What do you think?
Rate this book
Defilement and Other Stories
A boy and his father find impossible fossilized bones in their backyard…The disturbing contents and origin of a mysterious magazine conjure paranoia…Neighbors welcome a new couple by bragging about a miracle doctor who works from his garage…Memories from childhood fail to reconcile an old photo featuring an unidentified cryptid…Archaic gym equipment proves treacherous…A teen boy is plunged into a nightmarish realm known as Eden…
In these six stories, evil abounds, ready to defile.
In these six stories, evil abounds, ready to defile.
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
184 pages, ebook
Published October 10, 2022
2 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Jesse Nolan Bailey
8 books73 followersEnthralled by the magic that written stories contain, Jesse Nolan Bailey has always wanted to be an author. With his debut novel, THE JEALOUSY OF JALICE, and his shorter fiction, AMETHYST, released to the masses, he can now claim such title with relief. He lives in Durham, North Carolina, where he has embraced the equally-gratifying lifework of hosting a trio of spoiled cats and two mini-aussies.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
February 27, 2023
A gruesome and imaginative story collection that explores our nightmares clawing their way to reality. To the point and filled with the urgent voices of despair, each story is rooted in the ugly things we see daily; gaslighting, bigotry, resentment take a monstrous form. I always love seeing new authors add unique spins on the classic foundation of horror.
Thank you so much to BookSirens and Jesse Nolan Bailey for the ARC of this collection! Please look for this title in stores come October 2022.
Thank you so much to BookSirens and Jesse Nolan Bailey for the ARC of this collection! Please look for this title in stores come October 2022.
March 10, 2023
A boy and his father find impossible fossilized bones in their backyard…
The disturbing contents and origin of a mysterious magazine conjure paranoia…
Neighbors welcome a new couple by bragging about a miracle doctor who works from his garage…
Memories from childhood fail to reconcile an old photo featuring an unidentified cryptid…
Archaic gym equipment proves treacherous…
A teen boy is plunged into a nightmarish realm known as Eden…
In these six stories, evil abounds, ready to defile.
This was a quaint and strange collection of short stories with some being more successful than others. Overall I enjoyed Nolan Bailey’s writing style but for me even though ‘defilement’ was apparently the overarching theme throughout the stories I didn’t feel enough of a link/similar vibe between them all which made reading them a little disjointed and stand alone-ish which for me took away from the book as a whole.
This was a quaint and strange collection of short stories with some being more successful than others. Overall I enjoyed Nolan Bailey’s writing style but for me even though ‘defilement’ was apparently the overarching theme throughout the stories I didn’t feel enough of a link/similar vibe between them all which made reading them a little disjointed and stand alone-ish which for me took away from the book as a whole.
September 10, 2022
3 stars, some of the stories were good, but most were just meh. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a collection of stories so I'll do my best to break it down and do each justice.
Our first story, DIGGING, was an interesting choice to open with. It didn't really feel complete to me and I felt robbed.
Story number two: deathshed. While I wished for more of why in fact the main character recieved the magazine in the first place(it's glazed over, but not all that satisfying) it had a good plot. The ending again left me wanting more as it still felt incomplete. Incomplete to me means it leaves me with more questions than I even started with.
Our third and most harrowing tale: GARAGE DOCTOR. It made me uncomfortable rather than scared or fearful, but it was one of the stronger stories of this collection. A well thought out villain and "closure" was achieved.
PETTING ZOO comes next and was by far my favorite of the collection. It had suspense, that feeling of gaslighting I love in horror, and a well perceived villain. By far my favorite and would so recommend a read of this one.
TORTURE DEVICE: uh....wtf did I just read?(not in a good way)
Defilement: a strong second favorite after petting zoo. Perhaps because of it's length which allowed me to connect more with the characters and care about the outcome. While it had a very Cabin in the Woods-esk ending, I can only imagine what happened next. Hopefully the author will write a follow up so we can see where it goes.
Overall this collection was more of a miss than a hit for me, but I didn't hate it. An even three stars and recommendation for readers who like short horror stories.
This is a collection of stories so I'll do my best to break it down and do each justice.
Our first story, DIGGING, was an interesting choice to open with. It didn't really feel complete to me and I felt robbed.
Story number two: deathshed. While I wished for more of why in fact the main character recieved the magazine in the first place(it's glazed over, but not all that satisfying) it had a good plot. The ending again left me wanting more as it still felt incomplete. Incomplete to me means it leaves me with more questions than I even started with.
Our third and most harrowing tale: GARAGE DOCTOR. It made me uncomfortable rather than scared or fearful, but it was one of the stronger stories of this collection. A well thought out villain and "closure" was achieved.
PETTING ZOO comes next and was by far my favorite of the collection. It had suspense, that feeling of gaslighting I love in horror, and a well perceived villain. By far my favorite and would so recommend a read of this one.
TORTURE DEVICE: uh....wtf did I just read?(not in a good way)
Defilement: a strong second favorite after petting zoo. Perhaps because of it's length which allowed me to connect more with the characters and care about the outcome. While it had a very Cabin in the Woods-esk ending, I can only imagine what happened next. Hopefully the author will write a follow up so we can see where it goes.
Overall this collection was more of a miss than a hit for me, but I didn't hate it. An even three stars and recommendation for readers who like short horror stories.
January 3, 2023
This is a short collection of stories by A Disaster of Dokojin and Amethyst author, Jesse Nolan Bailey. The book is a collection of six tales of that explore nightmares made real.
Before I start with the stories themselves, I would like to commend Jesse Nolan Bailey on providing a series of content warnings. Recently, I have seen various heated discussions about this topic, but me personally, I do appreciate it when they are present. It gives the reader an informed choice of the media that they consume.
So, lets talk about the first story, Digging.
Digging tells the story of Greg and his son Seth. In an effort to firstly give the boy some purpose and also to develop an interest, Greg sends Seth off to look for archaeological treasures in the wooded expanse that they live in as he recalls his own interest as a child when he did something similar.
Unexpectedly, Seth does indeed find something. The bones of a seemingly extinct creature that looks like nothing they have ever seen before.
Meanwhile, as a husband of a deployed soldier, Rob, Greg is finding his life increasingly lonely and isolative, and with Rob being away for nearly a year he has found some measure of solace with Billy. However, there is also some level of infidelity due to Greg’s loneliness.
Dealing with loneliness and guilt the story follows what happens. It’s not hard to guess and we know that there will be an inevitable conclusion. In this story, Nolan gives the repercussions of Greg’s guilt and infidelity a physical form that inevitably tears the family apart, and we quickly get to the tragic consequences of a family broken.
Throughout the story, Nolan gives a good story centring around the microcosm of family life, slowly injecting unease into the story. I liked this one!
The second story in the book is Deathshed. I liked the ambiguity of this tale. Nothing is as it seems, even the title! I mean is it Deaths Hed or is it Death shed? Either way it gives that feeling of uneasy ambiguity. The story tells the tale of Deja (vu?) and her partner Lisha.
Picking up the post, she comes across a magazine, starkly white, but with what looks like an Inkblot on it that reminds Deja of a Rorschach Test. The magazine assaults her with disturbing headlines that sicken and disgust her.
Thinking this a mistake, wind up or something to do with her partner, she attempts to get through to the publishing company to report the mistake and cancel the subscription that she did no t know she had made. When she finally gets through to the company she is assaulted by a bizarre test. This test leads to a series of bizarre events.
Mixing in elements of cosmic horror, we are never entirely sure what is happening in this tale. Dealing with unbidden information that assaults our senses on a daily basis through various forms of media. It also forces you to change your opinion of the narrator, particularly when we discover that she has experienced a period of psychosis and delusional behaviours previously. Leading you to question, is this real or some hallucinatory sequence of a larger mental health issue.
Well, let's get on to story three, Garage Doctor! I have got to say that I found this one to be quite, quite disturbing. The story revolves around Junaid and Hasan, a happily married couple who have moved to the sleepy suburb of Blightwood. Upon getting there they are constantly told of the miraculous Dr Drake who works wonders.
After accepting a dinner invitation, they are subsequently held against their will and treated for their perversions against God and violated with some form of supernatural entity that produces boils. The only way to escape their punishment is to denounce themselves as abominations.
I found this story very disturbing and it is like The Stepford Wives crossed with Lars Von Trier, with a dose of Brian Yuzna body horror in there. It's an ugly story that deals with conversion therapy and you can feel the palpable sense of anger coming off the page.
I have to say from the outset, Petting Zoo was one of my favourite stories in the book.
