This collection of short to medium length (in my opinion) horror stories suck you right into their atmosphere. They all had their own "thing" or variety...they all were unique and were about their own thing, whether you want a monster or creature, something more psychological, or a thriller, etc. The stories were all very descriptive...the characters, for the most part were pretty well developed with their own motives and internal/ external struggles. Their feelings or fears were shown...or whatever the emotion of the story they were in was...they mostly matched the vibe of the story. The writing style was to me clear for the most part.

I do admit with some stories, I had to read things all over again, but I think it depended on my interest in the story more than anything. If you are in the mood for a good collection of stories for Halloween, I would recommend this collection. What stood out most to me was Chopknuckle by Noah Pohl. It was a longer story in this collection and this took me 2 or 3 sessions to read and I am a pretty fast reader, but hey, it did keep my interest, it was easy to break into sections due to the divisions or transitions between the scenes, and it was very descriptive.

Shadow Lab, Volume Two drops on Halloween of 2025, bringing together another round of genre-blurring horror and speculative tales, all curated by editor Brendan Deneen (yep, the publishing exec turned storyteller). This time, the lineup leans eclectic in the best way. You’ll find Katharyn Blair’s “Deadlanders,” where a rookie guardian in the afterlife fights to protect her sister, and David Moody’s “The Uninvited,” which turns an already-bad high school penthouse party into something nightmarish when the soul of a mass murderer shows up. Gemma Amor twists corporate culture into something darker in “The Retreat,” and more voices—like Ari Marmell, Nic James, and others—push the collection in all sorts of unexpected directions. As with any anthology, not every story will hit the same for everyone, but the mix makes for a sharp, surprising ride through fear in all its forms. If you’re into horror that isn’t afraid to experiment, Volume Two is well worth a dive.

Shadow Lab is filled with some great horror short stories. A lot of new to me authors. Vampires, demons, awkward work retreats….a little bit of everything.

My favorite was The Retreat by Gemma Amore. Veteran, Laura, is just lucky to have a job coming out of the military. But this boring office job is getting to her. Until a disgruntled employee brings a gun to work and Laura’s military training kicks in. She’s invited to a very exclusive work retreat with the hope of a promotion and more money, but finds the company worships more than the all mighty dollar.

I loved the first Shadow Lab so much and I was so excited to see there's a new one! These are such great collections of short stories. They don't use the same kind of setting but they're all unusual and unique and haunting -- I still think about some of the stories from the first one. The stories in this are the same, full of interesting ideas that make you stop and come back to reality when they're done.