-
Garden of Fiends
- Tales of Addiction Horror
- Narrated by: Rick Gregory
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Lullabies for Suffering: Tales of Addiction Horror
- By: Caroline Kepnes, Kealan Patrick Burke, Gabino Iglesias, and others
- Narrated by: Linda Jones
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Addiction starts like a sweet lullaby sung by a trusted loved one. It washes away the pains of the day and wraps you in the warmness of the womb where nothing hurts and every dream is possible. Yet soon enough, this warm state of bliss becomes a cold shiver, the ecstasy and dreams become nightmares, yet we can't stop listening to the lullaby. We crave to hear the siren song as it rips us apart.
-
-
Loved it
- By timj26 on 01-30-20
By: Caroline Kepnes, and others
-
The Last House on Needless Street
- By: Catriona Ward
- Narrated by: Christopher Ragland
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. A teenage girl who isn’t allowed outside, not after last time. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible. An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all.
-
-
I can only listen in 1-2 hour segments!
- By Brenda on 10-04-21
By: Catriona Ward
-
Body of Christ
- By: Mark Matthews
- Narrated by: Rick Gregory
- Length: 1 hr and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After his first Holy Communion, a boy secretly builds his own Jesus out of communion wafers and the flesh of his dad. On Halloween night, his Jesus shall rise. After a tragic death, a girl tends to the Cemetery of the Innocents, a memorial to the holocaust of abortion and children killed before their time. On Halloween night, the children shall live, and they need to be fed.
-
-
Deeply disturbing
- By Spooky Mike on 02-16-18
By: Mark Matthews
-
Off Season
- By: Jack Ketchum
- Narrated by: Richard Davidson
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
September. A beautiful New York editor retreats to a lonely cabin on a hill in the quiet Maine beach town of Dead River - off season - awaiting her sister and friends. Nearby, a savage human family with a taste for flesh lurks in the darkening woods, watching, waiting for the moon to rise and night to fall.
-
-
Wow!
- By Barry S. Sharpnack on 11-22-09
By: Jack Ketchum
-
The Bell Witch
- By: John F.D. Taff
- Narrated by: Matt Godfrey
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The details of the Bell family's terrifying experience with the supernatural have never been told in quite the way that Bram Stoker Award-nominated horror author John F.D. Taff has conceived. In his novel, for the first time, the Witch has her own say. And what she reveals about the incident and the dark motivations behind her appearance reaches way beyond a traditional haunting. Forget what you've heard about this wholly American legend. What you believe you know about the mysterious occurrences on the Bell farm is wrong.
-
-
Now this is a page-turner!
- By Shane on 06-19-18
By: John F.D. Taff
-
The Girl Next Door
- By: Jack Ketchum
- Narrated by: Jack Ketchum
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Suburbia. Shady, tree-lined streets; well-tended lawns; and cozy homes. A nice, quiet place to grow up. Unless you are teenage Meg or her crippled sister, Susan. On a dead-end street, in the dark, damp basement of the Chandler house, Meg and Susan are left captive to the savage whims and rages of a distant aunt who is rapidly descending into madness. It is a madness that infects all three of her sons and finally the entire neighborhood. Only one troubled boy stands hesitantly between Meg and Susan and their cruel, torturous deaths.
-
-
Sick
- By Walahhairlips dot com on 07-11-16
By: Jack Ketchum
-
Lullabies for Suffering: Tales of Addiction Horror
- By: Caroline Kepnes, Kealan Patrick Burke, Gabino Iglesias, and others
- Narrated by: Linda Jones
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Addiction starts like a sweet lullaby sung by a trusted loved one. It washes away the pains of the day and wraps you in the warmness of the womb where nothing hurts and every dream is possible. Yet soon enough, this warm state of bliss becomes a cold shiver, the ecstasy and dreams become nightmares, yet we can't stop listening to the lullaby. We crave to hear the siren song as it rips us apart.
-
-
Loved it
- By timj26 on 01-30-20
By: Caroline Kepnes, and others
-
The Last House on Needless Street
- By: Catriona Ward
- Narrated by: Christopher Ragland
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. A teenage girl who isn’t allowed outside, not after last time. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible. An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all.
-
-
I can only listen in 1-2 hour segments!
- By Brenda on 10-04-21
By: Catriona Ward
-
Body of Christ
- By: Mark Matthews
- Narrated by: Rick Gregory
- Length: 1 hr and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After his first Holy Communion, a boy secretly builds his own Jesus out of communion wafers and the flesh of his dad. On Halloween night, his Jesus shall rise. After a tragic death, a girl tends to the Cemetery of the Innocents, a memorial to the holocaust of abortion and children killed before their time. On Halloween night, the children shall live, and they need to be fed.
-
-
Deeply disturbing
- By Spooky Mike on 02-16-18
By: Mark Matthews
-
Off Season
- By: Jack Ketchum
- Narrated by: Richard Davidson
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
September. A beautiful New York editor retreats to a lonely cabin on a hill in the quiet Maine beach town of Dead River - off season - awaiting her sister and friends. Nearby, a savage human family with a taste for flesh lurks in the darkening woods, watching, waiting for the moon to rise and night to fall.
-
-
Wow!
- By Barry S. Sharpnack on 11-22-09
By: Jack Ketchum
-
The Bell Witch
- By: John F.D. Taff
- Narrated by: Matt Godfrey
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The details of the Bell family's terrifying experience with the supernatural have never been told in quite the way that Bram Stoker Award-nominated horror author John F.D. Taff has conceived. In his novel, for the first time, the Witch has her own say. And what she reveals about the incident and the dark motivations behind her appearance reaches way beyond a traditional haunting. Forget what you've heard about this wholly American legend. What you believe you know about the mysterious occurrences on the Bell farm is wrong.
-
-
Now this is a page-turner!
- By Shane on 06-19-18
By: John F.D. Taff
-
The Girl Next Door
- By: Jack Ketchum
- Narrated by: Jack Ketchum
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Suburbia. Shady, tree-lined streets; well-tended lawns; and cozy homes. A nice, quiet place to grow up. Unless you are teenage Meg or her crippled sister, Susan. On a dead-end street, in the dark, damp basement of the Chandler house, Meg and Susan are left captive to the savage whims and rages of a distant aunt who is rapidly descending into madness. It is a madness that infects all three of her sons and finally the entire neighborhood. Only one troubled boy stands hesitantly between Meg and Susan and their cruel, torturous deaths.
-
-
Sick
- By Walahhairlips dot com on 07-11-16
By: Jack Ketchum
-
The Slob
- By: Aron Beauregard
- Narrated by: Lila Kerry
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Raised in a household so filthy it was stomach-spilling, Vera involuntarily evolved into a neat freak. Upon discovering she and her disabled husband, Daniel, are expecting, she needs fast cash. Her obsession with cleanliness sprouts the concept that her skills can be put to use in a unique way. She takes a stab at the booming door-to-door vacuum sales business of 1988. All is going well until she arrives at the steps of a house that will change her forever. The steps of an evil that resurrects the ghastly memories she so desperately tried to wash away.
-
-
I don't know why this was written.
- By Amazon Customer on 04-17-22
By: Aron Beauregard
-
Kin
- By: Kealan Patrick Burke
- Narrated by: Chet Williamson
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a scorching hot summer day in Elkwood, Alabama, Claire Lambert staggers naked, wounded, and half-blind away from the scene of an atrocity. She is the sole survivor of a nightmare that claimed her friends, and even as she prays for rescue, the killers - a family of cannibalistic lunatics - are closing in.
-
-
This one needs to be experienced for yourself!
- By EasyReader on 03-27-15
-
Cunning Folk
- By: Adam Nevill
- Narrated by: Peter Walters
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Money's tight and their new home is a fixer-upper. Deep in rural South West England, with an ancient wood at the foot of the garden, Tom and his family are miles from anywhere and anyone familiar. His wife, Fiona, was never convinced that buying the money-pit at auction was a good idea. Not least because the previous owner committed suicide. Though no one can explain why.
-
-
Enjoying the story, narration is rough
- By Jwhite on 03-20-22
By: Adam Nevill
-
The Creepypasta Collection
- Modern Urban Legends You Can’t Unread
- By: MrCreepyPasta - editor
- Narrated by: Heather Costa, Jeffrey Kafer
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A terrifying, thrilling collection of must-listen horror stories chock-full of nightmarish supernatural beings and the murderously disturbed that are sure to keep you up all night long.
-
-
creepy definitely
- By Danh on 01-16-22
-
Dreams in Black Static
- Eight Stories
- By: Ambrose Ibsen
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two roommates stumble upon a mysterious and disturbing videotape. After watching it, one of them vanishes.... A heart transplant recipient gets much more than he bargained for when he digs into his donor's sinister past.... Mourning the death of their son, a young couple is plunged into madness after encountering something otherworldly in the wilderness.... Dreams in Black Static is a collection of eight terrifying stories by Ambrose Ibsen, author of The Haunting of Beacon Hill and Asylum.
-
-
Amazing!
- By love2read on 01-30-21
By: Ambrose Ibsen
-
Anthology of Bizarro - Volume 1
- By: Victor Marrow, Scott McGregor, A.L. King, and others
- Narrated by: Isaiah Young
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Imagine Monty Python writes horror...Welcome to the wonderfully horrific world of Bizarro - that dark, forbidding corner of the horror genre where absolutely anything goes and one may delve into the farthest recesses of the authors' warped imaginations. Prepare yourself, dear listener, for a journey into the unknown reaches of terror, from which you can only hope you will return with your sanity intact...
-
-
Blizzaro sex scenes
- By Christina on 11-13-20
By: Victor Marrow, and others
-
Tender Is the Flesh
- By: Agustina Bazterrica
- Narrated by: Joseph Balderrama
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Working at the local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans - though no one calls them that anymore. His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the "Transition". Now, eating human meat - "special meat" - is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.
-
-
Uhhhhhhh....
- By Josh E. on 12-05-20
-
The Damnation Game
- By: Clive Barker
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marty Strauss, a gambling addict recently released from prison, is hired to be the personal bodyguard of Joseph Whitehead, one of the wealthiest men in the world. The job proves more complicated and dangerous than he thought, however, as Marty soon gets caught up in a series of supernatural events involving Whitehead, his daughter (who is a heroin addict), and a devilish man named Mamoulian, with whom Whitehead made a Faustian bargain many years earlier, during World War II.
-
-
Damned If You Do
- By Wag The Fox on 04-05-14
By: Clive Barker
-
When Things Get Dark
- Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson
- By: Ellen Datlow - editor
- Narrated by: Nicol Zanzarella, Cassandra Campbell, Erin Moon, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A chilling anthology in tribute to the genius of Shirley Jackson. Shirley Jackson is a seminal writer of horror and mystery fiction, whose legacy resonates globally today. Chilling, human, poignant, and strange, her stories have inspired a generation of writers and listeners. This anthology, edited by legendary horror editor Ellen Datlow, brings together today’s leading horror writers to offer their own personal tribute to the work of Shirley Jackson.
-
-
Come for the Oates, stay for the rest!
- By Rebecca Rowland, author on 12-23-21
-
The Shining
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Campbell Scott
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote...and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.
-
-
Bad Narration
- By Tomb on 08-19-19
By: Stephen King
-
Short Horror Stories: Collections I - III
- By: P.J. Blakey-Novis
- Narrated by: David Sweeney-Bear
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eighteen short horror stories, one terrifying collection. A set including all of the short stories from Embrace the Darkness, Tunnels, and The Artist in a single audiobook.
-
-
A better option then buying them individually
- By Carey Sabala on 06-24-20
-
NOS4A2
- A Novel
- By: Joe Hill
- Narrated by: Kate Mulgrew
- Length: 19 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Victoria McQueen has an uncanny knack for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. When she rides her bicycle over the rickety old covered bridge in the woods near her house, she always emerges in the places she needs to be. Vic doesn't tell anyone about her unusual ability, because she knows no one will believe her. She has trouble understanding it herself.
-
-
Narrator was OUTSTANDING!
- By B on 08-28-18
By: Joe Hill
Publisher's Summary
The intoxication from a pint of vodka, the electric buzz from snorting cocaine, the warm embrace from shooting heroin - drinking and drugging provide the height of human experience. It's the promise of heaven on earth, but the hell that follows is a constant hunger, a cold emptiness. The craving to get high is a yearning as intense of any blood-thirsty monster.
The best way to tell the truths of addiction is through a story, and dark truths such as these need a piece of horror to do them justice.
The stories inside feature the insidious nature of addiction told with compassion yet searing honesty. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental deaths, and some of the most incredible names in horror fiction have tackled this modern day epidemic.
"A Wicked Thirst" by Kealan Patrick Burke
"The One in the Middle" by Jessica McHugh
"Everywhere You've Bled and Everywhere You Will" by Max Booth III
"First, Just Bite a Finger" by Johann Thorsson
"Last Call" by John FD Taff
Torment of the Fallen" by Glen Krisch
"Garden of Fiends" by Mark Matthews
"Returns" by Jack Ketchum
More from the same
Narrator
What listeners say about Garden of Fiends
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lomeraniel
- 06-06-17
Horrors of addiction
I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.