The story revolves around Adelaide, a young woman who experiences depression and has to go back to live with her mother. The move is a difficult one due to the fact that for some reason there was some kind of fractious split in the family. One of the things that we learn is that due to her medication, it has resulted in Adelaide gaining weight which also causes difficulties between her and her mother, who passively, and aggressively comments on this throughout the initial part of the story.
One evening whilst looking at photographs Adelaide comes across a photo that has an extreme reaction. Following this unsettling discovery it turns out that when she was a child she was taken to this place called Noah's Petting Zoo by her parents. Adelaide has no knowledge of the experience, but the image distils in her a feeling of utter revulsion. After putting it out to the collective knowledge of the internet she discovers it's name and location.
I loved this one, and like I said earlier I think this one was my favourite. It is a really good piece of weird/cosmic horror and bears a resemblance to Brian Hodge's brand of weirdness. Jesse Nolan Bailey, steadily piles on the tension with unease creeping in until it builds to its crescendo. Not only that, it lives in the same universe as Deathshed, death shed, whatever!
The penultimate story is a short sharp shock called Torture Device, about a man who sees his current boyfriend giving the eye to a local muscle bound bit of totty.
His insecurities and anxieties lead him to trying to beef himself up at a local gym. Not quite sure how he is to use the machines, he comes across an exercise machine that promises to tone his body in one go. However, he gets more than he bargained for when the device takes hold.
This is a shorter story than most in the collection and subsequently comes to its denouement in a short amount of pages.
It's not hard to spot the satire in this story and the wicked humour. I mean we have all felt insecure at one point or another haven't we?
The final story in the book is the title story, Defilement. Again this has elements of weird fiction reminiscent of some earlier mentioned authors. However, what this one does is completely take us out of this reality.
Now, I don't want to go into the plot too much as it will spoil the story.
The story revolves around Trev, his girlfriend Krissy, and her brother Caleb. When we start the story, Krissy is being railroaded by her mother to take her sibling along to get ice cream. Krissy doesn't want to and it seems that she is being rather peevish about it. However, we find out that there are more deep seated reasons for her dislike of her brother.
Trying to get to the truth of the matter, Trev has a chat with Caleb, who then starts to come out with racist, transphobic and any other kind of -obic, or -ist diatribe that you care to mention.
However, things soon take a sinister turn and Trev finds himself way out of his comfort zone!
So, this is the finale of the book and with this Jesse Nolan Bailey pulls out all the stops. There are elements of dark fantasy mixed in with the horror. He carefully builds the tension in this story until it reaches its climax. Mixing a claustrophobic sense of the unknown, with elements of dark fantasy and ultimately body horror, this story works well. You are never entirely what is happening and he carefully keeps that sense of disorientation going for quite a while until the reveal about midway through the story. This was such a good story to end the collection.
On the whole, I found this to be an excellent collection of short stories, that at times are creepy as hell, thinking of Petting Zoo here, to brooding horror. There is a good dose of the cosmic and weird running through the stories which always appeals to me, and I have to say. I really enjoyed this one!
Before I start with the stories themselves, I would like to commend Jesse Nolan Bailey on providing a series of content warnings. Recently, I have seen various heated discussions about this topic, but me personally, I do appreciate it when they are present. It gives the reader an informed choice of the media that they consume.
So, lets talk about the first story, Digging.
Digging tells the story of Greg and his son Seth. In an effort to firstly give the boy some purpose and also to develop an interest, Greg sends Seth off to look for archaeological treasures in the wooded expanse that they live in as he recalls his own interest as a child when he did something similar.
Unexpectedly, Seth does indeed find something. The bones of a seemingly extinct creature that looks like nothing they have ever seen before.
Meanwhile, as a husband of a deployed soldier, Rob, Greg is finding his life increasingly lonely and isolative, and with Rob being away for nearly a year he has found some measure of solace with Billy. However, there is also some level of infidelity due to Greg’s loneliness.
Dealing with loneliness and guilt the story follows what happens. It’s not hard to guess and we know that there will be an inevitable conclusion. In this story, Nolan gives the repercussions of Greg’s guilt and infidelity a physical form that inevitably tears the family apart, and we quickly get to the tragic consequences of a family broken.
Throughout the story, Nolan gives a good story centring around the microcosm of family life, slowly injecting unease into the story. I liked this one!
The second story in the book is Deathshed. I liked the ambiguity of this tale. Nothing is as it seems, even the title! I mean is it Deaths Hed or is it Death shed? Either way it gives that feeling of uneasy ambiguity. The story tells the tale of Deja (vu?) and her partner Lisha.
Picking up the post, she comes across a magazine, starkly white, but with what looks like an Inkblot on it that reminds Deja of a Rorschach Test. The magazine assaults her with disturbing headlines that sicken and disgust her.
Thinking this a mistake, wind up or something to do with her partner, she attempts to get through to the publishing company to report the mistake and cancel the subscription that she did no t know she had made. When she finally gets through to the company she is assaulted by a bizarre test. This test leads to a series of bizarre events.
Mixing in elements of cosmic horror, we are never entirely sure what is happening in this tale. Dealing with unbidden information that assaults our senses on a daily basis through various forms of media. It also forces you to change your opinion of the narrator, particularly when we discover that she has experienced a period of psychosis and delusional behaviours previously. Leading you to question, is this real or some hallucinatory sequence of a larger mental health issue.
Well, let's get on to story three, Garage Doctor! I have got to say that I found this one to be quite, quite disturbing. The story revolves around Junaid and Hasan, a happily married couple who have moved to the sleepy suburb of Blightwood. Upon getting there they are constantly told of the miraculous Dr Drake who works wonders.
After accepting a dinner invitation, they are subsequently held against their will and treated for their perversions against God and violated with some form of supernatural entity that produces boils. The only way to escape their punishment is to denounce themselves as abominations.
I found this story very disturbing and it is like The Stepford Wives crossed with Lars Von Trier, with a dose of Brian Yuzna body horror in there. It's an ugly story that deals with conversion therapy and you can feel the palpable sense of anger coming off the page.
I have to say from the outset, Petting Zoo was one of my favourite stories in the book.
The story revolves around Adelaide, a young woman who experiences depression and has to go back to live with her mother. The move is a difficult one due to the fact that for some reason there was some kind of fractious split in the family. One of the things that we learn is that due to her medication, it has resulted in Adelaide gaining weight which also causes difficulties between her and her mother, who passively, and aggressively comments on this throughout the initial part of the story.
One evening whilst looking at photographs Adelaide comes across a photo that has an extreme reaction. Following this unsettling discovery it turns out that when she was a child she was taken to this place called Noah's Petting Zoo by her parents. Adelaide has no knowledge of the experience, but the image distils in her a feeling of utter revulsion. After putting it out to the collective knowledge of the internet she discovers it's name and location.
I loved this one, and like I said earlier I think this one was my favourite. It is a really good piece of weird/cosmic horror and bears a resemblance to Brian Hodge's brand of weirdness. Jesse Nolan Bailey, steadily piles on the tension with unease creeping in until it builds to its crescendo. Not only that, it lives in the same universe as Deathshed, death shed, whatever!
The penultimate story is a short sharp shock called Torture Device, about a man who sees his current boyfriend giving the eye to a local muscle bound bit of totty.
His insecurities and anxieties lead him to trying to beef himself up at a local gym. Not quite sure how he is to use the machines, he comes across an exercise machine that promises to tone his body in one go. However, he gets more than he bargained for when the device takes hold.
This is a shorter story than most in the collection and subsequently comes to its denouement in a short amount of pages.
It's not hard to spot the satire in this story and the wicked humour. I mean we have all felt insecure at one point or another haven't we?
The final story in the book is the title story, Defilement. Again this has elements of weird fiction reminiscent of some earlier mentioned authors. However, what this one does is completely take us out of this reality.
Now, I don't want to go into the plot too much as it will spoil the story.
The story revolves around Trev, his girlfriend Krissy, and her brother Caleb. When we start the story, Krissy is being railroaded by her mother to take her sibling along to get ice cream. Krissy doesn't want to and it seems that she is being rather peevish about it. However, we find out that there are more deep seated reasons for her dislike of her brother.
Trying to get to the truth of the matter, Trev has a chat with Caleb, who then starts to come out with racist, transphobic and any other kind of -obic, or -ist diatribe that you care to mention.
However, things soon take a sinister turn and Trev finds himself way out of his comfort zone!
So, this is the finale of the book and with this Jesse Nolan Bailey pulls out all the stops. There are elements of dark fantasy mixed in with the horror. He carefully builds the tension in this story until it reaches its climax. Mixing a claustrophobic sense of the unknown, with elements of dark fantasy and ultimately body horror, this story works well. You are never entirely what is happening and he carefully keeps that sense of disorientation going for quite a while until the reveal about midway through the story. This was such a good story to end the collection.
