Brutal Bedtime Stories by Tobias Wade

Brutal Bedtime Stories Reviews

• 
  Anne

  These stories just didn’t do it for me. There were a few that were pretty good but overall I felt that they could use work. Some felt pretty repetitive, and just weren’t very original. Just didn’t really grab me.
• 
  Melissa

  I started reading Tobias Wade on Pinterest, and then started following him on Facebook. His stories are just the perfect amount of creepiness.
  
  So I was very excited to read this book. And it did not disappoint. Along with Wade, 3 other authors wrote stories for this collection, David Maloney, Ha-young Glen Bak and Kyle Alexander. I will actively be seeking out stories from these authors.
  
  If you are a horror fan, these stories are perfect for you.
• 
  William Bitner Jr.

  Genre - Anthology/Horror
  Publication Date - October 30, 2017
  Format -Kindle
  Pages - 328
  Stars - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
  
  I’ve read my fair share of anthologies and “Brutal Bedtime Stories: A Supernatural Horror Story Collection” by David Maloney, Tobias Wade, Ha-yong Glenn Bak and Kyle Alexander (the order they appear in the book) is by far one of the very best. I’ve said this before about other anthologies, it really is one of the best ways to introduce yourself to authors you’ve not read before. Here we have one book, four talented authors, a genre (horror), and forty short stories in that genre, told according to each author's idea of said genre. In my opinion no matter how you like your horror you are guaranteed to find something to your liking in this collection. From sarcastic tongue in cheek horror to how is that possible kind of horror, the afterlife and ghostly and ghoulish characters, these four authors cover all the bases in a masterfully artful way. There is a smooth and even transfer of the quill baton from one author's collection to the next. While each author has their own distinct style and writing skills they blend well from one to the next. Having read this collection, and not read anything else by any of these authors prior to this, I am very much in the frame of mind to seek out more of their work. A must read for anyone who is into horror, the unexplained and psychological and emotional roller coaster kind of thrills. Highly recommended for all you creepy needs and desires.
  
  From the back cover: WARNING: Contains mature and graphic material. Not for the faint of heart
  
  Spine-tingling terror from horror writers around the world. Dozens of diverse short stories containing gruesome murders, supernatural mysteries, grotesque hellscapes, and deranged psychopaths to keep you up at night. Surprise twists ensure you keep guessing until the last page.
• 
  Will

  Bed... It’s Not For Sleeping
  
  With “Brutal Bedtime Stories: A Supernatural Horror Story Collection” it’s for hiding underneath the covers, it’s for finding a playmate, and it’s for reading until the sun comes up because you won’t be getting any sleep. Is the book that scary or so good, I’ll give you a hint, it’s excellent, but of course, I’m all sorts of twisted indeed.
  
  These are the types of stories I wish I knew at bedtime… who hurt you; that’s not the only past I see, these stories make me all nostalgic for The Twilight Zone because I could see any of these made into an episode without a doubt. It isn’t something that I honestly set out to find receiving a free copy, and so I wonder what Tobias Wade thinks about me, hell the question is how do I consider him and the other writers of this work. Do you have any more, that’s the question I kept thinking with every story, what else you got hmm, is it worse than this?
  
  I mean that in the best possible way, going from story to story, saying this is my favorite, no this, maybe this and as far as my actual love and the best overall, I wish us all luck with this review. Now again, personally I wasn’t frightened, everything but that, I could say apprehensive about a story here or there, turned on, mad, twisted, even queasy at points but not scared. Brutal Bedtime Stories is a book for the person that imagines the world inside their head is Hell; it’s nice to know you aren’t alone in this universe thankfully.
  
  Sometimes I look at my work, and it’s like, this is child’s play… can’t remember any killer dolls in these stories though, for the most part wholly original and relatable if you’re studying Psychopath 101. Hopefully, I’m not boring anyone so far and if I am, go ahead and read this title now with my blessing, it will keep your eyes open for some time.
  
  Your bed is for wondering where the real monsters are, underneath it, hiding in the closet or inside you all along, that’s the problem too many monsters and not enough people to haunt; a problem for this book, just way too many good ideas perhaps?
  