This is an anthology about a different kind of horror. It is not the explicit horror we find sometimes in books, but the real one caused by addiction. Sometimes these monsters can be scarier than the ones in our imagination.
A Wicked Thirst by Kealan Patrick Burke
A man and his insatiable thirst for alcohol will push him to do the unthinkable. It is a rather dark story with powerful images.
The One in the Middle by Jessica McHugh
In a near future a new kind of drug is causing havoc in society. This tale was imaginative and complex.
Garden of Fiends by Mark Mathews
This one is longer than the others. Tara is recovering from addiction thanks to her loving family. But her boyfriend is released from prison and things start to go south. She will be tempted, her father's trust issues will push him to do unforgivable things and her mother will drastically change. A vivid example of how drugs can destroy a family. Sad and tragic, and with well written characters.
First, Bit Just a Finger by Johann Thorsson
This story is a good metaphor for drug use. It has powerful and very clear images about how one can end up if taking this route.
Last Call by John FD. Taff
Ted is unable to give up alcohol, so his AA sponsor will offer a miracle bottle that will end this hell forever. The only problem is that Ted's past will catch up with him.
Torment of the Fallen by Glen Krisch
Maggie is on the run but she is trying to locate her father. She should not have, it was too late.
Everywhere You’ve Bled and Everywhere You Will Be by Max Booth III
A man starts bleeding from his penis, and scared of what it might mean, he decides to take refuge in the old good drugs. I really liked this one. It has good images and great characters.
Returns by Jack Ketchum
This story is about a ghost who returns with a purpose, he will just have to figure it out.
Some of these stories are quite weird, but the good kind of weird. They will allow us to visit the parallel universe of drug addicts but without the dangers of using. A bit gore sometimes, but well written stories with powerful images that will haunt the listener for some time after finishing the book.
Rick Gregory did a very good job narrating this stories. He transmitted well the characters emotions and his pace and tone kept my attention at all times.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Todd (Toad) Vogel
- 06-07-17
Freaked me out!
This book was absolutely terrifying at times. The spiders!!! OMG! The book was also very sad. I actually felt bad for the addicts and what they go through mentally. The stories deal with all types of addicts and are all pretty creepy! Great collection of scary stories from some great authors. Rick Gregory did an excellent job with the narration, even making it sound a bit creepier at times. Loved it!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- willee
- 06-16-17
Anthology of Addiction Horror
OMG!! This is one insane horror book. It contains everything disturbing about drugs to alcohol, I cannot pick out a favorite. Stories that are sad and creepy to ghosts. Recommend to anyone who enjoys brutal human horrors with good narration. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- erobbins33
- 06-03-17
Gruesome!
Let me start by saying, this book was nothing like I expected. If you are not someone who enjoys gore, you might want to sit this one out. I love extreme horror, and I guess this could work as a "scared straight" type of intervention. That said, this was easily one of the stranger anthologies I've ever come across. From magic booze to cannibalism to spiders (shudder), this book covers all of the scariest tropes in horror, while also strangely discussing all sorts of addictions and the mindset of an addict (both current and recovering). If you can handle the massive amounts of gore, this anthology is also an excellent social discourse about the dangers of addictions. The narrator did a great job holding my interest, and not stumbling during some of the nastier scenes. Well done, all around.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- DabOfDarkness
- 07-15-17
I now fear spiders and small bits of meat
This anthology focuses on addiction, mostly drug and alcohol addiction. They range from science fiction to horror to the paranormal. The editor opens with a short foreword about addiction and his hopes that this anthology will provide some insight into the struggle of addicts and hopefully bring about some compassion for those suffering from addiction. Even if this anthology doesn’t do that for you, it’s still quite entertaining, insightful, riveting, sometimes disgusting, usually disturbing, and chock full of examples of bad decisions made.
