Stranger Things Have Happened

3.5/5


STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED is a mashed-up horror anthology consisting of tales ranging from vampires to the paranormal. Most of the stories were well written, yet bland and lacked form. Gaffney’s writing shines in the final three, which I vigorously enjoyed. They are as follows:

THE DAY HAROLD SANFORD GOT CANCER-Ending was completely unexpected

MISSING-Satyrical observation on the Women Seeking Men online adds. Or perhaps, it’s ‘Something Else’ Seeking a Man.

FRAXINUS AMERICANA-The perfect short story for the seasonal summer to fall transition and brings out some natural beauty to this collection.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital copy for honest feedback.

I thought this was a great collection of short stories, the writing was really well done and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Seven stories, with a snapshot at the start and end that nicely tie the collection together.
Some of the stories come across as complete, and others as if they would serve as the opener for longer works, Napkin in particular gives the sense that there is more to explore if the author wants to.

Highlight for me was The day Harold Sanford got cancer, a neat story that reminded me of the film Momento, both with the stories structure and with the way it revealed more the further back it went.

Overall an enjoyable collection of stories and well worth a read

Firmly rooted between two stories featuring trees Thomas Gaffney branches out into the world of the strange, unnatural and downright bizarre. There is a nice collection of eclectic short stories here that range from a traditional children's ghost story to vampire derived horror. The whole book can be easily read in a few hours or like most short story anthologies can be read as when a few spare moments present themselves.

Each story had its merits but I particularly liked Eight Days a Week which cleverly attributed the distinct characteristics pertaining to each day of the week to the daily routine and personalities of a family of imagined sisters. Like the best short story horror/supernatural it is the last sentence that is most often the most important with the aim of leaving the reader with a chill down their spine and and personally speaking Gaffney achieved this with several of his stories here. Well worth a read of you like such collections.

Stranger Things Have Happened is a likable collection of short stories for those of us that like all things creepy. A big plus for me is that Thomas Gaffney does not rely on blood, guts and gore to put the scare in his tales, instead he goes for the imagination. Thank you for that. The collection starts and ends with "...a story about a tree..., which ties things together nicely and if you think about it, might remind you that some horrors never really die...they are repeated in some way or another over and over throughout lifetimes and centuries.

The stories are well written and each one managed to hook me right away. I stayed interested until the end of each, even during the ones that I had pretty muich figured out early on, such as Ghost. I think that my favorite was probably Missing, there were some surprises in that one. Eight Days A Week gets my vote for the most unique.
A quick read and nice work by a promosing author.

#StrangerThingsHaveHappened #netgalley #reviewathon

I enjoyed this collection of short stories very much. A set of stories that give you a chill – truly like the title says Stranger things. It is a quick and easy reading, so it's appropriate even for those that don't have much time. My favorite stories were Ghost and Eight Days a Week.

Thank you for this opportunity to read it. :)

This is a strong collection. "Strange" is an apt description of most stories; "weird" for others. All show the author's overall talent. Recommended for those seeking such an anthology.

I really appreciate the copy for review!!

This collection of short stories is not a lighthearted beach read. The stories are dark and unsettling but they are well-written and thoughtful. They stay with you and after each one I involuntarily paused to think about what happened after the story ended. It’s probably not something you want to read before bed but I would recommend it to anyone looking to be vaguely disturbed.

Stranger Things Have Happened by Thomas Gaffney is a collection of short stories so good, they should all be written into novels!

Each story is unique, and beautifully constructed, and although it’s a really scary collection of experiences, these are not horror stories full of blood and gore – rather they are cleverly constructed events from everyday life.

It’s a short novel which can be read in one sitting and believe me, you’ll want to do just that, so make sure you have an hour or so to get through it all.

#netgalley #strangerthingshavehappened #thomasgaffney

What a delightful read, full of mystical hypnotic details. Each short story's unique at times poetic then others haunting. I loved each story and hope to read more from this author.

Gripping stories will keep you company and on the edge of your seat and flipping those pages as fast as you can wanting to know how they end.

Loved every single one of these. Superbly written, you will not be bored.

Special thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this review copy.

A wonderful collection of stories, bookended well.
THE DAY HAROLD SANFORD GOT CANCER was an amazing story, that I've read three times now and enjoyed.
Most of the stories in there seemed perfect length, though one or two (Napkin) might be ones that could be deeper explored.

Recently I have discovered that there are some amazing books being sold on Amazon for next to nothing. This book is one of them. I was lucky enough to get this book free from Netgalley but on Amazon.com, this book is available for 99 cents, which, in my opinion, is a steal of a deal. I sound as if I am advertising for him, aren’t I? Lol. I actually am not. What I am saying is that this book is definitely worth a read.

So let’s get to the meat of this review. Stranger Things Have Happened is a collection of short stories which focus on unnatural things which happen in our supposedly normal world. Thomas Gaffney wrote ten stories about some very fascinating topics, ranging from a phoenix to the concept of karma.

My favorite story would have to be The Day Harold Sanford Got Cancer. It was interesting to find out at the end what exactly was going on and why. Considering the way society is today, it was fitting in a sense that certain things were happening to Harold Sanford. It was a story that made me think about my life, and why certain things may have happened the way they did.

I love the beginning and ending of this compilation. So many times, an anthology would start off quite strong and then fizzle out at the end. In this book, the author tied up the book by linking it right back to the beginning. Well done!

My only regret was that the book was so short. I would have loved to read more of this author’s stories. It was a quick and easy read but I was left with a sense of unease due to some of the things which happened in this book. I loved every single one of the stories.

This book should be read by adults as there was some sexual content. Religious people may have some issues because there were some devil worship and evil spirits included. Horror readers will enjoy this.

I am giving Stranger Things Have Happened a 3.5 -4 stars. I rate using the Goodreads guidelines / rating scale so 3.5 - 4 means I liked it - I really liked it.

Being a born and raised Mainer, I'm by default a Stephen King fan - it's in my blood, it's in the very air that I breathe! With that being said, I am always on the lookout for writers who embody a similar style and / or ability to give me the heebie jeebies - without taking on the persona of Stephen King. IMO, horror is difficult to write because it (horror) can mean so many different things from one person to another. Some readers find blood and gore horrific, others are terrified of ghosts, ghouls, and goblins.

Stranger Things Have Happened has "something for everyone." Seriously, there is a story that will appeal to everyone who loves horror in its most umbrella of terms. Furthermore, there may even be a story that is enjoyable to a reader who typically does not enjoy this particular genre.

I have always been a reader of novels. I think this is (maybe) the third book of short stories I have read, ever. Typically, short stories just don't tickle my fancy, but Stranger Things Have Happened is certainly an exception to that rule. (I am SO looking forward to Gaffney's novel!)

As I have stated in many of my reviews and in my NetGalley profile, I am not one who will summarize plots or go spelunking for the deeper, hidden meanings in an author's work. I write reviews to share if a book is good, bad, worth the time, etc. - and I am writing today to tell all my fellow bibliophiles that Stranger Things Have Happened is worth the time it takes to read it. Furthermore, if you don't like horror, or if you don't particularly care for short stories, pick this book up anyways because you will find an aspect of it you will enjoy . . . afterall, stranger things have happened. (Yeah, you see what I did there)!

*As always, thank you to NetGalley (and Thomas Gaffney) for allowing me to read this. If we can put in a selfish plug to remember us when the novel is ready for review - this is me doing that.*

This is a rather good collection of short stories about strange phenomena. There's a Phoenix shifter in the first story, which is something I hadn't seen before. Working out how that would manifest must have been an interesting challenge! This is followed by a soul-stealing wizard and a charming ghost story that addresses childhood bullying.

All of the stories are well-written and each leaves a thoughtful aftertaste, though I think those first three were the best, though the last one had some intense moments. I think the collection will appeal to most Horror readers for all the right reasons. Originality, mostly good execution and variety.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley.

This debut novel was a real surprise! I really really enjoyed it. The universe was fun and inventive. I love a good horror anthology and this one felt very cohesive but still told interesting and different stories. I love how all of the stories tied so beautifully together and look forward to future works by this author!

I received this from Netgalley for review. I thought this was a excellent collection of stories. All stories are exceptionally well written and the collection begins and ends with a tree. I think this collection would be excellent for anyone to read. I can usually find something I can pick at or walk away from think nah, that could have been better. I can honestly say it was not that way with any of these stories. If anything I wish there had been more. All around an exceptional book!

The stories in this book all got me in their grip very quickly. They came from some very interesting ideas. I'll never hear or read anything about killing time or go to sleep in the same way again for instance. My favourite story was the one about a fenix. I'd love to read more about the characters too!

Just as the stories were easy to dive into, they were easy to read and hard to put aside as well. I received this book yesterday afternoon, and finished it this morning.

Whoa this was a nifty one. From scary to spooky to thought provoking, Some emotional, some quick and thrilling, Short stories perfect for a lunch break or a waiting room. Each one clever, unique, and easy to get caught up in. Wonderful collection.

This collection of short stories is truly one that everyone should read if you’re into something a little creepy or a little bit suspenseful. Each story in this collection holds its own but together they create a collection of things that make you feel uneasy. This was a really fun read and I hope to see more like this in the future!