– The Darkest Age of All

Release Date: 23rd May 2025
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When we think of horror, we often imagine things lurking in the shadows—monsters, ghosts, serial killers. But what if the true source of dread wears the face of a child?

Y is for Youths, the twenty-fifth installment in the widely praised A to Z of Horror series from Red Cape Publishing, dares to ask just that. Featuring thirteen new tales from a selection of talented independent horror authors, this collection doesn’t merely disturb—it unsettles on a deeper, more psychological level. Each story explores the terrifying idea that the very young—those we’re conditioned to protect, trust, and adore—might instead be something far more dangerous.

Fear in Its Smallest Form

The stories within this volume take readers into the darker corners of youth:

• A doppelgänger that mimics too well
• Spirits that use the guise of children to exact revenge
• Psychopaths forming behind innocent smiles
• Bloodlines carrying the taint of evil from birth

The collection offers a diverse range of horror sub-genres, from the supernatural to the disturbingly plausible. These aren’t stories about evil coming for the children—they’re about evil coming from them.

There is something uniquely provocative about horror centered on young protagonists or antagonists. As a literary device, children often symbolize potential, purity, or vulnerability. But in horror, this very symbolism is weaponised, turning comfort into discomfort and innocence into something twisted.

Y is for Youths taps into these contradictions. Readers will find not only scares but social commentary—exploring the loss of innocence, the influence of environment, the idea of inherited evil, and the thin line between nurture and nature.

Whether you’re discovering the series for the first time or have followed it from A is for Aliens, this latest instalment offers something fresh—and thoroughly disturbing.

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Mark your calendar.
Y is for Youths releases 23rd May 2025 from Red Cape Publishing. Available in ebook and paperback.
Order your copy here