Shea captures all the fun of a late night creature feature with this short novel about a group of young people who become exposed to a killer fungus.
A sharp and energetic read with shades of Shaun Hutson's Slugs and Scott Smith's The Ruins, it's a story tailor made for thrills and entertainment.
Shea doesn't really spend a lot of time on character development - they are basically fodder for the carnage - but packs in enough icky scares to leave you happy enough to just run with the mounting body count.
If it were a film, this would be one of those fun, B movies that go great with friends and beers. As a book, it's still a lot of fun.

This was another creepy creature feature from Hunter Shea, this time in the form of a parasitic fungus that attaches itself (quite literally) to some friends that are camping in the woods of Washington. What was meant to be a scattering of ashes turns into a horrific discovery of a foul smelling growth that begins to infect the group. This was a quick read and a gross out good time.

THE DEVIL'S FINGERS is Book 3 in Hunter Shea's "One Size Eats All" series. Simply put, this was amazing!

The one thing I noticed that really set this book apart from its predecessors is the tone. The first two books, JURASSIC FLORIDA, and RATTUS NEW YORKUS were almost all "fun", dark-comedic tales with bucketfuls of gore and a mass of carnage. These were pure "B-movie" style enjoyment to most horror lovers. THE DEVIL'S FINGERS--while still retaining that dark, sarcastic wit--is a bit more "serious" in execution.

". . . The gradual uphill climb had seemed easy . . . It was amazing how arduous and stifling things got the second they had to sprint like madmen . . . "

Well, maybe not THAT serious.

The other main difference is that here, we are dealing with seven main characters, primarily. These seven friends are off in a remote wooded area for what is supposed to be a short "memorial" and get-together combined. These individuals ALL stand out to the reader in unique ways. Shea's characterization is spot-on, as I truly felt a connection to everyone of them by the end of the story.

". . . Did you think that was Cthulhu's bastard children out there?"

However, the story still has that sarcasm-laced banter that I love in these books. In this case, not only did it showcase each character's own personality more, but also served to show their placement in relation to the other friends in this grouping.

When Autumn, the only one still in college, recognizes a mass of rarely-seen-out-of-Australia type of fungus, she identifies it to the others. Although it loses "some" of it's mysterious and repellant presence in the eyes of the group, there is not a person there comfortable with the sight before them.

". . . Personally, I prefer their nickname, the Devil's Fungus . . . "

This infusion of fact and fiction is something Shea excels in. The factual existence of this fungus immediately brings a new level of credence to the story because it does, in fact, exist. I'll admit the repulsive descriptions had me grimacing in disgust (not to mention checking out the lawn near the woods once or twice . . . ). Building on something nature had already created and making it "his own" kept the novella "real" in my mind. Add to this some dynamic characters, and I devoured every written word in nearly one sitting.

". . . Someone has to be behind the Frankenfungus."

The location and atmospheric conditions described were likewise perfect to the continuity of this tale. I can't honestly think of a single thing that felt overtly "out-of-place" here. The emotions our friends face and change to contend with their altering environment seemed to be a natural reaction when faced with something . . . inexplicable.

". . . It's better than saying a fungus field kicked our asses."

Overall, I was very impressed with Shea's latest novella. He's shown us he can tackle characterization, facts as well as fiction, and mix it all up into an incredible story. I sincerely hope these three "One Size Eats All" contributions are eventually combined into one volume for the home shelves. I'm already eagerly awaiting what Hunter Shea comes up with next!

Highly recommended!

Hunter Shea really shines in his novellas. The Mail Order Massacre series was amazing and fun, and this series proves to be of that same caliber, perhaps minus the humor, and doubling up on the old school creature feature horror. Like Rattus, this book moves along at a fast pace, there is this Fun Guy, sorry, Fungi, that is out of control and it turns people into slathering maniacs as it reproduces exponentially while feeding on its host. Excellent!

Hunter Shea knows how to creep people out!

In THE DEVIL'S FINGERS, there's a fungus among us! And these monstrous mushrooms ain't the kind you might find on your pizza. No, these slimy, tentacle-spewing lovelies are more likely to eat YOU!

THE DEVIL'S FINGERS is a gross, gory, and altogether awesome story that, once again, demonstrates that Hunter Shea is a freaking monster master. If you're in the mood for a nerve-wracking read that's hard to put down, I highly recommend this short shocker. Just remember, the fungus in this story is a REAL thing. So, good luck on your next camping trip.

***I received this novella as a free E-ARC form Kensington Books via NetGalley (thanks, y'all!) and THIS is my honest review.

A slice of old-school horror that could have been plucked from an early Stephen King collection, The Devil's Fingers is dark, twisted, and gleefully cruel. Hunter Shea keeps the narrative tight, focusing on the fracturing friendship of a small group, deep in the woods, but teases fears of a far broader scope.

Perhaps the most frightening aspect of the story is the fact that clathrus archeri (devil's fingers) is a very real fungus . . . which most certainly does sprout tentacles from its egg-like growth . . . and which absolutely does smell like rotting flesh. To date, it has not been known to infect people the way it does here, but one might speculate that it is just a matter of time.

