the_fenharel's review
2.0
It felt a tad uninspired and forced. I enjoyed the shortest stories the most because they were direct and creepy. The longer stories felt like they dragged on too long which made the twists land with less of an impact. I even found some to end in a confusing manner that would leave me thinking I missed something before realising they were just flat endings.
I also felt some of them were trying to hard to be a bit philosophical and it wasn't working quite perfectly.
But I enjoyed some of the stories and it was a well-done effort.
I also felt some of them were trying to hard to be a bit philosophical and it wasn't working quite perfectly.
But I enjoyed some of the stories and it was a well-done effort.
breelight's review
3.0
Overall I like this book. There were some stories that didn’t grab me and others that shocked me. Definitely worth the time to read.
aly36's review
5.0
Short stories, for me, are great for when I want to read something different but don't want to start a whole new book. I just want a change for my brain. This book was just that for me. I enjoyed reading all the stories. These stories were also about things I enjoy reading about like Demons and mystery, and many more things that go bump in the scary world in my head. I was so excited to read this book and it was worth the wait. I didn't want to put it down. * I received this book from the author and this is my honest review*
tobyreader94's review
5.0
Truly a wonderful book for any horror lovers out there!
I read--and finished--the entire book in one day; it was just that good! Although I read it as an E-book, I would certainly recommend it paperback instead; reading the physical thing will probably be even more suspenseful!
I read--and finished--the entire book in one day; it was just that good! Although I read it as an E-book, I would certainly recommend it paperback instead; reading the physical thing will probably be even more suspenseful!
rumputlaut's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
samizimecki's review against another edition
3.0
I'll give Wade props, it's hard to do an original horror story, and he managed to do 51. While every story has you dreading the ending, Wade does a nice mix of supernatural and just messed up people, so it's not always "it's a demon"/"it's an axe murderer."
Some stories were obviously stronger than others, and some were more weird than scary, but overall, this was an impressive collection.
Some stories were obviously stronger than others, and some were more weird than scary, but overall, this was an impressive collection.
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
3.0
I got this rating after individually rating each story itself after reading them and well getting an average score/rating. And it really accurately reflects the overall tone of quality of the stories. There were a lot of problems in most of these though I don't know how much I can blame on the writing since I just don't enjoy reading horror bc it has to be so spectacularly done to feel spooked and most of these short stories failed on that account. Though there were obvious editing problems (plurals of words had apostrophes, the dollar sign goes before the number not after, and some other grammatical errors) which were a little annoying to me and took me out of the reading. They're forgivable I mean I'm not perfect and sometimes these typos and stuff escape me so whatever. There were some really bad and mediocre stories (and some others were kinda uncomfortable but not bc they were creepy but bc of the implications of using them as “horror” like The 32 or The Wall Between Us) in this collection. Too one dimensional characters, flat climaxes, not enough creepy. But some others blew me away bc they were really really good. Some of the best (imo) were “The Power of a Small City”, “Killer Selfie” which combined something modern with the creepy but wasn't cringe or ridiculous, it really managed to be unnerving bc it's almost even plausible. And my personal favorite, “Everyone Lives, but not Everyone Dies” which imo could be turned into a full length novel bc it was so interesting and I do see the protagonist going on a back and forth with Mr. Jacobs and with other characters and stuff the story could be a really amazing fantasy horror/adventure novel. I know, obviously, that some of these stories are gonna have polemic views and situations to prove the degradation of people and their spirits and all that, but having the r word in one of the stories was unpleasant to say the least. If you like horror a lot and perhaps scare easily or at least are willing to be scared or at least unnerved, then you might really enjoy most of these a lot more, tho. Just needs a little more polishing.
P.S. One thing that was so funny to read were the insults hurled to a certain someone lmao those were absolutely bangers
P.S. One thing that was so funny to read were the insults hurled to a certain someone lmao those were absolutely bangers
claudia_is_reading's review
5.0
A plethora of very different stories, some of which are really scary. It's astounding that the same author managed to write so many dissimilar tales, with so varied thematics, and nevertheless achieve an amazing whole.
An author to keep an eye on.
An author to keep an eye on.
kartiknarayanan's review
4.0
Read more reviews at my site https://digitalamrit.com
Animals aren’t like humans. They need a reason to cause suffering; humans only need an opportunity
Disclaimer: I was gifted the book by the author for an honest review.
