Thank you Brigids Gate Press, LLC. for allowing me to read and review Extinction Hymns by Eric Raglin on NetGalley.

Published: 12/15/22

Stars: 1.5

Too weird for me. The first story ends abruptly. I thought a page was missing. The second story starts with an oral sex award. I wish I could stop visualizing the act. Then the purchase of the hyperrealistic sex doll? It was too much.

This is not for me and I hate to think I know people who would enjoy it.

I first stumbled onto Eric Raglin’s short story collection ‘Extinction Hymns’ because of the Bram Stoker Awards, for which it was nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection. While I enjoyed the collection overall and thought the topics and themes that Raglin explores throughout the various stories within are important and topical, I don’t know if I would go as far as awarding it a Stoker Award, and that mainly comes down to the fleeting nature of most of the stories.

Raglin seeks to explore many different ideas and themes that are becoming ever more horrifying in today’s 21st century America—homelessness, grief, death of a loved one, the past coming back to haunt over the present in deadly ways, homophobia and conversation therapy, farming accidents, family strife, and racism. They are important, and horror fiction is generally an excellent way to explore the nuances of such heavy subjects. And, while Raglin is able to successfully get his messages across in most of the stories, they come off as a little half-baked in some of them, and it mostly has to do with the length of the stories themselves.

Take the short story ‘A Most Bulbous Congregation.’ In this story, a set of parents drops off their gay child at a conversion therapy camp, and it’s soon revealed that it is anything but a ‘normal’ conversion therapy camp (not that any of those exist; the fact that conversion therapy is still even legal is one of the most disgusting, maddening things of our current moment). As I don’t want to give much away, all I can say is that the main pastor who runs the camp uses insects instead of Bible passages to ‘convert’ his young hostages, and the process of ‘converting’ the main character goes horribly awry in the process. While the story has an important message, clearly, it seems only half-sketched out. The action is quick but minimal, the characters are a little flat and clichéd, and there’s an appearance of the boy’s boyfriend from seemingly out of nowhere that gives me a feeling of deus ex machina. By the end of the story, there’s a satisfying conclusion, and the bigots get what’s coming to them, but it felt very rushed and two-dimensional at the same time.

And that’s the issue with a lot of the stories—some of them are only a few pages long, and their ends are ambiguous in a way that leaves too much to the reader’s imagination. I’m all for ambiguous endings (Paul Tremblay’s ending of ‘The Cabin at the End of the World’ is one of the greatest endings in fiction in my opinion, and the movie adaption ruined it, but that’s for another time and place), but too many of the stories here fall prone to the feeling that they just end, and that’s that. There’s one story in here, ‘A Creature Nailed Upon the Corridor of Time,’ that is very interesting and enjoyable to read—it’s told in the form of field entries from a paleontologist who’s discovered a kind of ancient cryptid, and we watch as both the paleontologist and the entire field expedition comes unraveled, due mainly to the fact that the creature itself might still be alive. But, when we get to the climax, the story abruptly ends, and it’s not exactly clear what happens to our main narrator or the creature itself. It’s a frustrating ending, and one that felt like it could’ve been expanded upon a little bit more.

But, just because some of the stories are a little too short or the endings are a little too ambiguous doesn’t mean this collection isn’t still worth reading and enjoying. The first story of the collection, ‘Silver Dollar Eyes,’ sees a man struggling to hold onto his home, and he tries to make enough money to save his home by giving tours of the house that features the ghost that resides within. It has a rather depressing ending, but it’s a definitive ending, and there is hope for the character in the end. The way that Raglin explores this character’s grief and disillusionment with society while also pointing out the ravages of the American health care and housing systems is near masterclass, and it’s a brilliant short story.

And that’s the thing to take away here in the end—these stories are all very enjoyable to read, even if they feel more like sketches than stories at times, but the horror elements contained within all of them are more than enough to satiate people who love to read horror short fiction, myself included. This seems like the start of a very promising career for Raglin, and I both recommend picking up this collection and giving it a shot if you haven’t and following what Raglin puts out into the literary world in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley, Brigids Gate Press, and Eric Raglin for the digital ARC of ‘Extinction Hymns’ in exchange for an honest review.

These stories are amazing—they move in delightful and unexpected ways, making shifts toward the supernatural and horrific at just the right moments to great effect. I love how some of the pieces open themselves up in the last few paragraphs with some new commentary or observation that I didn't see coming; it made the stories seem wise and alive. I really appreciated how many of these stories are also about characters drive by poverty or the fear of poverty insofar as I don't think there's enough of that going around in fiction these days. Big fan of this book.

Personal favorites: "Floaters," "Boning," "A Most Bulbous Congregation"

5/5

Extinction Hymns by Eric Raglin was a fun little book of short stories. I felt so lucky to get a copy for myself! I have shared on my goodreads, bookstagram, and booktok!

This was...not for me. I don't read a lot of short stories, and I don't read a lot of weird fiction. So I don't have a lot of other material to compare this to. I don't think this was a bad book. The parts of it I liked, I really liked. But the ones that didn't... Hey, I'm not the target audience. That's fine.

Eric Raglan has put together a fantastic collection of short stories that are sure to evoke and emotional and visceral response. Each of the stories are written, fantastically and tackle a variety of different themes and issues that are are relatable to readers.

Excellent collection of speculative frights!. I’ve read Eric’s work before in ANTIFA SPLATTERPUNK, and it sure was a treat revisiting “Til’ The Sun Wheel Turns No More”, but some of these other stories are far more outlandish and surreal. The characters in all the stories are blemished with personal misfortune and adversity. Reading about their poignant plight in overcoming addiction, illness, and even extinction was a bittersweet experience.

Favorites:

“Silver Dollar Eyes”
“Angel Teeth”
“Elevator Boy”
“Heirlooms”

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.
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The stories in this book are broad and range from the psychological to the more gruesome of the horror genre. There is something in here for anyone with even a passing interest in the scary.

As I finished one story I was anxious to get started on the next but allowed myself some time in between each one to soak it in. I think that's a testament of the author's ability to draw you into his worlds with very few words.

The stories are varied enough to keep your interest yet they all have a feeling of dread as they come to their conclusions. Writing short stories requires a different mindset than with long form works and this collection is a fantastic example of how to accomplish this.

I would definitely recommend this book.

A short horror collection that treads old and new ground.

The stories are short and the writing is well-paced and easy to read. I whipped through this one at a fast clip. I really enjoyed the story about Alice the owl and the queer representation throughout. I got a kick out of the new kinds of old horrors ... not a devil this time ... and a rarer species of insect, at least for horror ... part of what kept me reading was the thrill of discovering these novel (re)inventions of horror spectra.

Themes reoccur. Religion and especially Christianity, drug use and abuse, discrimination and unsavoury politics, desperation and vanity ... I can't say I fully grasped the "extinction" theme, though. Stories that featured themes of extinction also featured rebirth, hanging onto life by a thread, unlife, swapped bodies, etc. Less "extinct" and more horrifically savvy at remaining in or returning to the land of the living.

Like all collections, this one has some hits and misses. I didn't fully understand the point of several stories, including the first one. There didn't seem to be a lesson learned or retribution or extinction event. And I resent the portrayal of disability as grounded in the individual rather than society, not to mention disability as an end to the good life and slow careen towards despondency. And the uneasy relationship between recent impairment and resorting to x, y, and z rather than charting a new path in life. I would've loved this story to have been about this guy and the ghost forming an alliance around one-upping the bland masses in society that disable and dehumanize them, and maybe especially the spectators and profiteers involved in ghost-hunting, and profit off it, too. My overall impression is that, aside from some of the queer narratives, the stories include diversity in rather limited, unfulfilled, and at times distasteful ways.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brigids Gate Press for the advance copy.

A very cool collection of unique short stories! Some were so thought provoking, gross, weird, and creepy. My favourite was Dead Rain… now a longer story that delved into the beginning of the famine and why the ghosts stay at the farm would be interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & Brigids Gate Press for a copy.

Raglin's <i>Extinction Hymns</i> explore themes like queerness, gender, and other aspects of identity that unfortunately leave people feeling--like the owl on the cover--like the last of one's kind. Like any compilation of short stories, some were stellar and others left some potential on the table--and by that, I mean that I wish they had gone on longer and more deeply explored the questions they raised. The conceptual standout to me (I could totally see it as an episode of Black Mirror) was The Strangling Ash. I'd love to see what the author could do in a longer novel!

This was disgusting. This was disturbing. I freaking loved it.

It's amazing to see this range of horror and story telling all from just one author. I think I've found a new favorite. I also want to give kudos for the full content warning page, detailing items for each individual story. We love to see it.

While I think I loved every story, my favorite was probably Boning. And I have a weird reason for it. This story made me feel mighty nostalgic for a book I used to read as a child about skeletons. I loved it so much and borrowed it all the time from the library. While that book was a children's book and just a little spooky and taught you about bones and skeletons... Boning is my terrifying adult version that I never knew I needed.

A few stories made my stomach literally churn - What to do With Grandpa and Heirlooms. They were fantastic.

Please check this book out! You won't regret it.

**Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read an e-copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

Thank you so much to Brigids Gate Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.

I have read my fair share of horror anthologies this year, and I must say this is one of the better ones ! I have found that I have a particular fondness for stories that are only a few pages long, but can still pack such a punch, and most of these delivered. I will admit, I did not realize these were all written by the same author until the end; not sure how I managed that !

Usually for a short story collection I will list out each title, give a summary, and my personal rating for each story, but with 18 titles here I feel that's a bit much. The end of the book lists the content warnings, so this time I am just going to stick to sharing those.

Silver Dollar Eyes: Child death by cancer

The Resurrection Doll: Suicide, Self-Harm

Angel Teeth: Drug Addiction, Torture

Transubstantiation: Graphic Child Death

In His Youth: Brief non-explicit mention of child sexual assault

A Most bulbous Congregation: Child Torture, Conversion Therapy

The Last Summer: None

Elevator Boys: Child Death

Dead Rain: Suicide, Death of a Parent, Child Death

A Coarse Yellow Sea: Child Endangerment and Death, Animal Neglect, Attempted Suicide, Internalized Biphobia, Homophobic Language, Spouse Incarceration, Drug Use

What to Do with Grandpa: Self-Harm, Dementia

A Creature Nailed upon the Corridor of Time: None

The Strangling Ash: Mother death in childbirth, Verbal and physical child abuse

Floaters: Suicide, Extreme Violence, Workplace Misogyny

Boning: Torture, Extreme Violence, Cancer

Heirlooms: Cancer, Self-Harm

'Til the Sun Wheel Turns No More: Self-Harm, Extreme Violence, Parent rejecting gay child, Nazism

The Last of her Kind: Animal Death

Most of these stories felt so fresh and original. Each one was unique from all the others. There were multiple moments where I just sat there for a moment after finishing a story just to process what I just read. I think the first several stories are the ones that will stick with me the most.

This collection was also incredibly easy to read. I could not stop myself from turning the page to read more. This just felt completely up my alley, and what I've been looking for when it comes to anthologies, so I will definitely be picking up Eric Raglin's other work !

'She imagined the angel escaping its chains and tearing the office apart, splattering every wall with the viscera of sinners.'

Extinction Hymns is a collection of 18 short, creepy, profound and troubling short stories. These stories encompass a wide variety of themes and, subject matter. Each has its own voice and underlying message about humanity, how we treat this wonderful planet and each other. The diverse themes include a giant imprisoned angel, cannibalism, certain LGBT themes, global warming and then to even more obscure subject matter like people who float off into the sky.

'Reality is boiling water trickling between our fingers. The more we try to capture it, the more it burns us. We'll never be able to capture it in our palms and gaze into its liquid truth. Its escape is inevitable'

As with most story collections there were a couple of stories which didn't quite hit the mark for me, but as whole I hugely enjoyed this collection. The writing in each was well paced and formulated. Some of the more obscure material was well married with the real world, which gave a real sense of being believable and grounded.
A great collection of stories and well worth checking out.

Trigger Warnings Galore!
Includes child abuse, child death, animal cruelty, torture, homophobia, self harm and a ton more. If you pick this up, the author kindly wrote a page detailing TWs for each story.

An absolutely bizarre selection of stories by author, Eric Raglin. Had a lot of “Wtf?” moments but in a good way. You never know what to expect from each story and that was appreciated. It was incredibly fun reading them!

The Resurrection Doll-
Man grieving the loss of his husband buys a sex doll in the likeness of his former lover. This is equal parts bizarre, sad and messed up. It was an interesting take on the parts of grief where you just can’t let a loved one go.

A Most Bulbous Congregation-
A young man sent to conversion therapy that works a little differently than expected. Conversion therapy is a real fear for many and this story brings that fear to life. Truly scary!

‘Til the Sun Wheel Turns No More-
An awesome story involving the occult, metal and nazis that get hunted. Doesn’t really need any other introduction than that. This was my choice for most “fun.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my copy of the book to review!

Extinction Hymns is a collection of horror fiction that explores weirdness, extinction, and humanity. There's a huge range of stories in the book, from a monstrous angel helping a woman with drug addiction to killing Nazis in the death metal scene with magic (and many with less extreme summaries), but there's a common look at how we treat other people and the planet, as the title of the collection might suggest.

I really enjoyed the variety of the collection, with a lot of fresh concepts, and I never knew where the next story would take me. Some are obviously horror takes on things—like 'A Most Bulbous Congregation' and conversion therapy or 'The Last of Her Kind' and preservation of species—and I really enjoyed these, which all had different vibes but said some interesting things whilst having some horrifying imagery. Some of the other stories were more focused on weirdness, on unnerving things and strange situations. Stories like 'Floaters' and 'Boning' combine violence with sad medical concepts and leave you with things to think about.

As with any short story collection, there's some that jump out and others which blend in more, but Extinction Hymns is a collection with variety that offers a look at some of the darker, weirder sides of life. Having already read Raglin's ''Til the Sun Wheel Turns No More' in Antifa Splatterpunk, I was looking forward to this book, and it didn't disappoint.

I enjoy short story collections from time to time. They allow you to get to know the style of the author from different points of view.
Extinction Hymns from Eric Raglin is no exception.
Many quite interesting takes on different scenarios. Most enjoyable. A little tongue-in-cheek action mixed in.

There is a lot to take in here. Eighteen stories is a lot, but I think they were written in a way that doesn't make them feel like a lot.

Strange at times. Terrifying at other times, with enough bizarreness mixed in to keep everything fresh.

Very enjoyable

Again, Eric Raglin delivers some deliciously bizarre and disturbingly horrific stories. Eighteen stories in all, some brilliant, some less so, though all eighteen elegantly written, with their own distinctive style, sometimes emotionally draining and with very unexpected punches at the end. ‘Angel Teeth,’ the third story, deserves special mention: Raglin does an excellent job of combining the uncanny with some very down-to-earth concerns, focusing mostly on addiction, both to ordinary substances and some supernatural ones! The name of the story should be taken literally: would you go so far as to torture an angel in order to get your life back? ‘Transubstantiation,’ the fourth story, though sketchy, was very impressive: told from the first point of view of a child to receive communion, there were alarm bells ringing right from the start, but you never get any solid confirmation in that regard until the very end. The horror stories touching LGBT issues were handled adequately, most of the twists were not easily predictable and some stories (‘The Strangling Ash,’ ‘Floaters,’ ‘Boning’) were even overwhelmingly troubling. Trigger warnings have been (wisely) put in the end, so as not to spoil the tales’ content! Recommended.
An ARC was kindly provided by Brigids Gate Press via Netgalley, to whom I’m grateful.

Very seldom is every story in a book of short stories good. Extinction Hymns is the exception. Silver Dollar Eyes, The Last Summer and The Last of Her Kind were my absolute favorites. Although I must say that every story was wonderfully written. There isn’t only horror. There is sadness, happiness and uneasiness. The later you get only from a story well told. Kudos to Eric Raglin who can write a story that coaxes you in and takes you places you didn’t know you wanted to be.

This collection is frightfully good. It is disturbing and shocking and well-written. Eric Raglin is a horror titan in the making, you just watch.

(I'll expand upon this review shortly)