I do love short story collections! I wasn't familiar with anything else in the "Renfield universe," so did feel like I was missing out on something. But this did stand alone and I loved Rebelein's literary tone, elevating the mood. I would recommend this for folks looking for more short fiction in particular and can see "Detour" maybe getting some longlist award attention. I loved the frame and mounting dread pulling you through until the end.

This collection of interconnected stories serves tension on a silver platter. As the story of the Renfield Wood unravels, we see the tendrils of darkness spreading through any of those who have come in contact with the county. A really masterful work.

This was such an amazing collection of truly unsettling stories. After the first 10 pages I ran to get my hands on Edenville and I can't wait to see what Rebelein does next

The Poorly Made is anything but! This is an outstanding collection of wicked tales connected by the evil that seeped into the wood, water, and land of Renfield County and spread through the country in the form of blood-stained souvenirs.

At the start of the book and in between each story is a frantic series of emails from a woman who is desperate to connect with her brother to share what she has learned about Renfield and its connection to their mother's death. These emails provide insight into the dark history of Renfield and the far-reaching consequences suffered by those who have come in contact with it. They also help to create a sense of urgency because for goodness sake why doesn't he answer her?

As for the stories themselves, they bring the tangible fear of finding yourself on a road that never ends, body horror, cannibalism, lost souls, and more. They are dark, disturbing, and imaginative. The writing is impeccable. This is the first time in a while that I have felt truly lost in a book as if the vivid descriptions made the real world disappear.

5 out of 5 stars.

My thanks to William Morrow for the e-ARC

THE POORLY MADE AND OTHER THINGS. It’s a wonderfully gruesome and impressive collection. Body horror is on full display in several tales, and unease pumps like thick blood through every story. A horror reader’s delight.

The Poorly Made and Other Things by Sam Rebelein is the train going off the tracks. It is the grusome thing that you cannot look away from. It is the book you cannot stop reading because you identify with certain characters. You want those characters to come out of the train wreck okay. You build a relationship with them and Rebelein shows you how fragile relationships can be.

I've rarely read horror stories written with such lyricism and poetic imagery. Rebelein uses the beauty of words on the page to pull you into the walls of Renfeild County. I'm not sure I've even left the book. It might still hold me...

Author Sam Rebelein returns to the world we were introduced to in Edenville and its a welcome one.
The energy and imagination already expressed in the novel explodes here with his own brand of lunacy, wit, and humor.
Loved being back in Renfield County with a plethora of spooky stories wrapped up in a great connective framing device.

I don't even know where to start.

This read was a trip. A cavalcade of the uncanny. A rollercoaster of humankind's worst fears about death and loneliness, and the unknown.

Though this is a collection, there is a common thread of emails from sister to brother, and connections between the stories...when I caught one I screamed aloud, "No!".

There are so many different aspects of horror throughout this novel: creatures, body horror, aliens, ax murders, possession...the list goes on.

I highly recommend you pick this one up.

This is a collection of short stories, loosely tied together through a series of texts and emails between Rachel and her brother, Tom. I requested this ARC because horror shorts are my jam, but soon came to realize that these stories are a bit more graphic than my usual tastes. Don't misunderstand: this book was great! The characters in the short stories are fleeting but still very well fleshed out (or defleshed, in some instances). Rachel's anxiety (and faults) hit a little too close to home sometimes. In the end, the separate stories and Rachel's narrative all come together in such a satisfying way, I requested the novel this book was based on, Edenville, from my library.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of the eARC!

First, I want to preface this review with I have not read Edenville, and perhaps that makes all the difference. Overall, I found this short story collection like many short story collections from a single author, namely mediocre, with a few stories stronger than average and a few weaker. Often when a collection comes from a single author, I prefer that the stories be either completely unrelated or have clear connection that help define the world. This book didn't quite meet my hopes (although the "Interstitial" chapters did a LOT of heavy lifting in trying to make connections).

It doesn't seem to fit itself neatly into any of the usual "horror" boxes, and while I usually can appreciate that, in this case it just left me wondering why anyone would still live in this area when there are such rampant horrors around every bend (shadowed or not). This isn't Castle Rock with its regularly occurring but markedly different and well-defined terrors. This is more like a horror-based version of Eureka where everyone has to willfully ignore the strange goings on that somehow never seem to get reported to the outside world nor does anyone seem to discover the glaringly obvious connections and try to avoid them.

I really believe that I would have more thoroughly enjoyed these stories if they were completely separate and unrelated, but instead I kept trying to find the "meta-horror" that could explain the massively disparate terrors presented. Presented individually, I would gladly give many of the stories 4-5 stars, but collected together and without the background from Edenville to help make any connections, 3-stars is the best I can do.

The Poorly Made and Other Things is the latest story collection from Sam Rebelein. Set in and around Renfield County, each creepy tale stands on it's own but are stitched by emails between siblings. The stitching together creates one giant monster of a story that will leave you unsettled and horrified yet still turning the page for more.
Listen, I'm just starting to enjoy short stories and then this collection comes along and blows my mind. I don't want to summarize each story but there's a couple that left me chilled to my core -
Hector Brim - is this grief horror?
Red X- honestly my worst nightmare
So My Cousin Knew This Guy- body horror!
I am a big fan of Rebeleins debut, Edenville. It was a wicked delight to be back in that universe. While you don't need to read one without the other, they are the perfect companions.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and recommend it to anyone one interested in clever, horrific, intertwining stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Spectacularly grotesque and deliciously vile, The Poorly Made and Other Things is a chilling masterpiece of modern horror!

Sam Rebelein is carving out his own horrifying niche in the genre, building a terrifying world reminiscent of Stephen King’s Castle Rock. Welcome to Renfield County—a cursed, nightmarish locale that’s equal parts thrilling and soul-shattering. This collection of short stories is a kaleidoscope of disgust, creativity, and terror, cementing its place as a standout in the horror genre.

The storytelling here is ingeniously framed with emails that serve as both stage-setters and puzzle pieces for an overarching mystery. These emails are witty, unnervingly funny, and pulse with an undercurrent of dread. They not only tie the stories together but create a chilling narrative thread that keeps you guessing (and checking over your shoulder).

Rebelein’s tales themselves are a tour de force of nightmare fuel. These stories are so vivid and unsettling that I found myself both compelled and horrified, unable to stop reading despite the creeping unease. The cosmic horror woven through these pages is staggering, reaching unimaginable heights of terror that will haunt you long after you’ve turned the final page.

Fans of body horror, brace yourselves—this book pulls no punches. Expect gut-wrenching depictions of mutilation and unflinching brutality. Rebelein’s prose spares no detail, making every scene feel excruciatingly real. If bleak, unrelenting horror is your thing, you’ll devour this collection with morbid delight.

Readers beware: The Poorly Made and Other Things is destined to be a horror classic, and Renfield County will soon become a place you’ll dread—and crave—to revisit. Just make sure nothing sinister follows you home!

cat_winedark
🪵🩸The Poorly Made And Other Things 🩸🪵

Is our table made from Renfield wood? Is it from the barn? 👀😬

This collection. Wow. Just wow. First, because I always do this for story collections, here are my difficultly chosen top 5:

1. Interstitials*
2. My Name Is Ellie
3. Detours
4. Red X
5. Allison’s Face

*These are kind of in publication order as usual but Interstitials are reoccurring chapters and one of the things that make this so special. So I put it first.

SO. This collection is a DEEP dive into Renfield County while ALSO telling a story of its own. If you read Edenville and were enchanted with, you know, all of it, you need this collection.

These stories are unsettling, gross, terrifying, disturbing, messed up, dark, gruesome… but also funny and absurd. And of course there’s a beating bloody heart you just may feel beating in your own chest.

I want to sink into this world like it’s a warm bath (NOT Old Wag’s) and this collection really lets me do that.

If it wasn’t clear earlier, hopefully this sets the record straight that I LOVE this book, and @rebelsam94 is more than a sunflower—he’s a star. 🌻🌟

Now I’m off to enjoy Christmas Eve with @tonyshorrorcorner 🫶🏻

If you need a last minute gift, may I suggest a pre-order of this book. Happy holidays everyone 🖤

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

The Poorly Made and Other Things is a must read for horror fans. It takes you deeper into the dark, twisted history of Renfield County. It kept me on the edge of my seat and left me wanting more. Each chapter offers a terrifying look into the mysteries that surround Renfield County and the residents. I simply couldn't put this book down. I cannot wait to see what Sam Rebelein has to offer readers next.

DNF'd at 21%. Very Intense and gross without any real buy in to care, for me. And normally I appreciate some gross horror.

Genius! The weaving of these short stories together with an overarching frame was brilliant, and there are several images I will have in my mind for a long time to come!

This book presents a compilation of short horror stories that eventually intersect. The individual stories are exceptionally well-written, and the author's technique of connecting them as the narrative unfolds is laudable. To avoid revealing spoilers, I will refrain from additional remarks, but the book is supremely well-crafted.

The Poorly Made and Other Things is the second book by Sam Rebelein and the readers second visit to Renfield County and its surrounding towns. This book continues to provide insights into the mysteries of what happened in the town all those years ago and what horrible things continue to happen. This is a short story collection with of vignettes of Renfield county, with a series of “interstitials” throughout that tell another story. These stories are cruel, and mean, and scary. Fans of Edenville will love being back and getting more of the horror and the mystery!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for a digital ARC in exchange for a fair review.

The Poorly Made and Other Things is a series of gnarly short stories in the same universe. Sam Rebelein can surely paint a vivid, disturbing picture with words. Each tale is a standalone masterpiece, but the connection to one universe took away from the collection in my opinion. I was thinking too hard about how to tie things together.

Still, this is a great read for anyone who loves a good scare. I'd definitely check out more from this author.