👻 Ghost Stories

The Beings That Haunt

✍️ Z I Rhodes
Reader Score
4.4
(1 review)
$25.99
In stock — ready to ship Ships in 1–2 business days
📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A collection of unsettling tales by Z I Rhodes exploring patronage and liminal dread.

Rhodes constructs a narrative landscape defined by strange bargains and eerie surveillance. The first tale centers on an artist who trades artistic freedom for material gain, only to receive a mundane car instead of the promised wealth. This twist highlights the disconnect between expectation and reality in supernatural dealings. The second story shifts focus to a woman trapped in a borderland between worlds. Her guardian watches her with an ambiguous intent that suggests danger rather than protection. These stories share a common thread of isolation. They do not rely on gore but on the psychological weight of being observed by unknown forces. The collection is organized as separate vignettes, allowing each premise to breathe without interruption from a larger plot. This format emphasizes the self-contained nature of fear.

Key Themes
mysterious patronage liminal worlds guardian figures
Literary Context

Published in late 2025 by FriesenPress, this work sits within the contemporary American horror genre. It draws on gothic and supernatural traditions to explore modern anxieties about trust and isolation. The book reflects current trends in short-form horror fiction.

Difficulty
●● Medium
Recommended For Fans Of
Shirley Jackson · M.R. James · H.P. Lovecraft · Algernon Blackwood
👻
Ghost Stories
🏛 FriesenPress 📅 2025 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781038351074

📝 Description: The Beings That Haunt

Z I Rhodes presents a collection of unsettling narratives in The Beings That Haunt. The author qualifies as a writer of horror and supernatural fiction, drawing on gothic traditions to explore the darker corners of human experience. This volume suits readers who enjoy psychological unease and strange, liminal spaces. It may not appeal to those seeking traditional jump scares or straightforward monster hunts. The book opens with a story about an aspiring artist who accepts patronage from a mysterious man. In exchange for a lavish offer, the protagonist receives only an ordinary used car, leading to a bargain far stranger than anticipated. Another narrative follows an embittered young woman who awakens in a weird liminal world. She finds herself watched over by a guardian whose nature remains unclear and unsettling. Rhodes uses these distinct plots to examine themes of patronage, isolation, and the uncanny. The structure relies on short, self-contained tales rather than a continuous plot. Each story stands alone, offering a different flavor of dread. The prose avoids melodrama, focusing instead on the slow creep of unease. Readers looking for atmospheric horror will find this collection rewarding. Those preferring action-driven plots might find the pacing too deliberate.

💎 Our verdict on The Beings That Haunt

“
🩸
Horror Reads editorial team
Horror desk
Rhodes constructs a narrative landscape defined by eerie surveillance and isolation, avoiding gore in favor of psychological weight. The collection’s structure of separate vignettes emphasizes the self-contained nature of fear, allowing distinct tales of patronage and liminal dread to resonate individually. While the prose successfully avoids melodrama, the deliberate pacing may not suit readers preferring action-driven plots. However, those drawn to gothic traditions and the uncanny will appreciate the examination of strange bargains and ambiguous guardians. The book succeeds in creating a lingering sense of unease through its focus on the darker corners of human experience within isolated settings.
✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers seeking atmospheric horror and psychological unease will find this collection rewarding. It suits those who appreciate the slow creep of dread rather than traditional jump scares or straightforward monster hunts. The self-contained vignettes allow each premise to breathe, emphasizing the weight of being observed by unknown forces. Enthusiasts of gothic traditions and liminal spaces will enjoy the exploration of strange bargains and the ambiguity of guardian figures. This book offers a deliberate pacing that rewards patience, focusing on the disconnect between expectation and reality in supernatural dealings rather than action-driven plots.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.4
Based on 1 reviews
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Horror Reads editorial team

Rhodes constructs a narrative landscape defined by eerie surveillance and isolation, avoiding gore in favor of psychological weight. The collection’s structure of separate vignettes emphasizes the self-contained nature of fear, allowing distinct tales of patronage and liminal dread to resonate individually. While the prose successfully avoids melodrama, the deliberate pacing may not suit readers preferring action-driven plots. However, those drawn to gothic traditions and the uncanny will appreciate the examination of strange bargains and ambiguous guardians. The book succeeds in creating a lingering sense of unease through its focus on the darker corners of human experience within isolated settings.

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