Short Horror for Short Horrible Month
I have always found February to be the most tedious of the Northern hemisphere months. I have never ventured below the equator for February, and maybe that's what I need to do, but without international travel on the horizon, I find February to be the pits. It's the end of winter. It's dark. It's cold. Valentine's Day is a truly horrible holiday (all those chalky, teeth-shattering hearts can't make it fun). Did I mention sun has been gone forever by the time you claw your way to February? Really, the best part of February is that it is the shortest of months, so theoretically it should be over the soonest.
But alas, every day of February always feels like a dark, grey Tuesday full of the worst meetings in the most stagnant of meeting rooms. If February had a synonym, it would be malaise.
You get my point. So today, I'm going to offer some short horror novellas to shake up the short horror of February. You can read about someone else's horror! YAY.
We'll ease into the horror of February with a short story. At 63 pages, An Excellent Host, by Chelsea Summers, follows poor Shad, a guy who just got the party invite of the year. The party is happening in an upscale Brooklyn apartment. The host is a smoke show, and the invite list is exclusive. The problem is, everyone but Shad understands what the party is about. And by the time he figures it out, it might be too late.
Grave Yard Shift by M.L. Rio is 122 pages long, just long enough to forget February. Ever wonder what it's like to work the night shift? M.L. Rio's Grave Yard Shift starts with a simple enough premise. Every night the same five people cross paths in a forgotten cemetery while working the late shift. A rideshare driver, a bartender, a hotel front desk clerk, the cemetery caretaker, and a newspaper editor. Every night is mostly the same, until one night, things change. They find an open grave, but an open grave that shouldn't exist. And cue a mystery with a gothic atmosphere, creepy crawlies, and a long eerie night, that will keep you staying up long past your bedtime. (But not that long, since its only 122 pages.)
Weighing in at just 161 pages, Haunt Sweet Home follows an aimless protagonist as she helps her far more successful cousin with his reality TV show. Combining house renovations, malignant spirits, and reality TV, this is a quick jaunt into the world behind the cameras of reality TV. It's not perfect, but it just the thing to take you away from staring at the dead grass in your yard and the endless grey skies.
A mere 214 pages, Exiles by Mason Coile is stunning. Following three people whose jobs are to land on Mars so they can prep the first human colonization site, Coile wastes no time in setting the stakes. The robots on Mars are not responding to the incoming ship. Things are probably fine, right? Wrong. A very tight sci-fi, horror. This will take you far, far away from your February day.
Tipping the scales at 202 pages, Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito requires a trigger warning. Violence against kids. Feel free to skip ahead if you need. If you're still here, Victorian Psycho follows a Victorian era governess as she gives way to her true self. The result is a bloodbath affecting all ages, which you might really get caught up in by the time you make it to February.
Just 160 pages, We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson is a true horror classic. Some consider it Jackson's best work. It follows the remnants of a family who have suffered a tragedy. The family becomes more and more isolated from the community, but the community is also part of the problem. The problems compound and the family might not be able to get out from under them. Haunting, unresolved, and eerie to the max, We Have Always Lived In The Castle keeps you guessing until the end.
At 206 pages, The Haar by David Sodergren will transport you to the windswept cliffs of Scotland. Following an eighty-four-year old woman who just wants to live out her final days in peace, The Haar throws a wrench into that plan when a wealthy American buisness man decides her town will be the site of his latest luxury golf course. Get ready, it's going to get weird and bloody.
In just 217 pages, Ecstasy by Ivy Pochoda will steal your winter afternoon. Recently widowed Lena heads to Greece with her adult, over-bearing son, Drew. Lena has never lived for herself, and the closer she gets to asserting her independence, the harder Drew works to control her. When a group of dancing women appear on the beach, Lena has the chance to truly free herself, but the price is unconscionable.
Happy February! Read your way into March.