Jackknife

The Shivers Collection

By: Joe Hill

Narrated by: Robert Fass

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.

narrator does a solid job

The story is kinda meh and the ending is unsatisfying. it seems like it is going to go in a lot of interesting directions, but doesn't. The Pram is much better.

Unpleasant and Dull Story

I enjoyed the previous short stories from this author, but this one fell flat. The lead character had too much drama that detracted from the story and the tree wasn't that frightening. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was so dull and boring that this story just did not work well.

If you want a really good story about an awful tree, try Sightings: Polynesian Rakau Tira by J.F. Rodo Rome. Far more frightening than this tree could ever be. It's an entire series of scary goodness few have heard of.

The Lorax goes Postal

Loved the narration and the originality of the story. Like a creeping scarecrow in the field finding its next victim.

Great horror entertainment!

Listening to Jackknife was my introduction to Joe Hills writing and Robert Faas's narration. I borrowed a copy of the eBook and audible book through Kindle Unlimited. Based on this book I want to listen to the rest of the Shivers collection.

I’m not sure I remember when I read or listened to a short story this intense and well written. While I thought Dennis was a class A jerk, when his life began to spin out of control, I couldn’t help feeling sorry for the shmuck.

If you enjoy horror stories that keep you on the edge of your seat, you might get a copy of Jackknife and if you want to enhance the experience grab a copy of the audio book. Robert Faas takes an already excellent horror story to another level.

Weird- not for me

I didn’t find any satisfaction from this story. The ending left me wishing I hadn’t started it.