Tag: queerhorror

Book Review: Everything The Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca

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She was suddenly nothing more than a broken tree branch set adrift in whitewater rapids, a mere pebble tossed from the top of a waterfall.

PLOT SUMMARY:

Evil waits for the unsuspecting in the small town of Henley’s Edge, Connecticut after a recent string of unexplained disappearances.

Lives are interwoven and transformed forever when pacts are drawn, deals are made, and when hatred is left unrestrained.

Some will succumb to the darkness that lurks in the cellar of Mr. Heart Crowley’s home, others will resist, and some will face a truly remarkable being—creator of tides, vessel of infinity, eater of darkness.

GRADE: B

REVIEW:

I’ve read all of Eric LaRocca’s novellas and short story collections so far, and his debut novel doesn’t disappoint. It delivers on all the things we’ve come to love about his stories: lush, baroque writing, extreme gore and violence, and characters that you can’t help but root for. This novel opens with a banger – extreme violence and blood from the get-go and kind of sets the dark mood that hovers over the entirety of this novel. We follow two characters, Ghost – a recent widow, and Malik a Muslim gay policeman. Their destinies with intertwine in ways that they can’t imagine. Meanwhile, their disappearances are occurring in this small New England town, and violence prevails in ways that one would hope to never have to encounter. There were a lot of things that I enjoyed about this novel but it feels like not enough time was dedicated to those things that I found compelling (the mystery of the disappearances, what exactly happened between the Prologue and now the present, and who was the little ghost haunting Ghost?). Also, I wasn’t sure if character names were supposed to be homages to current horror authors (I couldn’t help but feel this way when Gemma, Hailey, and Piper were introduced and suddenly I made the connection to Gemma Amor and Hailey Piper. Was this intentional? Was it a coincidence? Maybe both? Who knows?). But my biggest gripe is the ending (yes, I do like that there was a “happy ending” of sorts) however, it felt kind of rushed and the proverbial “bad guy” was easily disposed of. I guess I was hoping for a lengthier and bloodier battle, but most of the horrific acts were actually committed by a human rather than a paranormal entity (and maybe there’s a lesson in that that humans are more monstrous than actual monsters?). What I will say, is that I did read this novel rather quickly, so I was invested in the story very much. Maybe because this book felt more like cosmic horror (which isn’t a sub-genre I generally like much) I didn’t enjoy the later portions of this novel as opposed to the first 75% of it. But if you do enjoy cosmic horror, then I can see you really liking this one as it does explore some interesting themes about creators, creations, and spirituality.

I recommend this to readers who love dual POV done well, small-town horror, cosmic horror, and novels that aren’t overwhelmingly long.

*Thank you so much to Clash Books and the author for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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3 QUEER HORRORS TO CELEBRATE PRIDE MONTH

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OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA BY JULIA ARMFIELD

Leah is changed. A marine biologist, she left for a routine expedition months earlier, only this time her submarine sank to the sea floor. When she finally surfaces and returns home, her wife Miri knows that something is wrong. Barely eating and lost in her thoughts, Leah rotates between rooms in their apartment, running the taps morning and night. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry land and into their home. As Miri searches for answers, desperate to understand what happened below the water, she must face the possibility that the woman she loves is slipping from her grasp.

THE MONSTER OF ELENDHAVEN BY JENNIFER GIESBRECHT

The city of Elendhaven sulks on the edge of the ocean. Wracked by plague, abandoned by the South, stripped of industry and left to die. But not everything dies so easily. A thing without a name stalks the city, a thing shaped like a man, with a dark heart and long pale fingers yearning to wrap around throats. A monster who cannot die. His frail master sends him out on errands, twisting him with magic, crafting a plan too cruel to name, while the monster’s heart grows fonder and colder and more cunning.

These monsters of Elendhaven will have their revenge on everyone who wronged the city, even if they have to burn the world to do it.

MANHUNT BY GRETCHEN FELKER-MARTIN

Beth and Fran spend their days traveling the ravaged New England coast, hunting feral men and harvesting their organs in a gruesome effort to ensure they’ll never face the same fate.

Robbie lives by his gun and one hard-learned motto: other people aren’t safe.

After a brutal accident entwines the three of them, this found family of survivors must navigate murderous TERFs, a sociopathic billionaire bunker brat, and awkward relationship dynamics—all while outrunning packs of feral men, and their own demons.

HAVE YOU READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS? WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE QUEER HORRORS?


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