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A review by wilt
EUSECT by C.L. Methvin
dark
3.0
(I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.)
I'm a little puzzled by the publisher's description of 'queer horror' for this collection when only one of the stories was queer. I expected (and hoped) for more than that. The gore in some of these stories was absolutely excellent and squirm-inducing, and I would have loved to see what this author could do with a heavier queer spin. But as it is, I would not personally call this a 'queer collection'.
Regardless, I still enjoyed a majority of the stories (Eusect, Tender Writhing, and A Stagnant Song were my favorites). It takes a lot to genuinely gross me out with fiction and Eusect had me downright recoiling in the very best way. But with it situated near the start of the book, I struggled to feel as strongly for the next few stories that followed. They were still good, just nowhere near the level of intensity that captivated and revolted me so dearly. I think that's the biggest reason why I can't give more than three stars. There are some five-star individual stories in here, some very good gore scenes that truly give it their all, but as a whole this collection sadly did not land very strongly for me.
I'm a little puzzled by the publisher's description of 'queer horror' for this collection when only one of the stories was queer. I expected (and hoped) for more than that. The gore in some of these stories was absolutely excellent and squirm-inducing, and I would have loved to see what this author could do with a heavier queer spin. But as it is, I would not personally call this a 'queer collection'.
Regardless, I still enjoyed a majority of the stories (Eusect, Tender Writhing, and A Stagnant Song were my favorites). It takes a lot to genuinely gross me out with fiction and Eusect had me downright recoiling in the very best way. But with it situated near the start of the book, I struggled to feel as strongly for the next few stories that followed. They were still good, just nowhere near the level of intensity that captivated and revolted me so dearly. I think that's the biggest reason why I can't give more than three stars. There are some five-star individual stories in here, some very good gore scenes that truly give it their all, but as a whole this collection sadly did not land very strongly for me.