On the whole, I found this to be an excellent collection of short stories, that at times are creepy as hell, thinking of Petting Zoo here, to brooding horror. There is a good dose of the cosmic and weird running through the stories which always appeals to me, and I have to say. I really enjoyed this one!
October 6, 2022
Thanks to BookSirens and the author for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review. The book comes out October 10th 2022.
Queer horror my beloved. I saw this few nights ago when I was really in a mood for a scary read but nothing too long so hey look at that! Short horror stories. Those are usually a hit or miss for me. Mainly more of a miss which is why I don’t read a lot of them. But I did look at the excerpt before requesting it and I mean it starts with “I found bones, dad! I found bones!”. That had me hooked.
So this had six stories. Some I liked more, some less.
Digging. I liked that one. It wasn’t a favourite, but it was creepy. I kind of wanted more from the ending although I’m used to horror stories having that sudden cut where you as a reader are left thinking of all the things that could happen next. But I don’t know I just wanted something more of it that would give the story more impact.
deathshed. This one was my least favourite. I don’t really have much to say about it because it wasn’t really memorable.
Garage doctor. If The Stepford wives were also homophobic (well more than they were). The scariest things are always those that really exist.
Petting zoo. This one was my favourite. Not saying that just because HEYHEY there is an asexual character!!! (*blows kiss into the sky for the author*) But this one definitely had the best overall story in my opinion because it felt “complete”. Like it had three parts. An introduction, the central part where things take a turn and closure. I think that was what I’m missing with some of the other stories. Oh and yeah it was creepy.
Torture device. This one was the shortest and it was insane. But in the best way. The death in it feels like something from Final Destination.
Defilement. I will get killed for comparison but it was giving the upside down vibes. Also girlfriend named Krissy had me on a chokehold. Loved the vibes tho. I knew it was gonna be horrifying the moment it started with that guy Caleb saying all he said…
Queer horror my beloved. I saw this few nights ago when I was really in a mood for a scary read but nothing too long so hey look at that! Short horror stories. Those are usually a hit or miss for me. Mainly more of a miss which is why I don’t read a lot of them. But I did look at the excerpt before requesting it and I mean it starts with “I found bones, dad! I found bones!”. That had me hooked.
So this had six stories. Some I liked more, some less.
Digging. I liked that one. It wasn’t a favourite, but it was creepy. I kind of wanted more from the ending although I’m used to horror stories having that sudden cut where you as a reader are left thinking of all the things that could happen next. But I don’t know I just wanted something more of it that would give the story more impact.
deathshed. This one was my least favourite. I don’t really have much to say about it because it wasn’t really memorable.
Garage doctor. If The Stepford wives were also homophobic (well more than they were). The scariest things are always those that really exist.
Petting zoo. This one was my favourite. Not saying that just because HEYHEY there is an asexual character!!! (*blows kiss into the sky for the author*) But this one definitely had the best overall story in my opinion because it felt “complete”. Like it had three parts. An introduction, the central part where things take a turn and closure. I think that was what I’m missing with some of the other stories. Oh and yeah it was creepy.
Torture device. This one was the shortest and it was insane. But in the best way. The death in it feels like something from Final Destination.
Defilement. I will get killed for comparison but it was giving the upside down vibes. Also girlfriend named Krissy had me on a chokehold. Loved the vibes tho. I knew it was gonna be horrifying the moment it started with that guy Caleb saying all he said…
August 17, 2022
each horror story does what I'd hope a horror genre does. Each story was what I was hoping for and was written really well. I enjoyed the way Jesse Nolan Bailey wrote this as it was dark and what I expected from the description.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 1, 2023
I love horror, but somehow this one wasn't for me. The stories (the ones I read, at least) were all about horrible things happening to queer people, and I wasn't down for that. I mean, I knew of course that this was a queer anthology, but somehow didn't think the "horrors" would include couples being torn apart, and lives being upended horribly. I get enough of that in mainstream media.
February 25, 2023
The cover alone is enough to stop a person in their tracks and wonder what could be written upon the pages.
The stories within are hair-raising, and at times, appalling. Each centres around a person or couple and the supernatural horrors that they encounter.
I loved the imaginative stories, however some of the main characters were hard to relate to; often putting themselves and others more at risk through their choices and actions.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author & BooksGoSocial for a copy!
The stories within are hair-raising, and at times, appalling. Each centres around a person or couple and the supernatural horrors that they encounter.
I loved the imaginative stories, however some of the main characters were hard to relate to; often putting themselves and others more at risk through their choices and actions.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author & BooksGoSocial for a copy!
September 22, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an ARC to review!
3.5 stars.
This book is a collection of short horror stories. I am still somewhat new to the horror genre, but I think this was a good one to dip my toes into. However, while some stories in this collection are incredibly strong and drew me in, there were several that fell flat and left me unsatisfied as the reader. Fans of gore and physical horror will probably enjoy this more than I did, but there is probably something in this for everyone.
I also appreciated the diverse cast of characters throughout the stories, and the different kinds of relationships presented. Something that I hope continues within the genre!
1. Digging-- The premise of this was cool, but felt incomplete by the end. I didn't feel a throughline of the plot and overall was not a super strong start.
2. Deathshed-- Ominous in tone, but again lots of loose ends that didn't really make sense to me as the reader, and felt unsatisfying. I think if more explanation had been given, it would have been a stronger story, while the way it is I was confused.
3. Garage Doctor-- One of the stronger stories in the collection. This one truly felt horrific in a lot of ways. **CW// Islamaphobia, homophobia, gore** A clear storyline, villain, and theme wrapped up really nicely. I like that the horrific elements of this one stem from real-world issues making it all the more real and scary.
4. Petting Zoo-- Definitely my favorite in the collection by far. Great story, love the use of cryptids with its own spin on the lore. This one I could see being an awesome short film-- spine-tingling and gave me the sense of those old horror films you'd watch as a kid. Or even an R.L. Stine Goosebumps book.
5. Torture Device-- pretty forgettable and didn't really do it for me.
6. Defilement-- Another pretty strong story, though weird. The longest one in the collection, which allowed us to form more of a bond with the characters-- and a cliffhanging end that left me wanting more. Another one of my favorites in the collection.
Highly recommend it to those who love short horror stories, especially ones that are more "physical" in terms of horror. Some of the stories reminded me of those found in King's Night Shift, so if you're a fan of King's short stories this might bode well for you.
Thank you again, and happy reading!
3.5 stars.
This book is a collection of short horror stories. I am still somewhat new to the horror genre, but I think this was a good one to dip my toes into. However, while some stories in this collection are incredibly strong and drew me in, there were several that fell flat and left me unsatisfied as the reader. Fans of gore and physical horror will probably enjoy this more than I did, but there is probably something in this for everyone.
I also appreciated the diverse cast of characters throughout the stories, and the different kinds of relationships presented. Something that I hope continues within the genre!
1. Digging-- The premise of this was cool, but felt incomplete by the end. I didn't feel a throughline of the plot and overall was not a super strong start.
2. Deathshed-- Ominous in tone, but again lots of loose ends that didn't really make sense to me as the reader, and felt unsatisfying. I think if more explanation had been given, it would have been a stronger story, while the way it is I was confused.
3. Garage Doctor-- One of the stronger stories in the collection. This one truly felt horrific in a lot of ways. **CW// Islamaphobia, homophobia, gore** A clear storyline, villain, and theme wrapped up really nicely. I like that the horrific elements of this one stem from real-world issues making it all the more real and scary.
4. Petting Zoo-- Definitely my favorite in the collection by far. Great story, love the use of cryptids with its own spin on the lore. This one I could see being an awesome short film-- spine-tingling and gave me the sense of those old horror films you'd watch as a kid. Or even an R.L. Stine Goosebumps book.
5. Torture Device-- pretty forgettable and didn't really do it for me.
6. Defilement-- Another pretty strong story, though weird. The longest one in the collection, which allowed us to form more of a bond with the characters-- and a cliffhanging end that left me wanting more. Another one of my favorites in the collection.
Highly recommend it to those who love short horror stories, especially ones that are more "physical" in terms of horror. Some of the stories reminded me of those found in King's Night Shift, so if you're a fan of King's short stories this might bode well for you.
Thank you again, and happy reading!
November 1, 2022
This was a really cool compilation of new horror stories based on some classic, tried and true, horror themes. All in all, a quick read with some fairly gruesome, highly imaginative tales! In this collection there are detailed depictions of gore, profanity, and definitely death.
Please read the trigger/content warnings for each story directly following the preface.
From the author, “If such things are not to your liking, I suggest you close this book and go about your life. No one will judge you for it.” Challenge Accepted.
Loved it. Compulsively readable! This could easily be read in one-sitting.
The writing is fascinating and so descriptive! I loved this quote from the first story, Digging:
“Bones… so near the surface. Not deep, but shallow, like they’d clawed their way up in defiance to the caked layers of time, unwilling to stay sealed in the depths where others of its kind lay in death.”
If you enjoy horror, I recommend checking this one out!
Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for access to this title for my honest opinions.
Please read the trigger/content warnings for each story directly following the preface.
From the author, “If such things are not to your liking, I suggest you close this book and go about your life. No one will judge you for it.” Challenge Accepted.
Loved it. Compulsively readable! This could easily be read in one-sitting.
The writing is fascinating and so descriptive! I loved this quote from the first story, Digging:
“Bones… so near the surface. Not deep, but shallow, like they’d clawed their way up in defiance to the caked layers of time, unwilling to stay sealed in the depths where others of its kind lay in death.”
If you enjoy horror, I recommend checking this one out!
Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for access to this title for my honest opinions.
September 29, 2022
Halloween 2022 Read #19
My favorite tales in this collection were 'Digging' for its suspense and great ending, 'Garage Doctor' for its tantalizing mystery and chill factor, but most especially 'Defilement.'
The LGBTQ+ aspect of this collection was so refreshing. It added emotion, originality, and big twists to these tales. But fair warning, the the title story is liberal. I loved it for that very reason and I'd hate to see this collection get bad reviews because readers weren't forewarned. The writing is clever and flowing. Every character had personality and purpose. Plenty of chill and shock between these pages.
My favorite tales in this collection were 'Digging' for its suspense and great ending, 'Garage Doctor' for its tantalizing mystery and chill factor, but most especially 'Defilement.'
The LGBTQ+ aspect of this collection was so refreshing. It added emotion, originality, and big twists to these tales. But fair warning, the the title story is liberal. I loved it for that very reason and I'd hate to see this collection get bad reviews because readers weren't forewarned. The writing is clever and flowing. Every character had personality and purpose. Plenty of chill and shock between these pages.
September 17, 2022
a haunting collection of short shories that was well written and fulfills the tick marks when it comes to mixing it up with occult and other gruesome themes. it had the exact effect of what i was after, it instills a sort of paranoia after you've read them, uncomfortable, but hyperaware of the littlest details around you.
my favourites would definitely be digging, deathshed and petting zoo. i enjoyed this book alot !
thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
my favourites would definitely be digging, deathshed and petting zoo. i enjoyed this book alot !
thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 6, 2022
Not typically the genre I tend to read but it was available on NetGalley so I dove in. 6 very creepy stories, very vividly written. Some were more interesting then others. Maybe I just prefer to watch gore rather than read it.
December 26, 2022
I think this book was unfairly read during a reading slump, which means I took forever and don't remember all of the stories. However, the queer rep in these stories was 10/10! There was a good creep factor in most, and I definitely enjoyed this. I do think that maybe short stories are not my favorite format for any genre. 3/5!
October 23, 2022
Defilement and Other Stories is a collection of six horror short stories set primarily in our world, with the exception of the titular story, “Defilement.” The stories can be read independently from each other, but sometimes there are small references to previous stories, which is something I really enjoy – it feels like having an in-joke with an author.
It is a collection that I gladly recommend, even though I had some problems with it (whenever have I not?), which I will come to later. First, let’s look at each story in its own right:
The first story, “Digging,” was an excellent start to the collection. It immediately pulled me in with one of my favorite topics: dinosaurs! Or, their bones, in this case.
In this story, a father sends his son out to play being a paleontologist, obviously not expecting that he would really stumble across the bones of some gigantic creature. In the days following the discovery, he notices strange sounds around his house and comes to suspect that the animal his son has discovered might not be as lifeless as it seems to be.
I loved how writing transported the awe that one feels when faced with the skeleton of a dinosaur, even when it is safely lodged on a pedestal in a museum.
Next up is “deathshed.” Here, the protagonist receives an issue of a magazine she cannot remember subscribing to – and given that it deals with snuff and gore, she cannot imagine wanting to subscribe to it in the first place. In her efforts to find out why it has been sent to her, she has a strange phone conversation that puts not only herself but also her girlfriend in danger.
The internet, especially the dark web, has become a prominent source of terror and horror, and I have mixed feelings about this trope. I am not much of a fan of “all social media is irrevocably evil and scary” kind of stories but all the more into fiction that takes a deep dive into the potential that the world wide web (dark or not) holds for weird and potentially deadly subcultures and niche interests, which is what this story did.
The third story, “Garage Doctor” tells of a gay couple who just moved to a new neighborhood. Everyone is very welcoming and friendly and especially recommends they visit the local doctor, who apparently made everyone’s life so much better. Curious about his allegedly highly unconventional methods, the two men agree to a try-out session. As it turns out, the good doctor is a raging homophobe who “cures” his victims with methods reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange.
I liked the straightforwardness with which the subject of homophobia is explicitly stated. This is not a story with a metaphor that stands for conversion therapy, it is a story about conversion therapy (albeit with some added violence and monsters). As someone with mixed feelings about metaphors, I highly appreciate that.
“Petting Zoo,” was next to “Digging,” my absolute favorite. Can you tell I like creature horror?
In an old photo album, the protagonist discovers a picture of herself as a child, standing next to a monster: “To the left of this average child, a behemoth snout dominated the backdrop, an abominable blend of prehistoric beast and wolfish snarl. A single predatory eye stared back at the camera, having evolved on the side of the face like those of the shark.” According to her mother, who does not seem to understand her daughter’s shock and fear, this picture was taken at a combination of a museum and a petting zoo which the family went to many years ago, but she cannot remember the name of said location.
The protagonist does some digging in a forum about cryptozoology and unexplained occurrences, and as one user is able to tell her the name of the zoo, Noah’s Petting Zoo in Florida, she spontaneously decides to go there, without being able to explain to herself why this picture and her hazy memories of the trip have such a hold over her.
I absolutely loved how the petting zoo was described as having such different effects on children and adults. The children and their parents who visit this place come away with very different memories and emotions, which was fascinating and scary to read about. I also really enjoyed the descriptions of the swampy Florida landscape and the menacing atmosphere it elicits.
“Torture Device” is a short interlude about a protagonist whose first gym session also turns out to also be his last, thanks to a mysterious and deadly training apparatus. It is quick, it is gory and I liked the setting – I don’t think I have ever read a horror story (or any other story) set in a gym before.
Last up we find the story after which the collection is named: “Defilement.” Unfortunately, this is the story I enjoyed the least. Here, our protagonist meets his girlfriend’s alt-right brother and is transported into a creepy alternate reality where he is faced with all sorts of strange entities.
First things first: I am absolutely of the opinion that horror does not demand logic and explanations to the same degree that many other genres do. In general, I’m a “vibe over plot” kinda guy, but it is especially with horror stories that I do not really care about the Why? and How? behind everything and that I happily enjoy anything an author might throw at me.
In this story, though, everything was a bit too random and all over the place even for me, and the switches between the real world and “Eden,” as well as the various kinds of monsters did not feel like a coherent whole. I could see it being separated into at least three different stories which would individually pack a bigger punch.
In total, though, the collection was enjoyable. The stories feature unique settings and events and I was always curious about what the author would come up with next.
There are some points of criticism that transcended singular stories, though, and which I want to mention here.
First, there is the very inconsistent writing style. While I do not personally think that it is automatically better when an author has a thoroughly consistent style or voice, and I usually welcome sudden shifts and experiments, here, it was a bit too much. The style in this collection is usually quite straightforward with rather short sentences (at least to my painfully German expectations as to what is a “short sentence”) but then, every once in a while the author decides that he wants to win at scrabble and comes up with an extremely convoluted way of expressing something. This usually, unfortunately, rather made me giggle than enhance my emotional investment. “My shoes were caked in mud and my jeans were speckled with the same assailant,” he writes. Or “she put the car into drive and forsook their own chance at a frosty treat,” – this is how a character’s decision not to get ice cream is put into words. This often took me out of the story, and especially out of any spooky atmosphere.
Aside from that, my reading flow was often interrupted by the extremely didactic tone of the stories. Look, I am bi and trans and there is a variety of things strange about my brain (this is as explicit as I want to get about what other people might call my neurodivergence and/or mental illnesses). I get the horror of homophobia, transphobia, ableism and I am happy that explicit discrimination in fiction has become something that is usually frowned upon. But I think it is extremely difficult to “casually” mention the evilness of discrimination in a story without making it sound like one of these stories that are written for elementary school children who are just learning to read and that all have morals like “clean your room when your mom tells you to” and “be nice to other children.” I felt patronized by blatantly pedagogical stories when I was five and as an adult reading fiction for adults, I feel even more so. That, in the midst of fear and gore, the characters think and say things like “My curves didn’t define me” or “I’m gonna ignore that self-deprecating, ableist shit” is less storytelling and more preaching from a soapbox to me.
