The Shivers Collection is a collection of five horror short stories all by excellent authors.

1. Jackknife by Joe Hill
Good solid horror with a spooky, malevolent tree and some very unpleasant deaths. I have read a few books by Joe Hill before and I do enjoy his style. I do not read them before I go to bed though. 4 stars

2. The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones
A little scary because some very strange things happen, but I was not able to follow the sequence of events to my own satisfaction. I was not tempted to read it twice so I can only say it was okay but not great. 2 stars

3. The Blanks by Grady Hendrix
Decidedly creepy and definitely not bedtime reading. Hendrix could really use the Blanks in a full-size book. I for one would certainly like to know more about them. 5 stars

4. Night and Day in Misery by Catriona Ward
Beautifully written, spooky but not scary, a very sad story about a mother and the death of her child. 4 stars

5. Letter Slot by Owen King
A very clever tale about a boy who is offered the chance to improve his fortune but it comes at the cost of someone else's suffering. What will he choose to do? Twisty ending. 4 stars

Altogether a very good collection and worthy of a collective 4 stars

Jackknife. Joe's Hill

Ruined by scandal, Dennis Lange is hoping for a comeback. Selling the ge, and a unhealthy attraction to a student of his. And to make matters worse there was a giant tree that seemed to be stalking him. Strange but compelling tale from a master of the spooky stuff that makes you both scared and slightly uncomfortable

The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones
Don’t lose your head over office politics…The horrors of the modern workplace meet actual horror in a fiendishly entertaining short story from New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones.

I have to say, Graham Jones hit it out of the park with this one!
Great story, the visuals were awesome, I could see that conference room and knew just how that elevator felt as it moved.
I cared about the main character and I felt her growing fear for her son.
Well done Mr. Jones, well done.

The Blanks by Grady Hendrix
Residents have an unspoken pact with the island’s unnatural inhabitants: ignore them, live happily. But in New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix’s thrilling short story, one boy can’t look away—and pays the price.
True horror is the sadness and pain of a loss you know you can't avoid or stop.
Such a well written andnhard hitting story. Hendrix is a request artist with a pen.

Night and Day in Misery by Catriona Ward
In the gloom of her hotel, a mother readies to rejoin her past. Feverish nightmares meet the chilling light of day in this haunting short story from USA Today bestselling author Catriona Ward.

What's worse? The pain of loss or finding out the truth that led to that loss?
A hard hitting, intense story that moves you to tears. Not sure if the tears come from pity or the pain of her past. Maybe both. Probably both.
Catriona Ward wrote a tale I wont soon forget.

Letter Slot by Owen King
A helping hand, a fateful cost. In this ominous short story from New York Times bestselling author Owen King, the cost of living keeps rising—and it collects payment from the soul.
Interesting take on making a wish for better luck. Not sure if it falls under "be careful what you wish for" or not.
I found the ending a little u satisfactory though. Not only was the who of the good luck a bit unbelievable, the boys response didn't seem to be on track with the rest of the story. Overall not bad.

A series of short stories by today's new horror writers, The Shivers, punlished April 15, 2025.

Thanks to @netgalley and Brilliance Publishing and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

The first collection of short love stories was mostly great, 2 duds
Every one since, I have not enjoyed a majority of the stories. This wasn't really horror?
Not a fan

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for this advanced readers copy of the Shivers Collection in exchange for my honest review.

Honestly, this collection did not impress me. There is not much to say as each novella is less than 50 pages, but one of them bored me to death, one included writing that cringed me out and contained unnecessarily disgusting diction, and the other three novellas were meh. I wish I had something good to say about this collection. They were not thrilling or scary in the least, and I was expecting more. I guess I can say I enjoyed The Blanks the most.