“Horror Stories: 51 Sleepless Nights ” is written by Tobias Wade, former neuroscience researcher and author. ’51 Sleepless Nights’ is an anthology of fifty-one (duh!) horror/thriller short stories involving all kinds of fears including arachnophobia (spiders), changelings, loss of identity, paranoia, demons, serial killers and more.
The first horror books that I read were ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘The Omen’; that I read when I was 13 years old ( some blame this for the way I turned out, but that is neither here nor there). I, then, discovered Stephen King, Robert Bloch and other greats, whose books I devoured. But that was 20 years ago. And it has been a long time since i read horror. So, when Tobias Wade asked me to review his book, I jumped at the opportunity. This would break the monotony of the few genres I had become entrenched in and give me a chance to go back to a genre that I had neglected.
’51 Sleepless Nights’ is a very well written book. Writing good horror requires that you have excellent writing skills, since building a sense of paranoia and nameless fear is key to the experience. Tobias Wade is obviously no slouch at this. Most of his best stories in the book involve this building up of tension.
In addition, horror writers also need to have a keen understanding of the human mind. Why is this important? Our fundamental fears arise from abandonment, a loss of identity or loss of connection. Which, in turn, translates to our nearest and dearest being the source of our fundamental fears. If you can’t trust them, then whom can you? A fear of disappointing them or letting them down is also a prime motivation. This book has it in spades. For example, in one of the stories, the protagonist describes his personal devil in the following way.
“His horns were as sharp as being stabbed by the love of your life after you have sacrificed everything to bring her joy.
His face was the burden of holding your dying father in your arms while both of you knew you could have saved him if only you’d tried harder.
His body was the shape of a long life spent in quiet desperation after all living matter had wasted away and you alone remained to dwell upon your regret.”
Powerful imagery. I loved it.
I never felt bored while reading it. The only suggestion I have is to have longer versions of some of these stories. I would love to read a novel by this author.
I recommend this to all horror aficionados.
(and don’t forget to keep your lights on and your windows closed when you read this book)
Read more reviews at my site https://digitalamrit.com
Animals aren’t like humans. They need a reason to cause suffering; humans only need an opportunity
Disclaimer: I was gifted the book by the author for an honest review.
Introduction
“Horror Stories: 51 Sleepless Nights ” is written by Tobias Wade, former neuroscience researcher and author. ’51 Sleepless Nights’ is an anthology of fifty-one (duh!) horror/thriller short stories involving all kinds of fears including arachnophobia (spiders), changelings, loss of identity, paranoia, demons, serial killers and more.
The first horror books that I read were ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘The Omen’; that I read when I was 13 years old ( some blame this for the way I turned out, but that is neither here nor there). I, then, discovered Stephen King, Robert Bloch and other greats, whose books I devoured. But that was 20 years ago. And it has been a long time since i read horror. So, when Tobias Wade asked me to review his book, I jumped at the opportunity. This would break the monotony of the few genres I had become entrenched in and give me a chance to go back to a genre that I had neglected.
Opinion
’51 Sleepless Nights’ is a very well written book. Writing good horror requires that you have excellent writing skills, since building a sense of paranoia and nameless fear is key to the experience. Tobias Wade is obviously no slouch at this. Most of his best stories in the book involve this building up of tension.
In addition, horror writers also need to have a keen understanding of the human mind. Why is this important? Our fundamental fears arise from abandonment, a loss of identity or loss of connection. Which, in turn, translates to our nearest and dearest being the source of our fundamental fears. If you can’t trust them, then whom can you? A fear of disappointing them or letting them down is also a prime motivation. This book has it in spades. For example, in one of the stories, the protagonist describes his personal devil in the following way.
“His horns were as sharp as being stabbed by the love of your life after you have sacrificed everything to bring her joy.
His face was the burden of holding your dying father in your arms while both of you knew you could have saved him if only you’d tried harder.
His body was the shape of a long life spent in quiet desperation after all living matter had wasted away and you alone remained to dwell upon your regret.”
Powerful imagery. I loved it.
I never felt bored while reading it. The only suggestion I have is to have longer versions of some of these stories. I would love to read a novel by this author.
I recommend this to all horror aficionados.
(and don’t forget to keep your lights on and your windows closed when you read this book)
Read more reviews at my site https://digitalamrit.com
b0rn_2_read's review
4.0
The book was interesting. Some of the stories left me bewildered and some were creepy and disturbing. Reminded me of 1 line horror stories