Silverweed Road

A collection of chilling and weird short stories all set in one everyday urban street ... or is it !

I really enjoyed this selection of stories and loved the way they interlinked there was a couple of them I wasn't so keen on but definitely a creepy and enjoyable read. Great for Spooky season.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and Simon Crook for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review

In all honesty, after reading around 20 pages or so around victor and his birds I gave up! Unless you can hook me from the first few pages, it’s not something I’m keen to continue.
I’m not sure where the book was going and to be honest, I wasn’t interested to find out.

I really enjoyed this book. It had some elements of Roald Dahl’s tales of the unexpected. The stories were all short enough to read in a sitting, and very cleverly woven through all were the links to the past, and connections to the other characters. Recommend this book.

There is something very wrong on Silverweed Road. What appears to be an ordinary suburban street in Kent is anything but. Dozens of deaths and disappearances, all unsolved, and all pretty darn mysterious and improbable. This book tells the stories of what happened at and around ten of the properties on the street, all of the stories connecting to give a bigger picture of the evil that lurks on Silverweed Road.

A wonderfully dark and creepy read.

Horror stories for Halloween!

Silverweed Road - where someone dies at every address. A quiet cul de sac of assorted characters and the gruesome ways they meet their end. Each story takes us to a different property in the road and ends with the blog from the most the former chief detective of Kent, who becomes more and more stressed as people keep dying of bizarre causes.

More horror than gothic, which is what I'd been wanting, this might be a bit much for some people's tastes, but if you love creepy horror then this should be right up your street!

This is a nice collection of short stories based around the creepy going’s on in Silverweed Road, perfect for the spooky season.

The stories aren’t horrifically dark or gory, more along the lines of “Tales from the Crypt” (if your old enough to remember that!), just really creepy and short enough to do in one sitting.

My thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This review will be uploaded on Amazon and Waterstones on the release date..

I loved this book! It was so clever and unique! I loved most of the stories, a couple weren’t as good but still enjoyed the whole book! I can’t say too much without giving it away but this is such a good spooky, slightly gory read!

A compilation of short stories, bound together with a common thread, Silverweed Road. Each chapter takes on a new house and the residents of the property. Interspersed with a “blog” from the lead detective at the time, who tries to make sense of the events and occurrences that abound. It is very much in the style of a comic strip and there is a lot of humour as well as the dark side.

The idea of this book really appealed, and as we are getting towards spooky season I though it would be a good read. And, to be fair, in part it was. Some stories were better than others, which is usually the case in most compilations, though the final story was the winner for me. However, there was a lot of filler, with fancy flourishes and unnecessary repetition which made it a very long read. As a rule, I speed through short story books but this one proved more of a challenge. A more snappy book would have held the stories together better imo.

I would recommend, but skimming is advisable!

Thank you NetGalley.

4 Stars
One Liner: Atmospheric and entertaining
Silverweed Road is a spooky, strange, and chilling area with creepy activities and weird people. Everyone on the road is a stranger to the other and has secrets to hide. From spine-chilling sounds to unexplainable disappearances, Silverweed Road is where no outsider wants to go.
But what happened to the people living along the road? Detective Chief Inspector Jim Heath goes through his notes to talk about the cases he encountered.
The book is a collection of horror stories with a common setting and multiple themes like greed, human failings, mad brilliance, etc.

