Goodreads’ Synopsis: The alliance between ants and dinosaurs created a veritable Age of Wonder! But such magnificent industry comes at a price – a price paid first by Earth’s biosphere, and then by all those dependent on it. A satirical fable and ecological warning.
A satirical fable, a political allegory and an ecological warning from the author of The Three-Body Problem. In a sunlit clearing in central Gondwana, on an otherwise ordinary day in the late Cretaceous, the seeds of Earth’s first and greatest civilization were sown in the grisly aftermath of a Tyrannosaurus’ lunch.
Throughout the universe, intelligence is a rare and fragile commodity – a fleeting glimmer in the long night of cosmic history. That Earth should harbour not just one but two intelligent species at the same time, defies the odds. That these species, so unalike – and yet so complementary – should forge an alliance that kindled a civilization defies logic. But time is endless and everything comes to pass eventually…
The alliance between ants and dinosaurs, was of course, based on dentistry. Yet from such humble beginnings came writing, mathematics, computers, fusion, antimatter and even space travel – a veritable Age of Wonder! But such magnificent industry comes at a price – a price paid first by Earth’s biosphere, and then by all those dependent on it.
And yet the Dinosaurs refused to heed the Ants’ warning of impending ecological collapse, leaving the Ant Federation facing a single dilemma: destroy the dinosaurs, destroy a civilization… or perish alongside them?
Read Start Date: March 31, 2024
Read Finish Date: April 5, 2024
My Review: Millions of years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, there were two intelligent species — ants and dinosaurs. One day, as a dinosaur tried unsuccessfully to clean food from his teeth, the ants realized something. They could perform the task and acquire food for the colony simultaneously. Thus, the symbiotic relationship between ants and dinosaurs began, igniting the evolution of the species that would otherwise not have been possible. Ants became not only dentists but also doctors, scribes, etc. The ants would perform any task the dinosaurs could not perform with clumsy, large fingers. The ants acquired knowledge and food in exchange, and both species flourished.
This close cooperation was not without its issues, though, especially when dinosaurs flourished so much that their numbers threatened the Earth’s very existence. I don’t want to give too much away from the plot, so I will just say that I liked the unique idea of an intelligent civilization of ants co-existing and developing technology with dinosaurs. I had no negative feelings about this book and did not mind that the characters were merely ancillary to the story itself. From the synopsis, this book is supposed to be a political allegory, but honestly, I didn’t even notice/pay any attention.
This novella is a quick and easy read. It covers a vast amount of time without getting bogged down in excessive detail — it is different from the Three Body Problem series in that way. So, if you enjoy Cixin Liu’s writing and imagination, I would highly recommend this book.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: A shipwrecked man comes upon an apartment building located in the middle of the ocean. Inside, he finds the skulls of twelve residents, each one eager to tell their story. This is the final book of The Bedlam Bible.
My Review: I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for letting me read this! I listened to this audiobook while on vacation in South Carolina. It was a pleasant mid-70’s to 80 degrees (F), and this book fueled my long walks on the Hilton Head beach. As always, Pauley’s work is macabre, inventive, bizarre, and just all-out fun. I can’t believe that this is the last book in the series. I only recently found this series (and this author), and having to say goodbye feels like a bad breakup. Don’t do this to us, Pauley! We need more! For a brief synopsis of each book, please see the below.
The First Life of Anikoy Marlon: A man wakes up on a life raft in the middle of the ocean with a corpse. The corpse’s skin is etched with a journal of sorts (I think it’s the Bedlam Bible), which the man reads. The man has no recollection as to how he arrived on the rowboat. When he finds a platform in the middle of the ocean, he leaps without thinking and gets knocked out. When he comes to, he is in the 8th block tower. The following stories are from residents of the 8th block tower seen in Anikon’s mind’s eye when he sticks his finger inside the eye socket of their skulls.
Heirs of the Abyss: Rita had always had weird, terrifying dreams of 8th block. Rita’s mom (who had an unexplored connection to 8th block) always said that “dreams won’t eat you except in 8th block, where they eat you alive.” Rita is not an 8th block resident at the beginning of the story but lives in a neighborhood nearby. She starts to date someone living in the 8th block. When she enters in the building for the first time, she is relieved to discover that it doesn’t live up to her nightmares. Until she moves in with Tony.
