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Lunar Gothic Trilogy #1
Crypt of the Moon Spider
Crypt of the Moon Spider is a dark and dreamy tale of horror, corruption, and identity spun into the stickiest of webs.
Years ago, in a cave beneath the dense forests and streams on the surface of the moon, a gargantuan spider once lived. Its silk granted its first worshippers immense faculties of power and awe.
It’s now 1923 and Veronica Brinkley is touching down on the moon for her intake at the Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy. A renowned facility, Dr. Barrington Cull’s invasive and highly successful treatments have been lauded by many. And they’re so simple! All it takes is a little spider silk in the amygdala, maybe a strand or two in the prefrontal cortex, and perhaps an inch in the hippocampus for near evisceration of those troublesome thoughts and ideas.
But trouble lurks in many a mind at this facility and although the spider’s been dead for years, its denizens are not. Someone or something is up to no good, and Veronica just might be the cause.
Years ago, in a cave beneath the dense forests and streams on the surface of the moon, a gargantuan spider once lived. Its silk granted its first worshippers immense faculties of power and awe.
It’s now 1923 and Veronica Brinkley is touching down on the moon for her intake at the Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy. A renowned facility, Dr. Barrington Cull’s invasive and highly successful treatments have been lauded by many. And they’re so simple! All it takes is a little spider silk in the amygdala, maybe a strand or two in the prefrontal cortex, and perhaps an inch in the hippocampus for near evisceration of those troublesome thoughts and ideas.
But trouble lurks in many a mind at this facility and although the spider’s been dead for years, its denizens are not. Someone or something is up to no good, and Veronica just might be the cause.
88 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2024
About the author
Nathan Ballingrud
68 books1,180 followersI'm the author of North American Lake Monsters: stories, coming from Small Beer Press in July 2013. I'm currently at work on my first novel and several more short stories. I live with my daughter in Asheville, NC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 457 reviews
September 7, 2024
I hate to sound overly hyperbolic, but this was simply one of the most disturbing and nightmarish stories I’ve ever experienced. I’ve mentioned before in various reviews that, as an avid reader of horror fiction for over three decades, it’s rare for me to be truly unsettled and horrified these days, but this was like being trapped in a literal hell, and I have a feeling it will be sticking with me for a long time to come. I wouldn’t call it a particularly “fun” type of terror, but I kept furiously turning the pages anyway, despite my apprehension for what was in store.
The disturbing aspects have less to do with any violence or gore or body horror (though that’s all here too) and more with the horrific psychological concepts detailed — ones that play into a couple of my greatest fears, concerning memory and self. So your mileage may vary. Considering it’s only a hundred pages or so, I’ll not go into the plot other than to say that it’s about a “melancholy” young woman in a bizarre alternate 1923 whose husband has her committed to an insane asylum — on the moon, at the spot where a giant spider is said to have once lived and been worshipped as a god. It’s probably best to read this in only one or two sittings at night in order to maintain the atmosphere of inner unease and cosmic dread. It worked for me.
The prose is of very high quality as per usual for Ballingrud, who’s just moved into my “must read everything” list. Good thing there’s a decent amount out there that I haven’t gotten to yet. I enjoyed North American Lake Monsters and The Visible Filth, but this was on a whole other twisted level, for my tastes.
And yet, it was oddly thought-provoking and even moving at times.
But mostly twisted.
The disturbing aspects have less to do with any violence or gore or body horror (though that’s all here too) and more with the horrific psychological concepts detailed — ones that play into a couple of my greatest fears, concerning memory and self. So your mileage may vary. Considering it’s only a hundred pages or so, I’ll not go into the plot other than to say that it’s about a “melancholy” young woman in a bizarre alternate 1923 whose husband has her committed to an insane asylum — on the moon, at the spot where a giant spider is said to have once lived and been worshipped as a god. It’s probably best to read this in only one or two sittings at night in order to maintain the atmosphere of inner unease and cosmic dread. It worked for me.
The prose is of very high quality as per usual for Ballingrud, who’s just moved into my “must read everything” list. Good thing there’s a decent amount out there that I haven’t gotten to yet. I enjoyed North American Lake Monsters and The Visible Filth, but this was on a whole other twisted level, for my tastes.
And yet, it was oddly thought-provoking and even moving at times.
But mostly twisted.
October 20, 2024
*Many thanks to my inaugural buddy reader Christine Koch. It was a quick one, but time very well spent*
Spiders and the moon; two things replete with dreary allegorical potential and put to much use in this frigid, gothic, sci-fi adjacent, phantasmagorical creature feature period piece, weaved together with characteristically stunning prose from one of the best practitioners of language in any of the aforementioned genres.
The blending of medical horror, parasitic body horror, and creeping existential dread makes for a wonderfully macabre fable.
This is not hard science-fiction. It is not relevant to understand why there is breathable oxygen on the surface of the moon, how rocket technology was so advanced in the 1920’s, or how a spider god possesses psychic and time-folding capabilities.
Although thankfully no cringeworthy references to “the divine feminine,” the time period of barely burgeoning autonomy in which it takes place makes the oft-attributed female qualities of the moon and the spider pertinent. To reduce it to some trendy feminine rage revenge fantasy would be doing the story a great disservice. It is not so blatantly triumphant as that. Veronica is committed by her husband for being too downtrodden to fulfil her wifely duties (her self-loathing reinforced by words from her mother when [or where] Veronica was a child), but there are men committed to the same fate intended for her. Ballingrud does not deal in exaggerated didactic pandering. The head surgeon at Barrowfield Home for Treatment of Melancholy is as condescending to his enforcer/former patient as he is to Veronica. It’s really only gendered in variation and has more to do with experimental attempts by a grandiose malpractioner at cures for little understood mental illness with the real life body horror of prefrontal lobotomies called to mind. Hysteria or melancholy? Never mind. Mutilate the brain.
There are those who think Ballingrud is too obtuse and abstract (especially in The Visible Filth, otherwise known as Wounds, which I loved as well, but can understand. The movie did not do well, but I was impressed by how faithful an adaptation it was). Crypt of the Moon Spider (which, for some reason I have to actively refrain from calling Curse of the Spider Moon) is a classically weird tale and is perfectly cohesive in the moonlight of its wildly unique conceit, should one be willing to accept it. It is a grotesque nightmare, elegantly executed.
Time allowing, I’ll return for some more nitty-gritty, specific points of analysis, because I love a story that sets my symbolic synapses aflame. I will be anticipating and reading the further entries in this Lunar Gothic Trilogy.
A very solid 4.5.
Spiders and the moon; two things replete with dreary allegorical potential and put to much use in this frigid, gothic, sci-fi adjacent, phantasmagorical creature feature period piece, weaved together with characteristically stunning prose from one of the best practitioners of language in any of the aforementioned genres.
The blending of medical horror, parasitic body horror, and creeping existential dread makes for a wonderfully macabre fable.
This is not hard science-fiction. It is not relevant to understand why there is breathable oxygen on the surface of the moon, how rocket technology was so advanced in the 1920’s, or how a spider god possesses psychic and time-folding capabilities.
