@@violetprynneI read the Fisherman this spooky season and I liked it. Has some creepy moments and how the story is told is not the typical so I felt it refreshing but that may be what some people don't like. Now, this cosmic horror thing is what I don't know. It doesn't resemble Lovecraft by any means. And sorry for my bad english😅
I loved The Fisherman, easily a 4.5 read for me. It's definitely cosmic horror in the Lovecraftian style, but the build-up suspense in the narrative is extremely well-crafted, and it doesn't come out of nowhere. I recommend this one to almost all horror fans with the caveat that roughly the first third of the novel is rather slow, but is important to lay the groundwork with excellent character development. But once it really gets going, it's a pretty wild ride.
How random that I was looking to see if you did a reaction to Tender is the Flesh this past week. And I just received Pen Pal about a month ago. I haven’t read it yet. I finished Tender is the flesh recently and wanted to know your thoughts. I usually agree with your reviews and the type of horror you enjoy. I’m glad I read it even though it was tough to stomach. I finished it in a day, so it did keep my attention. There is also a terrible animal scene that still sticks with me. That’s so disappointing that the ending was ruined for you. Thanks for sharing these.
@@BinxHuber Tender is the Flesh is definitely a novel I’m still unsure if I’ll ever be able to pick up. Even knowing the ending, the subject matter greatly freaks me out. But maybe one day!!
I loved Penpal. I like books that make me think long after I've finished them, and Penpal did that for me. I've heard a lot of people say certain things didn't add up, but that's what made it so intriguing and interesting to me. I think it's deliberately ambiguous, rather than having a plot that doesn't make sense.
Penpal and the ruins are great vacation books to me, the ruins is my go to beach read. They're fast paced, easy to follow, and you don't miss out on any major plot points if you loose focus for a minute. And they're not scary so a summery environment won't ruin any creepy mood. I gave both of them a five of six.
I really liked Penpal. I'd definitely encourage you to read it. The Ruins was okay. It is memorable though. I actually LOVE cosmic horror a lot of the time so I'm putting The Fisherman on my TBR.
The Fisherman is a favorite. It's not 'cosmic horror comes out of nowhere' kind of cosmic - there's a build, and while I would say what's going is exolained, it's not inexplicable weirdness - the supernatural stuff is about as defined as Gone To See The Riverman, although it's not extreme at all.. I'd call it more Lovecraftian, although Langan's style is so different I think that's deceptive. It is a slow burn, but I never found it boring.
I have several of these on my list to be read. I almost started Penpal on a work trip this past weekend but choose My Heart is a Chainsaw instead. So I can't comment on those but I have read Tender is the Flesh. I would say read it. It stayed with me for days after finishing it.
1) "Penpal", very creepy and very Good!! psychological horror! 2) "The Fisherman", very very Good! I loved this book, must read! 3) "The Ruin", literary horror, not for everyone. I gave the book 4.5 stars. 4) "Tender is the Flesh",very original and good but very gruesome, not for me, but I gave it a chance .4 Stars for me. Conclusion: Read (if you like 🙂), the first Two: "Penpal" and "The Fisherman". I know it´s not the" right " Video, but I'm very curious about what you think about "The Bird Eater" by Ania Ahlborn (you need to read the book, love this one very much.....By the way, I pre-ordered the new Book from Ahlborn: "The Unseen", release day: 19 Aug. 2025, Hardcover. Gallery Books-Simon & Shuster.
@@Israel_Abramtzev I’ve got The Bird Eater on my TBR list! Just need to pick up a copy :) And thank you for this breakdown on these novels! Definitely hoping to get to most of them eventually.
I've read Father of Lies by Brian Evenson, it's unsettling and disturbing but one of the best authors I've read in the whole transgressive/more unsavory horror book thing lol. Based off that alone, I think you'd like his writing. The covers of those two fit together as well. There's 4 books in those editions fit together to make this bigger picture if you haven't seen that. I really want to read Last Days too!
I personally loved The Ruins- I love the straight-forward, concise writing style of Scott Smith. I think the characters are flawed but not necessarily unlikeable….but they fit so well into Smith’s story, it kind of doesn’t even matter if you don’t “like” them- the journey is still super fun.
@@alexaproffitt4640 thank you for this!! I love a flawed character when they make sense in context of the story way more so than someone who is just generally unlikable to push a plot forward.
I've read Penpal, and it was okay. Nothing special, in my opinion. I had a good enough time while reading it, but afterwards I started thinking about all the things that didn't really make sense, and they are quite a few. I would still recommend it, it's a quick read and a great idea, but it feels like a draft of something that could have been amazing with more work. I've read The Fisherman too, but I honestly can't remember much about it. I'm not a fan of cosmic horror either, but I do remember being okay with those element in the book. I gave it a three, so very in the middle for me apparently, I am interested in re-reading it, though. I gave The Ruins a three too, and that is also one I'm interested in re-reading, because it's been quite a while. I read the Swedish translation, though, and I want to read it in English this time around. I did like the setting, the fear and paranoia under a scorching sun, that was very effective for me. Things have gotten worse... was a one star read, I really disliked it. "Well, that escalated quickly" was my biggest take away from it. It wasn't super extreme, in my opinion, some disturbing elements for sure, but not too bad. It was mostly the relationship between the two main characters I didn't care for, it felt very unbelievable and a poor representation of what that kind of a relationship is really like. Would definitely skip if I were you! I DNF:ed Tender is the flesh, I just didn't enjoy the authors writing style, it felt like a chore to get through. Wow, this was such a negative comment, I'm being such a downer today! 😁
@@mariewesterlind Not negative at all! I appreciate thé honesty and thoughtfulness in this! And we tend to agree on a lot of books, so definitely insightful, too! I’m currently reading Penpal and I think I’ll pick up The Fisherman, but I’m very unsure about the others thus far. So thanks for this break down!
Yay! Saturday video! I liked,Penpal. I didn't love Things Have Gotten Worse, but there was,another story in that collection that I really did like. I liked,Tender Is The Flesh but I don't think I would have appreciated it if I knew the ending,
Penpal: I bought it, I read it, I shrugged my shoulders, and then I sold my copy. Meh 🤷♀️ Stolen Tounges: The prologue was terrifying. I should have stopped there. The rest of books is just okay.
'The Ruins' is great. I think people might have conflated flawed with unlikable. Some of the characters are unlikable, but it's more that you have a group of flawed people under extreme duress.
Ive only read 2 of these novels, The Fisherman and Tender is the Flesh. I am also not a huge cosmic horror fan but I did enjoy reading The Fisherman. The only thing that spoilt it for for me was in the middle of the book there's a story told within the main story which went on for far too long and ruined what could have been a 5 star read. I would have much preferred the story of Dan and Abe to have been much more prominent rather than a portion of the beginning and the end. I loved the writing and the story of Dan and Abe but the middle ruined it for me. I'm not a huge fan of extreme horror so I struggle with those themes and that's why I didn't like Tender is the Flesh. The story is good and well told, just not for me.
Maybe it was just a timing thing for me but I could NOT get into the Fisherman. I’ll give credit to the fantastic writing and the way its story is told but something was not clicking for me. I’ll more than likely revisit it at another time.
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke....has lived in my head rent free. It was brutal and part of the reason I hesitate to pick up more of Eric LaRocca's works. But....I'm not a big Extreme Horror reader. I feel that some of the material was strictly for shock value and irrelevant to the story at hand. Tender Is The Flesh was brutal, too. But I'm sensitive to the subject matter. I don't regret reading them, I'm just traumatized now, lol.
I had to DNF tender as the flesh. I couldn’t get past the sentence structures. It was really hard to read. I think that has to do with it being translated.
I think the "Ruins" by Scott Smith is overrated. I didn't enjoy reading it at all. I gave it a 2 out of stars on GoodReads. I thought it was a boring slow burn.
The Fisherman - Felt like two books the writer spliced together. It drags in the middle but I'm glad I read it. Cool vibes. Slow boring burn that's probalby not worth the payoff for you. I preferred The Caretaker of Lorne Field - by Dave Zeltserman which is similar in the above definititian but it stuck with me longer long after I finished it. Things Have Gotten Worse - Really didn't like it. Author tried too hard. Unlikable and unbelievable characters. You'll love it or hate it. I say, read Sour Candy by - Kealan Patrick Burke (He's a better writer)
@@LeopoldNZ oh I’ve actually read Sour Candy!! I believe it was before I started my channel, though, so I never made a review for it. I also likes Burke’s Dead Leaves collection.
I really don't think you will like Eric LaRocca's work. It's a lot of shock value, and the writing isn't great. I like the plots, but the execution needs improvement. Tender is the Flesh is a great story, but it has a pretty brutal animal cruelty scene, and if the ending is ruined, I feel like the overall commentary will feel heavy-handed.
You won't niss anything from Tender is the Flesh. Gave it one star. The writing was flat and the main character was mostly a jerk. But it is up to you if you'll read it or not, of course.
@@karinscott4455 hey! Not sure what was happening, but I looked into this and couldn’t find anything wrong on my end. It might be YT having technical difficulties. So sorry about that!
I think a Great second part to this episode would be to go and read all these and then let us know what you thought vs your initial thoughts
@@geoffdenham5063 I will definitely try to read most of these at some point! I’m halfway through Penpal right now and find it quite creepy.
@@violetprynneI read the Fisherman this spooky season and I liked it. Has some creepy moments and how the story is told is not the typical so I felt it refreshing but that may be what some people don't like. Now, this cosmic horror thing is what I don't know. It doesn't resemble Lovecraft by any means. And sorry for my bad english😅
I loved The Fisherman, easily a 4.5 read for me. It's definitely cosmic horror in the Lovecraftian style, but the build-up suspense in the narrative is extremely well-crafted, and it doesn't come out of nowhere. I recommend this one to almost all horror fans with the caveat that roughly the first third of the novel is rather slow, but is important to lay the groundwork with excellent character development. But once it really gets going, it's a pretty wild ride.
@@sabbracadabra7503 okay! Thanks for the warning that it starts slow and has a good pay off. I’m definitely leaning towards picking it up soon.
How random that I was looking to see if you did a reaction to Tender is the Flesh this past week. And I just received Pen Pal about a month ago. I haven’t read it yet. I finished Tender is the flesh recently and wanted to know your thoughts. I usually agree with your reviews and the type of horror you enjoy. I’m glad I read it even though it was tough to stomach. I finished it in a day, so it did keep my attention. There is also a terrible animal scene that still sticks with me. That’s so disappointing that the ending was ruined for you. Thanks for sharing these.
@@BinxHuber Tender is the Flesh is definitely a novel I’m still unsure if I’ll ever be able to pick up. Even knowing the ending, the subject matter greatly freaks me out. But maybe one day!!
Stolen Tongues started off strong and then started repeating itself... it drove me crazy!😫
@@2001Tavis omg I know! It got so redundant in the second half!!
I loved Penpal. I like books that make me think long after I've finished them, and Penpal did that for me. I've heard a lot of people say certain things didn't add up, but that's what made it so intriguing and interesting to me. I think it's deliberately ambiguous, rather than having a plot that doesn't make sense.
@@Keeva- I’m about halfway through it right now and I’m really enjoying it!
Penpal and the ruins are great vacation books to me, the ruins is my go to beach read. They're fast paced, easy to follow, and you don't miss out on any major plot points if you loose focus for a minute. And they're not scary so a summery environment won't ruin any creepy mood. I gave both of them a five of six.
@@Nmbr1fan okay amazing!! I’m halfway through Penpal right now and really enjoying it.
I really liked Penpal. I'd definitely encourage you to read it. The Ruins was okay. It is memorable though. I actually LOVE cosmic horror a lot of the time so I'm putting The Fisherman on my TBR.
@@coleenmorgan431 I’m halfway through Penpal atm! It’s definitely a fun one and super creepy.
Thank you for adding to my tbr list miss teach 🍏🖤🖤🖤love your Aussie family friend John 🖤🖤🖤
@@JohnSaxon-vw5vi thank you for watching!!
@ no problem 😉 my friend
The Fisherman is a favorite. It's not 'cosmic horror comes out of nowhere' kind of cosmic - there's a build, and while I would say what's going is exolained, it's not inexplicable weirdness - the supernatural stuff is about as defined as Gone To See The Riverman, although it's not extreme at all.. I'd call it more Lovecraftian, although Langan's style is so different I think that's deceptive. It is a slow burn, but I never found it boring.
@@justinjordan8016 okay amazing! Thanks for this. I’m definitely leaning towards reading it soon :)
I have several of these on my list to be read. I almost started Penpal on a work trip this past weekend but choose My Heart is a Chainsaw instead. So I can't comment on those but I have read Tender is the Flesh. I would say read it. It stayed with me for days after finishing it.
@@keithgriffin5949 thank you for this!! Everyone keeps recommending Tender, so I may have to just dive in, even if it grosses me out.
I'm with you on The Fisherman. It's on my TBR but I always skip it and read something else. Not sure I'll ever get to it.
@@ev4504 yeah, I feel like I’ll get to it eventually. The comments on this video, though, have convinced me I may want to get to it sooner now haha
1) "Penpal", very creepy and very Good!! psychological horror! 2) "The Fisherman", very very Good! I loved this book, must read! 3) "The Ruin", literary horror, not for everyone. I gave the book 4.5 stars. 4) "Tender is the Flesh",very original and good but very gruesome, not for me, but I gave it a chance .4 Stars for me. Conclusion: Read (if you like 🙂), the first Two: "Penpal" and "The Fisherman". I know it´s not the" right " Video, but I'm very curious about what you think about "The Bird Eater" by Ania Ahlborn (you need to read the book, love this one very much.....By the way, I pre-ordered the new Book from Ahlborn: "The Unseen", release day: 19 Aug. 2025, Hardcover. Gallery Books-Simon & Shuster.
@@Israel_Abramtzev I’ve got The Bird Eater on my TBR list! Just need to pick up a copy :)
And thank you for this breakdown on these novels! Definitely hoping to get to most of them eventually.
I've read Father of Lies by Brian Evenson, it's unsettling and disturbing but one of the best authors I've read in the whole transgressive/more unsavory horror book thing lol. Based off that alone, I think you'd like his writing. The covers of those two fit together as well. There's 4 books in those editions fit together to make this bigger picture if you haven't seen that. I really want to read Last Days too!
@@BlackacreDoe buddy read?!?! Lol I really need to get to it now, especially if you like his writing style. I feel like I’m gonna love this book.
I personally loved The Ruins- I love the straight-forward, concise writing style of Scott Smith. I think the characters are flawed but not necessarily unlikeable….but they fit so well into Smith’s story, it kind of doesn’t even matter if you don’t “like” them- the journey is still super fun.
@@alexaproffitt4640 thank you for this!! I love a flawed character when they make sense in context of the story way more so than someone who is just generally unlikable to push a plot forward.
I've read Penpal, and it was okay. Nothing special, in my opinion. I had a good enough time while reading it, but afterwards I started thinking about all the things that didn't really make sense, and they are quite a few. I would still recommend it, it's a quick read and a great idea, but it feels like a draft of something that could have been amazing with more work.
I've read The Fisherman too, but I honestly can't remember much about it. I'm not a fan of cosmic horror either, but I do remember being okay with those element in the book. I gave it a three, so very in the middle for me apparently, I am interested in re-reading it, though.
I gave The Ruins a three too, and that is also one I'm interested in re-reading, because it's been quite a while. I read the Swedish translation, though, and I want to read it in English this time around. I did like the setting, the fear and paranoia under a scorching sun, that was very effective for me.
Things have gotten worse... was a one star read, I really disliked it. "Well, that escalated quickly" was my biggest take away from it. It wasn't super extreme, in my opinion, some disturbing elements for sure, but not too bad. It was mostly the relationship between the two main characters I didn't care for, it felt very unbelievable and a poor representation of what that kind of a relationship is really like. Would definitely skip if I were you!
I DNF:ed Tender is the flesh, I just didn't enjoy the authors writing style, it felt like a chore to get through.
Wow, this was such a negative comment, I'm being such a downer today! 😁
@@mariewesterlind Not negative at all! I appreciate thé honesty and thoughtfulness in this! And we tend to agree on a lot of books, so definitely insightful, too! I’m currently reading Penpal and I think I’ll pick up The Fisherman, but I’m very unsure about the others thus far. So thanks for this break down!
I would be interested for you to review The Fisherman. I haven't read it, but I like Lovecraft/ cosmic horror books.
@@Jasonbookcollecting I think I’ll probably pick it up soon. Most of the comments have been really favorable towards it on this video.
❤❤❤ currently reading the dark half by Stephen king
Great book
❤️❤️❤️he is a great writer and amazing person also
Yay! Saturday video! I liked,Penpal. I didn't love Things Have Gotten Worse, but there was,another story in that collection that I really did like. I liked,Tender Is The Flesh but I don't think I would have appreciated it if I knew the ending,
@@audradriscoll503 good to know! Thank you! I think I may pick up a LaRocca story at some point, but maybe not Things.
Penpal: I bought it, I read it, I shrugged my shoulders, and then I sold my copy. Meh 🤷♀️
Stolen Tounges: The prologue was terrifying. I should have stopped there. The rest of books is just okay.
@@lesliepowell-mccarty7067 the prologue was so good in Stolen Tongues. So much stronger than the latter half of the novel.
'The Ruins' is great. I think people might have conflated flawed with unlikable. Some of the characters are unlikable, but it's more that you have a group of flawed people under extreme duress.
@@Ichithix very good to know! And flawed is definitely much more preferable to unlikable. Thank you!
The Ruins is bleak and hopeless ! I loved it .
@@MaryRose86 ahhh! Okay good to know!
Ive only read 2 of these novels, The Fisherman and Tender is the Flesh. I am also not a huge cosmic horror fan but I did enjoy reading The Fisherman. The only thing that spoilt it for for me was in the middle of the book there's a story told within the main story which went on for far too long and ruined what could have been a 5 star read. I would have much preferred the story of Dan and Abe to have been much more prominent rather than a portion of the beginning and the end. I loved the writing and the story of Dan and Abe but the middle ruined it for me.
I'm not a huge fan of extreme horror so I struggle with those themes and that's why I didn't like Tender is the Flesh. The story is good and well told, just not for me.
@@marinaschnierer4560 thank you for this!!! I definitely think I’ll pick up The Fisherman.
Maybe it was just a timing thing for me but I could NOT get into the Fisherman. I’ll give credit to the fantastic writing and the way its story is told but something was not clicking for me. I’ll more than likely revisit it at another time.
The Ruins is great though. I can’t recall another book that enraged me like that. So good
@@diogutierrz thanks for this!! I keep hearing the Fisherman is a real slow burn and build up at first. Glad to hear you liked The Ruins!
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke....has lived in my head rent free. It was brutal and part of the reason I hesitate to pick up more of Eric LaRocca's works. But....I'm not a big Extreme Horror reader. I feel that some of the material was strictly for shock value and irrelevant to the story at hand. Tender Is The Flesh was brutal, too. But I'm sensitive to the subject matter. I don't regret reading them, I'm just traumatized now, lol.
@@jesslynn410 Yeah, the subject matter of both definitely make me hesitate to read them! 😅😅😅
I hope your weekend is going well
@@stevencarsley2446 thank you! Same to you!
I had to DNF tender as the flesh. I couldn’t get past the sentence structures. It was really hard to read. I think that has to do with it being translated.
@@kylenolen9546 good to know!!! Thank you!!
I think the "Ruins" by Scott Smith is overrated. I didn't enjoy reading it at all. I gave it a 2 out of stars on GoodReads. I thought it was a boring slow burn.
@@briannecampbell8573 interesting! Yeah I keep seeing so many mixed reviews on it. But a lot of people have said it’s a slow one.
The Fisherman - Felt like two books the writer spliced together. It drags in the middle but I'm glad I read it. Cool vibes. Slow boring burn that's probalby not worth the payoff for you. I preferred The Caretaker of Lorne Field - by Dave Zeltserman which is similar in the above definititian but it stuck with me longer long after I finished it.
Things Have Gotten Worse - Really didn't like it. Author tried too hard. Unlikable and unbelievable characters. You'll love it or hate it. I say, read Sour Candy by - Kealan Patrick Burke (He's a better writer)
@@LeopoldNZ oh I’ve actually read Sour Candy!! I believe it was before I started my channel, though, so I never made a review for it. I also likes Burke’s Dead Leaves collection.
I really don't think you will like Eric LaRocca's work. It's a lot of shock value, and the writing isn't great. I like the plots, but the execution needs improvement.
Tender is the Flesh is a great story, but it has a pretty brutal animal cruelty scene, and if the ending is ruined, I feel like the overall commentary will feel heavy-handed.
@@cleverkrowbooks13 good to know!!! Thank you for this!
You won't niss anything from Tender is the Flesh. Gave it one star. The writing was flat and the main character was mostly a jerk. But it is up to you if you'll read it or not, of course.
@@SuperStrangSshadow thank you for this!!!
I can't hear a thing. It's not my computer, I can hear everything else just fine on other channels. Please complain to UA-cam.
@@karinscott4455 hey! Not sure what was happening, but I looked into this and couldn’t find anything wrong on my end. It might be YT having technical difficulties. So sorry about that!
Freaking love Stolen Tongues. Felix's other books are good too.
@@CarlKeeling1881 good to know! That opening of Stolen Tongues was so creepy!