The fungus is half the horror here, especially with the way in which it infects its human hosts, but the other half is the mounting madness and the desperate fight for survival among the friends. We're talking claustrophobic, conspiracy-laded horror, with friends and lovers turning on one another with increasing violence. Hopeless and helpless, this feels like an apocalyptic tale from which no one is destined to emerge alive.

I suspect the ending may be somewhat polarizing for readers, especially those who want answers, who need all the loose ends tied up, but I loved how The Devil's Fingers just sort of stops with one final twist. It's cruel, either sad or chilling depending on your point of view, and we really never do know why it happened, or what happens next.

I feel slightly bad for Hunter Shea. You see, from this point forward, I’m going to compare everything he writes to his wonderful Creature (which should win a thousand awards).

But, though it suffers slightly in comparison, The Devil’s Fingers is a whole lot of fun. Really gross fun.

This is classic, gruesome horror. You’ve got the dark woods, a group of characters who are definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time, and one seriously ick-inducing fungus!

I completely loved our characters, enjoyed being grossed out (I’m weird that way), and was thoroughly entertained by this super-fast paced read!

Hunter Shea has quickly become one of my favorite horror writers and a guaranteed good read!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

It's easy to see where Clathrus archer would be the influence for Hunter Shea's horror The Devil's Fingers. Native to New Zealand and Austrailia, the original land of Nope, the fungus looks like an alien hatching or the shrimp cocktail fingers a la Beetlejuice. I can't imagine what the first to happen upon it might have thought. Well, I guess we can considering they named it The Devil's Fingers. Watch it "hatch" here.


Hunter Shea creates a new nightmare for us in the third installment of his One Size Eats All novellas. Continuing the classic us against nature battle cry sung by the previous novellas Jurassic Florida and Rattus New Yorkus, The Devil's Fingers is a worthy addition and adversary.


When a group of hikers stumbles onto the hatching grounds of mutated fungal Devil's Fingers, their struggle for survival begins. This is no symbiotic relationship. As each of the friends fall victim to the highly communicable fungus, their friendship is put to the test under the physical and mental duress.


If you are looking for grotesque, hopeless horror with a last man standing body count, The Devil's Fingers is for you. Shea pulls no punches with this graphic, gory good time. Cringeworthy, yet incredibly fun, this novella wastes no time getting under your skin.

The Devil's Fingers is the third book in the One Sized Eats All series. I have previously read and enjoyed Rattus New York. Shea has a talent for taking the shock of a 1950s horror movie and transposing it into the present. Here, like in a 1950s horror movie, there is a group of young adult friends in the forest to release the ashes of one of characters father. They notice some strange "plants" that one character, who happens to take botany in college, recognizes as Austrailain Clathrus Archeri or Devil's fingers -- a fungus. Things then get very strange as the fungus seems to be much more than run of the mill Devil Fingers. It is a creepy enough fungus, and the reader can see it in action on YouTube. The videos of the fungus hatching from their spores are no doubt horror-inspiring, but the mutated version in the story is far worse.

Shea weaves together a great horror tale from something quite harmless although relatively foul smelling and transforms it into terror. Very well done and a surprisingly a short and easy read.

This book was a quick read. I liked the setup and the twists. A group camping in the Pacific Northwest come across a field of fungi nicknamed the Devil's Fingers. After a drunken party at camp, two wander off for some private time. They wake up to find themselves covered in Devil's Fingers and their minds gone. Then it really starts going downhill!

A sucker for tentacles, that's what I am. (And I can't resist the old-"Get it? Sucker for tentacles?" So sue me.). Anyway, tentacles- THE DEVIL'S FINGERS has them in spades, and oh what fun it is to be with Hunter Shea again!

A group of 20 somethings head out into the woods to help their friend say goodbye to his recently deceased dad. They've come to spread his ashes at his favorite spot. Along the way though, they encounter a strange growth of fungi that somewhat resembles the pods in Alien. What is this gross looking fungus? It can't spread to humans can it? And if it can, will these humans survive the encounter? You'll have to read this to find out!

I'm keeping this review short because I don't want to give anything away and because I don't want this review to be longer than the book. I liked how this group of friends was written and I really liked how they had the strength to stand up when the time came. For me, with creature features, (even ones featuring a nasty fungus as the creature), the story lives in those who fight it, and in this case they fought hard. I also thought their actions were believable-even during the crazy action scenes and BOY, were there action scenes! Complete with the sounds and smells-everything you would need to create a vivid picture in your head-you are THERE.

In this, the third installment in the One Size Eats All series, Hunter Shea shows he is the master of bringing home dark and amusing B-style movies in Halloween fun-sized nuggets. What horror fan wouldn't love that?

Highly recommended!

*Thanks to Kensington, via Net Galley, for the e-ARC of this novella in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*

Awesome thought to exploit a REAL terrible looking fungus, Devil's Fingers. Check the internet to see this really gross, real life fungus. It is bad news. Now, imagine being infected with it so it grows all over your body........ Not what I would want. If you want to be creeped out, this book is for you!!!

