by S. A. Cosby
First published 2022
This anthology presents ten stories that examine addiction through a horror lens. Writers including Kealan Patrick Burke, Cassandra Khaw, Josh Malerman, and S.A. Cosby contribute tales that reveal how substances promise warmth and joy but deliver isolation and destruction. The stories follow characters caught between the temporary relief of their chosen escape and the mounting costs to their bodies, relationships, and souls. Each piece confronts the paradox Emily Bronte captured: the bliss that feeds the spirit while consuming the flesh. The collection treats addiction not as moral failing but as human struggle, offering unflinching honesty alongside compassion for those trapped in cycles of craving and loss. These narratives show people becoming orphans of their own brief moments of bliss, cut off from connection by their pursuit of numbness. The anthology serves as the final volume in a trilogy of addiction horror collections, though it stands alone and requires no prior reading.
Genres: literary-fiction, addiction, horror
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study, found-family, human-struggle
230 pages · Kindle Edition · Wicked Run Press
Content warnings: addiction, substance-abuse