Book Review: The Moonlit Road

By Elizabeth Suggs

The Moonlit Road: A Collection of Short Horror Stories by William Stuart is a horror anthology. Each story has a slow build and an impactful climax. 

Each story weighs heavy on meaning, and all could be unpacked a thousand-fold with new avenues of thought and ideas, but they need time. 

“The Weatherman,” for instance, starts off the anthology with the development of a child’s life into adulthood. The child, named Tony, idolizes Marcus Haney, a weatherman who’s also a character called Mandable Mike. We watch the weatherman’s life unfold on the screen, through the eyes of Tony. We even see the collapse of Haney as a weatherman, after the death of his wife. 

When Tony grows up and Haney dies, we learn that Tony has inherited an entire estate from Haney, even though Tony only knew Haney from letter correspondence. The ride that leads through the house is strange and twisted. While I would have preferred starting at Haney’s estate sooner, I appreciate the development of the characters and the relationships. The end is worth the wait. 

Another notable story was “Mama.” Oof! This one makes my skin crawl. If you’re wanting something pure horror, this is the story for you. We start out with a couple getting lost in their car, then finding their way to an abandoned house. The premise sounds cliché, I know, but this story’s anything but! I’m still waiting to know what happens next...

Stuart builds his stories slowly, but with purpose. If you’re looking for something that’s more than just horror, something also about the characters and their lives, then this is the book for you. 

Elizabeth Suggs is the owner and founder of Editing Mee. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves to dive deep into books (the weirder, the better!), and she loves to take random long walks to unplanned destinations. Check out her recently released book Collective Darkness with eleven other authors. Buy your copy here: www.CollectiveDarkness.com