Devil Kin

by Stephanie Ellis

Darkness comes in different in the mischief of the supernatural, in the evil of demonic spirits, or in the greed and selfishness of humans themselves. Regardless of where it comes from, its proponents are all 'devil kin'. From gothic to post-apocalyptic to vampiric folk horror, the kin are waiting in this collection of short stories.

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 2023

About the author

Stephanie Ellis writes dark speculative prose and poetry and has been published in a variety of magazines and anthologies. Her longer work includes the novels, The Five Turns of the Wheel, Reborn and The Woodcutter, and the novellas, Paused and Bottled. Her new post-apocalytpic/sci-fi/horror novel, The Barricade is due out this year!

She is a Rhysling and Elgin nominated poet, co-authoring the poetry collection, Foundlings, with Cindy O'Quinn, Lilith Rising with Shane Douglas Keene and solo work Metallurgy.

She can be found at https://stephanieellis.org

Reviews

[Coy Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie Ellis shows her brilliant storytelling skill with Devil Kin, moving through time and place, voice and genre with an ease that leaves writers envious, readers gripping for the ride, and both thoroughly entertained. "The Book of Skin," in particular, shows how Ellis is not timid when it comes to experimenting with delivering a narrative. Wonderful.

A truly excellent collection!

[Catherine McCarthy]

N.B. I do not rate on Goodreads.

Devil Kin is a generous collection of folk horror and sci-fi/dystopian shorts, some of which have been previously published in anthologies while others are brand new. There truly is something for everyone here, and Ellis proves her strength at both genres.
The lead story sets the tone impeccably with a folk horror tale that explores the sinister aspects of ritualistic customs.
Several of the shorts that follow (both folk horror and sci-fi/dystopian) examine the sense of longing for a child and the mother/child bond. Rightly so, considering the title of the book.
A few stories were set in rural Wales, so for me the connection was spot on. Others include epistolary elements and poetry, both skills that demonstrate Ellis’s breadth. There’s body horror, cozy horror (that for me felt like a gory version of Midsomer Murders, a TV series I loved), post-apocalyptic horror/sci-fi, some of which feels like the old, classic movies we all adore. As I said previously, the range is broad.
It’s difficult to name favourites, but Romany Rose is up there among them. Those old fortune-telling machines are both creepy and fascinating. Another personal favourite was The Last Word They Always Say, a story that explores the lengths a parent will go to for their child. Such a creepy ending!
A novelette rounds off the collection and brings us full circle, back to the folk horror.
I’m confident that any reader will enjoy this collection and find their own favourites.

[Vivian Kasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection, from first to last. So many topics and themes allowed me to never feel bored. I read one or two at bedtime, looking forward each night to the prose as I put my head to pillow. Folk horror, science fiction horror, body horror, and supernatural horror are abound in the pages of this book. Some hit a personal chord with me, especially the tales involving women and infertility or pregnancy, Phantom being one of them. Rat's Alley was super unique and weird in the best way. Suspended made my skin hurt. Moulting...just read it. Oh, and Platform of the Righteous is great! The last story, Of Blood and Stone, is what I call cozy horror, and I loved it!
Well done, Steph Ellis, well done!