A solid, spooky collection by some of horrors biggest names-
Ranking-
Jack Knife by Joe Hill 3.5
The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones 4
The Blanks by Grady Hendrix 5
Night and Day in Misery by Catrina Ward 3.5
LetterSlot by Owen King 5

As with any collection, I enjoyed some more than others. Stephen Graham Jones writing a story in an office setting made me chuckle as I waited for the gore. He did not disappoint!
Grady Hendrix story read like an episode of Black Mirror- a seemingly normal family going away for the summer vacation. Is this horror or quiet brilliance as a metaphor for white privilege?
Another favorite was Letterslot by Owen King. It’s coming of age with a twist and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker.


Thank you to NetGalley for early access!

An excellent collection. It ranges from EC Horror comic-style sick jokes (which I love), to grief horror and moral what-would-you-do? horror (both of which I love). Great stuff all around.

This short story collection wasn’t my favorite. To be honest I liked more stories on Amazon’s Creature Feature collection.
👻 Grady Hendrix’s story The Blanks reminded me so much as the tv show From it was really distracting.
👻 Catriona Ward’s story was interesting but not scary. I did enjoy it though.
👻 Stephen Graham Jones’ story was violent but it left me wanting more.
👻 Owen King’s story was my favorite.
👻 Joe Hill’s story reminded me of The Shining but I liked the weird twist that the story took.

Another amazing collection released by Amazon. The stories were short but they packed a punch. I especially loved The Blanks and it was the only 5 star in the collection for me. The rest were around 3-4.5 stars.

While overall I enjoyed the Shivers Collection, there definitely were some hits and misses like I always seem to have with short story collections!

Here are my thoughts on each:

Jack Knife ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Liked the creepy sycamore tree with a dark past (and present)! Disliked the MMC. Loved the ending!!

The Indigo Room ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Reminded me of Final Destination, just in an office setting. Not sure what to make of the ending. I normally love SGJ, but this was just meh.

The Blanks ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow, an excellently creepy and disturbing story! And that ending…man, that was bleak! This was my favorite in the collection!

Night and Day in Misery ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I actually teared up with this one! An incredibly dark and sad tale of grief with a touch of paranormal.

Letter Slot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A stark reminder to be careful what you wish for! And the ending made my jaw drop!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

Jackknife di Joe Hill
Joe Hill mi piace sempre, anche se sulla carta il suo tipo di horror - molto classico, sotto tutti i punti di vista - non avrebbe nulla per interessarmi. Eppure costruisce in poche pagine personaggi così interessanti (e, in questo caso, così ossessionati) da rendere la storia in sé irrilevante. Sono i personaggi che mi mettono a disagio, mai la vicenda; e non è poco.

The Indigo Room di Stephen Graham Jones
Stephen Graham Jones e io proprio non ci prendiamo, né sulla lunga né sulla breve distanza; venticinque pagine in cui mi interessava talmente poco la voce narrante da perdermi interi paragrafi.
Con questo abbandono ogni tentativo di approfondire la sua conoscenza: non siamo fatti l’una per l’altro.🤷🏻‍♀️

The Blanks di Grady Hendrix
Amo come Grady Hendrix manipola con gusto tutti i topoi dell’horror classico. Qui costruisce una storia d’atmosfera, ben lontana dalle carneficine che mette in scena di solito, ma non meno inquietante.
Il prezzo che si paga per la serenità d’animo: ignorare tutto ciò che può mettere in pericolo il nostro mondo. A qualsiasi costo.

Night and Day in Misery di Catriona Ward
Una classica storia di fantasmi, con un sottotesto psicologico reso benissimo, con pochi accenni; e alla fine una storia di guarigione.

Letter Slot di Owen King
Primo incontro con il secondo figlio scrittore di Stephen King, e anche questa una conoscenza che sono contenta di aver fatto. Ottimi personaggi, un protagonista credibile, e un horror classico, lento, incentrato sulle emozioni.
Non credo che reggerei un romanzo, ma questo racconto me lo sono gustato.

Looking for some bite-size horror?

The Shivers is a collection of short stories by five talented horror writers. Each story spans about 45 pages or roughly an hour on audio. These tales twist ordinary experiences into something eerie, blending the mundane with supernatural dread. The result is a collection that is unsettling, atmospheric, and surprisingly emotional at times. I thoroughly enjoyed all the narrators, and I believe you can't go wrong with either format.

I’m obsessed with Amazon Original Stories.
The Shivers collection written by five amazing authors: Joe Hill, Stephen Graham Jones, Grady Hendrix, Catriona Ward, and Owen King nailed these short stories.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.

These stories are quick, easy dives into eerie tales that make you think beyond your immediate reality. I loved that I could do a short read and complete one in a sitting.. I especially liked Owen King’s and Catrina Ward’s stories, it all were very entertaining. Many thanks to the authors, publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of the collection. All opinions are my own.

Overall, I thought this was a solid collection. The Blanks was the creepiest. Night and Day in Misery was the most heartbreaking. My favorites of the bunch were The Blanks and Letter Slot. The Indigo Room and Night and Day in Misery were great stories as well but didn’t hit me quite as hard. Jackknife started out strong, had a great premise, but ultimately, fell flat for me.

My ratings:

The Blanks by Grady Hendrix — 4.5 /5⭐️

Letter Slot by Owen King — 4.5 /5⭐️

The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones— 4/5⭐️

Night and Day in Misery by Catriona Ward — 4/5⭐️

Jackknife by Joe Hill — 3.5/5⭐️

These stories are available through Kindle Unlimited or for individual purchase through Amazon. On sale now!

#1: “Jackknife” by Joe Hill ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Well I’ll never look at a tree the same again 🥲 I wish we’d gotten more into the lore of the sycamore’s past, I need to know who hurt him.

#2: “The Indigo Room” by Stephen Graham Jones ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This story had such an interesting premise (your average 9-5 office worker experiencing terrifying visions during a board meeting), but like with most short stories, I wish it was just a liiiiiiittle longer as I was definitely left wanting more once I got to the end.

#3: “The Blanks” by Grady Hendrix ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DANG this one had me LOCKED IN. It felt like Grady Hendrix dropped us into an episode of Supernatural, so obviously I loved every second of it! Definitely my favorite in the series so far.

#4: “Night and Day In Misery” by Catriona Ward ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ugh this one was gut-wrenching 😭 My heart broke for Stella’s journey of grieving the loss of her family, and her longing to join her son in death. A tragic story with a little ray of hope at the end.

#5: “Letter Slot” by Owen King ⭐️⭐️⭐️

“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”

Blake certainly learned this lesson as he continued dropping scraps of paper containing the names of people he despises into the magical, genie-esque letter slot in exchange for good luck. A great final story of The Shivers series!

Solid little anthology! I’ve read and enjoyed books by all of these authors previously so I absolutely had high expectations. Every single story was a 4-5 star for me, with Owen King’s “Letter Slot” being my favorite of the collection.

The Shivers collection is aptly named as all five of these short stories are the type to give you goosebumps. “Jackknkife” and “Night and Day in Misery” both explore themes of grief and loss with some really heavy vibes. SGJ’s “The Indigo Room” involves a sort of cosmic darkness that gives its protagonist visions of future chaos. “The Blanks” by Grady Hendrix involves a vacation town with a dark spin. And “Letter Slot” involves a young man just trying to help his single mother escape illness and squalor, but things are never as easy as they appear.

It’s a fantastic collection of stories and while all of these stories felt cohesive, many could easily be expanded into longer novels. “The Blanks” and “Jackknife,” particularly, had some history I could’ve spent another few hundred pages discovering. All in all a really solid collection and one I’d recommend to horror lovers.

I’m sure Joe Hill is tired of being compared to his dad, but it’s hard not to make the comparison when “Jackknife” gives off such strong “old horror” vibes, a la one of Stephen King’s earlier short story collections. In this nasty little tale, a disgraced college professor is walking a path near his Airbnb when he finds an uprooted ancient sycamore, pierced by an old jackknife. When he removes the jackknife from the tree, not realizing its importance there, he unwittingly awakens something evil.