Closely aligned with this point is the excessive throwing about of mental illness terminology. Rarely have I read the words “trauma” and “gaslighting” as often as in this book, aside from literal non-fiction about trauma. Unfortunately, the ways in which these words are integrated does not make much sense either in their actual meaning as terms in psychology, or as decorative elements in purple prose with the purpose of adding to the atmosphere. “[D]elirium … was a subtle companion, making itself known in bits and pieces, gaslighting his own convictions of what constituted reality …” – removing ‘gaslighting’ from a conscious perpetrator who enacts it renders it largely meaningless. “[A] flood of trauma drowned out any semblance of nostalgia” – ‘trauma’ consists of many elements which take different shapes, what exactly are we supposed to imagine here?
This, especially the constant mentioning of gaslighting, brings me to the last point that I want to point out, and which is neither praise nor criticism for this specific book, rather than something which I thought about a lot: content warnings.
I would consider my standpoint with regard to content warnings to be “positive neutral.” I can see their usefulness, but my thoughts are more complex than I could simply sum up as “content warnings = good” or “content warnings = bad.” It suffices to say that the question of whether or not an author chooses to include warnings never has an impact on my opinion of a book.
The instance of this specific short story collection, which includes warnings for every story, made me realize something about content warnings that I never understood with such clarity before: Content warnings impose an author’s interpretation of their own story and thus complicate potential diverging meanings and the opportunity for subtlety.
I noticed this here when I came across content warnings that surprised me because they had nothing to do with my understanding of the respective stories. For me, this was only a disappointment because some stories suddenly felt a bit less mysterious and uncanny (I am specifically talking about “Petting Zoo” and the warning for gaslighting, and “Torture Device” and what in the warning is described as “self-inflicted torture.”), but for someone who is genuinely triggered by these things and decides to brave the stories nevertheless – how would that make this person feel? Does this count as gaslighting? I am obviously being a bit facetious here (as I mentioned above, speaking of accidental or unconscious gaslighting takes away any usefulness this term might still have in an age of the TikTokification of terminology). This is just to say, I have not yet come across a piece of writing where I felt such a gap between the content notes and the actual stories.
I am not saying nobody should ever put content notes in front of their stories. Like, I once had a sobbing, hyperventilating panic attack while watching Tatort in a pub (only Germans can understand the level of cringe this entails), and this is only the most public instance of me being triggered by a piece of media. But as readers, writers, and reviewers it is also important to be aware of the fact that each content warning imposes just one specific interpretation of a story and a decision for or against content warnings therefore clearly makes apparent how much we value (or not) subtlety, a multiplicity of meanings, and the agency of readers as people capable of carrying out their own analyses.
All in all, as you can see, Defilement and Other Stories, contained things I liked, things I disliked, and, most importantly, made me think.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley – thank you!
It is a collection that I gladly recommend, even though I had some problems with it (whenever have I not?), which I will come to later. First, let’s look at each story in its own right:
“Puddles dotted the forest floor, portals to bleak underworlds where the demigods of primordial eras festered in the form of larvae eggs and tadpoles.” (From “Digging”)
The first story, “Digging,” was an excellent start to the collection. It immediately pulled me in with one of my favorite topics: dinosaurs! Or, their bones, in this case.
In this story, a father sends his son out to play being a paleontologist, obviously not expecting that he would really stumble across the bones of some gigantic creature. In the days following the discovery, he notices strange sounds around his house and comes to suspect that the animal his son has discovered might not be as lifeless as it seems to be.
I loved how writing transported the awe that one feels when faced with the skeleton of a dinosaur, even when it is safely lodged on a pedestal in a museum.
Next up is “deathshed.” Here, the protagonist receives an issue of a magazine she cannot remember subscribing to – and given that it deals with snuff and gore, she cannot imagine wanting to subscribe to it in the first place. In her efforts to find out why it has been sent to her, she has a strange phone conversation that puts not only herself but also her girlfriend in danger.
The internet, especially the dark web, has become a prominent source of terror and horror, and I have mixed feelings about this trope. I am not much of a fan of “all social media is irrevocably evil and scary” kind of stories but all the more into fiction that takes a deep dive into the potential that the world wide web (dark or not) holds for weird and potentially deadly subcultures and niche interests, which is what this story did.
The third story, “Garage Doctor” tells of a gay couple who just moved to a new neighborhood. Everyone is very welcoming and friendly and especially recommends they visit the local doctor, who apparently made everyone’s life so much better. Curious about his allegedly highly unconventional methods, the two men agree to a try-out session. As it turns out, the good doctor is a raging homophobe who “cures” his victims with methods reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange.
I liked the straightforwardness with which the subject of homophobia is explicitly stated. This is not a story with a metaphor that stands for conversion therapy, it is a story about conversion therapy (albeit with some added violence and monsters). As someone with mixed feelings about metaphors, I highly appreciate that.
“Petting Zoo,” was next to “Digging,” my absolute favorite. Can you tell I like creature horror?
In an old photo album, the protagonist discovers a picture of herself as a child, standing next to a monster: “To the left of this average child, a behemoth snout dominated the backdrop, an abominable blend of prehistoric beast and wolfish snarl. A single predatory eye stared back at the camera, having evolved on the side of the face like those of the shark.” According to her mother, who does not seem to understand her daughter’s shock and fear, this picture was taken at a combination of a museum and a petting zoo which the family went to many years ago, but she cannot remember the name of said location.
The protagonist does some digging in a forum about cryptozoology and unexplained occurrences, and as one user is able to tell her the name of the zoo, Noah’s Petting Zoo in Florida, she spontaneously decides to go there, without being able to explain to herself why this picture and her hazy memories of the trip have such a hold over her.
I absolutely loved how the petting zoo was described as having such different effects on children and adults. The children and their parents who visit this place come away with very different memories and emotions, which was fascinating and scary to read about. I also really enjoyed the descriptions of the swampy Florida landscape and the menacing atmosphere it elicits.
“Torture Device” is a short interlude about a protagonist whose first gym session also turns out to also be his last, thanks to a mysterious and deadly training apparatus. It is quick, it is gory and I liked the setting – I don’t think I have ever read a horror story (or any other story) set in a gym before.
Last up we find the story after which the collection is named: “Defilement.” Unfortunately, this is the story I enjoyed the least. Here, our protagonist meets his girlfriend’s alt-right brother and is transported into a creepy alternate reality where he is faced with all sorts of strange entities.
First things first: I am absolutely of the opinion that horror does not demand logic and explanations to the same degree that many other genres do. In general, I’m a “vibe over plot” kinda guy, but it is especially with horror stories that I do not really care about the Why? and How? behind everything and that I happily enjoy anything an author might throw at me.
In this story, though, everything was a bit too random and all over the place even for me, and the switches between the real world and “Eden,” as well as the various kinds of monsters did not feel like a coherent whole. I could see it being separated into at least three different stories which would individually pack a bigger punch.
In total, though, the collection was enjoyable. The stories feature unique settings and events and I was always curious about what the author would come up with next.
There are some points of criticism that transcended singular stories, though, and which I want to mention here.
First, there is the very inconsistent writing style. While I do not personally think that it is automatically better when an author has a thoroughly consistent style or voice, and I usually welcome sudden shifts and experiments, here, it was a bit too much. The style in this collection is usually quite straightforward with rather short sentences (at least to my painfully German expectations as to what is a “short sentence”) but then, every once in a while the author decides that he wants to win at scrabble and comes up with an extremely convoluted way of expressing something. This usually, unfortunately, rather made me giggle than enhance my emotional investment. “My shoes were caked in mud and my jeans were speckled with the same assailant,” he writes. Or “she put the car into drive and forsook their own chance at a frosty treat,” – this is how a character’s decision not to get ice cream is put into words. This often took me out of the story, and especially out of any spooky atmosphere.
Aside from that, my reading flow was often interrupted by the extremely didactic tone of the stories. Look, I am bi and trans and there is a variety of things strange about my brain (this is as explicit as I want to get about what other people might call my neurodivergence and/or mental illnesses). I get the horror of homophobia, transphobia, ableism and I am happy that explicit discrimination in fiction has become something that is usually frowned upon. But I think it is extremely difficult to “casually” mention the evilness of discrimination in a story without making it sound like one of these stories that are written for elementary school children who are just learning to read and that all have morals like “clean your room when your mom tells you to” and “be nice to other children.” I felt patronized by blatantly pedagogical stories when I was five and as an adult reading fiction for adults, I feel even more so. That, in the midst of fear and gore, the characters think and say things like “My curves didn’t define me” or “I’m gonna ignore that self-deprecating, ableist shit” is less storytelling and more preaching from a soapbox to me.
Closely aligned with this point is the excessive throwing about of mental illness terminology. Rarely have I read the words “trauma” and “gaslighting” as often as in this book, aside from literal non-fiction about trauma. Unfortunately, the ways in which these words are integrated does not make much sense either in their actual meaning as terms in psychology, or as decorative elements in purple prose with the purpose of adding to the atmosphere. “[D]elirium … was a subtle companion, making itself known in bits and pieces, gaslighting his own convictions of what constituted reality …” – removing ‘gaslighting’ from a conscious perpetrator who enacts it renders it largely meaningless. “[A] flood of trauma drowned out any semblance of nostalgia” – ‘trauma’ consists of many elements which take different shapes, what exactly are we supposed to imagine here?
This, especially the constant mentioning of gaslighting, brings me to the last point that I want to point out, and which is neither praise nor criticism for this specific book, rather than something which I thought about a lot: content warnings.
I would consider my standpoint with regard to content warnings to be “positive neutral.” I can see their usefulness, but my thoughts are more complex than I could simply sum up as “content warnings = good” or “content warnings = bad.” It suffices to say that the question of whether or not an author chooses to include warnings never has an impact on my opinion of a book.
The instance of this specific short story collection, which includes warnings for every story, made me realize something about content warnings that I never understood with such clarity before: Content warnings impose an author’s interpretation of their own story and thus complicate potential diverging meanings and the opportunity for subtlety.
I noticed this here when I came across content warnings that surprised me because they had nothing to do with my understanding of the respective stories. For me, this was only a disappointment because some stories suddenly felt a bit less mysterious and uncanny (I am specifically talking about “Petting Zoo” and the warning for gaslighting, and “Torture Device” and what in the warning is described as “self-inflicted torture.”), but for someone who is genuinely triggered by these things and decides to brave the stories nevertheless – how would that make this person feel? Does this count as gaslighting? I am obviously being a bit facetious here (as I mentioned above, speaking of accidental or unconscious gaslighting takes away any usefulness this term might still have in an age of the TikTokification of terminology). This is just to say, I have not yet come across a piece of writing where I felt such a gap between the content notes and the actual stories.
I am not saying nobody should ever put content notes in front of their stories. Like, I once had a sobbing, hyperventilating panic attack while watching Tatort in a pub (only Germans can understand the level of cringe this entails), and this is only the most public instance of me being triggered by a piece of media. But as readers, writers, and reviewers it is also important to be aware of the fact that each content warning imposes just one specific interpretation of a story and a decision for or against content warnings therefore clearly makes apparent how much we value (or not) subtlety, a multiplicity of meanings, and the agency of readers as people capable of carrying out their own analyses.
All in all, as you can see, Defilement and Other Stories, contained things I liked, things I disliked, and, most importantly, made me think.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley – thank you!
August 11, 2022
I received an ARC copy of this book. The writing was very good and the stories were interesting. This was actually a pretty good read.
April 24, 2023
‘Defilement and Other Stories’ is a collection of six queer horror short stories. Each of which entirely different tone and pace from the previous. And a large cast of diverse characters with a wide age range.
I appreciate the preface and the list of trigger warnings the author gave for each story, but as they said it wasn’t an exhaustive list and boy did I add a tonne more.
Without spoiling anything, because each story was so different from each other and not particularly connected, I decided to rate them all separately. The first story, Digging, I gave only two stars as I felt this one took too long to get into it and ended very abruptly.
The second story, Deathshed, I gave 4 stars and I must say I really enjoyed this one. I love the whole conspiracy theory plot and I do love sapphics so this was a top read for me, but I would’ve enjoyed seeing more of a satisfying conclusion to the story.
The third story, Garage Doctor, I gave five stars and this one was my favourite. This one was a truly horrific depiction of conversion therapy with a very satisfying revenge plot and was very well fleshed out. Loved it, although it was definitely the most terrifying due to how realistic this kind of thing is.
The fourth story, Petting Zoo, I also have a five stars. I loved the fat ace rep, although there is heavy talk about weight and dieting which is always uncomfortable. This one was very well fleshed out, it had a great plot and had me very on edge.
The fifth story, Torture Device, was my least favourite and I gave this only one star. This one was so boring and I really did not see the point of it at all.
And finally the last story, Defilement, was a four star read. This one was kind of confusing because it does take a while to get into but is pretty cool! I quite enjoyed this one, definitely not a favourite but still enjoyable. Very very creeping and gorey.
Overall, I quite liked this. I don’t know if I’d ever re-read it as horror isn’t one of my top genres but still enjoyed the time I spent on it! I would heavily suggest you check my list of trigger warnings before you pick up this book though because a lot of horrific and disgusting things happen throughout it.
Representation - Amputee (leg) (MC); Asexual (MC); Asthma (MC); Black (MC); Depression (MC); Fat (MC); Gay (MC); Lesbian (SC); Middle Eastern (MC&SC) Muslim (MC&SC); POC (MC&SC); Sapphic (MC); Sapphic Relationship (MC)
TWs/CWs - Ableism; Alcohol Consumption; Amputation (leg); Arachnid Monsters; Beheading; Bestiality (inferred); Blood; Body Horror; Bug Consumption (forced); Child Death; Child Endangerment; Child Neglect (inferred); Corpse; Corrective Rape (inferred, not depicted); Cussing; Dark Web; Death; Death by Cancer (off page/mentioned); Death of a Parent; Decapitation; Disturbing Imagery; Drowning; Drug Reference; Excrement; Exorcism; Extreme Conversion Therapy Methods; Extreme Nationalism; Fatphobia; Fire/Fire Injury; Force feeding; Gaslighting; Gore; Gross Topics; Harm of a Child; Homophobia; Hypnotism; Inferred Islamophobia; Infidelity; Kidnapping; Military deployment (discussed); Mind Control; Murder; Necropholia; Nudity; Paranoia; Physical Torture; Porn; Psychological Torture; Racism; Religious Extremism; R-slur; Self-Inflicted Torture; Sexist Comments; Skeletal/fossil bones; Snuff Films; Stressful Situations; Tar Monsters; Transphobia (graphic); Urine; Violence; Vomit (mentioned)
I appreciate the preface and the list of trigger warnings the author gave for each story, but as they said it wasn’t an exhaustive list and boy did I add a tonne more.
Without spoiling anything, because each story was so different from each other and not particularly connected, I decided to rate them all separately. The first story, Digging, I gave only two stars as I felt this one took too long to get into it and ended very abruptly.
The second story, Deathshed, I gave 4 stars and I must say I really enjoyed this one. I love the whole conspiracy theory plot and I do love sapphics so this was a top read for me, but I would’ve enjoyed seeing more of a satisfying conclusion to the story.
The third story, Garage Doctor, I gave five stars and this one was my favourite. This one was a truly horrific depiction of conversion therapy with a very satisfying revenge plot and was very well fleshed out. Loved it, although it was definitely the most terrifying due to how realistic this kind of thing is.
The fourth story, Petting Zoo, I also have a five stars. I loved the fat ace rep, although there is heavy talk about weight and dieting which is always uncomfortable. This one was very well fleshed out, it had a great plot and had me very on edge.
The fifth story, Torture Device, was my least favourite and I gave this only one star. This one was so boring and I really did not see the point of it at all.
And finally the last story, Defilement, was a four star read. This one was kind of confusing because it does take a while to get into but is pretty cool! I quite enjoyed this one, definitely not a favourite but still enjoyable. Very very creeping and gorey.
Overall, I quite liked this. I don’t know if I’d ever re-read it as horror isn’t one of my top genres but still enjoyed the time I spent on it! I would heavily suggest you check my list of trigger warnings before you pick up this book though because a lot of horrific and disgusting things happen throughout it.
