screamdogreads's reviews
565 reviews
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Is this a statement on the chasing of beauty and aesthetic? Is it a criticism of these characters and their lives? Maybe. Regardless of what this is, or isn't, reading it becomes a very cathartic experience. This is a book populated by foul, detestable people, villainous, unlikable murderers, melodramatic beings who display an astounding level of ignorance. Yet, the terrible, skillful and artistic manipulation of this novel is in the sorrowful, mournful gap it leaves on your soul. That aching, empty chasm that becomes of your rib cage. How we miss these characters when they're gone, these toxic, murdering bastards. How we crave living alongside them once more, skulking around their snowy campus, dining on lavish meals. That's the true magic of this novel, how exactly have such horrendous, pretentious characters become so utterly charming?
In no way is this a fast-paced novel. It's slow, painfully slow. It's a tale that will worm its way into the gaps in your life. It's genuinely haunting. Tartt writes with such hypnotic prose that tenderly sinks its fangs into your flesh, only then, do you realize the poison that's rotting you. I believe that when we read The Secret History, we leave a part of ourselves behind on those pages. Such is its raw beauty, I shall never forget it. What a masterful, timeless and ageless tale, one entirely worthy of its status in the world of literature.
On the margin of stupefaction, as I was sliding off the steep roof of unconsciousness, something would tell me at the last instant that if I went to sleep I might never wake: with a struggle I would force my eyes open and all of a sudden the column of snow, standing bright and tall in its dark corner, would appear to me in its true whispering, smiling menace, an airy angel of death.
5.0
Does such a thing as 'the fatal flaw,' that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn't. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.
The Secret History. The book that is perhaps the cornerstone of the modern dark academia novel. A foundational pillar of today's dark academia aesthetic. The singular work most often cited as starting what dark academia is today. A book such as this, a swirling, kaleidoscopic masterpiece with a cult like following, is next to impossible to review. For what exactly can I say about The Secret History? Everything of note has already been said, only in a much more eloquent fashion than I could ever hope for...
What I can say, with certainty, is that, among other things, The Secret History is a dark comedy. Donna Tartt is an exceedingly witty writer, and here, she has crafted such a richly comedic tale that's dripping with satirical hilarity. Narrated by someone who openly admits to being unreliable and taken by a 'morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.' Perhaps it's this unique quality that adds to the possessive nature of this tale, the thing that allows it to take hold upon your soul.
This novel is wholly unlike anything I have ever read before, and it's unlikely that I will ever experience anything like this again. It's a powerful and hedonistic text, one that casts a light down upon its reader. The power in a book like this, is that it creates a multitude of theories and possible interpretations, each allowing an x-ray like glimpse into the minds of fellow readers. It's startling, really, what an examinatory novel this becomes. Though at times, it may seem it, it's not a nihilistic tale, seemingly everyone rejects morality, however, by forcing us to examine everything that meaning is not, it shows us that life is not without meaning.
The Secret History. The book that is perhaps the cornerstone of the modern dark academia novel. A foundational pillar of today's dark academia aesthetic. The singular work most often cited as starting what dark academia is today. A book such as this, a swirling, kaleidoscopic masterpiece with a cult like following, is next to impossible to review. For what exactly can I say about The Secret History? Everything of note has already been said, only in a much more eloquent fashion than I could ever hope for...
What I can say, with certainty, is that, among other things, The Secret History is a dark comedy. Donna Tartt is an exceedingly witty writer, and here, she has crafted such a richly comedic tale that's dripping with satirical hilarity. Narrated by someone who openly admits to being unreliable and taken by a 'morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.' Perhaps it's this unique quality that adds to the possessive nature of this tale, the thing that allows it to take hold upon your soul.
This novel is wholly unlike anything I have ever read before, and it's unlikely that I will ever experience anything like this again. It's a powerful and hedonistic text, one that casts a light down upon its reader. The power in a book like this, is that it creates a multitude of theories and possible interpretations, each allowing an x-ray like glimpse into the minds of fellow readers. It's startling, really, what an examinatory novel this becomes. Though at times, it may seem it, it's not a nihilistic tale, seemingly everyone rejects morality, however, by forcing us to examine everything that meaning is not, it shows us that life is not without meaning.
"Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful we quiver before it. That night I wrote in my journal: Trees are schizophrenic now and beginning to lose control, enraged with the shock of their fiery new colors. Someone - Was it van Gogh? - Said that orange is the color of insanity. Beauty is terror. We want to be devoured by it, to hide ourselves in that fire which refines us. "
Is this a statement on the chasing of beauty and aesthetic? Is it a criticism of these characters and their lives? Maybe. Regardless of what this is, or isn't, reading it becomes a very cathartic experience. This is a book populated by foul, detestable people, villainous, unlikable murderers, melodramatic beings who display an astounding level of ignorance. Yet, the terrible, skillful and artistic manipulation of this novel is in the sorrowful, mournful gap it leaves on your soul. That aching, empty chasm that becomes of your rib cage. How we miss these characters when they're gone, these toxic, murdering bastards. How we crave living alongside them once more, skulking around their snowy campus, dining on lavish meals. That's the true magic of this novel, how exactly have such horrendous, pretentious characters become so utterly charming?
In no way is this a fast-paced novel. It's slow, painfully slow. It's a tale that will worm its way into the gaps in your life. It's genuinely haunting. Tartt writes with such hypnotic prose that tenderly sinks its fangs into your flesh, only then, do you realize the poison that's rotting you. I believe that when we read The Secret History, we leave a part of ourselves behind on those pages. Such is its raw beauty, I shall never forget it. What a masterful, timeless and ageless tale, one entirely worthy of its status in the world of literature.
On the margin of stupefaction, as I was sliding off the steep roof of unconsciousness, something would tell me at the last instant that if I went to sleep I might never wake: with a struggle I would force my eyes open and all of a sudden the column of snow, standing bright and tall in its dark corner, would appear to me in its true whispering, smiling menace, an airy angel of death.
Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling
However, this novel truly shines when it casts its light upon the question of identity, on the individual, on what exactly, makes us, us. The world of doubles, doppelgängers, replica versions of ourselves - What a startling and unnerving thing to explore. Last to Leave the Room is a science heavy novel, one that's crafted to reward careful and patient readers. Certainly this is not a story for those that are squeamish, medical horrors are displayed with a clinical and cold brutality.
Our narrator is unreliable and almost detestable, what starts as a story of a sinking city, and a company trying to avoid a PR nightmare quickly descends into the maddening tale of a doctor losing her connection to reality. Isn't it such an overbearing thing, when horror is this crushing? Isn't it just so special, when horror is this consuming.
In her reflection, a yawning chasm of meat stares back at her where her eye should be. It's the first time she's seen it, though, she knew all along that it was there. But knowing and seeing are different, and now she leans in. The flesh is slick in parts, dried and clotted in others, and all of it is swollen, swollen, swollen. There are stitches, in the depths. They are not even.
4.0
And there, floating out of the darkness, is her face, her true face. Unmarred, familiar, vaguely concerned. It hovers just beside what she thought was her reflection. But when she shifts to line them up, the fake and the real, there is only her ruined face staring back at her again.
Last to Leave the Room is a speculative horror novel that quickly transforms into a gothic, medical horror story. As is typical of a traditional horror tale, this is a slow burning story, something that delicately unfurls itself, increasing in intensity until its weirdness dominates. Sci-fi and horror are so seamlessly blended to create an anxiety inducing novel (those scenes in the basement were nail-bitingly stressful to read) which borders a strange and very specific boundary, straddling a line between a sci-fi thriller, and a medical horror novel.
Towards the latter half of this novel, it becomes unhinged, unexpectedly splitting off into a rather strange narrative. If one singular novel could explain what it is to feel existential dread, this would be the one. This odd little story forces a cloying, claustrophobic feeling down the throat of its reader. This is where Starling excels, in worlds that suffocate and devour all who dare enter them.
Last to Leave the Room is a speculative horror novel that quickly transforms into a gothic, medical horror story. As is typical of a traditional horror tale, this is a slow burning story, something that delicately unfurls itself, increasing in intensity until its weirdness dominates. Sci-fi and horror are so seamlessly blended to create an anxiety inducing novel (those scenes in the basement were nail-bitingly stressful to read) which borders a strange and very specific boundary, straddling a line between a sci-fi thriller, and a medical horror novel.
