Toes Up

by Adam Light

TOES UP: A brand-new collection of unforgettable horror.

Set your expectations aside and run screaming down dark corridors of inescapable terror.

- A waitress in Slidell, Louisiana is about to meet Jack, a truck driver hell bent on pleasing the goddess in TAKEN.

- A diabetic man who neglects his health pays for it in truly twisted fashion in VENGEANCE BY THE FOOT.

- Greg is having a really bad day at work, and can’t find his shoe or his mustard in the spine-tingling GONE.

- Winning the lottery isn’t quite all it’s cracked up to be for Gordan in WAY OUT OF HERE.

- Survivors of the apocalypse find an invitation to terror waiting on their doorstep in THE CONTINUANCE AGENCY.

Includes SERVING THE SPIRITS, a thrilling novella available for the very first time in this collection!

These are the dark, forbidding realms that exist at the edge of sanity. No one is safe. In the end, we all leave TOES UP.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

146 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 11, 2013

About the author

Adam Light resides in northeast Florida with his beautiful wife and daughter, and their two fur sons, Walker and Aspen.

For years, he's peeked out at you from your slightly open closet door, or grasped at the little toes you carelessly left uncovered. His stories have been published in horror anthologies such as Doorbells at Dusk, the Bad Apples: Halloween Horror series, and Dead Roses: Five Dark Tales of Twisted Love, to name a few.

Now, you can find all of his work under one gorgeous cover in Dreams for the Dying, the definitive collection of Adam Light's tantalizing tales. Be sure to pick it up now, before it's too late.

Click here for your copy of Dreams for the Dying

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good collection of 6 short stories from Adam Light. Each story has a different flavor, but they all share Adams easy flowing prose and quick paced story telling. I am glad I picked this one up.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable surreal collection of tales. All but one take us into the life of a single protagonist who goes through some kind of horrific and bizarre ordeal. Only "Serving Spirits" gives us two protagonists, and is set in the middle of a hurricane. Having just evacuated from a hurricane, it resonated strongly with me. I particularly enjoyed the last story, "The Continuance Agency." Very good writing. I would love to see a novella set in this world.

[Joel Kleehammer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall the book was good. Adam Light's storytelling is enjoyable, and I liked all of the stories. The biggest issue was editing. Maybe the Kindle edition is buggy, but there were also typos and usage issues. I'll continue reading his books to see how he comes along.

[Evans Light · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow...

Available on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Toes-Up-ebook/d...

Also availabe in paperback.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grisly little collection of horror tales

This is a good showing of Adam Light's short story works. I had already read four of the six stories but it was worth the price for the two new ones. This book is worth 5 stars just for the two 5 star offerings in it.

****...TAKEN...
Adam Light brings some twists and turns to this short story that I wasn't expecting.

Jack, long haul trucker, has a special load this time - a surprise for his "Goddess" Dianne. Rayne, truck stop waitress, gets more than she bargains for when she asks for a light to her cigarette from Jack.

There's surprises for everyone in this little gem from author Light.

Good pacing and a glimpse into Jack's warped world - what more could a reader expect from a horrific little tale?

****...WAY OUT OF HERE...
What would YOU do if a voice started talking to you out of your belly button? Freak out? Think you were going crazy? Go with the flow? Well, Nolan does all these things and more when it happens to him.

This is a weird, wacky short story. I think poor Nolan had a banana and onion sandwich and the resulting indigestion led him into Nightmareland.

I did enjoy the story, though. It was a quick, fun read.

****...GONE...
Greg Everett is one disorganized guy...And he's having a VERY bad day. He wakes up late, can't find clean socks much less his other shoe. He's late to work and really needs some caffeine.

"Gone" drew me in from the first paragraph and kept me engrossed to the last word. Spare, succinct prose. Great character development. Eerie twists and turns. I'm not usually a short story fan but I'm enjoying both Light brothers.

*****...SERVING THE SPIRITS...
This is my favorite tale out of "Toes Up."

Natalie's famous horror author father warns her before she marries Mitch but lurve is blind, you know. Her father has disappeared on a trip to Haiti to research a book on voudou but not before he sends her a very helpful gift.

This novella would be great extended into a full book.

*****...VENGEANCE BY THE FOOT...
First of all, I love that author Adam Light dedicated this story to his feet (in the separately published short story). Funny.

Grant Stone goes under a "most horrifying blade fest" and loses his left foot to gangrene caused by diabetes. He does not handle the amputation well and spends his time watching "Twilight Zone" reruns and shoveling painkillers down his gullet. His wife, Lucy, handles this well but even she reaches her limit and bids him adieu. Then the fun really starts.

Dark humor, creepy, reminiscent of old Creature Feature movies with stray body parts, this is one of my favorite stories of Adam Light's to date.

****...THE CONTINUANCE AGENCY...
This is a nifty little post-apocalyptic tale. Daniel Sharpe lives through the coming of the "black skies" because he was cleaning out his parent's basement.

A trifle disjointed, this offering explores our innate fear of the dark as Daniel gets a message to meet at The Continuance Agency to help mankind stay alive. It has a heck of a cliffhanger ending. Is this part of a serial and I don't know about it?

[David Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy on Goodreads Firstreads.

This is a collection of six horror short stories.

In Taken, we hear the tale of a trucker who is willing to do anything to prove his love. I found this one to be darkly humorous with a great twist ending.

Next we have a bizarre little entry called Way Out of Here. this is what happens when a man spends too much time contemplating his own navel. Another dark humorous story with a really cool concept.

In Gone, a man just can't survive without that first cup of coffee. This one didn't appeal to me as much as the first two. It wasn't bad, but it didn't really feel like it lived up to what it could be.

Saving Spirits gives us the old tale of a gold digging husband who wants to get rid of his wife and the father who will go to any length to protect his daughter. It was a little predictable but still quite good.

Vengeance by the Foot answers the question of why you should be grateful for the people in your life who are willing to help you. Another one that just didn't seem to hit the mark with me. It seemed almost silly in a horrific kind of way.

The Continuance Agency gives us the tale of the few surviving humans trying to keep mankind from going extinct. This one seemed to be missing too much. What was really happening and why is never explained. It seemed like the story was going in one direction only to suddenly veer off in totally new direction. The ending was very abrupt as well.

My final tally is that I really enjoyed and recommend the first two stories. The second two stories were okay and worth a read. The last two stories were strange and I would say pass on them.

One final note on the book's cover. Those have to be some of the weirdest looking feet that I have ever seen, The toes look more like little rooks stuck onto the foot. They even have some strange dents in them. This is no way impacts the contents of the book. I just wanted to comment on it though.

[Jacob Rayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read a few of the stories in this collection, and was excited to read a new story of Adam's: 'Serving the Spirits' as well as giving the others a re-read.
There's something addictive about Adam's work, the surreal, Outer Limits style of 'Gone' and 'Way Out of Here' make for intriguing and creepy reads while the more immediate and gruesome 'Continuance Agency' and 'Serving the Spirits' give the collection a nice change of pace.

I'd rate them as follows:
'Taken' - A strange tale with a nice twist at the end. 4/5
'Gone' - A haunting tale that I found very subtle and moving. Some nice clues as to the outcome, but by the time it clicks, you've already missed a number of them. 5/5
'Vengeance by the Foot' - Short but sweet. And strange. Very strange! 4/5
'Continuance Agency' - An apocalyptic short story that is part of a bigger story. Very moreish, but a little cruel with its cliffhanger ending. 4/5
'Way out of Here' - This was my favourite until I read 'Gone' and 'Serving the Spirits'. A surreal and fascinating short story involving parellel worlds. 4/5
'Serving the Spirits' - An awesome new novella. Reminded me of 'The Shining' in feel and theme, only with a sinister ram deity thrown in for good measure. Couldn't read this one quick enough. 5/5

In summary, this is an excellent and varied collection of Adam's early stories. I'd recommend it to horror fans and fans of Outer Limits style strangeness.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book of short horror stories. They were all good to read, and if you don't have time for a full size novel are perfect.
I have my favourites out of the book although all of them were very well written with characters that were likeable, even the bad guys were good.

The first was Taken, in which you my think you have the upper hand when someone is tyed up and seemingly defenceless. But you should be careful, what you think you have can end up surprising you. I liked the way the waitress got her revenge.

The next one I really liked was serving the spirts. The couple in this were a man and wife who were staying in the path of a storm, but Mitch was planning Natalie s murder. Things don't exactly go according to plan though. Enter a very large statue that was hungry, with a taste of Mitch magiced into it.

And then there was Lucy and Grant, and he ended up literally with a foot in his ass. It was brilliant, poor Grant. So a good book with some stand out tales.

[Kaisersoze · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overall very solid collection of tales from talented author, Adam Light. As is always the way with this type of read, I enjoyed some of the tales better than others. TAKEN was an effective piece with an ending that was far better than the one I constructed for it mid-story; VENGEANCE BY THE FOOT was a superb blend of weird and wonderful; and I've talked up SERVING SPIRITS in my review of it here. But it was THE CONTINUENCE AGENCY that really captured my imagination, right up to the very end ... where it ended as if in mid-story. I'm still shaking my head in amazement, wondering how could Light tease his readers so.

Though I was far less of a fan WAY OUT OF HERE (too bizarre for my tastes) and GONE (too obvious from the get-go), Adam Light again proves himself an author to watch out for.

3.5 to 4 Big Black Clouds of Badness for Toes Up.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read Light brothers stories here and there, but this is the first actual collection and it was quite good. Actually I've read Taken before, which is the first story in this anthology, and it held up nicely to a second reading. The rest were fun too, though I didn't love the last one. Gone reminded me of Dark Reality by Mosiman, excellent short work of fiction. So yeah, very enjoyable collection, easy going narrative, imaginative plots, nice humor, sweet irony. Light brothers do dark fiction right. Recommended.

[Mylene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection

I really like the Light brothers.
I am still waiting for the continuance of the MOLE PEOPLE story which is one of my favorite short stories EVER!!!!! Ahem, Evans.....
Some of the stories felt a bit unfinished in this collection but, for the most part, I enjoyed them. Of special note, is GONE and SERVING SPIRITS.
This is a good collection if you want to get a feel for Adam Light.

[John Gibbons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upon finishing, or better yet dovouring, Evans Light's "Screamscapes" I instinctively bought his brother's collection "Toes Up". I said to myself, "Self, is this going to live up to the legend of Evans?", not really lol, but having a brother myself, I know how much we're alike and I was hoping that the stories by these two brothers wouldn't/couldn't be mistaken for the same writer. Well the verdict is in. Adam is not guilty! Well you fully know, if you have a sibling, that your siblings can and do influence you, and I'm not so sure who influences who, but they definitely have their own style and voice, but enough about the Light Brothers, this is about Adam's work.

"Toes Up" is a collection that makes me want to write. Each story is unique and creative, while still having some similarities.
Taken had an ending that was so completely badass, and it was a pretty unique take on a kidnap story. I kind of knew where he was going, but he did an awesome job with it. Fun Stuff.
Vengeance By Foot reminded me of a country song...it has all of the characteristics, except a foot set on vengeance. Very original.
Gone just depressed the hell out of me and made me question everything...there's a reason I avoid Starbucks in favor of Dutch Bros.
Way Out of Here is an almost sci-fi story more than a horror story, but it still gets dark and humorous.
The Continuance Agency left me with a lot of questions and I think that was his intention. No fair, write a sequel asshole. lol
And finally Serving the Spirits...this one was great. It felt like a few influences made its way into the story. I got a partially Laymon vibe, but something else was there too...the djab. Mitch was great too.

Now, I will say that whatever these two guys write I'm buying and reading. They're some of the most original horror writers out there, and it's a damn shame they're not more well known, because The Light Brothers should be a household name.

[Meloney · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking to be freaked out, I highly recommend this author.

Adam Light takes us on a journey of the dark and twisted. Those of faint heart should bring a flashlight to avoid getting lost on the shadowed path he has paved for his readers.
A collection of six stories for those who enjoy a journey into his dark tales. “Taken” is about a truck driver who does the unthinkable for his goddess. “Way Out There” is just that, way, way, WAY out there. I will never think of the belly button in the same way. “Serving Spirits” was the first I ever read by this author and it’s just as good the second time around. Beware of the Djab! “Vengeance by the Foot” is cringe worthy. I will take even better care of my feet now. The Continuance Agency with its apocalyptic event was spooky indeed. It had me looking up at the sky the next time I went outside. It felt very real to me as the reader and transferred for a brief moment into my real life.

I run the risk of sounding like a broken record as I mention this every time I review one of his stories, but who cares? Adam Light has a way with words that I do not see often in the books that I read. They have the ability to melt into me. And his dark creativity takes what has melted inside of me and shocks me to the core. He doesn’t tie up the ending of his stories with neat little bows that portray a perfect ending. It ends how it should end, which is his own unique and disturbing way. Kudos! I look forward to reading as much as I can by him in the future!

[Brian Mcclain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually started reading this quite a while ago but finally decided to finish today. It was a really great selection of stories that were all well written, and a weird one about feet, but that's besides the point. The characters were good and the settings were real but I guess somewhere along the way I felt that some of them were going on too long. I knew it was a short story collection so not a whole lot would be able to happen in a few, but the longer entries seemed to drag a little. However I'm basically saying that I loved everything else about it so I'd still recommend it highly, especially to someone who isn't as much a fan of minimalistic story telling like I've found myself.

[Lisa Sandberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good collection of stories. I had previously read Taken and Gone, which are included in this collection.

Serving Spirits and The Continuance Agency were my favorites.

As I read these stories, I really hated to see them end. I wanted more, especially The Continuance Agency.

Adam Light does a very good job with these short stories. He can sure pull you in within a few pages.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"TOES UP is a perfect name for this book of 'Little Horrors' . 1&2 were ok, 3&4 were so-so, Vengeance by the Foot # 5 was funnily perfect--a good "Tales of the Crypt" show! #6 leaves the reader in the DARK.

[MaryEllen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. Reminiscent of all the creepy shows I watched in the 80s... The Twilight Zone, Tales From the Darkside, Tales From the Crypt.

[Dwayne Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another nice collection of horror stories.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of shorts by Adam Light. Thank you for the opportunity to read your collection!

[Vickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The stories were good and fun to read.

[Kit★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read all of the stories individually, but also downloaded the collection.

[Larry Giles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of stories. Gone and Taken were my favourites here, but there's not really a weak tale in the bunch. Great stuff.

[Tammi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd

Not that great. There was only one story that was pretty good, the rest seemed like fragments of stories. Done.