Although thankfully no cringeworthy references to “the divine feminine,” the time period of barely burgeoning autonomy in which it takes place makes the oft-attributed female qualities of the moon and the spider pertinent. To reduce it to some trendy feminine rage revenge fantasy would be doing the story a great disservice. It is not so blatantly triumphant as that. Veronica is committed by her husband for being too downtrodden to fulfil her wifely duties (her self-loathing reinforced by words from her mother when [or where] Veronica was a child), but there are men committed to the same fate intended for her. Ballingrud does not deal in exaggerated didactic pandering. The head surgeon at Barrowfield Home for Treatment of Melancholy is as condescending to his enforcer/former patient as he is to Veronica. It’s really only gendered in variation and has more to do with experimental attempts by a grandiose malpractioner at cures for little understood mental illness with the real life body horror of prefrontal lobotomies called to mind. Hysteria or melancholy? Never mind. Mutilate the brain.
There are those who think Ballingrud is too obtuse and abstract (especially in The Visible Filth, otherwise known as Wounds, which I loved as well, but can understand. The movie did not do well, but I was impressed by how faithful an adaptation it was). Crypt of the Moon Spider (which, for some reason I have to actively refrain from calling Curse of the Spider Moon) is a classically weird tale and is perfectly cohesive in the moonlight of its wildly unique conceit, should one be willing to accept it. It is a grotesque nightmare, elegantly executed.
Time allowing, I’ll return for some more nitty-gritty, specific points of analysis, because I love a story that sets my symbolic synapses aflame. I will be anticipating and reading the further entries in this Lunar Gothic Trilogy.
A very solid 4.5.
July 23, 2024
What the hell did I just read? Crypt of the Moon Spider is like some kind of science fiction fever dream and I was down for it!
It's 1923 and Veronica is heading to the moon with her husband. He is committing her to the Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy. Years ago, the moon was home to a colossal spider. The spider is dead now but uses have been found for its moon spider silk. Turns out it can help the mentally ill. Or can it? As the mysterious Dr. Cull performs his spider silk brain experiments on his patients, his assistant Charlie is busy harassing and abusing patients in his own way. And lastly, who are these people wandering around in white, often bloody robes? You'll have to read this to find out!
I admit that I only have a vague idea as to what happened here, but I believe that was the author's intent. Yes, I understood most of what was going on, but what I do not understand is most of the how and why. Was what happened some sort of dream on Veronica's part? Does the world at large know exactly what it is that Dr. Cull is doing? What the hell is Charlie's problem? I feel like I, myself, am wandering around the labyrinthian Barrowfield Home, looking for answers.
I loved Veronica as a character. She felt real to me and she was so hard on herself I just wanted to hug her. I get the feeling that Veronica is somehow special, that she was always meant to be on the moon, and that she has a purpose there.
This was a unique novella but I feel it is connected to the wider world of literature as well. Viewed a certain way, this could be a weird retelling of Frankenstein, or maybe even a planet of Dr. Moreau instead of an island? (I also feel a little bit of an, Edgar Rice Burroughs vibe, but that could be and probably is, just me.) All of this to say I'm still not really sure what is happening here, but I WANT MORE. I am trusting in the author to answer all of my questions in the next two books and I would like both of those ASAP, please!
All the Stars to this wicked, dreamy, and weird science fiction tale! Bravo!
*ARC from publisher.*
It's 1923 and Veronica is heading to the moon with her husband. He is committing her to the Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy. Years ago, the moon was home to a colossal spider. The spider is dead now but uses have been found for its moon spider silk. Turns out it can help the mentally ill. Or can it? As the mysterious Dr. Cull performs his spider silk brain experiments on his patients, his assistant Charlie is busy harassing and abusing patients in his own way. And lastly, who are these people wandering around in white, often bloody robes? You'll have to read this to find out!
I admit that I only have a vague idea as to what happened here, but I believe that was the author's intent. Yes, I understood most of what was going on, but what I do not understand is most of the how and why. Was what happened some sort of dream on Veronica's part? Does the world at large know exactly what it is that Dr. Cull is doing? What the hell is Charlie's problem? I feel like I, myself, am wandering around the labyrinthian Barrowfield Home, looking for answers.
I loved Veronica as a character. She felt real to me and she was so hard on herself I just wanted to hug her. I get the feeling that Veronica is somehow special, that she was always meant to be on the moon, and that she has a purpose there.
This was a unique novella but I feel it is connected to the wider world of literature as well. Viewed a certain way, this could be a weird retelling of Frankenstein, or maybe even a planet of Dr. Moreau instead of an island? (I also feel a little bit of an, Edgar Rice Burroughs vibe, but that could be and probably is, just me.) All of this to say I'm still not really sure what is happening here, but I WANT MORE. I am trusting in the author to answer all of my questions in the next two books and I would like both of those ASAP, please!
All the Stars to this wicked, dreamy, and weird science fiction tale! Bravo!
*ARC from publisher.*
October 14, 2024
Nathan Ballingrud stan. FRTC
"I didn't used to be this way... What happened to me? What happened to us?"
"We grew up."
"I didn't used to be this way... What happened to me? What happened to us?"
"We grew up."
January 19, 2025
Finished this book club read because I could not put it down. Marinating on this a bit and a full review soon!
August 27, 2024
Horror fiction writers: this is how you do it
I am not a big fan of horror fiction. I think, however, that is because, as a general rule, it is so poorly done. I'm being unfair -- when I say "it is poorly done", what I mean is that it doesn't horrify me. I am not horrified by creepy-crawlies -- in fact, I spent more than 30 years of my life studying worms, so I think worms and bugs are kind of cool, very beautiful little machines, in fact. Blood and guts and gore also don't bother me.
What I find really scary is psychological terror -- the fear of losing oneself. Nameless fears -- the "nameless" part is important. As a filmmaker once remarked, if you want to really be scary, never show the audience the monster. Leave it to their imaginations -- the monster they imagine is always scarier than anything you can put on the screen. As soon as you show the monster, as soon as you name the fear, it becomes a concrete problem to be solved, and that will never be as frightening as the invisible and nameless.
In Crypt of the Moon Spider, Nathan Ballingrud does that. In fact, he does it a little TOO well. It is truly scary. (And not because of the spiders -- there are spiders, but they play a surprisingly small role in the story.)
In fact, I'm going to be a little inconsistent here, because my main compliant about Crypt of the Moon Spider is that I never knew what was going on, even at the end. The world-building feels vague and perfunctory. Much of the action takes place on the moon, and there are forests and spiders there. It is 1923, and there are regular shuttle flights from Earth to the Moon. This is obviously not the Moon as we know it, and I never figured out how the world of Crypt of the Moon Spider relates to this one we inhabit.
Probably that ambiguity contributes to the mind-numbing horror that Ballingrud produces so well here. But still, I was left unsatisfied at the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for an advance reader copy of Crypt of the Moon Spider.
