screamdogreads's review
4.0
Pushing its hand into the puncture wound, the child pulled out a cluster of veins and sinew. It shone wetly, strands of bright white standing out among threads of brown and crimson. To Caiden it looked absurdly like an inverted bouquet of roses.
Comprised of 4 extremely short stories, Teenage Grave is a head first dive into the depths of the visceral and upsetting. This tiny little anthology of extremely transgressive and experimental horror is an imaginative rollercoaster. Atonement. Guilt. Grief. The three pulsating pillars at the heart of these tales, tying them together, creating a grotesque, disgusting, depraved thing that almost blends into one singular being.
Although this is a miniature book, it has some mighty teeth. What a wonderfully shocking and affecting book this is, each tale is so hauntingly intimate and so, so stressful to read. It's painful really, poetically tragic. These are tales designed to be actively anxiety inducing, to make the reader cringe, to suffer some form of physical and emotional reaction. Since this petite little novella only clocks in at 88 pages, let's take a brief glance at each of the stories it has to offer.
Comprised of 4 extremely short stories, Teenage Grave is a head first dive into the depths of the visceral and upsetting. This tiny little anthology of extremely transgressive and experimental horror is an imaginative rollercoaster. Atonement. Guilt. Grief. The three pulsating pillars at the heart of these tales, tying them together, creating a grotesque, disgusting, depraved thing that almost blends into one singular being.
Although this is a miniature book, it has some mighty teeth. What a wonderfully shocking and affecting book this is, each tale is so hauntingly intimate and so, so stressful to read. It's painful really, poetically tragic. These are tales designed to be actively anxiety inducing, to make the reader cringe, to suffer some form of physical and emotional reaction. Since this petite little novella only clocks in at 88 pages, let's take a brief glance at each of the stories it has to offer.
"I felt lucky that I had her there with me, that first time I was caressed by death; guiding me, holding me, loving me. The knife pierced into my heart like a stake through soft soil, only slightly jarring, and I could feel myself letting go, not just of her but everything. Stay with me she whispered, don't go until I'm ready, too."
In Stale Air, a father and son are reunited, deep-seated hatred is unearthed, a morbid sense of redemption punctures the stench of rotting fish. I Know Not the Names of the Gods to Whom I Pray depicts death in one of the most unflinchingly gorgeous, achingly beautiful and grueling ways ever penned. Apate's Children renders betrayal as imagery savage enough to steal away the air you breathe, and Start Today conceals sickening, repulsive body horror behind the false smiles of a self-help club for broken men. Sounds rather delightful, don't you think?
Difficult to forget and impossible to ignore, Teenage Grave is an iconic collection of new-age horror tales to take you to places you could never believe.
He raised the tool in his shiny, scarred arms. Miles brought the hammer down on his own face until it was a bowl made of bone full of nothing but pulp.
luck13rabbit's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
reads_vicariously's review
5.0
“Stale Air” by Jo Quenell - a young man visits his absent father to work out some resentments, and discovers something both horrifying and miraculous. Excellent dialogue and tension-building, plus a creepy twist and some gross out horror!
“I Know Not the Names of the Gods to Whom I Pray” by @sammytotep - a man struggling to deal with grief and heartache over the loss of a loved one. It’s graphically violent, poetic, and achingly beautiful.
“Apate’s Children” by @brendanvidito - a man must deal over and over with shame of infidelity, his guilt manifesting in a series of increasingly bizarre and brutal horrors. To say more would be too much, but it’s genuinely weird and frightening. Possibly my favorite of the collection.
“Start Today” by @loseyourghost - a man who struggles with self-esteem joins a support group for guys who want to become better versions of themselves. This one holds its cards close in the first half, then turns to grimace-inducing body horror in the second half. Loved it.
All four of these stories are 5 ⭐️ reads, making this a collection that’s easy to recommend. It’s a tiny-but-powerful book. Loved the variety of ideas and writing styles, and these stories are ripe for further readings.
“I Know Not the Names of the Gods to Whom I Pray” by @sammytotep - a man struggling to deal with grief and heartache over the loss of a loved one. It’s graphically violent, poetic, and achingly beautiful.
“Apate’s Children” by @brendanvidito - a man must deal over and over with shame of infidelity, his guilt manifesting in a series of increasingly bizarre and brutal horrors. To say more would be too much, but it’s genuinely weird and frightening. Possibly my favorite of the collection.
