The following review appeared in my DISPATCHES newsletter's June 2023 issue.

"Loved this one! To say we are in a golden age of great fiction is true. There are so many excellent books being written by new voices that it can be hard to keep up. S.L. Coney’s Wild Spaces is another that explores lineage, but it is with a grandfather and his grandson. I loved the southern atmosphere and the characters are so real it feels like you are living with them in every moment. There are many levels to the story, and without giving away anything, it’s safe to say the cosmic, weird elements that unravel are brilliant and can stand as some novel metaphors. Just all around an excellent read that really stuck with me for a while."

A boy on the cusp of puberty will always feel like a monster but when his grandfather comes to visit it is something more than hormones. The boy grows up happy to listen to his mom's stories of pirates, his quiet dad's talk of history and endless adventures on the beach with his best friend, his dog Teach. Suddenly a visit from his unusual and crusty grandfather has the family on edge and the boy feeling unsettled. As if overnight he craves salt water and has nightmares seeing his grandfather as a monster. His parent's relationship is faltering and his mom has turned a cold shoulder to him. Only Teach remains faithful but watchful. A slim novel that speaks to the horrors of change whether it is growing up or seeing our family in a different way or real monsters that lurk beneath the surface. For adults and young adults alike - anyone who appreciates a dark tale. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

(A Spoiler-Free Review)
Wild Spaces by S. L. Coney
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I never realized I needed a coming of age/eldrich horror novel until I had it in my hands.

The writing of this story is incredibly atmospheric. I enjoyed the way the descriptors all lend themselves to a southern feel to reinforce the setting, too. Phrases comparing eyes shining like sun rays on the water, etc., kept that warm southern summer atmosphere strong throughout. It really added that extra something to this narrative that set it apart and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This story follows an eleven-year-old boy who seems to have a perfect life - a curious father willing to explain the ways of the world around them, a creative mother full of tales of adventure, a dog named Teach who never leaves his side, and a home that’s everything they need.

Unfortunately, secrets can rot even the most wonderful things from the inside out, which we start to see when the boy’s maternal grandfather shows up. His mother grows more reserved and seems to shrink in body and personality. His father grows agitated and often less present.

The changes we see through the boy’s eyes are subtle at first, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment of ‘that was weird’ or ‘no, wait, that can’t be right’ that we overlook as the scene shifts and things move on, seamlessly blending the creepy additions into everyday life. It isn’t until it’s too late that everything truly falls into place. Much like puberty itself, sometimes the shifts within ourselves are so subtle you miss them until they’re there, and once you notice them you can never unsee them.

Without giving away too much, I can safely say that this is an intriguing binge-read, and one that grows increasingly unsettling as the story goes on.

(All opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Tor publishing for the ARC epub of this one, out August 1st! Go check it out then!)

I was a little unsure of what to expect of this one based off of the description and without a clear idea of the type of horror it would hold. My worries were unwarranted, this book was a lovely, bittersweet, and eerily atsmospheric story... absolutely phenomenal. The prose was beautiful and natural, the author a clearly talented storyteller. From the worldbuilding to the dialogue, and the foreboding sense of fear- the writing was fluid and kept me hanging on every line.

A boy and his dog, Teach, named after a pirate from the tales his mother told him, share secrets and an unrelenting, profound friendship. The introduction of an odd and estranged grandfather upends the boy's happy life, particularly straining his relationship with his mother, who fears an impending change she knows all too well. A whirlwind of dark family secrets, a preteen boy's journey through unfamiliar and strange new feelings, and bumps in the night blend into a nostalgia-filled coming of age tale with a dash of cosmic horror. This was an unexpected and deeply emotional look into the strength, love, and pain that comes with blood. The ending left me devastated, yet hopeful. A quick read, packed with primal emotion and familial ties- I would recommend this book over and over. I LOVED IT.

Short Version: Beautifully written with a loving affinity for what makes coming-of-age horror work so well.

Longer Version: Coming of Age stories are my favorite when done well. Escapism back to that headspace of youthful optimism and imagination where the world is your oyster and pirates can be real is such a beautiful thing to experience. Or, I guess, to re-experience. S.L. gets this and delivers a main character, a family, and a dog that are immediately lovely and I cherished every moment with them.

As the horrors creep into the book, they are expertly spliced in. Unsettling at first in a "did I read that right?" sort of a way, your anxiety builds and builds as more and more things appear 'off' and The Boy dives deeper and deeper into the story.

Without spoiling anything- my one disappointment was with the ending. While we get closure and horrors and everything else that you would expect and hope for, it came so quickly that it destabilized me. I think it's an ending that will work well for lots of other people- a swift, genuinely shocking kick to the teeth full of monstrous terrors- but I, personally, was left wanting more of it. And I guess, as far as "complaints" go, that's not a bad one to have :)

Dive in to Wild Spaces if you liked McCammon's Boy's Life or Craig Davidson's Saturday Night Ghost Club. You'll walk away with a lot of the same nostalgia-soaked, youthful vibes.

I wasn't prepared for how much I was going to like this book. It's so full of love and tension and confusion and atmosphere and the cosmic horror aspect blended so well into the storyline... it was just * chef's kiss *.

And hello? How in the heck does it manage to pack so much into so few pages!

I don't want to say too much about it because I want you to go read it and nothing I say will do it justice. But ultimately, it's a coming of age story about a boy who's existing pretty happily with his mom and dad and his dog Teach until his estranged grandfather shows up out of the blue. The boy can sense the changes his arrival is causing... not only to the family dynamics, but also to him, deep down inside... something that feels as though its trying to get out.

(and yes, I subtracted one star because of the dog. Damn you, Coney!)

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, S.L. Coney and NetGalley for providing allowing me access to this coming-of-age, horrifically-told sci-fi novella.

S.L. Coney's Wild Spaces is a chthonic coming of age story protraying an idyllic family landscape rent asunder due to the visit of a stranger who brings the timeless truth of 'what is bred in the bone will come out in the flesh' with him.

A boy and his family lives near the sea. They go out in archaeological excursions and tell each other stories of pirates. Then they find a dog and bring it into the family hearth, and one month the boy's grandfather shows up from out of the blue to live with them for a while.

The tension of having this new strange relation living among them builds. The imposition of this grandfather seems very subtle:
...his physical presence in the small household makes it difficult for regular family time...
...his drives a wedge between father and mother...
...he is not 100% happy with how his grandson is being raised...
...he is trying to force a familiarity with his grandson...

...but these sorts of conflicts have been played out on many stages in many stories, surely there is nothing odd or sinister going on here?

It is at this point that you get a sense of an unspoken secret of the boy's matrilineal heritage ekeing its way out of the background.

“You know, being a boy in our family is special. The sea runs in your veins.”

And while the boy does not understand, he starts to feel the weight of this unnatrual truth.

One thing that I admired about this story is how little space is needed to tell it. If Covey can pack this wallop in less than 100 pages, then I am excited to see what they can do with a more fully realized novel.

Wild Spaces is alive with atmosphere and place, with a story reminiscent of Brothers Grimm. S. L. Coney conveys a visceral type of terror, softened by a sad sweet ending.

“…he wonders how the sea felt when her inhabitants started walking away. He wonders if maybe that’s why she keeps eating away at the land, trying to take back what it stole.”

I received an ARC of Wild Spaces through NetGalley and now that I’ve finished I’m finding it hard to put my thoughts into words. This novella seems to have mastered that creeping sense of discomfort and fear that you look for in Horror. There were parts of it that I found myself, pulse pounding, white-knuckling my coffee mug, because I was so afraid of what was building in a scene or chapter. Chapter 5 had me full stop, tears streaming down my face, weeping on my lunch break. 15 pages from the end and I had to stop and collect myself before I could continue.

There’s a part of me that doesn’t know who I would recommend this book to. Especially after the one thing I had been dreading more than anything did, in fact, happen tearing me to pieces in the process (see above mention of weeping).

The other part of me wants to scream from the rooftops that this book is beautifully written, horrific and terrifying in a way that some full length horror novels can’t even achieve. I can’t remember the last time a paragraph of a book left my hands shaking and my stomach twisted up with nervous dread and Wild Spaces made me feel that way for more than 80% of it.

Overall Wild Spaces is exactly what it’s billed as. A coming of age story a la eldritch horror and it does NOT pull any punches in either of those respective genres.

Wild Spaces by S.L. Coney is a coming of age novella that looks at the effects of generational trauma. I loved the imagery and atmosphere of this story. Beautiful and yet uneasy, mysterious, and monstrous.

I feel like there’s a lot going on in its short 128 pages and it is hard for me to write my thoughts about it. It deals in big themes but never comes right out with them. They are woven within this beautiful cosmic horror that leaves me wondering if I should reread this novella to see what I have missed.

If you’re looking for a cut and dry story that leaves you with a definitive ending, this is not your book. If you’re looking for a story that you may even find you’re able to weave own experiences or feelings into the story that leaves you wondering and grasping for something more at the end, then this one is for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC.

This was stunning. This was such a visceral look into inherited demons and the horrors of family lineage, and dealing with said horrors and demons. This was so good. I loved this so much more than I anticipated I would, but this is definitely one of my favorites of the year. This story was so tight and well-done--I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a quick, immersive horror story.

Wild Spaces tackles the monsters we inherit from our families and what it means to face the horrors of our lineage head on. This novella is succinct and achingly beautiful, and I recommend it to anyone seeking a horror-infused novella that will suck you in and wrap its tentacles around your heart.

Everything I was hoping for and more!

Wild Spaces had me shuddering, on-edge, and absolutely frightened in the best of ways. With an outstanding and perfect balance of body horror, cryptid terror, and poetic voice, Wild Spaces has a narration that just draws you further and further along.

This eerie novella follows a boy, watching as his family slowly unravels following the unwanted arrival of his grandfather. Everything is not as it seems, and family secrets are very much alive.

Perfect for fans of H. P. Lovecraft or Stephen King, this is a horror novella to run to read. Wild Spaces is one book you need lights on to read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review Wild Spaces.

An absolutely gorgeous mixture of familial ties, dread, body horror and the insight of a child. A boy and his dog watch his family fall apart with the arrival of his grandfather, a man who seems to be put together wrong. I loved how this story can be interpreted in a variety of ways; straight cosmic horror with an immense build up that lets your imagination go wild, a tale of a family breaking apart while a boy experiences his body changing and emotions running high.
This family felt like everything good in the world and to watch it break apart tore me apart. The bond between a boy and his dog left my heart aching. And reading through a boys life experience and how he processed trauma and horror was written SO WELL. Such an amazing read.

This a pretty short story about a family who experiences some rather sinister changes once an estranged grandfather comes to visit. The book is pretty atmospheric, set near the ocean during the Boy's (who is never named) summer vacation. The Boy lives with his mother and father and they're a happy family until the mother's father comes to visit. There's something off about the Grandfather, and the longer he stays the more unsettled the family feels, and the more the Boy feels himself changing. The concept is cool and properly creepy, but there's a huge lack of explanation that makes it hard to guess what is really going on. I had a hard time understanding what the point of the plot was, and didn't feel like it was all that scary or fun to read. The plot to me jumped all over the place, and abrupt scene changes made it hard to track how long the grandfather stayed. Overall, the vagueness of the narration and plot made it hard for me to truly enjoy this, but I really liked the idea behind it all.

wow. I was not expecting this to be this good. If you're looking for a novella that's freaky, uncomfy, and the perfect about of horror I'd totally recommend it. From the very start it feels like something is off and it just builds and builds.

S.L. Coney’s debut novella, Wild Spaces, has been compared to the writing of Shirley Jackson, H.P. Lovecraft, and even Robert McCammon. Those are some big names to follow for such a short book coming in at just 128 pages, and Coney’s writing certainly reflects all of those comparisons in different ways.

Wild Spaces is the story of just five characters – 4 humans and a dog – and the dog is the only one with a proper name, Teach. The others are known only as “the boy,” his father, his mother, and his estranged grandfather.

The boy and his parents enjoy a coastal life. His father is a nature enthusiast while his mother writes stories about pirates. But then, her father, previously at sea and who the boy has never met, shows up at their household and things take a mysterious turn.

There’s a strong bond between the boy and Teach, as with any boy and his dog. The scenes of the boy whispering in Teach’s ear will give you all the feels. Teach is also weary of the grandfather and quick to growl, or even attack, when he is close. It’s very obvious that the dog knows something is not right.

What follows are awkward scenes between the grandfather and his family. Coney leaves the reader in the dark most of the time rather than spoon feeding you the obvious. We are left to piece together what is happening as the demeanor of the family changes, storms start to roll in from the coast, and there are hints at something supernatural occurring.

The writing is almost lyrical. Coney points out irregular details in a poetic way. Not a single word is wasted as the story builds to an odd conclusion that is both somehow horrific and bittersweet.

This is a story about family and relationships, and how the presence of others who come in and out of our lives can have lasting effects. The only problem with the book is that readers will probably wish it was longer. Some may also find the lack of identity with the characters distances them from the story, but you might want to read it again and dig deeper. Coney didn’t call the dog “Teach” for nothing.

Wild Spaces releases August 1st from Tordotcom Publishing.

"Wild Spaces" is an articulate, poetic little Southern-Gothic-by-way-of-Lovecraft coming of age story packed into the size of a novella. If you're reading that description and thinking "wow, that's a lot", I promise you, it is so artfully curated in terms of mood, plot, and incisive characterization that it's like the best kind of appetizer - lingering on the tongue, consequential, and whetting my appetite to read more of S.L. Coney's work.

The premise is simple: a boy is turning 12. He loves his mother and father. He finds a stray dog. His grandfather, estranged from the family, unexpectedly visits. Some monstrous and unspoken legacy haunts the family by the South Carolina beach. Coney lets you marinate in the gorgeous descriptions of living in the humid, salt-harsh environment before letting the eldritch flag start flying.

To say more of the plot would be inadvisable; it's far more fun to go in blind. This genre-defying little novel is both frightening and heartwarming, tragic and visceral. Coney marries coming-of-age with inescapable and inevitable terror, and the result is rich and intriguing. It's great.

Ok this book had EVERYTHING and I love it a lot.

Genre wise I would make its own little category and call it a coming-of-age horror novella (of about 128 pages!) Although some people much cleverer than me have called it cosmic horror.

There are disturbing, creepy, sickening scenes, with a suffocating claustrophobic atmosphere. But there are gorgeous parts too. At one point it even had me crying!

There is a running theme of generational trauma which was really interesting to see (though its history was not really explained).

The pacing was spot on. The ending was fantastic. I honestly loved the whole thing.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I really enjoyed this novel. It was fast-paced and had me anticipating each following page! A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.