The Body Harvest

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Pub Date Jul 23 2024 | Archive Date Apr 30 2024

Description

J.G. Ballard’s Crash meets Albert Camus’s The Plague in a transgressive horror novel for the TikTok generation.

Will is a fraud. Olivia is a wreck. They meet at a grief share group and quickly bond over their brokenness. They also have a peculiar hobby; they seek out sickness. Will hunts for the latest strain of flu. Olivia doesn’t feel comfortable in her body if she isn’t suffering from a fever. They become virus chasers, finding confidence in their ability to conquer every affliction they come across.

They soon discover an online community of chasers called The Source and realize that their hobby isn’t all that odd when seen from the right distance. And then the mysterious Zaff literally walks into their life, claiming that he has the goods, knows where the latest outbreak will drop. Intrigued, Will and Olivia decide to take their hobby to the point of obsession, believing that if they can conquer the newest strain, nobody can hurt them.

J.G. Ballard’s Crash meets Albert Camus’s The Plague in a transgressive horror novel for the TikTok generation.

Will is a fraud. Olivia is a wreck. They meet at a grief share group and quickly bond...


A Note From the Publisher

About the Author: MICHAEL J. SEIDLINGER is the Filipino American author of Anybody Home?, Scream (Bloomsbury's Object Lessons), and other books. He has written for, among others, Wired, Buzzfeed, Thrillist, Goodreads, The Observer, Polygon, The Believer, and Publishers Weekly. He teaches at Portland State University and has led workshops at Catapult, Kettle Pond Writer's Conference, and Sarah Lawrence.

About the Author: MICHAEL J. SEIDLINGER is the Filipino American author of Anybody Home?, Scream (Bloomsbury's Object Lessons), and other books. He has written for, among others, Wired...


Advance Praise

Praise for Michael J. Seidlinger's previous novel, Anybody Home? [CLASH Books, 2022]

** One of Esquire‘s Best Horror Books of 2022 **

** September 2022 Nightworms Selection **

“Do not, under any circumstance, read when you’re alone. One of the most disturbing novels I’ve read in years.” —Danielle Trussoni, The New York Times Book Review

“This book makes Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay look like a cakewalk. This is THE MOST intense psychological horror you have ever read. Seriously. It makes Out by Natsuo Kirino look tame.” — Library Journal (Starred Review)

“Guaranteed to give you goosebumps and double (or triple) check the locks on your doors.” — Buzzfeed

Anybody Home? is an uncomfortable triumph. It’s a book that will satisfy fans of Seidlinger’s chameleonic voice, and will make new fans of those who haven’t read his work yet.” —Gabino Iglesias, Locus Magazine

“Harrowing and tremendously upsetting, Anybody Home? flips the home invasion genre on its head for a new generation of readers. I felt like I was reading something I shouldn’t have been reading. You’ll be checking your locks regularly after reading this nasty little morsel.” —Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

“A bone-chilling, immersive horror novel that explores fear, obsession, voyeurism, and senseless violence. Seidlinger takes an ax to the illusion of suburban safety. Unsettling, unflinching, and unforgettable. Anybody Home? is one of the most terrifying books I’ve ever read.” —Rachel Harrison, author of Cackle and Such Sharp Teeth

“Michael J. Seidlinger is a true innovator. The narrative shards of Anybody Home? cascade over the reader in a collage of troubling, sometimes half-seen images, and the wicked, insinuating, deeply unsettling voice weaves through the back of your mind and crouches in your dreams. A chilling and unforgettable book.” —Dan Chaon, author of Sleepwalk

“Damn, this book is effed up.” — CrimeReads

“An ice cold, deadpan zeitgeist nightmare, Michael J. Seidlinger knows, and shows, that even in a lockdown moment, home is the most dangerous place of all. Watch out. Too late. They’re watching you.” —Kathe Koja, author of Dark Factory

Anybody Home? is an immersive novel that deconstructs home invasions for sport, resulting in addictive commentary on the horror genre itself.” —Foreword Reviews (starred review)

“Michael J. Seidlinger’s Anybody Home? is unflinching in its execution, offering a cold and quiet intensity matched only by its scathing indictment of entertainers and the entertained. It might be the scariest book I’ve read in a decade.” —Todd Keisling, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Devil’s Creek and Scanlines

Anybody Home? is Natural Born Killers for a generation that grew up on Funny Games,The Purge, and Twitter. An incisive commentary on how, in our culture, everything eventually gets mediatized—and a how-to guide to some of the darkest corners of that process, one that implicates you even as you read it.” —Brian Evenson, author of Song for the Unraveling of the World

“In Michael J. Seidlinger’s Anybody Home? your security alarm and cameras are positioned to betray you. Our invaders and our victims have been chosen carefully to perform in this meticulous, intoxicating, and brutal tale of home invasion.” —Cynthia Pelayo, three-time Bram Stoker Award® nominated author of Children of Chicago

“With this sinister and alluring story of home invasions, Michael Seidlinger has invented a new type of horror novel, one that simultaneously chronicles the characters’ transgressions and the audience’s reactions. It’s a searing commentary on voyeurism and mass media, as well as a riff on Michael Haneke’s Funny Games that outdoes the original. Read it with the doors locked.” —Jeff Jackson, author of Destroy All Monsters

“Perhaps the most immersive home invasion story you will ever read. It’s like having a madman confess his sins in your ear. Absolutely chilling.” —Ronald Malfi, author of Come with Me

“Seidlinger pulls no punches in delivering gut-wrenching horror as he drives the novel to its bloody conclusion. Fans of Jack Ketchum and Samantha Kolesnik will want to check this out.” —Publishers Weekly

“This addictive deconstruction of the home invasion is so thorough and chilling, Seidlinger may as well have slammed the door on the entire genre. But beyond the torture and violation, Anybody Home? is a nuanced study of the creative process, exploring what it takes to create art that truly resonates.” —B.R. Yeager, author of Negative Space

“In Anybody Home?, Michael J. Seidlinger so masterfully crafts an atmosphere of pure terror that it had me checking to make sure my front door was locked, for fear of home invaders—or maybe Seidlinger himself.” — Rob Hart, author of The Paradox Hotel

Anybody Home? is a literal and metaphorical dissection of the nuclear family, executed with panache and filled with cutting insights. Seidlinger knows precisely how to make the reader complicit. These pages will bloody your hands, and it’ll be a long time before the stains wash clean.” —Brian Asman, author of Man, F* This House

“Michael J. Seidlinger’s Anybody Home? isn’t just a deliriously terrifying novel, it’s also a ransom note from our fame-obsessed id. It’s an instruction manual from evil itself, and it’s a mirror trick that puts you behind the eyes of a monster, only to realize the prey being stalked… is also you.”—Nat Cassidy, author of Mary: An Awakening of Terror 

Praise for Michael J. Seidlinger's previous novel, Anybody Home? [CLASH Books, 2022]

** One of Esquire‘s Best Horror Books of 2022 **

** September 2022 Nightworms Selection **

“Do not, under any...


Marketing Plan

- Frontlist positioning for previews, reviews & new release round-ups with top trades (PW, Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal)

- Long-lead PR campaign for reviews, interviews, features/profiles, and excerpt placements with regional & national magazines, newspapers & online

- Pre-release buzz campaign with horror critics & influencer community 

- In-person book tour in top U.S. markets around launch

- NetGalley promotion & homepage feature

- Targeted advertising campaigns on Goodreads and BookBub

- Pre-order push and release promotion in CLASH Books newsletter and social media

- Frontlist positioning for previews, reviews & new release round-ups with top trades (PW, Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal)

- Long-lead PR campaign for reviews, interviews, features/profiles, and...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781955904872
PRICE $17.95 (USD)
PAGES 212

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Average rating from 16 members


Featured Reviews

First and foremost, reading this while in recovery from COVID made the story all the more visceral. I love depraved stories about morally bankrupt characters, and this one was a wild ride which left me surprised, shocked, and grossed-out at every turn. I’m a big fan of B-movies, and this felt like something straight out of the mind of Cronenberg or H.G. Lewis. Definitely recommend for those who like splatterpunk/extreme horror.

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