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Unearthed
The Pacific Northwest is known for its near-constant rainy season. But on New Years Day, the sun emerges and one woman, alone with her dog, ventures out to discover that something else has arrived with the new year: vast sinkholes, large enough to swallow entire cities, claim the lives of millions and unearth nightmare creatures that could only mean one thing...the end of humanity.
127 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Gina Ranalli
45 books95 followersGina Ranalli is the author of several novels, including Mothman Emerged, Rumors of My Death, Praise the Dead, House of Fallen Trees, Suicide Girls in the Afterlife, Chemical Gardens, Wall of Kiss, and Mother Puncher. Her collection, 13 Thorns (with Gus Fink) won the Wonderland Book Award for Best Story Collection of 2007. Her short stories have appeared in numerous publications including Bits of the Dead, The Beast Within, Horror Library Volume 3, and Dead Science, among others.
Gina lives in Washington state where she is working on her next novel. You can communicate with her online at www.ginaranalli.com and on twitter at http://twitter.com/GinaRanalli
Gina lives in Washington state where she is working on her next novel. You can communicate with her online at www.ginaranalli.com and on twitter at http://twitter.com/GinaRanalli
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
August 2, 2025
3.5 stars. This was really well done. I loved the characters, the premise, the creatures, and the overall tone of the book. Gina Ranalli wrote in such an elegant and skillful way, as to make me feel the same dread and apprehension that our lead, Stacy, did throughout. Now the book is only about 70 pages, which flew by. There were some, fairly important, plot points that felt very underdeveloped and others rushed through. So, as you can probably guess, I just wanted more from everything. I wanted to know more about Stacy, Joe, Martin, and even Lou, the trusty dog. What created those sinkholes? Were there other creatures out there? How would Stacy manage her pregnancy? What made her not want the baby? Just a ton of things that were in there that needed much more development to bring it all full-circle. I also enjoyed how this took place on New Year's Day, which I don't think that I've seen to date.
January 30, 2018
OMG BUGS!!!
This popped up in my Kindle recommendations. It’s short, and I’ve enjoyed other stuff by Ranalli, so I gave it a shot. The blurb mentions nightmare creatures and sinkholes large enough to swallow cities, but it doesn’t mention one of the (IMHO) biggest selling points of this novella: giant bugs. Oh man. I was intrigued right off the bat, but at soon as the bugs came in I was hooked. I’m a sucker for horror that includes weird insects. I read this in one sitting.
This popped up in my Kindle recommendations. It’s short, and I’ve enjoyed other stuff by Ranalli, so I gave it a shot. The blurb mentions nightmare creatures and sinkholes large enough to swallow cities, but it doesn’t mention one of the (IMHO) biggest selling points of this novella: giant bugs. Oh man. I was intrigued right off the bat, but at soon as the bugs came in I was hooked. I’m a sucker for horror that includes weird insects. I read this in one sitting.
December 31, 2017
I love reading thematically, but this was just too good. A randomly selected book for December 31st ( since I've read the author before and liked her enough to try more, didn't even read a description on this one) the plot of which is an apocalypse that takes place on New Year's Day in Pacific Northwest (where I really ought to be by now). Awesome. And a great read too, well written, good descriptions and characters, very realistic and as such quite effective at being genuinely terrifying. If you're into this sort of thing, Ronald Malfi's After The Fade would pair up nicely with it. In fact, surprisingly enough (since I'm very much a fan of Malfi's work) I think I actually liked this one more. Something about making a perfect selection. Plus it's only 45 minutes or so to read and well worth the time. Read it today or any other New Year's day if possible. Recommended.
September 11, 2023
This was a short story, but so so good! I wanted a bit more though- more time with the characters, more time with the creatures, more time with the devastated new world.
February 1, 2012
UNEARTHED by Gina Ranalli
As UNEARTHED opens, New Year’s Day finds Rebecca Robinson calling for her dog at an hour most people would be sleeping off the previous night’s festivities. The Pacific Northwest’s classic weather has saturated the ground, and though initially terrified when a 4x4 sinkhole opens nearly under her feet, Rebecca isn’t very surprised. But then one opens under the house and giant bees begin to show themselves…
UNEARTHED is good clean fun. Ranalli doesn’t waste time bogging us down with lengthy back-stories, giving just enough to establish who her characters are and where they are in their lives. As her characters struggle to survive, the 900 acre forest Rebecca lives in falls beneath the surface of the earth in mind-bogglingly massive chunks and the bees stake a claim to man’s earth. As the ground gives way beneath your feet and giant bees do what giant bees must, you grin and hang on as Ranalli hurtles the tale forward.
