Year One - by Steve Capone (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the pages of Whisper Heights Independent School Panel's newsletter to the streets of a zombie-apocalypse'd hellscape, Year One is a quick and merciless jaunt through whatever counts as mundane to the poor sods who reside within its pages-those characters to whom we relate all too well.

In the first of a planned series of yearly efforts, Whisper House Press has gathered in this short volume the exceptional work published on its website over the past twelve months. In these pages, we welcome to the Whisper House stage C.J. Erick, Jonathan Reddoch, HFJ Ballard, Val Chatindo, J. Niera, Jamie Janazian, Paul Lonardo, Jen Mierisch, Liam Hogan, Theodore Hill, and Erin Dawkins.

Review Quotes

"It's a must-read for anyone who enjoys smart, original fiction crafted with care and purpose."

- Armando Ramirez, Goodreads Reviewer

"Year One is exactly what it promises: "mundane horror for the people," and Whisper House Press delivers it with a cold, deliberate precision that left me checking the shadows long after I closed the book. This anthology doesn't rely on monsters or myth-it digs into the everyday terrors we pretend not to notice. The horror that sits right beside us at the dinner table. The anxiety that rides shotgun. The dread hiding behind a polite smile.

Every story feels like a different brand of unease. Some are slow-burn and suffocating, others hit like a hammer to the chest. The variety is wild, but the quality is consistently sharp. What impressed me most is how "mundane" quickly becomes deeply personal and deeply terrifying-as if each author cracked open a piece of real life and let the rot spill out.

Edited by Steve Capone Jr., this collection feels curated with intention. Nothing is filler. Nothing is wasted. If you love horror that crawls under your skin instead of relying on jump scares, this anthology is for you. A gritty, grounded, relentless anthology that proves everyday life is the real nightmare. Highly recommended for fans of realism-based horror, dark fiction, and unsettling short stories."

- Zane, Goodreads Reviewer