This novella was extreme and incredibly fast paced. Beginning by introducing you to a talented psychiatrist meeting with a patient, and ending with some of the most epically described cosmic horror that I’ve read, this multiple POV story was hard to put down or take a break from, despite its brutality. The descriptions, especially toward the end, were really beautifully horrible, so much so that I have thought about how brutal this books depictions are long after finishing it. If you are a fan of cosmic horror, demon lore, and aren’t squeamish, check this one out. This is my second book by this author and I will continue to seek them out!

Steve NEVER disappoints. This was a brilliant and chilling story. Short with a punch. I will continue to read everything he writes.

Stred is a stellar author. You can fly through his books but there is a layer of depth to them. I’m always pleasantly surprised when reading a Stred book. He’s becoming a pillar in the indie community. I can’t wait to read more.

I really enjoyed this! It has some really creepy moments and I wasn't sure how it was going to end. The pacing is perfect and the writing style draws you in. This is a great horror novel and one I would recommend! Special Thank You to Steve Stred, DarkLit Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dark, bloody, surreal, and shades of Lovecraft - truly creepy and dwelling on it could be the stuff if nightmares. Creative and almost an experience, but rather jarring in that. Splatterpunk and extreme horror fans, you need to read this one.

currently in a state of “what the fuck did i just read” and “omg i could not put this book down”

this was a fascinating horror book. i really liked how the author wrote very clear and definitive narrators. and then you get to the end and you want to go back to the beginning to reread for clues leading up to the twist

perfect book for a rainy fall night

When I Look at the Sky, All I See Are Stars is just one of those Steve Stred thrillers that will have you gasping for breath right from the word 'go'. The story focuses on two principal characters: the experienced psychiatrist Dr. Rachel Hoggendorf and her enigmatic patient David. Their convoluted and besmirched relationship is the essence of this story as Rachel unravels the mysterious mind of David.

Stred masterfully winds up the tension and unease, where the lines blur between what's sane and what's madness. The vivid prose makes the atmosphere quite claustrophobic, inescapably pulled into a world of paranoia and obsession fleshed out by these characters. The mental illness is sensitive and deep; there's no doubt in the reader's mind it's about the nature of reality and perception.

Though this ending is somehow open-ended, it leaves an impression. Of course, When I Look at the Sky, All I See Are Stars turned out to be an engaging read that reels one in with profound thoughts staying in one's mind so long after finishing the last page.

A haunting pursuit of the human psyche.

Dr. Rachel Hoggendorf has a new patient. Her new patient is different from everyone else she has treated. This patient might not be sick. Something is individual and it wants out. Can Dr. Hoggendorf treat David or will his demon escape? Dread building read. Full of tension and creepiness.

First and foremost the formatting for this arc file is unreadable. Due to this I am not going to attempt to read poorly scanned pages that are turned into a ebook.

I want to thank Netgalley for an advanced ARC of this short story

When I Look At The Sky All I See Are Stars is a great book to read, I found it fun and engaging with a nice horror but also supernatural twist.

We follow a therapist who has a patient named David but there is more to David than meets the eye, many paths are taken with him but with no prevail, I would say that bit started to get more interesting for me around the halfway point where things started to become more involved in both the characters David and Rachel the therapist... the twist and turns were well done giving off an unsteady feeling & being able to see the story play out.

I have never read this author before but this was a great first experience and I am now interested in reading more of the twists on goings in his other work

really quick read and far from what i’m used to reading lmao
i was almost embarrassed feeling reading this at work
hoping no one would look over my shoulder or ask what it’s about
girl you don’t wanna know 💁🏽‍♀️
it was good tho fr
very interesting premise
i like cults and mental health and other entities and worlds

"When I Look At The Sky, All I See Are Stars" by Steve Stred is a fascinating and disturbing cosmic horror novella that instantly pulls readers into what appears like demonic possession but is something else entirely.

Psychiatrist Dr. Rachel Hoggendorf is thrown for a loop when she takes on David as a new patient at the facility. At first, she believes he's suffering from a multiple personality disorder. But over time, Daniel begins divulging information about people that he shouldn't know, and has no way of knowing, and he begins to turn aggressive and violent. Rachel turns to her colleague Dr. Dravendash for help, but as David's symptoms grow worse, the two start to wonder if he might be telling the truth after all and he is a four-hundred-year-old demon, one that is looking for a way out.

