'The Passengers You Cannot See' is a collection of 15 short horror stories, and you have all different sub-genres of horror in these stories. Few of them I really liked & few were either disappointing or too boring for me.

Stories I really liked :

- One Star Review : Creepy & dark side of a writer, I really liked the twist in this one
- Kill Your Darlings : It was really disturbing and I liked the concept very much
- Patterns : This one was kind of psychological and paranormal horror, and the twist completely took me by surprise.
- Stillborn: Another one with creepy & cool concept, really liked this one.

Apart from this, there were few stories I thought had so much potential but due to the writing style author chose, made them so vague and kind of pointless that I lost my interest. And few were just underwhelming and not scary at all.
Overall, I really liked the concept but the writing style was so not for me.

MY RATINGS : 2/5

I enjoyed this book. The author has a true gift for writing and I found that I highlighted several quotes that I loved. I loved some stories more than others, a few left me frustrated..."You can't stop the story there!!!" A few stories were weird, others were downright creepy. I look forward to reading more from The Behrg.

I first learned of the author named Behrg through Drew at The Tattooed Book Geek (ICYMI). Drew had read and reviewed The Behrg’s short story One Star and highly recommended it so of course I – and my newly found love for short stories – had to check that out. Drew was absolutely right, it was a hell yeah short story. I promptly signed up for The Behrg’s newsletter, was gifted a few other short stories and a while later I got the notification that his short story collection The Passengers You Cannot See was up for request on NetGalley. Despite my self-imposed NetGalley ban I headed over to NetGalley right away, and I’m very happy that I did, because this is one of my favourite collections this year, if not ever.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I am very difficult to please when it comes to short story collections and anthologies. It is very rare for me to love each and every story in a collection, but I loved each and every story in this one. I even loved the author’s notes on the stories, in which he explains how they came about. These are very personal, and I admire and am very thankful for the openness and frankness with which the author addresses his own mental health issues.

These stories all have three things in common:
1. Despite the fact that all but one of the stories are quite short, the author manages to make them twisty and surprising but in a manner that makes total sense.
2. All the stories have at least two layers. You can take them at face value, read what is there and nothing more, and they are highly entertaining that way. You can also look a bit further, at what’s just below the surface. If you look at them that way you notice that mental illness in all its shapes and sizes is the general underlying theme. The author’s notes help you to see this other meaning because it’s more obvious in some stories than others.
3. All of these stories are scary. Some I’d qualify as thrillers, others veer more into the horror genre. There’s some dystopia and some drama, and one that might even qualify as a love story if you really try. But all of them are scary in their own unique way, because though fiction they are real, or because they hit close to home, or because they remind us that we are fragile, or because they’re a reminder of the tough balancing act each and every one of us is performing each and every day.

Despite loving all the stories, I still have favourites. One Star is definitely still one of them. This story is about a blogger who has written a one-star review of a book and the author of the book read it and committed suicide. The blogger is left dealing with the aftermath of that. It’s about the price of fame and about appearances and even though I knew what was coming this second time around, I was still astounded at the cleverness of it all.

Another favourite is Every House Is Haunted. It’s just such an awesome story, starts out really creepy, then the revelation comes, taking me completely by surprise, I had NOT seen that shit coming, maybe you’re smarter or quicker than I am and you’ll figure it out but I sure as hell didn’t, and it’s a premier example of the tale that sets you on edge because you feel something is not quite right but you can’t put your finger on it, until the finale gives you the shock and the relief you’ve been waiting for.

The long and short of it is: if you enjoy short stories, please do yourself a favour and give this one a whirl. They are well-written and imaginative, and they make for a great collection!

Many thanks to Pricks Like Thorn Media and NetGalley for the eARC! All my opinions are my own.

The Passengers You Cannot See by The Behrg is a scintillating anthology of thought-provoking short stories.

The author states that many of the stories developed through his own experiences and thoughts, and this makes it a complex investigation into the human psyche with macabre and horrific twists along the way.

Every one of these stories is worth reading and leaves you feeling just that little bit uncomfortable – the goal of the writer I’m sure! The ones that particularly stood out for me were “Reborn” (a baby is abandoned on the steps of a church), “Still Born” (when you come home from the hospital with a coffin instead of a baby) and “Kill Your Darlings” (an author writes what he knows). And of course, the novella included, “Happiness is a Commodity” is so real it’s disturbing!

I loved it!

#netgalley #thepassengersyoucannotsee #thebehrg #prickslikethornmedia

I'll be honest. This was a little mediocre. The ideas were there, and they were good ideas, but the execution of some of them were not the best.
I am a big fan of short stories, especially in the horror genre.Like really love them. I always have one going on the back burner no matter what else I'm reading at the moment. But this one just... did not wow me. It's been a few days since I finished and I can hardly remember most of the stories.
It's a shame because like I said this is the kind of thing that's right up my alley so I really wanted to like it.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley for reviewing purposes.

I attempted to get into this book up to about 30 percent, but I finally just gave up. Now do not get me wrong, I used to like "Tales from the Crypt", but that was when I was in junior high, so the stories I did read really had no real sense of finality, just macrebe short stories that left you wondering what you just read.

The author could have really made a great ghost story with the first chapter, the troubled girl who died in a car wreck and haunted people traveling along that highway. The title would have also made much more sense as well "The Passengers You Cannot See", but then the book started making no sense at all and it left me feeling frustrated, and honestly mad that I even attempted to read it.

Thank you for a free book for an honest review NetGalley, but this one is not for me.

The main theme for this collection Is mental illness and the author sharing some of his own experiences throughout the book. A few of these stories have you guessing what is going on till the end and I love those.

The story that stuck out the most for me was Scabs. A couple is trying to keep each other alive during a crazy pandemic or alien invasion and are relying on each other to wake up before "turning". I was reading it in bed and it actually made me feel peaceful in a weird way.

I LOVE scary Snow Man stories and An Ugly Resurrection is short but does not disappoint in delivery.

One Star, The Trophy Thief, and Every House is Haunted could each be made into their own INTO THE DARK episodes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology and look forward to what this author does next.

This is a compilation of well thought and put together suspensful stories that take you through different scenarios and make you face uncomfortable situations.

As someone that is always up for a good compilation of short horror stories I was really excited to get into this book.

Unfortunately the stories for me were lacking strength, that extra punch in the gut that makes short stories have such an impact. They felt very normal, dull and not really horror to me but more like mystery thrillers.

I loved this collection, with its macabre edge and well crafted characters. The author draws a human complexity out of the horror genre. Very much recommend.

I'd never heard of this author, but the book's description sounded like a fun, interesting read. I wasn't disappointed.

I'm usually not a fan of short stories unless they're fiction. Maybe I like them because they're just small doses of scariness, but this book was chock full of fun stories. They were just the right amount of creepiness, told in a unique, funky way. And seriously, the second story about the haunted house freaked me the hell out - and I never expected the outcome.

Will be checking out more from this author.

THE PASSENGERS YOU CANNOT SEE is a collection of fourteen stories and one novella written by The Behrg. The novella, Happiness is a Commodity, I've previously read and reviewed with a full five stars. The rest of the stories range in subject matter from psychological, body horror, backwoods "undefinable" towns, writers, killers, and depression. There was not one tale here that I didn't enjoy to some extent, with the majority being four-five star reads.

Personal favorites of mine included:

--"Driven": The first story in this collection which embodies the full meaning of THE PASSENGERS YOU CANNOT SEE. ". . . for ghosts--real ghosts--are louder than thoughts . . . " This one really kept me thinking, long after I had finished the reading.

--"One Star": A book reviewer's unusual perspective... ". . . Masks within masks; stories within stories . . . "

--"Kill Your Darlings": While the idea of this one wasn't new to me, the execution of it certainly was.

--"The Lines": A story dealing with depression, but in a most unconventional way. ". . . You didn't need everything to go wrong in order to be brought low; sometimes it was forced upon you when everything was going right . . . "

--"An Ugly Resurrection": I loved the irony of this one! Even when things begin to click into place, the point-of-view keeps this story fresh. ". . . Brought back from the dead for one more trip down memory lane."

I won't say anything about "Happiness is a Commodity", except to tell you that this novella--alone--is worth getting this collection for.

The Behrg is a master at storytelling. In these individual tales, you'll get a taste of all kinds of writing "styles" and themes. This book is a great introduction for someone new to his work, and a definite "must-have" for those that have read him before.

Highly recommended.

Horror is my favourite genre in books and movies. I have a huge collection of horror novels and short stories and without doubt I can say “Passengers you cannot see” is going in my top 10 short stories list! The stories were horrific and intense. All I can say is this book “did not let me go”. If you love horror and like to get into the story quickly, get this. You and your dreams won’t be disappointed!
Thank you NetGalley, Pricks like thorn media and The Behrg for reader’s copy of this book. This review is my own and is not influenced in any way!

Whoa!! What a creepy collection of dark stories!!! I was completely hooked since the very beginning, the stories have the perfect unpredictable twists!! If you like to read stories that play with your mind then this is the right one. I felt really comfortable reading one after the other even if some gave me chills. But also was good to be able to read short stories that let you take out all that dark, spooky, fantasy inside of you. Some stories where better than the others but I enjoyed them all in general. I'd recommend this book for the ones who truly enjoy a mix of mind games, fantasy, darkness, creepy stories. It was great to read a book out of the ordinary!!!! It was pretty awesome.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Pricks Like Thorn media in exchange for an honest review.

I've read quite a lot of horror anthologies recently. I'm going to be honest, this one didn't really stand out. That might seem harsh but it's not necessarily a bad thing. The stories in this collection for the most part were fine. Some were really good-Kill Your Darlings for example is a fantastic story about an author who pushes the whole 'write what you know' thing too far. Still Born was a heart-breaking and chilling tale about a couple dealing with the title topic. But putting those two aside, the other stories in this collection are just sort of all right. There was only one I actively disliked and that was due to me not being able to cope with the content (Scabs if you're curious). I definitely think this collection is worth a read and the author is clearly talented when it comes to themes. It lacks many of the problems I've had with previous anthologies and it's just a shame that more of the stories didn't blow me away.

Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

I like creepy and scary and this is a collection of dark tales that incorporate the supernatural, horror, fantasy and sci fi.
Some of these stories were better than others. A few left me wanting more closure when it came to the ending. One story is about the horror that befalls those who take in an abandoned baby in "Reborn”. Another is about the devastation of coming home from the maternity ward in need of a tiny coffin instead of a crib in "Still Born",
These two were the only ones that really kept my attention. The rest of the book I read hoping the stories would come alive to me but didn’t.

But I do recommend the book as readers of the dark and supernatural will enjoy.

If you like to delve into some dark horror, this collection of stories is for you. Every House is Haunted is an interesting take. The Trophy is somewhat familiar in the premise, but good just the same. Imagine if meeting someone caused you to be a part of a pattern....a pattern that leads to your death a a matter of days. I received a free copy of this book and am reviewing it voluntarily.

This collection of stories were a great read, as the dark writing left me wondering what could the author come up for the next story? The imagination and brilliant writing of the author make this a collection that I highly recommend

Disclaimer: I have been sent a copy of this book for review purposes. This has not influenced or affected my opinions in this review.

The Passengers You Cannot See is a collection of beautiful short stories and each one centers around a new passenger. This collection contains such a beautiful writing style and it is also home to some of the most incredible quotes which I will find difficult to forget. This is such a unique collection of short stories – at least to me – and it is like nothing I have encountered before. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good ghost story.

*3 stars*

I was blown away by these stories. Not what I expected at all (an amateur sort of shiver, easily forgotten). Infused with dread and misery and grim reality, yet with a shining bolt of hope through many of the tales. Not an easy read at times, so one to pick up and put down and wait a while before the next one.
An extraordinary talent in horror and I’m off to find out what else the author has written.

I am not really a fan of collections of short stories ... but ..... these are really different. They are dark, and filled with emotion. Really well written and extremely clever. I have to give more praise, as this sits outside my normal area of interest. I tend not to read darker stories. Definitely worth checking out. It reminds me of Black Mirror.