I had high expectations for this collection because I loved (and was shocked, stunned and taken aback by) Tender Is The Flesh. I thought: bring on the horror short stories by Bazterrica! I’m ready! I braced myself…and…

It was a very uneven book for me. It's a fairly quick read, and there was a good amount of death, horror imagery, and weird ideas that took flesh, but I was underwhelmed. I don’t think this necessarily had to do with my high expectations, because I could see the fascinating themes, I just felt that Bazterrica’s storytelling didn’t bring the ideas to full fruition.

There are amazing kernels of brilliance. In at least two of the pieces, Mary Carminum and The Solitary Ones, I savoured the slow build of tension, the gradual realisation that something is terribly wrong, that it cannot end well. A feeling of terrible trapped-ness. But though they gave me an icky feeling, I didn’t feel invested. Her writing had a superficial quality, scratching the surface of events rather than plumbing their depths.

Thus, the most successful stories for me have her describing a horrible event in exquisite detail without much story, a sort of poem in prose type of thing. A woman observes a wolf in an enclosure behind glass and has frightening thoughts in The Wolf’s Breath: “You don’t want to bear witness to the fragility of a moment, the tepidness of life, the lightness of a body. You don’t want to be part of a savage banquet.” In Perfect Symmetry, a man prepares his own last meal in all its sensual beauty.

While reading, I wondered if these stories had been written earlier in her writing career, and indeed, the author notes state that some of them date from 2004/05. This may account for the difference in skill I see as compared to Tender Is The Flesh. Of course, different writing styles appeal to different folks, and this book is getting great reviews overall, so I’m an outlier. I think it's worth a look, even if just for a few of the better stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for my review!

An unsettling and morbid collection of creepy little stories. These little slices of life take turns for the surreal, playing with magical realism and body horror. I had so much fun reading this - so many stories took twists that I didn't expect or didn't dare believe would go in that direction. Some of the shorter entries are the ones that stuck with me the most - punchy little tales that get right to the point and leave plenty of room for the imagination.
A masterwork in modern horror, I highly recommend this collection.

Mixed feelings about this book. It's a collection of short stories and I'd say I liked about half of them. They all share a general feel, a creepy and forboding sense, but most are more about that feel than about any story.

The first couple stories were good but not great and I was a little worried about the book until I read Candy Pink, about a woman who doesn't take a breakup very well. That was the first of a few real excellent short stories. Crucially for me, it's one that had plot. The story moved from one place to another. Even in a short story I feel it's important for something to happen, but many stories rely on the vibes alone.

Anita and Happiness was another one I enjoyed. It was one of the lighter stories, one about a man who is convinced his girlfriend is an alien. It had a cute little ending. Perfect Symmetry about a prison baker was also great.

Overall though, I feel like the book never really pulled me in. It took me a month and half to get through it's hundred or so pages because I never felt like picking it up. I enjoyed it when I read it but it almost felt like a chore sometimes, getting through the lesser stories. It reminded me of Eric Larocca, whose stories rely more an creepy imagery to create horror. Not a big fan of his either, but I know he has a lot of fans.

The writing was immaculate. It was dark, but beautiful and since it is a translation it had me wondering if the original version is even more beautiful, so I might give this a try in Spanish. The book consists of a collection of 20 horror-ish and very oddd (in the best way) short stories. As for the stories themselves, they were original, dark and bizarre, which I really enjoyed at the beginning. However, at about 60% of the book i decided to take a little break because I simply never felt like picking this read up. The stories are beautifully written, but the ideas behind them seemed incomplete to me and there was rarely an explanation for anything, which might work for some people, but it just didn't do it for me. The stories seemed beautifully written, but plotless, and I need a plot. This may not have worked for me, but I still praise the author's originality and odd but beautiful writing style.

Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird is a translated collection of cruel and shocking short stories laced with dark humour.

After being equally repulsed and captivated by Tender is the Flesh, I requested this short story collection as soon as I saw it. I rarely read short story collections because I prefer to spend more time with characters. But I had high hopes that this would be a fascinating read, and it certainly was.

The stories themselves are fairly short, ranging from one to no more than ten pages. Except for one, I gave them all three to five stars, averaging four stars. Overall, the stories are quite memorable. In one, a woman wants to become a circle and will literally do whatever it takes to achieve her desired shape. Cue lots of blood and the eating of round-shaped foods. In another, a man suspects his girlfriend is an alien, and he’s okay with that.

The stories deal with shocking, bloody, and dark themes.

If you haven’t yet read Tender is the Flesh, this will give you a taste of what the author’s writing is like. I don’t reread much, but I’d definitely consider rereading these twisted stories.

Thank you to Scribner for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

Augustina Bazterrica does it again with another jaw dropping book! This collection is dark, gruesome and macabre. Tense and shocking each story has the reader holding their breath in anticipation impossible to predict what’s going to happen. Bazterrica’s writing is razor sharp. Each story packs a strong punch. Can’t wait to read more of her work in the future. Easily earned a spot as one of my auto-buy authors!

There is something of an ethereal and atmospheric quality to most of the stories in this collection. Some of the stories I wanted more from, some I didn't really get and some were really outstanding. All of this to say that there is a pretty good variety of themes in there and at under 200 pages it's a pretty quick read.

That being said the tone remained pretty steady throughout the book and I could definitely tell it was the same authorial voice as the one behind Tender Is the Flesh. Bazterrica absolutely came through with her signature discomfort inducing style and ability to perceive the horror in the mundane and ordinary.

This was such an interesting, dark, and haunting read. I preferred these stories to Tender is the Flesh, they were creepy and raw and disturbing just like that book.