Towards the latter half of this novel, it becomes unhinged, unexpectedly splitting off into a rather strange narrative. If one singular novel could explain what it is to feel existential dread, this would be the one. This odd little story forces a cloying, claustrophobic feeling down the throat of its reader. This is where Starling excels, in worlds that suffocate and devour all who dare enter them.
"As the sutures split, images flake from her mind like scabs. A needle, driven into the skin of her double, just to see her flinch. Dreams of vivisection, standing over her own body split open on a lab table. In every scene, she is the viewer, not the tormented. She has done this before. They can't be separated. They can never be separated. They are the same."
However, this novel truly shines when it casts its light upon the question of identity, on the individual, on what exactly, makes us, us. The world of doubles, doppelgängers, replica versions of ourselves - What a startling and unnerving thing to explore. Last to Leave the Room is a science heavy novel, one that's crafted to reward careful and patient readers. Certainly this is not a story for those that are squeamish, medical horrors are displayed with a clinical and cold brutality.
Our narrator is unreliable and almost detestable, what starts as a story of a sinking city, and a company trying to avoid a PR nightmare quickly descends into the maddening tale of a doctor losing her connection to reality. Isn't it such an overbearing thing, when horror is this crushing? Isn't it just so special, when horror is this consuming.
In her reflection, a yawning chasm of meat stares back at her where her eye should be. It's the first time she's seen it, though, she knew all along that it was there. But knowing and seeing are different, and now she leans in. The flesh is slick in parts, dried and clotted in others, and all of it is swollen, swollen, swollen. There are stitches, in the depths. They are not even.
The Devouring Gray by C.L. Herman
First and foremost, I am, and always will be a horror reader, someone who is constantly seeking out more creepy novels to sink their teeth into. This fantasy horror offering managed to scratch an itch I didn't even know I was having, if you're looking for a brilliant YA horror novel, one that unlike so many in the genre, actually delivers on what it promises, one that actually offers its readers genuinely creepy scenes, then this is the one for you.
A deep, impermeable wave of chestnut oaks rose far above her head, their shadows halting at the toes of her boots. There was nowhere left to go but into the forest. Violet blinked, and the trees were black and white. She blinked again, and Deputy Anders's sightless eyes were staring into hers.
3.0
I swear to reveal to no one but the most loyal of my followers the contents of this Creed. I swear it on my family, my honor, and my immortal soul.
It's kind of difficult to review a book like The Devouring Gray, because on the one hand, this book offered up a lot of things I adore in literature. A tiny town haunted by a beast in the woods, luscious scenery, freakish horrors that no one can seem to explain and even a strange cult like group that stalks the town by night... But, it just felt a little too YA for my tastes. That's not to say that this is a bad book, or even that it's poorly written. In fact, Herman's writing is gorgeous and it's a massively enjoyable book. It just reads a little young for my particular tastes.
Many, many characters make up this novel. There's a whole living, breathing town with side characters that are so much more than things forgotten and left by the wayside, each of them feels like a fleshed out, full person. The majority of the characters in this novel are unlikable, and to some, that may discourage them from reading this book. However, for me, it added to my enjoyment of The Devouring Gray. Ultimately, despite the few minor flaws this novel might have, it's a sterling example of creepy, small town horror done right.
It's kind of difficult to review a book like The Devouring Gray, because on the one hand, this book offered up a lot of things I adore in literature. A tiny town haunted by a beast in the woods, luscious scenery, freakish horrors that no one can seem to explain and even a strange cult like group that stalks the town by night... But, it just felt a little too YA for my tastes. That's not to say that this is a bad book, or even that it's poorly written. In fact, Herman's writing is gorgeous and it's a massively enjoyable book. It just reads a little young for my particular tastes.
Many, many characters make up this novel. There's a whole living, breathing town with side characters that are so much more than things forgotten and left by the wayside, each of them feels like a fleshed out, full person. The majority of the characters in this novel are unlikable, and to some, that may discourage them from reading this book. However, for me, it added to my enjoyment of The Devouring Gray. Ultimately, despite the few minor flaws this novel might have, it's a sterling example of creepy, small town horror done right.
