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The Girlfriend Game
Fiction. Nick Antosca's THE GIRLFRIEND GAME is a tumble through the looking glass into a vortex of violence and desire. The 12 stories in the newest collection by the Shirley Jackson Award-winning author are brutal, urgent and unforgettable.In "Predator Bait," a decoy in a sex sting news show questions her job and the man who shares her bed. An undependable son watches his mother become a creature he hardly recognizes in "Amphibian." A young man plots the death of his girlfriend's killer in "Winter Was Hard."Antosca crafts surreal doomsday scenarios and otherworldly transformations alongside painfully articulate depictions of sexuality and animal impulse. The stories in THE GIRLFRIEND GAME are mesmerizing, leaving a haunting afterglow long after you close the book.
176 pages, Paperback
First published May 14, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 13, 2015
I requested this based on the title and the cover alone. Mainly the cover. Check that shit out. Creepy, right?
I don't often do short stories but this was an audible title, only about 5 hours, and had different narrators for each story. (The same narrator for different short stories in a single collection messes me up every time so this flowed nicely.)
This was well produced. The stories were solid, particularly the "To Catch a Predator" stuff. I enjoyed it. Recommended.
I received a free copy from Audio Book Blast in exchange for an honest review. There ya have it.
I don't often do short stories but this was an audible title, only about 5 hours, and had different narrators for each story. (The same narrator for different short stories in a single collection messes me up every time so this flowed nicely.)
This was well produced. The stories were solid, particularly the "To Catch a Predator" stuff. I enjoyed it. Recommended.
I received a free copy from Audio Book Blast in exchange for an honest review. There ya have it.
July 28, 2016
Tense, vicious, and darkly funny. Why wasn't this even nominated for a Shirley Jackson in 2013? I think it's just as strong, if not stronger, than a number of the past winners and nominees.
The only story that disappointed me was "The Thickness of Clown Blood". But the title made up for it.
[Re-reading 7/2016]
Picked up "Mammals" at random; so great. I'd been feeling bad about recently abandoning books by Richard Bowes and Glen Hirshberg. Was I being jaded and unfair? I don't think so.
The only story that disappointed me was "The Thickness of Clown Blood". But the title made up for it.
[Re-reading 7/2016]
Picked up "Mammals" at random; so great. I'd been feeling bad about recently abandoning books by Richard Bowes and Glen Hirshberg. Was I being jaded and unfair? I don't think so.
June 24, 2013
Nick Antosca has been all over the place lately. He was the writer of the 2012 horror film The Cottage, starring David Arquette and Kristen Dalton. His name can be found among the writing credits of ABC’s Last Resort as well as MTV’s Teen Wolf. His first novel, Fires, came out in 2006, followed by the 2009 Shirley Jackson Award-winning novella Midnight Picnic. In 2012, Lazy Fascist Press released his satirical and controversial novella The Obese. Now, in June of 2013, Word Riot Inc is releasing The Girlfriend Game, Antosca’s first collection of short stories, a collection that shows the author writes with just as much intelligence as he does heart.
The twelve stories that comprise The Girlfriend Game are dark and often depressing tales that showcase the disturbing side of our world. They often present us with a familiar crossroads, but whereas we played it safe and went the expected direction, the protagonists explore the path less trodden, often with disastrous results. The twelve stories are each quick and fluid reads, and Antosca was kind enough to give us variety, making The Girlfriend Game feel like a true collection, as opposed to a bunch of disjointed chapters set in the same world. You’ll find yourself finishing up a tale of heartbreaking love loss in one story and then diving into the night the aliens first appeared with the next. The constant change of pace is welcome and very refreshing.
There are plenty of gems spread throughout the collection. It opens with “Rat Beast,” a story that plays off the insecurity and depression that accompanies becoming a teenager. But when the narrator can’t snap out of it, despite the efforts of his teachers, guidance counselors, and parents, he learns all about the “special school” where his older brother was sent when he had the same problems years earlier.
In the very next story, “The Girlfriend Game,” the beasts that rear their ugly heads are not monsters, but rather jealousy and ego. A bored couple decides to play “the game,” the one where they go to a bar and she flirts with a stranger, then the boyfriend walks up, pretending to not know her, and they end up going home together. A harmless game of role-playing with the added thrill of an outsider, a game that always brings them closer as a couple. But what happens when they play this game after he offends her at a party. And what happens when she responds to her boyfriend as if he really is just some guy who is trying to get her attention? And what happens when she leaves with the stranger and sends text messages to her boyfriend, taunting “Do I seem adventurous yet?” The tension grows from the very first paragraph, as does the feeling of helplessness, and you can’t help but think back to all those times you were too proud to apologize after putting your foot in your mouth.
