A review by readbydusk
ProleSCARYet: Tales of Horror and Class Warfare by Clark Boyd, Ty Zink, Tiffany Michelle Brown, M. Lopes da Silva, Ian A. Bain, Laurel Hightower, Brennan LaFaro, Donald McCarthy, Eric Raglin, Nathaniel Lee, Corey Farrenkopf, Joanna Michal Hoyt, Anthony Engebretson, J.R. Handfield, Marcus Woodman, Derek Des Anges, Joe Koch, Hailey Piper, Tom Nicholson, Ilene Goldman, Noah Lemelson, Tim Kane, David Stevens, Dustin Walker
5.0
4.5 stars rounded up! The nightmares of capitalism clash with the mundanity of everyday living in this collection of nineteen horror stories. ProleSCARYet: Tales of Horror and Class Warfare attempts to tackle the various ways people deal with jobs that barely value them as workers, much less as human beings. I found these stories relatable and well-balanced in mixing scares with social commentary.
Vengeance plays a role in many of the stories, like in Variables by Clark Boyd, a pizza delivery brings something extra to a houseful of people, and Suffer The Children by Laurel Hightower which focuses on a CEO whose decisions come back to haunt him. Another recurring theme is the characters having to make hard choices, like in Beelzebub (Gas Station 1) by Nathaniel Lee Greeks where a night shift worker at a gas station gets a tempting offer, and Empty by Noah Lemelson - a suspenseful, action-packed account of the extent retail workers have to go to please customers. I also liked the otherworldly elements that appear here, like in Alabaster Cities by Joanna Michal Hoyt that looks at the strange, claustrophobic changes taking place in a small town, and Corpos! by M. Lopes da Silva which takes the idea of a monstrous workplace and makes it literal.
A brilliantly written collection that brings up intriguing ideas about capitalism, poverty, revenge, and justice. Profits from this collection will go to Labor Rights!
Thank you to Cursed Morsels Podcast for a review copy.
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Vengeance plays a role in many of the stories, like in Variables by Clark Boyd, a pizza delivery brings something extra to a houseful of people, and Suffer The Children by Laurel Hightower which focuses on a CEO whose decisions come back to haunt him. Another recurring theme is the characters having to make hard choices, like in Beelzebub (Gas Station 1) by Nathaniel Lee Greeks where a night shift worker at a gas station gets a tempting offer, and Empty by Noah Lemelson - a suspenseful, action-packed account of the extent retail workers have to go to please customers. I also liked the otherworldly elements that appear here, like in Alabaster Cities by Joanna Michal Hoyt that looks at the strange, claustrophobic changes taking place in a small town, and Corpos! by M. Lopes da Silva which takes the idea of a monstrous workplace and makes it literal.
A brilliantly written collection that brings up intriguing ideas about capitalism, poverty, revenge, and justice. Profits from this collection will go to Labor Rights!
Thank you to Cursed Morsels Podcast for a review copy.
book blog | twitter | instagram