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We Live Inside You
We are within you, and we are growing. Watching. Waiting for your empires to fall. It won't be long now. We are the fear of death that drives you and the terrible hunger that reshapes you in its name. We are the vengeance born from senseless slaughter and the pulsing reptile desire that negates your consciousness. We are the lie on your lips, the collapsing star in your heart, and the still-warm gun in your shaking hands. The illusion of control is all we'll allow you, and no matter what you do...WE LIVE INSIDE YOU
188 pages, Paperback
First published October 17, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
November 8, 2024
The Conflict Defines Us…
Have you indulged in this sub-sub-genre phenomenon of sub-literary lunacy known as bizarro fiction and thought to yourself, what on earth…?. Have you read stories about mythic dildos, midget revolutions, fetuses with superpowers, or literal Nazi assholes and thought I’m all for honest titles but give me a fucking break! Initiating yourself in bizarro is a little like a tickle in the back of the throat that demands a nice thorough clearing, except all of a sudden and without explanation you have cut your own throat and are plunging your fingers into the wound in an attempt to scratch the itch. It's a frustration that takes counterproductively extreme measures. I’m not personally knocking the genre in theory, as I think there is much fun to be had in pushing boundaries and traumatizing unprepared readers, but my point in this introduction is that if you find this horror-humor-surreal-absurdism mash-up to be execrable or stupefyingly silly, I implore you not to let classless classification deter you and to give early JRJ a read regardless. Why? Let’s take a look:
First, everyone else at Starbucks will be reading the latest derivative piece of erotica pulp and you can laugh at their sexual naïveté and comparatively banal prudishness.
Second, the cover is waxy feeling with hints of velvet decay, ever-so slightly fibrous, like a nice ripe peach (perhaps with signs of mold), and damned if the contents weren’t just as juicy (and repulsive). Also, it features slightly misleading yet not inappropriate cover art by Alex Pardee.
The stories deal with extremely vulnerable and often quite pathetic people whose fates range from inauspicious to kill me now. Some of them address daily phobias/apprehensions with shocking profundity to rival the best of mortality-obsessed poets. We are products of chance, and chance is all we have to thank each moment we continue breathing, just as chance is all we have to blame when we cease to do so. An insurmountable amount of factors are clashing together around you each moment to permit your livelihood, and if one of those factors is late, or if another factor shows up early, you are gone. The micro-scale fears of getting into a car, or getting out of one at the wrong rest stop, to the macro, universal doomsday scenarios of outbreaks and pandemics are treated with equal trepidation because it does all come down to personal death, whether yours or those whose deaths would personally affect you, or would be tantamount to your own. Each story dooms us as conception did. Whether it’s a penis-flaying parasite that couldn’t be crueler if it was capable of sadism, a revenge-seeking apparition, or a possum crossing the road that sends your four-wheeled steel death trap spiraling into the embodiment of unimaginable carnage; whether a seductive hustler you mistook for your soul-mate, a sweet taste on the lips that signifies the consumption of you and your child’s intestines, or a powdered curse that results in fingers underneath your scalp, you were born only for that conditional overture.
Departure:
I don’t know if I’d label it a gripe, but including an extended version of a previous story (but with more character development, Portland flavor, Shaun Hutson references, a vagina dentata nightmare, and a smattering of prostitutes), in that same collection is odd, and gives me anxiety. This is a bonus, a B-side, along with co-authored stories and a true-ish story about the Mars Volta, so I shouldn't complain, but part of the writer’s job is to edit and revise until they are satisfied with the final draft, or that it is at least fit for publishing, or not, whatever. But you stick by it. Some editors will pervert your story, and interpolate words of their own initiative which you would never use (I know I’m not the only one with this experience), but two editions of one story in one volume upset the compulsive agent in me that will not allow the eschewing of a single page from my reading enterprise. I made a commitment dammit, and if I skip one page of one book, I might as well skip all pages of all books and never read again; all of these restored texts and updates and revisions and expansions and add-ons and companions and unabridgements and unexpurgations and fragments and prefaces and unrated extended director’s cut additions with thirty more minutes of outrageous footage we couldn’t show you in theaters are enough to do my tiny mind in.
Jack Ketchum praised this collection as both entertainment and literature, and I most certainly agree, and would add that it is a wise preliminary (or reaffirming, for those like myself who consider these matters and dangers often) briefing on the unforeseen but ever-present inevitability of anything that could possibly ever happen.
Have you indulged in this sub-sub-genre phenomenon of sub-literary lunacy known as bizarro fiction and thought to yourself, what on earth…?. Have you read stories about mythic dildos, midget revolutions, fetuses with superpowers, or literal Nazi assholes and thought I’m all for honest titles but give me a fucking break! Initiating yourself in bizarro is a little like a tickle in the back of the throat that demands a nice thorough clearing, except all of a sudden and without explanation you have cut your own throat and are plunging your fingers into the wound in an attempt to scratch the itch. It's a frustration that takes counterproductively extreme measures. I’m not personally knocking the genre in theory, as I think there is much fun to be had in pushing boundaries and traumatizing unprepared readers, but my point in this introduction is that if you find this horror-humor-surreal-absurdism mash-up to be execrable or stupefyingly silly, I implore you not to let classless classification deter you and to give early JRJ a read regardless. Why? Let’s take a look:
First, everyone else at Starbucks will be reading the latest derivative piece of erotica pulp and you can laugh at their sexual naïveté and comparatively banal prudishness.
Second, the cover is waxy feeling with hints of velvet decay, ever-so slightly fibrous, like a nice ripe peach (perhaps with signs of mold), and damned if the contents weren’t just as juicy (and repulsive). Also, it features slightly misleading yet not inappropriate cover art by Alex Pardee.
The stories deal with extremely vulnerable and often quite pathetic people whose fates range from inauspicious to kill me now. Some of them address daily phobias/apprehensions with shocking profundity to rival the best of mortality-obsessed poets. We are products of chance, and chance is all we have to thank each moment we continue breathing, just as chance is all we have to blame when we cease to do so. An insurmountable amount of factors are clashing together around you each moment to permit your livelihood, and if one of those factors is late, or if another factor shows up early, you are gone. The micro-scale fears of getting into a car, or getting out of one at the wrong rest stop, to the macro, universal doomsday scenarios of outbreaks and pandemics are treated with equal trepidation because it does all come down to personal death, whether yours or those whose deaths would personally affect you, or would be tantamount to your own. Each story dooms us as conception did. Whether it’s a penis-flaying parasite that couldn’t be crueler if it was capable of sadism, a revenge-seeking apparition, or a possum crossing the road that sends your four-wheeled steel death trap spiraling into the embodiment of unimaginable carnage; whether a seductive hustler you mistook for your soul-mate, a sweet taste on the lips that signifies the consumption of you and your child’s intestines, or a powdered curse that results in fingers underneath your scalp, you were born only for that conditional overture.
Departure:
I don’t know if I’d label it a gripe, but including an extended version of a previous story (but with more character development, Portland flavor, Shaun Hutson references, a vagina dentata nightmare, and a smattering of prostitutes), in that same collection is odd, and gives me anxiety. This is a bonus, a B-side, along with co-authored stories and a true-ish story about the Mars Volta, so I shouldn't complain, but part of the writer’s job is to edit and revise until they are satisfied with the final draft, or that it is at least fit for publishing, or not, whatever. But you stick by it. Some editors will pervert your story, and interpolate words of their own initiative which you would never use (I know I’m not the only one with this experience), but two editions of one story in one volume upset the compulsive agent in me that will not allow the eschewing of a single page from my reading enterprise. I made a commitment dammit, and if I skip one page of one book, I might as well skip all pages of all books and never read again; all of these restored texts and updates and revisions and expansions and add-ons and companions and unabridgements and unexpurgations and fragments and prefaces and unrated extended director’s cut additions with thirty more minutes of outrageous footage we couldn’t show you in theaters are enough to do my tiny mind in.
Jack Ketchum praised this collection as both entertainment and literature, and I most certainly agree, and would add that it is a wise preliminary (or reaffirming, for those like myself who consider these matters and dangers often) briefing on the unforeseen but ever-present inevitability of anything that could possibly ever happen.
April 17, 2023
A mix of bizarro, sci-fi, body horror, new weird, and filled with all sorts of interesting (pathetic? detached? apathetic?) characters. Sometimes gross, upsetting, and frustrating, but always readable. The author’s style reminds me ALOT of Brian Evenson, so that’s probably why I always fly through his stuff, but he’s wayyyy weirder and way more graphic.
March 4, 2015
"The line between art and madness is vapor-thin, and the worms are always hungry…"
One of these days I am going to get motivated to review a collection story by story. It ain’t gonna be today though. I wish I would have for this one because even though some of the stories are very short, JRJ packs a punch into all of them. Dude has some serious writing chops and it shows here. An excellent collection. 4.5 Stars and Highly Recommended.
One of these days I am going to get motivated to review a collection story by story. It ain’t gonna be today though. I wish I would have for this one because even though some of the stories are very short, JRJ packs a punch into all of them. Dude has some serious writing chops and it shows here. An excellent collection. 4.5 Stars and Highly Recommended.
December 3, 2011
Thanks to an insanely cool book cover and equally intriguing title Jeremy Robert Johnson's book "Angeldust Apocalypse" became a cult hit. The blurb from Fight Club scribe Chuck Palahniuk calling him a dazzling writer didn't hurt either. Perhaps the best marketing accident came when very few people who bought it realized that it was short story collection and not a novel. Ok, that might not have been an accident because the reality is collections never sell close to the units that novels do.
That's OK because once people ripped open the package from amazon they were treated with one of the most insane over the top dark bizarro collections all time. If you have not yet read that collection I'll give you hint you'll want both these books up on your shelf keeping each other company.
Johnson is the Bram Stoker award nominated co-author (With artist Alan
Clark) of the amazingly dark illustrated anti-drug novel Siren Promised. He is also know for having written a short story about a dude that makes a suit of cockroaches to survive a nuclear war which was spun off into a separate novella called Extinction Journals. After a hypernation period where Johnson hung out with his human spawn and complied a list of germs and parasites Many of us wondered if JRJ would write again.
He came out of hiding first to publish a collection and novel by bizarro horror berserker Cody Goodfellow and rumors of a new collection by Johnson himself were rumored. I saw a few of the stories here and there in magazines like Dark Discoveries and Cemetery Dance but it was not until I had We live Inside you in my hands that I was totally sure.
I am so glad he did. Angeldust was a strong collection but the growth in the writing between the first and his second collection is like a out of control virus. The best horror writers chase their fears and in this collection Johnson rolls around in his worst fears. It is no surprise that Johnson has a list parasites and viruses on his
wall. If I have sold you and are worried about spoilers, click off this page go to Amazon and buy it.
The collection is separated into to two sections, the second being short pieces Johnson wrote with co-authors and a extended version of a story that appeared earlier. It's funny two of my favorite pieces are one page flash fiction type stories that pack amazing punch into bare number of words used. My favorite being “Cortical Reorganization,” which was a super powerful one and half pager about a spare changer. Other favorites include a dark Sci-fi piece called “The Oarsmen,” a Portland crime piece called “Persistence hunting,” but my favorite is a horrific tale I first read in Cemetery Dance magazine called “ A flood of Harriers.”
Flood of harriers, created a stir when it was first published, despite being semi-autobiographical and based on real events Johnson was accused of being borderline racist. Frankly I laugh at that, the story which happens to include a a few native American thugs is far from racist, and leads me to believe the people who were upset didn't read the entire fantastic story. It is my favorite in the collection because it starts off as a realistic and effective suspense tale before shifting seamlessly into a surreal body horror Karmic revenge direction. Well done.
We Live Inside you is dark bizarro horror literature at it's sharpest point, sharpened enough enter through the temple and worm deep into your brain. JRJ comes from the same scene but doesn't rely on dildo jokes or B-movie tropes like a lot of bizarro writers do. The insane ideas are still there, but it's like crème filling in a fancy donut. At the same time it's hard for me to advise anyone to take a bite of a book written by a guy who keeps a list of parasites above his desk, but this book is a must for lovers of all literiture that is weird and dark.
That's OK because once people ripped open the package from amazon they were treated with one of the most insane over the top dark bizarro collections all time. If you have not yet read that collection I'll give you hint you'll want both these books up on your shelf keeping each other company.
Johnson is the Bram Stoker award nominated co-author (With artist Alan
Clark) of the amazingly dark illustrated anti-drug novel Siren Promised. He is also know for having written a short story about a dude that makes a suit of cockroaches to survive a nuclear war which was spun off into a separate novella called Extinction Journals. After a hypernation period where Johnson hung out with his human spawn and complied a list of germs and parasites Many of us wondered if JRJ would write again.
He came out of hiding first to publish a collection and novel by bizarro horror berserker Cody Goodfellow and rumors of a new collection by Johnson himself were rumored. I saw a few of the stories here and there in magazines like Dark Discoveries and Cemetery Dance but it was not until I had We live Inside you in my hands that I was totally sure.
I am so glad he did. Angeldust was a strong collection but the growth in the writing between the first and his second collection is like a out of control virus. The best horror writers chase their fears and in this collection Johnson rolls around in his worst fears. It is no surprise that Johnson has a list parasites and viruses on his
wall. If I have sold you and are worried about spoilers, click off this page go to Amazon and buy it.
The collection is separated into to two sections, the second being short pieces Johnson wrote with co-authors and a extended version of a story that appeared earlier. It's funny two of my favorite pieces are one page flash fiction type stories that pack amazing punch into bare number of words used. My favorite being “Cortical Reorganization,” which was a super powerful one and half pager about a spare changer. Other favorites include a dark Sci-fi piece called “The Oarsmen,” a Portland crime piece called “Persistence hunting,” but my favorite is a horrific tale I first read in Cemetery Dance magazine called “ A flood of Harriers.”
Flood of harriers, created a stir when it was first published, despite being semi-autobiographical and based on real events Johnson was accused of being borderline racist. Frankly I laugh at that, the story which happens to include a a few native American thugs is far from racist, and leads me to believe the people who were upset didn't read the entire fantastic story. It is my favorite in the collection because it starts off as a realistic and effective suspense tale before shifting seamlessly into a surreal body horror Karmic revenge direction. Well done.
We Live Inside you is dark bizarro horror literature at it's sharpest point, sharpened enough enter through the temple and worm deep into your brain. JRJ comes from the same scene but doesn't rely on dildo jokes or B-movie tropes like a lot of bizarro writers do. The insane ideas are still there, but it's like crème filling in a fancy donut. At the same time it's hard for me to advise anyone to take a bite of a book written by a guy who keeps a list of parasites above his desk, but this book is a must for lovers of all literiture that is weird and dark.
January 7, 2023
I adored the first three stories in this collection ("The Oarsman," "When Sussurus Stirs"---my favorite, and "Persistence Hunting") with the rest hitting me unevenly. Johnson has a delightfully dark imagination, creates memorable characters, and his sense of humor is sharply morose. Take for instance, this little passage as denial plays games with a wife finding out about her husband's fatal car accident in "States of Glass":
From body horror to being terrorized by a lover, this collection is wide-ranging in approach in subject-matter with the central theme being our undoing is almost always internal. Someone highly recommended this quite a while back on Twitter and the cover art by Alex Pardee sealed the deal for me. I definitely want to read more of Johnson given the boundaries he pushes and the energy of his prose.
"Then he's telling me about the condition of this body that's not Darry's; how useless the dental records will be in the absence of, you know, teeth. He details the projected speed of impact, the rain on the roadway, the delayed response from authorities that allowed physical evidence to be dispersed by passing traffic.
Even finger-printing is a lost option. The poor bastard that they think is Darry tried to shield his face on impact. His delicate, thick-veined hands are as much a part of the interstate landscape as his well-bleached enamel.
Crow's breakfast, all of it.
His teeth now tucked in SUV tire treads, chewing up pavement.
If he didn't have his mind on the road before, well..."
From body horror to being terrorized by a lover, this collection is wide-ranging in approach in subject-matter with the central theme being our undoing is almost always internal. Someone highly recommended this quite a while back on Twitter and the cover art by Alex Pardee sealed the deal for me. I definitely want to read more of Johnson given the boundaries he pushes and the energy of his prose.
July 29, 2016
Before the internet, I used to have a very hard time finding good books to read. The city I live in harbors only 4 book shops, all of which are shrines to lousy mainstream authors.
But now, thanks to Goodreads, Amazon and a few literary blogs (like Electric Literature), I can finally discover new (or relatively new) and exciting authors that I would have never heard of otherwise.
Jeremy Robert Johnson is a fantastic storyteller, who deserves a wider audience. He is very innovative, and unafraid to draw the reader into the uncharted waters of his tales.
We Live Inside You is a masterpiece. Each of the stories collected cast a divinely dark spell on the reader. It is, in fact, so good that I cannot name any favorites, as all of the stories are amazing in their own rights. JRJ masters different literary genres (horror, crime, bizarro...) and narrative styles and crafts highly imaginative, chilling and fascinating stories. The only non-fiction piece of We Live Inside You is about the very unusual making of a superb album (The Bedlam in Goliath) by The Mars Volta, which is of my all-time favorite bands - utterly fascinating !
In case you have not read this book yet, here is a little "foretaste" -
""You are more fun than the elephants", he says, "They didn't drink enough water and always fed us the same things. You fed us the soft pieces, the animal bits. We spread faster now. We are everywhere. We are growing." - When Susurrus Stirs.
But now, thanks to Goodreads, Amazon and a few literary blogs (like Electric Literature), I can finally discover new (or relatively new) and exciting authors that I would have never heard of otherwise.
Jeremy Robert Johnson is a fantastic storyteller, who deserves a wider audience. He is very innovative, and unafraid to draw the reader into the uncharted waters of his tales.
We Live Inside You is a masterpiece. Each of the stories collected cast a divinely dark spell on the reader. It is, in fact, so good that I cannot name any favorites, as all of the stories are amazing in their own rights. JRJ masters different literary genres (horror, crime, bizarro...) and narrative styles and crafts highly imaginative, chilling and fascinating stories. The only non-fiction piece of We Live Inside You is about the very unusual making of a superb album (The Bedlam in Goliath) by The Mars Volta, which is of my all-time favorite bands - utterly fascinating !
In case you have not read this book yet, here is a little "foretaste" -
""You are more fun than the elephants", he says, "They didn't drink enough water and always fed us the same things. You fed us the soft pieces, the animal bits. We spread faster now. We are everywhere. We are growing." - When Susurrus Stirs.
July 31, 2013
We meaning these stories—yes, they do. It's a compliment when I say I wouldn't want any of these characters' lives, however vicariously I may've enjoyed them for 15 minutes a pop. JRJ's one of my favorite writers, losing nothing since his previous collection, with a language focus that elevates his work above most of his peers. These tales are bodily, conspiratorial, darkly comic, and often experimental. They'll find you squirming while at the same time looking around to see if anyone suspects the involuntary grin living inside you.
November 29, 2011
I've JUST finished this book and am still reeling from the effects.
The stories in here are intense, and make up the first new book from Johnson in years. The debt of the wait was definitely paid off by this demanding and rewarding group of tales.
This is a short story collection that follows a parasitic theme, but is not restricted to creepy crawlies (though they are definitely here)... It carries the idea on to parasitic relationships and parasitic thought processes and emotions.
Being a collection with this theme, and even more so by being a collection of Jeremy Johnson's work, the stories here are not for the weak. There are some that will gross you out, some that will make you sad... all of them will raise your heart-rate and push-drive you through the heartbreak to the final page.
This is such a well-chosen selection of stories that it is quite difficult to pick favorites, but if I had to choose, I would note a few highlights, such as the utter gross-out tale When Susurrus Stirs, the pulsating sac of a story that is Cathedral Mother, and the "light-hearted family fun" of Consumerism.
Towards the end of the book there is a section of "B-Sides and Rarities." Each of these stories has it's own introduction by the author, and the last thing in the book is a section of Author's Notes for each of the stories in the main collection. I think this is worth noting because I always really enjoy getting an insight as to what the artist is thinking when they create, and/or what inspired the piece. Beginning to understand the artist tends to give me more appreciation for the art, and more angles to view it from, rather than just consuming it.
There's really nothing more to say except that I fully recommend this collection. It is brilliantly crafted and dark, an absolutely beautiful piece of work.
The stories in here are intense, and make up the first new book from Johnson in years. The debt of the wait was definitely paid off by this demanding and rewarding group of tales.
This is a short story collection that follows a parasitic theme, but is not restricted to creepy crawlies (though they are definitely here)... It carries the idea on to parasitic relationships and parasitic thought processes and emotions.
Being a collection with this theme, and even more so by being a collection of Jeremy Johnson's work, the stories here are not for the weak. There are some that will gross you out, some that will make you sad... all of them will raise your heart-rate and push-drive you through the heartbreak to the final page.
This is such a well-chosen selection of stories that it is quite difficult to pick favorites, but if I had to choose, I would note a few highlights, such as the utter gross-out tale When Susurrus Stirs, the pulsating sac of a story that is Cathedral Mother, and the "light-hearted family fun" of Consumerism.
Towards the end of the book there is a section of "B-Sides and Rarities." Each of these stories has it's own introduction by the author, and the last thing in the book is a section of Author's Notes for each of the stories in the main collection. I think this is worth noting because I always really enjoy getting an insight as to what the artist is thinking when they create, and/or what inspired the piece. Beginning to understand the artist tends to give me more appreciation for the art, and more angles to view it from, rather than just consuming it.
There's really nothing more to say except that I fully recommend this collection. It is brilliantly crafted and dark, an absolutely beautiful piece of work.
January 29, 2012
Parasites. Disgusting and at times horrifying things that find a way to violate you. Through the mouth, genitalia, breathing, eating; there are innumerable vectors and variations that can allow unwanted hitchhikers to get a lift. Jeremy Robert Johnson is apparently very familiar with many of them, as evidenced in his latest collection, “We Live Inside You.”
Presented are fifteen stories (and a handful of B-sides) that will quickly prove that Johnson is no stranger to the horrors of things that are unseen. From “When Susurrus Stirs” to “The Gravity of Benham Falls”, the reader learns what Johnson knows: that parasites come in many forms, some less obvious than others. Yes, often they are physical entities, but in Johnson's world they can be psychological manifestations as well.
Johnson in equal turns enraptures and nauseates the reader with his prose. Do not mistake that sickening feeling for bad writing. No, you will feel that it is his intention. His stories are meant to make you uncomfortable. You will feel the diseases entering through your eyes, gnawing at your brain. His storytelling is spellbinding, and his tales will leave you unsettled.
Those familiar with his previous collection “Angel Dust Apocalypse” will not be disappointed, and may find that “We Live Inside You” is even better. The uninitiated will find that his words are intoxicating, infectious. It is definitely a great introduction to his talent with storytelling.
You will not want to put this book down. If the title were not convincing enough, you will know that by the end that you will never be the same. Jeremy Robert Johnson will get inside you. His fiction will take root and never leave your mind.
Presented are fifteen stories (and a handful of B-sides) that will quickly prove that Johnson is no stranger to the horrors of things that are unseen. From “When Susurrus Stirs” to “The Gravity of Benham Falls”, the reader learns what Johnson knows: that parasites come in many forms, some less obvious than others. Yes, often they are physical entities, but in Johnson's world they can be psychological manifestations as well.
Johnson in equal turns enraptures and nauseates the reader with his prose. Do not mistake that sickening feeling for bad writing. No, you will feel that it is his intention. His stories are meant to make you uncomfortable. You will feel the diseases entering through your eyes, gnawing at your brain. His storytelling is spellbinding, and his tales will leave you unsettled.
Those familiar with his previous collection “Angel Dust Apocalypse” will not be disappointed, and may find that “We Live Inside You” is even better. The uninitiated will find that his words are intoxicating, infectious. It is definitely a great introduction to his talent with storytelling.
You will not want to put this book down. If the title were not convincing enough, you will know that by the end that you will never be the same. Jeremy Robert Johnson will get inside you. His fiction will take root and never leave your mind.
November 22, 2013
I bought a copy of "We live Inside You" being a fan after reading JRJ's cult bizarro classic "Angel Dust Apocalypse"
This short story collection peels your eyelids back and drags them across the page. Great stuff!
When Susurrus Stirs
Persistence Hunting
The Gravity of Benham Falls
A Flood of Harriers
The Musty Cow's Teat of Death
Those are some the titles you can look forward to, when sitting down to read this. Guarantee to cling to the back of your brain like an unknown parasite.
This short story collection peels your eyelids back and drags them across the page. Great stuff!
When Susurrus Stirs
Persistence Hunting
The Gravity of Benham Falls
A Flood of Harriers
The Musty Cow's Teat of Death
Those are some the titles you can look forward to, when sitting down to read this. Guarantee to cling to the back of your brain like an unknown parasite.
September 24, 2015
No debería demeritar las demás historias por el fanservice que se echó al final, pero lo que sí es que le bajó una estrella.
El libro cumple con lo que promete historias terroríficas que más que enfocarse en algo paranormal o violento se enfocan en la peor parte del ser humano, ansiedades, miedos, faltas y mucha soledad.
El libro cumple con lo que promete historias terroríficas que más que enfocarse en algo paranormal o violento se enfocan en la peor parte del ser humano, ansiedades, miedos, faltas y mucha soledad.
February 23, 2012
Fantastic stories to disturb. Favorites include: A Flood of Harriers, Persistence Hunting, When Susurrus Stirs, and Laws of Virulence.
October 28, 2021
It's not often that I feel let down by a book. My time is limited and so I always read as many reviews as I can before starting a new book. And I was excited to read this one! All of the reviews were glowing.
I finished the first story and thought to myself, "Huh. That wasn't much of anything", then moved on to the next. And the next. And the next. More than anything, I was reminded of the scary story compilations I used to read as a tween ("Scary Stories for Sleep-Overs", "Bruce Coville's Book of Monsters", etc.) only with more adult subject matter. Maybe my expectations were too high? I'm not sure.
With a short story collection, I feel like I should rate each story individually. But I didn't really have strong enough feelings one way or the other to do that here. "When Susurrus Stirs" was interesting, though I feel like the story needed some more room to breathe.
Unless you absolutely love every short story collection you read, I'd recommend trying to find a library that carries this one.
I finished the first story and thought to myself, "Huh. That wasn't much of anything", then moved on to the next. And the next. And the next. More than anything, I was reminded of the scary story compilations I used to read as a tween ("Scary Stories for Sleep-Overs", "Bruce Coville's Book of Monsters", etc.) only with more adult subject matter. Maybe my expectations were too high? I'm not sure.
With a short story collection, I feel like I should rate each story individually. But I didn't really have strong enough feelings one way or the other to do that here. "When Susurrus Stirs" was interesting, though I feel like the story needed some more room to breathe.
Unless you absolutely love every short story collection you read, I'd recommend trying to find a library that carries this one.
June 16, 2025
Hit or miss collection, but interesting enough to check out Jeremy's other offerings.
May 31, 2014
Jeremy Robert Johnson has some serious skills on display here. All throughout this expansive tome are examples of otherness intruding on private lives.
In "Cathedral Mother", the titular character is a conspiracy theorist/ecoterrorist/survivalist type who will do anything to save the Redwoods from deforestation. When an internet presence known as 'Myco' (from a type of mushroom that exudes a single drop of a blood-like substance when punctured) offers her a way to save said forest if she can gain entry without being seen and collect samples of the environment. What she brings back with her from these samples ties her entire biochemistry in knots as well as her son's.
"Persistence Hunting" sees JRJ get down with his socialite, clubby, jogging side as a guy with a trust fund and a penchant for home invasion falls head over heels for a stripper he thinks he can save, proving some cliches never tire.
In "Trigger Variety", a man feels so compelled to erase his father's alcoholic genes, he shoots growth hormone intramuscularly and joins a gang with quite the agenda for the night as it unfolds.
"A Flood of Harriers" sees a guy with the love of his life and that love subsequently break apart when a bathroom emergency on his wife's part forces him to pull over in a very, very bad neighborhood on their way to Burning Man Festival. This one was the heartest to read, but not for the same reasons as those who made this story's original printing so controversial (the portrayal of Native Americans, but anyone can be dangerous, skin color or culture doesn't change that, people). It was the dissolution of their entire relationship that disturbed me more than the racial content (read: not racist). My heart broke for the extremely likely protagonist of this piece as he is forced to stop off in a place he knows neither he and his wife are safe in, then suffers as his worst fears come true just from one innocent pit stop as a handful of deviants threaten him with a box cutter and his wife with rape (while she's in the toilet). All this is bad enough, but when she sees him emasculated and no longer feels safe with him... I could see in my mind's eye just how devastating that could be to a man to lose everything in less than twenty four hours to circumstances so totally out of his realm to effect. It was an incredibly sad read, sadder than even Cathedral Mother, and if this piece really is reflective of a real life event in JRJ's life, I hope it didn't end quite as stark as it did for the main character.
All these gems of fiction were enough, but perhaps what fascinated me most was JRJ putting on his music journalist face and tackling esoteric subject matter: The making of The Mars Volta's indie rock occult concept album "The Bedlam in Goliath." I marveled at his ability to boil such a complex topic down to its essence, to reveal every nook and cranny of the hell a simple witch board from Jerusalem had unleashed on this art rock band from El Paso.
In "Cathedral Mother", the titular character is a conspiracy theorist/ecoterrorist/survivalist type who will do anything to save the Redwoods from deforestation. When an internet presence known as 'Myco' (from a type of mushroom that exudes a single drop of a blood-like substance when punctured) offers her a way to save said forest if she can gain entry without being seen and collect samples of the environment. What she brings back with her from these samples ties her entire biochemistry in knots as well as her son's.
"Persistence Hunting" sees JRJ get down with his socialite, clubby, jogging side as a guy with a trust fund and a penchant for home invasion falls head over heels for a stripper he thinks he can save, proving some cliches never tire.
In "Trigger Variety", a man feels so compelled to erase his father's alcoholic genes, he shoots growth hormone intramuscularly and joins a gang with quite the agenda for the night as it unfolds.
"A Flood of Harriers" sees a guy with the love of his life and that love subsequently break apart when a bathroom emergency on his wife's part forces him to pull over in a very, very bad neighborhood on their way to Burning Man Festival. This one was the heartest to read, but not for the same reasons as those who made this story's original printing so controversial (the portrayal of Native Americans, but anyone can be dangerous, skin color or culture doesn't change that, people). It was the dissolution of their entire relationship that disturbed me more than the racial content (read: not racist). My heart broke for the extremely likely protagonist of this piece as he is forced to stop off in a place he knows neither he and his wife are safe in, then suffers as his worst fears come true just from one innocent pit stop as a handful of deviants threaten him with a box cutter and his wife with rape (while she's in the toilet). All this is bad enough, but when she sees him emasculated and no longer feels safe with him... I could see in my mind's eye just how devastating that could be to a man to lose everything in less than twenty four hours to circumstances so totally out of his realm to effect. It was an incredibly sad read, sadder than even Cathedral Mother, and if this piece really is reflective of a real life event in JRJ's life, I hope it didn't end quite as stark as it did for the main character.
All these gems of fiction were enough, but perhaps what fascinated me most was JRJ putting on his music journalist face and tackling esoteric subject matter: The making of The Mars Volta's indie rock occult concept album "The Bedlam in Goliath." I marveled at his ability to boil such a complex topic down to its essence, to reveal every nook and cranny of the hell a simple witch board from Jerusalem had unleashed on this art rock band from El Paso.
September 19, 2013
There's some creepy stuff here. I remember the first time I read "The Stand." I was 12 years old, and I came down with an awful cold sometime during the book's back-9. After I got over the silliness of the endgame deus ex machina, I remember sitting in my room, stunned, sniffling, breathing with great labor into a tissue. I wasn't terrified. I knew the book was fiction. I did, however imagine my cold progressing from being a petty annoyance to being the microbe that laid me out, petrified in my kitchen as I struggled to reach the cupboard for a glass of water. I imagined the sadness my parents would experience when they found my desiccated corpse, and then thought of them falling ill themselves. I considered the emptiness and desperation of a world emptied by plague. Snapping out of my reverie, I looked around my room and saw all the familiar comforts - a Red Hot Chili Peppers cd, the poster from the play I was in last summer, my red chrome bunkbed, and I knew I was safe. I knew Randall Flagg wasn't coming for me. I knew the Boulder Free-zone and Captain Tripps were just products of an obsidian-black imagination. I still couldn't shake the inertia that comes with contemplative dread.
"We Live Inside You" is not "The Stand," but it shares some of its emotional guideposts. There were times when I would finish one of the stories and sit in stunned silence, quietly imagining a world in which such things were possible. Its short tales range from catalogues of grotesque horrors (When Susurrus Stirs) to chronicles of aching loss (States of Glass). At their worst, the tone is inconsistent and the exposition ham-handed. Also, the so-called B-sides where probably better left where they laid. Some of the main selections didn't make much of an impact (see the self-important 'Cortical Reorganization'). At their best, however, the chill in the air is palpable and the environment is immersive.
Johnson's horror is not always of the supernatural, gross-out, reach-out-and-grab-you variety (although that is there, too). Sometimes his characters grapple with the horror of their own poor ethical decisions, the horror of losing a loved one, or the horror of being an other. Sure, it doesn't always work, and there were a few times that I sped through stories where the word choice was less than precise and the characters less than 3-dimensional. Still, the majority of the stories in the slim volume have emotional impact, and I'll eagerly snap up the author's other books. I'd love to see what he can do with room to develop character and tell a story that doesn't require exposition. I didn't think the book was the life-changing fiction event of the century that many of the other reviewers seem to have undergone, but it was definitely an enjoyable (and pleasurably jarring) experience.
"We Live Inside You" is not "The Stand," but it shares some of its emotional guideposts. There were times when I would finish one of the stories and sit in stunned silence, quietly imagining a world in which such things were possible. Its short tales range from catalogues of grotesque horrors (When Susurrus Stirs) to chronicles of aching loss (States of Glass). At their worst, the tone is inconsistent and the exposition ham-handed. Also, the so-called B-sides where probably better left where they laid. Some of the main selections didn't make much of an impact (see the self-important 'Cortical Reorganization'). At their best, however, the chill in the air is palpable and the environment is immersive.
Johnson's horror is not always of the supernatural, gross-out, reach-out-and-grab-you variety (although that is there, too). Sometimes his characters grapple with the horror of their own poor ethical decisions, the horror of losing a loved one, or the horror of being an other. Sure, it doesn't always work, and there were a few times that I sped through stories where the word choice was less than precise and the characters less than 3-dimensional. Still, the majority of the stories in the slim volume have emotional impact, and I'll eagerly snap up the author's other books. I'd love to see what he can do with room to develop character and tell a story that doesn't require exposition. I didn't think the book was the life-changing fiction event of the century that many of the other reviewers seem to have undergone, but it was definitely an enjoyable (and pleasurably jarring) experience.
September 9, 2012
This is a solid collection, so good. Johnson knows how to tell a story, how to keep you second guessing, and how to pull you into scenes bizarre, yet believable and strongly rendered, that you'll wish you weren't able to understand them for you know you'll be haunted by them for the rest of your days. And you keep reading. They feel like memories. I particularly liked that Johnson includes two versions of his wonderful "Persistence Hunting." One version, the first one, clocks in at around 6,000 words and is near perfect noir/crime/pulp (in the second-person, too!). The second one, probably double that--12,000 words--is still perfect and I just keep asking myself how to pull that off, that kind of editing. Some of the subject matter will make you squirm. Johnson doesn't shy away from visceral visuals, but it'll be worth it. Underneath, there is such richness and depth that you'll forget about that parasite crawling around inside your son's stomach. Also, just have to say that this guy can write endings. I re-read half of the endings just to infect myself with that kind of beautiful exactitude that he pulls off. Great collection and I will be reading more.
September 17, 2016
This is one of the best collections of short fiction I've read in a long time. Each story kicks ass in terms of character development, escalating weirdness and writing so vivid and evocative and succinct that I often stopped to reread a phrase or section just to admire it. There is also laugh-out-loud wit right alongside biological horrors that made me cringe knowing they are based in nature. What many of the characters go through throughout this book made me wish at times that I had a tad less empathy. That's the power of the writing here. Cornell Woolrich ("Rear Window") wrote crime stories that made you see every fiber of the carpet a poisoned man is crawling across in his last moments. This book is full of such suspense and immersion, but with parasites. Some with human faces. Yeesh. Brilliant.
December 26, 2011
For WE LIVE INSIDE YOU, Jeremy Robert Jonson has cooked up a feast of weirdness with great variety. Okay, so maybe for a collection with a theme of parasites, my food metaphor is not the greatest, but I don't care. Sometimes when you're eating a meal in a foreign land, you don't ask about the ingredients. Jeremy Robert Johnson's imagination is definitely a foreign land, one with color, history and a culture all its own. Each of the 19 incredibly tasty stories has its own flavor. Taken together it is an experience not to be missed. Just don't poke around with your fork too much.
—Alan M. Clark, author of OF THIMBLE AND THREAT: THE LIFE OF A RIPPER VICTIM
—Alan M. Clark, author of OF THIMBLE AND THREAT: THE LIFE OF A RIPPER VICTIM
December 21, 2015
A solid 3,5/5
My first contact with the deranged mind of Jeremy Robert Johnson happened some months ago when i read, and loved, Skullcrack City, a crazy ride featuring the most important turtle this side of Pratchett's Discworld.
"We Live Inside You" was an enjoyable short story collection but a minor disappointment at the same time. It confirmed that i should read more of this author but rarely reached, in my eyes, the level of mad genius present in "Skullcrack City"
My first contact with the deranged mind of Jeremy Robert Johnson happened some months ago when i read, and loved, Skullcrack City, a crazy ride featuring the most important turtle this side of Pratchett's Discworld.
"We Live Inside You" was an enjoyable short story collection but a minor disappointment at the same time. It confirmed that i should read more of this author but rarely reached, in my eyes, the level of mad genius present in "Skullcrack City"
July 3, 2012
My children know, never try and gross out or scare Mom with stories because my twisted mind can spin a random verbal diatribe. I think Jeremy Robert Johnson can beat me at the story game we play.
We Live Inside You is a collection of blazing creations. Dark and terrifying but somehow lovely in his observations.
A combination of imagined world, childhood fears and real ice crystal fragments that can cut to bone.
His pen is a diamond tipped weapon.
We Live Inside You is a collection of blazing creations. Dark and terrifying but somehow lovely in his observations.
A combination of imagined world, childhood fears and real ice crystal fragments that can cut to bone.
His pen is a diamond tipped weapon.
February 12, 2012
Not as strong as Johnson's first collection, but still fun and impressive.
January 31, 2012
Not quite as bizarre as one would expect (although some of the stories were), but all were enjoyable reads.
October 11, 2018
JRJ keeps getting better with every book of his that I’ve read. These stories are another window into the template of a burgeoning master of weird horror.
October 6, 2019
You know what a reviewer's worst nightmare is? Coming across a book that makes him doubt his reviewing skills. Jeremy Robert Johnson's We Live Inside You is one of those dreaded books. While reading it, my confidence in being able to write a review that would do it justice dwindled in direct proportion to the number of pages I read. Yes, I could say the collection is pretty unique, that the author's voice is original and eloquent or that the book is a genre-bending mix of stories akin to a literary blitzkrieg. However, none of that would be enough.
You can read Gabino's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read Gabino's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
August 25, 2023
A flood of harriers was one of my favorite stories and brought up memories of SGJ’s the only good Indians, and the power of tribal curse, which is definitely a high form of praise. JRJ’s descriptions in this story showcase in vivid detail his exceptionally perfected knack for storytelling.
My other favorite in this collection, States of glass, was tough to read, but expertly written. It left me feeling hollow and gutted. Having experienced deaths of people I used to date is an experience that broke me, changed me in significant ways. I can’t imagine the traumatic intensity of losing a spouse. This story was beautifully heart breaking, and cleverly depicted.
April 29, 2020
Love this collection of short stories. The descriptive writing is beyond pronounced! There are a few stories, that if squeamish, might not sit well with some readers. If you are among those who get uncomfortable with certain stories, I highly encourage you to get over it and read all of the damn stories. Because while you may feel discomfort with one sentence the next will provoke you, spark emotion, or even positively stun you.
May 25, 2025
Definitely lost me a bit in the last third or so. There is one story I couldn't make any damn sense of, a sort of 'directors cut' longer version of a story already published earlier in the same book, and a long drabble about the Mars Volta that I could not possibly have cared less about. Such is the nature of short story collections--- they're a mixed bag. Not the best, but not the worst either.
July 28, 2020
Dark and disturbing- unique voices in every story.
November 9, 2020
6 out of 10.
wtf
wtf
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