SFF180 😨 5 Disturbing Indie Horror/Weird Fiction Novellas

mona kabani's self-published debut novella is a very rough-hewn little beast but it's redeemed by some searing emotions now i've always said that the best horror fiction is all about empathy and the bell chime resonates with an empathy so powerful it's almost physically uncomfortable in the way it investigates its protagonist's mental health or her lack thereof without lapsing into the usual exploit of horror cliches about madness

crossroads stumbles slightly at the climax with a few story elements left unresolved that i felt should have had better closure and an epilogue starring a couple of goofy cops in what is almost a vaudeville routine does the overall story no favors but i can think of few examples of horror fiction that have left me as disturbed and emotionally drained as this one and laurel hightower has climbed effortlessly to the top of my list of authors to watch

but even weird fiction works for the same reason conventional fiction works when it has something to say and radio dark lacks that it's an apocalyptic story that keeps you wondering what it's all leading up to only to reveal that there wasn't much of a there after all

it is best read immediately after or in tandem with reading the novel in order to appreciate both what it adds to the narrative and muskowski's considerable virtues as a storyteller which in their best moments rivals stephen king for their insight into the hidden currents of small town america

finally the worm and his kings is a brilliant and assured novella that gets two crucial themes of cosmic horror right where so many other attempts at the genre have gotten it dead wrong that of otherness and of the universe's fundamental indifference to human existence let alone our dreams and desires

s p muskowski's the best of both worlds is a companion novella to the worst is yet to come her impressive novel from 2019 that i reviewed last year for halloween