Dark Blood Comes From the Feet

by Emma J. Gibbon

Dark Blood Comes From the Feet is a strange and eclectic collection of seventeen stories from horror author and speculative poet, Emma J. Gibbon. Within its pages, you will meet secret societies who contract deadly diseases on purpose, dancers helping each other avoid "below," monstrous children who must be loved before they return to the sea, a taxidermy-obsessed mother, small blue devils in the Maine woods, a black cat that retrieves the dying, the last witch in Florida, and "a huge fucking dog of potentially supernatural origin."

Visit haunted houses, a Hollywood nightclub, limbo, Whitechapel, and other stops on a death tour, and a childhood hangout that spells destruction for kids and dogs alike. Listen to a punk rock sermon in a post-apocalyptic matriarchal society, witness crustaceans that have trouble staying dead, a cannibalistic romance, a gothic love story to tuberculosis and a downtrodden wife's transformation.

The limbo lounge
Porch
Ghost maker
Sermon from New London
St. Scholastica's Home for Children of the Sea
Crab
Black Shuck Tavern
The last witch in Florida
Cellar door
Whitechapel
The tale of Bobby Red Eyes
Devour
Infection
Janine
Surviving my parents
This is not the Glutton Club
Rise

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Horror Thriller

168 pages, Paperback

First published May 22, 2020

About the author

Described by NPR as “Shirley Jackson meets Johnny Rotten,” Emma J. Gibbon is an award-winning horror writer and poet. Her debut fiction collection, Dark Blood Comes from the Feet, was one of NPR’s best books of 2020 and won the Maine Literary Book Award for Speculative Fiction. Her stories have appeared in The Dark Tome and Toasted Cake podcasts, and various anthologies, including Wicked Haunted and 13 Haunted Houses. Her poetry has been published in magazines and anthologies, including Strange Horizons, Kaleidotrope, and Under Her Skin. Most recently, Emma was part of the writing team behind the Realm podcast drama, Undertow: Blood Forest. Emma lives with her husband, Steve, and four exceptional animals: Odin, Mothra, Hamlet, and M. Bison (also known as Grim) in a spooky little house in the woods. You can find her at emmajgibbon.com.

Reviews

[Amy Imogene Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid collection of very short stories. I had a few stand-out favorites...but then a few serious duds.

Interesting work and interesting premises. Would try another collection/novel by this author again.

[Valerie - Cats Luv Coffee Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Blood Comes From the Feet might at first be considered an odd name for this eclectic collection of seventeen literary horror short stories. Once you delve within the pages, suddenly the title proves to be a perfect fit. The line is from the story, "Cellar Door" and states: "I felt your trauma. I saw it pour out from the soles of your feet. Old, dark blood. Old trauma you have hung on to for too long. The dark blood comes from the feet." If that quote doesn't immediately give you a feeling for Emma J. Gibbon's dark and gorgeous prose, I don't know what will. There's a haunting almost melodic quality to her writing.

Mainly told in first-person narrative, her characters are—like in the quote above—those who have or are experiencing something soul-changing. An awakening to a new reality if you will. The children of Lovecraftian orphanage "St. Scholastica's Home for Children of the Sea" open new and terrifying eyes for the narrator, but the monsters aren’t always the ones you expect. "Janine" tells us of a woman whose frightful experience is ultimately too much to handle; Sometimes just knowing is dangerous. The narrator in "This Is Not the Glutton Club" learns the truth about his uncle's long flirtation with disease and mortality.

The diversity of styles and settings confirm that Gibbon is nothing but adaptable. Stories with a contemporary slant like "Rise", in which a neglected wife's transformation brings freedom, fit seamlessly beside the darker, gothic feel of Victorian-set tuberculosis tale "Infection". Locations are just as varied. You will find yourself transported one moment to a post-apocalyptic world in "Sermon from New London" and the next to purgatory in "The Limbo Lounge".