Blog review
I am not a big fan of horror fiction. I think, however, that is because, as a general rule, it is so poorly done. I'm being unfair -- when I say "it is poorly done", what I mean is that it doesn't horrify me. I am not horrified by creepy-crawlies -- in fact, I spent more than 30 years of my life studying worms, so I think worms and bugs are kind of cool, very beautiful little machines, in fact. Blood and guts and gore also don't bother me.
What I find really scary is psychological terror -- the fear of losing oneself. Nameless fears -- the "nameless" part is important. As a filmmaker once remarked, if you want to really be scary, never show the audience the monster. Leave it to their imaginations -- the monster they imagine is always scarier than anything you can put on the screen. As soon as you show the monster, as soon as you name the fear, it becomes a concrete problem to be solved, and that will never be as frightening as the invisible and nameless.
In Crypt of the Moon Spider, Nathan Ballingrud does that. In fact, he does it a little TOO well. It is truly scary. (And not because of the spiders -- there are spiders, but they play a surprisingly small role in the story.)
In fact, I'm going to be a little inconsistent here, because my main compliant about Crypt of the Moon Spider is that I never knew what was going on, even at the end. The world-building feels vague and perfunctory. Much of the action takes place on the moon, and there are forests and spiders there. It is 1923, and there are regular shuttle flights from Earth to the Moon. This is obviously not the Moon as we know it, and I never figured out how the world of Crypt of the Moon Spider relates to this one we inhabit.
Probably that ambiguity contributes to the mind-numbing horror that Ballingrud produces so well here. But still, I was left unsatisfied at the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for an advance reader copy of Crypt of the Moon Spider.
Blog review
May 2, 2024
This book is short but the story inside is big, much bigger than what it starts out as, a woman seeks medical treatment for her 'melancholy' at a facility located on a forrested moon, to say much more would spoil the book but Nathan has infused the sci fi genre with a darkly delicious gothic atmopshere that permeates the entire book, in addition to this there is some serious body horror, creature feature elements and an almost steampunk vibe, together this creates a surreal novella that is one of the best I've read this year, it's also worth mentioning the character of Veronica was extremely well written, writing a female character as a man and having them resonate with the reader is no small achievement, I can't wait for the next book in the series!
September 6, 2024
Nathan Ballingrud is a writer I have been keeping on my radar since I devoured his short story collection “North American Lake Monsters” a few years ago, and he has never let me down. I was very intrigued by the premise of his new novella, since he has shown with “The Strange” that he writes very interesting what I can only label as ‘weird sci-fi’. This one feels rather more Gothic than his Mars novel, but he obviously finds space eerie, and I am here for it.
The story is set in an alternate 1923, which includes not only space exploration by humans, but also a moon that is nothing like the one we know. On this moon, there are forests, and a very exclusive sanatorium a woman named Veronica is committed to by her husband. She suffers from melancholia, and the doctors who run this institution are reputed to be the best at treating such an ailment. But when she gets there, her room is hardly different from a jail cell, and the treatments are not what she expected at all.
At just about one hundred pages, this little novella can be gobbled up in one or two sittings, and carries Ballingrud’s trademark prose, which manages to be both strong and evocative, and his atmospheric and unsettling settings I love so much. Through the bizarre setting and unnerving events, there is a very interesting reflection about bodily autonomy and how violent the act of taking someone’s voice away actually is.
Despite the title, the spiders are not the scariest bit of this story. We learn early on that a huge spider once dwelt on the moon, and that its silk has medicinal property the sanatorium’s doctor is using on his patients’ brains – but the spider is said to be dead. The real terror dwells in Veronica’s isolation and helplessness when she is dropped in a place she is unfamiliar with, and tries to figure out what the true purpose of not only the institution she is clearly a prisoner in, but also why her presence seems to matter so much to those already there, especially a group of Scholars who are closely involved with the ‘treatments’ given to patients.
This story has a very fever-dream quality to it, and I have grown to appreciate books in which the author doesn’t give the readers all the answers and explanation. I like to understand what I am reading, but sometimes, the purpose is simply to make you feel the way a writer imagines their characters would feel, and this is where Ballingrud absolutely succeeds with “Crypt of the Moon Spider”. I see that he means for this to be a trilogy, and I am looking forward to see what else is going on with the moon Ballingrud has imagined.
Especially recommended for fans of psychological horror and anyone who likes weird stories that keep your brain churning. Watch out, however, if you don’t like body horror, because there is quite a lot of that here. Weird and haunting, which is Ballingrud at his best.
The story is set in an alternate 1923, which includes not only space exploration by humans, but also a moon that is nothing like the one we know. On this moon, there are forests, and a very exclusive sanatorium a woman named Veronica is committed to by her husband. She suffers from melancholia, and the doctors who run this institution are reputed to be the best at treating such an ailment. But when she gets there, her room is hardly different from a jail cell, and the treatments are not what she expected at all.
At just about one hundred pages, this little novella can be gobbled up in one or two sittings, and carries Ballingrud’s trademark prose, which manages to be both strong and evocative, and his atmospheric and unsettling settings I love so much. Through the bizarre setting and unnerving events, there is a very interesting reflection about bodily autonomy and how violent the act of taking someone’s voice away actually is.
Despite the title, the spiders are not the scariest bit of this story. We learn early on that a huge spider once dwelt on the moon, and that its silk has medicinal property the sanatorium’s doctor is using on his patients’ brains – but the spider is said to be dead. The real terror dwells in Veronica’s isolation and helplessness when she is dropped in a place she is unfamiliar with, and tries to figure out what the true purpose of not only the institution she is clearly a prisoner in, but also why her presence seems to matter so much to those already there, especially a group of Scholars who are closely involved with the ‘treatments’ given to patients.
This story has a very fever-dream quality to it, and I have grown to appreciate books in which the author doesn’t give the readers all the answers and explanation. I like to understand what I am reading, but sometimes, the purpose is simply to make you feel the way a writer imagines their characters would feel, and this is where Ballingrud absolutely succeeds with “Crypt of the Moon Spider”. I see that he means for this to be a trilogy, and I am looking forward to see what else is going on with the moon Ballingrud has imagined.
Especially recommended for fans of psychological horror and anyone who likes weird stories that keep your brain churning. Watch out, however, if you don’t like body horror, because there is quite a lot of that here. Weird and haunting, which is Ballingrud at his best.
August 2, 2024
This is my second time reading a book from this author, and I have to say his writing is exceptional.
This novella is a 50/50 mix of horror and science fiction set in an asylum unlike any you have known, it's on the moon and it's safe to say that things aren't as they initially seem.
As far as novellas go, this is a top-drawer effort. It has it all, a great storyline, amazingly well-drawn characters, with plenty of mystery and action thrown in for good measure.
I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
Exceptional and highly recommended!
This novella is a 50/50 mix of horror and science fiction set in an asylum unlike any you have known, it's on the moon and it's safe to say that things aren't as they initially seem.
As far as novellas go, this is a top-drawer effort. It has it all, a great storyline, amazingly well-drawn characters, with plenty of mystery and action thrown in for good measure.
I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
Exceptional and highly recommended!
Read
August 27, 2024Nathan Ballingrud's short horror/sci-fi novella is a hefty return to the world of pulp genre fiction. Set in an alternative 1920s, and reminiscent of the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs (who is referenced here), Crypt of the Moon Spider follows Veronica, who has just arrived on the moon; she struggled with depression and so her husband is abandoning here at an asylum.
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/modern-horror...
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/modern-horror...
January 26, 2025
Nathan Ballingrud is an excellent writer. I enjoy his stories and his prose style. I enjoyed this, his latest novella and having read the preview at the end of it for the forthcoming sequel, I'm looking forward to reading that too. Crypt Of The Moon Spider is a horror, gothic science fantasy story that races along pitch perfectly. It isn't padded with unnecessary chapters of filler or ramblings. I highly recommend this novella and the other works of Nathan Ballingrud.
May 19, 2024
With the recent release of Yorgos Lanthimos's film, Poor Things, and two other Frankenstein movies slated for 2025 release - one from Guillermo Del Toro for Netflix, and another in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s theatrical The Bride - Mary Shelley's shadow continues to loom large as a source of inspiration for modern-day horror talents. Enter into this fray, Crypt of the Moon Spider, Nathan Ballingrud's latest novella and first in the Lunar Gothic trilogy for Tor Nightfire.
As with Ballingrud's previous release, The Strange, the author presents us with a fantastical alternate history and a voyage to the stars more in keeping with the imaginings of Jules Verne and Edgar Rice Burroughs than Neil deGrasse Tyson. In Crypt, it is 1923 and Veronica Brinkley has been entrusted by her husband into the care of Dr. Cull of Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy on Earth's moon. The clinic has been built upon a tomb that once housed the legendary moon spider, and although this species is no more its webs still cling to the treetops of the moon's forest surrounding Barrowfield Home.
Veronica is a waifish sort, the type of person upon whom events occur to and are heaped upon with little care or who lack any awareness of their own power for agency. Her victimhood is learned, instilled upon her by her own mother as a child in their Nebraska farmhouse who taught her that her life is not her own and that women exist only in the wake of men. Mother's is an old-fashioned viewpoint in lockstep with the times -- the suffrage movement, if it existed at all in this askew historical, would not yet have led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which itself would only be a couple of years old in Veronica's adulthood. Women are second-class citizen, and Veronica's institutionalization has little to do with her own wants or desires so much as her husband's, who has consigned her away off-planet in an effort to wash his hands of her entirely. She's passed from one man to another in a series of victimizations that culminate, but do not end, in an unorthodox medical procedure involving moon spider silk and intracranial surgery.
With both Crypt of the Moon Spidery and The Strange, I've found an awful lot to love about Ballingrud's alternate histories and star-flung exploits. What they lack in scientific rigor they make up for with fun and spectacle. He clearly has a vision with these tales, and he does a fantastic job realizing them. The modern technologies and antiquated world views of the 1920s setting provide intriguing dichotomies against the fantastical lore, and its impact on the sciences, upon which these worlds are built. Ballingrud presents us with imagery that alternates between the marvelous and the terrifying in equal measure, granting us visions that are both awe-inspiring and chill inducing in their terrestrial and extraterrestrial horrors, and the mishmash of ideas and concepts he weaves together are keenly unlike anything else you're likely to read. Or, as Tyson might more eloquently put it, with Ballingrud, we got a bad-ass over here.
As with Ballingrud's previous release, The Strange, the author presents us with a fantastical alternate history and a voyage to the stars more in keeping with the imaginings of Jules Verne and Edgar Rice Burroughs than Neil deGrasse Tyson. In Crypt, it is 1923 and Veronica Brinkley has been entrusted by her husband into the care of Dr. Cull of Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy on Earth's moon. The clinic has been built upon a tomb that once housed the legendary moon spider, and although this species is no more its webs still cling to the treetops of the moon's forest surrounding Barrowfield Home.
Veronica is a waifish sort, the type of person upon whom events occur to and are heaped upon with little care or who lack any awareness of their own power for agency. Her victimhood is learned, instilled upon her by her own mother as a child in their Nebraska farmhouse who taught her that her life is not her own and that women exist only in the wake of men. Mother's is an old-fashioned viewpoint in lockstep with the times -- the suffrage movement, if it existed at all in this askew historical, would not yet have led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which itself would only be a couple of years old in Veronica's adulthood. Women are second-class citizen, and Veronica's institutionalization has little to do with her own wants or desires so much as her husband's, who has consigned her away off-planet in an effort to wash his hands of her entirely. She's passed from one man to another in a series of victimizations that culminate, but do not end, in an unorthodox medical procedure involving moon spider silk and intracranial surgery.
With both Crypt of the Moon Spidery and The Strange, I've found an awful lot to love about Ballingrud's alternate histories and star-flung exploits. What they lack in scientific rigor they make up for with fun and spectacle. He clearly has a vision with these tales, and he does a fantastic job realizing them. The modern technologies and antiquated world views of the 1920s setting provide intriguing dichotomies against the fantastical lore, and its impact on the sciences, upon which these worlds are built. Ballingrud presents us with imagery that alternates between the marvelous and the terrifying in equal measure, granting us visions that are both awe-inspiring and chill inducing in their terrestrial and extraterrestrial horrors, and the mishmash of ideas and concepts he weaves together are keenly unlike anything else you're likely to read. Or, as Tyson might more eloquently put it, with Ballingrud, we got a bad-ass over here.
October 30, 2024
This is what I like in my horror!
What a great creepy story that actually scared me in parts (medical horror)
Love that the setting is on the moon 🌙 I'm obsessed with space so this hit every box for me! 🥰👌
What a great creepy story that actually scared me in parts (medical horror)
Love that the setting is on the moon 🌙 I'm obsessed with space so this hit every box for me! 🥰👌
November 13, 2024
Looking forward to the next book!
I found a digital copy of CRYPT OF THE MOON SPIDER by Nathan Balingrud on Libby. All views are mine.
Things I loved:
1. I love the opening description of the story's setting, especially the image of a canopy of webs populated by spiders. Then it dawned on her that the forest was covered in a vast system of spiderwebs, cast over the canopy of every tree, so that it seemed they were flying over a ghostly wood, a revenant returned from darkness in a terrible glamor. p4
2. A powerful point about the power of thoughts: The thought crawled out of the wet black loam of her brain like some horrid new insect. It scrabbled unchecked through her mind, eating everything clean and good in her, laying clutches of wet, mucousy eggs in its stead. p30
3. It had been cored from his head like a bruise from an apple, and he had nothing left but the memory of its shape. And even as he acknowledged this, that memory too began to fade. “Where is my murder?” he said. Dr. Cull smiled and took him by the elbow. “We’re launching soon,” he said. “This will be the first of many explorations. We can watch it from the garden if you’d like. Afterward, I’ll fill you with murders.” Cull certainly tried. But Charlie had an appetite beyond his imagining. p67 Wonderful development of the antagonists, and use of foreshadowing.
