From the Bookshelf of Splatterpunk…

The Summer I Died

Ryan C. Thomas

Start date: August 1, 2025

Finish date: August 31, 2025

Discussion: Group Reads

Why we're reading this: This is our Group Read for August (2025).
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What Members Thought

Jul 10, 2023 Debbie Y rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

⛧⛧⛧⛧

"𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧. 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬."

Do you like rollercoasters? I love them: The slow pace at the beginning that builds up to a cliffhanger of speed, the view from atop, and of course, the adrenaline. However, every time I take a ride on one, it triggers my vertigo, and I ask myself: Why the hell did I sign up for this? Right before my chatty consciousness manages to spit more doubts into the ether, it happens. My favorite moment, the one that ⛧⛧⛧⛧

"𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧. 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬."

Do you like rollercoasters? I love them: The slow pace at the beginning that builds up to a cliffhanger of speed, the view from atop, and of course, the adrenaline. However, every time I take a ride on one, it triggers my vertigo, and I ask myself: Why the hell did I sign up for this? Right before my chatty consciousness manages to spit more doubts into the ether, it happens. My favorite moment, the one that takes my breath away. It starts with a brief pause, silence, a sigh, and then, a sharp-angled, endless speed dive straight into the abyss. A tranquility tinged with terror.

Reading 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐈 𝐃𝐢𝐞𝐝 felt like riding a spewing blood rollercoaster. This is one of the best extreme horror books I've read in a very long time. What started with a slow, almost flawless build up of the story and characters' development, ended up taking a sharp turn straight into the uttermost parts of what appeared like a more gory version of Dante's Hell of the Violent and Bestial, with a slight touch of Ed Kemper to it.

The story revolves around Roger and his best friend, Tooth. All they wanted was to hang out during summer break. I guess they should have taken notes while watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre of what the future holds for those who trespass.

A learning curve has been served on a bloody plate, dipped in razorblade chaos and bone-deep mayhem.

One of the things I love the most about this book is how brilliantly crafted and compelling the build up of both drama and suspense are, along with the focus on the brave friendship in the midst of a gritty nightmare. I breezed through these corridors of pain even during a brief mental vertigo moment thanks to Ryan C. Thomas's prose. The way he made me care about the main characters, along with the additional reflective moments of what once was and the longing and grief for what will never be again, added more dimensions and depth to what could've easily been just another mediocre torture porn horror story.

Thomas weaved a darkly disturbing, extremely violent tale that is not for the faint of heart. I'd suggest taking that into consideration before taking this wild ride. You might want to bring an emesis bag with you just in case. ...more

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Aug 28, 2023 Cherise Isabella rated it really liked it

Man this book was vile, violent, grotesque, inhumane, sadistic, gruesome, gory and I loved every minute of it. That worries me because why did I love it so much?!?!!?
Maybe it was how well it was written and how the author really pulls you into that basement with Tooth and Roger. I was anxious the entire time as I waited to see what sick form of torture he would come up with next. This book is not for the faint of heart at all, I had to stop eating while I was reading and that says alot because ...more

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Nov 03, 2022 Rachel Mavis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Tw: torture, mutilation, gore, death
This book is not for people with weak stomachs. You could very much tell that the outcome would not be pleasant; it still hurt. Once the action starts it Does. Not. Stop. You will not catch your breath in between the horrific, nauseating torment that is the “skinny man”. It was truly a horrifying read but I literally could not stop. I had to know how it ended. 10/10 would not recommend. 5 stars though, thank you

4 likes · Like · see review

Aug 12, 2024 Ashley rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, stressful-reads

"He didn't respond, just hung there with his eyes closed, his feet dragging through his own feces. He looked like a monster, an unrecognizable mass of contusions. The razor wire had done its job and I imagined you could flip his head open and use his skull as a bowl."

There is no other way to describe The Summer I Died other than to say that it's unholy. Absolutely savage. Brutal beyond all belief. This is the kind of book that makes scrubbing your eyes with bleach feel like a good idea, it's the "He didn't respond, just hung there with his eyes closed, his feet dragging through his own feces. He looked like a monster, an unrecognizable mass of contusions. The razor wire had done its job and I imagined you could flip his head open and use his skull as a bowl."

There is no other way to describe The Summer I Died other than to say that it's unholy. Absolutely savage. Brutal beyond all belief. This is the kind of book that makes scrubbing your eyes with bleach feel like a good idea, it's the kind of book that makes you feel as if you require a lobotomy. It's gross, it's grim, it's heart-breaking and utterly exhausting to sit through. Reading The Summer I Died will make you consider flinging the book through a window, or roasting it on a bonfire. It's a beastly thing, a disgusting monster - but it's also a fucking glorious piece of splatterpunk literature. The only single downside to this novel is that, at times, it does feel like it's trying just a little too hard. It is, however, an absolute rollercoaster of a read.

The Summer I Died sits on the very extreme edge of extreme horror. It teeters so precariously on the edge of gratuitous. It is, however, when it comes to it, a wonderfully compelling story. For the first 60 or so pages, a false sense of security exists, everything is a little slow, a little, relaxed. But, once things get going, it becomes an absolutely harrowing, gnarly, unhinged plunge into the depths of Hell. What makes this novel work so well, is that despite what a revolting, sickening little thing it is, you can't help but care for the characters, you can't help but adore them, root for them, and need for them to survive. From the first page, it's obvious how things are going to end, yet, the hope never quite leaves you. That's the beauty of this entirely horrific reading experience.

"I stood up, sobbing like a girl. I should have let him shoot me, should have taken it fast and clean. But it's not that easy. You don't just concede defeat in these circumstances. You take every second you can find and use it to pray for another few seconds. Hope is a cruel bitch."

This is more than just a book that you experience, it's far more than just something you read. The Summer I Died is a thing you endure, it's a thing you survive. A lot like being strapped to the hood of a car that's heading right into oncoming traffic, it's the most unimaginable, horrific nightmare. The real brutality of this novel is that, nothing is explained, these atrocities just happen, there's no reason for them to happen, and everything is so very unfair, but the ugliness of it all just keeps coming. It's page after page after page of torture, it's disgusting and horrible and honestly at times, very difficult to sit through. But, underneath it all, there's a heart-shattering tale of friendship and survival.

"The damn dog wasn't helping my nerves either, and when a moment later I heard the first rumble of thunder in the distance, I knew this was going to be a stressful night. If I'd only known what was going to happen next, I would have taken the gun from Tooth and put bullets in both our brains." ...more

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Dec 31, 2022 E The Creepy Girl rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book is incredible. After reading, it really leaves a lasting impression on you. It makes you think about so many things, fate, friendship, family, life, dreams. Is everything really up to fate? Is it luck? Why do we take the paths we take, or why do we neglect them? Do our relationships really mean something? Have I been terrible to my family? What would I do in this situation? What makes someone do this? And so many more. This book is so well executed compared to a lot of other extreme ho ...more

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