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Bluejay
Noah, Jack, and Phil are three average guys who collect horror memorabilia and have a running competition to see who can come up with the most extreme or repulsive horror movie for their weekly guys’ night. When one of the friends gets the opportunity to steal tickets to an exclusive club that touts offering a realistic, immersive torture simulation, he jumps on the opportunity. Once they arrive at the theater they quickly realize that it isn't a simulation at all, and they have delved into an underground world that they don’t belong in. They have to uphold their stolen identities while trying to escape and not die (or kill anyone else) in the process.
112 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 15, 2023
173 people are currently reading
6977 people want to read
About the author
Megan Stockton
50 books274 followersMegan Stockton is an indie author who lives in rural Middle Tennessee with her husband and two children. She primarily writes, horror, thriller, dystopian, and science fiction/fantasy novels that are character-driven and immersive. She is known for delivering works that are raw, thought-provoking, brutal, and cinematic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 470 reviews
May 6, 2023
Full review available at The Mort Report:
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/bla...
Are there any good, old fashioned macho men out there who still believe women can’t hang with the boys in the horror genre?
Well, let me paint a picture for you: This book is the equivalent of Andre the Giant getting stung by a bee on the middle finger, and after it has swollen to twice its normal size, shoving it straight up your ass and finger-fucking your stupidity out.
In a homage to the HOSTEL movies, this book takes you to the dark and dirty underground of depravity beyond your wildest nightmares, to a place where torture and murder is very real, and very, very scary.
Megan Stockton just rode in on her extreme horse and outshot the gunslinger, outdrank the town drunk and outgambled the card hustler. There is no make-up that can cover up these wounds, and this lady does not hold anything back.
Much like the movies I mentioned, this is one that is not there to entertain in the conventional sense. It sucker punches you in the ovaries (yes, it will make your testicles shrink to the point of embarrassment if you are a fella) until you want to vomit out your disgust in an eloquent tirade, because of the classy writing.
Shit – pardon me, but it is late at night and this book has cost me some sleep, so if nothing else makes sense about this review, know this:
If you are an extreme or Splatterpunk fan, you need to check this shit out as soon as possible.
Well fucking done, madame!!
5 STARS!!
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/bla...
Are there any good, old fashioned macho men out there who still believe women can’t hang with the boys in the horror genre?
Well, let me paint a picture for you: This book is the equivalent of Andre the Giant getting stung by a bee on the middle finger, and after it has swollen to twice its normal size, shoving it straight up your ass and finger-fucking your stupidity out.
In a homage to the HOSTEL movies, this book takes you to the dark and dirty underground of depravity beyond your wildest nightmares, to a place where torture and murder is very real, and very, very scary.
Megan Stockton just rode in on her extreme horse and outshot the gunslinger, outdrank the town drunk and outgambled the card hustler. There is no make-up that can cover up these wounds, and this lady does not hold anything back.
Much like the movies I mentioned, this is one that is not there to entertain in the conventional sense. It sucker punches you in the ovaries (yes, it will make your testicles shrink to the point of embarrassment if you are a fella) until you want to vomit out your disgust in an eloquent tirade, because of the classy writing.
Shit – pardon me, but it is late at night and this book has cost me some sleep, so if nothing else makes sense about this review, know this:
If you are an extreme or Splatterpunk fan, you need to check this shit out as soon as possible.
Well fucking done, madame!!
5 STARS!!
August 27, 2023
This was crazy.
Three edge lords obsessed with dark web/snuff/gore videos, find themselves at a private club where they’re offered a sort of “immersive experience”, and things very quickly go south. This features graphic violence (including body horror, torture, eye stuff etc), graphic SA, non-consensual S&M, bodily fluids, and just a lot of very upsetting scenes.
This very much gave Hostle vibes, but with the three unwitting participants kind of thrown into this underground world. They’re all awful, I hated all three of them, but I don’t mind reading unlikeable characters.
My actual rating is more like 3.75 stars but rounded up for GR. Yeah, the characters are unlikeable, but one thought/reaction one of the characters had after experiencing something almost made me put the book down because of how much it took me out of the story because it was just such a wildly unrealistic thought/reaction given the circumstances. Women were all beautiful or large and ugly, and the ending was a bit too abrupt, but overall I think if you go into it expecting a shock factor read, you won’t be disappointed.
Three edge lords obsessed with dark web/snuff/gore videos, find themselves at a private club where they’re offered a sort of “immersive experience”, and things very quickly go south. This features graphic violence (including body horror, torture, eye stuff etc), graphic SA, non-consensual S&M, bodily fluids, and just a lot of very upsetting scenes.
