Nightmare Yearnings by Eric Raglin
Nightmare Yearnings is the debut short story collection by Eric Raglin. There are sixteen queer and unsettling stories here, many of them super memorable and chill inducing. I was sent a copy by Eric to honestly review. Here I will highlight my favorite stories from the collection!
Ivory
A grieving woman photographs a strange bird in her yard and posts it online to see if others know what it is. Chaos begins as people and more of the birds flock to her yard. This is a very twilight zone-esque story, with an ending from nowhere, which Raglin really does well in this collection. This story is one of the stranger, less scary ones.
The Lord Above
I imagine this one will be a fan favorite. A spooky landlord known as “The Lord” is up to no good. Raglin really brings out the creepy crawlies in this one. Cockraoches, cats behaving strangely, leaky ceilings, a missing neighbor…..renters will be surely uneasy from this weird tale.
For My Final Girl
A child named Serena undergoes a neurotransference once finishing chemotherapy treatments. The doctor conducting the surgery is definitely creepy. The parents of Serena suspect that something has been added into her brainwaves, and when one of her fathers takes it upon himself to investigate, he discovers something very grim.
Lockdown
Lockdown is the tale of a lockdown drill with consequences, both real life, and other worldly. A girl has visions of a future school shooter, who has his eyes and hands on her. This one was creepy on a real life level.
The Reveal
A woman with an asshole husband and family is dreading the gender reveal party for her baby, but maybe it won’t end up being as bad as she thought, especially when revenge is thrown into the mix.
When Mothman Came to Queer Lake
Definitely a story for the times. When a couple tries to create a safe haven for their love, they get unexpected visits from a crytpid, as well as some real life terror.
One of the reasons I loved this collection is that Raglin was able to blend tales that belong to another dimension of time and space to our very current, and real life horrors. I can’t wait to read more from Eric. I give this collection 5 starts because each story was unique. Some of them I would love to see turned into a novella, such as “The Lord”. These little nightmares will cling to your brain for a while.
Available to pre-order here!