This short novella is perfect for an afternoon or evening, when you need a quick treat to pick you up. There is more depth to the sinkholes than to the plot, but it is, overall, an amusing way to spend time. Light and easy to read, the story is contained perfectly within its pages. There is engaging action and a nice bite of humor.
If you want a tasty little read, UNEARTHED is a good choice.
As UNEARTHED opens, New Year’s Day finds Rebecca Robinson calling for her dog at an hour most people would be sleeping off the previous night’s festivities. The Pacific Northwest’s classic weather has saturated the ground, and though initially terrified when a 4x4 sinkhole opens nearly under her feet, Rebecca isn’t very surprised. But then one opens under the house and giant bees begin to show themselves…
UNEARTHED is good clean fun. Ranalli doesn’t waste time bogging us down with lengthy back-stories, giving just enough to establish who her characters are and where they are in their lives. As her characters struggle to survive, the 900 acre forest Rebecca lives in falls beneath the surface of the earth in mind-bogglingly massive chunks and the bees stake a claim to man’s earth. As the ground gives way beneath your feet and giant bees do what giant bees must, you grin and hang on as Ranalli hurtles the tale forward.
This short novella is perfect for an afternoon or evening, when you need a quick treat to pick you up. There is more depth to the sinkholes than to the plot, but it is, overall, an amusing way to spend time. Light and easy to read, the story is contained perfectly within its pages. There is engaging action and a nice bite of humor.
If you want a tasty little read, UNEARTHED is a good choice.
July 10, 2019
I always wonder what I would do if the world was ending before my eyes, or in this case sinking around me with enormous bees flying around in the sky.
Ranalli writes survival with a sadness and leaves us at the edge of a sinkhole wondering what tomorrow will bring.
Ranalli writes survival with a sadness and leaves us at the edge of a sinkhole wondering what tomorrow will bring.
August 9, 2011
Gina Ranalli spins a deliriously fast paced monster tale in “Unearthed.” The novella wastes no time getting things started. Rebecca, the main character, discovers a large sinkhole on her property. Though this befuddles her, this opening scene is more foreshadowing than a sign of the true danger to come. Within two more chapters, however, we learn the sinkholes are cause by enormous digger bees and the world is already on the brink of destruction.
This novella brought to mind King’s “The Mist” and Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” Ranalli uses a technique similar to those classics, focusing on a few characters in peril rather than trying to go the route of showing us the widespread destruction.
In these more intimate narratives, the horror seeps in gradually as the characters realize their nightmare is manifest in the outside world.
I don’t want to spoil any surprises for you. This is a very well written descent into hell with a wicked ending. I highly recommend it and can’t wait to check out more of Ranalli’s work.
This novella brought to mind King’s “The Mist” and Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” Ranalli uses a technique similar to those classics, focusing on a few characters in peril rather than trying to go the route of showing us the widespread destruction.
In these more intimate narratives, the horror seeps in gradually as the characters realize their nightmare is manifest in the outside world.
I don’t want to spoil any surprises for you. This is a very well written descent into hell with a wicked ending. I highly recommend it and can’t wait to check out more of Ranalli’s work.
December 31, 2011
Gina Ranalli's writing commands your attention. And in "Unearthed," she slaps you in the face, then grabs you by the throat with a relentless death grip and won't let go until you've experienced the utter mayhem that Rebecca Robinson and her faithful companion Lou are thrust into.
This very bleak post-apocalyptic thrill ride--featuring monsters and sinkholes and a heart-pounding conclusion--doesn't waste any time getting started and leaves you breathless and exhausted at its end.
You'll want to curl up with this bad boy on a rainy Saturday afternoon and keep your dog close by.
This very bleak post-apocalyptic thrill ride--featuring monsters and sinkholes and a heart-pounding conclusion--doesn't waste any time getting started and leaves you breathless and exhausted at its end.
You'll want to curl up with this bad boy on a rainy Saturday afternoon and keep your dog close by.
August 6, 2011
3.5 stars. A very good little novella, with the only problem being that it felt incomplete when I finished it. I feel this would have been better served as a novel or a much longer novella. Gina, as always, writes very, very well. Great characters, great dialogue, great pace. Another very good piece from one of my fave authors... It shows that she can write straight 'horror' as well as she can write bizarro... recommend...!