4. Beautiful theme work in feminism here: “It isn’t fair,” she said. Her mother stopped, a beleaguered expression on her face. “Now, that’s a fine word,” she said. “The boys are at the stream already.” “Well, they’re boys. They get to do lots of things you don’t get to do. You might as well get used to it.” p73 And here also, in anti-ableism: “How could I ever become a burden to them? That doesn’t make any sense.” “When what you need outweighs what you offer. Make no mistake, child. Your life does not belong to you.” p74
Things I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's also for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. I don't know if I have to say this, but drugging your patient with psychedelics is not the way to treat their trauma.
2. The plots wiggles, but that's because it's less of a complete story and more like the first few chapters of a novel. It's compelling though and I'm looking forward to the next one in autumn 2025
Rating: 🕸🕷🕸🕷 /5 Spidies
Recommend? Yes
Finished: Nov 12 '24
Format: Digital, Kindle, Libby
Read this book if you like:
🕸 spiders
���� scifi horror
🪢 experimental timeline
🕷 monster stories
📚 novella prequels
I found a digital copy of CRYPT OF THE MOON SPIDER by Nathan Balingrud on Libby. All views are mine.
Things I loved:
1. I love the opening description of the story's setting, especially the image of a canopy of webs populated by spiders. Then it dawned on her that the forest was covered in a vast system of spiderwebs, cast over the canopy of every tree, so that it seemed they were flying over a ghostly wood, a revenant returned from darkness in a terrible glamor. p4
2. A powerful point about the power of thoughts: The thought crawled out of the wet black loam of her brain like some horrid new insect. It scrabbled unchecked through her mind, eating everything clean and good in her, laying clutches of wet, mucousy eggs in its stead. p30
3. It had been cored from his head like a bruise from an apple, and he had nothing left but the memory of its shape. And even as he acknowledged this, that memory too began to fade. “Where is my murder?” he said. Dr. Cull smiled and took him by the elbow. “We’re launching soon,” he said. “This will be the first of many explorations. We can watch it from the garden if you’d like. Afterward, I’ll fill you with murders.” Cull certainly tried. But Charlie had an appetite beyond his imagining. p67 Wonderful development of the antagonists, and use of foreshadowing.
4. Beautiful theme work in feminism here: “It isn’t fair,” she said. Her mother stopped, a beleaguered expression on her face. “Now, that’s a fine word,” she said. “The boys are at the stream already.” “Well, they’re boys. They get to do lots of things you don’t get to do. You might as well get used to it.” p73 And here also, in anti-ableism: “How could I ever become a burden to them? That doesn’t make any sense.” “When what you need outweighs what you offer. Make no mistake, child. Your life does not belong to you.” p74
Things I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's also for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. I don't know if I have to say this, but drugging your patient with psychedelics is not the way to treat their trauma.
2. The plots wiggles, but that's because it's less of a complete story and more like the first few chapters of a novel. It's compelling though and I'm looking forward to the next one in autumn 2025
Rating: 🕸🕷🕸🕷 /5 Spidies
Recommend? Yes
Finished: Nov 12 '24
Format: Digital, Kindle, Libby
Read this book if you like:
🕸 spiders
���� scifi horror
🪢 experimental timeline
🕷 monster stories
📚 novella prequels
January 12, 2025
4.0 ⭐️
Crypt of The Moon Spider spins a web of gothic horror that’s sure to entrap you! It’s a surreal crossover novella with elements of science fiction, fantasy, and horror as intricately woven as strands of silk. Ballingrud’s prose is claustrophobic and teeming with creepy-crawly beasties, so beware all you arachnophobes out there.
I look forward to seeing how this labyrinthian entanglement of a trilogy pans out. The second novella, Cathedral of The Drowned, will be available in August, 2025.
*Comps: “The Yellow Wallpaper” meets cryptids in space with H.G. Wells’ Dr. Moreau at the helm.
“Your father tells you pretty dreams because he thinks girls need them. They don’t. What they need is the truth. When you get older you’re going to marry a man—with means, if we’re at all lucky—and make a family. And God help you if you ever become a burden to them.” (Mother)
“How could I ever become a burden to them? That doesn’t make any sense.” (Veronica)
“When what you need outweighs what you offer. Make no mistake, child. Your life does not belong to you.” (Mother)(p.74)
Crypt of The Moon Spider spins a web of gothic horror that’s sure to entrap you! It’s a surreal crossover novella with elements of science fiction, fantasy, and horror as intricately woven as strands of silk. Ballingrud’s prose is claustrophobic and teeming with creepy-crawly beasties, so beware all you arachnophobes out there.
I look forward to seeing how this labyrinthian entanglement of a trilogy pans out. The second novella, Cathedral of The Drowned, will be available in August, 2025.
*Comps: “The Yellow Wallpaper” meets cryptids in space with H.G. Wells’ Dr. Moreau at the helm.
“Your father tells you pretty dreams because he thinks girls need them. They don’t. What they need is the truth. When you get older you’re going to marry a man—with means, if we’re at all lucky—and make a family. And God help you if you ever become a burden to them.” (Mother)
“How could I ever become a burden to them? That doesn’t make any sense.” (Veronica)
“When what you need outweighs what you offer. Make no mistake, child. Your life does not belong to you.” (Mother)(p.74)
December 17, 2024
I think I read something about a mad scientist, in the 1920s, performing lobotomies on the moon, involving creepy-crawlies and silk, with an angry cult-like bunch of weirdos around, who are into giant moon spiders. Could be wrong, though. Much of it felt like a blurry lunar fever dream to me. Pretty good trip!
September 9, 2024
Okay, full disclosure, I did not know this was straight-up horror. I requested an ARC due to the title alone and went into it blind. Boy, I am glad I did because this novella has some legitimate scares and several wtf moments that have seared some imagery into my brain. But I'm not ready to talk about brains yet. Probably not for a while.
Crypt of the Moon Spider takes place in an alternate Earth timeline, with a revised history of reality. It is set in 1923, but private space travel has been a thing for some time. Also, you can breathe on the Moon and it has forests and wildlife. Kind of.
The story opens with Veronica being shuttled to a mental hospital on the Moon, where her husband submits her for treatment due to her recurring depression. Veronica doesn't believe she'll ever be cured and doesn't think she deserves to be - until Dr. Cull promises a new form of treatment that will cure her and allow her to resume her normal life.
While space travel has advanced beyond our own in this universe, biology and healthcare are still antiquated, primitive, and misogynistic, amongst other awful things. It brings to mind how mental patients were tortured and mistreated in mental hospitals not even a century ago.
As you can probably infer, the Moon-based madhouse is not what it seems, and the story quickly descends into horror. I won't spoil any more of the fun, as this book is a joy to read -- especially when it's binge-read at 3 am with the lights off.
Ballingrud writes with beautiful, effective prose, and the story wastes no time with its breathtaking pacing and terrifying revelations. I am holding my breath for books two and three, and am eager to dive into the rest of Ballingrud's releases. Fans of sci-fi, alternative history, and horror should not miss this one.