The Jackdaw- 4.5 Stars
Victor Hagman is obsessed with his garden. His wife Patricia realizes that Victor is no longer who he was, and the garden is the only thing that matters. So when the Jackdaw pair thaws Victor’s attempts to protect his late-season raspberries, it unleashes a series of incidents that changes their lives forever.
This is totally my kinda story! It is atmospheric, creepy, and dark. I knew what would happen but was still curious to see if that’s how the story would progress. The ending is poetic (not the verses one) and concludes the story with perfection.
The Plot- 3.8 Stars
Cleo Marsh is a young artist, a reclusive painter who shot to fame with her bold paintings. The demand to interact with the buyers pushes her into a void. Meeting Margaret Prowler seems like a good thing. What happens when Cleo goes to Margaret’s retreat on Silverweed Road?
The story takes time to get to the point, but the buildup is necessary to understand Cleo and her actions. This, too, is an atmospheric setting where we know something will happen. The concept is great, but I didn’t feel the ending hit me as it should.
Caught Red-Handed- 4.2 Stars
Augustus Fry needs a deal to stay afloat. After all, shady antique business doesn’t run without artifacts and gullible sellers. When some Mr. Butterworth from a tiny place calls about a ring, Augustus knows what he has to do. The deal goes better than he expected. But what’s with those strange occurrences in his house?
This one ups the horror quotient as the story progresses. While the house in Silverweed Road isn’t the focus, that’s where the action takes place. I expected the final twist, but there’s a teeny one that made me smile (sinister types). I do love paranormal entities with ethics. Very important, I say!
Cuttlefish, Cuttlefish- 4.5 Stars
Dr. Eric Akoto is all set for the experiment of his lifetime on cuttlefish. It seems to progress well until things take a turn for worse. Can Dr. Eric uncover the secret? What happens to him?
This is the best story in the book until now. It’s sci-fi horror written in the diary format where Dr. Eric records his thoughts and observations each day. The story is fascinating and eww (depending on how active your imagination is). I enjoyed this one a lot.
Crash Flowers- 3.7 Stars
Shanta Kapoor wakes up to an accident outside her home. The crash site is filled with flowers from people in the street. The pink orchids grab Shanta’s attention and start yet another cycle. Where will this lead her?
The story went really well till the end. It was atmospheric and oppressive as it should be. But I didn’t like the reveal, though it does have some merit. I’d have preferred something more connected with the story itself.
Darts with the Devil- 3.7 Stars
Terry Slater has dartritis (a psychological disorder that locks his elbow and prevents him from throwing darts). Nothing he does helps him overcome his humiliating loss in the past and his current inability to throw the darts. What happens when he shakes hands with the Devil?
You can guess the plot from the title and the blurb. Yep, it goes exactly the way you think it would. The writing was gripping and kept me invested till the end despite the predictability. It is good, but not the best.
The Vanslow Fox- 4 Stars
Vanslow Lee’s life is no longer his. He turns into a fox every Sunday night. He meets the ruler of the Woods during one such period. Will this give him a chance to live again, or will it push him into an abyss?
The story is pretty much in constant action from start to finish. As with the ones, a few elements from the earlier stories are woven into the narrative. The ending was interesting (including the Chief Inspector’s notes).
The Mogon- 3.7 Stars
Geppetto Savini comes out of retirement to create his masterpiece, The Mongon, for a movie. His metal costumes have been famous before, but the latest is his best work ever. However, a sudden change of plans ruins things for him. Or will he take control of the situation?
This is a character-based story where Geppetto is the hero, villain, and victim. While I enjoyed the decline into madness and the subsequent actions, I felt the story was a little rushed and focused more on graphical description (gore) than horror.
Dust- 4.5 Stars
Leo Harbinger and his wife Pippa are on their special trip to Scotland for their tenth wedding anniversary? However, one of them has ulterior motives, and it could unleash something they cannot control.
Yet another story where we know what is likely to happen but want to read it to ensure that’s how the plot goes. Though it is graphic (like other stories), it keeps you hooked, especially in the second half. I love the ending of this one.
Behind the Curtain- 4 Stars
Roy and his daughter Lois live in No. 22 and track the goings of the street from behind the curtains. The forever empty house on No. 27 catches their attention. One thing leads to another and could very well end everything.
The last story in the book works as a standalone and a way to tie up the loose ends. It progresses steadily and has a few moments but doesn’t give that final punch. However, what comes after and the history of the place makes up for it.
***
To summarize, Silverweed Road is an atmospheric and creepy collection of stories with an interconnected theme. I didn’t find any Brit humor in the stories (maybe it was too subtle for m to notice). But I did find loads of horror and enjoyed reading the collection.
Thank you, NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and HarperVoyager, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #Silverweed Road
*****
There are quite a few trigger warnings, so pick it up if you’re comfortable with dark themes and graphic descriptions.

An absolutely brilliant book full of spooky and chilling short stories that are perfect for the lead up to Halloween. Don’t read at nighttime that’s for sure

The Dark Side…
What lies behind the doors in Silverweed Road - this seemingly quiet, suburban roadway where actually nothing is quite as it seems. Each door may well hold a different horror, certainly a different tale. As the reader progresses along the road they will learn a new tale of each resident which may be interconnected, may be chilling and certainly may be bizarre. With a sharp edge of dark humour injected into the storytelling, we take a walk onto the dark side of the road.

I loved the idea of this book - a series of spooky stories each telling the story behind a different door on a suburban street - a great concept and perfect for autumn and "spooky season"! However I'm disappointed to report it was let down by the writing. Many of the characters feel like they are supposed to be comic portraits of a particular "type", but all of these "types" are very out of date and based on passé stereotypes, so the book feels dated already. I would perhaps recommend it to older readers who would be likely to enjoy this type of story, and would describe it more as a comic novel in stories than a horror collection.

Weird...scary...disturbing...I loved it.

"All that lives within is sacred. And it is tired of us. So very tired."

Silverweed Road tells the story and demise of its occupants. Some bizarre, some gruesome and some downright weird (that cuttlefish story haunts me, I don't think I will ever recover) but all connected. Each story follows a different tenant and ends with the blog of the most stressed-out former chief detective in Kent. As each story goes on, you see him lose his sanity a bit more. That was really interesting to read.

The horror of this book is also really well done. I was stressed reading some of these stories! But the author also has a really good grasp of comedic timing. I don't know if it was intentional or not but the last line of the book was hilarious to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the ARC in exchange for a free review.

I usually stay away from short story collections for a few reasons, mainly being, it’s hard to capture & keep someone’s attention and make the readers care about the story in such a short space of time.
However….as this was horror stories and I’m struggling to keep my attention on anything lately, I thought this looked good.
It was. As with any compilation, you’ll struggle to love all the stories, but as long as you liked them, that’s enough.
This one fulfilled far more than any expectations I had. I would highly recommend this to everyone, and with that book cover, it’ll look fab on my bookshelves!
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my arc.

"Silverweed Road" by Simon Crook is a clever way to bring together a collection of short horror stories. In this case, the residents in Silverweed Road, all meet their end based on bizarre incidents which happen. Some stories are better than others but the ending really ties it up nicely.

I mainly enjoyed Silverweed Road.
The only reason I'm giving it 3 stars is that like over anthologies I've read, I really loved some of the stories and didn't enjoy others.
I do recommend this book though as it was still an enjoyable read.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.