and out, island-hopping through the static. The road itself used to be this kind of place, too, unraveling in long stretches of tedium, punctuated only by rest stops and the odd hassling of a long-haul truck driver. Jones uses this as his canvas, but, cleverly, never binds himself to it, not fully.
There's a few stories/chapters here that are indebted to this formula. Driving alone down the highway is fertile ground for the imagination: what horrors lurk at the fringes of our headlights? Jones is canny enough not to limit himself to night-time driving, either: many of these horrific tales happen in the day-time, and not all of them are supernatural. Some of them come about by pure happenstance, guided by the mysterious hand of fate — or perhaps, as Jones describes, it's something a little bit more supernatural.
One of the things I enjoyed the most about this was the vivid characterization. Each one of these stories is told through the eyes of a different character (except for a through-line narrator, compiling these stories out of personal obsession), and each one of them is markedly different in tone from the other. It's rare that I find a collection of stories which are each written from a different perspective, and no one story sounds the same. This is the case for Rules of the Road, and it's a frankly bravura effort from Jones, who I hope to read more in the future.
His creation of Buck Hensley, the other through-line of these stories, as the frightening but somewhat wistful radio dee-jay, is one of the more memorable characters I've come across recently. It's due to the structuring of the stories, and the purposefully advertising-indebted sloganeering that Buck uses to exhort his audience, but it's also due to the writing: a savvy, quick patter that eagerly draws your eye from chapter to chapter. The tone of voice here is reminiscent of Stephen King's interjections in much of his work (here is another voice strongly indebted to the vintage radio) and a turn in the third act also reminded me of King, in its intense focus on humanity and even love.
This is one of those true page-turners, too. In fact, I promised myself to read one "story" or "chapter" at a time, but the seamless progression of tale to tale, along with the voice of the narrator, propelled me to continue reading, often large chunks at a time. The book itself is not without fail: there is some narrative drag in some of the stories. Sometimes, the exposition regarding the characters dragged on to the point where I was ready to get to the Rule of the Road (and whichever new way Jones would choose to depict it), but once we did, the faux-jovial tone of Buck would always pick the story right back up and put back "on the road" (as it were) to its inevitable ending.
I think I would have enjoyed more personality behind the narrator of the entire through-line of this story, as well, when I think about in hindsight, as he was mostly used as framing device and observer of the conclusion of the story, but with such a wealth of characters in the interstices, I didn't really notice it as I read.
This is ripe for an audio production, by the way. I don't know if by the time this review is being read there will already exist such a thing, but the low, casual rumble and wry, world-weary tone of Buck Hensley should absolutely be played on the old car's speakers as you roll down the long, lonely highway. Hell, I could even see this becoming some kind of anthology series: the scenes are described with an attention to detail and texture of reality that would translate very well to film.
The thing about urban legends, though, is how long they stick with us, and try as I might, I can't seem to shake some of these stories from my imagination, even after I've finished the book. That's the power of an urban legend, which, at its core, is a well-told story.
You'll find many of those here.
And you just might look a little bit differently at that single shoe left on the side of the road; or think twice before you harass some trucker on the highway; or before you decline that next offering of boiled peanuts.
I know I will.
What is it about these tricks and quirks of superstition, these rituals against the unknown, that prompt us to alter our behavior in ways we can't explain?
Jones, in this novel-in-stories, gives us a compelling exhibition of characters to ask this question, each of which is presented within an ingenious framing device: the radio.
It might be a bit out of style, these days, but the radio once was an ocean of sound, through which cars would drift, aimlessly, in and out, island-hopping through the static. The road itself used to be this kind of place, too, unraveling in long stretches of tedium, punctuated only by rest stops and the odd hassling of a long-haul truck driver. Jones uses this as his canvas, but, cleverly, never binds himself to it, not fully.
There's a few stories/chapters here that are indebted to this formula. Driving alone down the highway is fertile ground for the imagination: what horrors lurk at the fringes of our headlights? Jones is canny enough not to limit himself to night-time driving, either: many of these horrific tales happen in the day-time, and not all of them are supernatural. Some of them come about by pure happenstance, guided by the mysterious hand of fate — or perhaps, as Jones describes, it's something a little bit more supernatural.
