Review: Maze: Short Stories to Faze by Sean Sheehan

Synopsis:

Step into a world where ordinary lives take unexpected turns, and the line between reality and mystery blurs. In this compelling collection, each story weaves a web of intrigue, delving into the hidden corners of human nature and history:

• Two shop assistants are unsettled by a young girl’s eerie fascination with insects, a curiosity that spirals into something darker.
• A train driver struggles to piece his life back together after a tragic incident on the tracks.
• A pensioner battling cognitive decline questions whether he holds the key to solving a murder near his home.
• A burglar’s routine robbery leads to a chilling discovery that will haunt him forever.
• The fierce rivalry between twin sisters erupts, leaving devastation in its wake.
• A pharmacist is thrust into a life-or-death confrontation with the IRA during Ireland’s War of Independence.
• A traveller finds himself ensnared in the chaos of Ireland’s armed struggle for freedom.

Spanning contemporary Britain, modern Ireland, and the turbulent days of 20th-century Ireland, Maze: Short Stories to Faze masterfully explores themes of identity, memory, and morality. With its diverse settings and richly drawn characters, this collection challenges perceptions and lingers long after the last page.

Favorite Lines:

As I do with all of the anthologies and short story collections that I read, rather than pulling favorite lines, I like to spotlight a couple of the stories that stood out to me the most: The Maze and The Pharmacist.

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Maze: Short Stories to Faze feels like sitting around listening to someone tell eerie local legends, strange moral tales, and old Irish ghost stories while rain taps against the windows. The collection jumps between crime fiction, psychological horror, folklore, tragedy, and dark little character studies, but what ties it all together is Sheehan’s fascination with ordinary people drifting into unsettling situations. The stories aren’t flashy or overly literary. Instead, they lean heavily into atmosphere, conversation, and the quiet weirdness that can sit underneath everyday life.

The standout for me was definitely “The Maze.” It starts almost deceptively simple, introducing supermarket workers, elderly couples, and lonely men in a very observational way, but gradually the story tightens into something genuinely sinister. Albert is one of the creepiest characters in the collection because he never feels exaggerated. His awkwardness and odd conversational habits make him believable long before the full horror of what he’s capable of becomes clear. At the same time, Pat and Maeve provide the emotional center of the story. Their aging, memory lapses, and quiet affection for one another give the story a melancholy warmth that balances the darkness extremely well. The final sections involving Pat’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis were honestly more emotionally affecting than I expected from a crime-centered story.

A lot of the collection works this way. The stories are often less concerned with twists and more interested in human behavior. Sheehan spends time on small details: cups of tea, village gossip, old songs, awkward conversations, routines, and social rituals. Sometimes that pacing really works because it creates a strong sense of place and personality. The Irish settings especially feel authentic without trying too hard. Stories like “The Pharmacist” lean heavily into Irish history and political tension, while others move into stranger or more psychological territory. The overall effect is that the collection feels varied without completely losing its identity.

That said, the writing style is very straightforward. Readers looking for highly polished prose or subtle symbolism may find some stories a little blunt in how they deliver information or themes. Some stories also end a little abruptly, almost like modern folktales rather than fully fleshed-out literary pieces. But honestly, I think part of the charm of the collection comes from that simplicity. It reads like a storyteller more interested in getting the unsettling idea across than showing off stylistically.

Summary:

Overall, I enjoyed this collection more than I expected to. There’s a sincerity to it that helped a lot of the stories land emotionally, especially when the darker material is contrasted against ordinary human tenderness. The best stories linger because they mix cruelty, loneliness, memory, and morality together in a way that feels grounded instead of theatrical. Readers who enjoy unsettling but character-focused stories, small-town atmospheres, morally strange characters, and anthology collections with a classic storytelling feel will probably enjoy this one. Happy reading!

Check out Maze: Short Stories to Faze here!