Trapdoor: A serial killer stalks the residents of 8th block. He’s taken 9 so far, including Kimmy, a friend of the story’s protagonist. Everyone knows the face of the man in the 8th block, but he has yet to be captured. In an effort to find her friend, the protagonist finds the killer on a dating app and decides to go on a date with him. Despite her preparation ahead of time, she falls under the killer’s supernatural spell and finds herself trapped, just like the others.
Killing Teddy: I have read and reviewed this story before as part of another one of Pauley’s anthologies. You can see the review by clicking here.
Bad Blood: The protagonist is a nurse at a hospital. She volunteers for the Chance Program, which is a program providing healthcare aid to lower-income patients. One such patient is a woman named Ellie, who is a resident of the 8th block tower. Ellie is under the delusion that she has “bad blood,” and that if she transfuses it with someone else’s blood, she will get better. It freaks out the nurse, and she is relieved to get out alive. Against her better judgment, she goes back to care for Ellie with dire consequences. This story is probably my favorite so far. It had the right creepiness factor. I wanted more of this story. While there was enough details about the nurse to start to get invested, it left me wanting more…more details about the relationships the nurse had with her family and her girlfriend, and I wanted to have more creepy interactions with Ellie.
The Plant People: The protagonist’s brother is missing, and their mother is taking it hard. The mother is one of those senior citizens who have been complaining that they are going to die soon (for the past few decades). The mother lives on the top floor of the 8th block tower, and the protagonist notices that plants are starting to grow through the floor of the apartment. Put a pin in that, we will come back to it in a second. Although the protagonist hasn’t seen her brother in a while, since they are estranged due to his drinking, she agrees, at the mother’s urging to check on the brother. Oddly, the brother is not at his apartment, and what is more odd, is that he hasn’t been living there for years. Where is the brother, and what are these pervasive flowers that keep pushing their way up into the mother’s apartment? Another favorite of mine in this anthology. It was creepy as hell and with an unexpected twisted ending.
The Burden of Lunar Ticking: Grandpa Grimace is not well, which is why his daughter lets him live with her and her kids. The protagonist is one of the children. When Grandpa first tells the protagonist that he can astro project, the protagonist just thinks it’s his crazy Grandpa telling tall tales again (like how the moon ticks because it’s fake). But soon certain events make it hold not to believe.
Cyber Solaris: There’s a room in the 8th block tower that holds cages full of starving people. It’s a prison. And there’s one prisoner, prisoner 11 (a.k.a. Rover), for which a strange sound plays. Cyber Solaris is an app on a phone that allows you to time travel. One of the other prisoners has this device on his person, and he offers it to Rover for a pack of cigarettes. Rover accepts it with strange consequences. I didn’t see the twist at the end coming and it was awesome.
Black Friday: The parents of the protagonist are addicted to clearance sales, and bought depression on sale for Black Friday, and gave it to the protagonist’s Aunt Nora. They gave the protagonist anorexia. This is a weird, short story that was really fun.
The Sinking Sanctuary: I was a little confused about what was happening in this story. It had to do with Old Joe Booth, the Bedlam Bible, and weird hallucinations. The astronaut from The Astronaut’s Dream Book also made an appearance.
A Mist of Light: Mr. Crum is on the 2nd day of his new job’s orientation. Even though he’s 50 years old, he has no idea what he wants to do with his life, except collect rocks, but that doesn’t pay the bills.
The Eden Room: A decade ago, tumors sprouted from Waylon Peterhearst’s forehead, and everyone calls them horns (like devil’s horns). One night Tom Stripper, a “dispatcher,” knocks on Waylon’s door, claiming that Waylon is dead. Tom is there to “dispatch” him into the next life. It is yet to be seen whether to Heaven or Hell. The path to the next life is filled with traps created by the bad deeds Waylon did during his lifetime. This was a fun story and an interesting premise.
