THESE THINGS THAT WALK BEHIND ME
David Surface
10/1/2024
Lethe Press
Reviewed by Brian “Skull” Lewis
Hello horror fans, it’s your old pal Skull with a brand-new release from Lethe Press! These Things That Walk Behind Me by David Surface is packed with 14 speculative tales that will latch onto your brain and stick around long after you’ve finished reading. Or, if you’re at all like me, you’ll find yourself rereading this awesome collection again and again. The stories are really that good! Ready to take a walk on the wild side? Then let’s get to it.
Inside These Things That Walk Behind Me by David Surface you’ll find stories about things that shouldn’t exist, but they do. A fallen angel hidden in an airplane hangar that takes care of those who cannot help themselves, Angelmutter. A town whose boys disappear into a large network of caves that exist underneath them and a mother who knows more about it than she should, The Lost River Boys. How about construction company that builds unique structures that transport creatures from another realm into your hometown? Little Gods To Live In Them, is that story. We all watch those shows on TV about people suddenly disappearing only to show up thousands of miles away decades later. Give Me Back My Name shows us what it’s like to be that person and it isn’t at all pretty. Losing your mind is often viewed as losing touch with reality, but what if it actually shows us how life really is and why people act the way they do? These Things That Walk Behind Me gives us insight into that.
One of my favorite tales in this great mix is The Devil Will Be At The Door. You know that ghost story many of us hear at YMCA Camp, in Boy Scouts, or in the case of this story on the church school bus during a long ride home? It’s about a horribly haunted house in the middle of nowhere and ends with a jump scare scream. The details are usually filled in to fit the location, but it’s pretty much the same tale. Eventually we grow up and decide such terrifying things don’t exist. But what if they do, and you just haven’t found it yet? Or, worse, it’s out there looking for you? Oh, and if you’ve heard that story in your lifetime…There’s no getting away.
Another story I really dug was, When The Circus. Danny escapes from a small southern town and a meaningless life by going to New York City, a giant metropolis that never sleeps and you can get whatever you want 24 hours a day. But such a vast place is dark, dangerous, and ready to eat newbies alive. Danny needs a place, somewhere to take shelter, and he finds it in a ghost bar hidden under some scaffolding. There he meets Lenny, an old school tough New Yorker who holds court nightly teaching valuable lessons and telling stories. But a person can only hide so long in the middle of a hurricane. Events unfold in front of Danny that threaten to steal his sanity. His happiness has already fled. One night when Lenny starts telling everyone about a bizarre event that happened right on that particular night many years ago, Danny refuses to buy it. Back in the old days, the circus would come to Madison Square Garden and people lined 34th street at midnight to see the elephants walk from the train to the garden. But one year, things went horribly wrong, and the results were bad enough to drive a person mad. The Big Apple doesn’t let go of the scary things, it holds them tightly trapped in its dark bosom of night, then shows them to fragile minds like a demented flasher in a black raincoat. GOTCHA! Lenny says that the only way to avoid being sucked into the flames of Hell is to shelter in place. Danny says he’s full of shit and makes a break for it. Will he see what he’s looking for, or is it all just a hoax to scare newbies?
How The World Works, is another great story. Many people think the world is an efficient machine that can easily be explained by science or their particular brand of religion. Yet, every year, strange things happen that defy logical explanation. This story is a tale about secrets and friendship. The narrator’s friend, Mike, hasn’t had a very good life and isn’t exactly Mr. Manners. Still the narrator cares about him and is pleased to hear that he’s returned to town after a long absence. When he goes to visit Mike in his new place, it’s entirely rad, especially to a couple of teenage boys. Mike’s story is that he’s housesitting for a guy and has free run of the house. But what’s with all the freaked-out cats? More importantly, what’s that damn thing in the basement? Will Mike’s explanation clear things up or just make it worse? One thing is for certain, the piper must be paid. That’s just How The World Works.
If you’ve read this far, then you probably already know what your old pal Skull thinks of this book, but let me just put it into words: Wow, what an awesome collection of short horror stories! Damaged Skull Writer and Reviewer gives These Things That Walk Behind Me a BIG 5 STARS! David Surface writes stories that stick with you and grow as time passes. It’s not excessively gory or easy to stick in one box, but his words lodge into your brain and blossom into images and feelings that hang on long after you put the book down. Or you’ll keep picking it up to savor again and again. These Things That Walk Behind Me will make it to the Wall of Fame eventually, but for now it follows me from room to room, and I can’t help reading just one more story. Bottom line: get this collection and enjoy the work of awesome storyteller, David Surface!
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For more information about David Surface and to sign up for his newsletter, Strange Little Stories, go to: www.davidsurface.net
About your reviewer:
When darkness falls Brian James Lewis becomes his alter ego, Skull, and burns the midnight oil reading and reviewing recent arrivals to his lair, the Skullcave! You can catch up with him on social media at: https://facebook.com/DamagedSkullWriterandReviewer where he’d really appreciate some follows to get more exposure for Indy horror writers and presses!
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Damaged Skull Writer 