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They Come When They Are Called: Supernatural Stories
Demons are like obedient dogs; they come when they are called.
Join Jackson Arthur in calling out the strange, unnerving, and terrifying in these and other haunting tales…
During a power outage, phantoms from the past return to carry out primitive vendettas. When a lonely boy loses his new best friend, fear and anguish pierce the veil between life and death. A bad trip results in a visit by not-so-funny clowns. Can a mourning father save his lost boy at a deserted cabin in the woods?
“Creepy. A good, quick read.”—Anthony Castellino, author of The Feast of All Saints
“Reminded me of Twilight Zone and kept me wanting more.”—H.G. Ahedi, author of The Fall of Titan
Join Jackson Arthur in calling out the strange, unnerving, and terrifying in these and other haunting tales…
During a power outage, phantoms from the past return to carry out primitive vendettas. When a lonely boy loses his new best friend, fear and anguish pierce the veil between life and death. A bad trip results in a visit by not-so-funny clowns. Can a mourning father save his lost boy at a deserted cabin in the woods?
“Creepy. A good, quick read.”—Anthony Castellino, author of The Feast of All Saints
“Reminded me of Twilight Zone and kept me wanting more.”—H.G. Ahedi, author of The Fall of Titan
138 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 20, 2022
34 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Jackson Arthur
10 books13 followersJackson Arthur is born and raised in Ohio. He lives there with his wife, daughter, cat, and chinchilla. He has always been a fan of horror and his favorite author is Stephen King. He mostly writes scary stories but also dabbles in the weird and abnormal. Some of his short stories have been narrated on YouTube and Spotify.
You can find Jackson Arthur on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/JacksonArthu...
You can email him at JacksonArthurStories@gmail.com
You can visit his website at https://jacksonarthurstori.wixsite.co...
You can find Jackson Arthur on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/JacksonArthu...
You can email him at JacksonArthurStories@gmail.com
You can visit his website at https://jacksonarthurstori.wixsite.co...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 19, 2022
Absolutely outstanding collection of 9 stories. In "Elm Tree" the past comes back to haunt the present. "Peter is Broken" is a heart warming story about a boy, his abusive father and a little dog. "An Evening by the River" sees Evening Shadows solving the secret around the Morris family. "Messages From School" describe some eerie events at a typical school. "Tiny Clowns" describes two youths powertripping on clown tabs. "A Heterochromatic Love Story" gives you a wild ride in a hot night. Is "The Bell" offering protection against the infected? "Collecting Soul Mates" has the devil in disguise and a very special suicide solution. "Children in the Woods" is about a mourning father discovering a deserted cabin in the woods. Can he safe the boy? Hard to pick any favorite here. Every single story here was gripping, eerie and haunting. Just killers, no fillers. Great stuff for every horror fan. Loved it. Highly recommended!
April 7, 2022
Loved this book. Mrssages from school was one of my favorites, feels a lot like american horror story! Pahe turner and full of horror and suspense.
April 28, 2025
They Come When They Are Called is a solid collection of nine stories which are by turns unnerving, disturbing, chilling, and on at least one occasion (looking at you, Children in the Woods), truly frightening, Jackson Arthur is a really compelling writer. He writes with a sense of intensity and urgency that ups the stakes for his characters. His powers of description are really evocative.
It’s not a perfect book – there were a few things that gave me pause. There’s a bit of filler language, for example, I would chop about half of the instances of ‘that’ throughout the book to tighten things up so they pack even more of a punch. The lack of contractions, particularly in the dialogue, drew me out of the story a bit. These are just a small nitpicks, though. A bigger issue for me fell within my favorite story in the collection, Peter is Broken. Use of the R word is a particular trigger for me. I understand that it was deployed to demonstrate the character of a truly awful human being, but it just hurt my soul. Children in the woods was a great story to go out on – it freaked me the heck out.
Bottom line, I think horror fans will really enjoy this collection. Arthur has a lot of interesting ideas, strong raw talent, and a ton of potential. I think as he gets more and more experience, his writing is going to get better and better. I’ll definitely have my eye out for his future work.