“Jackknife” is the kind of story that starts off strongly rooted (pun intended) in reality, before evolving into something otherworldly and terrifying. Dennis is a man hoping for a new start, after an inappropriate relationship with a student ends both his career and his marriage, and maybe a cursed tree will be just the research project to put him back on track. But the tree isn’t having it, and what comes next is so entertaining. Like his dad (again with the comparisons, sorry Joe!!), Hill has a real knack for making ordinary things horrifying, and that is definitely the case with “Jackknife.” It’s a deliciously dark fable, and the moral of the story is to leave things (students, old rusted jackknives) alone if they aren’t yours to take – or suffer the consequences.

“Jackknife” is part of The Shivers Collection, available today from Amazon Original Stories.

From the very first paragraph, there is something unsettling about “The Indigo Room.” We’re in an impersonal office conference room, where a group of (likely overworked and underpaid) employees are listening to a boring presentation. But this is Stephen Graham Jones, so we know that all is not as ordinary as it appears to be. And that assumption is proven correct a few pages later, when an employee named Jennifer has a frightening vision involving one of her coworkers. And after that, what promised to be a typical, mundane office day goes completely off the rails.

“The Indigo Room” is disorienting and unsettling, all the more so for its modern office setting – where nothing interesting ever happens and everyone is just counting down the hours until it’s quitting time. So when something violent occurs, it’s all the more shocking. There’s some interesting commentary about office politics and double standards and single parenthood. SGJ as a tendency to be a bit verbose, and that is the case in “The Indigo Room.” He definitely piqued my interest with a creepy, original concept, and although I enjoy ambiguity especially in short stories, I still wanted a bit more explanation in the end.

“The Indigo Room” is part of The Shivers Collection, available today from Amazon Original Stories.

Grady Hendrix has been releasing hit after hit lately, and that trend continues with “The Blanks.” Picture it: a beautiful island, accessible only by ferry, making it an exclusive summer haven for wealthy families. There is only one rule, and life on the island is idyllic as long as you follow it. Never mind if someone occasionally disappears…

I’m going to leave it at that, because it’s best to let “The Blanks” surprise you – and it will. What starts as a story about a family’s summer vacation ends as something truly horrifying and almost unbearably sad. Simmering beneath the surface are complex questions about the lies we tell ourselves, the truths we ignore, and the choices and sacrifices we are forced to make. The story’s tone and pacing are pitch-perfect. I’m basically a Grady Hendrix fangirl at this point, but even if I wasn’t, I think I’d still say that “The Blanks” is one of the best short horror stories I’ve ever read.

“The Blanks” is part of The Shivers Collection, available today from Amazon Original Stories.

One thing I didn’t expect from The Shivers Collection is that so many of the stories – four out of five, actually – would explore parenthood themes. And none of those four deals with the complexities of motherhood more overtly than “Night and Day in Misery,” in which a woman named Stella, grieving the loss of her husband and son, finds herself at a tipping point in the same motel room where they stayed before their deaths.

“Night and Day in Misery” is a gutting, suffocating story infused with hopelessness, as Stella finds herself crushed under the weight of her unbearable guilt and grief. There is a supernatural element, but the true horror of the story lies in the darkness and devastation of Stella’s state of mind. It’s a well-composed story, but a bit relentlessly heavy for me. It gave me the same feeling as reading something by Eric LaRocca. Content warnings for suicidal ideation and alcoholism.

“Night and Day in Misery” is part of The Shivers Collection, available today from Amazon Original Stories.

“Letter Slot” gives strong classic horror vibes and features one of my favorite tropes: the Faustian bargain. When done well, it makes for a kickass horror story – and Owen King definitely does it well. The narrator is a teenager named Blake with a sick mother, and on a whim, he pours out all of his worries, hopes, and fears into a letter and drops it through the mail slot of an abandoned show house in his neighborhood. Imagine his surprise when he receives a response, which promises health and good fortune in return for the name of a person he hates.

