“The Coiled Serpent” by Camilla Grudova (5 Stars- Out Now!) is an eyebrow raising, ‘wait, what?”, gulping swallow of a short story collection, that left me sitting in my chair, staring into the distance, mentally paging back through the imagery and absolutely astounding style trying to decide what I loved and what made me shudder the most.

I have loved ones in my life who dream very detailed and vibrant dreams. I used to dream like this and as I’ve aged the dreams do not stick when I wake up in the morning, so I have enjoyed the story telling sessions I get some mornings from my family. Both of my now teenaged children, and my middle aged husband will descend upon me pre-coffee with stream-of-concsious-like retellings of their dramatic, brightly technicolor, action packed, fantastical, sometimes unsettling, always robustly detailed dreams. And similar to how smaller children recount the details of their days with short declarative sentences that do not change in style or tone between fact and fantasy, Grudova delivers “and then–and then–and then” stories that hit a bit like Roald Dahl on a fascinating but unsettling acid trip. Some read like fairy tales, some like horror, and some like a group project where one writer starts a sentence and the next adds on, never quite knowing where it will end up. All of them function like rabbit punches…short bursts of controlled and effective impact.

What worked: The whole collection pulls you along, to the next one and the next one, wondering what the hell she might say next. The intensely descriptive language, delivered in clipped sentences is also effective in that it rapid-fire lead-drags you along whether you want to keep going or not. And that ‘uh…blar” nauseous feeling you get at some point in almost every story is like hunting for a rotten easter egg. There is satisfaction in finding the most disgusting one paired with being uncertain about why you’re looking for a rotten easter egg in the first place. The feeling of being in an adjacent reality, similar to this one, perhaps even real for some of the most unlucky steel-of-stomach souls is both off-balancing and grounding at the same time. You know where you are but you really aren’t sure you should be.

Opportunities: There was really nothing about this collection that warrants a “could have done better”...honestly, tagging this as horror or fiction is oversimplifying what Grudova delivers.

This whole experience was gag-inducing, nose-wrinkling, “ew, what?” but actually laughable and relatable (which was ALSO unsettling..why do I relate to any part of this? I don’t know and I’m certain I don’t want to self-reflect for too long for fear of what I’ll determine). These stories pulled me out of a reading slump, and then rabbit punched me breathless delivering electric current shocks along the way. I’ve never been grossed out by horror in quite the way I was amusedly grossed out by all.the.fluids.and.mold. Read it, but prepare yourself. You might need to step outside for some deep breaths of fresh air. Watch out for the creatures though…I’ll not be taking my dog out after dark in the Bard Owl infested woods behind my house for quite the while.


As always, I appreciate the opportunity afforded me to have an early read by netgalley and Unnamed Press. The opinions in this review are expressly those of ButIDigressBookClub and are intended for use by my followers and friends when choosing their next book. #butidigress #butidigressbookclub #thecoiledserpent #camillagrudova #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #arc #arcs #horror

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Review Shared on Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6907998087
Publishing Review 10/22/2024

Gross! (affectionate)

I wasn't familiar with Grudova before picking this up (thanks, as always, to Unnamed Press and NetGalley for the ARC) but she's definitely a talent to watch - her prose is simple but infectious, as several of the short stories in this collection snuck up on me to revolting and horrifying results. The constant deluge of bodily fluid really isn't my thing, either in life or in horror fiction, but I think that it produced the intended effect which is to bring the grotesque, nasty world of Grudova's Britain to life. The most personal work here reminded me of Carmen Maria Machado, the most detailed zoom-ins on characters reminded me of Stephen King, and the most fantastical reminded me of Lovecraftian fairy tales. There's a ton to admire here, if you have the stomach for it.

What a beautiful collection of bizarre little stories, full of gothic charm, horror, ghosts, often set in boarding schools or in Margate, with a main character full of anxiety. I loved the tone and I found these easy to get into. They're cleverly horrible and just delightful to read.

Free ARC sent by Netgalley.

Well, I’ve got to be honest with this one- I didn’t get along with it. The writing style, the stories, the whole nine yards, it wasn’t for me. Each story felt too weighty, like it was trying to convey something that I just couldn’t get...that’s on me.

Horror short stories- I felt this would’ve been better marketed as a speculative fiction collection, it just sits better as that. Maybe I’ve been too used to reading unhinged stuff because I felt like I wanted to go find some excitement while reading it, never a good sign!

I didn’t really feel anything for the stories, I perhaps should’ve just DNF’d early on, but seeing as it was an arc, I felt I owed it to the author to review like any other ARC.

The Coiled Serpent is a haunting and surreal collection of stories that masterfully blends the grotesque with the fantastical. Grudova’s writing is both eerie and enchanting, with each tale delving into themes of power, transformation, and the macabre. Her vivid and unsettling imagery pulls readers into a world where reality and the bizarre intertwine. The characters, though strange and enigmatic, evoke deep emotions, making each story feel both otherworldly and deeply human. A different read than I typically go for, but an interesting one nonetheless!

this book is a hell of gruesomeness, a dark and twisted collection of short stories. these tales will make you stare at the ceiling, the wakl, or wherever you happen to be facing. the details nearly made me gag and honestly gave me a headache. its astonishing how the author weaves so many bizarre and unsettling stories together. admittedly, in the first few stories, i didn't quite grasp the plot, but as I continued, they became more exciting and even more gruesome—and im not complaining (please don't judge me! 😄).

i liked some stories, while others didn't quite hit the mark. overall, i'd give this book a solid four stars!

The Coiled Serpent is one of the most intriguing, and most repulsive, short story collections I think I’ve ever read. These sixteen stories are not for the squeamish reader, featuring body hair and bodily fluids, cannibalism, festering and rotting things, raw meat, blood and gore, and most notably, feces. Seriously, there is lots of poop. I cannot overstate this, every story contains at least one mention of poop.

Due to this extreme body horror with a purpose, on the surface, that seems to be merely for shock value, it’s difficult at first to really absorb what Camilla Grudova is trying to do with these stories. But underneath the visceral and gruesome imagery is a searing critique of modern society, classism, materialism, capitalism, and misogyny. By taking us into a moist basement sauna, a house where the pipes are bursting with – you guessed it – poop, a retreat for girls who’ve stopped menstruating, an apartment full of starving people, a poisonous garden, and many other strange places, she shines a light on the dirtiest and darkest aspects of these topics – the parts that our society collectively works so hard to hide.

Grudova has a spare, no-nonsense style of writing which I thought worked well for these stories and their themes. There is no sugar-coating, no hiding the ugly – in the plots or in the prose. I’m not sure I necessarily had a favorite story in the collection, but the ones that I think will stick with me most are “Madame Flora’s,” “The Surrogate,” “Avalon,” and “The Coiled Serpent.” I found Grudova’s style to be reminiscent of Eric LaRocca and Agustina Bazterrica, so if you enjoy those authors this collection may work for you. But beware, I’m not sure if I mentioned this: There’s lots of poop.

3.5 stars. Thank you to The Unnamed Press for the complimentary reading opportunity.

I am not sure how I feel about this. Some of the short stories I loved and others I deeply disliked. But all made me uncomfortable and left me thinking what did I just read?

I think if you like unsettling, horrifying works this might be for you, though I still dont know if it was for me.

I will say I think the author definitely has a way with words and if their goal was to make people uncomfortable they definitely succeeded.

I do think the very first story was my least favourite and possibly the worst one to start with. It made me not want to continue and had this not been an arc I think I wouldve stopped then and there.

3.5 stars

I found each of the stories in this book to be well-written, yet they all veer into the territory of the incredibly surreal and bizarre. The prose is razor sharp, almost quaintly pastoral in places, and totally unhinged. Also, the sheer number of times that feces were discussed in this book was way more than I was expecting (which was zero). So please be forewarned that most of these stories veer into the realm of what I would describe as a subgenre of body horror.

If all that excites you then definitely go grab a copy of this book; it's well worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Camilla Grudova, and The Unnamed Press for giving me access to a digital advance readers copy of this book for free to read and review. All opinions are my own and provided voluntarily.

The Coiled Serpent is a compilation of sixteen short stories brimming with peculiar, idiosyncratic, and unsettling elements. I found it reminiscent of works such as The Eyes are the Best Part or Stories by Erica LaRocca, infused with a touch of Cassandra Khaw's style. These tales evoked a range of emotions in me, from laughter to elation, and often elicited the exclamation, "How strangely captivating!" One can anticipate an abundance of bodily fluids and unconventional situations within its pages. It is, without a doubt, a read that revels in its capacity to shock and disgust.

The coiled serpent is a solid set of short stories that explores a more mundane side of terror. Camilla Grudova comments on our society and repeatedly runs through the themes of capitalism and misogyny, seemingly without a chronological thread. This was one of the characteristics I struggled with the most, because the stories are written in an almost timeless way - apart from rare exceptions - and it was only with small elements like a pair of Doc Martens that I was pulled into the reality of the time I was reading.
The 16 stories cover a wide range of settings and characters with no apparent connection between them, except for elements that are occasionally repeated in a more or less secondary way, such as custard, eggs, the colour green and Rupert Bear.
Despite the constant allusion to excrement, Grudova's short stories are beautifully written and I would emphasise the sublime way in which the author manages to construct the environments and settings of the various narratives in just a few pages. However, at the end of most of the stories I was left with the dissatisfaction of an abrupt ending.
This was my first contact with the author's writing and I would recommend this collection to readers who are venturing into the horror genre for the first time.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Unnamed Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

thank you NetGalley & unnamed press for providing me a copy of this book in return for an honest review ❤️
this review has taken me 3 days to write. it was originally 2k words. bear with me.
this novel is insanely hard to describe, not only because it is a collection of short stories where i have vastly different opinions on each, but because this is bonkers. i think to enjoy this you need to go in with an open mind, and be aware no topics are off-limits for grudova.
overall, this is quite a unique compilation of stories. the stories often stuck with me after reading them, and i was left pondering them. i also think (for me at least), this is a sleeper hit. i’ll be honest and say i wasnt enjoying this novel until about 7 stories in, and there are 16 total, so it took me a bit to get into this book.
my biggest gripes with this book are that there feels like there’s no link between stories in terms of themes or tone. also this book CONSTANTLY mentions poop. i think i counted it up and like half of the stories mention poop in explicit detail. I KEPT A POOP COUNTER WHILST READING THIS. i was losing it. finally, the endings of each story seem like the story was cut. the endings most of the time felt like there was zero conclusion which annoyed me endlessly.
i think its best if i break down my thoughts per each story, as some of these i couldn’t stand (simply due to personal preference), whereas some i adored.
through ceilings & walls: in my opinion, this was the worst story to start the book off. compared to all the others, it felt flat, low in horror, and wasn't interesting at all. my third least-fav.
ivor: this story stuck with me for a while after reading it. it didn't raise my expectations for the collection, but i will say i did like it. but, i felt the horror elements were missing, and honestly this story had me on the fence whether i actually enjoyed it, or just had fun compared to the first story. my third favourite overall.
description and history of a british swimming pool/banya banya!: the poop bit started wearing me down at this point. i felt like this story was just aiming to be gross just for the sake of it, and felt like there were no connections between any points, and things were just being said because “oh yeah that sounds bananas”. 10/16 for me.
the custard factory: here i REALLY was getting worn down with this book. yet again, more explicit poop explanations, random things going on just for randomness, and i was not having fun. like this felt like it was gross just to be gross. this is 11/16 for me.
the green hat: here is my favourite story. i cannot rave about this one enough! i think honestly at this point if this story didnt exist i would have dreaded reading the rest of this. but GOD i loved this! the allusion towards real-life uranium girls, and the commentary of capitalism, plus some actual good-ol fashioned horror?
a novel (or a poem) about fan, aged 11 years or the zoo: i enjoyed this one! it kind of felt like it was reverting to just being crude and not horror, but i dig the themes of exploitation, and this story made sense. overall i’d say this is 7/16 in ranking for me.
mr elephant: i’ll be candid here. i dont know what was going on here. i cant even say i hated this because there was no story. it just felt like this was a full novel and this was a section isolated, because nothing felt important in this story. everything felt meaningless. my second least-fav.
avalon: i think here the entire tone of the novel does a 180, and goes from “pee pee poo poo vomit bodily fluids collecting teeth” gross kind of horror and into “murder death horrific acts but more so thriller but i guess it is horrifying” type of horror. and i enjoyed this shift in tone! this story wasn't my favourite, but compared to all the stories before it (minus the green hat my beloved), this was a step up. this is the fifth best for me.
the poison garden: i mean this was fine… i was back to not caring about the stories honestly, as it started getting repetitive with this new tone. 9/16 for me.
the surrogates: honestly i was mad as hell at this one. mainly at the ending. because seriously there was this one line that actually infuriated me. it wasnt needed, was there just for the shock factor, and made me feel icky.. and not in a horror way but an “oh this is um…” way. this is 12/16 for me.
madame flora’s: so fun, very zany yet also felt realistic? easily my second fav. BONKERS.
the coiled serpent: for the namesake of the collection, this was fine. by this point i felt like i was getting the hang of grudova’s writing.. with four stories left. for me this is the 6th best story.
the meat eater: here grudova lost me again. the last two stories were so good, and this one just felt like a very formulaic rehash of half of this collection. this is 8th for me overall.
white asparagus: i was once again disillusioned with grudova’s writing. the stories began bleeding into one, as they all seemingly followed the same pattern of “murder murder ew ew weird thing mc does with the body”. this is 13/16 for me.
the apartment: somehow grudova pulls another 180 because i enjoyed this! this felt very new yet still true to the voice established in the other stories! i was happy again! this is fourth in rankings for me.
hoo hoo! another complete tone shift. i hated this. i had no idea what was going on, it felt completely out of character for the other stories, and honestly i was over this constantly see-saw i was having with the stories. worst story imo.
i really cannot explain my thoughts on this collection coherently. it is so unique in the worst and best ways. i can only really compare this book to “bliss montage” by ling ma. i was disappointed as i was expecting horror, and i don’t know what this was, but it defo wasn’t horror. it transcends genre.
if you like gross horror or books where you don’t know what’s going on but you’re hear for the ride, this books’ for you.

The Coiled Serpent is not for the weak stomachs among us. I don’t have a weak stomach, and still found myself gagging while reading this collection of short stories. There’s nothing too grotesque for Grudova to tackle, and she’s excellent at weaving that imagery together.

Conversely, while I thought the graphic descriptions of bodies, blood, etc were really well done, and the stories themselves inventive, I found the writing lacking something. Grudova’s stories were all stylistically the same, and kind of bare of storytelling. They felt rushed, with no time to breathe. So this was a mixed one for me.

Have to tip my hat to how uncomfortable a lot of these short stories made me at times - just descriptions that are built to make your spine shiver and you cringe a bit. Whether intentional or not, just a great read for spooky season.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

“The Coiled Serpent” by Camilla Grudova is a mesmerizing collection of short stories that plunges readers into a surreal and often grotesque world.

Known for her distinctive style that blends the macabre with the mundane, Grudova’s latest work continues to push the boundaries of contemporary fiction, offering a series of unsettling yet captivating tales.

The collection features a variety of stories, each more bizarre and thought-provoking than the last. Stories include a woman sent to a cursed hotel for ailing girls and a museum director curating a venomous garden.

Each tale is a journey into the absurd, where the lines between reality and fantasy blur, and the ordinary becomes extraordinary.

Grudova’s characters are as peculiar as the worlds they inhabit. They are often grappling with personal anxieties, societal pressures, and existential dilemmas.

Despite their oddities, these characters are deeply human, reflecting the fears and desires that lie beneath the surface of everyday life. The protagonists in these stories are frequently marginalized individuals, whose struggles and resilience add depth to the surreal landscapes they navigate.

Grudova’s writing is lyrical and visceral, evoking strong visual and emotional responses. Her prose is rich with imagery, often drawing on elements of body horror and the grotesque to create a sense of unease. The language is precise and evocative, capturing the strangeness of her worlds with a painterly attention to detail. Grudova’s ability to blend the fantastical with the familiar makes her stories both unsettling and compelling.

“The Coiled Serpent” explores themes of transformation, identity, and the human condition. Grudova delves into the absurdities of contemporary life, using her surreal narratives to critique societal norms and expectations. The stories often reflect on the impact of capitalism, the fragility of the human body, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world. Grudova’s work challenges readers to confront their own perceptions of reality and the boundaries of the possible.

“The Coiled Serpent” is a testament to Camilla Grudova’s skill as a storyteller and her ability to craft narratives that linger in the mind long after the final page.

This collection is a must-read for fans of surreal and speculative fiction, offering a series of stories that are as thought-provoking as they are unsettling.

Grudova’s work is a reminder of the power of fiction to explore the darkest corners of the human psyche and the strange beauty that can be found there.

I primarily requested Camilla Grudova’s “The Coiled Serpent” because I love single-author short story collections that are horrific – writers using horror to subvert real-world issues – and in some stories that felt obvious and in others not so much. I enjoyed how Grudova incorporated horrific and gory elements to shine a light on women’s reproductive rights and assumptions about what women’s bodies should be used for (birthing children) in addition to how women’s bodies are used (consensually or not) to satiate heterosexual men’s desires, and the role women are expected to play in caring for others (like children).

Each short story is a complete story (thank goodness Grudova knows the structure of a short story), and not one story is overwritten. Most of the stories are on the shorter side of short stories, so if you prefer longer ones, just keep that in mind. However, all of the stories are well-written, interesting, weird, sometimes absurd, and hilarious. There were also moments I felt rage and sadness and when I was finished reading this collection, I wanted to read more of Grudova’s work! I now definitely want to try out her other works of fiction!

If you do not enjoy horrific or gory writing, then avoid this. However, if you enjoyed Bora Chung’s collection, “Cursed Bunny,” Sayaka Murata’s “Life Ceremony,” and/or Maria Enriquez’s “The Dangers of Smoking in Bed,” then I think you would enjoy Camilla Grudova’s “The Coiled Serpent”!
My absolute favourite stories are “The Custard Factory,” “The Green Hat,” “Avalon,” “The Poison Garden,” “Madame Flora’s,” the titular story “The Coiled Serpent,” “The Meat Eater,” “The Apartment,” and “Hoo Hoo”…Pretty much the entire collection!

Many thanks to Netgalley and The Unnamed Press for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this great short story collection!

The Coiled Serpent-Stories-Camilla Grudova-Publishing October 8th, 2024 by Unnamed Press.

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE

A book of strange short stories that remind me of Ottessa Moshfegh. These stories are quirky, and the characters and settings are just as odd. But that’s a good thing. The strangeness of each story works. The characters and the grotesque things they do. Grudova uses sentences and words sparingly, creating surreal unsettling images that the reader will love or hate. Not for the faint of heart. A writer to keep your eye on. (* This is the second book from Unnamed Press I’ve read. The first was States of Emergency by Chris Knapp. They keep putting out cool books.) 3.8 goldfish. There was no emoji for 0.8 of a goldfish.

This was definitely a unique and strange read but it really had me hooked. The stories in this collection felt very unusual, gory and vivid.

The Coiled Serpent is a collection of eclectic horror stories, most of which contain commentary on society, capitalism and the human experience.

The concept behind most stories were unique and utterly bizarre, but ultimately I was left wanting more. I felt that a lot of the stories had no clear direction and every time I felt like I was finally learning about the characters and the world, the story would end abruptly. Most, if not all the stories also include grotesque descriptions of bodily fluids and unnatural transformations of the body, which I feel in some cases only added to the shock value and nothing more.

In saying that, there were a couple of standouts which I felt were complete and impactful stories such as ‘Ivor’, ‘The Green Hat’ and ‘The Coiled Serpent’. I also think this collection is still worth picking up if you’re in the mood for something strange and horrifying during spooky season!

Thank you Unnamed Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I feel like maybe this is protest fiction, but I don't get what exactly the author is against. Regardless of setting, each of the stories in this collection goes beyond extreme horror to I don't know what level to call it, ultimate horror? I looked it up, and the subgenre of extreme horror "is characterized by the depiction of extreme acts"; the stories in The Coiled Serpent, each uniquely evidences combinations of gratuitous violence, gore, and taboo subjects.

In the first story Ivor for example, an idolized boy at boarding school is forever youthful while the other students age to decrepitude, but the horror lies equally in the appalling neglect they all suffer, as well as the unnatural degree that their fawning over Ivor reaches. That seems to be the formula here, that a setting is established as horrifyingly filthy or squalid, populated by characters described as singularly revolting and who do things that are nauseating; but then there is a plot twist and something else completely ends up being the most horrifying thing in the story. It never gets boring, that is for certain.