Weird Tales to Haunt Your Reptilian Brain: Volume I - edited by Stephen Rhoades
Weird Tales to Haunt Your Reptilian Brain: Volume I is a collection of twenty-eight short horror stories. Edited by Stephen Rhoades, it was released on June 10, 2025 by Burial Books and weighs in at 415 pages.
First off, I love the cover of this book! I could tell right away I was in for a fun ride, and I wasn’t wrong.
I noticed some themes while reading this anthology. The stories have streaks of greed, selfishness, betrayal, guilt, and my favorite—revenge. If there’s one thing I love in a horror story, it’s a tale of come-uppance that brings characters to their knees. I got that and then some in many of the stories, along with a healthy dose of the other traits I mentioned. The stories were unique and varied, and human desire and emotion ruled supreme throughout the book.
It takes a bit to get me scared, but I did find myself feeling anxious and disgusted while reading, which is always a bonus! When a story makes you physically feel something, that’s a plus for me. A handful of the pieces created that feeling. I will say there was one story with an injured animal, which I don’t prefer, but I got through the scene and enjoyed the rest of that particular story.
It’s hard to give too much info about an anthology as a whole, so I like to share my notes on the stories that resonated most with me. This is my Top 10 list, in order of appearance.
“The Dark Sent Something Back” by Richard J. O’Brien: What a great story! I felt lost and lone, just like the characters. The suspense and dread was palpable. This story kept me on my toes. Great way to start!
“Satisfied” by J. R. Graham: Fantastic story of revenge! Loved the fantastical take on the matriarchy. Beautiful descriptions.
“Haint Tree” by Melissa Burkley: This is a wonderful story rife with beautiful language. Timely tale. Excellent characters.
“Escapism” by Megan Diedericks: I love the underlying existential feel of this story and the way the author unfolded the main character’s inner turmoil, piece by piece. I found myself thinking back to it numerous times after reading. Deep and disturbing.
“Fool’s Gold” by Elijah M. Newton: I was all in on this one. The main character was so deep and real to me. I bought every moment and felt like I was there. Totally engrossed!
“The Vigil of the Heretic and the Thief” by J. L. Royce: I love a story where I can’t guess the ending. I was rapt! Great historical feel.
“I Am the Body” by Winnie Soldi: Excellent tale! I loved feeling like I could understand both sides of two worlds. It makes you think. I was drawn in fully by the characters and the plot. I was immersed. Wow.
“Andie” by Jen Mierisch: I love this kind of creepy story! I want to say why, but I don’t want to give it away! I was hanging on every word! Short, sweet, and spooky!
“Extreme Eats” by Matthew Fryer: I got a kick out of this one, especially the premise! Fun spin on reality. Very enjoyable!
“Resort Gaia” by Panayiotis Antoniades & Rebecca Rowland: What a story! This hits home in a lot of ways when it comes to the world today. Great plot, and a cast of characters you’ll love to hate. Fantastic.
It’s difficult to limit myself to a set number, but I felt that these stories showcased the variety and depth of the volume as a whole. All in all, it was a very enjoyable book! Kudos to all of the authors involved!!!
More from Burial Books:
Burial Books
Burial Books publishes primarily horror and dark fantasy books. However, along with our publishing imprint Howdy Dude Paperbacks, we also publish westerns, crime fiction, and some science fiction & fantasy books.
***taken from the Burial Books website
