Well, wasn't this a nasty little tale? 

This was my first taste of Stred's writing, and it won't be my last. This is a horrible little tale that starts out deceptively calm, before Stred puts the pedal down and hits the reader with unrelenting horror.

It's gross, it's gory, it's profane, it's perverted...exactly what it needs to be for the story being told. 

And that's the thing...Stred, I think, hit the exact right balance here. It's a fine line in horror stories, telling a story and delivering exactly enough horror, enough off-putting scenes without going too far, without stepping over that fine line into excessive, gratuitous violence or gore. Stred walks that line here.

The included story, "Claustrum" is a bit less successful, only because, I think, there's an entire history being packed into the 20 short pages for that story. It didn't feel like it hit with exactly the same emotional punch of the main story, but it's still absolutely a good read.

I enjoyed my time in Stred's hellish world. I'll be back for another ride.