Information - this collection includes:
-Thirteen
-Brushdogs
-Welcome to the Reptile House
-This Is Love
-The Spindly Man
-The Black Sleeve of Destiny
-The Spider Box
-Snow Monsters
-Doc's Story
-The Dead Are Not
-Xebico
-Second Chances
-After the People Lights Have Gone Off
-Uncle
-Solve for X

In my effort to read almost all horror this month, I've learned a lot about my reading preferences, and reading horror short stories was like a microcosm of the process. I enjoyed this collection overall, with my three favorite stories being "The Spindly Man," "The Dead Are Not," and "After the People Lights Have Gone Off." The final story ("Solve for X") was the most difficult for me--I just can't handle kidnap/torture stories involving women--but it did have an interesting ending.

But man. After finishing this and Bird Box, I don't know how much more intensity I can take...

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Read Harder: Horror book ( )

Truly creepy, disturbing, & anxiety inducing collection of stories. Highly recommend! ( )

There are hundreds of reviews and ratings for AFTER THE PEOPLE LIGHTS HAVE GONE OFF and there's not much I can add to what's already been said.

I love how this man writes and his powers of description. It takes concentration to properly read his prose and during this time of near constant distraction, (there's a pandemic going on), the fact that he captured my attention and held it, really says something.

There's a ton of variety here, my favorites being DOC'S STORY, SECOND CHANCES, THE SPINDLY MAN, UNCLE and THE SPIDERBOX. There's also an excellent introduction from Joe R. Lansdale, wherein he talks about some of his favorite stories.

I enjoyed the hell out of this collection and maybe it's just the thing to distract you during this uncertain time?

Highly recommended!

Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/39WIPHP

*I bought this paperback with my hard-earned cash.* ( )

It's difficult to review this one for some reason. It's compulsively readable, the prose is excellent, and the stories are imaginative, and pull you right in. Another nice thing is the length of the stories, each one is pretty bite-sized and easy to read in a single sitting. Sometimes I even devoured several at a time. For some reason though, despite being well written and haunting, none of the stories packed that visceral "this is a great story" feeling for me. Maybe they were too short to develop enough meat on their bones? Maybe the endings felt rushed, or instead of "open-ended with possibility" they felt... a little "intentionally confusing"? Not sure how to express it, but it forces me into having call this collection good, but not great, despite the overall quality of the writing. ( )