A Horror Bookworm Recommendation
When I Look At The Sky, All I See Are Stars by Steve Stred
https://horrorbookwormreviews.com/

David Stewart is labeled a “troubled” patient due to his “out of this world” claims. Professional opinions range from multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia and demon possession. Doctors, Psychologists and Clergyman all agree on one thing…there is something extremely wrong with David.

When I Look At The Sky, All I See Are Stars by Steve Stred should be on everyone’s must read list. Beginning with the creepy Reader Beware, Stred weaves a sort of psychological nightmare as we follow the main character on his own rite of passage. This immortal journey into the cosmos will test the faith of anyone who chooses to explore this book. The demonic presence is so profound within these pages, it would make Aleister Crowley feel uneasy.

Steve Stred has totally messed with my head, I can’t stop thinking about the strange horrifying details that this book has to offer. It’s scary for a number of reasons, such as the unsettling depiction of demonic possession and its disturbing images of pure evil (the video footage scene was creepy AF). No man of the cloth is safe from Stred’s unexpected acts of otherworldly violence. This author provides no Holy Sanctuary for the reader.

I’m always unnerved by this type of narrative. So warning: proceed with caution, you may gain insight to Mr. Stred’s unsettling dark fiction. Nothing awaits those who don’t believe…or does it? A Five Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Horror Bookworm Recommendation.

Thank you Netgalley, Darklit Press and Steve Stred for the eArc of When I look at the sky all I see are stars.

This is a quick, existential horror novella regarding David. A person who has been admitted to a psychiatric unit because he's stating he has a 400 yr old demon possessing him. Dr Rachel Hoggendorf, an established psychiatrist starts seeing David, convinced that he is suffering from multi personality disorder . Soon, Rachel spends more time with David and things start unravelling and she has doubts..

This is a trippy read and I really enjoyed it. The pacing of the book is fast and from the POV of David and Rachel mainly. The way Steve describes the otherworldly experiences of David, coupled with Dr Hoggendorf explanation of his mental illness sets you on an existential course of whether David is truly possessed or delusional. I found that I swung back and forth until near. the last 2/3 of the book and made my mind up. The experience that Rachel described gave the eebby jeebbies purely because it was so well described and all tied well at the end.

I hope I see more books like this from Steve.

4 stars

💥💥 Book Review 💥💥

When I Look At The Sky, All I See Are Stars
By. Steve Stred
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Very fast paced and short book. This book is a mixture of anecdotes and point of views throughout the story. It is filled with unsettling erotic imagery, body horror, possessions, assaults of all kinds, cannibalism, and self harm. Please read trigger warnings! It was very perplexing when the possessed knew her deepest darkest secrets. This novel shows the ominous cosmic aspect of the world. Psychologically there is a lot of imagery accoutrements in the gross narrative.


Thank you to NetGalley and DarkLit Press for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This was such a fun, mind-bending read. Told through the characters and police reports, you really can't tell what is at the root of the chaos until the very end. Horny and gory, this story transcends dimensions, space, and time while taking the reader on a wild ride. 10/10 no notes.

As someone who neither enjoys Lovecraftian nor cosmic-style horror, I sure thought this delivered! A fresh twist on a traditional demon possession story, complete with cults, blood, gore, sex, and all the ingredients for a killer extreme horror. Stred holds nothing back! Masterfully written and tightly plotted with varying pace; this uniquely narrated story viscerally paints a chill-inducing visual.

Great pacing and plot! This has cosmic horror, possesion, and body horror. Intense and disturbing. Great read!

I enjoy a solid novella and Stred delivered here. This is quick, intense, and a little raunchy at times. I enjoyed the intimate setting and interview set-up of the novella. It certainly takes you on a ride.

I loved all the supernatural parts to this story. I loved learning about Rachel and her colleagues as well as David. Unfortunately I felt like the middle was rushed. Maybe that was just me? The twist confused me at first because it felt like it started it in the middle of the twist. But once you understood what was happening, the rest fell into place. I loved all the descriptions of the other world/after life for those that could see or believe in it. The setting in the hospital was definitely top notch. It added a full other element that was great

I'll start by saying that I am definitely not the audience for this book so I'm unsure how to give an accurate number rating to this book. It sounded unique and I felt like exploring outside my normal genre so that is why I requested it.
-The writing style for the different POVs really threw me off for the first half of the book and even after I understood what was going on, I was still confused during David's POV sections.
-Most of the cosmic horror sections didn't really hit for me but the body horror definitely gave me the ick (which could be a good or bad thing depending on your preference). I did feel the tension when David was being interviewed because you never know what side of David you would be getting and what, if anything, would happen.
-I generally thought the book was too short, but it is rare I find a novella that doesn't. I wish it had delved more into the cult and cosmic aspects which was part of what drew me to the book.

Cosmic Horror at its finest.
I loved the story so much.
The madness of the characters the horror an uneasiness.
Lovecraftian magic at its finest.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-copy of this book!

I'm going to be honest, I was pretty confused while reading this book. However, I think this is more a me problem than the book. There weren't always indicators for who was speaking or even quotation marks to indicate when text was spoken rather than just thought. I know that writing like this can be polarizing, but I normally like it as I feel like it can enhance the disquieting feeling of a book. That said though, I normally will read the text a little slower and take the time to really think about what is happening and the intent and all that jazz. I didn't do that with this book. I have been in a bit of a reading slump and just did not have it in me to give this book the amount of thought that was necessary.

This was a difficult one to rate. I flew through this book and really adored parts of it. The prose is beautiful, the storyline intense and overall I enjoyed reading it.

