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30 hours of non-stop, bloody, f-ed up action

Revisado: 11-27-21

Don't be intimidated by the length. I reached the end wishing there was more, while still satisfied with how things concluded. It's disturbing, fascinating, and utterly gripping the whole way through. Do be advised, this story is not for the faint of heart, and I would highly recommend looking up some TWs if you aren't sure what you can handle.

The story examines real world violence and horror, from the Holocaust to Hollywood, through the scaffolding of a paranormal espionage thriller. Much of it is just as (if not even more) relevant today as it was in the 80s. It is both fun and deeply not fun. Depressing, and oddly hopeful. In any case, it's a wild ride that moves fast without sacrificing character development or style. Well worth the 30 hours. The narrators do a great job and are easy to listen to (though I did feel the need to speed up to 1.2x).

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Just phenomenal

Revisado: 08-25-21

This is some of the best weird fiction/horror-adjacent work I've read in a while. Stories that have something to say and say it masterfully, with all the subtlety and grace you could hope for. Interesting explorations of form and character that plant one foot firmly in the literary fiction realm while the other foot roams the halls of psychological horror.

The entire collection is worth it for the first story alone, "The Husband Stitch" which is a deeply moving and effective subversion of a well-known spooky story.

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

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Revolting, depressing, and poetic. Loved it!

Revisado: 07-09-21

Things Have Gotten Worse... is a succinct, bite-sized serving of psychological horror full of complex flavor and texture. It's an acquired taste, and not for the weak of stomach (fans of Takashi Miike's AUDITION will be familiar with the flavor profile), but for those who enjoy feeling a little nauseated after finishing a story, it's well worth a listen.

I happen to be one of those people. I thought the pacing was excellent, and the characters played well off of each other. Do these feel like real people? Perhaps not, but that's ok! To me, they feel more like hyper-real, larger-than-life archetypes, condensed and concentrated versions of people you've probably encountered before (online or IRL). They are firmly rooted in reality, enough to empathize with their plight and to make you feel unsettled by the things they get themselves into. But they have an aspect of uncanniness too, which I believe serves the story.

There is excellent use of atmosphere and ominous foreshadowing throughout. I found myself thinking "This does not bode well at ALL and I'm not sure I want to know where this will lead" at several points and yet, despite my anxiety, I found myself unable to tear myself away until I had swallowed every last bite.

Winkel's performance was subtle and effective. Each character had a distinct voice (important when reciting IM conversations without interrupting to state each character's screen name) that fit how I imagined the characters. I have a few very minor qualms with the audio direction (the repetition of the characters full email handles got a bit tedious and it might have been nice to switch to a shorthand at some point) but this didn't dampen my enjoyment of the story.

[Side note: I've always pronounced the "RE" in "RE: Subject Line" as 'Ree' in my head, as opposed to 'Ray', so it took me a minute to figure out what that meant, but I got there eventually!]

Overall, a strong performance that aided comprehension and brought the characters to life.

Can't wait to read more of LaRocca in the future, they are quite talented, and unafraid to face the darkness head on. I love the nasty, disturbing things their brain comes up with.

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Kathe Koja is a master of short fiction.

Revisado: 06-05-21

Each of these short stories is a different drink of bittersweet nectar. Mournful, achingly beautiful, sometimes frightening but mostly unsettling. Joshua Saxon nails the delivery, as always.

I only wish that there were more of them! Guess I'll have to eagerly await her next anthology.

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Empathic and Spooky

Revisado: 05-11-21

If you love horror with a beating heart, this is the story for you. A story about grief and the sacrifices of being a mother. I liked and felt for all of the primary characters, and wanted them to be alright. As to whether or not I got my wish...

Don't expect all your questions to be answered by the end, the payoff falls just shy of satisfying. But that's ok, this story is more about the journey and the characters than it is about the destination.

This one didn't have me hiding under the covers and leaving the nightlight on, but it did have me tearing up in several places. If what you're looking for is a mildly horrific, emotionally-charged character study set to a backdrop of grief, I highly encourage you to give this a listen!

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A story equal parts depraved and poetic

Revisado: 05-08-21

Joshua Saxon's narration performance translated and elevated this disturbing work perfectly. I absolutely loved it. If you read it on print, it's worth revisiting as an audiobook. A must listen for fans of psychological horror and weird fiction.

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Empathic, Heartbreaking, and Page-Turning

Revisado: 02-26-21

I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish, something I don't normally do. I just had to know the ending, which was somehow both surprising and inevitable (which I think is how the best whodunnits feel). Along the way, my heart ached and I was drawn into a world that is magical, and familiar. It's exactly what I wanted from a "Gritty Magical Noir Drama", if the synopsis sounds interesting to you, rest assured that the author executed it flawlessly.

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Captivating, if somewhat straightforward

Revisado: 02-17-21

This story, from the perspective of a layman, seems exceedingly well researched, and the concepts are where the book shines. I look at it more like a science-fable, a thought-experiment explained through narrative, than a work of literature. The characters are one-dimensional, but this isn't a character-driven story, nor is it one which wastes time with excessive poetry. If you can suspend the need to have complex characters that behave realistically and flowery, flowing language, the experience is still immensely worthwhile.

I think the story would have benefitted from a narrator who understood Chinese dialects, since most of the characters are Chinese. A western narrator is an odd choice for this story and detracts from the immersion somewhat. Certain character voices felt a bit silly and out of place (a Chinese policeman with an exaggerated New York accent? Didn't work for me). Still, I think it would have been ever worse to have a western narrator trying to do thick Chinese accents...yeah, no thanks. Just hire a native voice actor next time.

Still, I was able to look past the novel/production's shortcomings because the core ideas were interesting enough to carry the story. The plot moves fast and I never felt bored. People who enjoyed the movie "Contact" will likely enjoy this as well.

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Beautiful, sensuous, and eerie.

Revisado: 12-23-20

These two stories are very different, yet equally compelling. Jacobs writes with an empathy and attention to sensory experience that carries the reader through the supernatural horrors he describes. The effect is something between ASMR tingles and shivers of revulsion. Highly recommend.

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Couldn't stop listening

Revisado: 11-13-20

once this story gets its roots in you, it's difficult to put it down. It's rare to find a horror story where you just love all of the characters and dont want anything bad to happen to them, but you know it will anyway. Has some thematic similarities with "Annihilation" and "House of Leaves" but exists as its own horrific fairy tale. Well written and performed!

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