Jackknife cover art

Jackknife

The Shivers Collection

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Jackknife

By: Joe Hill
Narrated by: Robert Fass
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About this listen

Ruined by scandal, Dennis Lange is hoping for a comeback. Selling the story of a cursed tree could make his future—if it doesn’t kill him—in this monstrous short story from New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill.

Dennis awakens something evil when he removes a decades-old jackknife from the trunk of a gnarled old sycamore. Once pinned in place—now thoughtlessly freed—the tree returns to its roots. An act of vigilante justice took place under its boughs long ago. But its taste for blood has only grown stronger…

Joe Hill’s Jackknife is part of The Shivers, a collection of haunting stories that reveal the otherworldly terrors all around us. Once you know, there’s no going back. Read or listen to each story in one unsettling sitting.

©2025 by Joseph King. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Horror Supernatural Suspense Thriller & Suspense

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Most relevant
This was such a great story!! Ridiculously creepy and unsettling, with fantastic metaphorical prose- I really love Joe Hill’s writing style! It’s so witty and engaging, but also beautiful. We follow Dennis, a disgraced professor who is living in an Airbnb surrounded by trees. One day, whilst taking the trail that passes through them, he notices a very unusual tree that has a jackknife stuck in the side of it. I don’t want to give too much away because I think it’s best to go into this story not knowing much about it. If you love the idea of an ancient, creepy, sinister tree and like forest/woodland/isolated settings in horror stories then definitely check this one out! The narrator performed the story really well too.

Dark and Sinister Tree!

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I enjoyed this story creepy tree and the knife that. And from it! Highly recommend this book

The knife and the tree creepy

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It’s a good example of a short supernatural horror; creepy, morally murky and atmospheric. It’s an eerie, compact tale that delivers. If you like horror that leans into nature’s menace and vengeance rather than just gore, this will hit the spot. The ending whilst somewhat abrupt was gruesome

Creepy

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A sharp, visceral short story that shows exactly why Joe Hill’s horror works so well. The language is disgusting, but in a weirdly good way. It’s vivid, evocative, and unflinching. Hill gives us a protagonist who feels layered and painfully real, flawed but believable, and the world around him is sketched with surprising depth for something this brief. Even if the characters aren’t necessarily likeable, it’s easy to care what happens to them, which makes the tension hit harder.

Despite all that, the ending doesn’t quite hold up its end of the bargain. After such strong buildup, the final confrontation wraps up in a way that feels oddly abrupt and strangely unmotivated, as if the story is racing to reach a specific shocking moment rather than earning its way there. It’s memorable, sure, but it comes across more like a narrative shortcut than a natural escalation of the tension that came before. (That was hard to explain without spoilers)

Still, the journey is worth it. The writing, atmosphere, and character work are so strong that the stumble at the finish doesn’t ruin what’s otherwise a powerful, memorable piece of short fiction.

A monster story that has bark AND bite

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