What I'm Reading: The August Issue of Booklist

The August issue of Booklist is the annual Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Spotlight and I have 3 reviews in the issue: a STAR to an anthology edited by a legend, a STAR to a second novel that has very wide appeal, and a glowing review of an ambitious and very promising debut.

I also have more original content in this issue but I will post that next week. As usual, here are my draft reviews with bonus appeal comments, extra readalikes, and my "three words." These reviews can be used anytime for you to booktalk the titles to potential readers. All three of these titles are MUST adds to your collections.

Body Shocks: Tales of Extreme Body Horror
by Ellen Datlow

Oct. 2021. 384p. illus. Tachyon, paper, $17.95  (9781616963606). 
First published August 2021 (Booklist).

The emergence of Body Horror from a gross-out trope into a thought-provoking subgenre is one of Horror’s biggest trends. Multiple award-winner Datlow has worked her way backward, through previously published stories from across the dark fiction landscape, uncovering the breadth of these horrific tales of the human body being taken over and transformed into something unsettling at best and grotesque at worst, stories that were often hidden under a different designation, but are now proudly displayed in this standard setting anthology. The 29 stories ultimately chosen, represent moments across the spectrum, from violent and visceral to uncomfortable and quiet: alien rape, a person who can change their skin, parents who use their kid for blood, an uncontrollable fungus. These tales borrow under the skin, leaving a lasting impression like the back-to-back punch of “Natural Skin” by Alyssa Wong, a psychological, gut-punch about the commodification of young women’s bodies and “The Lake” by Tananarive Due, a tale of physical transformation that is both terrifying and freeing. Marked by a diverse table of contents and illustrations that enhance the conflicting emotions of unease and wonder that lie at the heart of the appeal of Body Horror, this is an anthology that readers will inhabit, and when they ask for more offer The Rust Maidens by Kiste, Tender is the Flesh by Bazterrica, or The Cipher by Koja.

Further Appeal: The review is mostly appeal above because there is no way I would write about every tale in my 200 word limit. However, one thing I want to highlight is that Datlow's work as an editor is what stands out here. She did a lot of work combing through previously published stories, many of which were not ever tagged as "body horror" before, but her work putting them together under this umbrella will help us all, readers and library workers alike. As more and more patrons come in mentioning they want "body horror," this is a great place for you to start them.

In my new book, "Body Horror" gets its own chapter. I have an essay about the genre, its evolution over time [from Frankenstein to zombies to today], and why it is so interesting to readers right now. In a few weeks you can use that to learn more of the appeal.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Visceral, Unsettling, Thought Provoking

Readalikes: The three titles above all appear in my new book-- there are 12 titles in total in the new Body Horror chapter. There is also this list of bonus titles from that chapter that were cut from the book but now live on the horror blog. [Click here for the archive of all bonus material from the new book, organized by chapter.]

For more options, NoveList uses "Body Horror" as a searchable theme. I also suggest using this link to access book readers have tagged "Body Horror" on Goodreads to find more suggestions. 

Reprieve

By James Han Mattson

Oct. 2021. 416p. Morrow, $27.99 (9780063079915). 
First published August 2021 (Booklist).

In his second novel, Mattson presents a brilliant hybrid, a thought-provoking look at marginalization and systemic oppression expertly nestled inside a high anxiety, visceral tale about the horror industry itself. Readers enter at the end of the nightmare, in Lincoln Nebraska, 1997 during a trial for a murder that happened in Quigley House, an infamous, full-contact haunted house attraction, as a team of four contestants encountered obstacles and gore in an attempt to win thousands of dollars. After each short interlude of court documents or detailed descriptions of that evening in the house, the story moves to longer character driven chapters, where three of the key players in this large cast-- Kendra, a black teenager who just relocated to Nebraska, Jaidee, a gay Thai man who is a student at UNL, and Leonard, a local hotel manager-- tell their stories, developing their past and specifically, explaining the months leading up to the fateful night. Severely unsettling at every turn, alternating unrelenting tension of “the real world” with the in-your-face terror of the haunt means there is no reprieve from the fear, yet readers will keep turning the pages to see how it all turns out. This is a rare treat of a novel that will be devoured by Pulp Horror fans of titles like The Dark Game by Janz and those who like the juxtaposition of supernatural and real world horrors like in the works of LaValle.

YA: With its focus on systemic oppression, especially through the eyes of teens and new adults and filled with details about how a haunted attraction is run, older teens who enjoy Horror and True Crime will be drawn to this novel, but a large subplot about the sex tourism industry in Thailand is worth noting before you suggest this novel to younger readers.

Further Appeal: As I mention above, the structure of this book is different and unsettling. We start with the crime....a death, possibly a murder. 

I had a running tally of comments while I was reading. I am going to repost them here:

• Should have been a slow burn, but the choice to have the action chapters interspersed with the background build up keeps it moving. You need a break from all the gore in the Quigley House too. But the real life horrors unfolding in the “real world” chapters are just as awful.
• Perfectly paced so readers can enjoy the horror but still be centered enough on the thought provoking issues.
• This narrative style remains throughout, interspersing trail transcripts and a detailed description of what happened as the team went through the House.
• I felt like I was inhabiting the world and the characters he created while reading-- awesome!
• Such technical brilliance and narrative restraint!
• Great characters, large cast but most get fleshed out. 
• Open is clear. We start at the end….a murder of one of the charcaters we are going to get to know. The more details you get about everyone’s past….the more you see them go through the house...the faster you read...the more scared you are.

A final note, the term "haunt" is the industry term for a haunted house attraction.

Three Words That Describe This Book: thought provoking, immersive, high anxiety

Readalikes: I had such a long list but I had to cut it down to 2 for word limits. Here are more:

• Kill Creek by Thomas for the pulp and haunted house angles.
• Zone One by Whitehead, The Only Good Indians by Jones and Tananarive Due for excellent horror that also juxtaposes supernatural monsters with real life horrors. These are books for which you can escape neither unscathed.
• Whisper Down the Lane and The Remaking both by Chapman. Thes books walk the line between novels with a [fictional] True Crime frame and Horror.

And last but not least, a newcomer...

This Thing Between Us

by Gus Moreno

Oct. 2021. 272p. Farrar/MCD, paper, $17 (9780374539238). 
First published August 2021 (Booklist).

Debut author Moreno emphatically plants his flag as an original new voice in Cosmic Horror, an old subgenre that is trending once again. In Cosmic Horror there is a pervasive, evil, force whose power overwhelms humanity. In this instance the nefarious force takes residence in an Alexa type device setup inside the Chicago apartment of newlyweds Thiago and Vera. But this setup is no gimmick. Thiago narrates the entire story as if he is telling it to Vera, who is dead at the start of the novel, in a desperate, confessional tone, both begging for her forgiveness and help as his world and sanity are spiraling out of control, drawing readers in immediately. They will eagerly follow Thiago, his story, and the increasingly weird twists and turns escalating from unsettlingly haunting to uncomfortably creepy, and ultimately settling on mind altering, mortally dangerous terror. From anti-immigration activists, to zombie dogs, and openings into another world, Moreno has melded a thought-provoking novel about mourning that is unapologetically Horror much like the very best of 21st Cosmic Horror such as The Fisherman by Langan or The Hollow Places by Kingfisher.

Further Appeal: I used the term "zombie dog"to denote that there is a dog that dies and comes back to life. Violence to animals happens here. It was shocking and came out of nowhere, but also denoted a tone shift in the entire story too. Either way, please be warned. 

Next, there is a strong undercurrent throughout the text about Thiago and Vera and their different Mexican-American heritage. It did not fit in my review to elaborate. The anti-immigrant comment is part of this. But it is mentioned and discussed multiple times that Thaigo is from a poor, “bad” Mexican clan and Vera from a polished, educated rich Mexican family. It is important in the story, but not to someone's enjoyment or not. And this issue is NOT the only thing that makes the book "thought provoking" but it is part of it.

What I loved is that it is simultaneously a book about intense mourning [how it is physically

damaging, not just mentally] AND about a nefarious presence from another dimension, one that doesn't care about humanity at all.

I want to stress that I toyed with giving this novel a star, but, like a lot of debuts, the ending fizzled a bit. Very solid, but in comparison to Reprieve, which I read at the same time, this novel fell a bit short of STAR. I am very excited to see more by Moreno though [and not just because of the setting, a neighborhood I am in often and I even know exactly the Benny's pizza place that is being referred to]. He is a talent on the rise.

Three Words That Describe This Book: original, Cosmic Horror, escalating terror

Readalikes: I realize the comp titles in the review above are award-winning and critical darlings. This is not hyperbole. This book is a great read for fans of those titles.

This novel also reminded me of the way Stephen Graham Jones writes, especially in the way that every detail matters. While reading I made this note: "SGJ in training?" And then I saw Moreno thank him in the acknowledgements. So, I was not imagining this.

The emotions revolving around loss also reminded me of two other recent Horror novels: Crossroads by Hightower and f The Taxidermist’s Lover by Hall. 

Finally, it is important to note that this is a MCDxFSG title. I have not read a book from this imprint that I did not love and I have read most of them. I consider this imprint a readalike for itself. These titles are hard to classify in traditional genres but all are reliably unsettling, weird, and haunting. High quality of writing with original storylines too. Click here to see the imprint. You can look up specific titles here on the blog for more info.