One of the things I enjoyed the most about this was the vivid characterization. Each one of these stories is told through the eyes of a different character (except for a through-line narrator, compiling these stories out of personal obsession), and each one of them is markedly different in tone from the other. It's rare that I find a collection of stories which are each written from a different perspective, and no one story sounds the same. This is the case for Rules of the Road, and it's a frankly bravura effort from Jones, who I hope to read more in the future.
His creation of Buck Hensley, the other through-line of these stories, as the frightening but somewhat wistful radio dee-jay, is one of the more memorable characters I've come across recently. It's due to the structuring of the stories, and the purposefully advertising-indebted sloganeering that Buck uses to exhort his audience, but it's also due to the writing: a savvy, quick patter that eagerly draws your eye from chapter to chapter. The tone of voice here is reminiscent of Stephen King's interjections in much of his work (here is another voice strongly indebted to the vintage radio) and a turn in the third act also reminded me of King, in its intense focus on humanity and even love.
This is one of those true page-turners, too. In fact, I promised myself to read one "story" or "chapter" at a time, but the seamless progression of tale to tale, along with the voice of the narrator, propelled me to continue reading, often large chunks at a time. The book itself is not without fail: there is some narrative drag in some of the stories. Sometimes, the exposition regarding the characters dragged on to the point where I was ready to get to the Rule of the Road (and whichever new way Jones would choose to depict it), but once we did, the faux-jovial tone of Buck would always pick the story right back up and put back "on the road" (as it were) to its inevitable ending.
I think I would have enjoyed more personality behind the narrator of the entire through-line of this story, as well, when I think about in hindsight, as he was mostly used as framing device and observer of the conclusion of the story, but with such a wealth of characters in the interstices, I didn't really notice it as I read.
This is ripe for an audio production, by the way. I don't know if by the time this review is being read there will already exist such a thing, but the low, casual rumble and wry, world-weary tone of Buck Hensley should absolutely be played on the old car's speakers as you roll down the long, lonely highway. Hell, I could even see this becoming some kind of anthology series: the scenes are described with an attention to detail and texture of reality that would translate very well to film.
The thing about urban legends, though, is how long they stick with us, and try as I might, I can't seem to shake some of these stories from my imagination, even after I've finished the book. That's the power of an urban legend, which, at its core, is a well-told story.
You'll find many of those here.
And you just might look a little bit differently at that single shoe left on the side of the road; or think twice before you harass some trucker on the highway; or before you decline that next offering of boiled peanuts.
I know I will.
November 14, 2023
The Rules Of The Road starts in an interesting way. It, at first, appears to be an anthology of sorts with interconnected stories all bound by a creepy mysterious radio signal that gives them these "rules of the road" and the dire consequences if not followed.
That would have been fine by me. I absolutely love anthologies that connect to each story making these types of books read more like novels. And, largely, that's what this one does. But near the end it gets twisty and darker. An occurrence that delves into certain characters and gives some indication of why these rules are to be heeded. There's a significance to them.
But the stories themselves are all complied by a blogger who has had his own experience and as he hears from others, he realises he's not alone but the source of these broadcasts remain a mystery.
The narrator of these rules is a down home southern guy. He interrupts regular broadcasts and goes into some cryptic creepy story before he gives his rules of the road. Things like what to do if you see a single shoe in the road, or when a semi passes your vehicle, or if you see a homeless man with a particular dog. Each one seems to be directed specifically for each person whose stories we read. Failure to perform these rules results in horrific consequences including a gruesome death.
As I said, we'll find out the meaning of these rules at the end of this book but I don't want to give that away because it changes what could have been a great anthology and turns it into something darker, and something with heart, obsession, and hopes and dreams. It was unexpected but really made this book stand out for me.
This is a great read and I highly recommend it.
That would have been fine by me. I absolutely love anthologies that connect to each story making these types of books read more like novels. And, largely, that's what this one does. But near the end it gets twisty and darker. An occurrence that delves into certain characters and gives some indication of why these rules are to be heeded. There's a significance to them.
But the stories themselves are all complied by a blogger who has had his own experience and as he hears from others, he realises he's not alone but the source of these broadcasts remain a mystery.
The narrator of these rules is a down home southern guy. He interrupts regular broadcasts and goes into some cryptic creepy story before he gives his rules of the road. Things like what to do if you see a single shoe in the road, or when a semi passes your vehicle, or if you see a homeless man with a particular dog. Each one seems to be directed specifically for each person whose stories we read. Failure to perform these rules results in horrific consequences including a gruesome death.
As I said, we'll find out the meaning of these rules at the end of this book but I don't want to give that away because it changes what could have been a great anthology and turns it into something darker, and something with heart, obsession, and hopes and dreams. It was unexpected but really made this book stand out for me.
This is a great read and I highly recommend it.
April 5, 2022
Nearly from the moment I opened the book, Rules of the Road sucked me into its journey and refused exit. In another author's hands, I think the sometimes episodic nature of the book could have been disastrous, but Jones' deft weaving of story upon story--rule upon rule--made for such a fantastic sequence and build-up that I had difficulty looking away, and essentially ended up reading the book in two lengthy sittings. More than anything, the book was alive with different voices, and it's so rare that I've seen an author offer up such clearly distinct voices in a fashion like this, to where the voices felt as real as they were distinctive, and thus added reality to the book rather than only offering distraction. Keith Lee Morris' Dart Board King comes to mind in this regard, and again, the various voices are one of those things that I think could have gone tragically wrong (by sounding over-done or all the same) in some other author's hands, but here were treated with such nuance and natural forward motion that they worked beautifully. And then, even aside from the writing, there's such a unique creativity and craft to the story as a whole, the horror of the tale(s) feels all the more real.
I imagine most any reader or writer of horror will devour this book, and justifiably so. I'm so glad to have discovered it, and I'm anxious to read more of Jones' work.
Absolutely recommended.
I imagine most any reader or writer of horror will devour this book, and justifiably so. I'm so glad to have discovered it, and I'm anxious to read more of Jones' work.
Absolutely recommended.
April 14, 2023
Stunning book if you're a regular reader, horrifyingly stunning if you're a reader who's afraid of driving. I am, sadly, in the latter category so you can imagine the kind of stress that I am under.
You're out for a nice drive, just listening to your tunes, when suddenly there's a crack of static and a new voice greets you in the midst of a jam. Buck Hensely briefly recounts some events of your day and you wonder if sleep has got the best of you or if our overlord Google has finally wormed its way into the radio. Regardless, a friendly (?) warning is extended to you; follow this rule (of the road.) or face the consequences by failing to do so.
What would you do? Do you stop by the road and stick a sock inside a lone shoe?
I know MY paranoid a*s would do so, and so should you, if you know what's good for you.
Want more paranoia fuel? Read the whole book.
Don't even think about ignoring the radio either, he'll always find you in the end.
You're out for a nice drive, just listening to your tunes, when suddenly there's a crack of static and a new voice greets you in the midst of a jam. Buck Hensely briefly recounts some events of your day and you wonder if sleep has got the best of you or if our overlord Google has finally wormed its way into the radio. Regardless, a friendly (?) warning is extended to you; follow this rule (of the road.) or face the consequences by failing to do so.
What would you do? Do you stop by the road and stick a sock inside a lone shoe?
I know MY paranoid a*s would do so, and so should you, if you know what's good for you.
Want more paranoia fuel? Read the whole book.
Don't even think about ignoring the radio either, he'll always find you in the end.
Read
August 13, 2023DNF 50%. It's got a cool No Sleep meets Twilight Zone vibe, but I eventually tired of the premise. Probably a DNF 'for now' as I may return to read some of the tales another time.
September 17, 2023
Want a quick and fun horror novel that also has those heart-rate increasing scary moments? This is it. Pacing/plotting were spot on. Felt like a great mix of Stephen King and Twilight Zone. Mike Flanagan could make this book his next show and it would feel sooooo right. Highly recommend.
July 23, 2021
Howdy folks, I'm not Buck Hensley, and these are not "The Rules of Road." However, this is undoubtedly a review for the gleefully fun and horrifying, The Rules of the Road by C.B. Jones. If I could broadcast this review into the airwaves, I certainly would.