Representation - Amputee (leg) (MC); Asexual (MC); Asthma (MC); Black (MC); Depression (MC); Fat (MC); Gay (MC); Lesbian (SC); Middle Eastern (MC&SC) Muslim (MC&SC); POC (MC&SC); Sapphic (MC); Sapphic Relationship (MC)
TWs/CWs - Ableism; Alcohol Consumption; Amputation (leg); Arachnid Monsters; Beheading; Bestiality (inferred); Blood; Body Horror; Bug Consumption (forced); Child Death; Child Endangerment; Child Neglect (inferred); Corpse; Corrective Rape (inferred, not depicted); Cussing; Dark Web; Death; Death by Cancer (off page/mentioned); Death of a Parent; Decapitation; Disturbing Imagery; Drowning; Drug Reference; Excrement; Exorcism; Extreme Conversion Therapy Methods; Extreme Nationalism; Fatphobia; Fire/Fire Injury; Force feeding; Gaslighting; Gore; Gross Topics; Harm of a Child; Homophobia; Hypnotism; Inferred Islamophobia; Infidelity; Kidnapping; Military deployment (discussed); Mind Control; Murder; Necropholia; Nudity; Paranoia; Physical Torture; Porn; Psychological Torture; Racism; Religious Extremism; R-slur; Self-Inflicted Torture; Sexist Comments; Skeletal/fossil bones; Snuff Films; Stressful Situations; Tar Monsters; Transphobia (graphic); Urine; Violence; Vomit (mentioned)
September 12, 2022
To label Defilement as horror is entirely accurate, no lies were detected. That said, I appreciated that there was a list of trigger warnings available at the beginning of the collection - while I love horror, there are certain things I appreciate knowing in advance, and being able to reference the triggers for each story was very helpful.
I also appreciated that most of the characters were LGBT+ in some way, shape or form - there aren't enough LGBT characters in horror, in my opinion, and while "Garage Doctor" wasn't one of my favorite stories in the collection, its depiction of the , was surprising to see, but was not unwelcome at all. I didn't really like that specific tale per se - it just wasn't what I tend to vibe with - but it wasn't because of those particular story elements. It was brutal to read, and I wish it didn't have any real-world influences, but I know it does.
That said, the standouts for me were "deathshed" and "Petting Zoo." I appreciate a good mind-screw and - usually - love lack of explanation, because for some reason I love it when a story leaves me wanting and gives me few or little answers, or hints at something just enough that I wonder about it obsessively before I get distracted by the next thing. I was mildly concerned that the triggers listed in "Petting Zoo" would be too much for me, but it was nowhere as gory or... nasty... as I was expecting.
The rest of the stories were okay - none of them were bad, none of them were softly-whispered "whoa" amazing. Several of them have very Lovecraftian elements - incomprehensible evil in absurd and inhuman forms - which, if that's your thing, and you also really liked Saw and maybe Tusk (me personally - I liked Saw, but cannot watch Tusk because I read the Wikipedia article and know for a fact it would sit in my brain in a Bad Way) you might like this collection. It's solid, especially for horror fans who like more physical horror and gore than strictly psychological or supernatural. Give it a shot!
Thank you to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
I also appreciated that most of the characters were LGBT+ in some way, shape or form - there aren't enough LGBT characters in horror, in my opinion, and while "Garage Doctor" wasn't one of my favorite stories in the collection, its depiction of the , was surprising to see, but was not unwelcome at all. I didn't really like that specific tale per se - it just wasn't what I tend to vibe with - but it wasn't because of those particular story elements. It was brutal to read, and I wish it didn't have any real-world influences, but I know it does.
That said, the standouts for me were "deathshed" and "Petting Zoo." I appreciate a good mind-screw and - usually - love lack of explanation, because for some reason I love it when a story leaves me wanting and gives me few or little answers, or hints at something just enough that I wonder about it obsessively before I get distracted by the next thing. I was mildly concerned that the triggers listed in "Petting Zoo" would be too much for me, but it was nowhere as gory or... nasty... as I was expecting.
The rest of the stories were okay - none of them were bad, none of them were softly-whispered "whoa" amazing. Several of them have very Lovecraftian elements - incomprehensible evil in absurd and inhuman forms - which, if that's your thing, and you also really liked Saw and maybe Tusk (me personally - I liked Saw, but cannot watch Tusk because I read the Wikipedia article and know for a fact it would sit in my brain in a Bad Way) you might like this collection. It's solid, especially for horror fans who like more physical horror and gore than strictly psychological or supernatural. Give it a shot!
Thank you to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
October 23, 2022
I was drawn to this book by the book cover. It is so creepy and perfect for a horror book. Sadly, though the book cover is really the only thing that is really great about this collection of short stories. There was only a few that I found decent. Even then I did not find them too scary.
DIGGING
This story could have been so much better, but I found that it was too short. Just as I was starting to get into the story, it ended without really a reason. I was left confused on the ending.
DEATHSHED
This story did give me more of the horror vibes. However, I had no interest in the main character, therefore, I did not really care what happened to her. Yet, it still was a good story.
GARAGE DOCTOR
This one was a bit gruesome, but I also felt uncomfortable reading. Due to the subject matter. Which I am surprised would be featured in a book with present events in today's world.
PETTING ZOO
This story actually was one that I did like. It had the creepy vibes I was looking for and it felt like a story. If you think about the monster that lives in this story, it is scary.
TORTURE DEVICE
Another really short story. It felt too rushed, but it did make me think twice on the type of gym equipment machines I use.
DEFILEMENT
This title story is the only one that really, truly felt like it was fleshed out the most. It was the longest of the six stories. My favorite story of the six as well. I could see this story playing on screen.
DIGGING
This story could have been so much better, but I found that it was too short. Just as I was starting to get into the story, it ended without really a reason. I was left confused on the ending.
DEATHSHED
This story did give me more of the horror vibes. However, I had no interest in the main character, therefore, I did not really care what happened to her. Yet, it still was a good story.
GARAGE DOCTOR
This one was a bit gruesome, but I also felt uncomfortable reading. Due to the subject matter. Which I am surprised would be featured in a book with present events in today's world.
PETTING ZOO
This story actually was one that I did like. It had the creepy vibes I was looking for and it felt like a story. If you think about the monster that lives in this story, it is scary.
TORTURE DEVICE
Another really short story. It felt too rushed, but it did make me think twice on the type of gym equipment machines I use.
DEFILEMENT
This title story is the only one that really, truly felt like it was fleshed out the most. It was the longest of the six stories. My favorite story of the six as well. I could see this story playing on screen.
September 18, 2022
[Blurb goes here]
This is a collection of stories from Jesse Nolan Bailey. As it often happens, some of the stories are great, and some feel unfinished. Let me tell you about a few of them, the ones that lingered on.
The first one deals with a father and son, the kid unearths the bones of what he thinks is a dinosaur. When his dad looks at the find, he feels anxious, he wants the bones buried again.
One of the following, deals with a doctor that will torture his victims to 'cure' them, but not everyone can be 'cured', so it ends in disaster. This one was great!
And one I enjoyed thoroughly, follows a woman, who, after finding an old photograph of herself, when she was just a kid, drives to Florida to find out the truth behind the disturbing picture. This one slowly captures you, unfortunately, I didn't enjoyed the ending. No gore, no deaths, just an unsatisfactory conclusion.
Most of the stories deal with couples, while one of the members is riddled with anxiety, the other is sure of him or herself. Something that got too old, too soon.
While I enjoyed the read, I didn't like some of the endings, specially when things where getting scary. Mind you, a few where obvious from the start. You don't have to be a mind reader to know where things are going.
I do recommend this book for horror fans, it has the atmosphere, the gore and the creepiness level to satisfy.
This is a collection of stories from Jesse Nolan Bailey. As it often happens, some of the stories are great, and some feel unfinished. Let me tell you about a few of them, the ones that lingered on.
The first one deals with a father and son, the kid unearths the bones of what he thinks is a dinosaur. When his dad looks at the find, he feels anxious, he wants the bones buried again.
One of the following, deals with a doctor that will torture his victims to 'cure' them, but not everyone can be 'cured', so it ends in disaster. This one was great!
And one I enjoyed thoroughly, follows a woman, who, after finding an old photograph of herself, when she was just a kid, drives to Florida to find out the truth behind the disturbing picture. This one slowly captures you, unfortunately, I didn't enjoyed the ending. No gore, no deaths, just an unsatisfactory conclusion.
Most of the stories deal with couples, while one of the members is riddled with anxiety, the other is sure of him or herself. Something that got too old, too soon.
While I enjoyed the read, I didn't like some of the endings, specially when things where getting scary. Mind you, a few where obvious from the start. You don't have to be a mind reader to know where things are going.
I do recommend this book for horror fans, it has the atmosphere, the gore and the creepiness level to satisfy.
