The House of Untold Stories

this was such a creepy and gothic book! i loved this short stories collection, although there were few of them that i didn't completely understand the meaning of, but overall i LOVED most of them. also, since i'm a chicken about stories of ghosts, it creeped me out even more lmao, but it has loads of different ones, not only ghosts, that are sooo weird, i couldn't even explain it if i wanted to 😳 the last couple stories of the book... just melted my heart man 🥺 ALSO THE PICTURES DISPLAYED. FUCK. so beautiful, yet dark looking! i highly highly recommend reading this collection if u love all things creepy & gothic.

Wow! Let me take a moment to collect myself!! Because I am dumbstruck by this collection of micro-fiction and I don’t want to sound like a gushing nerd in this review.

From its title, “The House of Untold Stories” sounds like a regular SFF or horror anthology that will provide you some dark twisted tales. The dull cover doesn’t help in stimulating excitement. The book even starts off a bit slowly. But after the first 3-4 tales, I was hooked onto the gripping fables and how! I simply couldn’t let go till I reached the end.

The tales span a whole range of genres such as fantasy, sci-fi, humour, drama, mythical, horror, dystopian… So there’s no feeling of boredom at all as every page flip offers something new and exciting. Each of the stories is divided across two pages. The first page presents an innocent straightforward tale while the second page introduces an unexpected twist that takes the story to a whole new level. Almost all the stories are imaginative and stupendous. Quite a lot of the stories made me go “Oh, Wow!” and a few even elicited a horrified “Oh My God!!” Some of the stories are among the brilliant pieces of original writing I’ve seen in a long time. The stories are accompanied by some brilliant illustrations and photographs of closed doors and houses. These add the right amount of spooky charm to the book.

Peter Chiykowski, you should feel proud of yourself. This was a job well done. A thank you from an absolutely satisfied and delighted reader. I’ll look forward to more of your works.

I think the gushing nerd did make an appearance but who cares! I’m on a book high!

Thank you, NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing, for the Advanced Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars
Oh, man! I love well-written micro fiction and flash fiction, and this book is just too good. The stories come in different sizes, each with a unique theme and style. The dark humor in many stories made me chuckle more than a handful of times. The pictures used for the stories were eerie and mystical. They set the mood and atmosphere so well! If only the cover picture was as good.
I wouldn’t have even given the book a second look if my friend and a fellow reviewer didn’t rate it 5 stars. Yeah, would have been my loss. But shows why the cover is so, so important. I really hope the author gets the cover redone and chooses something as mystical and dark as the stories inside.
The book takes hardly a couple of hours from start to finish. Still, I’d suggest taking small breaks in between to savor the stories.
Thank you, NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing, for the ARC.

A curious collection of short stories, not what I was expecting, and unlike anything I have read before. It took me all of an hour to read. Poetic allegories, with poignant images that enhance the already atmospheric writing. It’s a little out of my comfort zone, but is the type of book that I think I would appreciate more sitting on my coffee table, ready to pick up when the mood strikes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing digital access to the book.

This is a very unusual book with very short stories - typically only 1-2 pages. The stories nevertheless do have good takeaways making this a worthwhile read.

A very touching book with the collection of simple, yet intense stories. I loved almost all of them. I adore how the author, Peter Chiykowski successfully narrated each extremely meaningful story in just two pages. A very unique narration I have read in the recent times. They truly touch your heart and rekindle many memories.

Absolutely loved it!

This collection of micro-short stories really blew me away. It took only about an hour to read and already I want to start over.

This book centers itself inside a mysterious house where each door leads to a different story. Each story has two beautiful and/or creepy photographs to start off, one always being the door into the story. I LOVED that idea. I enjoyed seeing what the next door would look like and how it fit the theme of the story.

Besides being beautifully poetic, these were dark, morbid, creepy, funny, and each twist was so much fun. There was only one story where I guessed the twist before the end. I am so glad to have come across this book and to check out more from the author.

I truly can't wait to own a physical copy of this book so I can appreciate the photos and stories far more than I can on any device.

Moving from door to door taking the reader along on a journey with beautifully crafted original stories and illustrations that make for an experience of pure satisfaction. Strait into my favourites list.
An independent review NetGalley / Andrews McMeel Publishing

I have learned a new expression after many years of reading books.
Micro-fiction.
Peter Chiykowski seems quite good at it and I rather liked this collection of short, sharp, punchy and thought-provoking tales.

A book for anyone who loves stories; surely something that makes us human. The sharing of oral tradition, strange tales dressing up fears and concealing the unknown, stories as the means to entertain, teach and share dreams, dangers and dogma.

From the outset I liked the pithy story of a humble lighthouse redefined in a polluted future. I enjoyed the play on language as seen in pearls and wishes.
But overall I appreciated the art of telling stories like words around a truth or bullet point. Where others would say parable or fable. This is first class prose in contrast to poetry where sometimes meaning is ethereal, lyrical or lost in emotion. While on first reading these mini stories may seem unclear on second glance they shout loud and clear. Resonate with humanity and our present frailties but embolden to be taken into whatever future lies before us.
The book is not just a literary gem; each story is illustrated to give the book and shared words, even more gravitas.

A collection for anyone who loves words, appreciates literature and delights in hearing a good story.

A heart wrenching book with a collection of compelling and intense stories. Absolutely unique, engrossing and brilliantly written. A quick, captivating read!

This collection of microfiction contains a house full of stories of all kinds. The living room is full of Fantasy, the bedrooms are piled high with Sci-Fi, and Horror is bumping around in the basement. In the bathroom Humor is taking a hot bath, and Philosophy is holed up in the hall closet.

Clever stories paired with gorgeously dark photographs make this an enjoyable little read. With a thinly veiled version of an Eagles song (you can never leave), plus stories of the stars, plagues, mad scientists, and lonely houses, you'll want to find a comfortable spot somewhere in the House of Untold Stories, settle in, and stay awhile.

This is a book of microfiction, the longest stories are a full two pages, the shortest a couple of paragraphs. There’s wonderful photography before each story, a door, a gate, a window or corridor. It has a gothic feel, and the stories are dystopian, or fantasy, a bit of horror almost and they are all very clever. The first page of the story sets up the situation. The second page gives you an unexpected ending, that turns the story on its head. I loved this, it’s beautifully done.