This collection/anthology of tales centers around a mysterious radio broadcast from the aforementioned Buck Hensley. Although, it doesn't always have to be a radio broadcast. It can be through a CD player, a cell phone, or whatever other means of communication is available. Upon hearing this broadcast, the folksy, butter-voiced, and poetic Buck Hensley provides the unfortunate (sometimes fortunate) protagonists with a set of rules to follow while on the road. God forbid you don't follow Buck's rules. The consequences can be worse than death.
C.B. Jones writes a super impressive and incredibly entertaining set of stories centered around the concept of these mysterious radio broadcasts. More so, these stories capture and convey the gritty atmosphere of traveling through America's heartland, and the isolation one feels while traveling on the road. The mystery, intrigue, and circumstances in each tale held my interest throughout and made me want to continue reading the book from cover to finish. The characters in each account were well-written to the point where I was fully invested in their stories and wanted to continue following their path even after the conclusion of their stories.
Allow me to misquote the eternally memorable words of Buck Hensley, "Stay alert. Stay lively. Stay lonely. Once again, this is my review for The Rules of the Road by C.B. Jones, and this book is a must-buy."
This collection/anthology of tales centers around a mysterious radio broadcast from the aforementioned Buck Hensley. Although, it doesn't always have to be a radio broadcast. It can be through a CD player, a cell phone, or whatever other means of communication is available. Upon hearing this broadcast, the folksy, butter-voiced, and poetic Buck Hensley provides the unfortunate (sometimes fortunate) protagonists with a set of rules to follow while on the road. God forbid you don't follow Buck's rules. The consequences can be worse than death.
C.B. Jones writes a super impressive and incredibly entertaining set of stories centered around the concept of these mysterious radio broadcasts. More so, these stories capture and convey the gritty atmosphere of traveling through America's heartland, and the isolation one feels while traveling on the road. The mystery, intrigue, and circumstances in each tale held my interest throughout and made me want to continue reading the book from cover to finish. The characters in each account were well-written to the point where I was fully invested in their stories and wanted to continue following their path even after the conclusion of their stories.
Allow me to misquote the eternally memorable words of Buck Hensley, "Stay alert. Stay lively. Stay lonely. Once again, this is my review for The Rules of the Road by C.B. Jones, and this book is a must-buy."
May 1, 2022
What creepypasta lends to its readers is a sense of the uncanny encroaching on reality. At its best, this distortion straddles the line between the unimaginable and the tactile. They work as constructed urban legends, where maybe it didn’t happen to you, but it did happen. In the age of the internet, where life has been thoroughly demystified, the creepypasta offers testimonial proof to the otherworldly. That it still exists, because something happened—to a friend of a friend of a friend.
The Rules of the Road by C.B. Jones understands the mechanics that make creepypasta work, and it successfully utilizes them while expanding on their constraints and combining them with a sharp sense of emotional resonance. You could just as easily call Rules a novel as you could a short story collection, though I guess the most insightful of us would call it a mosaic novel. It manages to take the best of both worlds—the episodic accumulation of detail, flashes of instant familiarity torn from common experience, and an obsessive wrap-around that grounds it all. The Rules of the Road does this without the usual negative trappings of the genre, feeling well-crafted under sure-hands throughout. The end result is a laudable ride down the schism between the known and the unknowable.
The idea at the center of Jones’ novel is a self-propagating engine: a folksy voice on the radio, detailing the titular rules. If you follow the instructions, you have nothing to worry about. If you don’t? Well, Buck Hensley will let you know. The rules themselves are a highlight of the book—each of them mirroring the American Road Trip Experience. Everyone has seen the “For a good time call...” graffiti. Everyone has seen the lone shoe on the side of the highway. Everyone has held their breath while passing a graveyard. These images that make up the American roadscape, combined with automobile superstitions, form a new mythology under Jones’ expert hands. The acuteness of their observations are the perfect pathway to creating a sense of tension amidst our familiarity.
The stories here are uniformly excellent, if sometimes a little overlong. Although Jones does an excellent job of using his formula without beating it into the ground. While each story is framed as a tale from the road, they’re all very distinct with unique characters, rules, and outcomes. It’d be easy to write a book where every character breaks a rule and dies (and that’d be a very boring book), but The Rules of the Road features a lot of diversity despite using the same set-up for a large portion of the book. There’s stories about touring musicians, survivor’s guilt, urban prejudice, and more. The Rule acts sometimes as a comeuppance, sometimes as a savior—but it affects each character differently. Which is why it’s hard to say Rules only takes its cues from creepypasta, as while the concept is a powerful driving force here, Jones never loses sight of his characters.