"The eye sockets were rotted away, the forehead half-demolished; the hair clung on to the scalp in patchy bits of frizzy, dark curls. It didn't matter. Violet recognized the face immediately. He was a funhouse-mirror version of the boy in the photograph. The boy behind the journals. The boy who'd died with the beast inside his head."
First and foremost, I am, and always will be a horror reader, someone who is constantly seeking out more creepy novels to sink their teeth into. This fantasy horror offering managed to scratch an itch I didn't even know I was having, if you're looking for a brilliant YA horror novel, one that unlike so many in the genre, actually delivers on what it promises, one that actually offers its readers genuinely creepy scenes, then this is the one for you.
A deep, impermeable wave of chestnut oaks rose far above her head, their shadows halting at the toes of her boots. There was nowhere left to go but into the forest. Violet blinked, and the trees were black and white. She blinked again, and Deputy Anders's sightless eyes were staring into hers.
A Fistful of Fur by Lord Richard J. Carberry
2.5
This is a tricky book for me to rate, and honestly, one that I've been putting off reviewing for a long while now. It's not, in any way, a bad book. It's really rather quite unique, full of 80s music references and humorous lines. But, it just didn't work for me. - Ultimately, I think this boils down to me just not vibing with 'humorous' books as a reader. Maybe that makes me a grumpy person, but I just found myself wanting to skip ahead to any werewolf action.
The parts of this novel that were actually werewolf focused were stunning, and there was actually some really good writing here, sadly the rest of it just wasn't for me. Not every book is going to be for every reader, and that's okay! I totally accept that. This book is perfect for those looking for an easy to read, fun, entertaining story with a light sprinkling of horror added to the mix.
The parts of this novel that were actually werewolf focused were stunning, and there was actually some really good writing here, sadly the rest of it just wasn't for me. Not every book is going to be for every reader, and that's okay! I totally accept that. This book is perfect for those looking for an easy to read, fun, entertaining story with a light sprinkling of horror added to the mix.
Teenage Grave by Brendan Vidito, Jo Quenell, Justin Lutz, Sam Richard
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.
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.
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
Really, this is a story about stories. It's about the importance of believing in magic, it's about every way in which your voice can be stripped of you. It's both an eerie and oddly comforting sort of book. There's a special kind of attention paid to nature within this novel, and it's nothing short of gorgeous. When authors can craft the natural surroundings into its own character, letting it influence and alter the story, I find these to be the most immersive of tales. Consider this then, a formidable introduction into the world of dark academia, consider this, a stark lesson into the true power of magic.
Everything ancient must decay, a wise man once said thus to me. But a sailor was I - and on my head no fleck of gray - so with all the boldness of my youth I said: the only enemy is the sea.
4.0
Maybe the idea of constancy is what's actually terrifying. Fear of the sea is fear of the eternal - because how can you win against something so enduring. So vast and so deep.
Steeped in a heavy amount of whimsical folkloric wonder, and plenty of magical mysticism, A Study in Drowning is a dark academia novel with a twist. At its heart, it has all the makings of a dark academia story, power and control stemming from corruption in academia, a highlight on the sexist attitudes of the elite, and a focus around the studious life of the main characters. However, one is free to consider this novel dark academia-lite, it acts as a wonderful introduction into what the genre has to offer.
This novel is made up of so many elements, all of which fight to be at the forefront of the tale. The crumbling cliffside manor with its haunted halls, the luscious but unforgiving landscape, the wealthy and the powerful who lay claim to all they can. There's a beautiful gothic charm to this story, while it isn't particularly intense when it comes to the academia side, it still acts as a powerful blend of a gothic horror and fairy tale fantasy.
Steeped in a heavy amount of whimsical folkloric wonder, and plenty of magical mysticism, A Study in Drowning is a dark academia novel with a twist. At its heart, it has all the makings of a dark academia story, power and control stemming from corruption in academia, a highlight on the sexist attitudes of the elite, and a focus around the studious life of the main characters. However, one is free to consider this novel dark academia-lite, it acts as a wonderful introduction into what the genre has to offer.
This novel is made up of so many elements, all of which fight to be at the forefront of the tale. The crumbling cliffside manor with its haunted halls, the luscious but unforgiving landscape, the wealthy and the powerful who lay claim to all they can. There's a beautiful gothic charm to this story, while it isn't particularly intense when it comes to the academia side, it still acts as a powerful blend of a gothic horror and fairy tale fantasy.