  We begin with David Maloney, and his first story should start with a warning that you’re about to be sucked into this universe, from the get-go I was hooked and impressed, wow. Excuse me for trying to narrow down my top picks but if I go author by author with his work it would be between “She Says the Smell of Death Turns Her On” and “The Blue-Eyed Painting.” Already you know which stories I’m into if you read my reviews often enough but his collection contained a few twisted happy endings as I recall.
  
  Tobias Wade had some weird family stories, some I wanted to see continued into even more extended versions of themselves, while every story makes you think, you want to go deeper. His first entry “Hell is Heaven to the Demons” that would honestly be my sort of afterlife, and if it becomes a full-blown novel wow, just the idea of coming back reminds me some of the Shusaku, Isaku, Kisaku series if that makes sense.
  
  With Ha-yong Glenn Bak we get some more family dynamics but also the businessman of the group seeing as how plenty of his stories are about making money. “Make Money or Die Trying” is his first entry but we also have “A Site Called “Cash For Confessions” and “An App Called “Time is Money” also murder seems to run in the family with his tales.
  
  Last but not least we have Kyle Alexander, the only one to give a character his name and while “Teenagers” was the last story and the longest, I much preferred “Shooting Stars” in its simplicity, scary it resonated with me. Sci-Fi fans though will get a kick out of Teenagers, not saying it was terrible but somewhat anti-climatic though it bit surprising for the end.
  
  Put all these stories together you have an incredible combination, and they say, no man stands alone, but any one of these given their book could win me over overall.
  
  Five stars without a second thought, from beginning to end it was like a rollercoaster of madness and mayhem and what are beds meant for, to be tied up in, sexy or lunatics, I have to wonder did these guys meet in an asylum. I can’t promise “no spoilers” or no bad times but this book what else can I say about it just saying.
  
  I’m no doctor, but David Maloney has some ideas about sex both good and bad, but most have the villain getting his so he knows right from wrong. Tobias was all madness and death, if you’re sick of zombies he’s the guy to call, he has a refreshing outlook on ghosts, but maybe he’s not the family man just saying. Along with David, Ha-yong Glenn Bak is the one I most related to, sex and money it has to be between those two, and no offense but Kyle was the weak link, or maybe he was the one chosen for the cooling off period, to a certain degree I think.
  
  Sad to say but it might be all downhill after the first series with David Maloney, and I don’t mean that to sound wrong, but he was the most original with Ha-yong after “Make Money or Die Trying” you see where his stories go, maybe it’s right, sex sells. If there is anything to complain about, it could be that I didn’t exactly know how to read this book, front to back of course but the stories blended together and as soon as you start the next you already forget the other. It only took me seconds upon reading each title to recall, but as I’ve been trying to do this whole time if one story stands out well two, She Says the Smell of Death Turns Her On and Make Money or Die Trying.
  
  If you’re squeamish or have never thought about killing the person next to you, maybe this won’t be your book of choice but if you’re human than feel free. Now if you’ll excuse me this has been my confession, and now I need to find me sort cute girl turned on by death because truthfully Bed... It’s Not For Sleeping.
  
• 
  Ronald Keeler

  I follow, like, and read short stories by Tobias Wade, a contributor to this collection of short stories. I obtained the novel from his website. Wade writes approximately short stories several times per week and sends them out in email alerts on Mondays,
  Wednesdays, and Fridays. Some are brilliant, others are merely good but he is a writer that will hold the interest of genre horror fans.
  
  This collection was written by four authors and has a total of 41 stories. David Maloney is an English teacher living in China. An expat English teacher and also a writer? With13 stories in this collection, he joins a well-populated subculture. Ha-yong Glen Bak lists editor among other credentials. Offering 11 titled stories plus a bonus story, writers must fear him as they fear all editors. Kyle Alexander is described as a professional graffiti artist. Is this another form of the ultimate short story, or flash fiction? Alexander contributes two short stories and a collection Teenagers which is presented in three chapters. Tobias Wade seems to be an outlier as far as writer associated occupations with a former profession of neuroscience researcher. Wade brings 12 stories to this collection. I have read another collection of his, 51 Sleepless Nights, and am currently reading The Last Man. I also enjoy his weekly horror wake-up calls. With so many stories to choose from, I will comment on my favorite contribution from each author.
  
