This is a highly original book that I really enjoyed. My only complaint is that it is just too short! I would have loved to spend more time with these characters!! And I really hope that this debut will be followed by some sequels, possibly a tad longer than this one! Mind me, the length of it is not really a problem, it’s just me being whiny here.
The thing is that I enjoyed the characters and their relationships, and I wanted more. I wanted more time to get to know them better, I wanted to see them interacting more and all that.

As you can see, this is a short book, and it is also quite fast-paced. It’s not that we have actions and twists at every turn, it is more that, on the whole, all is happening quite quickly and you are carried around by the characters, trying to stop a supernatural killer. The plot is engaging, and it is original. I loved that we get to see more spirits and Korean (or at least Asian inspired) folklore and culture. It was interesting, and it was a nice change of scenery.
And it was also captivating. Basically, the paranormal exists but humans are not aware of it. Or at least, the majority of humans are oblivious, the ones who can see and understand that there is more to this world are few (even if they have a net, and this part was quite interesting. It was not really central to the story, so we caught glimpses of it, but it is intriguing and it could be developed into something really good!) and they have to deal with the magic and the spirits trying to not involve the normal people. And this is not easy. Not easy at all. Especially because our MC has chosen a really hard path: he is a policeman but he can’t talk to his coworker about this other reality, he has to try to do his best to solve the cases without mentioning the supernatural parts of them.
This would have been quite difficult, and it is not conducive to a nice and pleasant place of work, but our MC and his sister are hunting a particular kind of supernatural creature, who nobody else has ever seen, so even the other people who are in the net, as to say, are quite skeptical toward Kim Han-Gil, our detective and MC, and they are not so ready to help him out.
In all this, he and his sister are trying to stop a person who is possessed by this spirit and who is going on a killing spree. There is the mystery part because they don’t know who the person is, there is the hunting and the fight, once they discover who this person is, and there are also some intimate moments in there, too. So, even if the book is quite short, there is a lot packed in here!

And then we have the characters! Kim Han-Gil is on the verge of becoming your typical noir detective. The cynic one who is trying his best to do the right thing (and that may be haunted by an old case that he didn’t solve but that he is constantly on his mind) but who is also cynical, looked on with suspicion by his peers, while he tries his best to keep his distance from anyone. It is not there, but he doesn’t have a lot of miles to do. And, to be honest, I enjoyed him, a lot, but my favorite characters were his sister, who I wanted to get to know better because she seemed amazing, and Shin Yoonhae, an older acquaintance with whom Han-Gil has not the best relationship. But I loved how they managed to work together and to start to build a new beginning for them both. Their relationship was really well developed, and I am not talking about romance here, it’s just that seeing them starting to overcome the past (especially Kim Han-Gil) was heartwarming!
There is only one thing that could have been developed a tad better, but it is pretty minor, and it is the relationship between Kim Han-Gil and his new partner at work. It is almost like, from time to time, the author forgets about him, but it is understandable in a book so short. It could have been done better? Sure! But it is not bad, it is really a minor thing (and maybe it will get more space, if we ever get a second book! In any event, I am keeping my fingers crossed!).

All in all, this was a really pleasant book, original, pretty hard to put down, and quite short. So if you want to take a break, and read something that will keep your attention engaged and with some original points in there, you should try this one out!

Rating: 4.5
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Thank you Interstellar Flight Press for providing an e-copy through NetGalley.

Summary: Kim Han-gil is the only spirit detective in the Jong-ro Police department. When everyone else sees the aftermath violent suicides, Kim sees deadly spirits and supernatural forces at work. He will do whatever it takes to stop another tragedy from happening, even if it means partnering with the one man responsible for his mother’s disastrous exorcism.

What I Liked: Small Gods of Calamity is an intriguing, terrifying, and unique blend of mystery, fantasy, and horror, as well as Korean folklore with crime stories. The spirits and monsters were terrifying yet fascinating to learn about, Han’s complicated backstory and family dynamics will immerse you in his character, and the overall mystery/suspense will keep readers hooked all the way to the end. The dynamic between Kim and Shin Yoohae keeps the tension high as well, as it grows into a more understanding relationship. Overall, this was a great quick read with high stakes, crime solving sleuthing, supernatural action, and overall compelling plot.

What I Didn’t Like: Nothing!

Recommend to: Adults who want fantasy/horror novellas by BIPOC authors and who like Korean folklore.

Review Date: April 2, 2024

This book was good and had an interesting concept, I did enjoy the characters and the found family troupe. The ending felt a little flat to me, It felt very rushed in the sense that all this crazy buildup is happening and you get to the final pages and it’s like oh that’s it?

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

This was a nice little story. There are some interesting concepts. And the ending was nice. I think it incorporated the past story well and added depth to the characters and story. I guess it just didn't leave a big impression on me, though.

This ended up being a lovely quick novella. If you're looking for spirit detectives chasing down a lead, complicated family dynamics, and some weird spiritual parasites, man, have I got the novella for you here. This just came out at the start of the month, and if you're looking for a quick chase through Seoul and the spirits who haunt it, you've got a great read here.

This is a story of a young Korean detective Kim Han-gil who sees spirits. His coworkers think he's crazy and when he gets a new partner they take bets on how quickly the new partner will bail. When Han-gil and his partner investigate a death at a high rise apartment it looks like a normal suicide. But Han-gin knows it isn't but rather is due to a parasitic spirit that feeds on the souls of its victims. So he tries to investigate these murders while also trying to keep his partner in the dark.

There is a lot in this novella! We get Han-gin's tragic backstop and it made me want to learn more about him. I really felt a lot of sympathy for him trying to navigate in his world when no one takes him seriously except a few people in the spiritualist society, most of whom want nothing to do with him. He has a lot of history with one on particular, Shin Yoonhae and that provided for an interesting dynamic when Yoonhae helps Han-gin investigate a growing number of deaths.

I think this would make for a very interesting series esp since I want to know more about Han-gin and his partner (which was left a bit open-ended), and Han-gin and his adopted family and his place among the spiritualists, esp Yoonhae. There is a lot of world building done in a pretty tight 180 pages.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for early access to this title in exchange for my honest thoughts!

This was such a well written story and I enjoyed it immensely! Reading a detective story was new for me and with the supernatural touches I found it to be quite captivating. I’m curious about the other works by this author because I throughly enjoyed his way of capturing the characters and the overall atmosphere of the story!

The premise of this book really caught my attention but the execution fell a little flat for me. I liked the characters and the world/spiritual elements had a lot of potential. I can't exactly put my finger on what wasn't connecting for me but I would still recommend giving this book a try.

this was very well written for a 151 page book so if you're looking for a short, quick read you should definitely go for it! i loved the representation in this book and how it dealt with certain topics and i also loved the mystery element and i love love loved kim han-gil

"He remembers thinking Shin Yoonhae looked like someone who was just quietly waiting to die. He guesses that hasn't really changed, even after all this time."

tw: transphobia, gore, body horror

Since my discovery that I do, in fact, enjoy ghost stories a couple years back, I haven't actually picked up that many. "Small gods of calamity" turned out to be a ghostly delight. Despite its relatively small page count, it's enthralling and had me invested in the story pretty quickly. The slice-of-life view of Kim Han-gil's life as a detective-slash-ghost-hunter had pretty solid worldbuilding, introducing a range of paranormal phenomena and spiritualists. I did not expect the POV to shift halfway through yet I loved the contrast between Han-gil and Yoonhae's voices and experiences.

The thing is, I was left wanting more - the small thing keeping it from being a five-star read for me. Give me two hundred more pages, give me a webtoon, a series (I saw a few reviews mentioning it felt like a k-drama structure but I'm not sure there's enough to fill 20 90-minute episodes), anything – I would love to stay in Han-gil's bubble for longer. The biggest let-down is that in such a fast-paced story, the secondary characters are left unexplored, feeling almost like an afterthought at the very end.

Nevertheless, this made for a wonderful buddy read with my best friend and I plan to keep an eye on what Sam Kyung Yoo has in store next as their debut novella left me impressed.

5⭐️

ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGally for an honest review.


This novella was immediately intriguing! I loved the Korean culture and spirits, along with two main characters who were wonderfully written. At first glance this is a creepy and fast-paced murder mystery, however it is so much more. It explores lasting trauma and touches on the effects of transphobia along with forgiveness and acceptance. This is a story I will recommend time and time again.

Rating: 4,5

It took me a moment to get into this book but when it hooked me, I was in full-time and stayed up late because I wanted to finish it. It's a novella about a detective who can see ghosts trying to solve a suicide case but while the plot is an important element, the book is mostly about Kim Han-gil coming to terms with his past.

The first thing that came to my mind after I finished this is the pacing, which is unusual for me to consider most of the time. Novellas are a short form and it's very easy to lose the balance between the past, present, character building, and action. Not here though. We get a perfect amount of backstory for the characters with nothing important being omitted and nothing unimportant being added. Everything mentioned at first is explained later as the plot goes on. At the same time, the book never loses sight of the present and leads the plot to a very satisfying conclusion. The character arcs are heart-warming and I honestly wish this was a series to see more of their interactions. The book is also very queer, which I loved.

Overall, I was positively surprised by this novella and greatly enjoyed it. I'll keep an eye out for more books from this author in the future.

Small Gods of Calamity
By Sam Kyung Yoo
Publish date: March 4,2024
Publisher: Interstellar flight press

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy to review

This story is like a supernatural cop thriller/mystery set in Seoul. The premise is very unique in that our main character Kim Han-Gil can communicate with spirits and is investigating a string of suicides that leads him to a spirit worm possession (?) or infestation of sorts. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before. I enjoyed learning bits of the eastern spiritualism but as it is a novella I wish we had more time to learn about the culture and have more time experiencing the relationships between the characters. I’ve seen this labeled many times as urban fantasy- but there is a bit of mystery to it. Overall I enjoyed it.

If I am being 100% honest, I requested this ARC for the cover.

I wasn't quite sure if this would be fitting for me, but the cover looked fun. It took me a while to get to this, but I am glad I did. And I wish this had been longer. This story has quite a lot going on. And I am so glad this was a digital copy that I could read in my Kindle app, because there were a lot of words that I had never seen before. Despite all that, the story was easy enough to follow without getting boring at any point, the characters were interesting and the magic system was definitely different from most of what I've seen. Add to this a tragic backstory, a human spirit detective with his own personal problems and the mystery of a string of suicides and you've got yourself a pretty interesting read.



Small Gods of Calamity is Sam Kyung Yoo's debut novella, and I genuinely hope to see more from this author.

Small Gods of Calamity is a beautiful, heart splitting novella. I honestly can’t even begin to describe how much it touched me. I did not expect it to hit me so deeply.

The root of this horror-fantasy is rooted in Korean culture and folklore as it pertains to occult communications with the spirits. This was a new perspective for me to explore, and was so interesting and compelling to read about. Sam Kyung Yoo’s titular character Kim Hang-il, a police department detective that can commune with spirits. He’s more of a loner, as he’s an outcast at the police station for being “strange.” He’s an outcast within the entire spirit community too, due to his terrible past with attempting and failing, at successful exorcisms.

I loved peeling off the layers to his character, especially as we began to form the connecting threads between his actual personality, his backstory, and the perception of the people around him. I believe that something that definitely added to it was Kyung Yoo’s atmospheric writing. Every emotion was nearly palpable, and almost visceral to read about. There is a consistent thread of melancholy to the story that hit me really hard, but also a kind of sense of hope at the end that made me literally sob. The shining moments here were in the interactions between Kim Hang-il and the people around him, which progressed and shifted as he dived deeper into the case, and himself.

I will say that this story is pretty okay in the mystery aspect. Though we do have a sense of intrigue in trying to paint the full picture behind the case we’re following, I’ve found that most of my interest was based in understanding the perpetrator’s character than the actual steps of the investigative process. The whole discovery aspect was pretty clear-cut and uncomplicated. On the other hand, the horror aspect? Absolutely TERRIFYING. I have no choice but to mention the writing again because it did such a good job of amplifying the supernatural nature of what these characters were facing.

Nevertheless, I am more of a character person at the end of the day, so that did not bother me. This book hit me so hard, I finished it in the span of hours. This is definitely an amazing read, that I can see myself recommending to anyone with an ear.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Interstellar, for providing me with an eArc copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this eArc in exchange for a honest review.

Kim Han-gil is a detective in Seoul with the ability to see ghosts.
The first spirit he sees confused me quite a bit, but it seems it also confuses the spiritualists themselves sometimes.

While working as a detective, and the only one who can see ghosts, Han-gil has been dubbed "crazy". While his co-workers only see that the suicide rate has gone up, Han-gil knows this is actually the work of a Parasitic, worm ghost. A ghost connected to his past.

While his adoptive sister, Azuna, is working in Japan he receives the latest suicide case. Azuna calls in some help while she's busy. But this help is another connection to the past & the worm spirit.

Not for me. Would recommend to others. Great world building and I loved the diversity in the characters.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This novella is what The Dead Take the A Train wishes it could be. Both are about spiritualists and exorcisms, both have aspects of horror (though this one is much less gruesome), and both have queer protagonists who are down on their luck and mocked by their paranormal communities. Where The Dead failed, though, Small G-ds of Calamity succeeded.

The pacing was excellent. The author reveals pieces of information bit by bit, letting the reader slowly piece together what happened in the past to make the characters who they are in the present, and it was so masterfully done that I was surprised to learn this is a debut. The story itself was grim but had moments of humor to break up the angst, the descriptions were vivid, and the mention of Han-gil being bi and asexual? Flawless. Stunning. Very natural. The trans representation? Beautiful. Chef’s kiss. The worldbuilding was also done very nicely.

My only wish is that it was longer, and that we’d gotten a bit more of an explanation about the supernatural world itself. It left a lot up to interpretation in a way that had me wanting. Overall, though, I have very high hopes for anything this author comes out with next.

A story of spirits, secrets, and spirals spun into one of my top reads of the year. I loved this story so much I even went on to immediately check if the author had written anything else I could read.

Kim Han-gil is a spirit detective - or rather an actual detective that can see spirits. An outcast with the police department, he investigates cases that are seemingly open and close (i.e. suicides) to see if they fit the criteria of being worm hosts. Worm spirits are rare parasitic spirits that only Kim Han-gil is able to see, making him a pariah amongst the spiritual community too. Many people do not believe they exist, but years ago he watched one murder his mother. When he is sent to investigate a suicide, he quickly realizes a worm is active and must team up with someone from his past to prevent further deaths.

I enjoyed the characters, the backgrounds, and the overall plot of the book. I wish it was longer and we were able to dive deeper into the story and background.

There is a trigger warning of transphobia alongside blood, gore, and overall violence. The transphobia is not from the main characters who vehemently are against any transphobic statements and beliefs.

I really enjoyed this novella and would highly recommend reading it. This author is guaranteed to be on my list for any upcoming novels/novellas they release!

A carefully written novella about a Korean police detective who is also a magic practitioner. Sam Kyung Yoo is a strong author, bringing us straight into the action, moving forward confidently while sharing enough background to make us feel for Kim Han-gil. Some body horror and family tragedy, an excellent plot and characters, hopefully the start of a series - urban fantasy that is fresh.