"I know you think I am a little girl, and what could a little girl know about eternity? But I do know this: whether you survive the ocean or you don't, whether you are lost or whether the waves deliver you back to the shore - every story is told in the language of water, in tongues of salt and foam. And the sea, the sea, it whispers the secret of how all things end."
Really, this is a story about stories. It's about the importance of believing in magic, it's about every way in which your voice can be stripped of you. It's both an eerie and oddly comforting sort of book. There's a special kind of attention paid to nature within this novel, and it's nothing short of gorgeous. When authors can craft the natural surroundings into its own character, letting it influence and alter the story, I find these to be the most immersive of tales. Consider this then, a formidable introduction into the world of dark academia, consider this, a stark lesson into the true power of magic.
Everything ancient must decay, a wise man once said thus to me. But a sailor was I - and on my head no fleck of gray - so with all the boldness of my youth I said: the only enemy is the sea.
Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt
Here, Rumfitt has solidified herself as one of the most important authors in modern horror literature. However, this is going to be an extremely polarizing novel. Please, pay special attention to the content warnings - As a reader, I pride myself on being able to handle some extremely twisted shit, and this, this had me feeling as if I needed to start therapy immediately. You'll devour this novel, you have no choice, but you'll desperately want to be anywhere else but within this story. Brainwyrms is a wholly uncomfortable, traumatic, off-putting experience that is hands down one of the most intoxicating and impactful horror novels to exist.
It feels almost illegal to read this novel, aren't those just the best kind of books? Be warned, reader, you can never unread this. You can't unsee the horrors you'll be forced to witness. Simply cracking the spine of this novel is an act of bravery. Perhaps this story will sicken you to your very core, perhaps you'll feel as if you ingested a shit ton of acid, and are trapped in some freakish hallucination. Either way, you're about to experience the suffering, the pain, the pure repulsiveness that is Brainwyrms.
"She knelt in a puddle of toilet floor water. In it, her reflection looked back at her. Of all the toilets she'd fucked in, of all the puddles she'd seen, this was on the higher end, really. It felt good, then, when he held her hair. Not looking at him, she spoke, very quietly. "Do you think I'm a bad person?"
4.5
This wasn't a face, not now. No eyes. No cheeks. No lips. None of the discrete parts that the human brain recognized as a face. Where there had once been a recognizably human visage, however hateful, there was now only a kaleidoscopic burst of worms.
How do we find so much virtue in the depraved? How is there this much beauty in the grotesque? When we explore trauma as horror, it feels as if something within the world has shifted. A curtain lifts, and what was once cloaked within darkness, life's most intense and vitriolic of feelings, is exposed for all of its horrifying glory. Brainwyrms stands as an extremely important piece of literature. For those of us who mask our trauma with dark jokes and even darker books, this is the kind of story to make us heard. Brainwyrms takes the entire genre of trauma as horror and shatters it, rebuilding it as something monolithic.
This book altered something in my brain chemistry. Never before has an author managed to repel and disgust me so much with their body of work, and yet, somehow have me craving another release, leaving me with a burning desire to re-read every story they've produced. This book is fucking disgusting, it's vile and brutal and it's so god-damn cathartic. This is far more intense and distressing and extreme than any singular entry within the whole extreme horror genre. This is a work of art. This is something real.
How do we find so much virtue in the depraved? How is there this much beauty in the grotesque? When we explore trauma as horror, it feels as if something within the world has shifted. A curtain lifts, and what was once cloaked within darkness, life's most intense and vitriolic of feelings, is exposed for all of its horrifying glory. Brainwyrms stands as an extremely important piece of literature. For those of us who mask our trauma with dark jokes and even darker books, this is the kind of story to make us heard. Brainwyrms takes the entire genre of trauma as horror and shatters it, rebuilding it as something monolithic.
This book altered something in my brain chemistry. Never before has an author managed to repel and disgust me so much with their body of work, and yet, somehow have me craving another release, leaving me with a burning desire to re-read every story they've produced. This book is fucking disgusting, it's vile and brutal and it's so god-damn cathartic. This is far more intense and distressing and extreme than any singular entry within the whole extreme horror genre. This is a work of art. This is something real.
