Two brothers find themselves drawn to the only house in the neighborhood not decorated for Halloween…A man returns to his hometown to bury his overbearing mother, and finds more than memories awaiting him in the shadows of his childhood home…A young girl walks a lonely country road, recalling a rhyme that brings with it memories of death…A teenager hoping for romance gets more than he bargained … bargained for when the object of his desire introduces him to the object of hers…An aging millionaire awakes buried in a cheap coffin with only a lamp and a bell for company…The son of a woman accused of being a witch accepts the villagers’ peace offering at her funeral, but all is not quite as it seems…A woman with a violent past realizes that this year’s Halloween party may be coming for her…and a lonely trick-or-treater awakes in a house rumored to be a place of death.
From Bram Stoker Award-winning author Kealan Patrick Burke comes the second in his series of seasonal collections. Featuring a brand new story “The Toll”, a new introduction, and rounded out by the author’s recommended Halloween reading and watching lists, DEAD LEAVES makes for the perfect autumnal read.
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Dead Leaves by Keala Patrick Burke offers nine atmospheric short stories that conjure the “witching season.” My paperback boasted 103 pages, with an additional 5 pages of Bram Stoker Award Winner Kealan Patrick Burke’s recommended books and 7 pages of movie recommendations. The cover with its almost sepia-washed jack-o-lantern sets the mood, and within, the stories bring to mind autumn’s crunching leaves, crisp weather, and haunted nights.
Of course, with any collection, there will be a few favorites or some stand-outs. For me, “Someone to Carve the Pumpkins” felt bittersweet and sadly beautiful. There’s a special poetry to “How the Night Receives Them.” For a sing-songy sort of revenge, “The Toll” takes the prize. And certainly, the book ends well with my favorite of the nine stories, “The One Night of the Year,” with its loyal pet, expert marksmanship, unusual visitors, and creepy corn. However, there’s not a bad story in the lot. For anyone looking for a breath of fall to chill the bones, look up this collection.
4.5/5
This is my second collection of short stories I’ve read from KPB and it just so happens to also be the other collection of seasonal themed horror stories that he’s released. The first was Dead of Winter and that focused on snow filled horror around the Christmas season. As you can gather from the title and the cover, this is a collection focused on the time of year horror lovers embrace; Halloween.
I don’t think I can really add anything towards why Kealan is simply stunning as a writer. He’s won a Bram Stoker, continually puts out top notch content and is one of the most engaging writers out there across a number of different platforms.
But what I will say is this – if you haven’t read any of Kealan’s releases yet, it’s time to change that. I’ve often found short story collections are a fantastic way to see if you’ll enjoy a writer you’re not familiar with, because it removes the fear of commitment. The fear of buying a 500 page novel and then finding out it’s not for you. Short story collections are quick bursts of energy and can really gauge if the writers voice jives with your readers ear.
Dead Leaves covers all of the spooky grounds you would expect in a Halloween based collection. Ghosts, ghouls and creeps abound and Burke weaves the stories at his will. One thing I find infuriating with his stories (in the best way possible) is that Burke chooses each word so perfectly that you’ll reread the passages several times and feel the darkness crawl deeper into you each time.
One story from this release I’d love to point out is actually the last story. The eight before it are all stellar and top notch, but I found everything about “The One Night of the Year” unnerving. The man without a family, now just him and his dog. He sits and waits for ‘them’ to come out of his corn field, on that one night of the year. It gave me goose bumps it was so good and I actually read it a second time.
If you love Kealan already, this is a fantastic addition to your already large collection. (Come on, we all know nobody who enjoys KPB only has one of his books!)
If you’re new to KPB this would be a fantastic jumping in spot before checking out his other releases.
This is a win-win for new fans and prior ones as well!