Nathan Ballingrud

Crypt of the Moon Spider sets itself up as a piece of Victorian-era sanitarium horror, rich with melodrama, repression, and institutional unease. For much of its length, the book leans into that promise: shadowed halls, whispered cruelty, and the suggestion of something uncanny lurking beneath the surface.

Unfortunately, the novella never fully capitalizes on this atmosphere. Key information arrives too late in the narrative to meaningfully reframe earlier events, leaving the final act show more feeling disconnected rather than revelatory. Instead of deepening the horror, these late explanations flatten it, undercutting both tension and emotional investment.

What lingers is the sense of a stronger story implied than delivered. The setting and premise hint at psychological and Gothic depth, but the execution ultimately drifts away from the very elements that initially make the book compelling. Readers looking for sustained Victorian asylum dread may find themselves wishing the story had trusted its own setup — and its audience — a bit more. show less

So...apparently I'm an idiot.

(Yes, I know, this is not news for anyone who has even a passing acquaintance will know...still, it should be stated, for the record)

Why am I an idiot? Because I started reading this collection, got through the first story and thought two things. The first was, wow, that was really freaking good. The second was, seems a bit familiar, though.

The same happened with the next couple. Amazingly good, amazingly familiar. So, I went digging and yep, turns out I read show more this book about two and a half years ago. Okay, well, I listened to the audio version. This time around, I've got the physical book in my hands.

This is why I enjoy physical books...because I can also go and look at my shelves and discover (over and over and over again) that, damn it! I already purchased this and read it.

This is one of those books that I've heard from several readers and authors that MUST be read. I guess that's the thought I had in my head enough that it stuck and...well, yeah, I read it again.

And you know what? It was just as good the second time through. Ballingrud presents a series of dark, bleak stories, often with ambiguous—yet still perfectly logical—ends. There are monsters here, but most of them are the humans and, in most cases, those people have no idea they're monsters. This is a dark, often bleak ride full of characters who are in deep, unrelenting pain.

That's where some of the best horror comes from.

I read some of the more critical reviews and honestly, I had to laugh because, in each case (whether it was complaining about the derogatory language, the misogny, the "characters were all the same", or the "terrible writing")...I had to ask myself...did I read the same book as you?

Because this book?

These stories?

They're absolutely incredible. This IS a book worth reading more than once. show less

"1931, New Galveston, Mars: Fourteen-year-old Anabelle Crisp sets off through the wastelands of the Strange to find Silas Mundt’s gang who have stolen her mother’s voice, destroyed her father, and left her solely with a need for vengeance."

This is the perfect set up to this book. Anabelle is a 14 year old girl coming of age in what amounts to a mining town during the gold rush, full of an assortment of characters, all unique, all memorable. Throw in some fantasy and suspense, and you show more have The Strange.

I have to say that while I loved the characters, the world building is what totally drew me in! Desolate and mysterious, and a little terrifying, full of the unknown and things you only imagine in your nightmares.

"A dark serration ridged the horizon, marking the boundary of the vast Peabody Crater. This was where huge deposits of the Strange breached the surface, eroded by the wind and blowing freely over the sand. Where ghosts were rumored to wander. I wondered if you could see them from here."

While the world building was phenomenal, the story was largely character driven, with the action coming in a close second (or would that be third?). You would start out thinking you knew where the story was taking you, and then it would take a sharp turn in another direction. This kept you on your toes and on the edge of your seat!

All told, I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Gallery Books, Gallery / Saga Press, and Nathan Ballingrud for the opportunity to read and review this book. show less

An almost perfect collection of horror stories in a Lovecraftian vein. All the stories are told with a highly articulate voice, and the have a refreshing variety of settings, both geographically and chronologically. They almost all contain a thread of the cosmic in them, but shift widely within those boundaries, unveiling stories of monsters, murderers, ghosts, ancient cults, and forgotten pre-human civilizations. There is a dark fairy-tale, a clever tale set in the 60's counter-culture show more movement in the Bay Area, some colonial horror, a little pinch of outright gore, and even a weird western in the mix. All in all, this is a refreshing collection of stories I would recommend to any fans of creative horror stories that combine a remarkable imagination, quality prose, well written characters, richly detailed and highly varied settings, and genuinely unsettling situations. This is a definitely a writer to watch. show less