These rules, delivered by eldritch radio DJ Buck Hensley become a familiar delight throughout the book, as well as sort of a running joke. By the end of the novel, where Jones takes us to a surprising emotional place, Buck’s voice is stuck in our heads. He’s the country-fried coyote of the airwaves, gluing together disparate tales with his folksy warnings. In my mind, he has the muscle to be every bit of the modern spook as Slenderman, something people joke about on the open road, when the radio turns to static.
The Rules of the Road is a fantastic piece of horror storytelling that feels like a grand accumulation of influences—a meeting point between the modern literary horror short and the populist urban legend. C.B. Jones has written a book that melds these influences into something uniquely tuned into the horror zeitgeist, a call and answer to the unknowable—a yearning for blank spaces, tall tales, and rogue signals.
The Rules of the Road by C.B. Jones understands the mechanics that make creepypasta work, and it successfully utilizes them while expanding on their constraints and combining them with a sharp sense of emotional resonance. You could just as easily call Rules a novel as you could a short story collection, though I guess the most insightful of us would call it a mosaic novel. It manages to take the best of both worlds—the episodic accumulation of detail, flashes of instant familiarity torn from common experience, and an obsessive wrap-around that grounds it all. The Rules of the Road does this without the usual negative trappings of the genre, feeling well-crafted under sure-hands throughout. The end result is a laudable ride down the schism between the known and the unknowable.
The idea at the center of Jones’ novel is a self-propagating engine: a folksy voice on the radio, detailing the titular rules. If you follow the instructions, you have nothing to worry about. If you don’t? Well, Buck Hensley will let you know. The rules themselves are a highlight of the book—each of them mirroring the American Road Trip Experience. Everyone has seen the “For a good time call...” graffiti. Everyone has seen the lone shoe on the side of the highway. Everyone has held their breath while passing a graveyard. These images that make up the American roadscape, combined with automobile superstitions, form a new mythology under Jones’ expert hands. The acuteness of their observations are the perfect pathway to creating a sense of tension amidst our familiarity.
The stories here are uniformly excellent, if sometimes a little overlong. Although Jones does an excellent job of using his formula without beating it into the ground. While each story is framed as a tale from the road, they’re all very distinct with unique characters, rules, and outcomes. It’d be easy to write a book where every character breaks a rule and dies (and that’d be a very boring book), but The Rules of the Road features a lot of diversity despite using the same set-up for a large portion of the book. There’s stories about touring musicians, survivor’s guilt, urban prejudice, and more. The Rule acts sometimes as a comeuppance, sometimes as a savior—but it affects each character differently. Which is why it’s hard to say Rules only takes its cues from creepypasta, as while the concept is a powerful driving force here, Jones never loses sight of his characters.
These rules, delivered by eldritch radio DJ Buck Hensley become a familiar delight throughout the book, as well as sort of a running joke. By the end of the novel, where Jones takes us to a surprising emotional place, Buck’s voice is stuck in our heads. He’s the country-fried coyote of the airwaves, gluing together disparate tales with his folksy warnings. In my mind, he has the muscle to be every bit of the modern spook as Slenderman, something people joke about on the open road, when the radio turns to static.
The Rules of the Road is a fantastic piece of horror storytelling that feels like a grand accumulation of influences—a meeting point between the modern literary horror short and the populist urban legend. C.B. Jones has written a book that melds these influences into something uniquely tuned into the horror zeitgeist, a call and answer to the unknowable—a yearning for blank spaces, tall tales, and rogue signals.
September 4, 2022
A highly enjoyable set of interconnected tales surrounding a bizarre radio broadcast. The audiobook version features different voice actors for each chapter, which was an awesome touch that heightens the sense of listening to the experiences of different individuals. I’m sure listening to this during a road trip would be a great time.