  DavidMaloney’s story Welcome to Hell, Please Take a Number, is a creative categorization of types of demons and levels of possession. Read this through to the end and become very much afraid. What a great beginning to this collection! I was only to comment on one story per collection but how could I not to comment on She Says the Smell of Death Turns Her On? You might want to read this explicit one after the kids have gone to bed.
  
  Tobias Wade’s story From Rags to Stitches gets my vote as the most chilling Wade tale. Casey was his sister, he should have been able to protect her. But Mom married Leroy and Leroy didn’t like children. He had seen the bruises on his sister’s body but she had told him to be quiet, that the two of them had not yet earned Leroy’s love. Now they never would; he remembered his feelings when he found Casey dead. Would he be next? There is more than one surprise in this chilling ending.
  
  Ha-yong Glen Bak begins with a very strong offering, my favorite, Make Money or Die Trying. The theme will begin along familiar lines. Jared, a homeless guy, is offered to play in a reality “game” with four other competitors. The prize is huge but only the survivor gets the prize. Finishers 2, 3 4, and 5 are dead. The manners of their deaths are varied and dependent on the wish of subscribers to this reality contest. Screenwriters and authors have used this set-up a lot. Here Glen Bak twists the idea in its implementation. Keeping in mind the title of this collection, this is the first point at which the word “brutal” is appropriate. This story is extremely brutal and not for the sensitive. And all the brutality is topped off with a surprise. If any of the stories deserve a warning notice for brutality, this is it.
  
  Kyle Alexander contributes two short stories and the chapters of Teenagers with a common theme. Humans become something else, maybe more highly evolved, maybe not. The chapters of Teenagers are a romp through high tech possibilities as humans become more machine-like yet try to retain human qualities of benevolence and humanitarian concern. Kafka would have an interesting comment on the conclusion of Teenagers.
  
  This is a nice varied presentation of the work of four skilled writers in the horror and fantasy-horror genre. See the note above about the brutal designation. Not all parts are for all readers. I will click on each of the links I learned found in the author descriptions to read more works from these authors. In such a collection there is always the brilliant and the lesser shining offering so I give the collection a four-star rating on Amazon.
  
• 
  Roxie Prince

  Read this review and more on my blog at
  [Roxie Writes].
  
  ‘Brutal Bedtime Stories: A Supernatural Horror Story Collection’ by Various Authors
  ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5
  Finished on January 30, 2019
  FREE on Kindle Unlimited | $3.99 on Kindle | $7.49 on Audiobook | $16.99 in Paperback
  
  BOOK DESCRIPTION:
  Is there anything as horrifying as what David's wife gave birth to?
  
  How about that advertisement Tobias found that was selling a human head, condition used?
  
  Then there's Hayong's experience in heaven (which isn't nearly as nice as it sounds)...
  
  ... and Kyle encountering that bionic cult that's a long way short of being human.
  
  Spine-tingling terror from horror writers around the world. Dozens of diverse short stories containing gruesome murders, supernatural mysteries, grotesque hellscapes, and deranged psychopaths to keep you up at night. Surprise twists ensure you keep guessing until the last page.
  
  MY REVIEW:
  This collection was a solid 2.5-stars for me. I only enjoyed half of the stories.
  
  ‘Brutal Bedtime Stories’ includes stories by Tobias Wade, David Maloney, Ha-yong Bak, and Kyle Alexander.
  
  I enjoyed the first half of the book. The stories in the first half were exciting and interesting reads. Then, I got to the third author included, and I could not make it through all of their stories. I read two and a portion, but I just couldn’t do it. It felt as though violence was used for shock value, and that’s not the sort of horror I enjoy. Someone else might, though.
  
  Also, this collection could stand another round of editing.
  
  I felt like the calibre of authors wasn’t equal in this collection. Some definitely outshined the others, and that made for an unbalanced read.
• 
  Tayla

  Brutal Bedtime Stories is a great collection of supernatural horror stories!
  