"You'll never be more than this a weeping wound filled with pus a breeding ground a host to bacteria a thing without feeling you do not belong to you you belong to all the things that live in you and that was beautiful you wished you could just pop yourself entirely."
Here, Rumfitt has solidified herself as one of the most important authors in modern horror literature. However, this is going to be an extremely polarizing novel. Please, pay special attention to the content warnings - As a reader, I pride myself on being able to handle some extremely twisted shit, and this, this had me feeling as if I needed to start therapy immediately. You'll devour this novel, you have no choice, but you'll desperately want to be anywhere else but within this story. Brainwyrms is a wholly uncomfortable, traumatic, off-putting experience that is hands down one of the most intoxicating and impactful horror novels to exist.
It feels almost illegal to read this novel, aren't those just the best kind of books? Be warned, reader, you can never unread this. You can't unsee the horrors you'll be forced to witness. Simply cracking the spine of this novel is an act of bravery. Perhaps this story will sicken you to your very core, perhaps you'll feel as if you ingested a shit ton of acid, and are trapped in some freakish hallucination. Either way, you're about to experience the suffering, the pain, the pure repulsiveness that is Brainwyrms.
"She knelt in a puddle of toilet floor water. In it, her reflection looked back at her. Of all the toilets she'd fucked in, of all the puddles she'd seen, this was on the higher end, really. It felt good, then, when he held her hair. Not looking at him, she spoke, very quietly. "Do you think I'm a bad person?"
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror by Jordan Peele, John Joseph Adams
While the stories in this collection won't keep you up at night the way a traditional horror story would, they'll haunt you in other, more affecting ways. The horrors present here are going to force you to think, to face uncomfortable and agonizing realities. While difficult to sit through, it's an important and fabulous collection. It was actually next to impossible to select a top 3 from this anthology. A Grief Of The Dead, A Bird Sings By Etching Tree, The Rider, and Origin Story were my favorites of the bunch.
I looked up, hoping to see in my brother's eyes any life, any love for me, any human compassion I could appeal to. From this angle though I couldn't see his face. I could see only the hole at the core of him, and before I passed out, I marveled at how a blast of light from the moon could make even a fatal wound appear beautiful.
3.5
Pat had imagined dying many times, but it was different to see the moment unfold through a bus windshield. No one was here to help them. In the swamp, they would just be two more hunted creatures, no different from the unlucky prey standing too close to a gator's jaws.
Out There Screaming is a horror anthology that provides an excellent mix of many things. While yes, these stories are primarily tales of horror, they also act as stories steeped in folklorish wonder, sci-fi tales of advanced technology and alien beings, beautiful and delicately told social commentary woven into the macabre. In this collection you'll face tales of death, of grief and loss, of the impacts of racism upon the masses, of religious ideology turning to rot. As anthologies go, this is a damn good one, even so, it's still a tricky book to rate. Not every story will connect with every reader, however, none of the stories here are bad in any capacity.
There's a damn impressive author list making up this anthology, and every single one of their stories feels distinctly important and impactful. How wonderful it is, to experience such a diverse range of tales, to get an insight into stories set in and around African cultures. How often is it that we truly get to read something unique? This collection felt fresh as it shined a light on often overlooked voices. Many of the stories here lead the reader into questioning what's happening, the horror appearing in subtlety and vagueness. Only a handful of these stories were truly terrifying, however, each of them was an eerie, thought-provoking, intensely violent experience.
Out There Screaming is a horror anthology that provides an excellent mix of many things. While yes, these stories are primarily tales of horror, they also act as stories steeped in folklorish wonder, sci-fi tales of advanced technology and alien beings, beautiful and delicately told social commentary woven into the macabre. In this collection you'll face tales of death, of grief and loss, of the impacts of racism upon the masses, of religious ideology turning to rot. As anthologies go, this is a damn good one, even so, it's still a tricky book to rate. Not every story will connect with every reader, however, none of the stories here are bad in any capacity.
There's a damn impressive author list making up this anthology, and every single one of their stories feels distinctly important and impactful. How wonderful it is, to experience such a diverse range of tales, to get an insight into stories set in and around African cultures. How often is it that we truly get to read something unique? This collection felt fresh as it shined a light on often overlooked voices. Many of the stories here lead the reader into questioning what's happening, the horror appearing in subtlety and vagueness. Only a handful of these stories were truly terrifying, however, each of them was an eerie, thought-provoking, intensely violent experience.
"I saw Jamal limping toward me, chattering his teeth as if he were snapping at food between his jaws. Blackish and red bile hung from his mouth in slimy strings. He groaned and muttered animal sounds, words entirely foreign to him now. He had lost the battle for his mind, his soul consumed in his raging hunger."
While the stories in this collection won't keep you up at night the way a traditional horror story would, they'll haunt you in other, more affecting ways. The horrors present here are going to force you to think, to face uncomfortable and agonizing realities. While difficult to sit through, it's an important and fabulous collection. It was actually next to impossible to select a top 3 from this anthology. A Grief Of The Dead, A Bird Sings By Etching Tree, The Rider, and Origin Story were my favorites of the bunch.
I looked up, hoping to see in my brother's eyes any life, any love for me, any human compassion I could appeal to. From this angle though I couldn't see his face. I could see only the hole at the core of him, and before I passed out, I marveled at how a blast of light from the moon could make even a fatal wound appear beautiful.
Convulsive by Joe Koch
Delving into this book felt like leaping from a ledge and sinking into madness. Convulsive flaunts its prose, it takes pride in its uniqueness, showing off how easily it bends and twists language into an entirely new concept. It feels as if this novel could move mountains. We are truly welcoming in a new age of horror, with Convulsive sitting amongst the best of the bunch. If what you seek is tales that will alter your perception of the world around you, stories that will change how you interact with words upon a page, then you've stumbled across the perfect collection.
He constructs a sanctuary of bones and weaves lean sinew and tense flesh through the holes. Sacrilegious magic is at work. He weaves more than meat. He weaves time.
4.0
Shall you bring me laces tattered, a comb broken, an apple bitten? With proof of devotion, will you tempt me to lie? I see your truth clearly, filled with the emptiness that is my image, the twin cravings we trade. Speak with me, and share devotion: I am nothing without you.
Every so often you encounter a book that makes you question your grasp on reality, one that makes you think about your connection to the world, a book that, makes you reflect upon your own intelligence, sparking thoughts of getting an entirely new brain as your current one is seriously outdated. Convulsive is that book. This is an extremely experimental and deeply transgressive collection of short stories. Here you'll find only the most viscerally strange of tales, stories that evoke senses piqued during drug filled hazes, words that will make you see God.
It seems like a feat of impossibility to create a collection such as this, to write a work of art so mind-altering that it seems as if the author himself is on another plane of existence. Koch takes the regular, the mundane, and molds it into art so beautiful, so painstaking, that it almost masks the horrors hidden within. It's only when you uncover them, when you truly see, that you'll be left breathless, rendered silent, without speech. Ultimately, this is a novel that will benefit from several re-reads. It's unthinkable that one could soak up all this novel has to offer on just their first pass through.
Every so often you encounter a book that makes you question your grasp on reality, one that makes you think about your connection to the world, a book that, makes you reflect upon your own intelligence, sparking thoughts of getting an entirely new brain as your current one is seriously outdated. Convulsive is that book. This is an extremely experimental and deeply transgressive collection of short stories. Here you'll find only the most viscerally strange of tales, stories that evoke senses piqued during drug filled hazes, words that will make you see God.
It seems like a feat of impossibility to create a collection such as this, to write a work of art so mind-altering that it seems as if the author himself is on another plane of existence. Koch takes the regular, the mundane, and molds it into art so beautiful, so painstaking, that it almost masks the horrors hidden within. It's only when you uncover them, when you truly see, that you'll be left breathless, rendered silent, without speech. Ultimately, this is a novel that will benefit from several re-reads. It's unthinkable that one could soak up all this novel has to offer on just their first pass through.
"Once again he placed a bone to her lips. She smelled the sugar in it, felt the squirm of something fragrant in the rotting meat, the slab behind her back alive and moist, massaging her with maggots. "
Delving into this book felt like leaping from a ledge and sinking into madness. Convulsive flaunts its prose, it takes pride in its uniqueness, showing off how easily it bends and twists language into an entirely new concept. It feels as if this novel could move mountains. We are truly welcoming in a new age of horror, with Convulsive sitting amongst the best of the bunch. If what you seek is tales that will alter your perception of the world around you, stories that will change how you interact with words upon a page, then you've stumbled across the perfect collection.
He constructs a sanctuary of bones and weaves lean sinew and tense flesh through the holes. Sacrilegious magic is at work. He weaves more than meat. He weaves time.
Into the Wolves' Den by Jon Athan
It's not often that a novel leaves me so speechless, it's not often that the brutality of a story makes me want to vomit and tear my skin to pieces. I'm someone who prides themselves on being able to read absolutely anything, to stomach the most extreme content the genre has to offer. Something about this novel though, this particular story, hit me hard. It has a certain quality, no matter how ridiculous the violence gets, it feels so very real. That's maybe the most beautiful thing about this novel, it's so deeply affecting.
The flame burned through his flesh, leaving bloody craters across his hand. His bones, muscles, and tendons were visible in the wounds. Through the blood - the deep red blood - he saw white, yellow, and brown. Charred bits of flesh crumbled from his hand and spiraled down to the small puddle of blood under the chair.
4.0
His skin peeled and burned as soon as he touched the tire. Blood splattered on the rear bumper and Riley's face. Riley felt the vibrations of Dwight's skull across his hands and arms. He tightened his grip on his head and placed more pressure on it. The stench of burning skin meandered into his nostrils, causing him to lick his lips in delight.
Damn. What an utterly unpleasant experience that was. Good Lord, this book is absolutely gnarly. I actually hated reading this thing, not because it was a bad book - not by any means, but because it was absolutely horrific and upsetting and utterly sickening. Every little moment of torture, every ounce of cruelty, every bit of nastiness is all described with an intense, grandiose vividity. This is a work of extreme horror, meaning the gore is dialed right up to 11. It's over the top and gratuitous to a point that I wanted to scoop out my own eyes while reading it.
Into the Wolves' Den is... An extremely difficult novel to get through, at times, the level of hideousness within the story is absolutely enraging, like the very best tales in the extreme horror genre, this one offers some pause to readers. It forces you to take a step back and really examine the evil of this story. It's an ugly, devastating and nauseating novel. This is extreme as the genre gets without becoming edgy for the sake of it. Into the Wolves' Den might just be one of the most graphic and disturbing things I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Honestly, this thing absolutely rocked.
Damn. What an utterly unpleasant experience that was. Good Lord, this book is absolutely gnarly. I actually hated reading this thing, not because it was a bad book - not by any means, but because it was absolutely horrific and upsetting and utterly sickening. Every little moment of torture, every ounce of cruelty, every bit of nastiness is all described with an intense, grandiose vividity. This is a work of extreme horror, meaning the gore is dialed right up to 11. It's over the top and gratuitous to a point that I wanted to scoop out my own eyes while reading it.
Into the Wolves' Den is... An extremely difficult novel to get through, at times, the level of hideousness within the story is absolutely enraging, like the very best tales in the extreme horror genre, this one offers some pause to readers. It forces you to take a step back and really examine the evil of this story. It's an ugly, devastating and nauseating novel. This is extreme as the genre gets without becoming edgy for the sake of it. Into the Wolves' Den might just be one of the most graphic and disturbing things I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Honestly, this thing absolutely rocked.
"The prisoner groaned, bloody drool dripping from his mouth. His eyes were distant, gazing into the afterlife. He was alive, living off foreign adrenaline, but his soul passed on. He was only waiting for his body to die with him."
It's not often that a novel leaves me so speechless, it's not often that the brutality of a story makes me want to vomit and tear my skin to pieces. I'm someone who prides themselves on being able to read absolutely anything, to stomach the most extreme content the genre has to offer. Something about this novel though, this particular story, hit me hard. It has a certain quality, no matter how ridiculous the violence gets, it feels so very real. That's maybe the most beautiful thing about this novel, it's so deeply affecting.
The flame burned through his flesh, leaving bloody craters across his hand. His bones, muscles, and tendons were visible in the wounds. Through the blood - the deep red blood - he saw white, yellow, and brown. Charred bits of flesh crumbled from his hand and spiraled down to the small puddle of blood under the chair.