Dan Scamell (Contributor of Ooze)

Dan Scamell rated a book it was amazing Easy Bake Covenant by Jessica Gleason (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This was a fun read. I don't usually read a whole lot of younger or middle grade horror, but once I got out of the mindset of a miserable balding man and more in tune with my inner middle school girl, I found myself enjoying the book quite a bit. I'v ...more
Aug 25, 2025 08:32AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Easy Bake Covenant by Jessica Gleason. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Easy Bake Covenant by Jessica Gleason <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Dan Scamell liked Heather Lama's review of Stuck Together With You: "Not for the squeamish, but also still pretty hot. It might make me sound like a freak for saying that, but I did enjoy it overall. It's different, that's for sure! Also want to add that there's a crossword at the end! Almost like an open book quiz on" Read more of this review »
Jul 02, 2025 09:31AM · see review
Dan Scamell liked Eddie Morales's review of Stuck Together With You: "Wow! This erotic horror book was the first one I have read with plenty of spicy sex, coupled with a great storyline and characters. The scenes with the two older women, one in their mid-eighties and the other one hundred years old, having graphic sex" Read more of this review »
Jul 02, 2025 09:31AM · see review
Dan Scamell and 7 other people liked MikeLikesBooks's review of Stuck Together With You: "Do you like your horror to be bizarro and erotic? This is a short novella about a group of women (think Golden Girls) that are old and gray or dead 40 years after the show ended. The 101 year old co-star needs something from the 86 year old co-star. " Read more of this review »
Jul 02, 2025 09:31AM · see review
Dan Scamell rated a book really liked it Push! An Anthology of Childbirth Horror by Ruth Anna Evans (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
PUSH, an anthology of childbirth related short horror stories, curated by Ruth Anna Evans, contains 17 tales covering every aspect of the child-bearing process you can think of, and some you probably never imagined. The stories here are all short, typ ...more
Jun 03, 2025 07:13AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Push! An Anthology of Childbirth Horror by Ruth Anna Evans. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Push! An Anthology of Childbirth Horror by Ruth Anna Evans <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Dan Scamell is now following Book Bloggers' Novel of the Year Award's reviews
Apr 19, 2025 02:31PM · like
Dan Scamell rated a book really liked it The Fabulous Miss Fortune (Jessica Gleason Books) by Jessica Gleason (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Fabulous Miss Fortune is a horror novella from The Evil Cookie Publishing, written by Jessica Gleason. It comes in at about 120 pages and features plenty of sex, splatter, and lurid behavior throughout. Trigger warnings for animal violence. The st ...more
Sep 26, 2024 11:27AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Fabulous Miss Fortune by Jessica Gleason. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Fabulous Miss Fortune by Jessica Gleason <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Dan Scamell rated a book really liked it Fight Tub by William Pauley III (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
We follow a white collar office drone addressed only as “Drebbin,” throughout. He works a dead end job for a corporation known as “The Network,” and hopes to be rewarded for his years of service with a promotion, even going as far as to have the time ...more
Sep 26, 2024 11:14AM · 1 like · like · see review
Dan Scamell rated a book really liked it Against Medical Advice by Ruth Anna Evans (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Evans style of horror tends to strike for the heart and tug at the emotions while unnerving and repulsing, so medical themed horror is a great fit. Her prior collection was a good indication of that. The story follows two separate points of view, one ...more
Sep 26, 2024 11:13AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Against Medical Advice by Ruth Anna Evans. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Against Medical Advice by Ruth Anna Evans <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Dan Scamell rated a book really liked it Curbside Curses: The Yardsale Anthology by Nadine Stewart (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This collection, curated by Nadine Stewart, and releasing June 25th, has a variety of different takes on the “cursed object” cliche, and the stories hit a wide range of horror genres. There are psychological stories, body horror, weird fiction, monst ...more
Jun 25, 2024 06:16PM · 5 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Curbside Curses by Nadine Stewart. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Curbside Curses by Nadine Stewart <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

Dan Scamell rated a book it was amazing

Easy Bake Covenant
by Jessica Gleason (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

This was a fun read. I don't usually read a whole lot of younger or middle grade horror, but once I got out of the mindset of a miserable balding man and more in tune with my inner middle school girl, I found myself enjoying the book quite a bit. I'v ...more

Dan Scamell liked Heather Lama's review of Stuck Together With You:

"Not for the squeamish, but also still pretty hot. It might make me sound like a freak for saying that, but I did enjoy it overall. It's different, that's for sure! Also want to add that there's a crossword at the end! Almost like an open book quiz on" Read more of this review »

Dan Scamell liked Eddie Morales's review of Stuck Together With You:

"Wow! This erotic horror book was the first one I have read with plenty of spicy sex, coupled with a great storyline and characters. The scenes with the two older women, one in their mid-eighties and the other one hundred years old, having graphic sex" Read more of this review »

Dan Scamell and 7 other people liked MikeLikesBooks's review of Stuck Together With You:

"Do you like your horror to be bizarro and erotic? This is a short novella about a group of women (think Golden Girls) that are old and gray or dead 40 years after the show ended. The 101 year old co-star needs something from the 86 year old co-star. " Read more of this review »

Dan Scamell rated a book really liked it

Push! An Anthology of Childbirth Horror
by Ruth Anna Evans (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

PUSH, an anthology of childbirth related short horror stories, curated by Ruth Anna Evans, contains 17 tales covering every aspect of the child-bearing process you can think of, and some you probably never imagined.