Life is Beautiful in Spite of Everything: The protagonist, a resident of the 8th block tower, finds a camera. He is bitter and resentful about the other residents.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: “White Fuzz is a weird sort of love story between two deeply disturbed individuals, each a product of their isolated environment. It’s not an easy read. It’s shocking, gross, and horrifying. Manages to check off every trigger! You’ve been warned.”
Franklin feels alone in life. One fateful night, he gets a curious text from a stranger, Lynda, another resident of his apartment building. She convinces him to come over, against his better judgment, and surprisingly the night seems to be going great, despite a little awkwardness.
However, it’s clear that Lynda is living with demons that are in desperate need of exercising, as everything inside her apartment seems to trigger some dark memory buried deep within her psyche. In hopes of helping her escape the prison that is her home, he invites her over to his place, but the problems only get worse, to the point he fears she won’t make it through the night.
Just when he feels the night has reached peak insanity, he discovers her madness is rubbing off on him…
My Review:White Fuzz is the second book in the series The Bedlam Bible. As with many Pauley novels, this one is short, weird and wonderful. Franklin receives a mysterious text message from a stranger. Turns out, she is a neighbor in the Eighth Block Tower, and he goes over to her place. As they initiate a sort of romantic entanglement, weird (and gross) things start to happen. And when I say gross, I mean the description the author gave of the encounters were so vivid that I literally felt stomach sick.
A fun little read to listen to. Just make sure to wait to eat anything until afterward!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
My Reivew: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. In The Astronaut Dream Book, we are granted a fascinating glimpse into the psyche of a poisoned man trapped within the confines of the enigmatic Eighth Block Tower. Through his dreams, we are taken on an otherworldly journey where he envisions himself as an astronaut, but these dreams are far from serene. Instead, the astronaut finds himself bombarded with negative waves, creating a haunting and surreal experience (including a weird church on an abandoned planet).
When the astronaut finally awakens from his reverie, the narrative skillfully transitions back to the Tower, seamlessly connecting with a familiar scene. Here, we encounter the young boy who was bitten in the first book, further deepening the interwoven nature of the stories. The tension mounts as the boy rushes to his mother, and we brace ourselves for a confrontation between her and the imprisoned man. The intricate web of connections within the Eighth Block Tower continues to unfold, captivating us with its strangeness.
One of the standout features of the book is undoubtedly the superb narration and masterful descriptions. The author’s ability to paint vivid and evocative scenes with words left an indelible impression on my mind. Each sentence is crafted with precision, immersing us fully into the surreal world of dreams and the ominous reality of the Tower.
Another highly recommended installment of the Bedlam Bible series.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Title: The Ballad of Old Joe Booth (A Song for Eighth Block)
Author: William Pauley III
Audiobook Length: 45 minutes
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Genre: Fiction, Bizarro Fiction, Horror, Novella
Read Start Date: May 23, 2023
Read Finish Date: May 23, 2023
Number of Book in Series: 5
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: Some monsters are impossible to see. This is The Ballad of Old Joe Booth. An epic poem in four parts. A song for Eighth Block.
My Review: I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the 5th book in the Bedlam Bible series, but I haven’t read book 2 or 3 yet because they were archived on Netgalley before I had a chance to download them. In any event, it isn’t necessary to have read the previous books, as this one is stand-alone.
The Ballad of Old Joe Booth is a captivating tale narrating the genesis of the enigmatic cosmic horror entity known as Old Joe Booth. The Bedlam Bible, an extraordinary compilation encompassing every book in the series, holds the key to Old Joe Booth’s demise. Learning of its existence, and the potential fatal nature of the Bedlam Bible, Old Joe is prompted to embark on a relentless quest to eradicate this ominous tome. With its evocative descriptions and thrilling narrative, this eerie and delightful short story by William Pauley III is yet another resounding success.
Other Books in the Series (that I have read)
Title: The Tower
Author: William Pauley III
Audiobook Length:2 hours and 23 minutes
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Genre: Fiction, Horror, Short Story
Read Start Date: January 27, 2023
Read Finish Date: January 31, 2023
Number of Book in Series: 1
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads:Something is happening to the residents of Eighth Block Tower…
There’s radiation in the walls. Salt covers the hallways. The food and water are poisonous. A giant green brain pulsates under the roof, pumping electric venom throughout the apartment building. The residents are trapped and losing their minds.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: When a brilliant scientist seeking to solve the problem of world hunger tries to create giant mushrooms through genetic manipulation, what could possibly go wrong?
The mutated spores escape the lab and spread across all of England. Toadstools grow to twenty feet tall, and a case of athlete’s foot can mean a grisly and horrible death.
But those who die quickly are the lucky ones. Those who survive infection by the fungus will be transformed into something unthinkably monstrous … With a perfect mix of nightmarish horror and black humor, Harry Adam Knight’s cult classic The Fungus (1985) will grow on you. This edition features a foreword by the author.
My Review: The Fungus is a 1985 science fiction horror novel by Harry Adam Knight, a pseudonym of John Brosnan. The novel tells the story of a genetically modified fungus that escapes from a laboratory and begins to spread across England, quickly mutating and becoming increasingly deadly.
The novel begins with the introduction of Jane Wilson, a brilliant mycologist who is working on a project to create a new type of fungus that can be used to produce food. She hopes to create a mushroom that will end world hunger. Wilson is successful in creating an enzyme that when coming into contact with fungus, grows it to enormous proportions. She accidentally lets it escape the lab, causing widespread panic throughout England.
As the fungus spreads, it begins to mutate even further. It grows to enormous sizes, and it becomes increasingly deadly. People who are infected by the fungus begin to suffer from a variety of symptoms, including hallucinations, fever, and skin lesions. Depending on the type of fungus that came into contact with people, some are entirely consumed, while others are forced into a grotesque mutation / symbiosis with the fungus. In most case, eventually, the infection kills them.
The British government is quickly overwhelmed by the fungus. The military is unable to contain it, and the country is soon in chaos. People are forced to flee their homes, and food and water become scarce. The government eventually decides to quarantine England, and the country is cut off from the rest of the world.
The novel follows the efforts of a group of survivors as they try to find a way to stop the fungus. The group includes Jane’s husband, a former mycologist named Barry Wilson, a psychotic soldier named Terence Slocock, and a woman named Kimberley. The group travels across England, on a mission to get to Jane’s lab to find her notes. They hope that if they can figure out how she created the fungus, they can find a way to stop it.
I had never heard of this book before I saw it on the shelves of my local library. The Fungus is a terrifying and suspenseful novel that will keep you up at night. At times, the depictions of the mushroom infested humans was grotesque and gag worthy. The novel is well-written and suspenseful. The author does a great job of building up the tension and creating a sense of dread. The characters are well-developed and believable. The novel is also very thought-provoking. It makes you think about the dangers of scientific experimentation and the hubris of man.
Even though written in 1985, the topic of world hunger and scientists trying to find a solution, is still relevant today.
Overall, The Fungus is a great read that will stay with you long after reading it. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys science fiction horror novels.
I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the 4th book in the Bedlam Bible series, but I haven’t read book 2 or 3 yet because they were archived on Netgalley before I had a chance to download them. In any event, it isn’t necessary to have read the previous books, as this one is stand-alone.
In this book, we revisit the 8th Block Tower, the peculiar structure where individuals (strange and sometimes mutated) reside for their entire existence despite the radiation in its walls. The plot follows a cluster of office employees stationed within the building, who gradually transform into a bathroom.
The protagonist wakes up one morning to discover that he is changing into his tub. When he shows up to work covered in bandages, his colleague is convinced that he is part of some fight club (hence the book name, Fight Tub). What could be worse than turning into your bathroom? Merging with the toilet bowl comes to mind. The fact that this disease seems to be contagious is a close second. Soon, the entire office is infected and changing.
Throw in a little love story and a cantankerous boss, and you’ve got yourself a great story! This story may be bizarre, but it is also really fun and hilarious. How does the author come up with this stuff? Another great book by William Pauley III and a definite must-read!
Other Books in the Series (that I have read)
Title: The Tower
Author: William Pauley III
Audiobook Length:2 hours and 23 minutes
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Genre: Fiction, Horror, Short Story
Read Start Date: January 27, 2023
Read Finish Date: January 31, 2023
Number of Book in Series: 1
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads:Something is happening to the residents of Eighth Block Tower…
There’s radiation in the walls. Salt covers the hallways. The food and water are poisonous. A giant green brain pulsates under the roof, pumping electric venom throughout the apartment building. The residents are trapped and losing their minds.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Genre:Fiction, Short Stories, Horror, Bizarro Fiction, Novella
Read Start Date: March 12, 2023
Read Finish Date: March 15, 2023
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: When electricity hangs in the air so thick the moon and stars fizzle and drown in a sea of light, the people living within it, breathing it in, can never be “normal.”
From disfigured mutants accidentally murdering god to a man falling madly in love with a blood-thirsty VCR, we promise you’ve never read anything as bizarre as this!
In these six tales, Pauley explores the lives of those living in the darkest corners of the world, those living electric:
Contains the stories:
1) Slime Night! 2) Killing Teddy (previously published under the names Insection 8 and The Third Floor) 3) The Spiders of Honeyville 4) Hypnagogia 5) $5 Electric Suzie 6) Spin Doctors Mixtape
My Review:Goddamn Electric Nights is a collections of various stories. I have reviewed each one separately below. I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Slime Night!: (about 40 minutes). Out of all the stories, this one was my least favorite. It depicts the tale of two teenage boys vying for the affections of the same girl. However, their portrayal of her is unflattering, portraying her as promiscuous and having undergone multiple “wire hanger” abortions. The boys engage in a bizarre pinball game known as Slime Night!, where losing results in being drenched in slime. By the conclusion, one of the characters experiences a significant personal revelation. While not terrible, I believe the story could benefit from more extensive exploration of the emotional complexities, perhaps through a longer narrative.
Killing Teddy: (about 20 minutes). The story opens on an excellent note, with the first-person protagonist, who is the superintendent of a building, abruptly awakened by a deafening scream followed by the menacing sound of a chainsaw. To his horror, he finds a woman and a colossal ant inside one of the apartments. The woman recounts an implausible tale of a Japanese game show where the prize money is 500k, and the contestant, Teddy, must be killed and transformed into hundreds of distinct species to entertain the audience. Without weighing the consequences, the superintendent agrees to help the woman for a hefty sum. However, unforeseen events unfold as a result. Overall, this story is a delightfully imaginative and entertaining read.
The Spiders of Honeyville: (about 28 minutes). The story commences with a plumber visiting his lover’s residence to unclog her shower drain. However, after he eliminates a snake, a yellow fog bursts out from inside it, killing both the plumber and his mistress and turning them into zombies. In the second part, we learn that the snake species has evolved a revenge mechanism, which results in the predator’s death. Scientists are studying this phenomenon and come across a pregnant woman infected with it, from whom they deliver the baby via cesarean section. But the baby is promptly stolen, and in a pursuit, the thief drops the baby, causing it to explode and release a yellow cloud over the entire town. Consequently, the scientists devise a plan to combat the zombies with genetically engineered spiders, which backfires, creating a town full of zombie Spider-Men. Overall, this story is hilarious and had me chuckling throughout. This one is probably my favorite story in the collection.
Hynagagia: (about 15 minutes). This was the first part of The Tower, another novella by the author, which I reviewed here.
$5 Electric Suzie: (about 17 mins). In this story, Susie, an anthropomorphic VCR, needs blood to stay alive. The protagonist of the story becomes infatuated with Susie and starts feeding her his own blood. Eventually, he develops an obsession with her and begins to kill people, starting with his own parents. The tale begins with the protagonist as a young boy, and as he grows up, he continues to feed her. He spends his whole life in the service of the VCR. This story was weird, and not one of my favorites. Nothing much happened from a plot perspective, and the sexual connection with the VCR was uncomfortable.
Spin Doctor Mix Tape: (about 38 mins). The story begins on a somber note, with the protagonist’s girlfriend’s cat dying accidentally. However, the narrative is imbued with a sense of humor, as the narrator adopts the tone and delivery of a newscaster. The girlfriend forgives him, and when he invites her and his parents over for dinner, everything goes smoothly until they realize that he fed them the cat instead of the planned chicken. The protagonist explains that he was short on cash and had no other option. The girlfriend breaks up with him again, but after listening to a Spin Doctor mixtape he made for her, she decides to give him another chance. Although the cat’s death and consumption were a bit off-putting, the story was enjoyable overall.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads:Something is happening to the residents of Eighth Block Tower…
There’s radiation in the walls. Salt covers the hallways. The food and water are poisonous. A giant green brain pulsates under the roof, pumping electric venom throughout the apartment building. The residents are trapped and losing their minds.
Sanity is a myth. Sickness is life.
My Review: I received this book from NetGalley and exchange for an honest review. The Tower is the first book in the “Bedlam Series.” I wasn’t sure what to think of this book. It was a little trippy, like what all the movies portray an acid trip to be like. But it was also a little confusing.
Although a novella, the book seems to be split into 2 separate stories. Both take place in the “Eighth Block Tower,” which is more or less an apartment building with radiation in the walls. At least that’s what the inhabitants say. The inhabitants themselves are strange. Some might even say “radiated” or “mutated.” They are too weird to leave, even if they want to.
The first story is about a killer who starts killing the women of the building. The twist at the end was weird and a little off putting.
The second story is about someone who works at a meat facility located at the apartment complex (also somehow strange). I didn’t really get the point of this story. The ending is weird and also confusing.
I read some reviews on Goodreads that said there was a third story…but actually I’m not sure what that one was…
What I did like was the futurist atmosphere of the place. But this also left me with unanswered questions. What was the outside world like? What was society like? Why were these people at this building? There were so many interesting elements of this story that weren’t explored. I’m giving it 4 stars despite the confusion because it was just so damn intriguing, the writing was good, and the idea was imaginative.
Hopefully, my questions will be addressed in the next book, which I definitely will be reading.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Audiobook Length:12 hours and 56 minutesandBook Length: 400 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Genre: Fiction, Horror, Short Stories, Novella, Paranormal, Suspense
Read Start Date: October 11, 2022
Read Finish Date: October 17, 2022
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: Four brand-new horror novellas from “a modern-day Algernon Blackwood” all about books, stories, manuscripts – the written word has never had sharper teeth…
From the bestselling author of Come with Me, four standalone horror novellas set in a shared universe!
In The Skin of Her Teeth, a cursed novel drives people to their deaths.
A delivery job turns deadly in The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride.
In This Book Belongs to Olo, a lonely child has dangerous control over an usual pop-up book.
A choose-your-own adventure game spirals into an uncanny reality in The Story.
Full of creepy, page-turning suspense, these collected novellas are perfect for fans of Paul Tremblay, Stephen King and Joe Hill.
My Review: I received this first as a book from Netgalley, but by the time I was ready to read it, there was also an audiobook version available, so I received that from Negalley also. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Ronald Malfi is fast becoming one of my all time favorite horror authors. Ghost Written is the second book by Malfi I have read (the first being Blackmouth (you can find my review here)). I really liked the book in both mediums (book and audiobook format).
I’m a voracious reader (I have read about 85 books so far this year, which is pretty typical for me), so the theme of cursed books was intriguing to me. I was not disappointed!
In The Skin of Her Teeth, a cursed novel will stop at nothing to remain unedited and unchanged, even kill! I really liked this one alot — it was actually probably my favorite of the bunch. The book in this story took on a monster quality and seemed to have a mind of its own. I really liked the ending (but I won’t spoil it).
In The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride, two guys have to deliver a package, a book — should be easy right? The problem: the delivery comes with certain instructions, ones that the brothers decide not to follow. This novella has elements of alternate realities / dimensions and I really liked it!
In This Book Belongs to Olo, Olo is the child of rich parents — his only problem is that he has no friends. With his magical pop-up book at his side, he decides to get friends any way he can, even if that means trapping them forever. This was not my favorite story. I would have liked to know how Olo came to have this book and/or how he came to have the power to make this book magical.
Lastly, in The Story, a journalist is investigating the apparent suicide of his ex-girlfriend. What he finds is a strange dark web choose-your-own-adventure story. Could this be the reason for her death? Reading this story via audiobook was a little confusing because sometimes the POV would switch to the characters in the adventure story. I think this one might be better read than listened to.
I love this author, so I can’t recommend his books enough!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
The Legal Alien 