“Start Today” by @loseyourghost - a man who struggles with self-esteem joins a support group for guys who want to become better versions of themselves. This one holds its cards close in the first half, then turns to grimace-inducing body horror in the second half. Loved it.
All four of these stories are 5 ⭐️ reads, making this a collection that’s easy to recommend. It’s a tiny-but-powerful book. Loved the variety of ideas and writing styles, and these stories are ripe for further readings.
bronaghoneill96's review
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
3.5
sammuowo's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
3.5 ⭐️
Stale Air: 3.75 ⭐️
I really enjoyed Quenell’s story craft and found the siren to be quite fascinating. I just felt there was a little left to be desired—we don’t get to know why this ‘angel’ can’t heal Dad, nor did I get a sense of closure. I would have liked another page or two, at the least.
I Know Not the Names of the Gods to Whom I Pray: 2 ⭐️
I couldn’t really find a sense of place, and I get the idea is to be lost in this never ending death and bloodshed, but I still would have liked at least one scene where I felt grounded. It kind of had a grip at the end, but it still wasn’t enough for me to get into this story at all. Cool concept though.
Apate’s Children: 3 ⭐️
I had to look up the mythology behind this before I could appreciate what I was reading, but it still didn’t really fit what I think the author was trying to achieve. I think it would have been neat if Apate appeared as a haggard form of his mistress, as that would have added more layers to this story as well as pay more homage to the Apate mythology, but that’s just my thoughts on it.
Start Today!: 5 💫
This one was whack and I loved every second of it. I think it was a really fascinating concept and I would have loved to have more pages in this story, but it also is just perfect as it is. I really could picture everything going on and I found myself cringing from some of the mutilation—but that’s definitely a good thing! I want to read more from Lutz for sure.
Stale Air: 3.75 ⭐️
I really enjoyed Quenell’s story craft and found the siren to be quite fascinating. I just felt there was a little left to be desired—we don’t get to know why this ‘angel’ can’t heal Dad, nor did I get a sense of closure. I would have liked another page or two, at the least.
I Know Not the Names of the Gods to Whom I Pray: 2 ⭐️
I couldn’t really find a sense of place, and I get the idea is to be lost in this never ending death and bloodshed, but I still would have liked at least one scene where I felt grounded. It kind of had a grip at the end, but it still wasn’t enough for me to get into this story at all. Cool concept though.
Apate’s Children: 3 ⭐️
I had to look up the mythology behind this before I could appreciate what I was reading, but it still didn’t really fit what I think the author was trying to achieve. I think it would have been neat if Apate appeared as a haggard form of his mistress, as that would have added more layers to this story as well as pay more homage to the Apate mythology, but that’s just my thoughts on it.
Start Today!: 5 💫
This one was whack and I loved every second of it. I think it was a really fascinating concept and I would have loved to have more pages in this story, but it also is just perfect as it is. I really could picture everything going on and I found myself cringing from some of the mutilation—but that’s definitely a good thing! I want to read more from Lutz for sure.
melodon's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.0
I give this a strong 4. Stale Air and Start Today were my favorite stories, though they were all phenomenal
vampirehelpdesk's review
4.0
One hell of a gross book, but very well written. Read on an empty stomach.
ickmor's review
4.0
This was such a good little selection of short stories!
'I Know Not The Names of The Gods To Whom I Pray' by Sam Richard was incredible. The imagery the metaphor. Superb, honestly. So beautifully written.
The final story, 'Start Today' by Justin Lutz, was also pretty great. I think if it had been fleshed out more (pun intended) it would be a fantastic read. I just wish there was more of it really!
'I Know Not The Names of The Gods To Whom I Pray' by Sam Richard was incredible. The imagery the metaphor. Superb, honestly. So beautifully written.
The final story, 'Start Today' by Justin Lutz, was also pretty great. I think if it had been fleshed out more (pun intended) it would be a fantastic read. I just wish there was more of it really!
tbutton's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nwreader's review
5.0
This super short anthology gives so many great moments of deep psychological horror and atmospheric scenes---love love love.
STALE AIR was unique and had an unexpected ending. This story was the one that made me stop eating while reading it because it had a gross moment. Love when a story gets me to react like that
STALE AIR was unique and had an unexpected ending. This story was the one that made me stop eating while reading it because it had a gross moment. Love when a story gets me to react like that