This very much gave Hostle vibes, but with the three unwitting participants kind of thrown into this underground world. They’re all awful, I hated all three of them, but I don’t mind reading unlikeable characters.
My actual rating is more like 3.75 stars but rounded up for GR. Yeah, the characters are unlikeable, but one thought/reaction one of the characters had after experiencing something almost made me put the book down because of how much it took me out of the story because it was just such a wildly unrealistic thought/reaction given the circumstances. Women were all beautiful or large and ugly, and the ending was a bit too abrupt, but overall I think if you go into it expecting a shock factor read, you won’t be disappointed.
April 12, 2023
A tight, well written novella, packed with story and gore. I'm looking forward to more from Megan.
July 9, 2023
This was one crazy ride!! My first by the author but definitely not my last. If you like blood, gore, torture and snuff movies, then you’ll love this!
December 16, 2025
3.5 stars. Phew, this was a nasty little affair. For anyone who enjoys blood, gore, sexual deviancy, etc, this is one you should check out. Definitely extreme horror. The plot was fairly surface level, the three main characters were forgettable, but, again, you're going into a story like this to see some really gnarly stuff. And Megan Stockton delivered. The flow and overall pacing were fine and everything was good, but this just needed some additional development to make it all a better experience. Just some more beyond the actual violence would have been perfect. Still a fun way to spend some time to get grossed out, horror fans alike should give this some consideration.
June 17, 2024
NEVER FORGET YOUR SAFE WORD 😂
March 30, 2023
After stealing an invite to an exclusive snuff simulation, Noah brings his best buddies out for a night they won’t soon forget… if they make it through alive.
A fun read that could best be described as Hostel on drugs. Megan’s writing kept drawing me back to find out what happened while rooting for the main characters, even if they were less than perfect role models.
If you want to delve into the underground world of torture porn, check out Bluejay by Megan Stockton but, don’t forget the safe word.
I’ll take one of those special cocktails please!
A fun read that could best be described as Hostel on drugs. Megan’s writing kept drawing me back to find out what happened while rooting for the main characters, even if they were less than perfect role models.
If you want to delve into the underground world of torture porn, check out Bluejay by Megan Stockton but, don’t forget the safe word.
I’ll take one of those special cocktails please!
June 6, 2024
I absolutely LOVED this. I tend to go into books without reading the synopsis first, or just skimming it so I don't know too much ahead of time, which can be a blessing and a curse. In this case, I didn't really know what to expect, but I was sucked right in from the beginning and couldn't stop thinking about it. Megan Stockton's writing was gorgeous and really led me to feel for these characters, making it that much more thrilling to watch them fight their way out of this situation.
Bluejay definitely counts as extreme horror, so check the content warnings below if you think you might need them, but it also has a ton of heart and depth to it. I would say this would be a good read for anyone who, like me, enjoys a lot of gore and wants their heartstrings tugged a bit!
✨ Content warnings for:
———
bookstagram | booktok | blog | storygraph
Bluejay definitely counts as extreme horror, so check the content warnings below if you think you might need them, but it also has a ton of heart and depth to it. I would say this would be a good read for anyone who, like me, enjoys a lot of gore and wants their heartstrings tugged a bit!
✨ Content warnings for:
———
bookstagram | booktok | blog | storygraph
September 16, 2024
an A plus horror read.
When I was recommended this, I wasn't sure if I'd like it as I had been having some crap luck with extreme horrors.
Bluejay by Megan Stockton is an extreme horror with a twist: the twist is the fact that the author didn't have to bring racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and/or whatever bigoted views they may or may not have into a horror story that didn't need it. We don't need the author to be a disappointment to the human race, we just need them to scare us and leave us wanting for another of their books.
Long story short: read this, read this now. Yes, it is gory, yes their is rape and drugs and everything you need to cover your gore filled horror heaven dreams.
I recommend this to all of my horror loving friends.
Five freaking well earned stars for me.
When I was recommended this, I wasn't sure if I'd like it as I had been having some crap luck with extreme horrors.
Bluejay by Megan Stockton is an extreme horror with a twist: the twist is the fact that the author didn't have to bring racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and/or whatever bigoted views they may or may not have into a horror story that didn't need it. We don't need the author to be a disappointment to the human race, we just need them to scare us and leave us wanting for another of their books.
Long story short: read this, read this now. Yes, it is gory, yes their is rape and drugs and everything you need to cover your gore filled horror heaven dreams.