This brilliant, thrilling read will keep readers guessing what's happening to David. Is he just crazy? Or is something so seriously and horrifically wrong with him that it is inexplicable? The multiple perspectives continue to generate more questions about who David is and what's happening to him while giving readers insight into other characters. Rachel and Dr. Dravendash especially are smart and good at their jobs, if not a little competitive with each other. The two of them clash heads over their patient, adding to the surrealness of their situation because if they can't figure out what's going on, then surely that's a sign something bad is happening. Something beyond what is explainable and, perhaps, rational.

There are content warnings at the beginning of the book to be aware of such as self-harm, body horror, mental health issues, and gore. Despite being aware of these warnings, there were places where these themes became a bit much for me and prevented me from enjoying the story as much as I would've liked. Overall, I found the story intriguing and unlike other horror novels I've read in the past, so it was easy to be pulled into the storyline and become invested in David's character.

Lovers of horror, the strange, and otherworldly will enjoy this new story by Stred expected to be published on June 24th, 2024. Thank you to NetGalley and DarkLiit Press for providing me with an e-arc of this novel and the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

Steve Stred is a great new voice in the horror genre and I was happy to have a chance to review this ARC from NetGalley.

There are many things in this book that I loved. The intensity of the writing and how Stred can place the reader in visceral scenes is impressive and made the more graphic sections of the story even more vivid. I did however have some issues with the shifts in POV. At times it was hard to keep track of who was talking, or exactly where in the timeline the story was happening.

Overall though, horror fans will love this one and it will keep you up at night while reading wondering about things that lurk in the darkness.

A great add for those who love and enjoy the horror genre.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dark Lit Press for an ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an arc of this book!

I was really excited to read this because I found the concept to be interesting and have been slowly getting more into horror, but this novella kinda soured my expectations. I found the beginning to be quite engaging, but when the POVs kept switching, it was difficult to follow what was going on or who was speaking. I don't tend to enjoy chaotic narrative structures like this even in other genres. I found the body horror to be a little too much for me, but if you like the combination of horror and horny, then give this a shot. Unfortunately, this was a mix of things that I just don't enjoy and definitely put me into a reading slump.

When I Look At The Sky, All I See Are Stars has a multitude of cool things to it. The title and book cover are top notch, and the reason this book caught my eye. The next cool thing hit me when I started reading – the Reader Beware page at the very start. That?! Ohhh. That page markets the book all on its own.

As you gathered from the blurb, we have David at a mental health facility where doctors are trying to determine his diagnosis to properly treat him. There are multiple interviews being conducted with him by doctor Rachel Hoggendorf, and when things get weird and the unbelievable is tabled at the facility’s board meeting (which includes a couple of priests) to discuss next steps for David, doctor Darryl Dravendash is tasked with working alongside Rachel.

Now, if someone told you they were possessed by a 400-year-old demon, you would have a hard time believing it. But if you did believe it, would *you* not think that this demon comes with some sort of perks? 400 years is a long time, and clearly, they have some powers if they’re actually hanging about in someone’s meatsack. I would expect a wealth of knowledge, a great source of wisdom, minds being blown at all the things we don’t know about the past and might get to know about the future.

Alas, in this book, the demon has hooves and it takes great joy in 2 things. Priest-killing and orgies.

So, yeah, it does not take long for things to get weird and chaotic. In fact, the book’s structure plays a big role in throwing the reader through loops. Poor possessed David addresses the demon more than the doctors, and within each chapter, it takes a little second to know exactly who is talking. Weirdly, there weren’t like multiple POVs or anything but there were some timeline jumps and before/afters. I don’t mind the chaotic structure, personally. Sometimes it adds to the whole atmosphere of the book, as was also the case with When I Look At The Sky, All I See Are Stars.

I don’t know what I expected from this book based on the blurb, but I guess, in a sense, I can say I was surprised. I surely did not expect the full on satanic take to this story, definitely did not expect an entity with hooves, even though it’s promised in the blurb. If anything, I feel this novella is more of a tease. It’s a glimpse of a whole chonk of a horror story of cosmic powers and land of ash and orgies. As this title stands, it only scrapes the surface, yet it has left me with thoughts swirling in my head. I’m still thinking about it… It also remained unclear whether the characters are allowing the possession to happen (due to their ambitions) or whether they are taken against their will.

At 130 ebook pages, I feel like it didn’t get to the depths I would have liked – there’s so much potential to keep the doom and gloom going. So many avenues to explore. I would have loved more of the cosmic feel and motivations of the greater power. Does the story imply that everything beyond this life is shrouded in darkness? Does it suggest that even if we think some greater power will deliver greatness, there’s actually nothing once you step over a threshold.. Nothing else, but some ash, starry darkness, and deep orifice exploration? Essentially, though, I think the moral of the story is that if you want a lot, if your ambitions are great, you will likely sell your soul to the devil to get them, except in reality you end up losing it all. Bar the orgies. Yes, I keep coming back to the orgies. There are a few very graphic scenes occurred of all sorts of orifices being filled with genitalia. Sadly, I am beginning to think that sinful sexual acts are all that drive humanity forward and orgies will always be the endgame. You may make a pact with the devil to get rich and powerful, but the payment will always be in the naked. That’s all that the sins and ambitions boil down to. Sigh.

Generally, I prefer my horror to be slightly more personal, and I don’t mean orgies-personal. A bit of emotional foreplay, say, before the slashing and the bodily fluids start. I didn’t quite feel the presence of the characters as strongly – they were mostly just play-things here (which is sort of suitable as they are possessed, afterall). We simply didn’t have time or the page count to really get stuck into the nitty-grittys. But anyway, that’s okay, too. That may have been the goal here. Also, this is purely a personal preference. Some folks do not like the focus on the characters as much, they want the plot to deliver the oomph. I mean, with horror, who cares, most of them usually die anyway, right?!

The ending of this story can be translated into multiple meanings. But the general ‘after’ – who knows?! The opportunities are as many as there are stars in the sky, or grey flakes in the land of ash. It’s either the bleakest scenario, or the best outcome. Depending on the reader’s personal point of view on matters of religious, spiritual, and life experience. But boy, I sure do hope these real life interactions Stred made with people in the world of cults are okay.

Thank you to Netgalley and DarkLit Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book officially publishes on 6/24/24!

I requested this book without knowing much about it, so for all intents and purposes I went into this one blind. As such, reading the first chapter had me very intrigued as the author identifies where he got the idea for this novel from. Despite that page, however, I found the pacing and narration to be difficult to follow at first. This may be flushed out a bit more in the published version, however. Once I was comfortable with the writing style, I did at times find myself questioning “why?” As it seemed that readers were thrown into a scenario halfway through. Notably, however, this did come together all at the end. I will note that this book featured several graphic scenes that are not for those who are sensitive to certain topics. Giving this one 2 stars because of my overall experience reading this book. If you do decide to pick this one up, it is a quick read - but please check any relevant trigger warnings before doing so.

I love a fast-paced novella. Especially when they include elements of horror. Psychological and cosmic horror are two of my favorite sub-genres so this book really had me intrigued. I loved the concept of the story and it was interesting enough to finish this book in one sitting.
I loved the way that Steve told this story but however, I did fine myself getting confused at times being that we did get multiple povs but no real indication at the beginning of chapters of whos pov we were reading from.

All together, I really enjoyed this book. The pace was perfect for me and the storyline was great. I will definitely be reading more from Steve.

Psychiatrist Dr. Rachel Hoggendorf tries to treat David who claims to be 400 years old and possessed by a demon in a mental health facility. What starts as perplexing escalates to dangerous in this cosmic splatterpunk novella.

I really enjoyed the conversation between psychiatrist and patient to setup the mystery with the unreliable character. This novella has graphic dark cult elements and cosmic horror elements. I recommend this one to those that don't mind graphic violence, gore, and sexual scenarios in their books.

A Horror Bookworm Recommendation
When I Look At The Sky, All I See Are Stars by Steve Stred
https://horrorbookwormreviews.com/

David Stewart is labeled a “troubled” patient due to his “out of this world” claims. Professional opinions range from multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia and demon possession. Doctors, Psychologists and Clergyman all agree on one thing…there is something extremely wrong with David.

When I Look At The Sky, All I See Are Stars by Steve Stred should be on everyone’s must read list. Beginning with the creepy Reader Beware, Stred weaves a sort of psychological nightmare as we follow the main character on his own rite of passage. This immortal journey into the cosmos will test the faith of anyone who chooses to explore this book. The demonic presence is so profound within these pages, it would make Aleister Crowley feel uneasy.

Steve Stred has totally messed with my head, I can’t stop thinking about the strange horrifying details that this book has to offer. It’s scary for a number of reasons, such as the unsettling depiction of demonic possession and its disturbing images of pure evil (the video footage scene was creepy AF). No man of the cloth is safe from Stred’s unexpected acts of otherworldly violence. This author provides no Holy Sanctuary for the reader.

I’m always unnerved by this type of narrative. So warning: proceed with caution, you may gain insight to Mr. Stred’s unsettling dark fiction. Nothing awaits those who don’t believe…or does it? A Five Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Horror Bookworm Recommendation.