Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Happy Ever After | 2008 | Matt Shaw | Buy |
| 2 | G.S.O.H Essential | 2011 | Matt Shaw | Buy |
| 3 | A Fresh Start | 2012 | Matt Shaw | Buy |
The Happy Ever After series, also known as The Peter Chronicles, represents some of Matt Shaw’s earliest published work and shows the author beginning to develop the themes he would return to throughout his career. Starting with Happy Ever After in 2008, the three-book arc follows a character named Peter whose life story takes increasingly dark turns as the series progresses.
G.S.O.H Essential (2011) and A Fresh Start (2012) continue the story, with the progression of titles, from “Happy Ever After” to “Fresh Start,” hinting at the way Peter’s circumstances evolve (or fail to). The series has a more personal, character-driven quality than some of Shaw’s later extreme horror work, drawing readers into a life story before the full weight of what they are reading becomes clear.
For readers interested in seeing where Shaw started before his output expanded dramatically, the Peter Chronicles provides useful context. It shows an author already drawn to dark character studies and willing to take a story to uncomfortable places, even in his earliest books.