The stories here are all short, typ PUSH, an anthology of childbirth related short horror stories, curated by Ruth Anna Evans, contains 17 tales covering every aspect of the child-bearing process you can think of, and some you probably never imagined.

The stories here are all short, typically a few thousand words, with some a little shorter. It makes for a snappy collection that you could chip away at to break up your other reading (You, reading seven books at once, I’m looking at you!) I read a few stories at a time, but I’m not sure I’d be able to tackle too much of the same theme at once.

I found this to be a fun collection, with a nice mixture of horror and a fairly decent spread of concepts and takes on the theme. Some of the stories get very visceral and gory as you’d expect from horror based on the visceral and gory act of one human pushing another human out of itself. There’s plenty of splatter for those who like that, a lot to squirm over, some stories to make you feel blue, and some that might have you laughing despite the circumstances.

A few that stood out to me were Nesting by Marie Lestrange, which was a lot of fun and a great take on the theme, The Animus of Agnes Grishom by Deborah Coldiron, a period piece, which can be a tough sell for me, but was well executed and satisfying, Engorged by Rebecca Burgess, which was a terrific concept with a fun voice and a lot of tension, and The Baby Stopped Crying by Paul Avery Tindol which had engaging visuals and a good punch. I also like the seahorse story by SE Howard and Don’t Say a Word by Autumn Weese.

There’s a good mix of stories based in a potential reality and stories with supernatural elements, so things often feel fresh here. There were times I was worried that a story was heading for just the dread of a demonic baby being born, but in most cases, it turned things in a more creative direction. And if you’re an animal lover, you’ve got stories here about chickens, seahorses and foxes, so you’ll get your fill of the cute and cuddly. Maybe…

Overall I think PUSH is a strong collection, and though it can be a bit much to read in large chunks, taking a bit here and there will make for a satisfying experience. Just take it slow, remember to breathe, and you’ll get through this! And don’t forget to turn up some sheets and boil some water! ...more

Dan Scamell is now following Book Bloggers' Novel of the Year Award's reviews

Dan Scamell rated a book really liked it

The Fabulous Miss Fortune by Jessica Gleason

The Fabulous Miss Fortune (Jessica Gleason Books)
by Jessica Gleason (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Fabulous Miss Fortune is a horror novella from The Evil Cookie Publishing, written by Jessica Gleason. It comes in at about 120 pages and features plenty of sex, splatter, and lurid behavior throughout. Trigger warnings for animal violence.

The st The Fabulous Miss Fortune is a horror novella from The Evil Cookie Publishing, written by Jessica Gleason. It comes in at about 120 pages and features plenty of sex, splatter, and lurid behavior throughout. Trigger warnings for animal violence.

The story is split into two narratives, one starting in the mid 1980s, following the young and innocent Peggy Lee after she joins a traveling carnival as their new fortune teller, taking on the apt nickname, Miss Fortune. These chapters alternate with those set in 2022 where we spend time with a trio of depraved, unattended children who spend much of their time torturing small animals to death. I preferred the Peggy Lee story, but the chapters with the kids were brief and helped lengthen and break up the narrative.

The Carnival, run by the mysterious, aloof and, in Peggy Lee’s eyes, smolderingly sexy Ringmaster, employs a wide variety of vendors and performers, many of whom spend their after work hours playing strip poker, drinking, having sex and generally carrying on like college kids. This holds no appeal to Peggy Lee at first, but eventually she dips her toe into the lake of sin and takes the drunken clown, Bobo, as a lover. To her surprise, the deeper she gets into the salacious heart of the carnival, the better a worker she becomes, snagging more and more customers to her tent. Though she has no clairvoyant abilities, she has an idea about how she can make some of her predictions far more accurate.

I thought this was a fun story that kept the pace up and had basic but enjoyable characters. Peggy Lee is fun to be around, and watching her transformation is enjoyable. I’d class this one as exploitation, though not extreme. There’s blood and sex here, but it doesn’t repulse, and kind of read to me like Goosebumps for horny adults.

