The Hematophages

The Hematophages Splatterings is a cosmic horror compilation that truly shakes your inner fears. Each story carries a lingering sense of dread that stays with you long after you finish reading. The atmosphere is dark, eerie, and deeply unsettling in the best way possible. The only drawback for me was the slightly difficult language, which made me reread a few pages to grasp the meaning. Despite that, the stories were gripping and imaginative, making the book a fantastic and memorable horror read.

Kozeniewski's books are very diverse. He creates these worlds that are amazing and unique. They are incredibly rich with stories and potential. Then he populates them with interesting characters trying to survive. Just look at BRAINEATER JONES where a dead guy tries to solve his own murder in a world of dead being. Or BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS where a clone in a world of clones tries to do something different. Or THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO where pirates live in a society co-existing with the zombie apocalypse. And now THE HEMOTAPHAGES where in a universe of women, the crew of a spaceship try to salvage the wreckage from a colonization vessel.

Paige Ambroziak is at the center of this story. A doctoral student who convinces those necessary to show more include her on the salvage mission, that she is an expert on the target ship and can help retrieve valuable goods. While running into skinwrappers is expected, finding the Manifest Destiny crashed into a fleshworld populated by lamprey-like creatures swimming through blood is not expected.

It definitely had me thinking of the movie "Event Horizon" (complete with blood and eyes and gore) and of the movie "John Carpenter's The Thing". Similar to "The Thing", HEMATOPHAGES had a test for infected or not; their test though had me cringing. The action kept things moving pretty fast; the book seemed shorter than it actually was. Something that makes devouring it easier but also mini-sucks because it was over faster than I wanted. There are some questions that get left unanswered like why a world of only women, but at the same time, who cares. It's the same as how does a meteor/comet create zombies for George Romero? Just roll with it and enjoy the story. I can't wait to see what world Kozeniewski creates next. show less

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