This book is a collection of 20 stories, but I cannot tell you which one is the black bird for certain (although I do have my suspicions).
The first story begins on January 1st, with the last interestingly taking place on December 31st (the stories are not at all directly connected - it was just a nice touch from the author).

Each of Agustina Bazterrica's entries here is widely different from the rest, and they range from the nihilistically banal to OMGWTFWTHTHATWASDARK.
However I did not feel that these were purely horror stories. This feeling can simply inform of my limited horror experience of the English-Speaking world, which can be vastly different than what one would consider horror in Argentina, let alone all of South America. In the end, it was something new for me and I relished the broadening of my horizons here.

I will not review each title here, as I think that it would ruin the surprise, but below are brief comments on entries that I found to be of interest

A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound
"A woman starts the New Year cutting off old enmities." The 1st two paragraphs were more than enough to convince me that I was right in selecting this title. This one hits the reader with a comedically dark thud! I appreciate that it was written win the second-person narration, which I feel is often misused in fiction (Italo Calvino, I am looking at you).

Mary Carminum
"A man accompanies a woman to a clandestine concert." If this one was made into a film, it would be part of a horror anthology series (like VHS), and you would only have dark and quick shots so that the viewer is equally as uncertain of what they got themselves into before it is too late to escape.

Perfect Symmetry
"A man lovingly cooks a meal." This story had two wonderfully different resonances, with a steep transition between them that is handled elegantly.

Hell
"Two women handle a bird in a cage." I did not care much for this one, but I recognize that if anyone gave it a bit more time the payoff would be greater. Rife with symbolism - the sort of short story you would present to a student.

Elena-Marie Sandoz
"Man obsessed with a film actress, and wants to preserve her legacy at any cost." This, sadly, is the sort of story that could actually happen in the world we live in (and its agencies).


Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

These collection of short stories are deliciously creepy. I love how each of the stories feel complete, yet leave you hanging in anticipation of what is to come. I also love how the creepiness of these stories lie in the fact that humans are terrifying. It's not a book that is scared of the supernatural. Humanity is the horrifying element, and this terror is amplified by the masterful storytelling that just perfectly balances giving you enough information to get a sense of what is about to come, but leaves out enough to let your mind wander in fear.

This collection short stories f rom the writer of Tender is the Flesh was a winner for me all around. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Simon & Schuster Canada, for an e-arc of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4 stars.

‘Nineteen Claws & A Blackbird’ is a translated short story and flash fiction collection by the author who brought us ‘Tender Is the Flesh.’ While this collection may vastly differ from her dystopian novel, it still creates a similar atmospheric effect that makes her writing stand out.

A fever dream of a collection, these stories are visceral, uncomfortable, weird, and incredibly eerie. I would likely pick these up again. Short story collections tend to be a hit or miss for most, but if you like them and love horror, I’d recommend this one.

Nineteen Claws And A Black Bird is an extremely well written collection of short stories that illicit a lot of uncomfortable feelings in the reading as Agustina takes us on a journey that will make you look at a lot of tough topics head on.
I enjoyed the stories though many of them begged me to look away, but I just couldn't.
I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Please find attached my spoiler free youtube review.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxkA8FJqR7A

[arc review]
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird releases June 20, 2023

From the author of “Tender is the Flesh” — this is a collection of 20 short stories that are highly disturbing.

The writing is well done; Bazterrica manages to utilize every page and word to their full potential. Each story is completely immersive and vivid in imagination. However, a lot of the content is very violent, disturbing, and incorporates a lot of death/suicide/SA.

The standout stories for me were:
“A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound” — where dentures fall onto the patio of a woman who happens to be a dentist, and shortly thereafter, the owner of those dentures falls to his death on her patio, making for a jarring start to the new year.
“Anita and Happiness” — Pablo falls in love with Anita who he thinks is an alien.

Some other stories you’ll find things such as:
In “Roberto”, a young girl thinks there’s a black bunny between her legs. Her teacher then sexually assaults her by kissing her and wanting to look under her skirt.
“Unamuno’s Boxes” finds us in a taxi, where the back seat passenger thinks the driver is a serial killer because his nails are impeccably well groomed — a scenario I think a lot of readers can easily imagine in every day life.
The fmc in “Candy Pink” gives an in-depth run down of the many steps after going through a break up, the child in “Earth” gives her father insect poisoning which kills him, the child in “The Dead” eats the ashes of their dead relative and watches their father have sex, “Perfect Symmetry” has us making crepes in a kitchen of a prison before the man gets his throat slit, and in “The Continuous Equality of the Circumference” an individual wants to become a circle so much so that they cut off their limbs and only eat circular food because the food will be sympathetic and affect their internal structure.

While some stories stuck with me, the majority I wasn’t too fond of. But, I do think there is an audience for this collection that will highly enjoy it!

This is an excellent collection of 20 short stories. Many of them are uncomfortable to read in a great way. Agustina Bazterrica is a horror force to be reckoned with.

What an oddly dark collection of short stories. Beautifully written atmospheric works from the same author of Tender is the Flesh. We were doomed from the start.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

Thank you to publisher for an E ARC of Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird!

I went into this short story collection excited but a little apprehensive. Horror and short stories are not usually on my TBR but when I saw that this was coming out I knew I was going to read it. The author's Tender is the Flesh was one of my absolute favourite reads of all time and while none of these short stories stuck with me quite like that, they were still very good. I really liked the writing style, the flow of many of the stories and there were still moments that made my jaw drop. This was a good collection and I will definitely be recommending it to friends that are fans of this genre!