Split Scream Vol 2: Book Review
Welcome back, dearest reader!
I’m here with another review of a Dread Stone Press publication: Split Scream Vol 2! You may remember that I reviewed Split Scream Vol 1 and also interviewed the writers. Well, I managed to get another ARC and another interview! That’s right, today I’m posting the review and on Thursday, my interview with the authors of Split Scream Vol 2 will go live! So be sure to stop back by then!
The Authors (and Press Founder)
Cynthia Gomez grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and has called Oakland home for most of her adult life. She has a particular love for themes of revenge, retribution, and resistance to oppression. Her stories have appeared in The Acentos Review, Strange Horizons, and anthologies including Antifa Splatterpunk and an upcoming anthology from Creature Publishing. She is working on a collection of speculative fiction all connected to Oakland. She loves to write dark and frightening things while cuddling with her shadow, aka her adorable little dog.
Find her on Twitter!
M. Lopes Da Silva is a non-binary and bisexual author from Los Angeles. They write pulp and poetry, and sometimes the two get mixed up together. Their queer California horror fiction has been published or is forthcoming from In Somnio: A Collection of Modern Gothic Horror Fiction, Antifia Spatterpunk, and Stories of the Eye. Unnerving Magazine previously published their debut novella Hooker: a pro-queer, pro-sex work, feminist retrowave pulp thriller about a bisexual sex worker hunting a serial killer in 1980s Los Angeles using hooks as her weapons of choice.
Find them on Twitter or their website!
The Book
"The Shivering World" - Cynthia Gómez
Nayeli's brilliance should be enough to outshine the darkness she longs to leave behind, but she fears she'll never get further than what her unstable mother can provide: a futon in a garage. She's determined to transfer to a good college and get out, but the men in her life-a violent neighbor, a greedy landlord, her mother's predatory boyfriend-stand in her way. Only once she encounters the supernatural, a being she suspects to be La Llorona herself, does Nayeli begin to truly see the power she is capable of. But at what cost? "The Shivering World" is a Faustian bargain in a place of poverty and gentrification, where supernatural terrors meet the horrors of escaping to a new life.
"What Ate the Angels" - M. Lopes da Silva
Non-binary ASMR artist November discovers the sound of a giant heartbeat beneath Los Angeles, which only they seem to hear. When their vore-loving partner Heather, a City Hall archivist, grows ill and can't get the healthcare she needs, they believe they will find a solution through the thrum. November journeys underground, through abandoned Prohibition-era tunnels, to the den of a creature born from the fabric of the city itself: oil, bones, chemicals-and souls. "What Ate the Angels" is queer body horror full of dread and pulpy, throbbing filth.
Released in November 2022, Split Scream Vol 2 is home to two chilling horror stories and custom interior art by C. Paul Ramey.
The Review
Once again, Dread Stone Press hits hard with two bizarre novelettes of horror by Cynthia Gómez and M. Lopes da Silva, and art by Evangeline Gallagher and C. Paul Ramey.
Unique in style and theme from Volume 1, the novelettes in Volume 2 did not disappoint. I can now safely say that Dread Stone Press knows how to put together delicious double features for horror fans everywhere.
I loved "The Shivering World" and "What Ate the Angels", so let’s dive in.
The first story, “The Shivering World” explores what it means to be on the outside and just want the same chances as everyone else. What cost would you be willing to pay for a chance to improve your life and break a negative cycle? Gómez also explores cultural lore, spinning the story of La Llorona and giving her new life. A beautiful, dark, and — at times — bitter fairy tale, “The Shivering World” is a delicious tale of Faustian dread.
“What Are the Angels” then plunges you into the gritty cityscape of Los Angeles. November is the the non-binary main character who is just trying to make a clean living making ASMR videos. Unfortunately for them, the city has other plans, infesting their life and love with unrelenting filth. Again, our protagonist is faced with a choice, a cost. How far would you be willing to go for someone you love? A throat-gripping ride into the dirty underbelly of L.A., of messy relationships, and the torture of someone in love — this is one tale that will leave you stained.
Once again, a delicious duo, a dangerous dive into dark desires, and delirious dirges around decisions. Whew. Look at that alliteration. Haha. Seriously though, this double feature is a must read for horror fans!
10/10
x PLM
p.s. don’t forget to come back on Thursday for when I grill the authors about their inspirations, their writing process, and more! Plus, there were not one but two pet appearances!
