I once entered the house of a hoarder and it's a disturbing experience. I cannot think how it could be adding a sense of creep and doom.
Intriguing, a novella that kept me on the edge.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A quick read that tells a whole tale that leaves the reader wondering what they just read. I do not usually read books less than 150 pages but I decided to take a chance because I wanted to see how the story unfolded. I cannot imagine having the job that Paul has. I could not enter a home wondering what was there, hiding in the shadows. I would think it is stressful enough having to wade through the unknown of a hoarders place then throw in some survival games and the reader will see who survives.

This is a gripping mystery-thriller that follows Paul, a complex and compelling protagonist tasked with unraveling dark secrets and confronting the voices of the past. Paul is an unassuming, reluctant hero who finds himself entangled in a case that forces him to confront uncomfortable truths about himself and those around him.

Busby’s storytelling is tightly woven, blending Paul’s internal struggles with a gripping investigation. The novel explores the weight of truth and the consequences of speaking for those who can no longer speak for themselves. Paul’s journey is filled with moral dilemmas, as he must navigate not just the mystery at hand, but the burden of his own choices and the ghosts of his past—figuratively and perhaps literally.

The pacing is sharp, with plenty of twists and red herrings that keep the reader on edge. Busby builds an atmosphere thick with tension, using Paul’s growing unease and the unsettling discoveries he makes to drive the story forward. The novel is rich with psychological depth, exploring themes of guilt, responsibility, and the sometimes uncomfortable nature of justice.

“You Will Speak for the Dead” is perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven thrillers with intricate plotting and emotional weight. Paul’s journey from reluctant participant to a man forced to face uncomfortable truths makes for a gripping, thought-provoking read that stays with you long after the last page.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an ARC and allowing me to provide my honest review

Creepy but ultimately beautiful, this short novella used horror to speak to the magic of interconnectedness. Paul Simard is a cleaner, helping hoarders purge their piles of belongings, but when he and his team clean a home that’s been vacated by a former professor of “bio research”, things get weird. This is fungal horror, with spongy carpets and mushrooms growing from mouldering books. It’s very short, but I loved it because Busby is able to capture some truths about the human condition that make this not only eerie, but also poignant and real.

Sometimes the possessions we cannot get rid of are all that we can control in a world that seems scary and rife with loss. In extreme cases, this leads to hoarding. But in a neat shift of mindset, Paul is able to take this fear of loss and transform it into an interconnectedness that is life-affirming. Against his will, of course, and not without some body horror (and some humour, it must be said, that involves fungal growth and some interesting body parts!).

I didn’t find this novella scary, but it was eerie. In the end, the tone was actually hopeful and uplifting. Busby has been clever with references and I had fun looking up some names and mushrooms. The address of the house is worth searching up too! Also, I can’t help but wonder if Busby’s choice of “Simard” for Paul’s last name is a tribute to Suzanne Simard of Finding the Mother Tree, though I may be stretching here. Regardless, I find that literary interconnectedness beautiful!

Thanks to Stelliform Press and NetGalley for a review copy.

Thank you for the chance to read this ARC for my honest review!

This was dark and twisty and reminded me of T. Kingfisher's books! This is not my typical genre of choice, but I did enjoy the writing style of You Will Speak For the Dead.

I will be recommending this to 2 of my best friends who LOVE T. Kingfisher because I think this would be right up their alley!!

“You Will Speak For the Dead” by R.A. Busby was definitely a strange read. Right from the start, there’s this surreal vibe with mushrooms and some pretty unsettling body horror that left me a bit uncomfortable. It’s not a genre I usually go for, but I stuck with it because the heavy, sad undertones of the story really drew me in. There’s this emotional weight to it that kept me intrigued, but honestly, the overall weirdness was a bit much for me. The mushrooms and the way they were tied into the plot just made it too bizarre for my taste. Still, it had an interesting, if haunting, depth.

Thank you, NetGalley, for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

i loved this author's previous work and loved this as well. so well written and captivating. thank you for the arc!

This body horror novella made me uneasy from the first chapter! I loved it! It's very short, but boy did it pack a punch! Highly recommend for a Spooky Season read!

Our main character Paul clears out houses for a living. His mother died, his boyfriend left him, he is a bit of a mess. It quickly becomes obvious that the newest clearing of a hoarder house is not the usual job. They walk on a fungal carpet, mushrooms grow everywhere inside of the house. The elderly lady who lived in the house has disappeared.

You probably guessed it by now, we have a bit of a sporror story on our hands.

Considering that this story is only 85 pages, it took its sweet time to get going. It started off as a very slowly moving look into the world of hoarding. It was a little boring. Until about a third into the story it turned to sporror and briefly to creepy body horror. It mellowed out again after those „yuck“ moments.

The blurb mentions a creeping sense of Paul feeling invaded, of powerful connections to foreign memories, of the house being alive… all that fell flat for me. Paul was much too complacent and accepting for any of it to have much of an impact on me. He wasn’t worried much or inquisitive and neither was I. I finished the book last night and barely remember how it ended.

There were some charming bits in between, about Paul keeping mementos from houses he cleaned, about dealing with loosing his mother and boyfriend, but overall this was just ok.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

Well, I'm going to have nightmares tonight! This book was was equal parts disturbing, gross, and nightmare inducing. Every time Paul did something stupid like put the finger of his work glove in his mouth to try to pull it off, after he KNEW that the house was teeming with fungi and spores, I just wanted to reach through my tablet and shake him. I would definitely suggest reading this on an empty stomach, but if you are a fan of horror, then you will want to check this out. It is a short read, but so worth it!

I’ve never before experienced a book that was both horrifying and heartwarming at the same time. I went into this pretty blind, I loved the cover art and knew it sounded kinda spooky but man I wasn’t ready for the amazingly disturbing body horror that this author delivered. I didn’t think mushrooms could be so scary. I had such a great time with this story but honestly the stand out would have to be the ending. It really affected me in unexpected ways and I can’t wait to go out and get a physical copy of this so I can revisit it. Thank you so much to NetGally and the publisher for an E-ARC of this amazing book!

This was a quick, unique, and slightly creepy read perfect for October reading. I liked the premise of Paul's character struggling with grief and guilt associated with disposing of things belonging to someone who has passed away. His character had a great backstory and baggage, but the plotting just didn't completely come together for me towards the end.

Conocí a R. A. Busby hace unos meses, cuando leí un relato que me dejó con los pelos como escarpias y que más adelante terminamos publicando en Voces de lo insólito y tuvo una gran acogida. Se titula «Diez mil niñas que se arrastran» y os lo recomiendo encarecidamente.

En la entrevista, la autora nos contó que este otoño publicaría una novela corta con hongos y, cómo no, me la apunté enseguida.

Si no leí «You Will Speak for the Dead» de una sentada fue porque tenía que trabajar. Narrado en primera persona y con un tono muy íntimo, nos presenta a Paul, un hombre que se dedica a vaciar casas de personas que acumulan cosas sin mesura. Hasta que un día le encargan limpiar una casa que no es como las demás y que lo cambiará para siempre.

Me parece que Busby es una autora de terror que se centra mucho en el cuerpo, en las posibilidades que ofrece, en las violaciones que sufre, en los cambios que le acontecen. Su terror es más incómodo e íntimo que grotesco y exagerado. En las dos obras que he leído suyas, ha conseguido atraparme por completo e incluso cambiarme un poco.

Si estás buscando una novela corta para esta spooky season, dale un tiento a Busby y sus hongos. Te transformará.

I will forever be haunted by the phrase "skin carrots". I love plant horror and body horror, so combining them into such a surprisingly emotional story was a huge win for me.

Not only did I read this in one sitting but I may have felt slightly ill for awhile after. I am not mad at it! Paul Simard cleans hoarders houses and the latest one is a doozy. Not only are there mushrooms and mold, but he can hear things inside his head. This was a great trip that I recommend to any fan of horror. Definitely check your trigger warnings, but it is a wild ride!

**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

RA Busby presents You Will Speak for the Dead, a sporror novella. Main character Paul works clearing out hoarding houses. Or at least, he did until 982 Avirosa. The home of an aged mycologist, a family member has hired Paul and the rest of Junkitt to clear the space for sale. But the floor isn't entirely floor. The house is full, not just of stuff, but it's alive.

As a microbiologist by education who works in a death industry, this story was directly in target demographic for me. Busby's writing is smart but accessible and reasonable given our perspective character(s). The parallels drawn up between the fungal world and the human experience were really very clever, even given the acknowledged inspiration from Sheldrake's Entangled Life (which I have also read).

This story was precisely as long as it needed to be and I would happily recommend it to other sporror enthusiasts.

I don't trust mushrooms. Can't trust them, really, after reading this book.

The main character works for a cleaning company that cleans out hoarder homes. And I spent a lot of the book making this face: 😬 Or, a close second: 😦

The narration is quick and conversational. There are a lot of references to “you,” as if the narrator is talking to the reader. I could've been sitting on a couch listening to him tell the story, but good Lord I wouldn't want to. For risk that the mushrooms (possibly!) infesting his body would infest mine. Like I said: 😦

Eww, but in a good way.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the e-ARC!

Nineteenth-century transcendentalism meets gentle body horror in this delightful novella by R. A. Busby. This story is primarily written in an intimate first person, with the narrator/main character occasionally directly addressing the reader. Instead of feeling like a gimmick this affords a comfortable entry into the experiences of this story. The writing is descriptive and comfortable, not pulling you through the story as much as standing behind you and gently ushering you along, with a few clusters of body horror mixed in, just to ensure you’re paying attention. The story is exploring ideas about grief and memory, the ways that we try to preserve our selves and those things we value in valiant but ultimately misguided ways, and how the preservation of the best parts of our lives comes in their perpetual transformation. Both the characters and the narrative itself were a little bit expected, which isn’t to say bad but simply didn’t have a lot of surprise in them. I think the first-person narration really makes the reader a co-conspirator in the first few pages, and because of this it is easy to clue in on what is going to happen. Similarly, our main character has the appearance of depth, he isn’t a boring space holder, by any stretch of the imagination, but in this tight novella we get little hints and glimpses at the robustness of his life, without many words spent away from the transformative events of the narrative itself. I would usually prefer characters that feel a little more fleshed out, but here he still feels genuine and relatable, and in many ways that experience of openness, of permeability with the reader, works in favor of the story’s overall vibe.

For the gravity of the ideas it wants to explore, and even acknowledging the bits of fleshy body horror, this is ultimately a cozy book. It is inviting and comfortable. Even if the story feels expected, or maybe even a little hackneyed at times, that is because it wants the reader to feel included, part of something bigger than themselves. The page count may be slight, flying by in a single reading session, but the heart of the story is anything but, offering courage and optimism in the face of loss and disruption.

(Rounded up from 3.5 stars).

I want to thank the author, the publisher Stelliform Press, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I've never read R.A. Busby before, but was quickly drawn into Paul's world by her prose. Given that this is such a short novella, I don't want to give too much away. But I do want to share that, while this novella contains some pretty gnarly body horror and utterly creepy depictions of mushrooms, it also captures a really profound sense of love and also grief.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone story. I got an eGalley of this through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: This was creepy and decently done with some very Lovecraftian overtones to it. I read it quickly and enjoyed it.

Paul has a hoarder house cleaning business, and this next house he is dealing with is a dozy. The house is literally alive inside, full of fungus and mushrooms. After the first day of clean-out Paul starts to notice some strange things happening to his body and his mind. He finds strange fungal filaments growing on him and hears voices in his head. He needs to figure out what is happening before the changes are permanent.

This story has a lot of horror elements to it and a dark supernatural type of element as well. The fungus and the weird collective mind it develops gave me Lovecraft vibes. The descriptions are very gross and gory, which is pretty horrific. I didn't find it particularly scary, just weird, creepy, and gross.

I did wonder why this was happening to Paul and not the other people cleaning the house, and struggled to understand the significance of the teacup he found. To be fair, I was reading this while sleep deprived at a gaming convention, so I may have missed some subtleties here.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was strange and different and creepy and I enjoyed it. I liked how it plays on some odd human fears around the horrors you might find during a house clean-out and the lack of our understanding of the fungal world. There are some pretty gory, gross parts here, which are the main horror elements...the other parts of the story are just weird. I would recommend if you like weird horror with a Lovecraft vibe to it.