February 9, 2022
Did a search on line for eco-horror, and Gina Ranalli's Unearthed was high on the list in my search results. Having never read anything by her, and since FB says this month is Women in Horror Month (I thought it was next month), I figured I'd give it a shot.
First off, before I continue, Unearthed in a novella, not a novel, so I'm going to keep the summary brief.
Our story opens with Rebecca Robinson making like Little Rabbit Foo-Foo and running through the forest, but she's not batting field mice over the head. No, instead she's looking for her dog, Lou. As she's returning home with the hopes that the dog beat her there, a sink hole opens up and she almost falls in. She's able to save herself, but once she's safe inside, another sink hole opens, this one beneath her house, causing the building's foundation to sag dangerously. Knowing she's no longer safe, she decides to strike out for the nearest neighbor, who is a ways down the road.
Meanwhile, in town, as a local cafe, a stranger bursts through the door claiming to barely have escaped being swallowed by the Devil, and before too long, they see something that shouldn't be but is -- a giant Digger Bee, has alighted on the cafe's window.
What follows is like a scene out of H.G. Wells's Food of the Gods: as more and more sink holes open up, more and more giant bees are unleashed. And the question becomes: Who will survive to see another day?
Ranalli keeps the readers on the edge of their seats, wondering what's going to happen to Rebecca and Lou, cafe owner Joe, and pregnant waitress Stacy. John, the man who escaped being swallowed by a sink hole, is a dick, so we don't care about him. And granted, given that this is a novella, there's not much in the way of character development, but we're given enough of a background for the players so that you find yourself rooting for them. The frustrating part of the story, as it is for many apocalyptic tales where the characters are cut off from the surrounding areas, is that we don't know if this is a localized occurrence or something that is happening across the United States (or globally?). We also don't know what sparked the growth of the bees. Is Mother Nature getting her revenge on those who have destroyed what she so graciously allowed us to us? Is it nuclear? Chemical? Given the isolative nature of the story, we have questions that aren't answered. Had this been a novel, we might have gotten those answers. But given the structure of the story, these unanswered questions, while annoying and frustrating to the reader, are acceptable.
My only real criticism is the ending. It feels unfinished, but that's what happens with cliffhanger endings, which is why I'm not a fan. I also don't like abrupt endings that leaving your hanging. You can assume the story is going to go one way, but it can easily go another, and nothing is resolved, and you wish the author had given you a definitive ending so you're not turning the page looking for what happens next. This particular detail aside, if you're a fan of those giant bug movies of the 40s and 50s, or some of the more recent offerings from the SyFy Network, this is one worth checking out.
First off, before I continue, Unearthed in a novella, not a novel, so I'm going to keep the summary brief.
Our story opens with Rebecca Robinson making like Little Rabbit Foo-Foo and running through the forest, but she's not batting field mice over the head. No, instead she's looking for her dog, Lou. As she's returning home with the hopes that the dog beat her there, a sink hole opens up and she almost falls in. She's able to save herself, but once she's safe inside, another sink hole opens, this one beneath her house, causing the building's foundation to sag dangerously. Knowing she's no longer safe, she decides to strike out for the nearest neighbor, who is a ways down the road.
Meanwhile, in town, as a local cafe, a stranger bursts through the door claiming to barely have escaped being swallowed by the Devil, and before too long, they see something that shouldn't be but is -- a giant Digger Bee, has alighted on the cafe's window.
What follows is like a scene out of H.G. Wells's Food of the Gods: as more and more sink holes open up, more and more giant bees are unleashed. And the question becomes: Who will survive to see another day?
Ranalli keeps the readers on the edge of their seats, wondering what's going to happen to Rebecca and Lou, cafe owner Joe, and pregnant waitress Stacy. John, the man who escaped being swallowed by a sink hole, is a dick, so we don't care about him. And granted, given that this is a novella, there's not much in the way of character development, but we're given enough of a background for the players so that you find yourself rooting for them. The frustrating part of the story, as it is for many apocalyptic tales where the characters are cut off from the surrounding areas, is that we don't know if this is a localized occurrence or something that is happening across the United States (or globally?). We also don't know what sparked the growth of the bees. Is Mother Nature getting her revenge on those who have destroyed what she so graciously allowed us to us? Is it nuclear? Chemical? Given the isolative nature of the story, we have questions that aren't answered. Had this been a novel, we might have gotten those answers. But given the structure of the story, these unanswered questions, while annoying and frustrating to the reader, are acceptable.
