🩸 Horror Fiction

Playground of Lost Toys

✍️ Colleen Anderson
Reader Score
4.5
(1 review)
$17.95
Temporarily out of stock

Currently unavailable

This book is sold out right now. Leave your email — we'll let you know if it comes back, and you'll get 10% off any book today.

In stock now — readers of this book also loved:

A Body of Work ✨ New
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
1
Colleen Anderson
A Body of Work
$15.99
81
Edgar Allan Poe: Collected Works ✨ New
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.8
1
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe: Collected Works
$24.99
92
Frankenstein ✨ New
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.8
1
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Frankenstein
$26.95
92
The Macabre Writings of Edgar Allan Poe -14%
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.7
1
Edgar Allan Poe
The Macabre Writings of Edgar Allan Poe
$17.99 $21.00
88
Frankenstein (With Reproduction of the Inside Cover Illustration of the 1831 Edition) ✨ New
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.7
1
Mary Shelley
Frankenstein (With Reproduction of the Inside Cover Illustration of the 1831 Edition)
$11.99
88
And Then There Were None ✨ New
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.7
1
Agatha Christie
And Then There Were None
$10.99
88
📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A collection of horror stories about toys that seek revenge or life.

This anthology investigates the dark side of childhood companionship through various supernatural lenses. Anderson focuses on objects like dolls and wooden games that retain agency after being lost. The stories explore themes of revenge, hope, and murder. The setting shifts from familiar playrooms to cosmic boundaries where reality fractures. Readers encounter ancient artifacts misinterpreted by modern minds. The collection does not offer comfort but rather a chilling look at what happens when playthings gain consciousness. It is a study in dread disguised as nostalgia.

Key Themes
revenge of toys ancient artifacts cosmic horror
Literary Context

Published by Exile Editions in 2015, this work fits within the modern revival of gothic fiction. It draws on the tradition of haunted object literature. The stories blend supernatural elements with psychological dread. Anderson uses these tropes to examine fear and loss.

Difficulty
●● Medium
Recommended For Fans Of
Shirley Jackson · H.P. Lovecraft · Stephen King
🩸
Horror Fiction
🏛 Exile Editions 📅 2015 📖 304 pages 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781550965025

📝 Description: Playground of Lost Toys

Colleen Anderson presents a dynamic collection of horror stories centered on the eerie potential of childhood toys. The narrative moves beyond simple nostalgia to explore the dread and awe associated with special playthings. These tales extend to the edges of space, where games are played for keeps and minds construct their own terrifying realities. The book examines how magic may persist in forgotten objects, creating a world where computers and gods compete for dominance. The anthology features dolls, stuffed animals, wooden skill games, ancient artifacts, and items seeking revenge or life. These lost toys bring stories of companionship, loss, murder, cunning, and love. Anderson draws on gothic and supernatural traditions to craft these narratives. The collection is organized as a series of distinct tales within a sandbox setting. It suits readers who enjoy psychological horror and the uncanny valley of childhood memories. Those seeking straightforward action or non-fiction will find this work less appealing. The stories linger in the mind, focusing on the sinister side of play.

💎 Our verdict on Playground of Lost Toys

“
🩸
Horror Reads editorial team
Horror desk
Anderson crafts a dynamic collection that moves beyond simple nostalgia to explore the awe and dread associated with special playthings. By extending narratives to the edges of space where games are played for keeps, she successfully blends gothic and supernatural traditions with cosmic horror elements. The anthology effectively utilizes dolls, ancient artifacts, and wooden games to create a sandbox setting for distinct, terrifying tales. It is best suited for readers who enjoy psychological horror and the uncanny valley of childhood memories. The work lingers in the mind, offering a chilling look at what happens when playthings gain consciousness without providing easy answers or comfort.
✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers who appreciate the uncanny valley of childhood memories and the psychological horror genre will find this anthology particularly engaging. It offers a chilling examination of lost companionship and revenge, appealing to those who enjoy narratives where reality fractures under cosmic pressure. The book suits individuals drawn to gothic traditions and dark fantasy, providing a study in dread disguised as nostalgia. Those seeking comfort or straightforward action may find it less appealing, but fans of eerie, lingering tales about objects gaining consciousness will appreciate the sinister side of play explored here.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.5
Based on 1 reviews
5
0
4
1
3
0
2
0
1
0
H
Horror Reads editorial team

