HORROR

The Body Harvest

by Michael J Seidlinger
Clash. Jul. 2024. 204p. ISBN 9781955904872. pap. $17.95. HORROR
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Will and Olivia are broken humans who find each other amid their obsession with chasing the high of being sick; however, when they meet Zaff, a man who has reached the apex of virus chasing, even achieving supernatural powers from his infections, Will and Olivia find their muse and a new dangerous goal. Told from the perspective of an omniscient narrator, Seidlinger’s novel leads readers on an alluring and illicit ride, purposefully injecting extreme discomfort while also implicating readers as active voyeurs. But there is never any doubt that they will keep turning the pages, because amid its compelling extreme horror trappings, the novel is also a serious contemplation of the real-world horrors caused by the unequal distribution of disease, wealth, and power.
VERDICT Seidlinger’s (Anybody Home??) squirm-inducing and thought-provoking novel spins the fear of the COVID era into something terrifying in a whole new way. Suggest to those who like the immersive discomfort of books like The Seventh Mansion by Maryse Meijer, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca, and This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno.
Reviewed by Becky Spratford , Jun 01, 2024
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