3.5 stars. Some strong stories in this collection, and I'll continue to check out stories by Gemma Files, but because of the super specific theme I started to lose enthusiasm at the 75% mark. Judeo-christian angels. Some really great spooky imagery, but I just wanted like, one other theme.

I hope this is fair to review, because I only managed to get through the first story.

The first story scared me so bad I haven't been able to pick the collection back up! 😂😂😂 For a horror fan, this is a GOOD thing. It just happened to hit a deep fear of mine right on the nail. Now I don't know what else Gemma Files is capable of making me think about.

It was also a tremendously well-written story with a rich protagonist. Richer than usually seen in short fiction.

I saw this collection was nominated for a Bram Stoker, and I wish her all the best!! I will absolutely be reading more from her when I work up the guts.

This collection of stories was good. I liked the different mix of horror from story to story. I enjoyed there also being poems throughout the book as well. If you enjoy cosmic and body horror give this collection of stories a try!

A short story collection will always be something up my street. Some of these were gripping, and deserve a lot more page space to be fully developed.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

An eerie and grotesque collection of short stories tying together the divine and filth. I had to take my time going through these stories as each one prompted me to stop reading and just soak it all in even for the few I didn't like as much. Files' prose hooked me immediately. A masterclass in writing gross horror that is as beautiful as it is gut-clenching. I will be picking up more books by this author.

I do enjoy an anthology of short stories, especially between books - thinking of them as some sort of lexicological amuse bouche. Ha! Not so with this collection of heavyweight words by Gemma Files - someone I'm not sue I've read before.

The term 'heavyweight' shouldn't put you off. We're talking chunky, rich, completely immersive prose that engages you from the get go and has you uttering 'what the fuuu....' as you turn the pages. Seriously epic stuff. Get it in your eyeballs!

Top marks.

I only made it about 20% before becoming very confused, but was gripped up until then. I hope to see another revision draft ARC sent out! This story has great potential!

Files’s novel Experimental Film is one of my favorite books of the last few years, so I was intrigued when I saw that she had a new collection of short stories out. And that cover—what a stunner!

I’m pleased to say that you CAN judge a book by its cover, and this is a wonderful collection. The diversity of the stories is breathtaking, from the characters, the writing voice, the cultural settings, and genre. Cosmic horror, weird fiction, folk horror, post-apocalyptic— whatever you like, it’s all here.

The stories themselves focus on the entities that live on the fringes of our reality, especially angels in all their beautiful, terrible, unknowable glory. Files is a hell of a writer; she paints nightmarish images in wonderfully poetic descriptive language. I often found myself longing to see these monsters onscreen. Even on the page, the creature “designs” pop.

Some standout tales for me include “Little Ease” (which literally haunted my dreams the night after I read it—if that’s not a good endorsement), “Grave Goods” (sent me down the world’s creepiest Wikipedia rabbit hole), “Some Kind of Light Shines from Your Face,” “Lagan,” and “Coffle.”

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC

This chilling, unsettling, and fast paced set of anthologies really held my attention. It had a wonderful capacity for quick and in depth world building and character depictions. It really had a visceral quality to them, and sort of set my teeth on edge. I would definitely consider rereading certain stories within this anthology.

I haven't finished this ARC from NetGalley yet, but I will. It's taking me longer because every story is so engrossing that I don't want to get too much at once. This is weird horror done right. When I read about bugs, for instance, I find myself checking to see if something is crawling up my leg. I would recommend this and anything else by this author, who I have enjoyed before.

I love me some horror, especially as the nights get darker and the weather grimmer. However, perhaps more than with any genre, I'm quite particular about my horror. It's not about the blood and guts for me, although I do kinda expect them to be a part of it, it's about something else. So often horror books are a bit of a hit and miss for me. In this case, Gemma Files has a hit on her hands. Thanks to BooksGoSocial, Grimscribe Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this short story collection in exchange for an honest review.

As is the case with every single short story collection, some stories hit closer to home than others. While some stories in Blood from the Air did not work for me, most, definitely the majority, did. Amongst my favourites was the second story, 'The Harrow', which brings together the idea of something lurking below with my own obsession with earth. I don't just mean planet Earth, though I adore her too. I mean I have this sneaky feeling that perhaps nothing would be more comforting than digging a hole and climbing in, surrounded by soft, warm earth. This story also has a great undertone of feminist frustration to it, I feel. Another lovely story is 'Fin de Siècle', which felt slightly meta, as Files plays around with format. Between excerpts from (fake, as far as I'm aware) excerpts from art history books, we get an insight into a haunted painter and the cursed works he creates. 'Grave Goods' is a beautiful example of archaeological horror, while touching upon the way we Other eachother. 'Caligarism' is a stand-out story for me, in part because I love the film Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, a German horror film from the Weimar Republic era between WWI and WWII. It was paradigm-shifting, that film, but what Files does with it in this story is just absolutely stunning. I don't want to spoil it in any way, but this story had its hooks in me. 'Hairwork' is a fascinating story which engages with America's history of slavery, with a stunning, rotten Gothic air. 'Coffle', the collection's final story, had me on the edge of my seat with its contemplation about survival, humanity, self-determination, and more, while also somehow reminding me of Mad Max: Fury Road.

This was my first time reading something by Gemma Files and I believe I have found myself a new go-to horror writer. Throughout this collection, Files engages deeply with religion and spiritualism, which often form either the core of a story or linger on the periphery, influencing the characters. In some stories we have angels interacting with humans, in others, demons. In these cases, the stories often engage with that fine edge between how faith can bolster you and how it can make you utterly blind. In other stories, these themes come through more in the sense of rituals, of how we make sense of life by telling stories, re-enacting certain things, or holding on to traditions. There is also a very strong emphasis on female characters in many of the stories, although not all, and each of these women felt like something new and revelatory to me. Files also engages with history and the trauma that lies there, which I believe is crucial to good horror. This is especially apparent in the stories which engage with slavery and the crimes committed against the First Peoples in America, but it also comes through in other ways. While Files does not shy away from the blood, gore, and guts, the true violence which echoes throughout her stories is largely the callous ways in which people are willing to engage with others, the disregard they may have for the wellbeing and happiness and safety of those around them.

Blood from the Air is an excellent collection of short horror stories, full of blood yet also full of humanity. Some of these stories will definitely stick with me and I can't wait to read more by Gemma Files in the future.

I am a huge fan of Gemma Files’ short fiction. This is no different. Highlights for me are Grave Goods, Coffle and Little Ease. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced e-book.!

I had a tough time getting into this one. It’s a good concept, just wasn’t executed to my liking but that’s okay!! My style isn’t for everyone! I still recommend trying it out if the blurb interests you!

I really enjoyed Experimental Film by Gemma Files and was excited to read some of her shorter fiction.

Not every story hit for me, but the ones that did were excellent. I love her writing style. It’s almost like a fever dream and I’m never quite sure where the story will take me.

Due to being an ARC, the formatting was a bit off and I wasn’t able to determine story names. You’ll find tales of folk horror, monsters, rebellion, therapy gone wrong, and horrific pest control.

Would recommend to those who love novella length horror and a unique writing style.

It took me a bit to really get pulled into this book. I've read one other novel by Gemma Files that was just like this, too. I will admit, that I enjoyed this one quite a bit once it got going. Great writing, of course!!

Thank you #NetGalley #BloodfromtheAir

Little Ease – 4 Stars – I really enjoyed the first one. The descriptions of the people and the area where the story takes place were spooky enough to hook me. I’ll give you about $24.37 for a full-length novel based on this short story.

The Harrow – 3 Stars – This one was good, but I felt like I just needed a little more. Of what? I don’t know exactly but a little more of something.

Every Angel – 4 Stars – Took me a minute to get into the story, but once it got extra weird, I was in. Poor, old Bob.

Fin de Siecle – 4 Stars – Sensing a theme here with all the angels. This one was the right amount of creepy with some cool art content thrown in, and I would watch this movie once it hit Netflix.

Grave Goods – 5 Stars – Excellent excellent. I love some indigenous mythology stories. I was in for the archaeology content, but the story and the suspense kept me interested. I would give my left arm for a full novel.

Twilight State – 4 Stars – I had to read this twice to really understand it, and that’s totally fine with me. You gotta be a great writer to pull off a twist like that in a story this short.

Some Kind of Light Shines from Your Face – 5 Stars – When it comes to books, Greek friggin mythology is my favorite thing in the world. This was a fantastic Medusa-based story. I love a good gorgon.

In Hell, An Eye – 5 Stars – Please, this story was riveting. I was absolutely captivated. It’s always a treat when angels aren’t like… ANGELS.

What You See (When the Lights Are Out) – 5 Stars – Definitely my favorite so far. The scariest part of this whole story is that it could easily be someone’s reality.

Every Hole in the Earth We Will Claim as Our Own – 2 Stars – Interesting but not nearly as gripping as the others. I didn’t love the way the story was told from a third-party, and I think that’s where it lost me. I actually had to go back in the book to look because I could barely remember what the story was about at the time of writing this.

Carmagnole – 3 Stars – Vive la revolution! The story is fine, but I don’t feel like it did its job. I wasn’t invested, but that could just be me. I liked the historical aspects of women working and fighting for better wages and treatment, but the rest of the plot fell a little flat.

Caligarism – 3 Stars – Ummmm, what? I think my brain works a little too literally to be able to grasp what was happening here. It was a cool read though.

Hairwork – 4 Stars – Marceline was a baddie. I enjoyed the historical, genealogical aspects of this story, and I loved the “revenge from beyond the grave.” Another one that would have me paying for a novel or a movie.

Lagan – 3 Stars – I liked the atmosphere of this story with the mucky ship and the grimy crew. The climax was interesting, and the end was odd but satisfying. Not bad.

Ghost Pressure – 4 Stars – Extra short story that got the job done quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed the travelling nightmare wife.

Coffle — 5 Stars — Desert zombies helping slaves escape to freedom in exchange for a child. This one had me on the edge of my seat, so to speak. Engaging, twisty, suspenseful, creepy. Fantastic.

Overall, a superb collection of stories that will keep you immersed. Bravo.

Shout-out to Grimscribe Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

A unsettling and intense series of horror stories ! Perfect for spooky season !

Thank you NetGalley for the arc

3/5 Stars (DNF @ 22%)

TL;DR - Well-written and creative horror, but overall too centered around Christian mythology for me to feel comfortable continuing.

Big thanks to BooksGoSocial, Grimscribe Press, and NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!

***Trigger warnings for: bugs, child abuse and neglect, violence, emphasis on Christian themes throughout, bodily mutilation, gore and blood, murder.***

(Please note these trigger warnings are not complete, as I only read 22% of this book. Please proceed with caution.)

‘Blood from the Air’ by Gemma Files is a collection of 16 short horror stories. I read three of them, and I rated them individually between 2.5/5 and 4/5 stars. "Little Ease" was my favorite of the three I read.

However, these stories, from what I read, seem to all be heavily influenced by Christian theology, which is a topic and mythos I actively do not enjoy to the point of avoiding such works. As such, I had to stop reading because, as far as I can tell, this is a running theme throughout this collection.

This is purely a me issue, not a fault of the work. If you don’t mind or enjoy horror that centers around Christian mythology, I’m sure this will be right up your alley. Definitely weird and spooky, with a dash of existentialism and introspection. Good stuff, just not my kind fo stuff.

Final Thoughts:

Well-written, but just not my cup of tea.

I DNFed this book at 22% - I really wanted to finish it considering LOVED the first short story in this collection but I just didn't enjoy the following two stories (The Harrow and Every Angel) that much and lost my enthusiasm for reading on (genuinely, I forgot I was even reading this). I think for people who like weird, twisty, horror strories this is for you. Personally, I guess I prefer some kind of humour or social commentary alongside the weird aspects of stories like this (again this is why I really enjoyed the first story - Little Ease) and found that lacking in the latter two. Purely a personal taste thing so I would still recommend this collection to people who are intrigued by the description.

Each story was dynamic and the characters were all unique. I found myself physically cringing at some of the descriptions, which for me, makes for a great horror novel. Some stories didn't have a writing style that was super easy to get into thus making it a little slow but I am glad I pushed through and kept on reading! I found myself even staying up late to read just another story.