I did struggle a bit with the narration changes and timing shifts, as others have mentioned. I also absolutely wanted more from this. I’d love to understand the driving force behind it all and the folklore.

Overall I really look forward to more from Steve Stred. Splatterpunk is a bit out of my wheelhouse, but I will definitely look forward to further cosmic horror from this author.

It takes a lot to disturb me. I’m disturbed. And that was from reading the author’s note before the first chapter. Besides disturbing me, it also made me more keen than ever to read the Father of Lies trilogy. Because disturbing me definitely doesn’t equate to stopping me coming back for more.

This is one of those books where I would recommend you read the content warnings. I’ll be quoting them at the end of my review. Had I read them first, I probably would have baulked at the “scenes depicting sex and sex acts”. Even now, my brain is interjecting, ‘Or whatever the hell that was!’

Despite wanting to scrub those images from my mind, I enjoyed this read. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t say enjoyed. Do you enjoy depravity and gore? Do you admit it if you do?

Psychologist Dr Rachel Hoggendorf has a new patient, David. If you believe him, though, he hasn’t been new for a long time. Not for centuries, in fact.

“He’s an interesting case.”

It’s not clear when Rachel meets David but I assume it was a few decades ago because Dissociative Identity Disorder is still known as Multiple Personality Disorder. David’s story is … let’s go with disturbing.

No matter how ick, ew, I’m not sure I want this image permanently etched in my brain thank you very much, the urge to keep reading won. If this book had been written by pretty much anyone else, I wouldn’t have even ventured past the content warnings, but it’s a Steve Stred book.

Steve’s taken me hiking in the Canadian wilderness. He introduced me to Bruiser. I’m so many books behind but he’s already cemented his place in my must read list. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Especially when it’s uncomfortable.

This book is absolutely worth all the stars. For the ick. For the what the fuck did I just read. For the disturbance.

Also, that cover is incredible! I would have read this book even if it wasn’t a Steve Stred book.

“Be careful. If it gets out … just be careful.”

Content warnings: “This story features themes and scenes depicting mental health issues, excessive gore and violence, scenes depicting sex and sex acts, self-injury, cosmic horror, and cult situations.” I would also add sexual assault and mention of abortion.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and DarkLit Press for the opportunity to read this novella.

This was the first time reading a book like this. So many things happening and so many questions in a short book. Was David possessed? Was he a demon? How did he know so much about a persons deep, dark pasts. I enjoyed this book a lot; there were some questions I had after reading it and a few missing pieces, but I like that. It will leave the reader thinking more about what they just read and also makes for a great buddy read discussion.

Thank you Steve, Darklit Press and Netgalley for this ebook!

BONKERS AMAZING DEPRAVED COSMIC YES

Also surprisingly funny in some spots.

“Your blood tastes divine.”

I’m so glad I got my hands on a copy of this ARC and I can’t wait for everyone to be able to experience this batshit crazy ride for themselves. The story was amazing. Chapter 15 y’all. Chapter 15 will make you question yourself a little bit. 😈😈😈

Check those trigger warnings y’all. Read responsibly!

I found this story fascinating, with a well-crafted and engaging plot. The book has both slow and fast-paced moments and includes elements of cosmic horror and possession all of which creates a tense atmosphere. .The character development and world-building were well-suited for this story; however, I wished there was more. I look forward to reading more works by this author in the future.

While I preferred his novel Churn the Soil, I overall enjoyed this quick read.

Without spoiling anything for future readers, I do wish it was longer so that some aspects of the story could be explored further. Worth the read - I will try other titles from this author.

This book was a combination of cosmic horror, silence of the lambs, and an A24 film. I love all of those things!

There were multiple POVs that took a second to get used to, but there weren't too many characters to keep up with, so that helped. There were found footage vibes throughout which I enjoyed and made this feel like a real account of something that actually happened.

While I was reading, from the first page, I felt like I was thrown into something I didn't understand. The reader gets bits and pieces along the way, which kept me hooked to the last sentence!

Beware of the violence and explicit elements throughout this book, which were expertly written by the author. I would not label this extreme horror, but it has its moments.

This was my first book by Stred, and it will not be my last. The gets 4.5⭐️s from me, rounded up to 5 where applicable. I would recommend this to those wanting a fast-paced cosmic horror that will drive you insane (in the best way). Check it out!!!

An interesting read. Take to heart the trigger warnings at the back of the book and the author's note in the beginning. This really does have all the things in it that it warns.

It's an interesting set up - a clinical pov trying to figure out a mental disorder, and another pov to give what is going on or the other side of it. It was an interesting way to tell the story - only I'd wished the chapters were a bit clearer on when it changed and who it was. There were a few times I was confused. But, overall, I found this to be a unique read that was gory but fascinating.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Dr. Rachel Hoggendorf has a new patient ant”The Institute”. David Stewart. David is the scariest patient she has ever treated. She feels fear even when home alone and David is locked away in his cell. She has nightmares. She is drawn to this David that causes so much fear. David seems to be drawn to her, This is not a love story though…..not at all. This is horror.
This is a quick read and highly enjoyable. The ending seems to come suddenly. After you finish the ending you might want to go back and re-read,chapters 1 and 2. This will explain some, but also allude to the possibility that there is more to come in this story of Rachel and David, and the place of falling ashes. Mr. Stred…..oh please……a sequel?
#WHENILOOKATTHESKYALLISEEARESTARS #NetGalley #Dark:LitPress #SteveStred