All of the stories are good, but the real highlights of this collection are the two that come at the end. “Migrations” is the story of Desmond and his relationship with his institutionalized father. Desmond’s life is kind of a mess; after being rejected for law school, he takes to the bottle, which leads to stitches, a missing finger, his dog being put down, and his eviction. He learns that his father is in bad shape after trying to escape the hospital yet again. He takes a road trip with his cousin Brendan, hoping to make things right and get closer to his father. In the meantime, the weather is getting strange, people are disappearing, and the radio has been taken over by news reports of horrific events happening around the world. Desmond finds himself in an otherwise abandoned hospital with his father, his father’s imaginary adopted son Oswald, and the end of the world nigh.
Without pausing for a breath, Antosca then takes us straight into “The Thickness of Clown Blood.” A young woman named Jill is at her Uncle Horace’s funeral. A family meeting is set up for the next day to decide how Jill will split up her uncle’s inheritance, something she does not want to do as they are not good people. Not to mention, there really isn’t much of an inheritance to speak of. Stressed over what to do, she has a conversation with her Uncle Jason, who tells her a story that will change her life, a story about clown politics and clown revenge, a story that inspires her own actions toward her greedy cousins.
The Girlfriend Game is a great collection of stories that takes the reader on a trip into darkness and back again. It is sometimes horror, sometimes bizarro, and sometimes the bleak, horrific side of reality, relationships, and repercussions. Die-hard Nick Antosca fans will notice that all of the stories have been previously published, but at the same time to have them all collected and under new, eye-catching cover art is a pretty good deal. The Girlfriend Game is a really good introduction to Antosca’s work, as well as a good example of the talent lurking over at Word Riot Inc.
(Originally published at Horrornews.net, 6/18/2013)
The twelve stories that comprise The Girlfriend Game are dark and often depressing tales that showcase the disturbing side of our world. They often present us with a familiar crossroads, but whereas we played it safe and went the expected direction, the protagonists explore the path less trodden, often with disastrous results. The twelve stories are each quick and fluid reads, and Antosca was kind enough to give us variety, making The Girlfriend Game feel like a true collection, as opposed to a bunch of disjointed chapters set in the same world. You’ll find yourself finishing up a tale of heartbreaking love loss in one story and then diving into the night the aliens first appeared with the next. The constant change of pace is welcome and very refreshing.
There are plenty of gems spread throughout the collection. It opens with “Rat Beast,” a story that plays off the insecurity and depression that accompanies becoming a teenager. But when the narrator can’t snap out of it, despite the efforts of his teachers, guidance counselors, and parents, he learns all about the “special school” where his older brother was sent when he had the same problems years earlier.
In the very next story, “The Girlfriend Game,” the beasts that rear their ugly heads are not monsters, but rather jealousy and ego. A bored couple decides to play “the game,” the one where they go to a bar and she flirts with a stranger, then the boyfriend walks up, pretending to not know her, and they end up going home together. A harmless game of role-playing with the added thrill of an outsider, a game that always brings them closer as a couple. But what happens when they play this game after he offends her at a party. And what happens when she responds to her boyfriend as if he really is just some guy who is trying to get her attention? And what happens when she leaves with the stranger and sends text messages to her boyfriend, taunting “Do I seem adventurous yet?” The tension grows from the very first paragraph, as does the feeling of helplessness, and you can’t help but think back to all those times you were too proud to apologize after putting your foot in your mouth.
All of the stories are good, but the real highlights of this collection are the two that come at the end. “Migrations” is the story of Desmond and his relationship with his institutionalized father. Desmond’s life is kind of a mess; after being rejected for law school, he takes to the bottle, which leads to stitches, a missing finger, his dog being put down, and his eviction. He learns that his father is in bad shape after trying to escape the hospital yet again. He takes a road trip with his cousin Brendan, hoping to make things right and get closer to his father. In the meantime, the weather is getting strange, people are disappearing, and the radio has been taken over by news reports of horrific events happening around the world. Desmond finds himself in an otherwise abandoned hospital with his father, his father’s imaginary adopted son Oswald, and the end of the world nigh.
Without pausing for a breath, Antosca then takes us straight into “The Thickness of Clown Blood.” A young woman named Jill is at her Uncle Horace’s funeral. A family meeting is set up for the next day to decide how Jill will split up her uncle’s inheritance, something she does not want to do as they are not good people. Not to mention, there really isn’t much of an inheritance to speak of. Stressed over what to do, she has a conversation with her Uncle Jason, who tells her a story that will change her life, a story about clown politics and clown revenge, a story that inspires her own actions toward her greedy cousins.