Crypt of the Moon Spider takes place in an alternate Earth timeline, with a revised history of reality. It is set in 1923, but private space travel has been a thing for some time. Also, you can breathe on the Moon and it has forests and wildlife. Kind of.
The story opens with Veronica being shuttled to a mental hospital on the Moon, where her husband submits her for treatment due to her recurring depression. Veronica doesn't believe she'll ever be cured and doesn't think she deserves to be - until Dr. Cull promises a new form of treatment that will cure her and allow her to resume her normal life.
While space travel has advanced beyond our own in this universe, biology and healthcare are still antiquated, primitive, and misogynistic, amongst other awful things. It brings to mind how mental patients were tortured and mistreated in mental hospitals not even a century ago.
As you can probably infer, the Moon-based madhouse is not what it seems, and the story quickly descends into horror. I won't spoil any more of the fun, as this book is a joy to read -- especially when it's binge-read at 3 am with the lights off.
Ballingrud writes with beautiful, effective prose, and the story wastes no time with its breathtaking pacing and terrifying revelations. I am holding my breath for books two and three, and am eager to dive into the rest of Ballingrud's releases. Fans of sci-fi, alternative history, and horror should not miss this one.
September 6, 2024
spider lobotomy
[Edit: 9/6/2024 Full Review]
"Of course you know of the relationship between the moon and madness.”
Veronica Brinkley is going to get better. She will rid of this melancholy and become the wife she is destined to be. Her husband knows of a place on the moon, The Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy. He will escort her there, pay for her treatment, then return for her when she is all better. But by Veronica’s first doctor’s appointment, she realizes her husband will never return. He’s left her here on this strange planet, an experiment for the mad doctor’s whims, a brain to dissect with intricate spiderwebs. 🕷️
This book is WEIRD and manages to cram all that weirdness in 85 pages. I’m not entirely sure what exactly is going on but for the anatomical, creepy crawly vibes, this hit the mark. 🕸️
Imagine getting a lobotomy in the 1920s. But you’re on the moon. And the lobotomy is done with spider silk… And there are weird spider worshippers who watch over the treatment facility… 🧠
If you’re looking for the instant gratification of ripping through a story along with arachnophobia, 1920s women’s health horror, and space creatures, good news is this novella is the first of a trilogy! Check this book out and expect more to come! 🌖
Thank you Tor Nightfire for gifting me a copy for review! 🔥🖤 I’m a forever stan.
[Edit: 9/6/2024 Full Review]
"Of course you know of the relationship between the moon and madness.”
Veronica Brinkley is going to get better. She will rid of this melancholy and become the wife she is destined to be. Her husband knows of a place on the moon, The Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy. He will escort her there, pay for her treatment, then return for her when she is all better. But by Veronica’s first doctor’s appointment, she realizes her husband will never return. He’s left her here on this strange planet, an experiment for the mad doctor’s whims, a brain to dissect with intricate spiderwebs. 🕷️
This book is WEIRD and manages to cram all that weirdness in 85 pages. I’m not entirely sure what exactly is going on but for the anatomical, creepy crawly vibes, this hit the mark. 🕸️
Imagine getting a lobotomy in the 1920s. But you’re on the moon. And the lobotomy is done with spider silk… And there are weird spider worshippers who watch over the treatment facility… 🧠
If you’re looking for the instant gratification of ripping through a story along with arachnophobia, 1920s women’s health horror, and space creatures, good news is this novella is the first of a trilogy! Check this book out and expect more to come! 🌖
Thank you Tor Nightfire for gifting me a copy for review! 🔥🖤 I’m a forever stan.
May 20, 2024
Nathan Ballingrud is reliable in delivering original, thrilling stories, but this one surpasses his previous work. Continuing in the style of his novel, The Strange, this book blends fantasy, science fiction and B-movie aesthetics to create a unique vision. The prose is lyrical and nearly every line glitters with depth and poetry as the narrator exhumes the story's buried secrets. Delving into America's dark history of psychiatric treatment in an all-too-plausible context, Crypt of the Moon Spider moves along at a frightening pace, revealing mysteries, miracles and terrors on every page. Fans of classic science fiction will be charmed by this viscerally disturbing fantasy and ravenous for the next installment in the Lunar Gothic Trilogy.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the ARC.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the ARC.
February 13, 2025
This book was so good, with its haunting atmosphere. The writing has a gothic vibe and I loved it! The characters are interesting, especially our main character. This book is quite an experience. It is a disturbing read, not because it has a lot of gore but because of its story on itself.
I only have one vice with this book: It is way too short. The ending felt a little rushed. The book is around 100 pages, which is kind of normal for a novella. I would have loved a full book on this story! That’s the only reason why I am not rating it five stars.
Still, I would definitely recommend picking up this book!
I only have one vice with this book: It is way too short. The ending felt a little rushed. The book is around 100 pages, which is kind of normal for a novella. I would have loved a full book on this story! That’s the only reason why I am not rating it five stars.
Still, I would definitely recommend picking up this book!
October 20, 2024
A fun, creepy ride.
October 18, 2024
4.5/5 What a refreshingly brilliant adventure with a reading buddy. Thank you Jakob J. for joining in and bantering over such a well written novella.
Veronica has just been turned over to a Home for Treatment of the Melancholy run by the prestigious Dr. Cullen. His right hand man Charlie, better known as Grub by Veronica, is there to help keep the patients in order. Veronica is having a rough go with the process in a time where women don't have the best autonomy or given a voice. There are memory peaks, during her treatments, which allow a deeper understanding of Veronica and what I discovered made me pretty sad for her and her mother. She meets Bently who says they really aren't helping the patients get better. Is this just his delusion? Veronica can escape her melancholy and become happy again, but she has to be willing to accept...change.
The story has such such beautiful prose, even when things get beyond unsettling. We shift darkly into intense body horror, isolation and death. If you've ever had a fear of mental health facilities, this will make it so much worse, so so much worse. A perfect allegory for the timepiece.
The open hatchway was a cauldron of steam and light; it looked like an artist's rendition of the entrance to Hell. -p. 5
A dreadful epiphany: it would be better to die. -p. 50
He'd been raised in violence, and to Charlie it functioned as a kind of language, one through which he could communicate the purest expressions of his heart. -p. 57
"When what you need outweighs what you offer. Make no mistake, child. Your life does not belong to you." -p. 74
Veronica has just been turned over to a Home for Treatment of the Melancholy run by the prestigious Dr. Cullen. His right hand man Charlie, better known as Grub by Veronica, is there to help keep the patients in order. Veronica is having a rough go with the process in a time where women don't have the best autonomy or given a voice. There are memory peaks, during her treatments, which allow a deeper understanding of Veronica and what I discovered made me pretty sad for her and her mother. She meets Bently who says they really aren't helping the patients get better. Is this just his delusion? Veronica can escape her melancholy and become happy again, but she has to be willing to accept...change.
The story has such such beautiful prose, even when things get beyond unsettling. We shift darkly into intense body horror, isolation and death. If you've ever had a fear of mental health facilities, this will make it so much worse, so so much worse. A perfect allegory for the timepiece.
The open hatchway was a cauldron of steam and light; it looked like an artist's rendition of the entrance to Hell. -p. 5
A dreadful epiphany: it would be better to die. -p. 50
He'd been raised in violence, and to Charlie it functioned as a kind of language, one through which he could communicate the purest expressions of his heart. -p. 57
"When what you need outweighs what you offer. Make no mistake, child. Your life does not belong to you." -p. 74
January 13, 2025
What a messed up story! I liked it, but be prepared for some serious weirdness.
When Veronica’s husband drops her off at The Barrowfield Home for the Treatment of the Melancholy, a mental hospital set on the moon, she believes it’s the place where she’ll finally be cured from the darkness that’s followed her all of her life.
But what she soon realizes is that something dark is taking place. Something evil. As her treatments grow increasingly strange, as she learns about the immense spider that used to live deep within the surface of the moon and it’s silky web, highly valued on Earth for it’s unusual properties, Veronica’s role in the facility takes am unexpected turn.
Crypt of the Moon Spider was much darker than I had anticipated. There were some truly horrifying scenes! It also has at times a dreamy, abstract quality to the writing, paralleling Veronica’s mental state and adding to our feeling of unease and distrust.
My main critique is it’s lack of strong character development. It’s short length hiders our ability as readers to connect with the characters. So while the atmosphere and creepiness deserves a 10/10, it was hard to feel that scared or invested when I never connected with the characters. This is part of a series, and I will definitely read on, so maybe the characterization will improve in later books. But the characters were the weakest part of The Strange by the same author, so…we’ll see.
Still, I think this is well worth reading if you enjoy sci-fi mixed with horror, if you like a creepy mental hospital setting, and if you find spiders scary.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.
When Veronica’s husband drops her off at The Barrowfield Home for the Treatment of the Melancholy, a mental hospital set on the moon, she believes it’s the place where she’ll finally be cured from the darkness that’s followed her all of her life.
But what she soon realizes is that something dark is taking place. Something evil. As her treatments grow increasingly strange, as she learns about the immense spider that used to live deep within the surface of the moon and it’s silky web, highly valued on Earth for it’s unusual properties, Veronica’s role in the facility takes am unexpected turn.
Crypt of the Moon Spider was much darker than I had anticipated. There were some truly horrifying scenes! It also has at times a dreamy, abstract quality to the writing, paralleling Veronica’s mental state and adding to our feeling of unease and distrust.
My main critique is it’s lack of strong character development. It’s short length hiders our ability as readers to connect with the characters. So while the atmosphere and creepiness deserves a 10/10, it was hard to feel that scared or invested when I never connected with the characters. This is part of a series, and I will definitely read on, so maybe the characterization will improve in later books. But the characters were the weakest part of The Strange by the same author, so…we’ll see.
Still, I think this is well worth reading if you enjoy sci-fi mixed with horror, if you like a creepy mental hospital setting, and if you find spiders scary.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.
May 21, 2024
Yeah, so if you’re afraid of spiders - don’t read this one. I read this novella on my kindle, curled up in the dark, from start to finish one night. Then I had to stare into the darkness and try to fall asleep…..
Crypt Of The Moon Spider is chock full of body horror along with commentary on bodily autonomy and the constructs of memory. I am obsessed with this story and can’t believe there are going to be two more books in this universe. This is my first book by this author, although I’ve had The Strange on my TBR list since it was published. His writing is absolutely gorgeous and I love when an author can write about horrible, terrifying things in a way that is both haunting and beautiful.
Also a moment for this cover because what the fU
**Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the eARC of this creepy title!**
Crypt Of The Moon Spider is chock full of body horror along with commentary on bodily autonomy and the constructs of memory. I am obsessed with this story and can’t believe there are going to be two more books in this universe. This is my first book by this author, although I’ve had The Strange on my TBR list since it was published. His writing is absolutely gorgeous and I love when an author can write about horrible, terrifying things in a way that is both haunting and beautiful.
Also a moment for this cover because what the fU
**Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the eARC of this creepy title!**
August 27, 2024
This book was gorgeous, grief stricken and made my skin crawl. Nathan’s words are always an immense pleasure, and he did not disappoint me. This is a wonderfully weird tale about a woman with Melancholy who goes to the moon for a breakthrough “treatment”. I love Veronica, she’s so much stronger than she knows and Nathan writes women so well, it’s a breath of fresh air! Thank you again to Tor Nightfire for this arc, I can’t wait for the next book!!
January 24, 2025
3.5 I'd say.
Love Ballingrud in general, but this one was a mixed bag for me. Tight, atmospheric, and interesting, but it never fully latched onto me the way so much of his other work has. Highly inventive, which is absolutely a strength of his, but I think maybe I was hoping for something different than this was, which is more about my expectations of his work than any issues with this particular book.
Either way, the writing is beautiful and you can't go wrong with anything of his.
Love Ballingrud in general, but this one was a mixed bag for me. Tight, atmospheric, and interesting, but it never fully latched onto me the way so much of his other work has. Highly inventive, which is absolutely a strength of his, but I think maybe I was hoping for something different than this was, which is more about my expectations of his work than any issues with this particular book.
Either way, the writing is beautiful and you can't go wrong with anything of his.
June 19, 2024
*Huge thanks to Netgalley & Tor Nightfire for the digital ARC!*
Having previously read Nathan’s stellar short story collections ‘North American Lake Monsters’ and ‘Wounds: Six Stories From the Borders of Hell,’ I was beyond excited when this novella was announced. Nathan also has a novel out, ‘The Strange,’ but I’ve yet to get to it, my TBR as deep as the Mariana’s Trench at this point.
But when Netgalley approved me for this one, I knew I’d be diving in quick, and after reading Michael Patrick Hicks’ review, I couldn’t wait to see what I was in for.
What I liked: ‘Crypt of the Moon Spider’ takes place in an alternative reality, where humans have colonized the moon to a degree. Many years ago, a cave was found deep under the forests on the moon, a cave where an immense spider lived. Now, the moon is home to those deemed ‘unfit’ on earth, people with depression, melancholy and immoral thoughts.
Taking place in 1923, we follow Veronica, as she arrives at an institution on the surface of the moon, where Dr. Cull has developed a cure for melancholy. She wants to get better, wants to return to earth and her husband, but doesn’t believe she can be fixed.
Ballingrud does a wonderful job of setting the stage and frankly, while this is considered ‘science fiction’ it merges the line between sci-fi and horror so very well. This novella is unnerving. You know something lurks, something’s just below the surface – not only of the moon, but also of the story.
Once Dr. Cull’s methods are revealed and Veronica’s childhood stories are unlocked, the story rampages towards a shocking mid-story climax. It was frankly unexpected, seeing how Ballingrud was telling this story, but it worked perfectly to set up the second and third acts.
The ending brought some closure but also created significantly more questions. These questions will be front and center when book two arrives and Ballingrud deftly makes it so that the reader wants to know the answers to those questions.
What I didn’t like: Within the story, we are introduced to the character known as ‘Grub.’ I personally thought the section that details his backstory and arrival was unwarranted. While it did work to show us Dr. Cull’s depravity and methods, it slowed the pacing. Saying that, there’s the potential this was necessary for the trilogy aspect.
Why you should buy this: Ballingrud has a way with prose that instantly transports you to whatever wonderful place he’s created. It’s one of those things that the masters of writing have and the rest of us chase. The story within is magical but grounded, while also being dark and sinister. The first book in this trilogy effortlessly has the reader in the palm of its hand, making us long to learn what comes next.
Having previously read Nathan’s stellar short story collections ‘North American Lake Monsters’ and ‘Wounds: Six Stories From the Borders of Hell,’ I was beyond excited when this novella was announced. Nathan also has a novel out, ‘The Strange,’ but I’ve yet to get to it, my TBR as deep as the Mariana’s Trench at this point.
But when Netgalley approved me for this one, I knew I’d be diving in quick, and after reading Michael Patrick Hicks’ review, I couldn’t wait to see what I was in for.
What I liked: ‘Crypt of the Moon Spider’ takes place in an alternative reality, where humans have colonized the moon to a degree. Many years ago, a cave was found deep under the forests on the moon, a cave where an immense spider lived. Now, the moon is home to those deemed ‘unfit’ on earth, people with depression, melancholy and immoral thoughts.
Taking place in 1923, we follow Veronica, as she arrives at an institution on the surface of the moon, where Dr. Cull has developed a cure for melancholy. She wants to get better, wants to return to earth and her husband, but doesn’t believe she can be fixed.
Ballingrud does a wonderful job of setting the stage and frankly, while this is considered ‘science fiction’ it merges the line between sci-fi and horror so very well. This novella is unnerving. You know something lurks, something’s just below the surface – not only of the moon, but also of the story.
Once Dr. Cull’s methods are revealed and Veronica’s childhood stories are unlocked, the story rampages towards a shocking mid-story climax. It was frankly unexpected, seeing how Ballingrud was telling this story, but it worked perfectly to set up the second and third acts.
The ending brought some closure but also created significantly more questions. These questions will be front and center when book two arrives and Ballingrud deftly makes it so that the reader wants to know the answers to those questions.
What I didn’t like: Within the story, we are introduced to the character known as ‘Grub.’ I personally thought the section that details his backstory and arrival was unwarranted. While it did work to show us Dr. Cull’s depravity and methods, it slowed the pacing. Saying that, there’s the potential this was necessary for the trilogy aspect.
Why you should buy this: Ballingrud has a way with prose that instantly transports you to whatever wonderful place he’s created. It’s one of those things that the masters of writing have and the rest of us chase. The story within is magical but grounded, while also being dark and sinister. The first book in this trilogy effortlessly has the reader in the palm of its hand, making us long to learn what comes next.
April 29, 2024
4.5 ⭐️ Been saving this for the right day. Since I have a few days off I took it w/ me to a deserted beach and pretended it was the forested moon of Ballingrud’s imagination. This is a wild ride y’all and just the start. I love how Ballingrud (in this and THE STRANGE and some of his other stories) abandons reality for ripe fields of dreams. He does it without looking back and something wondrously unshackled is born. His prose sings, as you can now expect.
There is more medical horror here than I expected but that made it all the more surprising and terrifying. There are lunar landscapes and spiders; lost mafioso and secret cabals; candlelit underground crypts and decaying gods.
It did not reach the height, for me, of the world of “The Butcher’s Table” and “The Atlas of Hell,” but this is lunar gothic is a close second. I seriously cannot wait to see where this story goes next because honestly, it could go anywhere.
There is more medical horror here than I expected but that made it all the more surprising and terrifying. There are lunar landscapes and spiders; lost mafioso and secret cabals; candlelit underground crypts and decaying gods.
It did not reach the height, for me, of the world of “The Butcher’s Table” and “The Atlas of Hell,” but this is lunar gothic is a close second. I seriously cannot wait to see where this story goes next because honestly, it could go anywhere.
September 9, 2024
A clever and creepy horror novella 🕷️ If you are terrified of spiders DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!
What's It About?
In 1923, Veronica Brinkley arrives at the Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy on the moon, where Dr. Barrington Cull uses spider silk in his invasive treatments. Despite the spider being long dead, its influence lingers, and Veronica may be at the centre of the ensuing trouble.
What did I think about it?
- This little novella packs a punch at only 111 pages so don't read any more about it before going in, other than if you have arachnophobia. It's filled with psychological terror.
- I was nervous going in as it's set on the moon so giving fantasy vibes which is not my "go-to" genre BUT the moon setting is like a back plot and it felt less fantasy than gothic horror. That's not to poo-poo fantasy, but know if it's not your bag that doesn't matter.
- There's the mythical connection between the moon and madness... lunacy! OFC.
- Veronica was a great main character they all were, and she felt real and relatable. I was with her as she mentally spiralled as a patient in Barrowfield Home/asylum, but also found inner strength (i think!)
- Filled with mystery, terror, intrigue, Frankenstein vibes and commentary on mental illness in the 1920s and beyond.
- This is the first instalment in the gothic lunar trilogy, but you could easily read this in isolation for now and be pretty satisfied, I am but I am also excited for the next instalment next year.
What's It About?
In 1923, Veronica Brinkley arrives at the Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy on the moon, where Dr. Barrington Cull uses spider silk in his invasive treatments. Despite the spider being long dead, its influence lingers, and Veronica may be at the centre of the ensuing trouble.
What did I think about it?
- This little novella packs a punch at only 111 pages so don't read any more about it before going in, other than if you have arachnophobia. It's filled with psychological terror.
- I was nervous going in as it's set on the moon so giving fantasy vibes which is not my "go-to" genre BUT the moon setting is like a back plot and it felt less fantasy than gothic horror. That's not to poo-poo fantasy, but know if it's not your bag that doesn't matter.
- There's the mythical connection between the moon and madness... lunacy! OFC.
- Veronica was a great main character they all were, and she felt real and relatable. I was with her as she mentally spiralled as a patient in Barrowfield Home/asylum, but also found inner strength (i think!)
- Filled with mystery, terror, intrigue, Frankenstein vibes and commentary on mental illness in the 1920s and beyond.
- This is the first instalment in the gothic lunar trilogy, but you could easily read this in isolation for now and be pretty satisfied, I am but I am also excited for the next instalment next year.
August 25, 2024
I am typically not a big novella reader but I did enjoy this one! Last year I read "The Strange" by Nathan Ballingrud and very much enjoyed that as well. I am a fan of this author. He does a great job at using language to make you feel like you are actually there in the setting he created. In this case, an asylum on a gothic moon which is the home of a godlike spider. This novella is the perfect blend of science fiction and horror. Right up my alley. It's a perfect read for the upcoming spooky season. It reminded me a little bit of Frankenstein, Get Out, and A Cure for Wellness. This is novella one of a planned trilogy. I will certainly read the rest of the series!
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