  I love short story collections. They're really easy to pick up and read when I don't have time to read an entire book. It's also a nice contrast to whatever book i'm currently reading without getting confusing. Brutal bedtime stories was a perfect contrast to the books i've been reading. It's refreshing to pick up the book and spend a few minutes reading a couple stories at a time.
  
  The stories themselves, remind me of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books I read as a kid. These however, are geared more towards a mature audience (I probably wouldn't let a junior high kid read them). I also really enjoyed that the stories seemed to take place in modern time. It makes the stories seem so much more plausible and plausible stories seem more scary to me!
  
  I loved all of the authors stories. Each author added their own flavor, which was a lot of fun to pick up on. I ended up bookmarking at least one story from each author as my favorite stories that I come back to frequently.
  
  I highly recommend Brutal Bedtime Stories to all horror story lovers, short story lovers, and those who enjoyed the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books as a kid!
• 
  Escape to Fantasy

  I was pretty excited when I was approached to review Brutal Bedtime Stories. I had reviewed for Tobias Wade before and I enjoyed the two books that I read. While I was unfamiliar with the other authors, I was pretty excited to be reading more from Tobias. So I said yes to the review. I am glad I did because this book was fantastic.
  
  Like I stated above, I was unfamiliar with the other authors…..David Maloney, Hayong Glenn Bak and Kyle Alexander. Now that I have read this anthology, I will be looking for more books by those authors. All are very talented writers. I don’t scare easily and this book had me not wanting to go to sleep. A book that can do that to me is a book that I will recommend to everyone.
  
  So, to repeat what I have said in this review: Go read this book. It will not disappoint!!
  
  Will I reread: yes
  
  Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
  
  Age range: Adult
  
  Why: Violence
  
  I would like to thank Tobias Wade for allowing me to read and review Brutal Bedtime Stories.
  
  All opinions stated in this review of Brutal Bedtime Stories are mine.
  
  **I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**
• 
  Gareth

  Better than most
  
  I have read a few different horror compilations and most of them seem to be more "modern" as in they try and sound clever, no horror and don't really come to any decent conclusion. However, this book was refreshingly different.
  
  I enjoyed most of the tales in here and some were excellent, i even went in to work and told my boss about the man and his wife that can't stop having still births, harsh! However this book is meant be shocking and that twist at the end reality did take me by surprise!
  
  Naturally, with a compilation there are going to be ones you dont like and for me that was the ones by Hayong, they just bored me. Don't get me wrong, if you are into that style then you might enjoy them. One thing i did notice was that most people said they were bored at the "teenagers" trilogy, i didn't find that, in fact that trilogy it's what lifted this from three stars to four stars for me. I enjoyed it and it had a matrix type feel to it.
  
  So, overall a good read with a few hidden gems. With looking into if you're considering it.
• 
  Cameron

  This is a horror anthology that I unfortunately found to be quite lacking, both in scares and in substance. There are multiple authors featured here and their writing styles are different enough that it does create some interesting variations to the stories.
  
  Hayong-Bak's stories in particular were very weak and extremely formulaic. While that author has numerous stories in the collection they all come across as variations of the same story. Many have the same ending and setup which was quite disappointing.
  
  There are a few unique ones here, and I do think the variation lends itself well to everyone getting some enjoyment out of the book as a whole. What I'd recommend doing is if you aren't feeling a story early on skip it as they are all quite short so you don't get hurt too bad by skipping.
• 
  Laurie C.

  Eye opening & brutally twisted!
  