We as the readers can see where this is going, but Blake doesn’t quite grasp all of the implications, which adds a lot of tension to the story. He is so sympathetic, and this story is both deeply emotional and existentially terrifying. It really got under my skin in the best way and surprised me with its reveals. I need an entire short story collection by Owen King, please and thank you.

“Letter Slot” is part of The Shivers Collection, available today from Amazon Original Stories.

Jackknife: 4⭐️
A very creepy and atmospheric horror story. I added one more star to my rating after letting it simmer for a few days.
I did enjoy the horror aspect of this one, even if it was a bit predictable. The ending was ok but a bit anticlimactic for my taste.
However, the most interesting thing about this story for me was finding myself reading the main character’s thoughts and being disgusted and angry at him. My understanding is that we’re supposed to feel that way, but I liked that the author never explicitly tells us he thinks this is a bad person.

The Indigo Room: 3⭐️
I think I enjoyed the execution more than the premise but overall it’s an entertaining short horror story.
It's funny that the author admitted he never worked a corporate job because he perfectly captured the feeling of a pointless meeting.
The writing was good, I'd never read anything from this author before but I'm intrigued now!

The Blanks: 4⭐️
One of my favorites from this horror story collection.
I really liked that it wasn’t clear what the horror element would be until well into the narration. The author expertly lures us into this character’s world and we forget we were reading a horror story at first. I also loved that very little is explained. The ending was very good too.
I'd read one book from this author before and I enjoyed it, I think I should check his other works.

Night and Day in Misery: 3⭐️
The writing was good and I thought the premise was interesting, but I found this story more sad than scary.
Also, this almost never happens to me but I don’t think I understood the ending 😅 I tried re-reading it but it didn’t click for me.
Despite that, I thought it was a good story. I'll take a look at other works from this author.

Letter Slot: 4⭐️
Another horror story from this collection that is more unsettling than scary.
This one had a classic premise, and it could've been predictable but the ending surprised me.

The Shivers is a solid collection of five short horror stories from some of the well-known horror writers of today, A huge thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to preview this title.

Joe Hill's "Jackknife" was a solid entry to start the collection. It has a great "Tales From the Crypt" vibe to it where the protagonist gets his rather deserved comeuppance even if it is not in an exactly ironic manner.

Next, there is "The Indigo Room" by Stephen Graham Jones. While my least favorite of the stories, it was an acceptable piece. Not really sure short stories are the format for Jones' talents, as there just wasn't quite enough to really get me into this story.

Grady Hendrix's "The Blanks" was another rather mediocre entry. It was a little too predictable for me, although quite well written. Again, I don't think Hendrix is a great short story format writer.

The penultimate story of the collection is "Night and Day in Misery" by Catriona Ward. I loved this story. In true Gothic horror ghost story style, Ward captured an excellent tale of emotion with fright that is all too real. I have not read anything by Ward in the past (the only author in this collection that I am completely unfamiliar with), but I will actively be pursuing other titles based on the quality of this story.

Lastly, Owen King brings us "Letter Slot". I am willing to say that I have not been impressed by most of what King has written. Fairly or not, I compare King to both his father and brother all too often. I am glad to say this story has made me rethink my disappointment with much of his work. While the plot was not very original (and so I was waiting to see how the turnaround finally hit), the twist King wrapped this story with was every bit worthy of a story by his father or brother (and there I go again comparing the poor guy). A great story.

Solid collection all around, so do yourself a favor and check it out!

Wow, this is easily the best Amazon Original short story collection yet. There was not one dud in the bunch. I mean, with the authors on this roster I expected magic, and I’m glad they all delivered. The biggest surprise for me was Owen King’s Letter Slot. Of all the authors, I am least familiar with his work so I was pleasantly surprised when his story tied with Kendrix’s The Blanks as my favorite. These were followed by Ward’s Night and Day in Misery, Jones’ The Indigo Room, and then Hill’s Jackknife. But honestly, like I said, all very good.

If you’re a supernatural horror fan, pick these up!