I think Gleason has a good knack for making pleasant and sympathetic characters, even as they do depraved things. Bobo, especially, has a fun but sad arc, and he’s relatively endearing for a sloppy drunk, horny clown. That said, I wasn’t crazy about the rotten kids. I know they’re important to the story here, and I’m not supposed to like them, but I wouldn;t have minded a story that focused entirely on Peggy Lee and the carnival. They’re fleshed out decently enough, though they feel a little cookie cutter at times. I guess there’s not a whole lot of wiggle room with the sociopathic child cliche.

In all, this was an enjoyable read, and I was able to get through it pretty quickly. The chapters are mostly short and quick, and though it may not break any earth shattering new ground, it does what it does well. Gleason delivers a novella that I think a broad spectrum could enjoy, it’s not too extreme for people who want fun, and it doesn;t pull punches if you’re looking for something more gruesome. ...more

Dan Scamell rated a book really liked it

Fight Tub
by William Pauley III (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

We follow a white collar office drone addressed only as “Drebbin,” throughout. He works a dead end job for a corporation known as “The Network,” and hopes to be rewarded for his years of service with a promotion, even going as far as to have the time We follow a white collar office drone addressed only as “Drebbin,” throughout. He works a dead end job for a corporation known as “The Network,” and hopes to be rewarded for his years of service with a promotion, even going as far as to have the time of the boss’s bathroom breaks memories in order to arrange chance meetings. Before all that can come to fruition, though, following a nap in his bathtub, he notices that his eye has turned to a steel sort of knob or ball. From there, he notes more changes to his body, as it takes on more and more elements of a bathroom. A flush valve here, some porcelain there.

Leila, an office worker and Drebbin’s crush, also notices that he’s having a rough go of things, and the two spark a sweet, if oversimplistic romantic relationship. We also meet the boss of this floor of The Network (a workplace in a dystopian skyscraper which also houses domiciled from shoddy apartments to lavish mansions) Mister Kim, your typical shitty boss who couldn;t care less about anything but profits, and also Karl, who works in the cubicle next to our narrator. Karl grills Drebbin about his increasing amount of bandages, which we know are covering his transformation from man to bathroom, but which Karl misinterprets as evidence that Drebbin is in a secret Fight Club, hence the title.

This one sucked me in and kept me reading. The plot and characters are relatively simplistic, but that helps give the weirdness a little chance to shine. The subtle worldbuilding here was nice, I liked how we’re given information about the setting through descriptions and simple dialogue. As I’ve mentioned, the characters don’t have a ton of depth, but they’re charming and help to give Fight Tub a light and cheery tone despite the crazy crap going on. It gave me vibes of I Will Rot Without You by Danger Slater.

This one is quick and I’d recommend it to fans of weird fiction, bizarro and light horror. It’s fun and comedic, and if you aren;t in the mood for something deeply thought provoking, yet very interesting, I think you’ll be satisfied with this one. It’s not necessarily turn-your-brain-off levels of schlock, but it definitely works on a purely narrative level if that’s what you’re into. Tons of fun. ...more

Dan Scamell rated a book really liked it

Against Medical Advice
by Ruth Anna Evans (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Evans style of horror tends to strike for the heart and tug at the emotions while unnerving and repulsing, so medical themed horror is a great fit. Her prior collection was a good indication of that.

The story follows two separate points of view, one Evans style of horror tends to strike for the heart and tug at the emotions while unnerving and repulsing, so medical themed horror is a great fit. Her prior collection was a good indication of that.

The story follows two separate points of view, one of a small family with a sick child, and another of an agent for a child welfare office. The family, Frank, the father, and Maddie, the suddenly and mysteriously ailing child are the primary focus of the A plot. Frank is taking care of Maddie while the mom, Tish, is on vacation. The couple came into some inheritance money and decided that Tish should be able to get away for a while and relax. It creates an interesting scenario and touches on realistic resentments. Should we allow ourselves to take our comforts when we can, or is it better to just sit and miserably wait, squirreling away money so we’re “prepared?” I don;t know that there’s a clear answer to that.

The other storyline follows Shelley, a woman whose job is to investigate potentially poor or dangerous living conditions for children and help them, checking in on situations or setting up foster care. Her own personal vices explore another angle of the modern medical industry with which many readers will be familiar.

I appreciated the questions this story posed and also the way it didn;t come across as too preachy. It gives decent motivations to its characters, and Evans doesn’t condemn her players the way we as readers may feel compelled to. Though I could relate to most of the ways in which Frank acts in his efforts to attempt to take care of Maddie without dooming the family to crippling and endless debt, I also totally see how some readers might find his actions unconscionable. I think that just comes down to the different ways people think and treat their own actions. Or maybe I’m a terrible person.

