This is a good October read. Bite-sized horror stories that are often pretty horrifying. He leans a little hard into gory horror, but for the most part, it worked.

give me all the weird and strange horror, push the boundaries of what fiction can do, which some stories in this certainly did, but others I completely zoned out during and the endings were pretty typical, but overall, an interesting and unique collection of stories

This short story collection does something that I thought was impossible - every single story is soo good! Recommend! I received a free eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

(Rounded from 4.5)

What a strong, dark collection! Raglin does a really wonderful job of plumbing the human experience to investigate what is actually horrific. These stories were remarkably subdued, yet didn’t ever fail to creep under the skin. The title of the collection is really spot on, these are elegies. They are songs of loss and mourning and violent grief, songs that both lament and forecast annihilation.

The collection has a lot of religious horror and a lot of unapologetically queer horror, but the subgenres and outlooks/tones of the various stories are still pretty varied. Some of them are amazingly short, and I say “amazingly” because even in their brevity they are able to convey a strong sense of character and place, all while delivering a gut punch you don’t see coming. There is a vulnerability to these stories, a raw wound kind of intimacy that both repels and begets if not sympathy than at least connection. I don’t know if any of the eighteen stories totally floored me or took my breath away, but a few came close, and they were all better than “just good.”

These are really well-crafted short stories that highlight that the horrific doesn’t need to be inundated with graphic violence or gore (though this collection has a smattering of that here and there, too). They are contemplative and spine-tingling, taking up just enough mental space that you can’t quite sweep your mind free of some of them when you put the book down. It’s a definite recommendation, and I am glad I had the chance to pick it up!

I want to thank the author, the publisher Brigids Gate Press, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I had a blast with these short stories, some of them were short indeed and I enjoyed most of them. My favorites are A course yellow sea 4.5, Transubstantiation 4.5, Angel teeth 5 and The resurrection doll 4. There is a lot of queer representation. Floaters- 4 stars was really fun and ridiculous story. Some of these stories are very weird. The weirdest in my opinion is Boning 3.5 stars. Overall I had a super fun time with this – 4 stars, just one DNF which was Til the sun wheel turns no more, I just don’t relate to stories revolving music bands.
Thank you to NetGalley and Brigids Gate Press, for providing me with this collection.

I do suggest reading the content warnings before you read! These stories are intense in my opinion. The stories are short and each story reels you in.