It Waits in the Woods cover art

It Waits in the Woods

Creature Feature Collection

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It Waits in the Woods

By: Josh Malerman
Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo
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About this listen

Some chilling campfire tales ring too true to ignore. For one young woman, an urban legend calls her into the woods in a spine-tingling short story by the bestselling author of Bird Box.

The dense Michigan forest. Haunting wails. The clip-clop of demon hooves on a bridge to nowhere. It’s more than a tall tale to Brenda Jennings, whose sister disappeared in those woods one fateful night. Three years later, on a solo stakeout in the dark, Brenda goes in after her. She’s desperate for answers, and terrified to find what lies waiting on the other side of that bridge.

Josh Malerman’s It Waits in the Woods is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting.

©2023 Josh Malerman. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Horror Supernatural Thriller & Suspense Scary Paranormal Suspense

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A modern twist on what feels like an old school fairytale. The story is creepy and full of suspense. The main character is flawed and likeable which is impressive considering this is a short story with limited opportunity for character development.

Short but memorable

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This has to be one of the best performed readings I have had the pleasure to listen to. I was unable to pull myself away. The readers voice captured the emotions of the characters as well as the horror of the situation.

Fantastic - the reader captured every moment !!

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Liked the story! Nothing quite as primeval as a spooky woods story. Another good addition to creature feature

Chilling

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feels new yet steeped in old myths.

narration was fine but somehow I didn't feel it fit.

feels new yet steeped in old myths

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Well written and performed but felt lacking by its conclusion. Would like to see it be expanded into a longer piece, but for the purpose it was written, it’s a good short that holds your attention and is genuinely creepy in parts.

Short, sweet but needed more

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This was the first story by Josh Malerman that I both read and listened to. (I have been meaning to check out Bird Box for a while.) it was also the fourth of Amazon’s Creature Feature tales that I have checked out.
Grady Hendrix and Joe Hill are firm favourites of mine and Paul Tremblay has been threatening to break into that tier - although I found the text for his tale read like a white paper at least until that thrilling conclusion.

I have to say Josh Malerman’s ‘It waits in the woods’ is the best of this collection so far.
We follow Brenda who goes searching for her sister, Amanda, in the woods three years after she had disappeared there and her best lead is the tale of a monster without a face who rends the face of his victims to replace his own.
So far, the ground’s familiar. However, Josh Malerman weaves his tale with precision and warmth. We really get to feel Brenda’s loss and ill placed guilt. Then the tension starts to racket up to a suffocating degree in the third act. It was the first story I had read in a long time where I wasn’t sure how it was going to end but was very satisfied with the outcome. It definitely left me wanting more.

I have talked quite a bit about Josh Malerman. However, a hugely significant amount of credit should go to Lauren Ezzo. Her narration was fantastic. The emotion pitched just right. I found myself hearing her voice as I reread the story.
Also, no spoilers but there is a certain line that she reads that I heard while driving in daylight and I felt a shiver go down my spine.

Will be following both artists from now on.

Spine tingling tale with brilliant narration

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This short story is perfect for Halloween! Spine tingling, creepy and horrifying! The woods were atmospheric in a suffocating way, and the childhood myth was scary!

A terrifying tale!

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This was a genuinely solid Horror (with a capital H) story. The ending was perhaps a little Silence of the Lambs. But it was excitingly written, and the performance of the narrator was lovely and scary!

excellent narration

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