Book Review – Something in the Water by Eddie Generous

Title: Something in the Water

Author: Eddie Generous

Edition: Paperback

Page Count: 237 pages

Rating: 5 / 5 ✨✨✨✨✨

Short Summary:

From the brutal past in WHITE GHOST FUR, to the painful and troubling present in PROPER FARMER, to the terrifying days that lie ahead in UNEARTHLY SYMPHONY Eddie Generous, author of the monstrous adventure stories Radio Run and Great Big Teeth, and the haunted hotel novel Camp Summit, offers up twisted takes on classic creatures, a demon hiding in a modern subdivision, human monsters destroying the sacred notion of home, a farmhouse with much more awaiting new owners than some dust and cobwebs, and all the terrifying possibilities in between.

Something in the Water is a collection of 13 violent and disturbing tales with its sights set on manufacturing sleepless nights and paranoid days. Binge read all 13 stories…if you dare.

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“Kiss your nanna, she can still feel it, and under the ground is a lonely place.”

I have to start this review by talking about that cover, because OH MY GOSH! It’s so rare for a book to match me so perfectly, and I’m in love with it. The bright colors, the creepiness, I love it! It blends in perfectly among my bookshelves in my bedroom, and I couldn’t be happier to have a physical copy of this one!

I hadn’t read anything by Eddie Generous before, although I knew who he was from being an active member in the horror & book reviewing community. He runs Unnerving Magazine, and the company includes a publishing house that’s done quite a few books I’ve actually already bought, read, or reviewed before knowing that Eddie had his collections coming out! (If you’re not familiar, definitely check Unnerving out – they’re so good, and the publications of theirs that I’ve read have been some of my favorite books I’ve read recently!)

Because I wasn’t familiar with his writing, I went into this not knowing what to expect – and was blown away by his range as a writer. There’s so much here in this collection, and so much emotion on the pages. I love emotional horror stories, and so many of these fell more into that genre than any other. A lot of the stories seemed very focused on specific moments, impactful moments, and exchanges between people – things that you wouldn’t really see prioritized in horror, in favor of more bloodshed or gore.

The terror in these stories isn’t especially reliant on blood or gore, but that isn’t to say there’s none at all. Some of the stories are pretty gross, but overall, the focus is on people, and their reactions to the things happening around them. From homages to stories we already love and the end of the world, to crashed weddings and snowy ends, Generous’ writing ability and stories hit me in the feels again and again.

My favorites in the collection are Proper Farmer, Dog Tired, Night of the Lesson, and Classroom Hijinks (which was kind of hilariously terrifying). This is a super solid collection, and I’m looking forward to reading the other one I have, Head-Broken and Heartbroken!