Reviews

Negative Space 2: A Return to Survival Horror by Aric Sundquist

ericarobyn's review

challenging dark emotional lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Negative Space 2: A Return to Survival Horror edited by Aric Sundquist is a collection of tales that will have you ready to pack up a go-bag, you know, just in case.

Survival horror is something that will never cease to totally freak me out! From good ol’ life experiences to all of my anxieties and paranoias, I’m terrified of a lot of things. Then a collection like this comes around, and I thank the cosmos that I’m not in these characters’ shoes.

My favorites from the anthology include: 

• Adrift by Ashley Lezak
• Badlands by Richard Beauchamp 
• Monastery Blood Moon by M.J. Mars
• The Night Before Midnight, Off Arkansas River Trail by Eric J. Guignard
• Derelictus by Stephen Kozeniewski

Per usual, here are my thoughts on each tale!

The Places Where Sunflowers Grow by J.W. Schnarr –

After witnessing the brutal death of her mother, this girl copes by painting sunflowers in a world that was forever changed. 

What a mix of beauty and terror! The barn scene with the blood and paintings is cemented in my brain. 

Eight Glasses by Scott McCloskey – 

When water is suddenly the most unsafe thing on earth, this crew of random people must make difficult choices. But how can they survive without water?

The premise here is so unsettling. Just with the very first mention of not being able to drink water and I was up getting myself a glass… if I was in their shoes, I would have just walked outside. I can’t imagine trying to survive this!

The Bird is the Werd by Xariffa Suarez – 

After a virus has traveled through the world, turning human brains to mush, this grandfather and grandson try their best to keep living in their new normal. 

This story is such a neat tale. I loved that some parts seemed so everyday normal, but that those scenes were scattered through the rest of the plot where everything else was horrific. The scene with the rats is going to haunt me. 

Your Memories of Mine by Brad Kelechava – 

Determined to make contact with other humans they’ve found in space, one man quickly sees that something is wrong here.

What an intense cosmic horror tale! I’m so nervous about what would come after this tale ended! 

Meat by Kristin Kirby – 

In a world where they are forced to scavenge to scrape by, these people survive by designating people as their Meat. 

Yes, this is as brutal as that makes it sound. What a heartbreaking situation for everyone. These poor people. 

Sap by S.R. Miller – 

While celebrating a milestone together with a hiking trip, curiosity gets the best of one of them, and the other two are forced to follow. Of course, they never should have veered off.

Starting with a terrifying scene, we jump back a bit to learn more about what’s happening. You never know what’s out there in the woods! 

Adrift by Ashley Lezak – 

Waking to realize that their ship had crashed and was being torn apart by a creature, this researcher rushes for an evacuation pod. Unfortunately, her body isn’t cooperating well, and the creature is close. 

My gosh the intensity of this tale! As a reader, this description was so vivid, I was practically feeling this character’s pain right along with her! 

Badlands by Richard Beauchamp – 

Determined to get to the bottom of what’s been tearing up cattle and people in their town, these two neighbors go out on a night hunt. But they very quickly find themselves in too deep.

The claustrophobia here is intense! Pair that with the terror and brutal gore and you’ve got quite the tale that will make even the most hardened stomach churn. I loved that the narrator that was telling this tale was also able to throw in a bit of humor here and there with the phrases he used. 

Monastery Blood Moon by M.J. Mars – 

Taking a night off as their usual selves, this band dresses up to play at an art exhibit. Right from the start, one of the band members comments on the danger of the exhibit, but they all laugh it off. That laughter is quickly forgotten when the moonlight finally hits the first mirror. 

This tale was so much fun! I loved that we were seeing things from the perspective of the band. Terrifying and action-packed, but this tale also had some lovely humor. I need this one turned into a full novella or a film, please! 

Portrait of Dad with Cuts and Holes by Rosemary Thorne – 

Watching the downfall of a family, this entity enjoys the madness. 

Such a bizarre tale! I had no idea what was going on and I loved it so much! 

Dominion From the Deep by Benjamin DeHaan – 

After something crashes into their barn, this young man realizes that something is wrong while his father and farm hand rejoice. 

So many levels of terror here! 

The Night Before Midnight, Off Arkansas River Trail by Eric J. Guignard – 

Driving to the airport after a successful trade show, these salespeople brag and joke around. But when they come across an accident and have to backtrack to take another route, they end up in an accident of their own. Things only get worse from there. 

Where this is a prequel to Midnight, off Arkansas River Trail, which appeared in the first Negative Space anthology, when I got to the end, I groaned right out loud as I knew what happens next. 

Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Scotty Milder – 

While on a camping trip, something comes out of the woods that these two aren’t expecting… 

I loved how this story was laid out! It made me feel one way at the start, but a very different way once we had more information. 

Derelictus by Stephen Kozeniewski – 

Sent out on a mission, this man encounters something that forces him to take extreme action. But things are only going to get more intense from there!

Ah, I love Stephen’s works so darn much! I really enjoyed that this tale started with a band before backing up a bit to show us what was going on. And my gosh, the mention of SKINWRAPPERS! Go read that novella if you haven’t already!

My Favorite Passages from Negative Space 2: A Return to Survival Horror –

Pulling people out of their cars, dragging them off balconies, carrying them into the air and dropping them, busting them open like seagulls cracking clams in a parking lot. So many corpses on the streets that some people actually survived the fall, only to be hauled up a second time.
— The Places Where Sunflowers Grow by J.W. Schnarr

He struggled to control his breathing, sure the thing would hear it, his gasping breath and hammering heart. But if it heard any of this it gave no indication, only continued to creep along the edge of the canyon just as it had been feeling its way forward.
— Sap by S.R. Miller

Being separated from Bud was one thing, but knowing he was probably dead, and knowing I was down here alone in all this darkness was enough to make my heart feel six sizes too big and my stomach to drop out of my asshole.
— Badlands by Richard Beauchamp 

I screamed as my body plummeted downward into the ravine. Hot, wet flesh slammed into me and then rolled away as we fell. I felt like loose change in the world’s largest dryer as I kept spinning and falling and rolling over yet another sheer drop-off, before plummeting down further and coming to a sudden stop.
— Badlands by Richard Beauchamp 

Shards of glass begin to fall and, in a chain reaction, the slivers tumble into the sheets below them, splintering pane after pane of mirrored glass. It’s like a crystal chandelier forming in mid-air, the pieces of mirror still reflecting the pinkish sky and the beams of the stage lighting.
— Monastery Blood Moon by M.J. Mars

Arlo got to his knees, but felt himself collapsing within. A drizzle of rain trickled down, refreshing. The smell of wet forest is heady, rich. He wished he could enjoy it. He looked for the crowbar, but it was gone, thrown, dropped, melted by lightning, he didn’t know. He was helpless, and Martina was laughing.
— The Night Before Midnight, Off Arkansas River Trail by Eric J. Guignard

I have never seen anyone who looks so exactly like her before. It takes my breath away, something I always thought before was a myth, but, here I am, not breathing, and not because of any issue with my life support system.
— Derelictus by Stephen Kozeniewski

My Final Thoughts on Negative Space 2: A Return to Survival Horror –

I had so much fun with these tales. I already can’t wait to see what the third addition to this series brings!

If survival horror is your jam, you need to check out Negative Space 1 and 2 immediately. There are so many amazing authors here that bring a variety of terrors to the table!