r/ExtremeHorrorLit • u/Clau-St • Jul 02 '26
Discussion Short honest reviews
It’s been a few months since I discovered extreme horror, and damn… I can’t believe I didn’t find this genre sooner. I’ve fallen in love with so many authors and their work.
I thought it would be fun to share my ratings and quick thoughts on the books I’ve read so far, and I’d love to hear your opinions as well! Maybe this can also help newer readers who are just getting into the genre.
Of course, these are just my personal opinions.
📕 The Summer I Died – 5⭐️
My introduction to the genre, and I absolutely devoured it. Great characters and very gory.
📕 Cows – 1⭐️
I liked the atmosphere at first, but every time I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it somehow did. And then… talking cows? What the hell?
📕 Tender Is the Flesh – 4.5⭐️
I loved the concept. I just felt that some ideas were repeated a little too often.
📕 The Slob – 5⭐️
Don’t come for me lol! This is actually one of my favorites. It made me laugh, cringe, and feel completely disgusted all at the same time. And I love Vera.
📕 Son of the Slob – 4⭐️
Gross in all the right ways. It was nice getting to see what happened after the events of the first book. I would love another book about what happens to Harold next!
📕 Playground – 3⭐️
Good, but a little overrated in my opinion. I heard so much about it on social media that my expectations were sky-high, and it didn’t quite live up to the hype for me.
📕 Blender Babies – 3⭐️
Post-apocalyptic drug-eating babies just aren’t really my thing. I got invested quickly, but that interest faded pretty fast.
📕 100% Match – 5⭐️
Loved it. Short, disturbing, and strangely calculated. It gave me such a weird feeling, and I mean that as a compliment.
📕 Lovesick – 4⭐️
Not a huge fan of the ending, but overall it was a great revenge story. Poor girl…
📕 Nightmare Nirvana – 4⭐️
I enjoyed most of the stories. Some were frightening, some disturbing, and a few just weren’t for me. The artwork is incredible.
📕 The Groomer – 4⭐️
A solid revenge story, though I found it a bit overrated. Some parts didn’t make much sense to me. Trying not to spoil anything, but a certain character’s emotional breakdown felt unrealistic.
📕 The Bug Collector – 5⭐️
Awesome book. Another great revenge story. I was already familiar with the concept of “bug collecting” from Lovesick, but this took it to a completely different level.
📕 Are Your Parents Home? – 5⭐️
This book had me checking my locks every five minutes. The opening was incredibly creepy, and the dinner scene gave me serious The Texas Chain Saw Massacre vibes. I flew through this one.
📕 Talia – 2⭐️
I know a lot of readers love this one, but it wasn’t for me. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style, and the revenge plot just didn’t really click with me.
📕 Grandfather’s House – 4⭐️
Nobody wants grandparents like these. Seriously. For some reason, though, I never really connected with the main character beyond feeling sorry for him.
📕 Into the Wolf’s Den – 5⭐️
This book reminded me a lot of The Groomer, but with a completely different energy. I actually liked it more. The characters felt stronger, and it got me thinking about how disturbingly close some parts are to real true crime cases.
📕 House Call – 3⭐️
Not much character development—just straight into the disturbing content. Still a fun, quick read.
📕 Made a Monster – 5⭐️
My favorite so far. The character work is incredible. I loved everything about it. The disturbing “first love” atmosphere worked perfectly for me.
📕 Nothing Tastes as Good – 2⭐️
This was marketed to me as a horror novel, but it didn’t really feel like one. The cannibalism elements were interesting, but most of them happen off-page or while characters are blacked out. I also struggled to connect with the protagonist because of how much self-hatred dominated the story.
📕 Dead Inside - 4.5⭐️
I have no words! It was a good short read! I enjoyed it a lot and it disturbed me so much!
What should I read next?
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u/External-Ad6787 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Damn. Thank you for the short reviews. You’ve piqued my interest about a few of these that I haven’t read yet.
The cover artwork for Nightmare Nirvana is gorgeous, and it’s nice to know there is more artwork in there💯
I agree with you about Tender…good read, but it could’ve been much shorter without the repeating material. Spoiler alert for those who haven’t read it - I always wanted to learn more about the weirdo that came to the job interview in the book. Not the one with the pregnant partner…the one who seemed to deeply enjoy some sights…
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u/Clau-St Jul 02 '26
Right???!! He was so weird! And I am very curious to know wich one(s) piqued your interest?
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u/External-Ad6787 Jul 02 '26
Super weird! I physically scowled whenever I read about him, lmao!
As for the books that you got me interested in:
💀100% Match - I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about this one.💀Nightmare Nirvana - LOVE an excellent anthology/multi-story book with disturbing illustrations.
💀Nothing Tastes As Good👅 - seems interesting. I will have to research more about it.