Anderson crafts a dynamic collection that moves beyond simple nostalgia to explore the awe and dread associated with special playthings. By extending narratives to the edges of space where games are played for keeps, she successfully blends gothic and supernatural traditions with cosmic horror elements. The anthology effectively utilizes dolls, ancient artifacts, and wooden games to create a sandbox setting for distinct, terrifying tales. It is best suited for readers who enjoy psychological horror and the uncanny valley of childhood memories. The work lingers in the mind, offering a chilling look at what happens when playthings gain consciousness without providing easy answers or comfort.

📖 From the series “Exile Book of”

Dead North: Canadian Zombie Fiction
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Dead North: Canadian Zombie Fiction
$17.95
86
Read →
Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse; The Exile Book of Anthology Series, Number Nine -21%
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse; The Exile Book of Anthology Series, Number Nine
$17.95 $23.00
86
Read →
New Canadian Noir
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Claude Lalumiere
New Canadian Noir
$18.95
81
Read →
Those Who Make Us: Canadian Creature, Myth, and Monster Stories
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Kelsi Morris
Those Who Make Us: Canadian Creature, Myth, and Monster Stories
$17.95
81
Read →

✍️ More books by this author Colleen Anderson

A Body of Work
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Colleen Anderson
A Body of Work
$15.99
81
Read →
Alice Unbound: Beyond Wonderland
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Colleen Anderson
Alice Unbound: Beyond Wonderland
$21.95
81
Read →

🏛 Books from this publisher Exile Editions

Those Who Make Us: Canadian Creature, Myth, and Monster Stories
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Kelsi Morris
Those Who Make Us: Canadian Creature, Myth, and Monster Stories
$17.95
81
Read →
New Canadian Noir
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Claude Lalumiere
New Canadian Noir
$18.95
81
Read →
Alice Unbound: Beyond Wonderland
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Colleen Anderson
Alice Unbound: Beyond Wonderland
$21.95
81
Read →
Dead North: Canadian Zombie Fiction
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Dead North: Canadian Zombie Fiction
$17.95
86
Read →
Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse; The Exile Book of Anthology Series, Number Nine -21%
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse; The Exile Book of Anthology Series, Number Nine
$17.95 $23.00
86
Read →
This Strange Way of Dying: Stories of Magic, Desire & the Fantastic
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
This Strange Way of Dying: Stories of Magic, Desire & the Fantastic
$21.95
86
Read →

You might also like

See more →
Alice Unbound: Beyond Wonderland ✨ New
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
1
Colleen Anderson
Alice Unbound: Beyond Wonderland
$21.95
81
Read →
A Body of Work ✨ New
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
1
Colleen Anderson
A Body of Work
$15.99
81
Read →
Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse; The Exile Book of Anthology Series, Number Nine -21%
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
1
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse; The Exile Book of Anthology Series, Number Nine
$17.95 $23.00
86
Read →
Dead North: Canadian Zombie Fiction ✨ New
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
1
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Dead North: Canadian Zombie Fiction
$17.95
86
Read →
Those Who Make Us: Canadian Creature, Myth, and Monster Stories ✨ New
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
1
Kelsi Morris
Those Who Make Us: Canadian Creature, Myth, and Monster Stories
$17.95
81
Read →
New Canadian Noir ✨ New
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
1
Claude Lalumiere
New Canadian Noir
$18.95
81
Read →

Have a question about this item?

Ask about the edition, condition, delivery or anything else — we reply by email or phone, usually within a day.

Home Genres
Cart
Wishlist