Genre staples lay the foundation for the narratives in Stephen Ball’s short story collection, MADHOUSE. There’s a timelessness to these 16 stories, as if they could have come from the pages of Weird Tales or other classic pulp magazines. Ghosts (“The Customer”), zombies (“When the World Ended”), men in black (“Target One”), serial killers (“Next Stop”), and a Dementor-style Grim Reaper (“Near Death”) are featured—but Ball avoids trope-territory by taking these stories in unexpected directions. Instead of otherworldly monsters or moldy old ghosts, the primary monsters in MADHOUSE are inner demons like anxiety, loneliness, and fear of insanity.

Deep desires drive these flawed yet endearing characters as inner monologues reveal fascinating and warped leaps of logic. These folks are trying to keep up appearances, and they are failing. The protagonist of “When the World Ended” sums up this sense of dread: “There’s nothing worse than when you see someone unable to maintain control of their inner workings—it’s almost like a tacit acknowledgment of our tenuous hold on our own dignity.” One of the most significant examples of this phenomenon is when Hillary in “Gemini” questions her sanity as her impulse-control slips away: “Maybe she was secretly unsatisfied with her life, and she felt like looking at the horoscope every day gave her some meaning. Well, she felt there was none.”

Humor brings Ball’s characters to life, as well, and offsets the impending sense of dread that permeates many of these stories. For instance, loneliness and madness converge in “Nuts To You,” where an old widowed veteran goes to war against squirrels in his flower garden. Ball’s tone is tongue-in-cheek, but the feeling of moving from normal to bizarre is no less unsettling. Soon enough the old man’s squirrel obsession becomes a public hazard, and the neighborhood unites against him.

MADHOUSE is quiet horror; no blood, guts, or slashers here. Fans of Charles L. Grant, Thomas Tessier, and Joyce Carol Oates will appreciate Ball’s understated chills. Overall, there are no bad choices on the MADHOUSE menu.

Stephen Ball’s MADHOUSE takes readers on a 16-tale journey through haunts and horrors. Strong characters and a playful narrative tone make these stories endlessly engaging.

~Rob Errera for IndieReader