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vella_rose's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
caressableworm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
laurasauras's review against another edition
3.0
I have no idea what to rate this because it stayed with me for literal weeks, I couldn't stop thinking about it, but oh my GOD was it in an awful, visceral way. I guess it's good when writing can affect you that much?
fullmooneaters's review against another edition
3.0
I read Guts as a part of Haunted, and I guess I set my expectations too high. Everyone was just so hyped about Guts, “it’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever read” “I had to vomit after reading this” “people have passed out from this story”, I’ve heard it all. And I’ll admit, I was pretty eager to delve into this story and all it’s gory goodness. I /wanted/ to feel grossed out. I /wanted/ to be disgusted. That is why I picked up Haunted to begin with. I even flipped through the pages just to specifically find Guts so I could read it and be grossed out. Call me a weirdo, but that’s what I was looking for. Well, I read it. I read Guts. And it did not live up to my expectations. It was good, don’t get me wrong, it was a good read, but I just wasn’t grossed out enough. At the end I said to myself “Ok, that’s it then?” I barely even felt nauseous. Yeah it was gross and things like that but I came here, ready to lose my lunch and was met with… Guts. Yep, I said it, Guts does not live up to the hype if you’re experienced with the horror genre, at least in terms of being nasty to the max. Haunted was good though, I really liked it as a whole.
nonesensed's review against another edition
2.0
I added this to my reading list because a number of fellow horror fans recommended it as "the most disturbing thing they'd ever read". I'm all for being disturbed and I'm pretty jaded when it comes to horror, having gluttoned myself on the genre from a young age, so I'm always looking for new and interesting takes on a good scare.
As it turns out, I am apparently very jaded. This story - or snippet of a novel? - didn't do much for me. I've read grosser things and far scarier things both offline and online. But I get why people have found it a thrilling and horrific read, if you're not used to the subjects that lie here within.
Because the story is so short, it's hard to summarize it without spoiling the whole thing. "Shock value" seeming to be what the story is all about, I've thus chosen to write my summary under this spoiler-cut:
This story is told from the POV of a guy who, as a kid, got his intestines stuck in the pool vent and almost died. That's it. That's the story.
To me, this read like a "shock and horror" PSA about pool safety and safe sex XD I do mean that. We get an intro of anecdotes about teens who've managed to do utterly fail at experimenting with 'non-vanilla' sex (pegging, breath-play and sounding, respectively, all ending in emotional or physical pain. Often both). I think I was supposed to find these stories at least a little shocking, but, uhm, I've had Internet access since before child-safety tools for online use were a twinkle in Apple and Microsoft's eye. So. Yeah.
The most horrific part of this build-up was the reminder of the US's lack of affordable healthcare and that's depressive-scary not chills-down-my-spine-scary.
The main part of this short story is a description of the guy working to survive as his anus prolapses and he gets stuck under water, almost drowning, guts going down the pseudo-literal drain. He chews himself free with his teeth and ends up not getting a football scholarship - which, again, reminds me of how education, as well as health care, is so crazy expensive over in the USA.
Is this actually a horror story about the US's healthcare and education systems? Food for thought.
Also, I don't know if the story meant to imply that the main character was messing with the reader by lying about his sister managing to get pregnant from his sperm in the family pool or if the character actually believed that happened. If you're going to include that kind of a "plot twist" by the end of a story, I'd prefer it to actually shock me and not make me go "do you take me for a fool? or are you the fool whose sister managed to lie about having sex with someone else and you never questioned that or did _any_ sort of research on sperm viability in _pool water_?"
Just irks me, it does.
As it turns out, I am apparently very jaded. This story - or snippet of a novel? - didn't do much for me. I've read grosser things and far scarier things both offline and online. But I get why people have found it a thrilling and horrific read, if you're not used to the subjects that lie here within.
Because the story is so short, it's hard to summarize it without spoiling the whole thing. "Shock value" seeming to be what the story is all about, I've thus chosen to write my summary under this spoiler-cut:
To me, this read like a "shock and horror" PSA about pool safety and safe sex XD I do mean that. We get an intro of anecdotes about teens who've managed to do utterly fail at experimenting with 'non-vanilla' sex (pegging, breath-play and sounding, respectively, all ending in emotional or physical pain. Often both). I think I was supposed to find these stories at least a little shocking, but, uhm, I've had Internet access since before child-safety tools for online use were a twinkle in Apple and Microsoft's eye. So. Yeah.
The most horrific part of this build-up was the reminder of the US's lack of affordable healthcare and that's depressive-scary not chills-down-my-spine-scary.
The main part of this short story is a description of the guy working to survive as his anus prolapses and he gets stuck under water, almost drowning, guts going down the pseudo-literal drain. He chews himself free with his teeth and ends up not getting a football scholarship - which, again, reminds me of how education, as well as health care, is so crazy expensive over in the USA.
Is this actually a horror story about the US's healthcare and education systems? Food for thought.
Also, I don't know if the story meant to imply that the main character was messing with the reader by lying about his sister managing to get pregnant from his sperm in the family pool or if the character actually believed that happened. If you're going to include that kind of a "plot twist" by the end of a story, I'd prefer it to actually shock me and not make me go "do you take me for a fool? or are you the fool whose sister managed to lie about having sex with someone else and you never questioned that or did _any_ sort of research on sperm viability in _pool water_?"
Just irks me, it does.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Incest