I really love reading from Rewind Or Die series, they’re almost always fun horror stories that are really good time. Tales From The Typewriter was one of the really really good ones, one that I’ve enjoyed immensely.

The book’s about a man who buys a secondhand typewriter that supposedly belongs to his favorite author who’s now deceased. Before his death, this author, Dennis Barlow, has only ever written one book and it was a short story collection that had relative success. And now, from the looks of it even death can’t keep him from producing more stories.

What I loved about this book was that the short stories that were written on the typewriter were all presented to us. Now, I’m not much of a short story reader though I do want to venture into it, but this book gripped my attention and never let go. I had so much fun reading these stories! I’ll have you know though, that while they were fun-much fun!- there were a couple in there that made me uncomfortable and creeped me out. This was a perfect story within a story type of book that I’m sure any horror fan might enjoy. Highly recommend.

Dennis Barlow only published one book decades ago, which has since faded into obscurity. Yet ten years after his suicide, his voice still calls out to be heard. The new owner of Barlow's typewriter wakes in the night to the clacking of the keys and discovers pages filling up with untold stories. Tales of creation and destruction, inspiration and disappointment, imagination and nightmare. Barlow's spirit won't be at rest until he finishes his life's work and gives readers a chance to experience his tales from the typewriter...

This was my first ever experience of Gunnells’ writing and what an exciting little selection of short stories it was indeed.

I have to say I am not overly a big fan of the horror ‘short story’ as I find they are normally a novice writer’s way of breaking into the industry and as a result lack flair and consistency and can be hit or miss. But… this was definitely a massive hit.

The concept itself of how and why these short stories come into existence in the novel alone is witty and then the stories themselves are creative, unique, tense and show bucketfuls of flair and style. I don’t want to say too much! You should just read them and let them speak for themselves!

I am a Gunnells fan… there I said it!

This short story sets up almost as a mini-anthology as a reading enthusiast acquires the old typewriter of a cult writer which then begins to churn out stories on its own.

Author Mark Allan Gunnells does well to diversify the tales here, with a unique mix of sinister tales, including a wanderer getting more than he bargains for from a rural village plus the superb story The Cult of Wrath which explores toxic fandom in the reading community.

The King of Halloween, explores how authors can get pigeon-holed into genres after initial success.

At a brisk 69 pages, you could easily devour this offering in a couple of sittings easily. I will certainly look out for future work from Gunnells, who writes with confidence and can infuse scenes with tension effortlessly.

"Tales from the Typewriter" is a delectable morsel that can be devoured in one or two sittings. The premise is simple enough: our narrator acquires an old typewriter that happens to have belonged to Dennis Barlow, a writer he admires. This obscure author only ever published one collection of short stories decades before our narrator even knew he existed. Once discovered, Barlow’s stories capture our narrator’s imagination, so of course he would buy the typewriter that brought them into existence. The thing is, every night at midnight, the keys start clacking on their own. It’s as if Barlow himself is reaching out from beyond the grave, eager to prove he has more tales up his sleeve.

This narrative is the frame that holds the tales together, and they are presented as the typewriter finishes each. Our narrator recognizes the language that delighted him and that he thought was lost to the world forever. The tales themselves share a theme: they all explore the nature of storytelling, the creative process, sharing your work with an audience, the reception of a literary work, the legacy of an author and how it can take on a life of its own. In this way, the struggles of the characters in the stories probably reflect Barlow’s experiences with writing and publishing during his lifetime. Each tale reveals a slightly different variation on the overarching theme. Naturally, many of the stories fall within the horror genre, but even those are accompanied by humor and thought-provoking ideas. Some stories feature new technology that Barlow wouldn’t have been using during his lifetime, which lends them a special flavor.

All of Barlow’s tales are very much worth reading, but the last three, "Dr. Champ", "The Traveling Storyteller" (the longest of the lot), and "The Cult of Wrath" particularly stand out for their captivating premises and polished execution. As for the narrative that frames them, it is very matter-of-fact and doesn’t take up much space, indicating that the reader’s impatience to get straight into the tales mirrors that of the narrator. Indeed, these parts could benefit from a bit of editing, since there is an important point that seems unintentionally repeated twice. It could even be expanded on without hurting the general premise, as there is room within this framing narrative to play with the readers’ expectations more and set the tone for the stories. There is potential to establish playful parallels between the narrator’s life and understanding of Barlow and the tales produced by the typewriter. This isn’t exploited enough, but could definitely give the book further layers of meaning.

Some of the characters in the book are created by a fictional writer who’s the fictional creation of Gunnells’ fictional character! The horror, the humor, and the cleverness of the tales all come from the same place: subverting expectations and inviting the reader along for a tour of the gory insides of what it means to release a story into the wild. Gunnells clearly has deep insight into what that’s like, and that enables him to breathe life into Barlow and Barlow’s creations.

This short book was packed with horror stories within horror stories.

A man buys a second hand typewriter that belonged to Dennis Barlow, a horror author that took his own life. What he did not know when he bought it, is that Dennis still had many more stories to tell.

The typewriter starts typing in the middle of the night and each story that comes out of the machine is more terrifying than the last.

Definitely an entertaining fast paced read with some really good short horror stories.

For me the book, Tales From The Typewriter by Mark Allan Gunnells was an instant hit right from the beginning. Short stories have always been my favorites. The plot starts with a slight note of horror and the author brilliantly steers the plot in a single direction. The climax was also satisfactory. Perfect for beginners who are looking for a fast read.

I will, definitely, give the book 5 stars, Thanks to Netgalley and Unnerving Publishers for giving me an opportunity to read and review the book.

I really enjoyed this mini collection, it’s a bit like the movie Inception with stories within stories, but much easier to follow,

All of the stories explore different aspects of the book industry, from critics and obsessed fans, to a nightmare of a film adaption, but mostly just a fan who wanted more writing from his favourite author before he died.
As a fan of a lot of writers, I can relate to these stories, I felt the frustration that the character felt when talking about ‘the direction’ the film adaption was going to go.

If you love reading, I highly recommend this book.
I am a huge fan of the Unnerving's Rewind or Die series, is reminiscent of the 80s and 90s classic cheesy slasher movies.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.*

A fan of a deceased author buys the author’s typewriter. When the typewriter arrives, the owner proudly sets up a sort of “shrine” to the author’s typewriter. When the owner goes to bed, he hears the rainstorm pelting hail or is it? He finally gets up to see the typewriter typing even though no one is doing the typing. He decides to put a sheet of paper in the typewriter to see what happens. The typewriter writes it first short story. As time passes, the owner continues to get more stories from the typewriter. He contacts the person he bought the typewriter from. She doesn’t answer the question he has about the typewriter. Will the typewriter stop typing? If so, what will be done with the collection of the stories?

The book is sinister and suspenseful. Even though the book is only 69 pages long, I look forward to more books by the author. His style of writing is perfect as I could imagine the typewriter typing. The stories are intriguing and kept me thoroughly engrossed.

This short story sets up almost as a mini-anthology as a reading enthusiast acquires the old typewriter of a cult writer which then begins to churn out stories on its own.

Author Mark Allan Gunnells does well to diversify the tales here, with a unique mix of sinister tales, including a wanderer getting more than he bargains for from a rural village plus the superb story The Cult of Wrath which explores toxic fandom in the reading community.

The King of Halloween, explores how authors can get pigeon-holed into genres after initial success.

At a brisk 69 pages, you could easily devour this offering in a couple of sittings easily. I will certainly look out for future work from Gunnells, who writes with confidence and can infuse scenes with tension effortlessly.

Tales from the Typewriter continues the excellent Rewind or Die series from Unnerved Books.

Scheduled for publication in January 2022.  The latest from Gunnells is a collection of stories within a story.  Our narrator buys an old typewriter that once belonged to his favorite (deceased) author.  Shortly afterwards, strange noises are heard late at night as the typewriter comes to life and begins to tell some scary tales...

The six short stories offer some creepy, even disturbing, narratives, from a post-apocalyptic take on Misery (The Travelling Storyteller) to a tale that will make you rethink leaving those negative reviews (The Cult of Wrath), with all six sharing the common theme of storytelling.  I enjoyed all of the stories, and found this to be a quick, satisfying read.  Be sure to add it to your TBR for 2022!

“The whole thing felt a bit like a shrine, and I wondered if I were going a bit Annie Wilkes, but the writer I was a number one fan of was dead, so it’s not like I would end up holding him prisoner and forcing him to write more books for me. Not that I would have, had Barlow still been alive. Really, I swear.”*

The protagonist buys a typewriter from the estate of his favorite writer, Dennis Barlow, and at the stroke of midnight, the machine clanks out seven stories from beyond the grave.

Each story demonstrates the dead author’s frustrations with the publishing industry, from the perils of reviewing to the scary world of film adaptations. I liked how, while having an haunted device at home might be terrifying to some, when it becomes a conduit for more work by a beloved author, a hardcore fan would absolutely embrace it. The stories are tragic and dark, but I found some hope in the way art lived on and found itself in the hands of a reader who treasured every word.

The stories are woven neatly in between the protagonist’s storyline as he makes himself the author’s proxy, reminding me of the monks who lovingly replicated and cherished manuscripts during the dark ages.

The Rewind or Die books are a blood-splattered oasis in these turbulent times. I am a huge fan of the series, which invokes the spirit of horror movies watched on videotape.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Unnerving Books for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

*Please note that my review is based on uncorrected text.