This one is pretty quick and the chapters are bite sized, so it keeps you reading. If you need clear-cut villains in your horror novellas, this one might leave you wanting, but there is definitely horror to be had here. There is some of the standard fare you’d expect in a book marketed as horror, but it tends more toward the overall dread a lot of us face day to day, hoping our health stays steady and our ills don’t exceed what our checkbook can back up. Those are decisions no one likes making. ...more

Dan Scamell rated a book really liked it

Curbside Curses: The Yardsale Anthology
by Nadine Stewart (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

This collection, curated by Nadine Stewart, and releasing June 25th, has a variety of different takes on the “cursed object” cliche, and the stories hit a wide range of horror genres. There are psychological stories, body horror, weird fiction, monst This collection, curated by Nadine Stewart, and releasing June 25th, has a variety of different takes on the “cursed object” cliche, and the stories hit a wide range of horror genres. There are psychological stories, body horror, weird fiction, monsters and possessions. I think there’s plenty in here to appeal to a broad spectrum of horror fans.

I won’t go through each story, but I’ll try to pick out a few that stood out to me here. I tend to like the more bizarre takes on the prompt, so I was tickled to read the simple yet effective Mr. Ferry by Kristen Noelle Craig about our lead character Viola purchasing a taxidermied ferret. It was quick, and the first person-present tense was a nice touch.

The quirky tale Huber by Lance Loot had fun characters and a nice mix of silly and horrific. The way the main character gets so excited about a vacuum tickled me, and I could relate to getting worked up about something so outwardly innocuous.

The Billiken, but Dan Rafter took place in a really fun world and had nice weirdness to it. And Any Way You Slice It by S.C. Fischer had good drama mixed with its weird horror, and I appreciated the twists it took in its short wordcount.

Fishcore by Connor Boyle was brilliantly weird, and that’s all I’ll say. I don't want to spoil anything about that one. Great execution of a simple but bizarre concept.

Of course, being a wrestling fan, I had a special appreciation for A New Gimmick by Dr. Stuart Knott, which followed veteran indie-scene pro-wrestler Lawrence Marcus after he picks up a strange luchador mask from a sale and decides to don to invigorate his languishing career. Though it may not be groundbreaking, I really appreciated the theme and presentation here.

I thought this collection was pretty well put together, and though I liked the overall variety and the creativity on display here, I felt some of the stories were somewhat similar in either tone, theme or presentation. Similarly, a few of the stories could have stood to be trimmed down a little in length. Not to say every one of them had to be short, but in conjunction to having a couple tales that were already similar to others, it could have helped the pacing overall. I also want to shout out the amazing black and white illustrations for each story

In all, Curbside Curses was an enjoyable read and the writers really got creative with this one. I’d say there’s something in here for most horror fans aside from anyone craving very extreme horror. ...more

Dan’s Year In Books

Dan Scamell’s Followers (7)

Dan’s Bookshelves

Dan’s Friends (2)

Dan Scamell

Goodreads Author

Combine Editions
Dan Scamell’s books

rss
Dan’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Easy Bake Covenant by Jessica Gleason

See a Problem?

Preview — Push! An Anthology of Childbirth Horror by Ruth Anna Evans

See a Problem?

Preview — The Fabulous Miss Fortune by Jessica Gleason

See a Problem?

Preview — Against Medical Advice by Ruth Anna Evans

See a Problem?

Preview — Curbside Curses by Nadine Stewart

Dan’s Quotes

Dan’s Friend Comments

	Ooze: Little Bursts of Body Horror by Ruth Anna Evans (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Bridgett Nelson (Goodreads Author) (Foreword), Judith Sonnet (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.14 avg rating — 215 ratings — published 2023 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Stuck Together With You by Dan Scamell (Goodreads Author), VD Mercer 4.83 avg rating — 12 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Walnut Ridge by Dan Scamell (Goodreads Author), D. Newcomer (editor) 4.88 avg rating — 8 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hibiki by Dan Scamell (Goodreads Author), VD Mercer it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	From the Dead by Joseph D. Newcomer (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Dan Scamell (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Edwin Canfield (Contributor) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Charnel River Complex: A Horror Anthology by CRC Publications, Liza Gunn, E.S. Reinhardt-Reed it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Dan’s Year In Books

Dan Scamell’s Followers (7)

Dan’s Bookshelves

Dan’s Friends (2)

Dan Scamell

Goodreads Author

Combine EditionsDan Scamell’s books

rssDan’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Easy Bake Covenant by Jessica Gleason

See a Problem?

Preview — Push! An Anthology of Childbirth Horror by Ruth Anna Evans

See a Problem?

Preview — The Fabulous Miss Fortune by Jessica Gleason

See a Problem?

Preview — Against Medical Advice by Ruth Anna Evans

See a Problem?

Preview — Curbside Curses by Nadine Stewart

Dan’s Quotes

Dan’s Friend Comments

Combine Editions
Dan Scamell’s books

rss
Dan’s Recent Updates