Ushers is a spooky, bite-sized horror story. Following two detectives and an implausible suspect, all the fat is cut to create a very lean, tightly crafted tale.

This is my first time reading Joe Hill’s work, and this has definitely encouraged me to check out his full length novels. I’d recommend this for readers looking for a quick, creepy read, with smart dialogue and likable characters.

Synopsis: Martin Lorensen is a twenty-three-year-old counselor for disturbed teenagers. He’s bright, compassionate, attractive, and outgoing. He’s also—and this is the most interesting thing—not dead. Martin has improbably survived not one but two deadly disasters that claimed dozens of lives. The kid is riding one hell of a lucky streak. Two federal agents think there is something darker at play. Now that they’ve arranged to interview Martin, they want answers. Martin is ready to share everything he knows. One thing is for certain: when it comes to escaping death, luck doesn’t figure into it at all.

Review: Ushers is a great short story that really packs a punch. Although I did find the ending to be pretty predictable the writing style and description of the angels was very easy to read but also did a great job at keeping my interest. The overall concept was something I would be very interested in reading more about. I think the greatest achievement any short story can give would be to stick with the person reading it. I just finished reading this one, but, I can surely say I believe I will be thinking of this one even in the distant future.

My Rating: 4/5 stars overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing me with a copy of this story to review. Publication date was November 1, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is how you do a short story!!

I was hooked from the first sentence and it kept my attention the whole time! I loved how the ending came together. It was such a good use of a short story.

When you care about two characters when you only know them for 30 pages, that says something, and shows how good of a writer you are.

I love how funny and quick-witted Marvin was. He was also very kind from what I could tell. Duval was also a cool character. I liked how much he secretly cared for Marvin. They had a good banter with each other.

Honestly I’m content with the story we got, but I also wouldn’t mind following Marvin around more! That could get pretty sad though as well.

Excellent short story, I think everyone should take the time to read it.

This short story is a testament to Joe Hill's talent for crafting compelling narratives, even within a limited word count. The characters are surprisingly well-developed, drawing the reader in and evoking empathy. The stunning book cover is the cherry on top of this chilling literary treat. For these reasons, I'm giving the story 5 stars despite a somewhat familiar plot.

This was a really good short story I am not big on short stories or novellas but this was really good I actually wanted more!! I went out and bought my first Joe Hill book and cant wait to read more of his stuff. I am from Maine so stephen King was always big in my house but his son has some of the family talent for sure.

The idea is cool; the execution is stellar. No spoilers here, but Hill's descriptions are goosebump-inducing and evocative, perhaps the biggest element that plants this firmly into the horror canon. Beyond that, Hill has an easy way of allowing the audience to make the final connection about a page before he drops the hammer. A lot of punch packed into a relatively few amount of pages.

This was a great novella. The premise, sole survivor-esque mc, the supernatural elements, the understanding and realization during the twist of the story were all 5 stars. We follow Duvall and Oates as they investigate an incident with a train that left all passengers dead- except 3: a mom/ daughter duo and the guy they claim told them not to get on the train. This isn't the first time Martin has survived a massacre, a fact that concerns our investigators. The story follows as they gather more information about the train and about Martin. This was 5 stars for me.

5 stars

A quick yet thoroughly enjoyable read. The book masterfully weaves suspense and horror, keeping readers on edge with every chilling twist and heart-pounding revelation.

I really liked this short story from Joe Hill. I can't say too much about the story because it is so short but I did enjoy it.

Thanks to net gallery for this arch!

I went into this pretty blind, really only seeing the cover and title. Its a super engaging short thriller, I had a lot of fun with the twist and found myself enjoying the second interview much more.

I did find some of the writing a bit repetitive especially with the speech, a lot of “he said”, “they said”.

but overall a fun short story worth the read!

it was eerie and creepy. it made me laugh too because of how INSANELY GOOD this short novella was. i hate that it ended way too soon, i had to go back twice cause i wanted more lol. 4 stars!!

this was a frantically paced and well written little story that mixed the supernatural with real events in a nice way.
i didn’t know anything about the story so i really enjoyed how it unraveled and was told.

yes the ending was predictable but that didn’t take anything away from this and honestly there ist just so much suspense and slight horror that can be build in under 30 pages!


highly recommend for a fast but eerie read!

Absolutely Fantastic!!

Thank you to Joe Hill and his publishing team for sharing this on NetGalley 🙏

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories for providing me an ARC copy via Netgalley for review.

I loved this short story. It was quick, fun, and had a great plot. The only downside is it ended so soon. I wanted more! If you enjoy quick, supernatural, short stories that make you question life, I definitely recommend this for you!

Rating: B+

Ushers is a quality short story by horror heavyweight Joe Hill, author of Locke and Key and N0S4R2.

Two detectives interview a man who, earlier in the day, "saved" two women by telling them to not get on the train. It's more of an eerie horror than an explicit one. The characters spend most of the novel in the one scene, yet are formed well enough that they each have distinct personalities. I really enjoyed the writing and the character's description of what he's seeing; I felt them come off the page, it was so easy to picture them in my mind and follow along this creepy journey.

I did feel like the ending was rushed especially given how the rest of the story was going, I would've appreciated just a few more pages or something to pad it out a little instead of just that abruptness.

Still, good story. I really enjoyed it.

I loved this story. I thought short format was the way to go for it, too, because it kept things nice and clean and completely cut you off. The subject matter was very interesting and made me think a lot. The characters were all likable and the writing was great. All in all, I have no complaints about this short story and would recommend it to anyone who likes horror.

Beautifully written short story! I was hooked to the plot from the get go, and it was a great reveal of the boy's special abilities, and its implications.
You can see where everything is going half way into the story, but still can't help crashing into the end with the characters.
Very well done and can't wait to read more from Joe Hill!

Joe Hill has a way with story telling. My only complaint about this short story is that I wish had been a full length novel. I feel like it has been too long since his last novel. The story of a “lucky” young man who the police mistrust is tinged with the supernatural. The very ending was perfect. I just wish it had been the ending of the first chapter of something more.

My first Joe Hill book and it will definitely not be my last! I loved his style of writing and it just had me gripped from the first paragraph! Definitely going to get more of his books based on this!

I didn't realize just HOW short this story was since I read it on my Kindle with no page number showing so the ending took me by a bit of a shock because it was suddenly over! I really did enjoy this though and honestly would love if more short stories following Martin