August 17, 2022
This book was so good. I tend to have trouble sticking with stories in an anthology style book, but Jones was able to keep you hooked with each different tale. The thread of Buck Hensley as the supernatural radio host does a great job of holding them together as one story with many different accounts. I was fully invested throughout the whole read and was always ready for the next tale. I love the way he tied everything up at the end as well. This is definitely a book you need to add to your TBR. There is an audiobook with multiple narrator's available now as well, I got my copy and it sounds like they did a great job with it from the clip that you can preview. Looking out for more from Jones on the future!
November 8, 2022
Quirky and enjoyable.
Interesting writing style that progressed nicely through Twilight Zone similar stories.. Progresses into a nice narrative, free flowing and entertaining.
Interesting writing style that progressed nicely through Twilight Zone similar stories.. Progresses into a nice narrative, free flowing and entertaining.
Read
July 22, 2022I really took my time with this one and I'm better for it. C. B. Jones does a great job telling a series of horrors that stem from a radio broadcast. But is it really just a regular radio broadcast? As you read, you're hearing stories told of different encounters of The Rules of the Road from Buck Hensley but you're not hearing the broadcast just by radio but also through podcasts, streaming music, and even by compact disc.
You best heed the advice given by ol' Buck Hensley or you might meet a fate worse than death itself. I really dug this one and I think a lot of you would too.
You best heed the advice given by ol' Buck Hensley or you might meet a fate worse than death itself. I really dug this one and I think a lot of you would too.
August 15, 2021
THE RULES OF THE ROAD is a collection of tales about a mysterious radio broadcast whose DJ, one Buck Hensley, iterates “rules” that each listener must follow, or they will potentially suffer dire consequences. The consequences differ for each listener, and the tales are connected by our narrator who after hearing the broadcast, decides to create a website and collects tales from others who have heard from Buck. Thus, what we are left with is a seriously unique book that manages to tell a diverse series of tales, each featuring different horrors, but all connected by the mysterious broadcast.
I really enjoyed this book. The mystery sucked me in right away and the ever colourful Buck Hensley was such a fun character to keep visiting. It reminds me of one of my favorite anthology films, SOUTHBOUND, or an extended visit to the Twilight Zone.
CB does a fantastic job in voicing a diverse slate of characters and telling stories from different perspectives. Each character has their own perspective and reacts differently to their rule. From immigrant youths to pompous real estate developers to a touring band of struggling musicians, no one is immune from the rules of the road.
The book’s greatest strength was also, in my eyes, it’s only weakness. About a quarter of the way in I began wishing the format could be changed up a bit as I found it becoming a bit repetitive. My patience was rewarded toward the end, but for most of the book it is stories that the narrator is collecting, but they get more interesting as you go.
CB Jones crafts a masterful debut, and I can’t wait to see what he’s got in store for us next. This was a poignant exploration of the human condition and isn’t afraid to attack the big question : why? In a world where there are seldom hard and fast answers to why things happen the way they do, and why we even exist at all, I found this book strangely gratifying, and I recommend it to any fan of the weird or supernatural.
For now, stay lively, stay lonely, this is Derek Hutchins signing off.
I really enjoyed this book. The mystery sucked me in right away and the ever colourful Buck Hensley was such a fun character to keep visiting. It reminds me of one of my favorite anthology films, SOUTHBOUND, or an extended visit to the Twilight Zone.
CB does a fantastic job in voicing a diverse slate of characters and telling stories from different perspectives. Each character has their own perspective and reacts differently to their rule. From immigrant youths to pompous real estate developers to a touring band of struggling musicians, no one is immune from the rules of the road.
The book’s greatest strength was also, in my eyes, it’s only weakness. About a quarter of the way in I began wishing the format could be changed up a bit as I found it becoming a bit repetitive. My patience was rewarded toward the end, but for most of the book it is stories that the narrator is collecting, but they get more interesting as you go.
CB Jones crafts a masterful debut, and I can’t wait to see what he’s got in store for us next. This was a poignant exploration of the human condition and isn’t afraid to attack the big question : why? In a world where there are seldom hard and fast answers to why things happen the way they do, and why we even exist at all, I found this book strangely gratifying, and I recommend it to any fan of the weird or supernatural.
For now, stay lively, stay lonely, this is Derek Hutchins signing off.
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