Horrorstor / Grady Hendrix

IMAGINE THIS: you're in an Ikea at night when it's deserted and suddenly there are GHOSTS and HAUNTINGS, that's right, get ready for both Thrills, and Chills!

Here's what many before me have said about Horrorstor: it has concept in spades and the exact right amount of execution to make it a fun and quick read. The ending is only okay and some of the story beats seem unnecessary BUT, overall it's good and spooky! And isn't that all we can ask or expect from a book like this? A slasher-esque movie turned concept book? BUT WAIT, I hear you say, THERE MUST BE MORE TO LIFE. Good point, and there is, and it comes in the form of Joey Comeau's slasher thriller The Summer is Ended and We Are Not Yet Saved.

This book not only gave me the satisfying type of fear that comes from a book that is not only extremely over the top but is also very well written, and left me feeling Real Human Emotions to such a degree that although I read this book several years ago, I still think of it often and recommend it to people on the reg. For instance! A couple weeks ago I was getting my nails done and the esthetician and I somehow realized we had a mutual appreciation for true crime podcasts, which led to a discussion of reading, which led to my admitting that I get scared VERY easily and so I can't watch horror movies or listen to horror audiobooks BUT since she loves horror she should DEFINITELY find and read a copy of The Summer is Ended and We Are Not Yet Saved by Canada's own Joey Comeau (If you recognize his name it's probably because of the late great A Softer World).

LISTEN, I do not claim to understand Mr Comeau's mind, but imagine the ramblings of that weird and sad comic translated into a really good and affecting horror novel and out comes a book that is NOT ONLY a really scary bloodbath but ALSO a really touching story about a single mother and her son. I can't explain it!

I normally don't like/can't read horror, despite my yearly quest for spooky scary reads in the Fall, but I can honestly recommend both of these books, although for entirely different reasons. If you are trying your BEST to play Civilization 5 but it Will Not Stop Crashing then I recommend you log on to your nearest library website and get yourself an ebook copy of Horrorstor to read whilst enjoying a quiet evening at home. If you want a book that will spook you til your eyes are wide BUT ALSO will spring into your mind with tenderness years later, read The Summer is Ended and We Are Not Yet Saved.

And really, who among us hasn't shut all the lights off in a normally busy and bright space and felt just a lil bit of the creepy crawlies.