blood must be shed on themthe latest collection from the Stoker Award-nominated author and poet. Annie Neugebauer (The Extra, The Other) is a carefully curated piece of intimate horror. So when I had the chance to read this collection early, I was munching away. These stories understand that fear isn’t always for show. Sometimes it’s a living condition.
Neugebauer has assembled 19 short stories and eight poems that function more as a gallery of moments captured in still images than a traditional collection of works. Organize, consider, and reconsider each.
blood must be shed on them It has been described as “spooky and wonderful, worthy of a shadow box.” Like objects preserved behind glass, Neugebauer’s horror feels suspended in time, carefully composed, eerily beautiful, and impossible to ignore. Readers don’t feel rushed. Instead, we are invited to notice the emotional residue that clings to each work. This is a horror that seeks and rewards attention.
Distinguishing features blood must be shed on them It’s an emotional focus. In this series of stories, Neugebauer is less interested in monsters and outside threats. She is interested in the silent, corrosive fears that shape human behavior, including abuse, obsession, regret, and violence. Many of these stories focus on characters trapped in situations they did not choose and grapple with forces that strip them of their agency. Supernatural yet deeply worldly, blood must be shed on them is a series of works that leave us feeling uneasy, not because we are shocked, but because we recognize something familiar.
The range of the collection is impressive and surprisingly consistent in its execution. Stories include a pick-up artist who gets under your skin, opening a junk drawer to reveal something you don’t understand, a fairy tale with a familiar twist, and a senior water aerobics class that goes totally… wrong. Any of these ideas could develop into a gimmick. Neugebauer avoids that pitfall and draws readers into surreal scenarios with raw emotion. The supernatural elements serve as an extension of the characters’ lives, rather than a distraction.
One of the recurring themes in blood must be shed on them Even though you know something is seriously wrong, you are unable to take action. Some fear lies less in the possibility of being attacked and more in the time wasted anticipating it. Fear becomes its own prison, never freed, and silently consumes the lives of the characters. Neugebauer captures this element with amazing precision, allowing the absence to build tension before the horror escalates.
Power dynamics and emotional complexity also play a role throughout the collection. Neugebauer questions the cost of survival and how trauma shapes those who endure it. Revenge can be complex and imperfect. You may not get a clean solution. These are all very real facts. One of this collection’s greatest strengths is its refusal to offer readers easy catharsis.
Neugebauer’s prose is not merely decorative, but reflects her background as a poet in its disciplined storytelling. Her language is sharp, attentive to rhythm and imagery, and unafraid of quiet moments. The grotesque scenes are expressed in moderation, emphasizing atmosphere over excess. The effect is cumulative. Each story leaves a small trace, and by the end, blood must be shed on themthe weight of these marks is difficult to shake.
The inclusion of poetry throughout strengthens the book’s cohesiveness. Rather than an interruption, they serve as echoes of themes and help distill emotional concerns between stories. Together with the poems, they create a rhythm that feels intentional, reinforcing the sense that this collection is not just a collection of works, but a unified artistic expression.
Neugebauer’s horror frequently exposes the violence embedded in everyday interactions, revealing how predation can easily go unnoticed until it is too late. Her characters are never reduced to symbols. They are complex, flawed, and painfully human. Even moments that feel absurd become quietly destructive. Neugebauer shows how fear arises when we simply don’t pay enough attention and things become easily overlooked. These stories resonate because, despite their imperfections, they refuse to trivialize their characters.
at that time blood must be shed on them As the synopsis states, readers will have wandered through a “labyrinth of fear.” But this labyrinth isn’t just designed for escape. It prompts reflection and asks us to face the emotional truth at its heart. What Neugebauer offers us is not comfort, but rather deep honesty.
blood must be shed on them This is a collection that trusts its readers. There is no rush towards a solution. Instead, it examines the spaces where fear overlaps with human emotion. These stories bleed because they have to, and in doing so leave lasting images that settle in the shadows of our minds.
Thank you very much bad handbook For ARC. This collection can be pre-ordered directly from the site and includes a signed bookplate. Horror fans don’t miss this. blood must be shed on them It was an easy five star read for me. Get this pre-order. No matter where you buy the book, it will be officially published on March 17, 2026.
Image via Bad handbook
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