A Wicked Thirst by Kealan Patrick Burke
Melinda and this guy, our unnamed narrator of this story, meet at a bar. They go back to her place and have sex, sort of. Then he wakes up out in the street being drowned in a rainwater puddle. A specter of Steven Carver, his former AA sponsor, reminds him of his failures. The timeline jumps around a little as our alcohol-sodden character tries to muddle through the night. What’s real, what’s not? What’s in the present and what’s in the past? This tale did a great job of showing the inner confusion of someone deep in the clutches of alcoholism. There’s this scene where this guy is burying his daughter’s dead cat and he cries, not for the cat, not for his daughter, but for himself and stuff that happened during his own childhood. This scene really brought home how this character has so much stuff that’s left unresolved in his life. 5/5
The One in the Middle by Jessica McHugh
Set in a future 2080s Patterson Park in Baltimore, the new drug of choice is Atlas. Heavy users like to inject it directly into their genitals, giving them a long-lasting incredible high. Perry Samson is still obsessed with his ex-wife Serina. He watches her from afar and thinks of her when he masturbates. He needs another high but his junkie friend Loshi thinks it’s high time Perry be the one to score and share. The author shows us the keen edge of depravity in this story. The Atlas junkies are willing to sell their flesh for a hit and some cash. Meanwhile, the rich who can afford the delicacy of well prepared human meat enjoy it in swanky restaurants. It reminded me of high school and college students who would sell plasma to go buy some pot. This was my favorite story in the bunch easily. I love the future SF setting (there’s TVs spread throughout the park showing The Wire reruns with all the hopeful scenes cut out) and yet we still have this drug culture, one in which there’s those who suffer and those who profit from it. 6/5
Garden of Fiends by Mark Matthews
Terra Snyder is in Narcotics Anonymous, living with her parents and trying to get her life back together. Then her former boyfriend Brett unexpectedly shows up. He’s in the Work Release Program while in prison. Against her better judgement, she goes with him to Russell’s place where they used to buy their drugs and hangout. The author shows us step by step how easy it is for someone to be roped back into the users lifestyle. The point of view bounces back and forth from Terra to her dad Gregory throughout the story. Gregory, Heather, and their daughter Terra (somewhat reluctantly) have been working on this urban farm in the middle of Detroit. Heather is one of those always upbeat, optimistic types who would never give up on her kid. Gregory, while not a perpetual optimist, would do anything to keep his daughter safe. This tale really showed how the blame game turns into an excuse to either shuck responsibility for past bad deeds or to commit more bad deeds. 5/5
First, Just Bite a Finger by Johann Thorsson
This bit of flash fiction dealt with a different kind of addiction, but I feel the spirit of it (exploring a new-to-you high) could be applied to any new addiction. Julia, 39, went to a party, buzz wearing off, so she’s looking to try something new. This guy Toussaint bites off the tip of his pinky finger. Julia thinks it’s a trick. However, as the week goes on Julia notices bits missing from her friends. This little horror flick ended a bit too soon for me. I felt there was more for Julia to tell us. 4/5
Last Call by John FD Taff
Ted is in AA but he keeps falling off the wagon, going from group to group. His sponsor Sam reluctantly sends him to a liquor store with a special card, telling him to ask for the last bottle he will ever need. The store owner gives him a little lecture about choosing life or death. The unlabeled bottle is referred to as a shortcut, which I thought was a great way to show later on that there is no shortcut when it comes to dealing with addiction. The story leaps forward 5 years here, 10 years there, etc., showing how Ted’s life has changed and yet how this shortcut bottle is still tucked away, hiding in his closet. The ending is left dangling and I would have liked a line or two to close it out. It would have made the story more poignant or hopeful depending on how things ended. 4/5
Torment of the Fallen by Glen Krisch
Maggie is headed from Phoenix to Aurora, IL to hunt down her long-lost father, Desmond Gabriel. She can see demons and her online paranormal activities, where she goes by Jenny Halloween, have finally given her a hint as to where her father is. Her father, a homeless man, was mentioned on a paranormal chat site, Torment of the Fallen. She meets a short man that goes by Cheddar near the supposedly haunted house where her father sometimes crashes. I enjoyed this story because it had that urban fantasy feel to it where demons were being investigated and a lost person would be found, hopefully. If this story wasn’t in an anthology that focused on addiction, I wouldn’t necessarily have picked up on those elements of the story. I hope we see more of Jenny Halloween in the future. 5/5
Everywhere You’ve Bled and Everywhere You Will by Max Booth III
Jeremy, 26, is bleeding from his urethra. Perhaps the hepatitis is getting to him though he asks his lover Eliza if she bit him. He hasn’t told her about his hepatitis yet. At work, it gets worse so he goes to a clinic where he runs into Nick, a former junkie friend. He has one confrontation after another and things get worse and worse for him. Let me just whisper it to you – spiders. Yep. This was easily the most creeptastic and scary story of the anthology! I don’t even have a penis or hepatitis and it made me shudder. 5/5
Returns by Jack Ketchum
In this short tale, Jill Hunt’s husband’s spirit returns from the dead. She’s been drinking since he was run over by a cab. He thinks he’s returned to help Jill get past his death and not succumb to alcoholism. She can see and hear him but she thinks it’s all in her head. This little story was rather sad as it involved a pet and this failed relationship. I felt that things were left a bit unresolved as I wanted to know what ultimately happened to Jill or her husband’s spirit. 4/5
I received a free copy of this book.