It’s not a perfect book – there were a few things that gave me pause. There’s a bit of filler language, for example, I would chop about half of the instances of ‘that’ throughout the book to tighten things up so they pack even more of a punch. The lack of contractions, particularly in the dialogue, drew me out of the story a bit. These are just a small nitpicks, though. A bigger issue for me fell within my favorite story in the collection, Peter is Broken. Use of the R word is a particular trigger for me. I understand that it was deployed to demonstrate the character of a truly awful human being, but it just hurt my soul. Children in the woods was a great story to go out on – it freaked me the heck out.
Bottom line, I think horror fans will really enjoy this collection. Arthur has a lot of interesting ideas, strong raw talent, and a ton of potential. I think as he gets more and more experience, his writing is going to get better and better. I’ll definitely have my eye out for his future work.
December 2, 2021
Quite a collection
This is the third set of horror short stories I have read written by this author! In this one he combines romance, mystery and horror and keeps the reader engaged. My favourites are the soul collector and children in the woods. Remind me the episodes of Twilight zone and kept me wanting more.
A nicely written multiple collection of horror stories that must be read!
This is the third set of horror short stories I have read written by this author! In this one he combines romance, mystery and horror and keeps the reader engaged. My favourites are the soul collector and children in the woods. Remind me the episodes of Twilight zone and kept me wanting more.
A nicely written multiple collection of horror stories that must be read!
November 28, 2021
Creepy. A good, quick read.
December 29, 2021
Imaginative
I could not put this book down. Each tale was creative and well written. I have found a new favorite author.
I could not put this book down. Each tale was creative and well written. I have found a new favorite author.
September 21, 2022
This collection of short stories is the perfect prelude to Halloween!! There is a little bit of everything creepy and gripping!! Highly recommend if you’re a fan of horror and paranormal genres.
March 22, 2023
Two sessions
It took me two sessions to read this book. And of course I was in my special place for reading this type of book. Turn on tv low, turn lights off, sitting in bedroom while the kits make strange noises in the other room adding to the atmosphere of each story. Well written. Thank you for writing. I ll look for more of your work.
It took me two sessions to read this book. And of course I was in my special place for reading this type of book. Turn on tv low, turn lights off, sitting in bedroom while the kits make strange noises in the other room adding to the atmosphere of each story. Well written. Thank you for writing. I ll look for more of your work.
April 6, 2025
They Come When They Are Called: Supernatural Stories by Jackson Arthur
Genre: Short Stories, Horror
Triggers: Scenes of Violence, Abuse, Death, Depiction of Sexual Assault
5/5
Jackson Arthur’s short stories keep the pages turning. Each story is unique in its own way while keeping to the horror theme. Each short story has diverse characters and its own separate world.
“Collecting Soul Mates”, a dark tale about two lovers and “Children in the Woods”, a tale about a father trying to save a young boy, were my two favorite short stories. While it was honesty hard to even pick just two as they were all well written.
Overall a quick read that keeps the reader enticed, invested and pacing through the book. Definitely recommend for all those readers who like a quick little horror read.
#bookloungereviewteam
Genre: Short Stories, Horror
Triggers: Scenes of Violence, Abuse, Death, Depiction of Sexual Assault
5/5
Jackson Arthur’s short stories keep the pages turning. Each story is unique in its own way while keeping to the horror theme. Each short story has diverse characters and its own separate world.
“Collecting Soul Mates”, a dark tale about two lovers and “Children in the Woods”, a tale about a father trying to save a young boy, were my two favorite short stories. While it was honesty hard to even pick just two as they were all well written.
Overall a quick read that keeps the reader enticed, invested and pacing through the book. Definitely recommend for all those readers who like a quick little horror read.
#bookloungereviewteam
October 31, 2025
Jackson Arthur turns everyday moments into haunting reflections of fear and loss. This collection is a must read for anyone who loves smart, unsettling horror.
Read
July 8, 2023DNF @ 8%.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews