Here’s the Goodreads summary:

Working at the local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans —though no one calls them that anymore.

His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.” Now, eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.

Then one day he’s given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost—and what might still be saved.

From the back cover text alone, I knew this book would be a lot. As far as trigger warnings go, this book contains a little bit of everything: cannibalism, murder, desecration of corpses, disembowelment and dismemberment, assault (physical and sexual), gore, and more than I’ve likely forgotten. The cannibalism overshadows everything else for me.

This book made me avoid meat for a few days. It made me think hard about what it would be like to exist in the world of the book, as well as the moral and ethical implications.

For me, the hardest part of reading this book is how realistic everything felt. The way the story sets up how people started eating people made sense and chilled me to the bone. I could see it happening and I hate every second of that.

Throughout the book, Bazterrica doesn’t shy away from sharing the darker side of human nature. Readers are privy to the human slaughterhouses, the slaughtering process, and a host of other unpleasant things. I’ll say it again: this book is not for the faint of heart.

I will also say that, for a book about the brutality of cannibalism, Tender Is the Flesh contains some gorgeous writing. For example, this quote: ““Because hatred gives one strength to go on; it maintains the fragile structure, it weaves the threads together so that emptiness doesn’t take over everything.” And, here’s another one I loved: “He tried to hate all of humanity for being so fragile and ephemeral but he couldn’t keep it up because hating everyone is the same as hating no one.” The descriptions and imagery presented in this book are so vivid and moving, even if in the most uncomfortable ways.

If you’re an extreme horror reader looking for a challenge, check out Tender Is the Flesh. You can grab the book on Amazon or via your choice of other retailers. You can also follow the author on Twitter and Instagram, though all her posts are in Spanish.

What book should I review next?

My own book, an adult vampire novella called Mouth Full of Ashes, was released on October 4. You can order it here! Thanks so much for your support.

I’ve been itching to read more dark sci-fi books, and 21 Grams fits the bill nicely. If you like Black Mirror and/or anything written by Philip K. Dick, you’ll enjoy this book. Let me start off by saying that this isn’t the book version of the 2003 film. It does, however, highlight a similar motif.

21 Grams was published by Timber Ghost Press in July 2021. Here’s the back-cover summary:

In the bowels of an unassuming, ever-moving funerary parlor, a mortician known as the Operator hides a fearsome machine called the Godwin, rumored to have the ability to resurrect the dead. It runs, like a soul does, on logos: on words. And in exchange for those words—for a client’s life story—the corpse of their choosing might yet walk again. Careful, though. Words bear weight, so one must choose them wisely. Author M. Regan delivers a harrowing and beautiful glimpse into a world filled with desire, darkness, love, and loss.

The title of the book refers to the alleged weight of a human soul, as determined by a 1907 scientific study. In it, a Massachusetts physician named Duncan MacDougall weighed bodies before and after death to determine how much mass had been lost at death. Although this scientific study is widely regarded as flawed and has not been repeated, this weight of a soul persists to this day as seen in various literary and pop culture references.

This book, 21 Grams, is beautifully written. The prose is a little more florid than I prefer, but it did not diminish my enjoyment of the book as a whole. Although I found some concepts and imagery difficult to latch onto, upon further reading and review, I made sense of them and developed an appreciation for them.

21 Grams consists of different parts, including “21 Pages,” “21 Bytes,” and “21 Minutes.” Although each tale presented in the novella is unique, they are all tied together by a stunning dark truth (which I won’t be spoiling here). If you enjoy philosophy and deep discussions of existential and metaphysical ideas, you’ll love every second of this book.

I also appreciated the queer representation. This book includes queer characters struggling with gender and gender dysphoria, sexuality, and more. Everything is handled well and with the utmost respect, while still feeling true to life and relevant to the story. I can’t say enough good things about the representation in this book.

If you want to experience 21 Grams for yourself, you can purchase the book in paperback or ebook form on Amazon. You can also follow the author on Facebook and Twitter, and check out their website here. This novel was my first read from M. Regan, and it certainly won’t be my last.

What book should I read next?

My own book, an adult vampire novella called Mouth Full of Ashes, was released on October 4. You can order it here! Thanks so much for your support.

Before we dive in, here’s the Goodreads summary:

Your nose is to the grindstone, day after day. You spend your work hours overworked and underappreciated, only to return home and deal with bills, landlords, and the ever-oppressive shadow of capitalism consuming you and everything you love.

The horrors of capitalism are the horrors we all face every day, and they are confronted head-on in ProleSCARYet: Tales of Horror and Class Warfare. Contained within are nineteen tales of capitalism gone wrong–from designer children to deadly bosses, predatory lenders to plague-ridden laborers–all revealing the dark underbelly of economic oppression from some of horror’s best independent and emerging writers from around the globe.

In solidarity, there is strength against terror and fear. Let these stories be your guide, because, after all…”What the bourgeoisie therefore produces, above all, are its own grave diggers. Its fall and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable.” -Karl Marx

I LOVE when horror provides social commentary in addition to entertainment value. In fact, this is one of my favorite things about being a horror writer and reviewer—viewing society and its values through the lens of fiction. Although this collection has a unifying theme, it was fun to see how all the authors contributed to that theme in a unique way.

I already anticipated loving this book, but it was even better than I expected. In this collection, you’ll find some powerhouse names in modern horror (Hailey Piper, Joanna Koch, Laurel Hightower, to name a few), as well as some new favorites (Brennan LaFaro for me!). As we approach the end of the year, you might be eyeing your reading goal with a sense of dread. I highly recommend short story collections like this one to get you out of a reading slump and help you reach your reading goals.

These stories packed a punch while offering insight into consumerism and capitalist culture. My favorites were “Snap,” “Suffer the Children,” and “Return Policy,” although I found something to like about each of the stories included in the collection. I can’t say enough good things about this book and give it five enthusiastic stars.

If you want to snag your own copy of ProleSCARYet: Tales of Horror and Class Warfare, you can do so on Amazon or via your retailer of choice. I think you can get it almost anywhere online.

What book should I review next?

My own book, an adult vampire novella called Mouth Full of Ashes, was released on October 4. You can order it here! Thanks so much for your support.

Here’s the Goodreads summary:

Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

This book was published by Gallery / Saga Press in July 2020, and I’ve wanted to read it for a long time. I can’t believe I didn’t pick it up sooner. It’s full of gorgeous quotes that showcase Jones’s evocative style, such as this one:

“An elk mother, cornered, will slash with her hooves and tear with her mouth and even offer the hope of her own hamstrings, and if none of that works, she’ll rise again years and years later, because it’s never over, it’s always just beginning again.”⁠
⁠
I had to wait a million years for my library hold of The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones to come in (we’re talking three months), but it was well worth the wait. This is one of my favorite reads of this year so far.⁠
⁠
In The Only Good Indians, a supernatural entity seeks vengeance on a group of men who killed her calf several decades prior. The entity takes the form of a mysterious Elk-Head Woman, and throughout the book, she systematically hunts down and torments the men who caused her pain in the past.⁠
⁠
There is a LOT of gore in this book, but I loved it. Jones masterfully interweaves Native American folklore with a pervasive sense of dread and creeping atmosphere that holds you tight and never lets you go. Trigger warnings for scalping (the grossest, most vivid scene in the book for me), animal death, and desecration of corpses.⁠
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More than anything, this book showcases Jones’s immersive storytelling and impeccable prose. The Only Good Indians makes for a haunting, uncomfortable read that’s a perfect fit for spooky season, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, even the parts that grossed me out. Okay, maybe especially those parts.⁠ I’m also waiting for his most recent book, My Heart Is a Chainsaw, to come through via library loan. After I finish that one, I’m hoping to cover it, too.

You can purchase The Only Good Indians on Amazon or through your independent bookstore of choice. In addition, you can follow Stephen Graham Jones on Twitter.

What did you think of this book, and what book should I review next?

My own book, an adult vampire novella called Mouth Full of Ashes, was released on October 4. You can order it here! Thanks so much for your support.

I Hear the Clattering of the Keys is a short story collection that contains seven distinct pieces. In this review, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the individual stories in the collection, as well as the collection itself. If you don’t want to be spoiled, you might want to skip this one. I promise you won’t hurt my feelings.

With this book releasing soon, I thought now was the perfect time to let you know about it. Keep reading to discover my thoughts on this collection.

Here’s a back-cover summary:

I Hear the Clattering of The Keys (And Other Fever Dreams) is a collection of macabre tales where ordinary lives find themselves shattered by forces that lurk on the fringes of existence.

Meet Alan Madden, who only wants to offer his son advice, even after he is dead; or Susie Granger, who worries for her neighbour Jane, known to everyone else as especially The Witch of Denison Street; or Sabina Kyle, who gets a special birthday present that – for a price – can make her dreams come true.

Jamie Stewart, co-editor of Welcome to the Funhouse, presents seven nightmarish tales that peel back the skin of normality to show that insanity and horror are only a scrap away.

