Welcome to Litsy!

This collection of short horror stories is one of my favorite books this year so far. A lot of horror I read is “slash slash, kill kill,” but Barron‘s horror is more-allow and forgive me for ripping off a George RR Martin character- “for the night is dark and full of terrors.” Can someone be a horror nature writer? I‘m gonna say yes. Barron grew up in the wilds of Alaska and it shows. There was a paragraph describing a malignant shadow of a 👇🏼

From the first story, Blackwood‘s Baby. The drama already.

Had I read this collection two years ago, it probably would have impressed me more. There are some truly great stories here (and some so-so ones) and the writing is spectacular. But having read Barron's later collection (Swift To Chase) and a great novella (Xs For Eyes), my expectations were just set too high. This one still gets ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, but if you're looking for a truly phenomenal collection from Laird Barron, check out Swift To Chase instead.

Snatched this one up immediately 👍

It's #reccomendsday ! *kermit flail* Have I told y'all about Laird Barron yet? Guys, this book of short stories is so good. I call Barron the Hemingway of Horror, and this is full of bracing, satisfying, masculine stories of adventure and terror. But wait, there's more - Barron writes playful metatextual stories and tales of female friendship as well. If you like Thomas Ligotti, True Detective, or the Vandermeers, you must read this!