Everything That's Underneath in Minions Read and Review

Mar 05, 2018 Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror

4.0 Stars
DeMeester seriously knows how to get inside my head. Something about her descriptions and word choices always connect with some weird part of my brain.

As the title suggests, the stories played with ideas about those intangible things that live under the surface of reality. Walking the line between literary horror and weird fiction, there was quite a range within this collection. Some of the stories were more emotional, while others were more visceral or abstract. Admittedly, some of t ...more

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Sep 16, 2018 Leo Robertson rated it it was amazing

Beautiful and horrific collection from a stunningly original new voice.

This is a kind of surrealism that's very difficult to pull off. I loved how the stories took off into these vague worlds of lush language and self-contained logic. Weird kings referred to in passing, things lurking in the darkness only half-revealed, strange forms of (in)justice doled out upon the unsuspecting or those that invite it as they lead themselves into temptation.

I also enjoyed the realistic cruelness of some of the ...more

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Jul 04, 2017 Britny Perilli rated it really liked it

Shelves: female-author, speculative-fiction, horror

* Heads up, I received a free digital copy of this book from Apex Books in exchange for a fair and honest review. *

Darkness is a hard thing to capture. Beyond the basic descriptions of fear and the physicality of what has surrounded us, everything is a free-for-all. We all see our worst fears in the dark and it's going to be different for each person. With that said, I admit that this collection took me longer to read than I thought it would. This wasn't a binge read for me and I could only mana * Heads up, I received a free digital copy of this book from Apex Books in exchange for a fair and honest review. *

Darkness is a hard thing to capture. Beyond the basic descriptions of fear and the physicality of what has surrounded us, everything is a free-for-all. We all see our worst fears in the dark and it's going to be different for each person. With that said, I admit that this collection took me longer to read than I thought it would. This wasn't a binge read for me and I could only manage to go a few stories before I had to put the book down. That isn't a bad thing though, because while I struggle to call DeMeester's stories "scary," I can tell you that they are very unsettling and sometimes made me feel a little nauseous, which is kinda awesome if you think about it. When was the last time that you had a gut reaction to something you read?

Of course, I had favorites (I'll list a few later) and ones that were just okay, but all of the stories carried a sultry unsettling tone that made you feel a little bit dirty and naughty for reading. Somehow, DeMeester implicates the reader in the dark horror that takes place on the page by the very act of continuing to read. As if it could be our fault for letting these things happen, and for enjoying watching it unfold when we could just stop reading and everyone in the collection would be safe for a little while longer. I did think/hope after a while that there were some stories that were interlaced with one another because there were images and symbols that thread their way through the whole collection. However, even though there were some repetitive symbols, I think it has more to do with (maybe) the strong presence of female-oriented horror and body-horror than of interconnected stories. I loved that I can tell that these stories focus on the feminine side of horror, which I promise you are no less scary or dark or weird. There was a lot of focus on the different abuses and horrors of relationships of all kinds, the fear of the power of pregnancy, fertility, and death, the sexy, sultry draw of darkness, and the pain and power of sex. I could talk all day about it, but I'll leave you with that taste so you can go read it for yourself.

Overall, this is a great collection of stories that aren't afraid to get down in the dirt and give a certain beauty to the screwed up things that we do as people. A perfect read for anyone who likes dark weird fiction and horror, but also a good book for readers just looking for something that will crawl under your skin and stick with you for a few days. Some favorites of mine to check out are:
- The Wicked Shall Come Upon Him
- Like Feather, Like Bone
- The Tying of Tongues
- The Lightning Bird
- The Dream Eater ...more

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Nov 25, 2017 Sarah Budd rated it it was amazing

Everything's That's Underneath is the debut short story collection from Kristi DeMeester, and about time too. For years she has been gracing the pages of all the top horror magazines such as Black Static, Apex, Shimmer, Jamais Vu, Nightscript, Lamplight, Shock Totem, Gamut Three Lobed Burning Eye and many, many more.

"There's so much more. Underneath our skin. Living and breathing and drinking what it can. Waiting to be born. Waiting for us to gobble it up."
From Daughters of Hecate.

I would descri ...more

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Feb 22, 2018 Mike D rated it it was amazing

Absolutly loved this book from Kristi DeMeester and Apex Book Company!

In terms of the genre, these shorts can best be described as The New Weird. One of my favorite types of horror this genre relies heavily on real life events or settings and turns them on their head with elements of fantasy, science fiction and horror. Kristi's DeMeester's mastery of the minutia is the true hero here. Despite the unsettling subject matter these stories all feel real and uncannily normal. As if they are ripped Absolutly loved this book from Kristi DeMeester and Apex Book Company!

In terms of the genre, these shorts can best be described as The New Weird. One of my favorite types of horror this genre relies heavily on real life events or settings and turns them on their head with elements of fantasy, science fiction and horror. Kristi's DeMeester's mastery of the minutia is the true hero here. Despite the unsettling subject matter these stories all feel real and uncannily normal. As if they are ripped from our everyday lives and contorted until we can barely make out the original circumstance.

The prose of this book has a musical quality to it that you will hear as much as read. In Everything That's Underneath everyday relationships and events are put to this weird litmus test. There is nothing fantastical about the friendships, romance, adversarial associations or perverse partnerships however they ring true which makes them even more troubling as they reveal there horrific secrets. Taboos from incest, cannibalism as well as societal problems like mental illness, homophobia, rape and misogyny are all melded with the supernatural and the reader is left wondering just who the real monsters are. Multi-layered and at times allegorical this is a feast for the soul.

A master of the human condition and its relationships, this collection is darkly disturbing and surreal. Each story takes a societal concern, human condition or moral question and couches these mundane things in the terrifying and deeply strange. No story better exemplifies this than The Marking. This complex tale details the strange and sometimes parasitic nature of mother and daughter. No relationship is quite as intricate as that of mother and daughter. At times fraught with anger, misunderstanding and love it is difficult to dissect. This story does just that however, but in a decidedly Lovecraftian way. Co-dependence never looked so weird but felt so normal.

An absolute must read for any fan of short horror fiction, even more so if you like the Weird variety! ...more

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Sep 24, 2017 Phillip M rated it it was amazing

Webster’s dictionary defines horror as: painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay; intense aversion or a state of extreme apprehension. All these things can easily describe this book. It is a collection of short stories that exposes our ‘underneath’. Many of the stories start with ordinary people, very much like we imagine ourselves to be, in very ordinary situations. What makes the situations so intimidating is that, it isn’t necessarily our own ‘underneath’ that causes doom, but our search fo ...more

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