The Narration: Rick Gregory did a pretty good job with this anthology. There was a lot of ground to cover, that’s for sure! His female voices were pretty good. Melinda and Terra sounded like women. For the most part, he had distinct characters though in the story Garden of Fiends he occasionally sounded a bit mechanical and the characters weren’t distinct (I had to follow closely the dialogue between Brett and Terra to keep straight who said what). In the entire book, I only caught a single mispronounced word – conflagration. It just happens to be one of my favorite words and that’s why the butchering of it stood out. The pacing and volume were all well done. Over all, a well-done narration.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brian
- 06-22-17
Addiction Is Utterly Terrifying
4.5 out of 5 stars
Each story really held it's own in this book and really made for some terrifying (and sometimes almost too real) depictions of what addiction is like. I've had friends who have died from overdoses due to addiction and it's not easy to watch. I cannot imagine living it (but I can a little better after reading this).
I wasn't 100% sure what I was getting into when I first picked this book up. I thought it was just another horror anthology, but I was dead wrong. This is a collection of stories about addiction told as if they were a horror story (which they basically are). You are no longer in control of your body -- the addiction is.
I will tell you this about Garden of Fiends -- it wasn't easy to finish in one sitting. Not because the stories weren't good, but because they were too good. They were so brutal and brutally honest that I found myself having to stop after each one to digest exactly what happened and how I felt about it.
Adding to a well-done collection of stories was the narration by Rick Gregory. This is the first audiobook by him I've listened to and I loved it. You can tell that Gregory has worked around, with, and through narrators for a long time because he really understands the nuances of what telling a great story are.
Overall, an enjoyable collection of short stories that easily could have been standalone stories. I'm glad that Matthews put them all together though because I got to read them all in one spot. After finishing this I went and hugged those who are close to me.
I was given a free copy of this audiobook, this has not affected my review in any way.
If you like this review, please vote for it. Every vote really does help! If you'd like to see more reviews like this please check out BriansBookBlog DOT com.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TinkerMel
- 06-16-17
total cool, and creepy!
I have not heard a book like this one before. When it first starts, the prolog, it sounds more like this is going to be a fact book on junkies. but when the first story starts, the first story will drag in right in. and you will soon see this book is like no other, Its some short stories. that have to do with drugs, and the paranormal. and are very well written all go nicely together.
If your looking for something different, and like these 2 subjects, This is a total must buy!
The narrator did an excellent job.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Platypire Bob
- 01-16-18
A (sometimes paranormal) look through their eyes.
#Audible
This was engaging, suspenseful...and far too true to life. The stories are quite well written, and provide a look through the eyes of an addict. The horror, fear, and pull of the substances is a very real thing, and I think these authors did a great job of showing the reality.
The narrator wasn't bad.
Bob says: 4 Platypires
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 01-10-18
Horrible narrator stories were ok
The narrator read in the same boring tone the whole time and put emphasis on the wrong words, definitely wouldn’t listen to another book narrated by him. Some of the stories were pretty good while a few were just ok and seemed to go on and on, or ended abruptly. It was ok, but not something I would listen to again.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- latasha
- 08-20-17
garden of fiends
** I received this audio book in exchange for a honest review**
first of all, the production of this audio book was perfect. I have no complaints on that part. The author, Mark Matthew narrates. I know a guy that says authors shouldn't do that. I do agree with him on this one. Mark spoke clear and just fine but there was just something missing. I couldn't get into the stories. Maybe because I've never been a addict? I don't know but I couldn't connect with them. None of the stories were bad but my favorite was A WICKED THIRST, by Kealan Patrick Burke. I would say if this sounds the tiniest bit interesting to you, you should go for it but maybe read it instead of listening.