I recommend this to all of my horror loving friends.
Five freaking well earned stars for me.
March 23, 2023
Noah is a troll, an aging, bald, sad and lonely troll! One particular person is on the end of his cyberbullying right now, and when Noah gets an unexpected chance to up his game, he takes it! This leads to him finding himself with an invite to an exclusive and immersive party, a realistic horror experience!
He invites his long term buddies, Jack and Phil, the three of them are always trying to outdo each other on the gore score! Which can be pretty tough when one of them works for the emergency services and has first hand access to some horrific content! But, does Noah have the ultimate gore in store? He thinks so, and if only he knew just how right he was! Things are about to get real! Maybe too real!
When they arrive at the club, things go quickly and drastically downhill for the men. Panic, horror and fear set in and their actions soon turn into a terrible nightmare……and then it's on to the main show!!
That's when we get to see their personalities take complete u-turns when faced with the horrors thrust upon them, when we see grown men cry and react in ways they never would have dreamed of. Showing us just what true fear can do to a human! And what happens when the troll becomes the trolled!
This story immediately drew me in, the anticipation was high right from the off, and I couldn't, nor did I want to, put it down! Seriously savage and sadistically steamy in places, and completely horrific throughout! Extremely vivid, panic inducing images are described, immersing you fully into the story! I also enjoyed the subtle, dark humor!
All in all, a story rammed with gory goodness that you'll be left thinking about for a while…. 🖤
He invites his long term buddies, Jack and Phil, the three of them are always trying to outdo each other on the gore score! Which can be pretty tough when one of them works for the emergency services and has first hand access to some horrific content! But, does Noah have the ultimate gore in store? He thinks so, and if only he knew just how right he was! Things are about to get real! Maybe too real!
When they arrive at the club, things go quickly and drastically downhill for the men. Panic, horror and fear set in and their actions soon turn into a terrible nightmare……and then it's on to the main show!!
That's when we get to see their personalities take complete u-turns when faced with the horrors thrust upon them, when we see grown men cry and react in ways they never would have dreamed of. Showing us just what true fear can do to a human! And what happens when the troll becomes the trolled!
This story immediately drew me in, the anticipation was high right from the off, and I couldn't, nor did I want to, put it down! Seriously savage and sadistically steamy in places, and completely horrific throughout! Extremely vivid, panic inducing images are described, immersing you fully into the story! I also enjoyed the subtle, dark humor!
All in all, a story rammed with gory goodness that you'll be left thinking about for a while…. 🖤
March 7, 2023
Couldn’t love this story more. I am a sucker for movies like Hostel, the Collector etc. if you love these as much as I do then this is for you!
Noah, Jack and Phil, horror and gore junkies of the extremes, steal an invitation to an exclusive club that exclaims torture imitating. Or so they think. Pretty fast they find out this is not an imitation but real. The three friends must figure out how to escape before they lose their lives.
Noah, Jack and Phil, horror and gore junkies of the extremes, steal an invitation to an exclusive club that exclaims torture imitating. Or so they think. Pretty fast they find out this is not an imitation but real. The three friends must figure out how to escape before they lose their lives.
June 6, 2024
I don't usually include the story-line from the book in reviews, but I honesty had difficulty saying what this little jewel was about...so I'm including it here.
From The Book: Noah, Jack, and Phil are three average guys who collect horror memorabilia and have a running competition to see who can come up with the most extreme or repulsive horror movie for their weekly guys’ night. When one of the friends gets the opportunity to steal tickets to an exclusive club that touts offering a realistic, immersive torture simulation, he jumps on the opportunity. Once they arrive at the theater, they quickly realize that it isn't a simulation at all, and they have delved into an underground world that they don’t belong in. They have to uphold their stolen identities while trying to escape and not die (or kill anyone else) in the process.
It's a short, 121 pages, story filled with extreme horror, especially for our three good friends, Noah, Jack and Phil, who decide they wanted to indulge some of their much darker fantasies. As the plot says..."they collect horror memorabilia and have a running competition to see who can come up with the most extreme or repulsive horror movie for their weekly "guys’ night". It doesn't take them long to find out that they're not in control at all....and furthermore they never were. They are smart enough to know that that this was certainly not what they were expecting.... or was it??
The story is filed with sex, brutality, violence, gore and revenge.... just to name a few of the "finer" points. Everything in it is disturbing and gross...but it IS very well written, and the plot is "interesting", for lack of a better description...and the conclusion is where you find that everything will get handed to you with a beautiful, little red bow. Oh...wait...is that blood???
