The author described this book as “Swampcore’ and that's 100% what this book is. Add a dash of art, creepy animals, grief, and ‘what was that noise’?

Rita, a Queer Mi’kmaw woman feels disconnected from her heritage, is struggling with her art and still hasn’t given herself time to grieve her estranged father.

During her artist's residency, on the land her father grew up in, Rita starts to hear noises outside her cabin. I was hooked the moment Rita started to wonder if it was a body hitting the ground or not. I could clearly picture the lush landscape thanks to the beautiful prose.

If you’re looking for a quick read while possibly hiding under a blanket, this will be perfect.

Thanks to NetGalley & Stelliform Press for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm an absolute SUCKER for a horror narrative and I am so thankful to Stelliform Press, Tiffany Morris, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access to this behemoth before it came out on October 31, 2023.

I really enjoyed the heck out of this one. If you're feeling lost or down in this world, the author knows how that feels.
Rita is a brokenhearted artist staying at a camp in the woods. Her father recently died and her girlfriend is...well, it's complicated.
Rita goes to the nearby pond and is met by a fox, a rabbit, a raven, and the Lichen Woman.
She must face the truth if she wants to move forward.

I loved the writing in GREEN FUSE BURNING. You could tell the author is into poetry.

Definitely check this quick read out.

I must say, this earthy chiller really snuck up on me.

In “Green Fuse Burning,” Tiffany Morris crafts a subtly eerie novella about art and identity that builds a disturbing sense of dread long before it shocks you with its graphic imagery.

I was nearly lulled into a sense of reluctant complacency, when the white-eyed raven appeared, and all hell broke loose.

“Green Fuse Burning” is terrifically horrific Indigenous folk horror.

Rita has lost her father, so the main themes are grief and healing. Through her art, she comes to terms with death as inseparable from life and something we should learn to accept and live with. I liked the structure. A description of one of her paintings opens each chapter, followed by the event she was inspired by. She is mixed and estranged from the non-white part of her family. She desperately seeks a connection to her indigenous background and resents her mother for keeping her away from it.

There was also commentary on climate change, colonisation, and toxic relationships.

I did not enjoy the writing. It was complicated, sometimes hard to follow, and a few sentences required a reread. But it worked well to paint the swamp’s gloomy atmosphere: untamed, muddy, and uncomfortable and the fact we don’t know whether what happened on the retreat was real or not.

I loved the themes and Rita’s journey to acceptance, but the writing took me out of the experience.

Indigenous, queer swampcore was the pitch that sold this book to me.
My favorite kind of horror is the one where the places/events of horror are actually a space to deal with pain, grief, loss, trauma, fear of death. I so hoped Green Fuse Burning would be a story of this kind, and wow did it deliver! It delivered even more, there's so much in this story despite its briefness: climate anxiety, identity formed in the shadow of grief, both interrelated with reflections on colonialism, difficult relationships (with other people and within themself), all presented in very dense, lyrical prose (one can easily tell the author is also a poet) and framed by commentary on the paintings of the protagonist created during the events of the novella.
This is such a gem, exactly the experience I love to read for! Can't wait to get hold of a printed, illustrated version.

Thank you NetGalley, Stelliform Press (who start to grow to be my favorite publisher) and the author for providing the ARC.

I do enjoy a queer, short, beautifully written horror.

In Green Fuse Burning, Rita is struggling with the grief of losing her father as well as disconnected from the Mi'kmaq language and culture now he has passed. To try and help her, her girlfriend submits an application on her behalf for a week to paint at an isolated cabin. But during her stay, Rita starts to hear and see things in the forest and surrounding swamp...

As this is a short novella, I don't want to give too much of the story away, so here are the things I enjoyed:
- each chapter opened with a description of one of the characters' art pieces
- the character expressed her feelings on being disconnected from her culture, as I only speak English (and not Tagalog despite my mother being from the Philippines) I really related to these discussions
- the references to colonialism
- exploration of grief
- the beautiful writing

I'll leave off with some quotes from the novella I highlighted during my read

"Why did people need to be in nature to process the things that happened to them? Maybe it was because what was thought of as wild did not require a veil - it saw you as you truly were: an animal skulking among animals."


"A healed wound could shine brightly pink like a satin ribbon wrapped around a gift, damage faded into the skin, or remaining as a bright reminder, if she wasn't as lucky. But even if it disfigured her, a scar was something that said, yes, I survived. Something that said, time has passed. My body did it's work.
The mental wound, the soul wound, though, was nebulous. An infinite tumbling of brackish water, a rust oxidizing memories. A possession of rot. It was the murkiness of her sorrow, how unknowable it was, the self-estrangement of her own grief that fucked her up the most."


"Her memories were colonized by trauma."


"Death was something Rita recognized as a collaboration: her body, moulded into mycelium and moss, bones drying into dust. Her memories would die faster than her body; as the first act of her extinction, they would transform into smoke that would cling to the corners of heaven. She would be a spiderweb, spun upon those eaves and destroyed in the span of a day."


Thank you to Netgalley and Stelliform Press for providing me with an arc to read in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for the opportunity to read this novella in exchange for an honest review*

Just in time for Halloween, Tiffany Morris manages to nail what horror is about in this novella about a woman who goes to a cabin for a week, expecting to paint and yet gets more than one bargains for.

While it is different from the average cosmic horror, naturesque horror, Indigenous elements are included in such an immersive way. As a reader, I felt myself get immersed in Rita's surroundings in the setting and some of her feelings through the writing style Tiffany Morris used. I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what happened next, and I was impressed with this considering this is a novella and it doesn't leave as much room for description as a novel has. I was invested in Rita and her story as a whole.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novella and was mesmerized all throughout! A great written job.

Really enjoyed the juxtaposition of art description and narrative, but the last twenty or so pages just didn't do it for me, which is a good chunk of the story, for a novella. I felt very present in Rita's struggle and grief until I just...wasn't. Could very much be a personal thing.

thank u to netgalley for the e-arc!

Being immersed in this book was a journey. There were some really dark and devastating moments but the visuals were absolutely breathtaking. The prose is beautiful and dreamlike, and the eMOTIONAL DAMAG- I mean impact is profound. For a relatively short novella, I took a lot of time reading and rereading certain passages, and wished I had a physical copy to annotate. It is a heavy but ultimately hopeful tale about accepting death as part of life, nature and self, moving on with - not from - grief, and loving oneself and life as they are. There are also themes of identity, belonging, and the devastation of colonialism and capitalism; both the author and the protagonist are Mi'kmaw. It can be a triggering read for individuals struggling with grief and suicidal ideation, but if one can take care of oneself and go through the story at their own pace, I think this book is absolutely worth anyone's time.

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"When we lose someone, we are forced into the deeply lonely experience of disillusionment alongside the terrible fact of our loss... we must instead wade every day into our understanding of death and how death creates meaning."
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Also, I learned about the names of the months in Mi'kmaq language and I found them so pretty and such a fun way to look at the passage of time. I would love to be someone born during "forg croaking time" - but unfortunately I wasn't even born in May 😆

Green Fuse Burning follows an artist, Rita, during her most recent residency following the death of her father. This residency takes place on land that once belonged to her M'ikmaq ancestors and in the region where her dad grew up. Throughout the story, Rita is struggling with the grief of losing her father and possibly losing her link to her M'ikmaq heritage. But strange things start to happen while she's there and Rita starts having visions...or are they dreams? Is it just her grief that she's lost to or is it something else? Will she leave or die trying?

Let me start by saying that I loved the structure of this book. I've never read anything that used descriptions of art pieces as a way to lead into a chapter so I was definitely intrigued when I started to read. I also really liked how the author wrote the flashbacks in these chapters. It can be hard sometimes to navigate a story when flashbacks are involved, but I had no issues this time. The pacing was also perfect. It never felt slow.

I did struggle sometimes to keep up with Rita's thoughts and whether or not the strange occurrences were visions or something more. But I think that was the point. The chaos of the natural world, but also finding the balance nature so viciously inacts. It was definitely unsettling at times, but I wouldn't say it was scary.

I also really enjoyed how vivid the imagery was. It was incredibly easy to picture everything (this can be hard for me sometimes).

Overall, this was a great read for me! Definitely different, but I think the differences really set this book apart. I'll be looking for more to read from this author!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher, Stelliform Press, for an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.

⭐️⭐⭐✨3.5/5

Green Fuse Burning was a hauntingly beautiful metaphor about grief and loss, life and death, and our connection to the natural world. Tiffany Morris’s writing is lyrical and it feels more like poetry than prose. You can tell that each word was chosen carefully, meant to literally paint a picture and conjure emotional reactions in the reader.

This is not your typical kind of novel. It follows the story of Rita, an artist struggling with the death of her estranged father. Rita is grappling with her disconnect to her Mi'kmaq identity - the language and culture, her family history, and all the questions she never asked of her father and now never can. Then her girlfriend, Molly, goes behind her back to get her an artist’s residency and she ends up on the land her father grew up on, in an isolated cabin to paint. And bizarre things start happening. But it never becomes clear to the reader how many of these strange things actually happened, and how much might have simply been in her mind.

There is not a typical story arc in this novella. Each chapter starts with the description of a painting, and then we get the story from the woods behind each painting, knowing that the artist who painted them vanished shortly after their creation. It was an intriguing way to write the story, but also a bit jarring. I felt like I kept getting pulled out of the narrative and then thrown back in.

There is no real “resolution” in this story, at least in terms of what happened in those woods. The conflict in this story (bizarre happenings aside) is much more internal. It’s about Rita’s struggles with being alive, her questions about life and death and what it all means - especially as it relates to her indigenous heritage. I was expecting to see more about her reconnection to her Mi'kmaq roots and identity, though.

This book is definitely more niche and I know some people will absolutely love it. It was just okay for me, though. I loved the writing and the premise of the book. And while the words themselves grabbed me, the story didn’t.

As an art major turned designer turn bookseller, the entire concept of this book appealed to me. The main character has reluctantly accepted a remote artist residency by the banks of an overgrown pond. While she grapples with grief over father’s death, the separation from her girlfriend, and complicated family and tribal relationships, she finds that the pond she originally thought idyllic may have a darker message for her. Between the artwork descriptions to mark the sections, the vivid use of color, and the unusual pacing, there was a lot to explore in such a small book. Unsettling but never scary, contemplative but never slow, if you enjoy contemporary art, wandering through a natural scene that is becoming increasingly unnerving and improbable…you’ll enjoy this book. This is one of those books where you’re never really sure if what happened really happened.

Poetic rebirthing

This novella is largely a metaphor about finding yourself, processing your grief and getting comfortable with mortality. It’s a very niche type of novella, the author is very descriptive and poetic in their writing, but I also have no idea what happened. Things never fully get explained, and is very much left open to interpretation. I highly suggest reading the TW’s before you read this. This type of book isn’t going to be for everyone. The people who enjoy this style of writing will love it, though.

I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

First of all, love that cover!!!

Green has become my favorite color in the horror genre. (Beginning with its use in my favorite movie, “Re-Animator,” and building from there.) There’s just something about bright, glowing neon green in a creepy setting. Very stylish.

This book is atmospheric AF. I love vivid descriptions of the woods and creepy lakes, etc. Rita is doing an artist’s residency in an isolated cabin in the woods. But there’s a lot going on with her and she is constantly tempted to surrender to her Depression and to the odd temptations of the forest. (Be warned: this is a bleak premise!) But is she being influenced by more than just her own emotions? She could also be hallucinating.

Each chapter begins with the description of one of Rita’s paintings. Thanks to the writing, the art is easy to picture. I do wish the paintings had been included, but I know that may be asking too much. (I did see something on Netgalley about this being published with original artwork included, so maybe the final version will have the paintings? I would LOVE to see that!)

You should know that this is a slow burn. The horror doesn’t really kick in until about halfway through, and even then it is primarily psychological. But there is a deep feeling of unease from the beginning, and something seems to be there with her in the woods.

One of my favorite things about the book was that Rita had very relatable insecurities, and there was also a subplot about her father in the hospital that added to the character’s backstory. Horror and grief go hand in hand. The character’s Native American ancestry played a deep role in the imagery of the story, as well.

Near the end, I found it a bit harder to follow what was happening. But I liked all the fungal horror imagery. Some of it was reminiscent of Annihilation, one of my absolute favorite books. I’m still not entirely clear about what exactly occurred in the third act, but that’s okay. Overall I really liked my experience with this and I recommend it if you like slow burn horror involving artists or fever dream forest imagery!

TW: sickness/death of a loved one, suicidal ideation, Depression, brief animal harm

Whoa! Well okay novella go off.
This little guy packed a PUNCH.

Rita is dealing with grief of losing her father, feeling disconnected to her Mi’kmaw roots and an abusive relationship with her mother all while her girlfriend forges an application for her to get a grant to spend time in an isolated creepy ass cabin to paint.

The prose was excellent. The tension of what was going to happen next was griping and all of the trauma Rita was dealing with was intense.

Great read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for an eARC.

I'mma start off with saying that I genuinely love that indigenous horror is having a moment, and that it's long overdue.

I am not even sure I remember requesting Green Fuse Burning on NetGalley, and since I'm not really reading blurbs, all I was going on was a cover that looked like it might have some sporror elements (which are really only second to zombies and cannibals in my book).

What I was not expecting was an exploration of trauma and grief through an artist's lens (with, yes, some mild sporror thrown in for flavour). I cried multiple times during the two hours it took to read this, and had to keep putting it down for days at a time bc I was really struggling to process how it made me feel.

I highlighted several passages that I will never share bc they are too personal and felt like something I might have written myself.

More like this, please.

5/5 Stars

TL;DR - A visceral and haunting exploration of grief, depression, and the complex relationship between art and suffering. Hazy and dreamlike, but also cuttingly real and bleak, this book explores with sharp, shimmering prose all the nuances of coming to terms with mortality. Art about art, all of it enthralling.

Big thanks to Stelliform Press and NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!

***Trigger warnings for: death of a parent, PTSD with intrusive memories/thoughts, depression, suicidal ideation, animal death, gore, and brief but explicit sex.***

(I really appreciate that the author/publisher included trigger warnings at the start of the book! I would love to see more authors follow suit!)

“Why did people need to be in nature to process the things that happened to them? Maybe it was because what was truly thought of as wild did not require a veil - it saw you as you truly were: an animal skulking among animals.”

‘Green Fuse Burning’ by Tiffany Morris is a novella that, despite being only just over 100 pages, packs a whole entire punch. It’s the story of Rita Francis, a Mi’kmaq artist who is struggling with the death of her father, whose girlfriend (woo for sapphic rep!) secretly applies her for an artist-in-residency grant. She escapes to a cabin in the middle of nowhere on her ancestral land, and from the first night, she realizes that she’s not alone in the secluded woods. What follows is a deep exploration of her grief, mental illness, and suicidal ideation, all of it haunted by a mysterious presence that watches her from the trees.

Holy shit, y’all, this book. I didn’t know what to expect from an “Indigenous swampcore novella”, but I think I might have found my new niche genre. I absolutely loved this in every way possible.

The prose is gorgeous and haunting, and so evocatively atmospheric. As someone who lives in the woods by a pond, that also happens to be in the middle of swampland…I am deeply connected to the setting in a way that both terrifies and excites me. The story is about art, but this book itself is art, and I consider it an honor that I got to read and advanced copy of such a startlingly beautiful novella. Thank you for this book, Tiffany.

“Rita gave herself the same reassurance that all poets and artists and writers gave themselves when something was unbearable: perhaps it would be good for her art.”

I really connected with Rita. I’ve experienced trauma surrounding a loved one’s illness and death, and I found the depictions of the complex emotions that come during and after to be completely believable and relatable. I have also grappled for most of my life with suicidal ideation, and I also found that representation both respectful and realistic. Normally I find this kind of content hard to read, but it was handled with such grace and compassion that it was actually helpful to me in understanding my own struggles. The commentary on the interplay of life and death throughout, especially towards the end, was beautiful and heart-breaking and honestly what I needed to read in a time where I’m actively struggling with some of the same things Rita is. Tiffany, I already thanked you for your gorgeous prose, but thank you for giving a voice to this reality in a way that was deeply cathartic for me.

The horror element is so unique and unexpected, both in what it actually is and how Rita ultimately interacts with it. Definitely not wishing for my own pond entity to come give me a weird squishy hug, no ma’am. /s

Lastly, I love the conversation about climate change in this book. It’s very needed, and done in such a personal, down-to-earth way that I think even newcomers to the discussion will come away with an understanding of the impacts climate change has on every link in the food chain. Absolutely superb.

Final Thoughts:

This book has earned the rare accolade of a place on my “My Soul On Paper” shelf, only the fourth book to do so to date. I’m pre-ordering a hard copy as soon as I post this review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautiful sapphic gothic horror that also touches the subject of colonialism and grief. The chapters are introduced by paintings that foreshadow what might happen in the chapter which I found very creative.
The main character, Rita, is a lesbian artist. Feeling disconnected from her Mi'kmaq roots, dealing with grief of losing her father, facing troubles with her relationship as well as her art. Rita has a lot on her plate and finds herself traveling to an isolated cabin near a swamp to work on her art and emotions. The strange sounds coming from the swamp at night pull Rita deeply into the dark visions and energy and she finally paints. This novella describes perfectly how art and emotions are connected.

Such a perfect book for halloween season.
I enjoyed this a lot and the prose is one of the kind. The writing style was just stunning I felt like highlighting every single sentence I read. This is the perfect example how simple words can be turned into art.
It is not very plot driven so for people searching for action this might not be a book to you ! However it focuses on worldbuilding, emotions, dealing with grief and has a very poetic writing style. As for the horror side I would not concider it scary but creepy at most.

This is a book for you if you want a hauntingly beautiful, character driven prose with sapphic representation. It's a short novella but it really sticks with you for a lobg time because of the descriptive writing style you are able to visualize the events with ease.

In a profound meditation on grief, death, and crippling anxiety, Morris uses nature as means of emotional healing. Nature in all its red, raging tooth and nail glory invokes the circular aspects of life itself. Death becomes a transformative process in which one becomes a new nurturing entity for the Earth. The visceral pulsating life of the pond is never ending cycle of death feeding life. Nature ultimately transforms the horror of grief into a renewed sense of oneness with all types of life.