Stewart’s prose is as capable as it is evocative. Although the collection maintains a simple, straightforward style, there is plenty of vivid imagery and description to hold any reader’s interest. It certainly held mine. I read the whole book in one sitting.

The collection opens with a bang. “Dead Air” tells the story of a trucker confronted by the ghostly voice of his father over his CB radio. I haven’t read any other stories featuring truck drivers, so this one was a refreshing change. It was a unique twist on the “ghosts of the past” trope, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The next story, “Insular,” is the one that shook me most. The protagonist, Peter, recalls some mysterious and creepy instances that occurred when he worked in a warehouse environment not unlike Amazon. Peter ends up essentially supervising a man named Julian, whom Peter initially dismisses as average. As time passes, Peter and his colleagues discover Julian’s uncanny speed and his superhuman ability to quickly pick his section of the warehouse. After their coworker Tina has unsettling encounter with Julian, Peter makes a chilling discovery—the reason Julian can pick so fast is that he is borrowing time from his own existence. I won’t share how this one ends, but I’ll say that this one is my favorite.

“Trick or Treat” is a perfect piece for spooky season. It felt like a domestic thriller with a touch of the supernatural. I love thrillers as well as horror stories, so I really liked this one. It also features a witch, of sorts. This tale leans heavily on the themes of grief and loss, and I loved the heart in it.

“The Beach House” got under my skin. I could see it as part of a horror anthology film. It even felt like creepypasta in parts. I mean that in the best way. I especially enjoyed the ending of this one.

“Alfie and the Dead Girls” haunted me. Out of all the stories, I felt it was the most realistic. I had no trouble picturing the unrest in the community. Nor did I blame the father for what he did, as I don’t even have children and I would have done the same thing. I don’t want to say anything else for fear of spoiling this one. I highly recommend it.

“The Woman Under the White Tree” reminded me a little of Black Mass, or maybe Black Mass meets The Exorcist. I’ve always been a sucker for stories with priests. I love the idea of having to exorcise a whole road, rather than a person. Stewart handles this one brilliantly.

The collection wraps up with the titular story, “I Hear the Clattering of the Keys.” Frightening, queer, and dark, it left me with a bad taste in my mouth—but in a good way. It’s the perfect poignant way to finish the collection.

I Hear the Clattering of the Keys releases on November 13, 2021. It gets five enthusiastic stars from me. You’ll be able to purchase the book on Amazon. I also recommend following Jamie Stewart on Twitter and Instagram. While you’re at it, consider following the publisher Blood Rites on Instagram as well. You can check out other books Blood Rites has published on their website. I highly recommend snatching up Welcome to the Funhouse, which I have a story in, too.

What book should I review next?

My own book, an adult vampire novella called Mouth Full of Ashes, was released on October 4. You can order it here! Thanks so much for your support.

Before we dive into my review of Take Your Turn, Teddy, here’s the Goodreads summary:

No one knows your darkness like your own Shadow.

Nothing has been normal for Teddy, not since discovering the harsh identity of the monster he had been living with his whole life—his own father. Teddy and his mother leave that behind to start over in a small Indiana township. But as Teddy begins to learn of humanity’s monsters, he unveils an otherworldly evil he calls “The Shadow.” The Shadow tests Teddy’s vulnerability and growing sense of isolation, poisoning his mind and conjuring a vile killer-in-the-making.

A year later, Officer Leonard Strode is called in to offer consultation on a case similar to the most brutal and scarring of those he’s worked on before. One is the case of Jackie Warren, the other, Theodore “Teddy” Blackwood — two missing children. As he and two other officers follow the trail of clues, Strode is haunted by the ghosts of his own past and is horrified to find them wreaking havoc on his present.

When both Teddy and Strode finally meet face-to-face, they must confront their inner darkness as well or else be consumed by it.

This book is one of my favorite reads from 2020, and for good reason. The prose is compelling and evocative, especially the vivid imagery presented through description. Newlin knows how to write and how to describe a setting using all five senses. When you encounter a new scene, you can’t help feeling like part of the action. Throughout the book, I found myself swept up in the narrative and had no trouble putting myself in the characters’ shoes.

Speaking of characters, the population of Newlin’s novels are flawed, likeable, and three-dimensional. Teddy is not a good man. He’s killed people and done some terrible things. Leonard Strode, meanwhile, is a police officer haunted by the ghosts of his past, although he tries to do the right thing and follow the letter of the law. When these two meet, their chemistry is electric, and I loved to watch their interactions. In many ways, they seem like foils of each other. I found plenty to like and dislike about each of them as people, but overall, I adored how real these characters felt.