A little word of warning...there are SO many things in those 121 pages that can/will/may trigger every possible trigger reaction that any reader may have...or didn't even know you had...but oh what a ride if you really, genuinely, truly like horror....and I mean REALLY TRUE horror. Move over Edgar Alan Poe. You have absolutely nothing to compare with Megan Stockton.
From The Book: Noah, Jack, and Phil are three average guys who collect horror memorabilia and have a running competition to see who can come up with the most extreme or repulsive horror movie for their weekly guys’ night. When one of the friends gets the opportunity to steal tickets to an exclusive club that touts offering a realistic, immersive torture simulation, he jumps on the opportunity. Once they arrive at the theater, they quickly realize that it isn't a simulation at all, and they have delved into an underground world that they don’t belong in. They have to uphold their stolen identities while trying to escape and not die (or kill anyone else) in the process.
It's a short, 121 pages, story filled with extreme horror, especially for our three good friends, Noah, Jack and Phil, who decide they wanted to indulge some of their much darker fantasies. As the plot says..."they collect horror memorabilia and have a running competition to see who can come up with the most extreme or repulsive horror movie for their weekly "guys’ night". It doesn't take them long to find out that they're not in control at all....and furthermore they never were. They are smart enough to know that that this was certainly not what they were expecting.... or was it??
The story is filed with sex, brutality, violence, gore and revenge.... just to name a few of the "finer" points. Everything in it is disturbing and gross...but it IS very well written, and the plot is "interesting", for lack of a better description...and the conclusion is where you find that everything will get handed to you with a beautiful, little red bow. Oh...wait...is that blood???
A little word of warning...there are SO many things in those 121 pages that can/will/may trigger every possible trigger reaction that any reader may have...or didn't even know you had...but oh what a ride if you really, genuinely, truly like horror....and I mean REALLY TRUE horror. Move over Edgar Alan Poe. You have absolutely nothing to compare with Megan Stockton.
April 21, 2025
It was not super extreme, but it had just enough almost extremeness to keep me interested. Even the author intro admits they wanted to write a story with their usual writing voice, and maybe dabble with the line that could POSSIBLT be considered extreme, but not so that violence/gore/ and gross were the main focal points as usual with the extreme horror genre.
It's still a fun story, and for 100 pages or so I didn't expect a ton of character building. It was just entertaining
It's still a fun story, and for 100 pages or so I didn't expect a ton of character building. It was just entertaining
July 6, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🩸🩸🩸🩸
“Yes, ma’am, I’d like a coffee with two creams and one get us the fuck out of here.”
Oh man.. Jack an inner baddie.
This book is giving ‘Hostel’.. torture porn.
Some of these kills were brutal. Be warned!
The ending was awesome.. really enjoyed that lol.
🩸🩸🩸🩸
“Yes, ma’am, I’d like a coffee with two creams and one get us the fuck out of here.”
Oh man.. Jack an inner baddie.
This book is giving ‘Hostel’.. torture porn.
Some of these kills were brutal. Be warned!
The ending was awesome.. really enjoyed that lol.
March 14, 2023
Noah, Jack, and Phil have been best friends since college. Brought together by their love of the extreme and the macabre. When Noah got the chance to steal some tickets to an exclusive club that offers realistic torture simulations, he jumped at the chance. Surely his friends would enjoy this night out! It doesn’t take the three friends long to figure out this is no simulation, and they may have made the biggest mistake of their lives.
Talk about a thrilling read! Stockton came out swinging with this book. I was engrossed from the start and couldn’t wait to see what awaited these characters. Terror and dread, that’s what. With each turn of the page, things get darker and more brutal. The guys start to crack as they are tested in more ways than one. We follow along as they fight to survive, experiencing all the doubt, heartbreak and everything in between right along with them. If you enjoyed Hostel you need to read this book! This was my first time reading this author’s work and I will definitely be snatching up her other books.
Talk about a thrilling read! Stockton came out swinging with this book. I was engrossed from the start and couldn’t wait to see what awaited these characters. Terror and dread, that’s what. With each turn of the page, things get darker and more brutal. The guys start to crack as they are tested in more ways than one. We follow along as they fight to survive, experiencing all the doubt, heartbreak and everything in between right along with them. If you enjoyed Hostel you need to read this book! This was my first time reading this author’s work and I will definitely be snatching up her other books.
May 13, 2024
I wanted to like this. I had high hopes for this. But I found the ending so out of pocket, and not in a good way. I also can’t wrap my head around why each splatterpunk story Ive come across, centers around sex …. so cliche too with the bondage. I understand it’s extreme horror, but I feel like it’s more of an excuse to be gross than tell a compelling story, and this one had potential, but fell so flat, it was one dimensional. the characters were not well written and had no true redemptive qualities, which I think was attempted, and that makes it even more disappointing. I know it’s a short book, but there could have been more depth.
September 14, 2023
“It had happened so easily, the sharp blade cutting through it like it was paper. The loose pinky crawled across the floor like a plump maggot, disappearing into the recesses of the darkness.”
Three friends decide on a night of debauchery, but things start to get too deadly.
This was a bloody and fantastically insane tale of torturous horror.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this story and this author, but neither disappointed! I can’t wait to read more of Megan Stockton’s work.
Three friends decide on a night of debauchery, but things start to get too deadly.
This was a bloody and fantastically insane tale of torturous horror.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this story and this author, but neither disappointed! I can’t wait to read more of Megan Stockton’s work.
May 13, 2024
Bluejay follows 3 men who have become a tight knit trio; tied together by their obsession with death and gore. One frequents in an online community that leads to the friends conversing over who can find the most extreme content… After one of them stumbles upon opportunity to attend a party that promises a immersive experience that’s right up their alley, the 3 pack up and head into the middle of nowhere to attend. As you can imagine, everything goes wrong and it’s nothing that they expected.
It was pretty easy to tell the direction of the story right off the bat, which isn’t a bad thing. What made Bluejay unique was how the emotional prospective of each of the characters was shared…yet they’re ultimately edgelords that decided to try out what they hyper-fixated online in real life. This actually was a bit of a hard read for me. There’s definitely some moral dilemma’s happening to both the main characters and the reader. I am struggling to find the words to properly articulate my feelings while reading.
Stockton does a good job of setting the scene and immersing the reader, but also tends to frequently pull you out of it at unnecessary times with random stories or memories about something minuscule. The character building could have been stronger if the chapters had one narrator instead of all 3 character’s narrating or sharing thoughts from chapter to chapter. It muddled their characteristics into one and it was hard to differentiate until further along in the story. The ending had an unexpected twist, but the final few paragraphs dulled the shock of the twist.
If you’re looking for an extreme graphic & gory horror with many emotions, this might be right for you. There’s no respite from the moral battle of these emotional characters partaking in such dark acts and maybe that’s exactly what Stockton was going for in her delivery!
3/5
It was pretty easy to tell the direction of the story right off the bat, which isn’t a bad thing. What made Bluejay unique was how the emotional prospective of each of the characters was shared…yet they’re ultimately edgelords that decided to try out what they hyper-fixated online in real life. This actually was a bit of a hard read for me. There’s definitely some moral dilemma’s happening to both the main characters and the reader. I am struggling to find the words to properly articulate my feelings while reading.
Stockton does a good job of setting the scene and immersing the reader, but also tends to frequently pull you out of it at unnecessary times with random stories or memories about something minuscule. The character building could have been stronger if the chapters had one narrator instead of all 3 character’s narrating or sharing thoughts from chapter to chapter. It muddled their characteristics into one and it was hard to differentiate until further along in the story. The ending had an unexpected twist, but the final few paragraphs dulled the shock of the twist.
If you’re looking for an extreme graphic & gory horror with many emotions, this might be right for you. There’s no respite from the moral battle of these emotional characters partaking in such dark acts and maybe that’s exactly what Stockton was going for in her delivery!
3/5
January 15, 2025
Let this be a lesson to all you fellas out there 🤨
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October 21, 2025
Holy shit this book was good. What a wild ride.
June 5, 2024
I definitely did not see this book coming. Megan Stockton looks like such a nice girl. I never would have guessed she had all of that screaming bloody madness in her head. She is an EXTREMELY evocative writer - in fact, the brutal encounters in her book were so disturbingly detailed that I had to read through squinty eyes to try to keep at least some of the horror from making it into my brain.
The story underneath the bloodbath though, was solid. I enjoy reading stories that explore the limits of friendship - to what lengths would friends go to protect each other, what sacrifices would they be willing to make, how quickly would their sense of self-preservation push them to betrayal. The author definitely mined every bit of that territory as she slammed our trio of protagonists into the gauntlet and dragged them through all seven circles of hell.
Friends since college, but slowly drifting in separate directions as their life circumstances cease to find common ground, Noah, Jack, and Phil continue to have one thing in common - their love of extreme horror, which leads them to a mysterious party where brutal terror, bloody madness, and Hostel-esque horror ensues. And this is where the ties that bind come a little loose and the fight for survival shines a very bright light on what each of them is willing to do to make it out alive.
The story underneath the bloodbath though, was solid. I enjoy reading stories that explore the limits of friendship - to what lengths would friends go to protect each other, what sacrifices would they be willing to make, how quickly would their sense of self-preservation push them to betrayal. The author definitely mined every bit of that territory as she slammed our trio of protagonists into the gauntlet and dragged them through all seven circles of hell.
Friends since college, but slowly drifting in separate directions as their life circumstances cease to find common ground, Noah, Jack, and Phil continue to have one thing in common - their love of extreme horror, which leads them to a mysterious party where brutal terror, bloody madness, and Hostel-esque horror ensues. And this is where the ties that bind come a little loose and the fight for survival shines a very bright light on what each of them is willing to do to make it out alive.
January 7, 2025
People that died here died in a course of chaos; they did not fade but were snuffed out.
This is my second time reading Stockton, and I enjoyed this one too. Her work is gory, gritty, and raw. Her characters are well written, and the plot is well thought out.
A lot of the time, splatterpunk is just gore after gore. While others like that, I find that I prefer when stories actually have a good storyline along with the gore. I had that here.
Three friends who are fans of the macabre find themselves trapped in an all too real life and death situation.
Though the book is short, I felt like I got to know the characters well and their backstory. It didn't feel rushed at all, yet the pacing was good. The kill count was good, the carnage good and the ending phenomenal. I would recommend this one.
This is my second time reading Stockton, and I enjoyed this one too. Her work is gory, gritty, and raw. Her characters are well written, and the plot is well thought out.
A lot of the time, splatterpunk is just gore after gore. While others like that, I find that I prefer when stories actually have a good storyline along with the gore. I had that here.
Three friends who are fans of the macabre find themselves trapped in an all too real life and death situation.
Though the book is short, I felt like I got to know the characters well and their backstory. It didn't feel rushed at all, yet the pacing was good. The kill count was good, the carnage good and the ending phenomenal. I would recommend this one.
August 4, 2023
This was my first book by this author but it definitely won't be my last! Stockton really makes the characters front and center and even in this short read she makes you care what happens to them. And oh boy, stuff definitely "happens" to them lol. These three guys had no idea what they were getting themselves into when entering a "theater" expecting a simulated show. But they quickly come to realize there is nothing simulated about it and they are in very real danger. I think my favorite part of this book was tagging along inside Noah's head after he's given a "hallucinogenic cocktail" and witnessing the internal evolution he experiences. Great read!
March 10, 2023
This is my first from this author and already have her on my list to buy more work from her at Authorcon in a few weeks. It was a very unique book about a very unique theatre. It’s about 3 friends that love everything about horror that get set up to go to this theatre for a torture simulation. It had a lot of dark horror and blood and was so well written and and the storyline and characters were so well done. I would recommend it to the more extreme horror fans. It kept me engaged from beginning to end.
January 31, 2025
This book is definitely not for everyone. If you have triggers I definitely wouldn’t suggest this book. There’s a lot of triggering scenes, but I gave this book 4 stars because I liked how it was a quick read and I also was shook by the twist and the whole book had me on the edge of my seat. It definitely was one of the most messed up books I’ve ever read it was like saw on steroids lol just be prepared if you’re gonna read this, it is gory and definitely goes into some scenes that are disturbing.
May 4, 2024
Not for faint of heart
Splatter horror novella following three friends (Noah, Phil, and Jack) who get in over their heads. What they think is an immersive horror simulation is actually an underground murder club. Do they have what it takes to get out alive?
"𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔? 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓? 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒐 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 '𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍' 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔?"
This was extremely graphic and violent, read with care.
Splatter horror novella following three friends (Noah, Phil, and Jack) who get in over their heads. What they think is an immersive horror simulation is actually an underground murder club. Do they have what it takes to get out alive?
"𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔? 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓? 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒐 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 '𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍' 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔?"
This was extremely graphic and violent, read with care.
November 5, 2023
BLUEJAY [2023] By Megan Stockton
My Review 5.0 Stars Out Of 5.0
“You look at a crow and you think, that’s creepy or that’s bad ass or something. Nobody thinks that about the blue jay, but they’re smart and resourceful and they will fuck you up.”
The story begins with Noah, a single guy who has a day off from work, and naturally gravitates to his big gaming rig to engage in his favorite pastime. Noah no longer spends time gaming, but he has a sentimental attachment to the tower. The fans power on immediately and the warmth hits his ankles. His companion cat is drawn to the heat and rubs against Noah’s ankles demonstrating that he is part of her world. What makes Noah happy? He enjoys the anonymity and the power rush it gives him to spend the day as a “keyboard warrior” generally speaking one who posts angry messages or gets his jollies provoking arguments on the internet. Noah has his own favorite trolling sites, social media groups and message boards, so on this day he makes his first stop at the GoreWhore Message Board. GoreWhore was a testament to the fact that Message Boards were not completely dead. The individuals who frequented this particular message board were into violence. There were variously posts of leaked accident photos, true crime pictures, and even videos of violent collisions, suicides, and vids of extreme sports when they went horribly fatally wrong. Of course, there were always less serious fare such as fake snuff films and violent “B” movies. Noah ruminates about how that he had harassed and publicly humiliated rainyday666 the previous night much to the delight and support of the other message board participants.
This morning he notes an Instant Message from someone with the screen name ‘vixxn’ telling Noah that he was the man for telling off rainyday666 and enticing Noah with the opportunity of inflicting even more damage on the deserving “Dick”. ‘vixxn’ displayed a profile picture of an attractive woman. Noah took the bait and after going to a more secure browser logged in to rainyday666’s account with the password ‘vixxn’ had generously provided. Noah is stunned. He types in the password and he is in! Noah is going about snooping through rainyday666’s account and he notices an Unread Message in the Inbox. It was an RSVP from an “Elite Member” called The Director. The message was to “Mr. Roth” and it purported to be an invitation to a showing at the theater, payment received and processed for all four members. Noah took all the information and returned to the Message Board. He found references to a secret society, and “a very realistic, immersive torture experience.” The location was vague, but rainyday666 had recently boasted on the Message Board about him and his pals having a good chance of getting in.
Noah and his two best friends from college (Phil and Jack) had actually been brought together by their mutual obsession with the extreme and the macabre. Phil is single and works as an EMT. Since Phil had begun the job, he would frequently sneak photos to his two buddies. The fact this breach of ethics was highly illegal, highly immortal, highly disrespectful did not seem to bother him.
Jack is married with children. He loves his family and indulges his macabre hobby by legally buying nasty films through online auctions and hosting movie nights in his basement with stovetop popcorn and vodka.
They all three collect horror memorabilia consisting of both photos and film. Their on-going running competition to see which one of them can come up with the most extreme or repulsive horror movie for their weekly guy’s night has been largely a no-brainer since Phil snagged the EMT job.
Tonight, their lives are about to change forever. “The Die Is Cast.”
Noah explains to his pals Phil and Jack that this is the chance to engage in an “immersive torture experience,” but then the city lights are pinpricks in the rearview mirror, and soon they are driving a long way and in a desolate, isolated area before they arrive at their destination. It is nerve-wracking even making it to their desired destination. Finally, they arrive and the three of them are ushered inside. It is not long before all three men see that everything around them is reality. There is nothing make-believe, and they may not walk out of this experience alive. Noah, Phil, and Jack have walked into a live set of “Hostel” but with only one caveat. None of them are leaving alive.
This is a terrifying, panic-laden piece of extreme horror from new-to-me Megan Stockton. It is a novella, but it is astonishing how much terror can be squeezed into a story that factually sports fewer words. Stockton is impressive. I am a new fan. The "Bluejay" title? Clever. I will consider that a spoiler.
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
My Review 5.0 Stars Out Of 5.0
“You look at a crow and you think, that’s creepy or that’s bad ass or something. Nobody thinks that about the blue jay, but they’re smart and resourceful and they will fuck you up.”
The story begins with Noah, a single guy who has a day off from work, and naturally gravitates to his big gaming rig to engage in his favorite pastime. Noah no longer spends time gaming, but he has a sentimental attachment to the tower. The fans power on immediately and the warmth hits his ankles. His companion cat is drawn to the heat and rubs against Noah’s ankles demonstrating that he is part of her world. What makes Noah happy? He enjoys the anonymity and the power rush it gives him to spend the day as a “keyboard warrior” generally speaking one who posts angry messages or gets his jollies provoking arguments on the internet. Noah has his own favorite trolling sites, social media groups and message boards, so on this day he makes his first stop at the GoreWhore Message Board. GoreWhore was a testament to the fact that Message Boards were not completely dead. The individuals who frequented this particular message board were into violence. There were variously posts of leaked accident photos, true crime pictures, and even videos of violent collisions, suicides, and vids of extreme sports when they went horribly fatally wrong. Of course, there were always less serious fare such as fake snuff films and violent “B” movies. Noah ruminates about how that he had harassed and publicly humiliated rainyday666 the previous night much to the delight and support of the other message board participants.
This morning he notes an Instant Message from someone with the screen name ‘vixxn’ telling Noah that he was the man for telling off rainyday666 and enticing Noah with the opportunity of inflicting even more damage on the deserving “Dick”. ‘vixxn’ displayed a profile picture of an attractive woman. Noah took the bait and after going to a more secure browser logged in to rainyday666’s account with the password ‘vixxn’ had generously provided. Noah is stunned. He types in the password and he is in! Noah is going about snooping through rainyday666’s account and he notices an Unread Message in the Inbox. It was an RSVP from an “Elite Member” called The Director. The message was to “Mr. Roth” and it purported to be an invitation to a showing at the theater, payment received and processed for all four members. Noah took all the information and returned to the Message Board. He found references to a secret society, and “a very realistic, immersive torture experience.” The location was vague, but rainyday666 had recently boasted on the Message Board about him and his pals having a good chance of getting in.
Noah and his two best friends from college (Phil and Jack) had actually been brought together by their mutual obsession with the extreme and the macabre. Phil is single and works as an EMT. Since Phil had begun the job, he would frequently sneak photos to his two buddies. The fact this breach of ethics was highly illegal, highly immortal, highly disrespectful did not seem to bother him.
Jack is married with children. He loves his family and indulges his macabre hobby by legally buying nasty films through online auctions and hosting movie nights in his basement with stovetop popcorn and vodka.
They all three collect horror memorabilia consisting of both photos and film. Their on-going running competition to see which one of them can come up with the most extreme or repulsive horror movie for their weekly guy’s night has been largely a no-brainer since Phil snagged the EMT job.
Tonight, their lives are about to change forever. “The Die Is Cast.”
Noah explains to his pals Phil and Jack that this is the chance to engage in an “immersive torture experience,” but then the city lights are pinpricks in the rearview mirror, and soon they are driving a long way and in a desolate, isolated area before they arrive at their destination. It is nerve-wracking even making it to their desired destination. Finally, they arrive and the three of them are ushered inside. It is not long before all three men see that everything around them is reality. There is nothing make-believe, and they may not walk out of this experience alive. Noah, Phil, and Jack have walked into a live set of “Hostel” but with only one caveat. None of them are leaving alive.
This is a terrifying, panic-laden piece of extreme horror from new-to-me Megan Stockton. It is a novella, but it is astonishing how much terror can be squeezed into a story that factually sports fewer words. Stockton is impressive. I am a new fan. The "Bluejay" title? Clever. I will consider that a spoiler.
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
December 9, 2025
Absolutely loved this one. I'm on a roll for once—another banger!
Three guys who enjoy some depraved fun sneak into a party they weren't invited to. Very Hostel-esque. Depraved, erotic, gory, fun. Sure, it's not going to win any literary awards, but sometimes I just need some popcorn fun. I agree with one reviewer who said that the characters were a bit wafer-thin, but I found that I ended up liking them nonetheless. It's a short story, after all, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Up till 4 a.m. listening to the audiobook (which was excellent, by the way)! 4.5*
Three guys who enjoy some depraved fun sneak into a party they weren't invited to. Very Hostel-esque. Depraved, erotic, gory, fun. Sure, it's not going to win any literary awards, but sometimes I just need some popcorn fun. I agree with one reviewer who said that the characters were a bit wafer-thin, but I found that I ended up liking them nonetheless. It's a short story, after all, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Up till 4 a.m. listening to the audiobook (which was excellent, by the way)! 4.5*
July 9, 2023
Megan Stockton proves she is a force to be reckoned with, in any genre she chooses to write. Having only read Quiet, Pretty Things by her previously, I had no idea what to expect from Bluejay. But it is every bit as beautifully written as her less gruesome work. As they say "the Devil's in the details," and there's no lack of details in this novella. You may not always want all the details - and in fact some of them had me mentally giving her the side-eye - but the details really do make the story. It's the little things, like how characters react to the unspeakable violence with which they find themselves surrounded, that make these characters seem real in a way very few authors can manage. If you are a fan of Megan Stockton, or a fan of extreme horror/splatterpunk, definitely give this a read - you won't regret it.
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