This is a perfect little read for the Halloween season. An old man waits in his house as the sun sets on Halloween. IT will be there once darkness falls, that horror that has haunted his mind for more than fifty years. When the horror is accidentally allowed entrance to his home, the old man must face his fears, his past, and his guilt.

With just enough Halloween goodness to put you in the mood for the season but also with a fresh take on the holiday, this little novella that you can read it one sitting reaches into you and twangs that one chord in your soul that has always wondered if there really is something evil out there, in the darkness behind the jack o'lantern's light.

Chapman creates a fun, original Halloween tale sure to keep you on the edge of your seat with this impressive novella.
Perfectly sized to be consumed in one sitting, this is a tense, dread soaked page turner that teases you with an almost familiar horror story before pulling out the rug and taking you to unexpected places.
I read this one several years ago shortly after its original printing and it still holds up on repeated visits. This updated edition also features Chapman's own original illustrations, making it well worth seeking out for the first (or second) time.

I'm so happy that I got to read and review The Last Night of October. I loved the story and its creepiness. I think my only issue with the story is that it's a novella. I wish it was a little bit longer because there are times I feel the story is a bit rushed. Despite that I still love the story. If you've read the book then you'll get where I'm coming from but there is a part of the story that reminds me of Supernatural. The way the story ended kind of reminded me of how an episode would end too. I love how the story ended because I really wasn't expecting it. And that in of itself is awesome. I can't wait to read more books by Greg!

I absolutely love horror stories centered around Halloween. In my personal opinion, nothing is a more perfect setup than a spooky story that takes place during October or on Halloween.
I wish I had been able to read this story during that crisp fall weather, but unfortunately, it’s summer and pretty hot right now. However, I do think reading this during the fall season would be a lot of fun.

This story follows 70 year old Gerald who gets visited by his past every Halloween.
This is an extremely short story and very easy to read. It’s not overly complicated or hard to follow, the basic premise is fairly obvious and simple.
I think that’s the reason I’m the most disappointed by it. I don’t find this story to be anything new or exciting. I honestly wish it had more of a twist because this was pretty predictable. I think from the moment the story starts it’s easy to pinpoint exactly where this story is heading.
That’s always slightly disappointing for me, especially when you have such a perfect setup taking place on Halloween night.
The writing is well done and it didn’t take me long to get absorbed into the plot.
I also feel like the characters are a little one note. This is a shorter story, so you don’t get as much time to connect with them. They just feel a little generic and there’s not much depth to them.
I just wish there was more to this story.

Childhood secrets, sins of the past, and present day retribution.

Here, however, they have been infused with the glamour and spooky feel of Halloween.

The carnival feel is present and so is the nostalgia inherent in a young boy’s life – that time of adolescence when ones imagination is never riper and monsters take centre stage with love.

As Gerald recounts his tale, a different sort of monster eventually takes centre stage, giving the author a chance to add even greater depth by treading the path of life’s choices and their consequences.


Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this book!

Gerald is 70 years old, sick and wants nothing to do with Halloween. Every year for Halloween he closes his door and pretends he is not home. This Halloween he is not going to have the quiet night he expected when a new nurse comes to take care of him and makes a horrible mistake letting Halloween and something else, something dark, into the house .

This novella was really well written and it felt like a new take on your typical point horror/goosebumps stories but with adults.

For me I felt like towards the end the twist did not land so well for me since I saw it coming and it was not such a strong ending as I hoped. However this was a great read for anyone looking for a Halloween novella and perfect for the season.

I personally wish the story went a little longer than it did. There’s so much more that could have been done with it. For what it is, though, I enjoyed the story! In the beginning it slightly reminded me of Trick ‘r Treat, but then went in a different way.

The Last Night of October is definitely a Halloween tale for readers who want something that feels like that time of year in every way. We go into the story assuming so much from past tales of the season, and we're intended to, but I 'm happy to say that nothing is quite as you might at first expect, least of all how everything plays out by the end. I absolutely plan to seek out other work from Chapman, who does a beautiful job telling his story and making accompanying art that sets each of the scenes nicely.

This was dark and charming. Overall very satisfying Halloween story. No surprises but still worth a read.

Gerald is a elderly man who despises Halloween. His nurse is about to find out why. Suspense filled Halloween tale that will make you think twice about opening your door on Halloween. Scary short read.

Simple little Halloween story; short and sweet. It's not anything that will keep you up at night, but it's still a fun and quick read, if perhaps a little bit basic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I finished this intense novel in one sitting. I was able to do so not because of the short length, but I needed to know how this would end.

I loved this atmospheric Halloween novel.

This review is for an ARC received through NetGalley.
Greg Chapman's The Last Night of October reads like an old school scary story. Though the author is Australian, the story has a very classic Americana feel to it. This short tale feels like something Bradbury would have penned. While the main character, Gerald, is frustrating at first as he refuses to tell even an iota of why Halloween scares him so much, as the tale plays out everything is explained satisfactorily, and with some nice plot twists.

In this short novella, author Greg Chapman tries to capture the spirit of Halloween whilst telling a much more sinister story.

All Gerald wanted to do every 31st October was to go trick or treating with his best friend, but when an ill-fated trip during a blizzard ends in disaster he starts to rethink his love of all things All Hallows Eve.

The Last Night of October, while albeit short, certainly packs a whole narrative into its low page count, crafting Gerald, now an old man as a mystery in himself whilst teasing a larger plot that will come to pass later.

It would have been very easy for Chapman to tread the well-worn path of Halloween horror stories but it feels like he goes out of his way and break with tradition and the story is all the better for it.

While Halloween may be months away, this novella will certainly get you in the mood for pumpkins and ghostly tales in no time.

A short story about an old man with a deep fear of Halloween. Unfortunately, I didn't find it interesting enough to finish. DNF.

The Last Night in October is a unique take on the Halloween horror story. Gerald is an old in a wheelchair with a fear with a fear of Halloween for a good reason. Something terrible happened in Geralds childhood with his best friend on Halloween and the past isn’t staying dead. However, on this night, Gerald’s visiting nurse is with him as the sun goes down.
“There was only the boy’s blood and his eyes and she believed she might quite possibly drown in both of them.”
This book has major tension building and keeps you hungry for more. I finished this in one sitting because I got lost in the story. There were scenes that I did not see coming, characters that I did not like, only to find them growing on me, and a history that I want to know more about.

The Last Night of October by Greg Chapman

What a spooky little read! It’s been a while since I’ve read any horror fiction, and the Last Night of October reminded me how much I enjoy the genre. This little novella will be an easy sell alongside the typical Halloween standards, and readers will find the illustrations a bonus. I loved the cover art.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for approving this digital copy.

I began this novella thinking that I'd read for a bit before getting some work done. So much for those plans. Once I started it I couldn't stop and read right through in one sitting. The entire story takes place on two Halloween evenings in the life of Gerald Forsyth. The current Halloween, with a terrified George in his wheelchair on Oxygen and a Halloween in the 1950's, the last Halloween that started out fun and ended in terror. Halloween was never fun again for Gerald.
Every Halloween Gerald hears a knock on his door from a child who is not there for candy. He hides in his house until "it" goes away. Unfortunately, he has a Home Health Nurse in his home at the wrong time this year and she opens that door. With the opening of the door we meet the "it" that George has feared all of these years and, finally, Gerald tells the story of that Halloween in the 50's to the visiting Nurse. We learn the truth with her.
I was sucked in from the moment I began reading. All of the characters are sympathetic, minus the lady at the tree....you'll see. Read and enjoy. #netgalley #TheLastNightOfOctober

Poor Gerald is not long for this world. Alone and lonely near the end of his days, his only visitors are the nurse who comes to check his vitals and a yearly terrifying specter of his past that makes itself known every Halloween. On this particular night, he has a new nurse, who asks too many questions, over stays her welcome, and invites Gerald's greatest fear to come on in.

When I read the description I thought it sounded familiar but it wasn't until a few pages in that I realized I had read this novella before. Such are the hazards of reading so many books you sometimes lose track of what you've read. I first enjoyed this story when it was previously published in the Halloween Carnival series of anthologies. It's a fun spooky story for Halloween or any time of year for those of us who enjoy ghost stories all year round. I love the new illustrations inside too that I didn't get to see the first time around. This is a great read for those who like to keep Halloween close every day of the year.

Excellent, short book that left me wanting more! Reminded me of the great Charles L Grant. I loved it and highly recommend it!