Of course, I also love Newlin’s nod to the Halloween franchise and final girl Laurie Strode. ’Tis the season, after all.

Perhaps my favorite part of this book was the dialogue. I appreciate how distinct each character’s voice and vocabulary were, and I had no trouble discerning who was speaking and when. Everyone talks like real people talk. If you’re a sucker for dialogue like I am, you won’t want to miss this book.

I loved Take Your Turn, Teddy, and I think it makes a solid read for spooky season. Five stars for this one. You can grab the book on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audiobook form. And, add the book on Goodreads here. You should also follow Newlin on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. She’s an author worth paying attention to. I sense big things are coming from her.

What book should I review next?

My own book, an adult vampire novella called Mouth Full of Ashes, was released on October 4. You can order it here! Thanks so much for your support.

Here’s the Goodreads summary:

A collection of chilling stories from the leading writers in horror and suspense, exploring elusive urban legends.

Join Michael Monelo, one of the creators of the Blair Witch Project, and TV writer/director veteran, Nick Braccia, on a journey through urban horror and suspense.

Explore the world of Maynard Wills, PhD, professor of folklore and fan of the podcast, Video Palace. The podcast followed a man named Mark Cambria, who along with his girlfriend Tamra Wulff, investigated the origins of a series of esoteric white video tapes. Cambria went missing in pursuit of these tapes, but not before hearing whispers of an ominous figure called the Eyeless Man.

Fascinated by the podcast and Cambria’s disappearance, Wills embarks on his own investigation into the origins of the tapes and the Eyeless Man, who he believes has lurked in the dark corners of media culture and urban legends for at least seventy-five years. As part of his study, he has invited popular writers of horror and gothic fiction to share their own Eyeless Man stories, whether heard around the campfire or experienced themselves.

Get swept away in this thrilling and terrifying horror anthology—which can be read on its own or as a companion to the hit Shudder podcast, Video Palace.

Short stories include:
-“Deep Focus” by Bob DeRosa
-“The Satanic Schoolgirls” by Meirav Devash and Eddie McNamara
-“Doorways of the Soul” by Owl Goingback
-“A Texas Teen Story” by Brea Grant
-“Two Unexplained Disappearances in South Brisbane, Recalled by an Innocent Bystander” by Merrin J. McCormick
-“Dreaming in Lilac on a Cool Evening” by Rebekah McKendry and David Ian McKendry
-“Ecstatica” by Ben Rock
-“The Inward Eye” by John Skipp
-“The Real Sharon Lockenby” by Graham Skipper
-“Ranger Ronin Presents…” by Gordon B. White

Although this collection is inspired by Shudder’s Video Palace, you don’t need to be familiar with it to understand this collection. How can I be so sure? Well, going into this collection, I knew nothing about Video Palace. I don’t think my lack of knowledge about the Eyeless Man mythos hurt my enjoyment of the pieces, either.

With choosing a rating for this collection, I really struggle. I didn’t love it enough to rate it five stars, and there were several points I put the book down because it didn’t keep my interest. However, there were some strong stories here that make me want to round up the whole collection, such as “Ranger Ronin Presents…” and “A Texas Teen Story.”

I’ll also admit to being influenced by other reviewers’ opinions, including Mother Horror, Sadie Hartmann. She rated the book three stars out of five and felt like she wasn’t being let in on a secret that she would’ve known if she’d listened to the podcast first. Maybe I’m wrong about what I said earlier. For me, though, the stories that fall flat don’t work for me, but I wasn’t bored enough to give the collection three stars. This one gets three and a half stars from me.

Like I mentioned, there are some gems in this collection. The preface, too, got under my skin. But the first story beyond the preface made me want to skip it, which is never a good sign. I can totally see what this collection tried to do, and I only wish it had really come through on that premise.

I might go back and give Video Palace a listen when my schedule is less busy. I bet if you listen to it, you’d rate this collection higher. Anyway, you can check out the Video Palace podcast on Shudder, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. You can check out the book on Amazon and Goodreads. Also, if you’re on the fence about getting Shudder in general, I can’t recommend it enough. I’ve gotten to check out so many great shows and films that I otherwise wouldn’t have seen. I’ll see you all back here next week for another Fully Booked.

What book should I review next?

P.S.: My own book, an adult vampire novella called Mouth Full of Ashes, was released on October 4. You can order it here! Thanks so much for your support.