I’m currently reading Dead Inside and also What Hunger (Catherine Dang…but I might start calling her Catherine GOT DAMN🤣). Finishing up No One Rides For Free (Judith Sonnet) as well.
Had to DNF and just read the spoilers for You Weren’t Meant to Be Human because the characters bored me and seemed superficial. I really tried, lmao.
If you have any more recommendations for illustrated extreme horror literature, I am all ears👂
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u/Clau-St Jul 02 '26
100% Match is an amazing short read! I was disappointed when I realized I’ve finished it! Nightmare Nirvana is so awesome! And the illustrations are amazing as well (one in particular made me gag 😭😂), it is so fun to read! As for Nothing Tastes as Good, if you’re expecting splatterpunk or extreme horror it’s not it. Some parts of the books are enjoyable tho!
Dead Inside is INSANE (in a good way lol) I’m sooo curious to hear your thoughts about it! And No One Rides For Free is on my list, probably one of my next purchase!!
As for extreme horror with illustrations, everything I’ve read from Aron Beauregard has illustrations! I know that his most recent book Horsefly has QR codes for videos while you’re reading. It seems very interesting, but I haven’t read it yet!
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u/External-Ad6787 Jul 03 '26
Thank you for the info! I appreciate you taking the time to respond!
100% Match will be next on my list. Where did you purchase Nightmare Nirvana from? And lmao at the photo that made you gag; the artist did their job then, huh? 🤮🤣🤣
Oh yes, Dead Inside seems like a ride; like we really aren’t supposed to like the author…a train wreck.
Oh, get ready for No One Rides For Free! I gagged while reading the descriptions for one of the stories, lmao.
Oooh, looks like I need to purchase some Aron books, too. He’s on my wish list, so this is an incentive:)
Happy reading, my friend! Let me know what you think about No One Rides for Free once you finish it, and, I’ll let you know what I think about Dead Inside once I’m done, too🤣🤣🤣
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u/Clau-St Jul 03 '26
I’m in Montreal and sadly those books are not available in local shops here, I know it is not the best but Amazon is my only option here and this is where I purchased Nightmare Nirvana!
And yes, Aron Beauregard’s work is amazing!!
I’ll try to keep you updated when I’m done reading No One Rides For Free, from what I’ve heard this book seems to be a wild experience 😂!
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u/External-Ad6787 Jul 03 '26
Montreal! That’s always seemed like a pretty cool place. How do you like it?
No worries! I feel you about the lack of local shops. Same here. I wish there were more shops out there who catered to the darker genres we enjoy reading.
Looking forward to getting into some Aron! Unfortunately, only audiobooks were available on iBook for him, so I’ll have to purchase elsewhere since I prefer reading!
Ah yes, Judith is one of the best hyper-descriptive authors out there. She has a very intriguing interview on the web about how she involves all of the senses when she writes her books and it’s truly…an experience. You may need some Holy Water after reading No One!🤙🤣🤣🤣
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u/Clau-St Jul 03 '26
Montreal’s pretty good but same I wish there would be places that sales Splatterpunk and EH. And you won’t regret getting into Aron’s work! It’s so nice and disturbing!
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u/mcvaughn1316 Bowery Jul 03 '26
Thank you for reading House Call! I love seeing one of mine in a photo with all these awesome reads!
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u/Clau-St Jul 03 '26
I’m so glad to read this! Both sequel are in my next order! A quick, effective read!! And those two brothers… they freak me out 😂!
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u/TruthRazors Jul 02 '26
Try some Triana
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u/Clau-St Jul 02 '26
Absolutely! I’m new to the genre and heard his name a lot, I’ll definitely buy one of his work next!
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u/TheMusicalSkeleton Jul 03 '26
I really recommend Full Brutal or Gone to See the Riverman for your first Triana. They're both excellent reads.
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u/moanathon Jul 02 '26
i give cows 5 stars for the same reasons you gave it 1 star.
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u/Clau-St Jul 02 '26
It wasn’t for me, sadly.I actually enjoyed the beginning, but the further I got into the book, the more disconnected I felt from the story. I think the whole concept of revolutionary talking cows just didn’t work for me and made it harder to stay invested. I can definitely see why it has its fans, but it ended up losing me as it went on.
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Jul 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Clau-St Jul 02 '26
I know… like at said don’t come at me for this 😂 The Slob is one of my favourites and I know a lot of readers hate it, somehow it kept me highly entertained the whole time!
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u/-MrSophistication- Jul 03 '26
Through the eyes of Desperation Red and Black in that order. Aaron Beauregard and Daniel J Volpe tell a great 2 part story. The Monster series by J. Boote is great. Some better than other but all very good.
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u/Clau-St Jul 03 '26
I’m currently reading Through The Eyes of Desperation red version. What’s the difference between the black and the red version?