Spanning horror themes from the consumptive body horror of “Devour” to the paranormal “Ghost Maker”, every story contained within this collection was a joy to read. The emotional spectrum in the stories was everything! Sadness, disgust, fear, and yes, even hope and happiness.

My personal favorite of the collection was “Porch”, about a big, black cat named Rufus bringing his barely-alive, broken treasures to his owner who becomes a odd sort of grim reaper, escorting those poor creatures from their pain and suffering. "Porch" broke my heart, as it did the narrator's, but the ending was simply beautiful. While this was my favorite, there weren't any of the seventeen stories that I didn't enjoy. Dark Blood Comes From the Feet was a delight. Emotional, visceral, and just a lovely assortment of horror.



Review at GingerNuts of Horror


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[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, honestly, I didn't enjoy this whole book. Some of the stories were good, some of them weren't. I wholeheartedly disliked the narrator and believe that to be the reason I didn't enjoy this book. I may end up reading a physical copy and revisiting my review at a later date.

[Nikiverse · Rating 3 out of 5]

meh.

2.5 stars for me

[Erica Robyn Metcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Blood Comes From the Feet by Emma J. Gibbon is a spellbinding collection of dark tales that will force readers to deal will all kinds of emotion while reading. This is one you won’t want to miss!

While I would put this book squarely in the horror genre, it’s such a real-world type of horror, even with the bits of the fantastical or paranormal. There was so much within the pages of this collection that is going to haunt me. I mean, I can’t stop thinking about completing taxidermy on humans… So…

A must read for fans of horror that will creep under you skin and settle in for the long haul.

More here: https://www.ericarobynreads.com/book-...

[Katherine Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gibbon's stories range from the dark and brooding to the tragic and haunting to the sinister and spooky. What an incredible range of wonderfully written work. I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for more of Gibbon's work in the future.

[Elford Alley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title lets you know this collection is going to be different. An uneasiness pervades each story, and the horror that it builds to is almost never what you expect. A great collection!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories got better as the collection went, so I would recommend keeping with it very strongly. Great read to start the spooky season!

[Donnie Kirchner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fine collection of oddities. Some stories stronger than others, but Gibbon paints her worlds with a wide brush that brings you into each of them equally. Really wonderful bunch of stories. My particular favorite: “Bobby Red Eyes”.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why did it take me so long to read this? Emma J. Gibbon's Dark Blood Comes From the Feet is a beautiful collection of uncanny stories. You want something heartwarming? "St. Scholastica's Home for Children on the Sea" is the perfect choice. That one stole my heart. As did the mysterious black dog of "Black Shuck Tavern." If you want legitimately creepy, "Cellar Door" is your best bet. Heart wrenching? "Surviving My Parents" (seriously the way the dad in this one talks about the mom is exactly how I feel about my partner). The period piece, "Infection," rounded out my favorites, but every story here is worth reading; I can't recommend Gibbon's book enough.

[Doungjai · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great debut collection! the stories in here range from the weird (St. Scholastica's Home for Children of the Sea) to the horrific (Devour) to inspiring (Rise). I look forward to reading more of Gibbon's work.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this Jacksonesque but modern day short story collection. i want to read it again.

[Brittney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark, sexy, gothic delight.

[Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky short stories and thought experiments. This was fun.

[David Schwenker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Stories
The Limbo Lounge - 2.5 out of 5.0
An interesting setting - a strip club in purgatory - but it remains only just that as it lacks story and characterization.

Porch - 3.25 out of 5.0
This one has a crackerjack premise: a cat begins to leave creatures on its owner's doorstep like any old cat, but the creatures that the cat leaves progressively get bigger to impossible degrees. The story proceeds in a more sentimental direction, which was interesting but not quite as compelling as the setup suggested.

Ghost Maker - 2.5 out of 5.0
A camera man pressures his wife to get an abortion, but is then visited by an infantile apparition. It wasn't clear what was being communicated here so it didn't leave much of an impression.

Sermon From New London - 2.0 out of 5.0
A monologue that could be "Feminist Punk" - it's interesting, but I am not the target audience for this one so it remained only a curiosity for me.

St. Scholastica's Home For Children Of The Sea - 3.75 out of 5.0
A Lovecraftian twist on "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" - Gibbon seems to acknowledge this fact with her similarly named title. Regardless, this story stands very well on its own. Familiar but well executed.

Crab - 2.5 out of 5.0
A father watches a son bring back a dead crab to life. Another that didn't leave much of an impression.

Black Shuck Tavern - 3.25 out of 5.0
The opening line immediately grabs your attention - "I’m being followed by a huge fucking dog of potentially supernatural origin" - but it's unfortunately a bit of a bait-and-switch as the dog in question is a bit incidental to the story. I anticipate this was intentional to distract you from something else (I am being intentionally vague) but it's promising something that it doesn't deliver.

The Last Witch in Florida - 3.25 out of 5.0
I have seen this story formula several times before - most famously in The Thing On The Fourble Floor, more recently in Joe R Lansdale's The Dump - but despite being derivative it has some flavorful trappings.

Cellar Door - 3.75 out of 5.0
A haunted house tale clearly indebted to The House of Leaves where time & space collapse and the foundations of reality erode, driving its inhabitants to madness. And there are many more moments we've seen in countless other haunted house tales - black mold that won't go away, shadows in photos, foot steps in the night, etc. - but I cannot deny that some of these moments are genuinely chilling with a hair-raising climax. In terms of horror, this is easily the most effective in the collection.

Whitechapel - 2.75 out of 5.0
A couple (who are not really a couple) tour locations of death (e.g., concentration camps, jack-the-ripper killings, etc.) which eventually bleeds into reality. Another which didn't leave much of an impression.

The Tale of Bobby Red Eyes - 3.25 out of 5.0
Urban legend

Devour - 2.0 out of 5.0
The fetishes of lovers are taken to the extreme, eventually lapsing into cannibalism. Intentionally unpleasant and off-putting, so it's successful in that regard but I did not enjoy it at all. I seem to stumble across these stories from time-to-time within horror collections (most recently with Joe R Lansdale's "I Tell You It's Love") and I get the sense that these authors just want to write something "edgy" and this trope (extreme fetishes) is a lazy way to do it.

Infection - 2.25 out of 5.0
A caretaker licks the bloody phlegm of a sick patient yet cannot get sick despite her best efforts. Admittedly gross, but for some reason I was bothered more by the writing style here - it tries a bit too hard to emulate the prose of Victorian Gothic which kept me from fully investing in the narrative.

Janine - 3.0 out of 5.0
Small blue creatures with sharp claws terrorize a woman. It's a premise one may find in "Tales from the Crypt" yet is told with a straight-face.

Surviving My Parents - 2.75 out of 5.0

This is Not the Glutton Club - 3.75 out of 5.0

Rise - 2.75 out of 5.0

[Alex Sarll]

I grabbed this collection because I'd read and really enjoyed one story by Gibbon – which, as an author, is presumably pretty much what you want to happen. As a reader, though... Certainly there were stories here which matched the power of Everybody Is In The Place, most notably Cellar Door, which builds from familiar haunted house components but gives them just enough of a shake that they lose any hint of cosy familiarity, become exactly as unsettling as having your home turn malign and unknowable ought to be. Janine, similarly, builds on the old urban legend of something horrible happening down lovers' lane after prom, but follows it through, makes the aftermath more horrifying than the reveal. It also, curiously, mentions white cider, one of the details that felt so arrestingly specific in that first story. Apparently in the States they do it in bars, something I've not seen here in twenty years or more. Mildly alarming, but hey, at least it's not Inch's.

Too many of the stories, though, feel like exercises, bloodless (ironically) working out of new voices, alternate settings, shifts in perspective. A few escape it as they go along; Surviving My Parents, narrated by the buttoned-up son of an exasperating couple, makes that literal with some deeply cringe business regarding shirt buttons early on, but once it gets up steam it makes it through macabre and then into genuinely affecting. But something like Devour actually helped me put a finger (still attached) on why cannibalism as love/lust metaphor doesn't do it for me: it brings home the finitude of a romance even more than mortality already does, and isn't that the opposite of what a lover wants? As for This Is Not The Glutton Club, I saw the twist coming from the second page despite the fact I was mostly trying to piece together the confusing historical references to work out when the blazes it was actually set beyond a Netflix-generic 'olden times'. That the recent story I read before this was stronger than much of the earlier work here suggests Gibbon is on the right trajectory. In the meantime, this collection is one to be approached cautiously.

[Judy Pancoast · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an adolescent I could often be found with my nose in one of the many “Alfred Hitchcock” short story collections that were irresistible to a young horror fan like me. Since then, of course, I’ve read countless anthologies and single- author collections, but the only one that has come close to recreating the delicious experience of the AH books is “Dark Blood Comes from the Feet.” These stories are so original, so engrossing, and so varied that you’d almost swear the woman writing them had multiple personalities. I liked every single dark and juicy tale- and most of them, I loved. I was sorry to close the book upon finishing the last story!
If you are like me, always searching for a new horror author who won’t let me down, wary of spending my hard-earned money on one and then finding out that all the people who extolled said author’s greatness must have different standards than I do, then I understand your reluctance to give this a try. But it’s a paperback, it’s not very expensive, and if you don’t find at least three stories in here that haunt you after you’ve read them... what have you really lost? But don’t worry. You’re gonna love this book. And then, when she’s achieved the fame of McCammon or Simmons, you can tell people you were on the Emma J, Gibbon bandwagon from the start.

[Joemodz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of short stories from a first-time author (in book form) with works that have an old time feel while staying very current. I mean, who else repeats a line from Rage Against the Machine (in Sermon from New London)! Gibbon's stories evoke a touch of Lovecraft in the ancient creature domain (St. Scholastica’s Home for Children of the Sea), a bit of weirdness in the style of Aickman (Black Shuck Tavern), and a bit of King with contemporary topics—think exotic dancers and reality TV (The Limbo Lounge and Ghost Maker). The biggest complaint, and I believe this a hidden compliment, is that her stories are too short. Almost each one could have offered more. That being said, I look forward to reading more from this British-born Maine writer.

My review ratings are based upon the following:
1 Star, “I did not like it and wasted my time or couldn’t finish it”;
2 Stars, “I think it is just Ok, but I’ll never think about it again”;
3 Stars, “I think it is an entertaining, enjoyable book, and I’ll think about it again”;
4 Stars, “I really love this book, and I may read it again”;
5 Stars, “I think this book is excellent, I will read it again, and it will likely stand the test of time.”

[Nicholas Kaufmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma J. Gibbon's debut story collection heralds the arrival of a promising new voice in horror and weird fiction!

The seventeen stories collected in DARK BLOOD COMES FROM THE FEET, more than half of which are originals, present the reader with a cast of outsiders, outcasts, and the generally put-upon, who encounter--and are sometimes even drawn to--the unknown and the supernatural, often achieving their fullest selves within the darkness. A perfect example of this is also one of my favorite stories from the collection, "St. Scholastica's Home for Children of the Sea," in which the narrator finds her calling while working in an orphanage full of charges who aren't quite human.

"Cellar Door" is another story I liked a lot, a weird haunted-house tale in which a couple moves into a new home full of secrets and stories. The idea is great, but where this story really shines is in the character work. I felt like I knew the narrator and her partner very well. "Whitechapel" and "Infection" are also uplifted by their well-drawn and fully fleshed-out characters.

Gibbon is a new-to-me writer whom I think shows extraordinary potential. I'll be interested to see what comes next!

[Kate M]

It won’t be fair to rate this since I put it down finally at just about the halfway point. After the first six or so stories, all having a lot of telling and not showing, and very little dialogue that gave them all the same voice, I decided I did not need to keep reading.

The stories have truly interesting premises, but it’s like the author had ideas and wrote them out as short stories, and left them less than fully-formed. Several were provocative but definitely no horror in this, despite the cover blurbs. It read like an unedited collection, though there were editors thanked in the acknowledgements. It has a lot of potential and I have no doubt when she grows as a writer she will be good.

[Amalie McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually think 4 stars is probably a little too low, but 5 didn't feel quite right.

This book was a positively delightful anthology of horror tropes that have been twisted and recontextualized. I enjoyed each one, but some felt more extraordinary than others. I would recommend it to anyone, and am likely going to pick up a print copy at some point.

The author has a poetic voice that makes each story feel romantic and nostalgic in a way that gives you empathy with the characters, even if they're a very far remove from what you'd usually relate to.

Also, each story errs on the side of brevity - some feel almost too short and leave you wanting more, but none are padded with places where the narrative drags on.

[Jenna Moquin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read some of the author's short stories in collections before, so as soon as I saw this new anthology was out I ordered a copy because I love her writing. I'm one of those readers who latches onto authors with great writing styles, and this book didn't disappoint, though like all short story collections, some were more loved than others. The Cellar Door, Devour, and The Limbo Lounge were phenomenal. I definitely recommend this for lovers of dark, moody fiction that has a timeless feel to it. Emma J. Gibbon is someone to watch. I hope one day she publishes a novel, because I'll be first in line to read it.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark and twisting collection of uncertain, uncomfortable, and intriguing stories. With threads of magic, folklore, and social awareness, Gibbon's writing peers into unexpected places to see what lingers there. Ranging in tone from melancholy to Poe-esque, from flashes of humor to outright disturbing, Gibbon's collection is an interesting mixture--but Dark Blood Comes from the Feet is striking work.

[Geve_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

These felt very standard and not particularly interesting or well written. Not scary or creepy really at all. I'm getting pretty tired of the overly emotional, but not at all scary "horror" I've been reading lately. Am I missing something? Is there a wire crossed that makes these kinds of stories horrific to people but not me? Is there a close enough connection between certain emotions that makes some people get the same horror thrill? I dunno, just not for me.

[Paul Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook on Scribd and I freakin loved it. Each short story kept me intrigued and I didn’t want it to end. Bonus-any author that talks about the Dead Kennedys song Nazi Punks F*ck Off and chants along with Rage Against the Machine will instantly have my rapt attention.
Emma did a great job with creating unique scenarios with likable characters. I look forward to reading more from her.

[Ed Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good set of creepy stories, many which never quite went where I thought they were going to go. Highlights for me include "St. Scholastica's Home for Children of the Sea", about caring for _all_ the creatures, "Black Shuck Tavern", because I love dogs (and the story juked me big-time), and "Cellar Door", which raised the goosebumps. Recommended.

[Jordanne Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of stories is simply brilliant. Strange and creepy concepts galore, I genuinely loved each and every one of these. The little whimsical twists and the surrealism work together to make this an overall brilliant collection. I would highly recommend to anyone, especially any fellow former pupils of the author!

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give it a solid three stars, maybe a bit more. If you are a fan of horror, I recommend it. Some of the stories are better than othesr. There are more than a few endings that are abrupt, unsatisfying and sometime cryptic. Devour was quite disturbing, but overall, I liked all the stories. I even got creeped out at night a few times.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darkly clever stories that play with interesting concepts and twist the scalpel in enjoyable ways, whether you see it coming or not. not all of these are winners but the good ones have a lot of bite!

favorites: Black Shuck Tavern, Cellar Door, Last Witch in Florida, Tale of Bobby Red Eyes, Devour

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable albeit sometimes uneven collection of short fiction. Gibbon really excels at character development in short, tight spaces. No matter the story I understood these people. She had fun, clever ideas and a good sense for prose. Endings, though, were a little too predictable for me but that will vary by reader. I'm glad I gave it a chance and look forward to more from her.