November 9, 2022
Defilement and Other Stories is a collection of six horror short stories, set primarily in our world, wich gives the book a contemporary and modern feeling, while still feeling like classic horror. The stories takes on daily horrors, things we face as human beings every day, like jealousy, religious bigotry, trans and homophobia etc. Overall, I really enjoyed this collection. I the writing is nice, the ideas and characters are well done, the book is atmospheric and immersive and I appreciated the subtle connections the stories sometimes had to each other, but I just didn't connect with the characters or the stories themselves as much as I wanted to. Sometimes the stories took a while to get into and some of them could have been fleshed out a bit more.
Most of the stories has LGBTQ+ rep which always is a huge plus from me, and I really appreciated the trigger warnings for each story in the beginning of the book.
Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!
Most of the stories has LGBTQ+ rep which always is a huge plus from me, and I really appreciated the trigger warnings for each story in the beginning of the book.
Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!
October 22, 2022
3.5⭐️
Defilement and Other Stories is a collection of gruesome tales with various themes and genres. Bailey does a great job of building tension and atmosphere in these stories. The build-up will leave your heart pounding and your eyes skimming the page to discover the gruesome end, but, unfortunately, most of the endings don’t live up to the climax. Most of the stories end with a whisper, and the last two stories lost me all together. Stylistically, I know this could be a personal preference. I don’t mind a somewhat ambiguous end sometimes, but these left me somewhat unsatisfied.
That being said, the stories are really creative and each of them hit on something a little different. As a fan of creature features, I think Petting Zoo was my favorite! If you’re looking for something quick and spooky for Halloween, I’d give this collection a shot! And the author includes trigger warnings at the beginnings, which is a nice, thoughtful touch.
Defilement and Other Stories is a collection of gruesome tales with various themes and genres. Bailey does a great job of building tension and atmosphere in these stories. The build-up will leave your heart pounding and your eyes skimming the page to discover the gruesome end, but, unfortunately, most of the endings don’t live up to the climax. Most of the stories end with a whisper, and the last two stories lost me all together. Stylistically, I know this could be a personal preference. I don’t mind a somewhat ambiguous end sometimes, but these left me somewhat unsatisfied.
That being said, the stories are really creative and each of them hit on something a little different. As a fan of creature features, I think Petting Zoo was my favorite! If you’re looking for something quick and spooky for Halloween, I’d give this collection a shot! And the author includes trigger warnings at the beginnings, which is a nice, thoughtful touch.
September 12, 2022
This quick read would be perfect for fans of Sam J. Miller or Clive Barker as it features grizzly and shocking short, horror, fiction with a decidedly queer bent. This brief collection is perfect as an appetizer as we head into Autumn and soon, October, the height of literary spooky season.
As in any short story collection some entries are stronger than others. For me the book seemed to lose steam somewhat as it went on, (the beginning three stories Digging, deathshed, and Garage Door were my favorites), and recover a bit at the end (of the later entries, Petting Zoo was my favorite premise, Torture Device was a bit of a miss for me, and Defilement was compelling if disorientating and a bit of a slog at times). But taken altogether this new book is certainly worth being given a chance and I’d look forward to reading anything else the author puts out.
As in any short story collection some entries are stronger than others. For me the book seemed to lose steam somewhat as it went on, (the beginning three stories Digging, deathshed, and Garage Door were my favorites), and recover a bit at the end (of the later entries, Petting Zoo was my favorite premise, Torture Device was a bit of a miss for me, and Defilement was compelling if disorientating and a bit of a slog at times). But taken altogether this new book is certainly worth being given a chance and I’d look forward to reading anything else the author puts out.
October 3, 2022
3.5 stars rounded to 4. The writing is fantastic, the stories are full of original ideas, and the LGBTQ+ aspects are handled magnificently. To be frank, three of the stories, "deathshed," "Garage doctor," and "Petting Zoo," are very strong and could easily carry the whole collection. I would recommend buying the book for those stories alone. The last story, however, "Defilement," really disappointed me and took away the 5 stars I was prepared to give. It starts very promising, then gets far too long, makes very little sense, and, what's worse for a horror collection, it's a version of dark fantasy: a quasi-fairy tale with wild beasts, sorcery, cliffhanger ending, and an unimpressive plot. I wish the author had removed it before publication.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 22, 2022
I just finished defilement and other short stories by Jesse Nolan Bailey
6 stories of pure evil…a collection of short horror stories all of which feature a little more disturbing content with each bite.
OK, I am not one for short stories but these, holy heck! Worth the read. Cleverly done and has a little LGBTQ rep in them which was nice. Had me on the edge of my seat a lot and well worth the few hours I sat and read them all in one go. I usually like more meat to my bones hence why I don’t usually do the short stories thing but I had to. The synopsis had me curious and I am so glad I made the decision to take a read!
If you love short horror stories, this is it. The one you have been waiting for.
4 stars, I just needed a little more.
Thank you netgalley and booksgosocial for my review copy!
6 stories of pure evil…a collection of short horror stories all of which feature a little more disturbing content with each bite.
OK, I am not one for short stories but these, holy heck! Worth the read. Cleverly done and has a little LGBTQ rep in them which was nice. Had me on the edge of my seat a lot and well worth the few hours I sat and read them all in one go. I usually like more meat to my bones hence why I don’t usually do the short stories thing but I had to. The synopsis had me curious and I am so glad I made the decision to take a read!
If you love short horror stories, this is it. The one you have been waiting for.
4 stars, I just needed a little more.
Thank you netgalley and booksgosocial for my review copy!
October 23, 2022
Defilement and Other Stories by Jesse Nolan Bailey is a collection of six horror short stories. Overall, I really enjoyed this collection. The only thing that annoyed me a little bit (and this is purely down to personal preference) was that some of the stories took a while to really get into the interesting parts, and then ended quite abruptly. Apart from that, the collection was great. The writing, the ideas, the characters, were all very well done and I couldn’t put the book down.
My favourite story definitely was ‘Petting Zoo’. I just love stories centred around abandoned places, especially something as weird as this petting zoo. ‘deathshed’ and ‘Digging’ would be a close second and third place.
I’d recommend this book to everyone who likes horror stories, especially if you’re looking for some with LGBTQ rep in them.
My favourite story definitely was ‘Petting Zoo’. I just love stories centred around abandoned places, especially something as weird as this petting zoo. ‘deathshed’ and ‘Digging’ would be a close second and third place.
I’d recommend this book to everyone who likes horror stories, especially if you’re looking for some with LGBTQ rep in them.
September 3, 2022
I will admit the cover drew me in, I love a good cover on a book. Once I read the blurb I was even more intrigued.
This book contains six stories called:
💀 Digging
💀 Deathshed
💀 Garage Doctor
💀 Petting Zoo
💀 Torture Device
💀 Defilement
Wow there are some great stories that captivate you in this book. You just can't stop reading! I love how they are all different from one another, the way they captive you is brilliant.
I love the writing style and the layout of the book as well as how descriptive the stories are, it really draws you in and makes you want to read faster, as well as making you feel like you are there witnessing what is happening in each story.
Some of them creeped me out a bit too much 🤣
My favourite was Petting Zoo, boy that was a wild ride!
This book contains six stories called:
💀 Digging
💀 Deathshed
💀 Garage Doctor
💀 Petting Zoo
💀 Torture Device
💀 Defilement
Wow there are some great stories that captivate you in this book. You just can't stop reading! I love how they are all different from one another, the way they captive you is brilliant.
I love the writing style and the layout of the book as well as how descriptive the stories are, it really draws you in and makes you want to read faster, as well as making you feel like you are there witnessing what is happening in each story.
Some of them creeped me out a bit too much 🤣
My favourite was Petting Zoo, boy that was a wild ride!
September 5, 2022
I’m always interested in a good short story collection and this one was actually very good. All the stories were written very well. The horror was also done amazingly I was so surprised by how uncomfortable I actually felt at a few of them. The cover is also really eye catching
The Petting Zoo was my favorite story in the bunch. I was actually anxious trying to figure out what was actually going on at the end. I also loved the story about the killer gym equipment. As someone who works out regularly I’ll have to check all my machines now. I recommend if you like horror short stories with queer themes to them.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Petting Zoo was my favorite story in the bunch. I was actually anxious trying to figure out what was actually going on at the end. I also loved the story about the killer gym equipment. As someone who works out regularly I’ll have to check all my machines now. I recommend if you like horror short stories with queer themes to them.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 8, 2022
Although this book only has six stories the author was definitely going for a quality over quantity and succeeded. When reviewing an anthology I always like to say which story was my favorite but between digger and Petting Zoo or Garage Doctor in any of the other three it would be a hard task to pick one. Every story represents someone from the LGBTQ community and I thought represented them nicely. I can’t say enough about this book if you love horror then you definitely need to read “defilement and other stories,“ by the author Jesse Nolan Bailey it truly is a terrifying and awesome breed. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews