Things that Go Bump in Our Bodies: Lupus in Fabula is an Unforgettable Collection of Weird and Surreal Horror

 

Lupus in Fabula

Briar Ripley Page

Cursed Morsels Press, 2025

ISBN-13: 979-8988413868

Ebook, 192 ppg.

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I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading Lupus in Fabula by Briar Ripley Page. I know that “lupus” is part of the name “canis lupus,” which is the scientific term for “wolf,” and the wolf is my favorite animal, but I didn’t know how a wolf would factor here. Apparently, “fabula” means “a traditional tale,” but these tales are far from traditional.

 

In fact, the title story is not your traditional “wolf” story and I absolutely loved how the author chose to portray the wolf here, along with a REAL wolf!

 

There is a nice mix of speculative and slipstream fiction in this book. It also offers a variety of characters, some who are straight or gay, some who are rich or poor, the outcasts and the misunderstood.

 

Here are my comments on some of the stories which I really enjoyed reading:

 

“Swallow Me (W)hole” was such a bizarre story. In some ways, I think I figured out what was happening, but maybe not. My take is that it was cosmic horror. The ending was a big surprise!

 

“The Witch’s Wife” was another story I really enjoyed reading. The love and devotion between the witch and her wife was beautiful and everything that happened with them was so tragic and sad.

 

As I read the story “The Holy Incubus of West Virginia,” I couldn’t help but think that the creature in the story is not what the character thinks it is. From the description, the creature sounds like a Mothman. The character thinks it’s an angel. But I was back to thinking it was a Mothman when the character’s first question to the creature was, “Did you make the bridge collapse?” Plus, it’s set in West Virginia. But, eh, who knows. I just kept reading to find out.

 

“Desire in the Flooded World” was such a good story, too. I liked how, despite after a natural disaster such as flooding, life went on for everybody. Even after cities are underwater. And how people are working and loving while living in a city struck by a natural disaster. I loved the way this story was told, and how the different POVs had me putting the puzzle pieces together at the end.

 

“Gorgonland” is another good story in this book. At first, I was a little confused by the constant dust, but the constant appearance of a stone Medusa as well as the mention of an exotic land helped me to realize what was happening with our young lover.

 

I also liked “The Mood After All” because it was such an interesting twist on the zombie trope. It’s a zombie story without being a zombie story!

 

The title story was my absolute favorite story. It is a strange werewolf story. Readers need a strong stomach and open mind to read this story. And, remember, it’s fiction! No real animals or people were actually hurt!

 

Lupus in Fabula is an unforgettable collection of stories ranging from the tragic to the unsettling, the mundane to the bizarre. It takes readers along an imaginative and otherworldly journey of stories capturing a variety of characters struggling to make sense of things. Told through the lens of horror and surrealism, these stories will leave a lasting impression on readers that maybe it’s better to leave the things we don’t know or understand to the mysterious other.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Things That Go Bump in the Night: The Broonie and Other Dark Poems Celebrates Little-Known Creatures of Fantasy and Folklore

 

The Broonie and Other Dark Poems

Deborah Sheldon

Hiraeth Publishing, 2024

Ebook, 62 ppg.

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If you enjoy reading poems about broonies, sea nymphs, changelings and yowies, then look no further than The Broonie and Other Dark Poems by Deborah Sheldon. This collection of poems celebrates these little-known and mysterious creatures, with a good dose of dark tales thrown in! The poems do not explain what the things are but mostly what they do and what they are like. Many of these poems were so fascinating to read, and I loved the twists and turns so many of the poems took!

 

I loved the poem "The Midwife" and how it was a story poem. I appreciated the lore about the fairies that is shared in this poem, and wondered how the midwife was able to tell that the baby was a changeling. I also wanted more of the story at the end!

 

I also enjoyed reading the poem “The Coach from Castlemaine.” Yes, it is a long poem, but one that is so worth the time to read! And I do encourage reading it in one sitting, as something could be missed or forgotten when taking it up again later. And you don’t want to miss any of this poem! It is another story poem and the characters in it come up against something known as a “yowie.” I love how the character, Minnie, goes from feeling frightened and helpless to brave and confident once she starts defending herself and her son against the creature. I do believe it was in seeing the terror on her child’s face that gave Minnie the bravery to defend them both against the creature that wanted to eat them. As it says in the poem:

 

“She exited on shaking legs and groped towards the seat

Wrenching up her bustled skirt to climb aboard,

Her gut reaction – take the reins! – resulted in defeat

Since the frightened horses weren’t of one accord.

The gun was one she knew, Martini-Henry, single shot

So, she packed the breech with cartridge, sighted in,

And here came Mister Pollard, purple suit a vivid blot

Against the bush – the yowie must have failed to win.” (Page 49)

 

These are all enjoyable poems, especially since I do like to read anything involving mythological, legendary and fictional creatures, but what I loved best about this book is where the author explains the writing process of the poems at the end. This is something I am always curious about. She also shares what inspired the poem, another thing I like to read about in collections.

 

The poems are all written in a different poetic form. No two have the same form; the author chose a specific form for each poem in this book. I found this to be a refreshing change from the norm, where we often see poems written in the same form in many collections. As the author states on page 59, “When I decided to venture into poetry, I set myself the task of writing in a variety of different poetic forms. Achieving this has been both challenging and immensely satisfying.” Her efforts have created a collection of poetry which is also immensely satisfying.

 

The Broonie and Other Dark Poems is a collection of verse of creatures both mythical and mysterious. One actual human in this collection of poems may make the reader question if she is indeed as human as she seems, just as the other poems offer up more surprises than the reader may expect.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Meanwhile, Back at the Haunted Ranch: Midnight Mother is a Creepy Story of Broken Promises, Unexplained Horrors and Shocking Family Secrets

 

Midnight Mother

Desiree Horton

Baynam Books Press, 2024

ISBN-10: 1917885725

ISBN-13: 978-1917885720

Ebook, 329 ppg.

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Leda remembers the last night living in her home with her mother and siblings very well. She remembers the shock, terror and horror of it all, the terrible news the family received that night, and how that was the very last time her family was an actual family. Since her mother was found with her own fingers chewed off, she was institutionalized, while Leda and her brother, Sam, were separated, with Leda going into the foster care system. So she is not all that broken up or distraught when, years later, she receives the news that her mother – “Midnight Mother” as she had called her – is dead. In this gripping and terrifying novel, Midnight Mother by Desiree Horton, Leda must return to the house of horrors she and her brothers lived in to clean it up and prepare it for sale – but Leda is haunted by horrifying memories from her past, so it’s not a task she is looking forward to!

 

And add to this the fact that strange, supernatural experiences keep happening to Leda on her way to this town, as well as while at her mother’s service, and it’s a perfect storm of terror and shock!

 

Unfortunately, Leda is the only person these very strange things are happening to. That is, until she reunites with Sam. Also coincidentally, she’s the only member of the family who one day ended up at the bottom of the family mine in a nest of baby snakes (unscathed!) and with strange dreams linked to that experience ever since.

 

When Leda returns to her old stomping grounds, she discovers that she has some very real problems to contend with: Being around a brother that hates her and an aunt not only suspicious of her but convinced that Leda might as well be the antichrist. It is only Vincent, Sam’s boyfriend, who is there to constantly break the ice and act as mediator between the siblings. I LOVED the character Vincent! He is so likable and endearing. He withholds judgment of everyone and tries to keep the peace in situations he is in.

 

As to Leda, I totally understood her nervousness and anxiety at being back at the old homestead. My family was constantly moving around, so there’s really no place I could call “home” from my past, but I too had some dark experiences in my past (mostly from my dad and younger brother!), so I get it. I do. Once that sort of thing is survived, there’s no going back. I mean, yes, those dark memories are recounted in therapy, but going back to where it all happened? No thanks. Hard pass.

 

What I didn’t understand, though, was the whole mystery surrounding the snake symbolism in the story. Sure, there are hundreds of myths, legends and symbolic interpretations attached to the snake, but I was trying to figure out what role this symbolism played in the story.

 

So I kept reading, and a bit at a time, some answers were revealed. But that wasn’t what kept me reading this story. What kept me reading was how terrifying this story was. So much weird and scary stuff kept happening. I wanted to find out what happened next, and if the characters in those scenes would survive those terrifying things! The story had me on the edge of my seat as I kept reading chapter after chapter.

 

I also understood Sam trying to constantly remain the skeptic despite all the crazy things that kept happening. Even the things that actually TERRIFIED him. It’s like, if he didn’t give that stuff a single ounce of belief that it was supernatural, it wasn’t real or that it would go away. But I think this was his defense mechanism, considering the kind of childhood he had when he lived with his mother.

 

There were indeed some VERY terrifying things taking place in this story! So much so that, when I did reach the end, I couldn’t believe the horrifying and thrilling story I had just read! After I finished reading it, I exclaimed, “This book is awesome!!” It really is.

 

Midnight Mother is a horrifying story of unresolved family disputes and a haunting legend as old as the earth itself. With constant thrills and chills, this novel will keep readers on the edge of their seats and sleeping with their lights on!

 

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.