
Sam Asher’s Really Shockingly Bad Things and Other Stories is one of those books that is not meant to be devoured, but instead to be chewed over, savored, and digested over time. It hits heavy from multiple angles—human, dystopian, political, economical, personal—and it took time for me to properly sit with these stories. I’ll highlight a few of my favorites, in no particular order.
I’m a little biased about “Americana!” since we published it here at Apex, but I do love it—sharp, incisive, witty, set in a possible future that seems a little too real. “King of Kings” was lovely and tender and desperate, with an ending that made my eyes involuntarily bug out of my head. The title story—“Really, Shockingly Bad Things”—was beautiful in its relentless abrasion, and this one I got to hear a reading of at World Fantasy Con 2024 (which is, incidentally, where I got a signed copy of the collection!).
Overall, this was an excellent tour of Asher’s work. Full of fresh-but-horrifyingly-familiar dystopias, heartbreak, healing, and gentle humor, this is one of my favorite collections I’ve read. Give this one a read if you want to feel heard and hollowed out and warmed, somehow all at once.
Information about Really Shockingly Bad Things and Other Stories:
Author: Sam Asher
Publisher: 55 Fathoms
Release Date: December 1st, 2024
Print Length: 141 pages