  Way better than the usual scary, ghost and horror strory. Good enough to read again. My favorite is one of the end stories called; Teenager's Pt.'s: 1-2 and 3. Plenty of quick reads to pass the 10-15 minute wait at the Dr.'s, or wherever you may be passing some time at. I've got to admit, some of these stories are plain nonsense. 2-3 pages of words that do not make up any type of story, no way, no how. Then they'll end in a no more words. That's it, no story at all. A person just have to find the good ones in between.
  There's plenty of those!! 📚📖
  
  
  
  
• 
  Joshua Hair

  I'm actually very impressed by this collection. I went in expecting very little, as these Kindle collections often consist of innumerable grammatical errors and not much actual talent. While there are certainly plenty of errors (which, by the way, is the main reason I gave four stars) there's also a great bit of fun in these tales. Some don't work quite as well, as one may expect, but overall they're great for those interested in Twilight Zone twists and the horrors of the Internet age. Well done, guys. I'll be looking up each author individually to see what else they have to offer.
• 
  Charles Ray

  If you like your horror raw and uncensored, you’ll love Brutal Bedtime Stores: A Supernatural Horror Story Collection. An anthology of dozens of cutting-edge, macabre stories by David Maloney, Tobias Wade, Ha-yong Bak, and Kyle Alexander that will curl the hairs on your arm and send chills up and down your spine. These are stories of psychopaths, ghosts, and ghouls, the work of some really twisted minds; not for the sensitive or faint-hearted—you’ll love it.
• 
  Jessica Ransom

  2.5 decent stories that need some editing
  
  
  Decent stories. Nothing really scary but still good enough to keep me reading until the end. I'm glad I did because the last story is one of the best. I would have given it a three but there are a lot of spelling and grammatical errors. I can overlook a few but this was enough I started to get annoyed by them. Overall, a decent read for horror fans.
• 
  Courtney Skelton

  Tobias Wade has put together one must read, edge of your seat, roller coaster ride collection of horror stories. They make reading alone hauntingly fun. Most stories are very short, yet don't let that fool you. Each one has in-depth characters, as well as a great plot line. It is a horror book readers dream. Recommended.
• 
  Richard

  Terrifying stories to freeze the blood in your veins.
  
  A fantastic collection of brilliantly written short stories full of incredible imagination and images to steal your sleep. These group of writers are certain to have a tremendous future as theives to erase your peace of mind. Five stars aren't nearly enough!
• 
  David Wen

  The first chapter is interesting, witty and dark, I rate it 10 out of 10.
  
  The second chapter is filled with nonsensical plot and bad English; entire sentences make no sense and whole passages can be deleted because of their redundancy. Proper trollpasta material, 1 out of 10.
  
  The remaining two chapters, alas, I have not yet mustered up enough resolve to attempt reading.
  
• 
  Alikat

  Have you seen the "Now"?
  
  So many of these twisted shorts are, as the title claims, brutal, but once you delve into the worlds created, you begin to see a correlation to society as it is today, the "Now" if you will. While not real, you realize that many of them "could" become reality at any moment.
• 
  Barbara

  Good Chills!
  
  This is a good anthology of short horror stories from 4 authors. I love short stories. No wasted time, details, or side plots unnecessary to the plot. Stuff gets real and to the point in short horror stories! It is also the perfect way to discover new authors. No spoilers here but you will not be disappointed in this book.
• 
  Nicole

  Creepy!
  
  The stories are creepy, some are definitely more for the teens and I am an old woman lol. Only taking stars off for the editing- mostly verb tenses and missing words that change the meaning of sentences without them. I’m a quick reader but find mistakes like that quite jarring as I’m reading. Overall great anthology!
• 
  M

  Really did not like the 3 part teenagers story... it was boring. Also a couple of the stories were just sad (skinwalker one and dead baby one off the top of my head). I wanted to be shocked at the twist not start crying :(
• 
  Marz Nature Trinity

  Gorsh!
  
  I should be sore,angry,tired from being dragged through all these stories yet towards the end it was invigorating! So many concepts that I can relate to!
  Bravo my friends! Bravo!
• 
  Rhonda Caston

  Yay! Scary and Weird!
  
  Sooo good. I was like yea I'll read one or two at a time. Then go back to my Romance stories. But no! These stories were so good and engrossing I almost missed work trying to finish. And then when I did finish, I was mad. More Please!!!
• 
  No One

  Donʼt Read at Bedtime
  
  Brutal Bedtime stories is just that. Stories from three different authors which are enough to keep you awake reading more because you are already awake. Or, some of them won't let you sleep because you are scared to close your eyes.