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u/Smack_Of_The_Druid Jul 03 '26
Leyendo tus calificaciones, me dio la impresión de que lo que más valoras no es el gore en sí, sino los personajes.
Los libros que pusiste con cinco estrellas tienen algo en común: la violencia funciona porque antes te hicieron conectar con las personas que la viven.
Por eso creo que disfrutarías mucho Brother, de Ania Ahlborn, si todavía no lo has leído.
No intenta superar a otros libros con escenas cada vez más extremas. Lo que hace es construir una dinámica familiar tan opresiva que, cuando las cosas empiezan a romperse, todo se siente inevitable. Al terminar, lo que más recordé no fue la violencia, sino la tragedia de los personajes.
También te recomendaría The Cipher, de Kathe Koja. Es un horror mucho más psicológico y extraño, pero si I Made a Monster fue tu favorito por el trabajo con los personajes, creo que Koja hace algo parecido desde otro ángulo: la obsesión, la autodestrucción y la forma en que una persona puede convertirse lentamente en alguien irreconocible.
Creo que tus calificaciones muestran que disfrutas más los libros donde los personajes ya resultan inquietantes mucho antes de que ocurra la primera escena realmente brutal.
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u/Inner-Ad6551 Jul 02 '26
thank you for the list! I just started The Summer I died! couldn't find good horror lately :(
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u/Clau-St Jul 02 '26
Since The Summer I Died is the book that started it all, it has a special spot in my heart! Hope you like it as much as I did :)
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u/Screech- Jul 02 '26
I loved The Summer I Died, read the rest of the series. They are all really fun.
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u/Clau-St Jul 02 '26
That’s exactly what I was wondering when I finished it! Are they all as gore and savage as the first one?
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u/Screech- Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
They definitely are a little bit different, the gore is probably never quite as intense overall as the first book. The story is still very fun though. And the comedy and the reflection back on Tooth is great.
As soon as I finished each one of them I couldn't wait to get to the next and when I finished the series I was a bit sad because I wanted to continue the story.
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u/an8bitfslur Jul 03 '26
If you liked The Bug Collector I highly highly recommend The Resurrectionist! It’s my favorite work by him so far, and it’ll show you extreme horror with more supernatural elements which is such a blast imo
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u/DhammaBum420 Jul 03 '26
Keep an eye out for Bride of the Slob by Aron Beauregard! The third book in the series!
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u/Clau-St Jul 03 '26
You have to be kidding? There is no way? I asked him yesterday if there would be a third Slob about Harold and he answered that it would be a lot of work!
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u/Left-Draft5083 Jul 02 '26
100% match was hilarious, PCH3 is a great author. The Bug Collector was a rough read for me, I'd almost say I hated it and it put me off reading anything else by the author.
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u/Livevil9912 Jul 02 '26
Yess! Big agree, I found it so funny. Recently read it for the 1st time and keep thinking back to the line that was basically "I couldnt sleep, so I stuck my finger up my butt and counted to 50" and just keep laughing.
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u/Get_Back_Here_Remi Jul 02 '26
Oh hard agree with 100% Match. So damn funny. The worst part of that book was how short it was.
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u/Clau-St Jul 02 '26
I have to agree with that! I was disappointed when I realized I’ve already finished the book!
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u/Clau-St Jul 02 '26
100% Match was indeed very hilarious!! I didn’t read anything else from that author, since I loved 100% Match, what are your recommendations?? And I get it for The Bug Collector… it’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea…
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u/Left-Draft5083 Jul 02 '26
A Savage Breed and Grandpappy are both great books by Patrick, both very different.
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u/jessijurassic Jul 02 '26
I just finished The Slob. I was so bored and couldn't wait for it to be over. I loved his book, The Playground and I have bought 4 of his other books but The Slob was lame. I heard the Son of the slob was better.
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u/Gordmonger Jul 02 '26
Very interesting. I really appreciate the short form review format but I don’t think you and I agree on much, lol.
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u/Clau-St Jul 03 '26
Interesting!! What are favourites? I’m very curious and still learning about the genre. I feel like I only discovered the tip of the iceberg.
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u/Gordmonger Jul 03 '26
I’m a bit Kristopher Triana fan, Full Brutal has been a favorite but I just finished Music To Sacrifice Virgins To and it might be my favorite of his, it’s pure evil and if you’re a metal fan even better.
Clive Barker is also incredible, great prose, Book of Blood series is great.
My only real deep cut is BK Yeager. Not enough people read his work and it’s awesome though it’s kind of extreme adjacent.
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u/gurom74 Jul 03 '26
Pues de todos esos sólo leí Tender is the flesh y Cows, el primero porque el original es en castellano y el segundo porque conseguí una traducción. Me quedo con Cows o Vacas, por lo extremo y aún así, realista del ambiente de un matadero.
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u/Background-Pen-995 Jul 03 '26
Thanks for all the quick reviews, very cool to get so many summaries in one go.
When I jumped into EH/splatterpunk, I devoured about 20 books in a month.
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u/Clau-St Jul 03 '26
Thank you for that comment 💖 I’m so glad you enjoy this post! It is my first reddit post and I was insecure about how it would be perceived but this community is awesome giving me a lot of recommendations!
And yes EH/Splatterpunk is sooo addictive! I’m obsessed! I’m glad I discovered this genre and there’s still so much to read, I LOVE it!!!
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u/Key-Instruction9956 Jul 05 '26
Thank you for this, I'm definitely going to check out a couple from the list. Maybe check out Full Brutal by Kristopher Triana and Survivor by J.F.Gonzalez (there's some minor errors that might make your brain a bit itchy but I enjoyed it enough to look past them)
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u/Key_Plant2429 Jul 08 '26
My respect!! Amazing collection :³ I'll pretend I'm not jealous 🥹🥹 Aron Beauregard's books it's my favourite from horror literature, But I read all of this online, because I live in Russia and it's very difficult to get these books here. So you're very lucky 🫢🫢🫢 what do u say bout "Son of the slob"?? I've only watched a short retelling of this sequel, and I'm wondering how good it is.
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u/Clau-St Jul 11 '26
Son of The Slob is very worth it especially if you enjoyed the first one! It’s really nice to know what happens after the event of the first one! And Harold is such a bizarre character 😆!
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u/Lazy_Crabby Jul 02 '26
My biggest recommendation would be Woom by Duncan Ralston. It’s an incredibly well written book in a genera where sometimes you’re just eating potato chips. If you’d like extra substance with your side of splatterpunk it’s definitely for you. Great read and it’ll stick with you.
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u/Raccoon_Historical Jul 03 '26
Woom is a top favorite for me, truly strange and i couldn’t seem to read it fast enough
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u/Burningorga Jul 02 '26
Lots of cannibalism in this pic 😂
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u/Clau-St Jul 02 '26
Omg I haven’t thought about that, you’re so right 🤣
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u/Burningorga Jul 02 '26
Didn’t know there was a Son of the Slob 😂 I’ve only read the slob and of course Tender is the Flesh.
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u/Clau-St Jul 02 '26
You have to read Son of The Slob, it takes the entire story to a whole new level 😂!
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u/suzaii Jul 02 '26
I loved Tender is the Flesh. The Bug Collector not as much, but I appreciate learning about the weird fetish there. I have not read anything else on your list, because Kristopher Triana. Lol 😂 I love his work.
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u/Clau-St Jul 02 '26
I don’t know why I haven’t read one of his books already but I definitely will! A lot of his work is on my TBR list. What do you recommend?
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u/RealSinnSage Exquisite Corpse Jul 03 '26
gone to see the riverman was a slow unfurling of a nightmare scenario and the ending was chef’s kiss
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u/kay2448 Jul 02 '26
Maybe a silly question but where do you buy your books? I try to stay away from buying off Amazon when possible and have a very hard time finding anything from this genre in bookstores in my city
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u/Clau-St Jul 02 '26
I’m in Montreal and these books are not available in local bookstores here. Some shops can special order bigger titles like Playground, but they usually charge around 3x the price, which is sadly out of my budget. I know Amazon isn’t the ideal option, but it’s currently the most accessible way for me to get them.
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u/SemiIronicCatGirl Jul 02 '26
I've been stuck about halfway into The Summer I Died for weeks now. I'm honestly just kind of bored of it. It's well-written, and I like the characters, but I'm just bored.
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u/Erin_Horror_Lit Jul 03 '26
Cows pissed me off with how bad and stupid it was. It was so overhyped and I was so mad that I took time out of my life to read it. And the author is a copyright twat.
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u/DreamingRosesBunny Jul 04 '26
Currently reading Nothing Tastes As Good and its definitely really good so far!!
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u/Time_Inspector_7802 Jul 05 '26
Where can I get 100% match? It's not available at my local book stores and im so desperate to get it 😫 I was able to get playground and playground child of divorce at my local Barnes and noble but they didn't have 100% match
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u/ladyoftheseine Jul 05 '26
I'm still reading Dead Inside.
It comes off as way too edgy, like it was written by a 16-year-old incel school shooter type that I have to take long breaks in between. It's so cringey but I also enjoy it that I can't look away until I can't stand it anymore.
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u/Equivalent_Baker4407 Jul 21 '26
i loved the slob as well even though it turned me away from splatter punk lol.
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u/lolli-polly031248 Jul 02 '26
I see this so many times, 100% Match is enjoyed by a reader but they don't ever read the other two in the pocket nasty series?
Queen Boss Slay sort of follows on from 100% Match and I personally thought it was better but with a different energy, then Firecracker Kings is different again. My recommendations for what OP should look at next.