It's hard to believe this collection came from one person's imagination. The first story is humorous in a taboo way, there's a dark home invasion story, and there are several other completely different stories lifting up the cover of what's normal to show the darkness beneath. I've read this a few times and will no doubt read some of these stories again, especially my favorite tale of the grandpa comes back from the grave. Fantastic, dark and memorable horror collection!

It’s a shame with how DarkLit Press imploded and went down in flames. This book deserved to not get overshadowed by the publisher’s antics. Hernandez is a great writer and seems to be getting better, or at least appealing to what attracts me more, with each release. I will seek out this book as it get’s republished, as it deserves.

This was such an interesting collection of horror! I very much enjoyed the first few stories, especially about (SPOILER) a gathering of dead women that a man collected in the basement!

Thank you Netgalley and L P Hermandez for the eArc of No Gods, Only Chaos.

No Gods, Only Chaos, truly holds to the title as each story within this book brings forth a multitude of different elements from the horror genre. Anything from tapping into unknown ( or known) fears, gore, suspense and spookiness, It has a little bit of everything. Each story is fast paced and visceral. I found myself flying through the whole book very quickly as I usually pick up a collection of short stories, read one to two and put it down. No Gods, Only Chaos was a page turner for me. Even though these stories are short, you still get a good idea of the characters and the surroundings. Some of these definitely made my hairs raise and my skin tingle in places. A well worth read!

4 stars

Wow, these stories are fun and crazy and did I say fun?

Hernandez weilded his words like an expert swordsman. The way a situation would go from tense in one sentence to terrifying in the next, put rocks in my stomach. It has been a long time since I have had to place a book down to take a breath. I didn't do that because it was gory or gross, but because the image in my head was too real and too scary for me to take in more.

I am so thrilled and thankful to Neil at Talking Scared Podcast for suggesting this book to me.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read it early.

NO GODS ONLY CHAOS is a collection filled with the shocking, unsettling, weird, strange, absurd, with stories of quiet violence and filled terror that rings louder after the fact when the reality of it all seeps like cold water thrown, drenched, settled. There are stories that bend genre, that feature the body as a setting, as a liminal space in and of itself; stories that explore the way traditions are created, the way they evolve, and the way they can collapse, fall, disappear forever. Perfect for fans of Eric LaRocca.

4⭐️ My first read by this author and I was very impressed. L.P. Hernandez has written a gruesome collection of short stories that grabbed
me from the first to the last. Each was unique and creepy quickly escorting me into feelings of angst unapologetically. While all of the stories were terrific; my absolute favorites were Cemetery Joe, Hesitation Cuts, The Final Gift, and The Last of Our Kind. I appreciated the Story Notes as they gave insight into L.P.’s thoughts on each story.

Love a collection of short stories, especially when they’re all as brilliant as these! Immersive, brilliant and some of them I’d love to read more from.

I love books of short stories, especially horror ones. It's the story that matters, not the page count. Short horror stories remind me of summer camp and sharing "scary" stories around the campfire. This book evokes that feeling, but with a little more fear. All the stories were wonderful but my favorite was #7, Offerings to the Old God. I feel like this was the story that gave the book its title. This story really could have been a book on its own and I would happily read it.

I don’t tend to read a lot of short story collections, as I prefer the character development in full-length novels. This one, however, is a fantastic compilation of short stories! I honestly couldn’t say there was a story I disliked, which is usually the case when I read these collections. Every story was a solid 4 or 5 star read. I have a hard time picking a favourite - I would have to say it’s between The Bystander, From the Red Dirt, Offerings to the Old God, and Family Annihilator. (Yeah, I know that’s like half the book 😆)

I’ll definitely read more by L.P. Hernandez!

4/5 ✨

This collection had so many eerie adult ghost stories written so beautifully. I love how each of these was so different and kept you wanting to read the next to see if it was better than the last!

Thank you to L. P. Hernandez, DarkLit Press, and Net Galley for a free, ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Just as the title states, you find chaos inside the pages.
I enjoyed all the stories, the imagery was amazing in all of them.
Scenes and characters came to life, the feeling of uneasiness was present,
In my personal opinion, another story should have been the start of this magnificent work.
Don't let the first one turn you away from the rest of the stories, all are done so well, you will be enjoy the chaos.

There were some great stories but I felt the collection as a whole, wasn't super strong. My favorites were The Last Chance Diner and The Return of the Champion. I would love to read a full sized book based on Return of the Champion!

Thank you NetGalley and DarkLit Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The first couple of short stories were really great. They were creepy and thrilling, however as I continued through the collection, it seemed to loose it's steam.

Maybe a 2.5?

It was an unhinged read, and I found it most interesting when the stories went beyond the ordinary. It’s a collection of short horror stories, so at times my reading slowed down. I even found myself skipping a few pages and putting down the ARC between stories. There were a few stories I liked, but the others didn’t leave a lasting impression.

I some how missed the fact that this was a collection of short stories, but overall I have to say I quite enjoyed them... Even if "enjoyed" feels like a bad choice. Some of these stories were gruesome and horrifying, some were hopeful, yet sad, some were creepy and thrilling and had me on the edge of my seat! But overall I did really enjoy reading each of these.

I couldn’t finish this book, but if you’re a horror lover you’d probably really enjoy it. I’m more of an atmospheric horror kind of person, and this collection of stories had that but a lot of what I read I had to skim over because it was just too much for me personally. Based on the cover I was hoping for more occult vibes, but the stories ended up being impressively diverse AND unique. I will also say that the author is very skilled. The choice of words and flow will pull you in and keep you there, which may or may not be a good thing!

Read from May 26th, 2024 to June 3rd, 2024. Written on June 5th, 2024.

~1.5~

DNF @ 43%.

At first, I was really excited for this book. The first short story was chaotic, intense, creepy. The rest, some of them, followed but not close to the emotion I felt. I'm not saying I compared all the stories to the first, but none of them gave me the excitement the first one did, which is what eventually drove me to quit this book, unfortunately.

I don't know what it was, because I usually love gore and horror, maybe this was too much for me? I don't know. Hopefully in a couple years I'll reread it and like it more.

Plus, I love the title.

Signing off,
B.

(Free ARC from NetGalley and DarkLit Press that I chose to review after reading)

No Gods Only Chaos by LP Hernandez is a short story collection that I think any horror fan can find a story to love. From an urban explorer who gets her wish in the worst way, a girl who doesn’t want to sacrifice her baby brother, a family annihilator, a missing friend the stories and their differences are mini but the entertainment is plentiful. Some of the stories made me cringe in a good way and others had me wanting to hide my eyes despite having to read the story I really really enjoyed the stories I usually pick a favorite but I’m being honest when I say in this book I cannot do it, I really cannot. All the stories were so so good! It seems like every story is better than the last. This author really has a grasp on the creepy and macabre and he threads it throughout his stories with a talent not seen every day I truly loved the stories and wish he would write a novel because I would be so down to read that. I want to thank dark lit press for my free arc copy via NetGalley. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

First of all, No Gods, Only Chaos is a great title and probably my overriding outlook at our place in the universe. Like, I want this title as a tattoo.

Secondly, and more importantly, No Gods, Only Chaos is a superb collection of short stories from L.P. Hernandez. Every story is dark and terrifying, yet there are glimmers of hope and love. As I worked my way through the collection, my favorite story kept changing as Hernandez took me from the dust bowl to the cosmos to forgotten cemeteries to ancient caves to dank basements.

Looking back now, I have two favorites that have stuck with me. Permanently. Red Dirt, a zombie story where a grandfather’s love won’t let him rest. And Offerings to an Old God, that questions generational fear and blind acceptance of the status quo.

This could be the best horror short story collection I have ever read.