My only real criticism is the ending. It feels unfinished, but that's what happens with cliffhanger endings, which is why I'm not a fan. I also don't like abrupt endings that leaving your hanging. You can assume the story is going to go one way, but it can easily go another, and nothing is resolved, and you wish the author had given you a definitive ending so you're not turning the page looking for what happens next. This particular detail aside, if you're a fan of those giant bug movies of the 40s and 50s, or some of the more recent offerings from the SyFy Network, this is one worth checking out.
September 16, 2022
Not a terrible book, but by Gina Ranalli's standards is definetely not her best.
The idea of killer wasps that come from sinkholes who suddenly start appearing everywhere is an interesting premise but it is not expanded upon.
This is definetely character driven and that is something Gina does great. Her characters feel human and flawled, here no one is a hero.
However, the story ends abruptly, there's not even an epilogue nor enough clues in the story to figure out the whole picture.
Disappointed, I'll stick with Ranalli's other works.
The idea of killer wasps that come from sinkholes who suddenly start appearing everywhere is an interesting premise but it is not expanded upon.
This is definetely character driven and that is something Gina does great. Her characters feel human and flawled, here no one is a hero.
However, the story ends abruptly, there's not even an epilogue nor enough clues in the story to figure out the whole picture.
Disappointed, I'll stick with Ranalli's other works.
January 1, 2018
Good story.. Tense.
January 3, 2018
Pretty good post-apocalyptic novella. Characters never fleshed out too much, but given enough characterization to keep them relatable even in the face of unrelatable events. Solid read.
Read
December 14, 2022Quick, compelling read. There were some spelling and format errors in my edition that were unfortunately glaring but a great read regardless
June 24, 2011
This was a pretty good story and the pacing was essentially a sprint the entire way through. Character development was pretty good for the Rebecca character, but a bit undeveloped for everyone else. I like these apolcaylptic tales, but I think I would have given it a higher rating if there was a little bit more meat to the story.
Granted, the author did try to introduce some sense of what was going on at the macro level. We would occasionally get bits and bursts from a radio, but nothing more. I think you can get away with something like that if the story took a backseat to character and thematic exploration, a la THE ROAD by McCarthy. In that case, we get a nice novel length story that explores the relationship between father and son with a backdrop of post-apocalypse America. McCarthy never tells you why the world ended, but just that it did, and life afterwards is god-awful.
UNEARTHED is not that kind of literary gem, but it never purports itself to be. I think though that since this novella is far more plot driven than character driven, I need some more answers as to why the Northwest is sinking into the sea. Is this divine retribution, lovecraftian cosmic horror, infernal menace, science run-amok? Sure we know mechanically speaking, everything is sinking into itself because giant insects are tunneling their way out to wreak havoc on the world... but why? How did they get that way? That would have added some nice thematic elements to this fairly straight forward plot.
Overall a nice attempt at apocalypse, but a bit breezy for my tastes.
Granted, the author did try to introduce some sense of what was going on at the macro level. We would occasionally get bits and bursts from a radio, but nothing more. I think you can get away with something like that if the story took a backseat to character and thematic exploration, a la THE ROAD by McCarthy. In that case, we get a nice novel length story that explores the relationship between father and son with a backdrop of post-apocalypse America. McCarthy never tells you why the world ended, but just that it did, and life afterwards is god-awful.
UNEARTHED is not that kind of literary gem, but it never purports itself to be. I think though that since this novella is far more plot driven than character driven, I need some more answers as to why the Northwest is sinking into the sea. Is this divine retribution, lovecraftian cosmic horror, infernal menace, science run-amok? Sure we know mechanically speaking, everything is sinking into itself because giant insects are tunneling their way out to wreak havoc on the world... but why? How did they get that way? That would have added some nice thematic elements to this fairly straight forward plot.
Overall a nice attempt at apocalypse, but a bit breezy for my tastes.
April 18, 2012
While the SyFy Channel is notorious for making terrible giant creature movies, we totally need more quality giant creature stories like this one. In this wonderful novella by Gina Ranalli, the ground has begun to open up all over the planet, crater-sized sinkholes everywhere, and some type of monstrous insects are swarming out. The entire piece simply focuses on one tiny section of North-West America and a few people trying to survive.