Hunters done it again, he's made me love another nasty, splattery, gore filled horror story. He never fails to bring nasty and creative creatures, monsters, or in this case fungus, known as Clathrus Archeri to vivid life. The Devil's Fingers is nothing short of old school horror that held me in it's nasty slimy grip. At every turn the situation became worse for the group of campers, who just wanted to pay their respects to a deceased friends father. The descriptions of pods bursting with tentacles wiggling from their home was enough to make me gag. The contagious and conspiratorial nature suspected behind the fungus was fun, and tied to a conspiracy I know others fully believe to be true, some I know personally. I had a hard time not reading this book from cover to cover, but a reader must sleep at some point! If you're a fan of Hunter than this will not disappoint. Go and download a copy, it's a must read. Just be warned, the level of gross is high in the pages of this one.

The Devil’s Fingers by Hunter Shea was received direct from the publisher. Hunter Shea is one if the few Creature Feature type authors out there. You pretty much know you will get a gore filled, fun romp, of some monster tearing stuff (people, places, things) up, once you crack open a Shea novel. As always, I will not go into plotline but this quick read is no different, with plants, eggs, colors and intense fart like smells, this book’s pages turn like no other. If you or someone you buy gifts for likes camp ground based creature features that are a fun read, give this one a read.

5 stars

This was awesome! I have to say that Hunter Shea has won me over with this series! This one is my favorite out of the three. It has the campy horror feel along with the "what is the hell is gonna happen?!" stress that a good horror book should give you. A great read!

You'll Never Expect the Ending

At first, I wasn't sure if this book was for me. It began by introducing the characters, a group of college friends going off on a camping trip. Although camping in a remote area can be plenty scary, this scenario has been done a lot.

So many authors writing in the genre for so many years have made it nearly impossible to come up with something completely original to horrify readers with. But, a good writer tweaks and twists the terrors and mixes in situations and characters that make their story unique. Hunter Shea is a great writer and has done this very well.

I'm glad I didn't stop reading. The more pedestrian “college students” and “camping” quickly hiked into unusual territory, providing me with sufficient scares to keep me out of the woods at night forever.

Shea grounds his ideas in science, something else I prefer. I don't feel afraid of something that's unlikely outside of fantasy. There's explicit sex, not really my thing, but I can tolerate it. The only complaint I have is that I would have liked it to be longer.

But, a novella like this makes the perfect escapist read for busy horror fans and could translate easily into a movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I admit it....I'm That Person...the one who starts decorating for Halloween on September 1st. I rush the season every year. And, I'm not sorry. Not one bit. It puts me in a mood for creepy, scary books! Fall is horror story season! I'm not waiting for the calendar to tell me it's time. For me, when my son goes back to school and temperatures start to ease off a bit...it's horror time! My newest go-to author for creepy awesomeness is Hunter Shea. So far, he has freaked me out with legendary stand-bys like the Jersey Devil, giant rats, and a creature in the woods....and now....killer fungus. Oh yeah....I'm always up for a Hunter Shea book!

In The Devil's Fingers, a strange fungus from Australia makes its way to America. It's red, has undulating slimy tentacles, and smells bad. If that doesn't recommend it enough....touching it is a very bad idea. Just ask the group of college kids who stumble across an entire meadow of Devil's Fingers while hiking in Washington State. Messing with the fungus changes them.....not that they weren't already fun-gis (fun guys. See what I did there? Yeah, I know....lame. But I had to do it!).

This book was complete joy for a cheesy horror junkie like me. Campy. Creepy. Perfect reading for an almost-fall, rainy day. I have to admit this -- I was sorta rooting for the fungus. A group of hikers in the forest run across a clearing filled with red tentacle fungus and one of them just has to F with it. There's always one in the bunch, right? So, they can't really whine when the fungus strikes back. Go Fungus! Slime everybody!

I would love to see some of Hunter Shea's books made into movies. While I'm reading I always see the story playing out like a movie in my head anyway.....might as well be able to watch it in 4D HD on my TV. For now, I will continue to enjoy his books....with hopes of seeing an adaptation in film some day.

This is a great book for any reader who loves cheesy horror.! At just over 100 pages, it's a quick horror fix.

Today's Lesson: While walking in the forest, do NOT touch any weird fungus tentacles that you might find. Walk on by....wave to bigfoot....do just about anything else. No touchie! (The actual fungus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clathru...) is not poisonous or dangerous.....it is even edible, but only as a last resort as it tastes and smells really bad.)

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. No fungus was touched, molested or groped in any way during the reading of this book. And yes...I do have my Halloween Deco out in September. Christmas comes out Nov. 1st. Don't judge me. :)**

I loved this book & am SO glad I got a chance to review it! It reminded me of the old school 90s horror books I read as a child mixed in with The Ruins. If you're a fan of any of those I highly recommend this book!

Another gem courtesy of NetGalley.
This is the first book I've read from Hunter Shea. It certainly won't be my last.
It's gruesome. It's fun. And it moves at a blistering pace. It was also one of those stories that I didn't want to end.
Great stuff, Hunter.

Another scary read from Hunter Shea! I really enjoyed it. Fast paced and well written. I definitely recommend it.