“Every time you think you have the world figured, trust me, that’s just when the world’s got you figured and is about to spring and break your back.”

First short story collection of the year and good lordt I’m glad it was this one. While “Horses” does set the bar high for collections to come, simply put: Jeez Louise this guy can write. The common denominator stitched story to story are the Schrödinger exits: elaborate what-ifs and maybes that tease and tickle your gray matter, but just enough that the uncertainty never becomes so unbearable that it spoils the stories. This grouping scaled into a multi-dimensional ouroboros, beginning and ending in a complete and utter nightmare. 

Knockouts: “Past Reno,” “Any Corpse,” “The Blood Drip,” and the titular story “A Collapse of Horses.”

4.5/5 "Karsten, invite me to join you by the fire." 🥴