The Secret Life of Insects and Other Stories
by Bernardo Esquinca, Mariana Enriquez
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Pub Date Oct 03 2023 | Archive Date Jun 26 2023
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Description
In 'The Secret Life of Insects', a forensic entomologist tries to solve the murder of his wife, who impossibly seems to have been killed in a forest at the same time she was asleep in bed with him. The husband in 'The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife' becomes concerned by his wife's strange behavior, which includes sleepwalking, muttering strange phrases, and a bizarre erotic fascination with octopi. In 'Come to Me', a woman visits a witch doctor who promises to forge an unbreakable bond between her and the man of her dreams, but things go horribly awry after the man dies. And in the novella 'Demoness', four high school friends reunite at a class reunion twenty years later and must face the long-buried truth of a demonic experience from their youth.
Bernardo Esquinca's haunting tale 'Señor Ligotti' represented Mexico in the acclaimed The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories and was a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award. Now Valancourt Books is proud to present this collection of fourteen of his best stories, which also features a foreword by award-winning author Mariana Enríquez and stunning full-page illustrations by Spanish artist Luis Pérez Ochando.
'Very deft, smart stories that manage to do more in ten pages what most novels struggle to accomplish in thirty times that. Esquinca is a writer to watch.' - Brian Evenson, author of Song for the Unraveling of the World
Advance Praise
‘These stories are fully cognizant of Horror’s past, but they also provide clear signposts for Horror’s possible future. Very deft, smart stories that manage to do more in ten pages what most novels struggle to accomplish in thirty times that. Esquinca is a writer to watch.’ – Brian Evenson, award-winning author of Song for the Unraveling of the World
‘From short, punchy, Twilight Zone-ish stories to longer, far more insidious dances with horror and madness, Esquinca weaves reality with illusion deftly in The Secret Life of Insects, an excellent collection. Recommended!’
– Elizabeth Engstrom, author of When Darkness Loves Us and Black Ambrosia
‘Bernardo Esquinca’s haunting, original stories spin out implications like spider silk: light, strong . . . and very dangerous.’ – Michael Cisco, author of The Divinity Student
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781954321960 |
| PRICE | $17.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 206 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Denise P, Reviewer
Thank you Valancourt and Netgalley for my gifted e-arc. I have been reading translated Horror since last year and have been loving it so I immediately requested this anthology when I saw it. This was my first book by Bernardo Esquinca (Mexico) and it won’t be my last! I will have to look up his books that are in Spanish.
I don’t usually give anthologies 5 stars since many have stories that I like and dislike but I LOVED almost all the stories in this book. I even liked the zombie story and I’m not a fan of the post apocalyptic genre!
This horror anthology has a bit of everything. From insects, creepy dolls, hidden dimensions and space horror. All of them were so well written. They were dark, creepy, atmospheric and so unsettling. My favorites were:
-The Secret Life of Insects
-The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife
-Come to Me
-Dream of Me
-Sea of Tranquility, Ocean of Storms
“Sea of Tranquility, Ocean of Storms” is my favorite one out of all of them. It’s space horror and it’s a genre that really scares me. It’s so subtle but I loved how it talks about how little we know about space and even Earth’s moon. I won’t say any more about it since I don’t want to give anything away about the plot. This story is one that I will think of for a long time!
I will have to buy a physical copy since I will want to reread it and really appreciate the art that is include by Luis Pérez Ochando.
Reviewer 1044287
Bernardo Esquinca has a knack for writing an intriguing opening that draws the reader in and sets the tone for stories that will haunt the reader. There is a good variety in this anthology both short and sweet and longer equally haunting stories with mysterious concepts. He takes ideas like caving and it’s claustrophobic conditions or haunted dolls and takes them in a different direction than what the reader may expect. His longer stories are really intriguing and atmospheric with well built suspense. I found myself going back and thinking about many of the stories again after I had read them. My favorites included The Secret Life of Insects (a really great opening story that sets the tone perfectly), Where I’m Going, It’s Always Dark, Dream of Me, Tlatelolco Confidential, and Pan’s Noontide. This is a great collection of stories perfect for spooky season.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Kathryn M, Reviewer
This was a trippy horror novel going on in this book. I enjoy all the stories in this book but my favorite was the Secret Life of Insects. It had everything that I look for and had a creepy idea that my mind when to. Bernardo Esquinca does a great job in telling good horror stories and I can’t wait for more.
Samantha H, Reviewer
THIS IS THE SUMMER OF HORROR ANTHOLOGIES! KEEP EM COMING, YALL!
I am so thankful to Bernardo Esquinca, NetGalley, and Valancourt Books for granting me an advanced digital copy of The Secret Life of Insects and Other Stories. This baby packs a punch and is projected to hit shelves on October 3, 2023, for the spookiest month.
In this collection of stories, there's a little bit of everything. Starting at the beginning, we have been spoon-fed a serving of less-than-desirable arachnids and bugs in stories that leave the reader with the worst case of the creepy crawlies, and as the chapters go on, we see instances of paranoia in our subjects like no other.
I love an unsettling ending to an eerie tale, and with each turning page, Bernardo Esquinca delivers.
Reviewer 992166
The stories are clever, suspenseful, creepy and mind boggling. It has beautiful and creepy illustrations. The stories are crafted by blending genres like horror and mystery and bringing light upon mind visions and nightmares blurring the line between fiction and reality. The tales have been translated from Spanish by James D. Jenkins and illustrated by Luis PErez Ochando
The first tale is about the unknown or unthinkable mystery of insects and how they fulfil their purpose, The second tale is about strange things that happens with Dragan like some unknown power controls his mind and make him do strange things. The third tale is about a husband who observes his wife’s strange behaviour like sleep walking and erotic fascination with octopi and creepy ending. The fourth tale is about Literature and how supernatural elements gets combined with it and haunts every night. The fifth tale is about reminiscing childhood memories, haunting house and secret of cave. The sixth tale encapsulates the odyssey of a writer and a monk story. The seventh tale is about suitors and unusual spell. The eighth tale is about four high school friends reunion after twenty years and unraveling the demonic long buried truth. The ninth tale is about cursed dolls, possessions, sinister stories and creepy mystery. The tenth tale is about nightmares, childhood trauma, regret, secrets, belief and marriage life. The rest of the tales are about strange things , strange case and one eyed woman.
Thank you Authors, Publisher, Illustrator and Netgalley.
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