Kindle Price: $2.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Brandon Applegate
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Those We Left Behind: And Other Sacrifices Kindle Edition

by Brandon Applegate (Author), Elford Alley (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 193 ratings
See all formats and editions

“In Applegate's stunning debut, family horrors get a fresh coat of the blackest, bleakest paint, but a deep compassion shines through the darkness. These stories will make your heart race and ache in equal measure.”

— Eric Raglin, author of Nightmare Yearnings


A bedtime story has unspeakable consequences. A walk in the woods introduces a father to his daughter’s horrifying new friends. A bit of trash in the shower drain leads to a surreal fight for survival. In this collection that ranges from magical fantasy to blood-spattered horror, Brandon Applegate guides you on a journey through the darkest, most tragic corners of his imagination. From the surface of Mars to the supposed safety of a child's bedroom, his stories will remind you that “it’s not a sacrifice if it doesn’t hurt.”

* * *

"Those We Left Behind offers eerie tension and creepy visuals that make the reader look out the window, into the woods, and even down the drain with a little more caution. Each story hooks into the heart, dragging the reader, bloodied and broken, through fantastical darkness. And when you think you’ve had enough, Applegate peels open your eyes to face the darkness in your soul."

— Red Lagoe, author of Lucid Screams and Dismal Dreams

* * *

“Those We Left Behind is a heaping dish of diverse horror stories with a side of human tenderloin served rare. Applegate delivers the goods and then some.”

— Joshua Marsella, author of Scratches and Hunger For Death

* * *

“Brandon Applegateknows what drives horror. In Those We Left Behind and Other Sacrifices, Applegate expertly mines the terrors found in love’s fears and failures, but he also finds the fragile magic that binds us together despite the darkness. The gory, the gross, the gripping, the ghostly, the grand - Applegate unearths the beating, haunted heart of the genre again and again.”

— Gordon B. White, author of Rookfield

Previous page
  1. Print length
    166 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    November 23, 2021
  5. File size
    5758 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09KR6N2H7
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (November 23, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 23, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5758 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 166 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 193 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Brandon Applegate

Brandon Applegate

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Brandon Applegate lives and writes in a parched suburban hell-scape near Austin, Texas with his wife and two daughters who have, so far, failed to eat him. His debut short fiction collection “Those We Left Behind and Other Sacrifices” is available on Amazon and bapplegate.com, and he’s editing the upcoming “It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right” for Hungry Shadow Press, where he’s the EIC. You can find him on Twitter (@brandonappleg8), and Instagram (@hungryshadowpress).

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
193 global ratings
Fantastic read and beautiful book
5 Stars
Fantastic read and beautiful book
Stellar writing through 16 short stories showcasing Applegate’s proficiency & eloquence across several genres; be it horror, sci-fi or fantasy. These stories linger.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Eric N.
5.0 out of 5 stars Horrifying, emotionally weighty collection with a lot of variety
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2021
Verified Purchase
This collection had a nice amount of balance between different styles of horror, from the quiet to pulpy to dark fantasy to straight up body horror. Running through all of the stories is a thread of humanity that often tends towards the tragic, but not always. For me, even though it's not the scariest story in the collection, "You Will Be The One To Find This" stood out for it's emotional resonance and a quiet horror that's hard to shake. Very worth your time!
8 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
William Merrill
4.0 out of 5 stars fun with horror fiction! —
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2023
Verified Purchase
Actually, there’s a bit of sci fi and “weird fiction” too. These stories are clever, entertaining, and often scary. As a side note, I like that the cover illustration ties directly to a key moment in one of the stories. One small negative about the book, though; I found a few too many typos/errors in the ebook.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Chin Dog
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful find!
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2022
Verified Purchase
I love a good short horror story and these are, for the most part, as good as anything I've read. The stories reminded me of Ray Bradbury's October Country, where the horror is more implied than explicit. I will definitely read more by Mr. Applegate.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Elizabeth
3.0 out of 5 stars Meh
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2022
Hyped up to be scary. I could have read it to my 3 year old granddaughter. Even she would not have been scared. Definitely disappointing.
Helpful
 Report
Toni C
4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for short story lovers
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book of short stories was well written and had amazing storylines. No two stories were even close to the same. I will be buying the physical copy!
Helpful
 Report
JustLetMeRead
5.0 out of 5 stars This is fantastic
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
I loved every single one of these stories. I cannot wait to get more of Mr. Applegates work. These stories are beautifully written, scary, and bingeable. I particularly enjoyed the story titled "The Elevator". In a little over one page it achieves horror perfection.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
M. T. Stopper
4.0 out of 5 stars Stories
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2022
Verified Purchase
Every once in a while , while reading you might come
across some words, maybe a sentence, a paragraph so
refreshing I'll pause and enjoy the words .
M. T. Stopper
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
PunisherQRF
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic stories
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2022
Verified Purchase
These stories are good. Real good. They creep into your mind and lay eggs. Some seem to Hatch quickly, others take thier time.
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

MM
5.0 out of 5 stars Each Story Hits the Mark
Reviewed in Canada on May 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
These tales pull the reader in with a variety of interesting premises and settings then deliver the horror. Here there are stories of family relationships, magic, fairies, disease, and monsters, told with emotion, built with dread and terror. Every story hits the mark.
Report
PAUZIE Laureline
3.0 out of 5 stars A fun ride
Reviewed in France on February 4, 2023
Verified Purchase
Not much horror elements in some stories but overall quite a fun ride. I do enjoy the stories and have a good times. But probably not gonna re-read this book.
Report
Stephen
5.0 out of 5 stars Don’t hesitate to pick this up!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2022
Verified Purchase
I’m a sucker for a shirt story collection… especially if it’s a horror collection. Brandon can create such a fantastic “feeling” in a few short pages.
A lot of these stories concern somebody trying their best to run from something…. But you can’t escape the past.
We can all relate to that, right?
Don’t hesitate- buy this collection!
One person found this helpful
 Report
Rose
2.0 out of 5 stars the lightest toolbox in the world
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 11, 2022
Verified Purchase
Every workman has a box of tools. Most are heavy. Some are unwieldy. Some are easy to carry and weight almost nothing. The latter category includes the box of tools carried by the writer. it’s the largest toolbox in all the world and yet is as light as a feather. There are tools for every occasion in there and many different alternatives for selection. Yet, only one real tool is there in it and the name of that tool is lexicon or, to put it another way, words or dictionary. So, let me ask this question. Why is it, if the box contains so many different variations of words so writers insist on using but a select few instead of trying out something different? Are they just shoddy workmen or are they lazy? Are they disrespectful of their readers or just ignorant of all the variations contained within the one box of tools? it might be either but, in any case they all do it and especially with dialogue which they tell us was ‘said’ which we already know because of that little thing called p8unctuation. In that regard this book is no exception to all the other shoddy lazy misuse of the tools provided within the box. I’m running out of way to suggest that this kind of sloppiness is simply not acceptable at least not to me anyway though it might be fine for others interested only in the plot and not its execution.
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report