The Girlfriend Game is a great collection of stories that takes the reader on a trip into darkness and back again. It is sometimes horror, sometimes bizarro, and sometimes the bleak, horrific side of reality, relationships, and repercussions. Die-hard Nick Antosca fans will notice that all of the stories have been previously published, but at the same time to have them all collected and under new, eye-catching cover art is a pretty good deal. The Girlfriend Game is a really good introduction to Antosca’s work, as well as a good example of the talent lurking over at Word Riot Inc.
(Originally published at Horrornews.net, 6/18/2013)
July 1, 2022
I have been a fan of Nick Antosca's clever, darkly whimsical writing since watching Teen Wolf (in high school) & Hannibal (in college). In The Girlfriend Game, Antosca fuses frank emotional displays with startling & disturbing settings. The result is a series of fun, fresh, and scary short stories that address love, family, sexuality, and (most prominently) the elusive and illusory nature of morality. My favorites included "Soon You Will Be Gone and Possibly Eaten," "Carnal Quartet," and "Migrations."
February 16, 2021
The Girlfriend Game is a collection of unnerving, strange and enthralling stories. They are rich in emotion, and many feature damaged people, some you relate to and others are quite detestable. I read this in one sitting, unable to put it down. This is a great example of Nick's skills and perfect for those who are new to his work.
November 26, 2021
Nicely Done
This is a collection of nicely written stories with very little plot. They're not so much slices of life as they are slices of story. You feel the story building to a conclusion, but the conclusion is not really ever going to happen.
This book would be extremely pleasing to people twenty and more years younger than I am. I found it less so. But the book was very easy to finish, so it held my attention pretty well, and that is not super easy to do.
This is a collection of nicely written stories with very little plot. They're not so much slices of life as they are slices of story. You feel the story building to a conclusion, but the conclusion is not really ever going to happen.
This book would be extremely pleasing to people twenty and more years younger than I am. I found it less so. But the book was very easy to finish, so it held my attention pretty well, and that is not super easy to do.
July 26, 2013
The Girlfriend Game by Nick Antosca
(releases this fall / Word Riot)
4 Stars - Easily the best short story collection I've read this year
Read 7/20/13 - 7/21/13
Nick Antosca has a dark and twisted mind. One that I enjoyed crawling inside. He's got a strangle-hold on reality, force feeding its wide, gasping mouth with the stuff nightmares are made of.
In this collection of stories, we read about a teenage boy who, after he slips into a depression that no amount of therapy or drugs can touch, is faced with a radical treatment that is guaranteed to leave him happy but beastly. We watch helplessly as aliens seduce our most beautiful human specimens onto their ships, allowing some to return, of their own free will, back to their homes while others are found on the ground with their faces scooped out. And we see the employee of an animal testing lab as he's served up a gigantic heap of karma when he adopts a stray and starving dog and has a too-bad-so-sad belated change of heart.
I devoured this collection over the course of 24 hours, unwilling, no.. unable!, to put it down for long without finding myself reaching out for it again. I dare you to find a bad story in the bunch. Actually,I double-dog dare ya.
(releases this fall / Word Riot)
4 Stars - Easily the best short story collection I've read this year
Read 7/20/13 - 7/21/13
Nick Antosca has a dark and twisted mind. One that I enjoyed crawling inside. He's got a strangle-hold on reality, force feeding its wide, gasping mouth with the stuff nightmares are made of.
In this collection of stories, we read about a teenage boy who, after he slips into a depression that no amount of therapy or drugs can touch, is faced with a radical treatment that is guaranteed to leave him happy but beastly. We watch helplessly as aliens seduce our most beautiful human specimens onto their ships, allowing some to return, of their own free will, back to their homes while others are found on the ground with their faces scooped out. And we see the employee of an animal testing lab as he's served up a gigantic heap of karma when he adopts a stray and starving dog and has a too-bad-so-sad belated change of heart.
I devoured this collection over the course of 24 hours, unwilling, no.. unable!, to put it down for long without finding myself reaching out for it again. I dare you to find a bad story in the bunch. Actually,I double-dog dare ya.
December 31, 2013
THE GIRLFRIEND GAME is neat. I like it for what it is, literally: a short story collection that doesn't try and pretend to be something it's not (cough Haunted: A Novel anyone?). None of the stories are new but there are a few, probably, you haven't read, even if you consider yourself a Nick Antosca fan. I think I discovered, maybe, my new favorite short story by Nick Antosca. "The Early Years, Before His Great Adventures" it's called. A sort of modern-time story told in the style of a classic fable or fairy tale. Like, think Forrest Gump meets David Lynch meets Sleeping Beauty meets Michael Haneke. That's really good, I think.
June 15, 2016
I don't know … it wasn't as shocking or transgressive as I thought it would be. Some of the stories were good, others OK, none especially bad. Maybe I'm jaded, but it takes more to shock me. Or maybe it takes less - the stories were too "out there" to have a real effect.
July 25, 2013
The best stories in here summon up a sense of dread better than anything I've read since...maybe Antosca's earlier MIDNIGHT PICNIC, come to think of it.
February 5, 2024
Nick Antosca is a fascinating author to me. I loved his TV work such as "Brand New Cherry Flavor" and "Channel Zero", so I sought out his books.
Several of the stories in this book blew my mind...
Then there was all of the amateur erotica.
I'm not a prude. I often find lit with sexual content far more provacative and titilating than movies and TV with it, but I found this confusing.
There were several stories (Predator Bait, Migrations, and The Early Years...) that stuck with me well after reading them, and then just story after story of weird sex scenes. It felt like it was written by two different authors: Nick Antosca, and 13 year old horny Nick Antosca. Still, the stories I loved in this book stuck with me enough to give it 4 stars. This just felt like it needed an editor.
Several of the stories in this book blew my mind...
Then there was all of the amateur erotica.
I'm not a prude. I often find lit with sexual content far more provacative and titilating than movies and TV with it, but I found this confusing.
There were several stories (Predator Bait, Migrations, and The Early Years...) that stuck with me well after reading them, and then just story after story of weird sex scenes. It felt like it was written by two different authors: Nick Antosca, and 13 year old horny Nick Antosca. Still, the stories I loved in this book stuck with me enough to give it 4 stars. This just felt like it needed an editor.
June 26, 2018
The Girlfriend Game is a collection of short stories that are intriguing and involve aspects of horror that will remain with you after completing. Nick Antosca has become the king of horror / drama short story. A full enjoyment of the macabre 👍
November 7, 2018
this is a little gem of a short story collection that i actually ended up enjoying way more than i’d expected. favorites include “Soon You Will Be Gone and Possibly Eaten”, “Sofianne”, and “Carnal Quartet”.
June 7, 2022
Overall, 3.5 -- though a few of the stories I really liked. Several were uncomfortable, which is fine. I'll probably re-read some. This review sums things up for me: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
May 18, 2019
Love love love love his work.
From Channel Zero to ....well , this book and etc etc etc, that said .there. Yup. Huge super FAN🐽🎞😶💀😵👽♥.casey .m.
From Channel Zero to ....well , this book and etc etc etc, that said .there. Yup. Huge super FAN🐽🎞😶💀😵👽♥.casey .m.
November 10, 2019
It’s more than a little porn-ish, but the writing is excellent and the stories so tragic and unsettling. I’d recommend with a stiff warning about ADULT CONTENT.
March 3, 2020
The writing is delightfully dark and disturbing.
December 30, 2021
A mixed bag for me, honestly. Some definite misses, enjoyed the title story though.
October 25, 2022
Excellent short stories.
February 18, 2025
mixed bag of stories with human alienation and relationship anxiety as the linked theme. Horror with the style and preoccupations of Sally Rooney but not as good as Sally Rooney. titular story is an NTR doujin in written form. in general a lot of the stuff here has NTR lurking in the background.
February 21, 2022
The Girlfriend Game is an interesting collection of stories that explores the darker side of human nature through stories that at times veered into the uncanny and animalistic. This collection provided a wide and diverse set of stories across several different genres.
The titular story, The Girlfriend Game, plays with the anxieties of individuals in a committed relationship and was one of the strongest entries in the collection. One of my personal favorite stories was Predator Bait, a story about a young woman that acts as an under-aged girl in a televised sexual predator sting operation, a satirized version of To Catch a Predator. It explores the ways that young women are considered attractive and sexualized.
The one that I found to be the most chilling, Winter was Hard, was a real testament to cruelty and the human drive for revenge. The story was tense and has a slow build that left me feeling empty, the characters were well written and the story was gripping from start to finish. Soon You Will Be Gone and Possibly Eaten also stands apart as one of the most unique alien abduction stories I have ever read.
In all, this book was an indie gem that stunned me, even if a few of the stories were not to my taste. Antosca writes theatrically and it makes his stories very readable and easy to imagine. Many of the characters are average people struggling with their lives while questioning human nature.
The titular story, The Girlfriend Game, plays with the anxieties of individuals in a committed relationship and was one of the strongest entries in the collection. One of my personal favorite stories was Predator Bait, a story about a young woman that acts as an under-aged girl in a televised sexual predator sting operation, a satirized version of To Catch a Predator. It explores the ways that young women are considered attractive and sexualized.
The one that I found to be the most chilling, Winter was Hard, was a real testament to cruelty and the human drive for revenge. The story was tense and has a slow build that left me feeling empty, the characters were well written and the story was gripping from start to finish. Soon You Will Be Gone and Possibly Eaten also stands apart as one of the most unique alien abduction stories I have ever read.
In all, this book was an indie gem that stunned me, even if a few of the stories were not to my taste. Antosca writes theatrically and it makes his stories very readable and easy to imagine. Many of the characters are average people struggling with their lives while questioning human nature.
August 8, 2013
When I read Nick Antosca's stories, it feels like being invited to dinner by your very wealthy—albeit eccentric— boss, at his home up in the hills. His mansion, actually. The interior is decorated with animal heads and illuminated with candles. He greets you with wine. The ensuing conversation becomes loose and enjoyable, until he says something incredibly offensive, perhaps racist or misogynist. The sour silence that ensues that lets him know his misdeed and he apologizes profusely. At this point, he insists on eating, but you're still a little shaken. He's persistent and before you know it, he's navigating you to the dining area, where your food awaits: red meat, rare. Plates covered in blood. You excuse yourself to go to the bathroom to clear your head. You talk to yourself in the mirror, telling yourself to pull it together. Then you hear soft crying. It's coming through the heater vent. Between the sobs you hear "Please, help me."
You run out the door, get in the car and drive away. Elation! And then you remember the jacket you left at his house. And then you remember how you moved your wallet to that interior pocket so it didn't bother you when you sat down. And then you remember all that cash.
That's what reading Nick Antosca feels like.
You run out the door, get in the car and drive away. Elation! And then you remember the jacket you left at his house. And then you remember how you moved your wallet to that interior pocket so it didn't bother you when you sat down. And then you remember all that cash.
That's what reading Nick Antosca feels like.
September 25, 2013
When the stories “Predator Bait” and “Soon You Will Be Gone and Possibly Eaten” distracted me from my current Netflix obsessions, I knew I was once again in good literary hands. Yes, yes, the old guard intellectual hope is that a love of books trumps television, but television has writers too. Nick Antosca is one of them (Teen Wolf, Last Resort). Perhaps it is that innate sense of urgency, the need to fit all the necessary information into a smaller 22 or 48 minute package, that makes The Girlfriend Game so enjoyable. These aren’t happy tales, but the confusion, loneliness, and yearning for change feels so authentic to each individual world.
(My full review appears at Persephone Magazine.)
(My full review appears at Persephone Magazine.)
July 31, 2013
As expected Nick Antosca delivers a haunting collection. Where it seems there is light, there is darkness. Where there is hope, there is a trembling crawl of failure. Where there is mistrust, Antosca sows characters falling into their misgivings. Look out the window once you've turned all the pages, know that everything is held together by a tremble.
August 19, 2014
I am a huge fan of the Hot Blood series of books. A mix of horror/supernatural with sex so to speak and was longing to find something else along those lines. The Girlfriend Game comes close. I love anthologies and this didn't disappoint. There's some creepiness going on between these pages but don't think it gets as dark as HB. Still a good read overall.
April 25, 2025
The magnifying glass that Antosca holds up to humanity is startling in its clarity. This collection of short stories gave me chills, and not all of them from terror.
Antosca looks at society and humanity’s perceptions of ourselves in beautifully warped way.
I think I have a new favorite author, folks.
Antosca looks at society and humanity’s perceptions of ourselves in beautifully warped way.
I think I have a new favorite author, folks.
February 19, 2014
Love many of the stories, but some felt like they ended right when things were really revving up. A lot of originality and unflinching carnality on display here, from many point of views. Recommended.
October 29, 2013
Some dark subject matter, which makes for a challenging read at times. The title story "The Girlfriend Game" is perhaps the best. Moments of brilliance.
December 30, 2013
Taut. And drenched in horror.
More - http://bentanzer.blogspot.com/2013/11...
More - http://bentanzer.blogspot.com/2013/11...
Want to read
July 1, 2013Recommended by Jackie C.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews