If Only a Heart and Other Tales of Terror: Collection Review

Oh sheesh, here’s a late one for ya, dear reader!

Also, before I dive right in, just wanted to remind you that there are still limited edition copies of my debut novella, Sisters of the Crimson Vine, available on the Timber Ghost Press website!

The Author

Caleb Stephens is a dark fiction author writing from somewhere deep in the Colorado mountains. His short stories have appeared in multiple publications and podcasts, including Chilling Tales for Dark Nights, Tales to Terrify, MetaStellar, The Dread Machine, Nocturnal Transmissions, and more. His story “The Wallpaper Man” is forthcoming as a short film from Falconer Film & Media. You can learn more at his website and follow him on Twitter. — Stephens’ website

The Collection

Just released today and with an awesome cover by Luke Spooner, If Only a Heart and Other Tales of Terror contains thirteen tales of horror that share a similar theme of family and loss/grief. Each of the stories has a custom black and white illustration by yours truly, plus I also wrote the foreword!

An unlikely friendship is born in the red clay dirt of a trailer park. Two latchkey kids who will do anything to hold onto one other, despite the consequences.

A disabled boy and his sister move into a house by the sea, one haunted by a demon living in the walls.

A father on a camping trip in a remote section of Appalachia wakes to find his daughter missing, taken by something not quite human.

A traumatized teenager stumbles across a strange slide at a waterpark—one only he can see.

If Only a Heart and Other Tales of Terror is a visceral collection of thirteen stories that explore what happens when we open ourselves to others and dare to let them in. There are monsters on these pages, yes, ones whose teeth cut deep, but never as deep as the teeth of the monsters in the mirror. — If Only a Heart Amazon page description

The Review

I can already hear you, dear reader. “You obviously loved this collection, I mean you did the foreword for it and everything.” you say, slurping your delicious tea.

Well, yeah. You caught me.

9/10

Review over, move along!

Just kidding, let’s dive into what about this collection really struck me.

Overall, each story has been well-polished and designed, most are heavy with emotional tension and dread, while others hit you hard with the horror. Caleb does an amazing job of weaving in super heavy topics, like child death, losing a spouse, guilt, and grief, along with the horror of each story without bogging down the pacing or suspense.

Let’s check out some of my favourites:

“If Only a Heart” — this story dives deep into the lengths a parent will go to in order to protect their child. There’s a reason it’s the title story. Captivating, poignant, and rich with tension.

“Welcome to Camp Khelani!” — playing off 80s tropes and that delicious slasher movie vibe, this story is equal parts dark as it is humourous.

“The Crowing” — this story first appeared in Howls from the Dark Ages, which I co-edited, and I loved it then, I love it now. Definitely my number one favourite, it features the supernatural, strong female characters, and the grim consequences of a sacrifice long past made. Also check out the art I made for it:

“Shadow Puppets” — a young boy tries to befriend the new girl who happens to have a dark secret. I never saw the end coming with this one!

So each story does share a similar thematic vibe, but each one stands strong on its own, and the thematic elements never get old. Every story is poignant, every story is powerful, and every story is unique. So if you are looking for genuine, well-written horror that is as heartbreaking as it is spine-tingling, grab If Only a Heart today. You won’t regret it.

x PLM

p.s. make sure to come back on Thursday! I’ll be interviewing Caleb Stephens on his process and the making of this collection!