But what makes this short tale so good, so much more than just a B-Movie? First of all, there's a true undercurrent of dread throughout the entire piece. The silence and stillness is just as terrifying as the booms in the distance and the appearance of the creatures. It is the "suddenness" of the whole thing, the whole "unexplained phenomena" aspect. On top of that, we're only presented with half a dozen characters to see this apocalypse through - and one of them is a dog.
Any more about why this tale is so good (like the ending) would be to give away details, and with a novella you don't want to do that. Simply understand that Ranalli has pulled off with one short tale what hundreds of bad movies have been failing to do for years... creeping me out with what is usually assumed to be an amusing sub-genre.
But what makes this short tale so good, so much more than just a B-Movie? First of all, there's a true undercurrent of dread throughout the entire piece. The silence and stillness is just as terrifying as the booms in the distance and the appearance of the creatures. It is the "suddenness" of the whole thing, the whole "unexplained phenomena" aspect. On top of that, we're only presented with half a dozen characters to see this apocalypse through - and one of them is a dog.
Any more about why this tale is so good (like the ending) would be to give away details, and with a novella you don't want to do that. Simply understand that Ranalli has pulled off with one short tale what hundreds of bad movies have been failing to do for years... creeping me out with what is usually assumed to be an amusing sub-genre.
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May 23, 2011Gina Ranalli’s “nature run amok” novella is a welcome addition to the killer animal subgenre. The action starts right away, and doesn’t let up. Rebecca and her dog Lou find themselves in peril when, after a nearly a week of straight rain, sinkholes start to open up. Joe Morris, owner of the local grill, and Stacy, his only staff for the day, are thrown into chaos as more openings threaten to swallow up his town. They soon find that the sinkholes are not their only problem: what comes out of them is even more terrifying. Ranalli packs a lot into just 127 pages, and does a great job developing her characters while keeping the action moving. While readers may be familiar only with Gina Ranalli's bizarro tales (Chemical Gardens, Mother Puncher, and Swarm of Flying Eyeballs), It's clear with this novella that she also excels at writing with a straight horror tale.
Unearthed is a perfect read for a rainy afternoon. Some fun tie-ins include the Burt I. Gordon movie Food of the Gods and Irwin Allen's The Swarm. Recommended.
Contains: Violence
Unearthed is a perfect read for a rainy afternoon. Some fun tie-ins include the Burt I. Gordon movie Food of the Gods and Irwin Allen's The Swarm. Recommended.
Contains: Violence
March 24, 2015
This is a thrilling short novella about monstrous carnivorous killer bees attacking the Pacific Northwest. Oh and also the earth appears to be opening up and collapsing in on itself. As I said the book is short so you don't get a lot of background on what's happening but the story is action packed from start to finish. Unearthed is a very fun read. Honestly the only complaint I have about it is that it ended so fast. I wanted more. This is the third book I have read by Ranalli and I am now a certified fan for sure. I look forward to whatever she has coming out in the future and I also plan to continue reading her older stuff as well. Kudos!
July 10, 2012
Welp, that was short. It was OK, I'd give it 2.5 stars. I don't know that even really counts as a novella, it's more like a short story. I don't think I really was able to get into the meat of it since there wasn't much to it. An interesting premise, but really not long enough to give a higher mark.
July 18, 2011
New Years eve, a time of new Beginnings, or in the case of Rebecca Robinson it is the beginning of an end. Gina Ranalli pulls you in from the beginning, and hold you to the end. A Great read for a stormy night, but be warned once you pick it up, you won't want to put it down, until finished.
May 9, 2022
Oh this book hits so many of my horror wants. It starts off with a bang and keeps going. Sinkholes, creatures, giant insects and people that I want to survive, it’s so wonderful. I really liked it. Two thumbs up, no five. (that's a whole hand, I don't have five thumbs.)
October 25, 2011
I loved the story, particularly the ending. This book is on the short side, but does a great job of eliciting feeling from the reader. Definitely worth your time.
August 6, 2011
Sinkholes, bees and terrifying death all leading to, in my opinion, a perfect ending. Recommended.
August 12, 2011
More like a 3.5.
September 27, 2015
I thought Chemical Gardens and Swarm of Flying Eyeballs were great but Unearthed is - WOW!
May 3, 2015
An ok story. I enjoy monster/end of the world stories which rhis did fitthe bill, but it did feel incomplete to me. Could make for an interesting full novel should the author wish to do so.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews