Flesh Communion and Other Stories

by Holly Rae Garcia

Featuring twenty-six tales of desperation, sorrow, and terror.

In these stories, a cult’s demise reveals previously hidden atrocities; nightmares have someone questioning their reality; a woman clings to memories when her partner has dementia; a deadly virus renders all animals off limits for human consumption; an alien abduction brings pain to some and sadism to others; three wise men follow a star, hoping to end an apocalypse; a portrait photographer reaches her breaking point; a rougarou attacks two girls in a swamp; a werewolf defies the odds and finds love until the inevitable happens; an innocent tea party turns sinister; and more…

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 19, 2024

About the author

Holly Rae Garcia is the author of Flesh Communion and Other Stories, Parachute, Come Join the Murder and The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge (co-written with her husband and fellow author, Ryan Prentice Garcia). Her shorter fiction has been published online and in print for various magazines and anthologies. Holly is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors.

​She lives on the Texas Coast with her husband, three dogs, and two birds. You can often find her reading, watching horror movies, or playing poker.

More information can be found at www.HollyRaeGarcia.com

Reviews

[inciminci]

I'm dnf'ing at about 80%. I feel like these stories are wishy-washy, most of them feel like fleeting notes scribbled in one's diary without a clear concept or structure to them and my pet peeve, there's often no ending. I enjoyed reading Octosquatch, both the creature and the unsettling note at the end were exciting, but the other stories didn't really leave a lasting impression on me.
I'm not rating but I'm loving the cover art.

[Richard Beauchamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the absolute privilege of reading an ARC for Holly Rae Garcia’s upcoming collection “Flesh Communion” and all I can say is holy shit. A chunky collection featuring everything from traditional short stories, flash fiction, non-fiction poetry to everything in between, this collection truly has something for everyone. From powerful poetry written from the grief stricken heart to tightly written horror shorts. Im not super big into poetry or flash fiction, I’ll admit, but I thoroughly enjoyed Holly’s entries regardless. Standouts include “Regulators” a delightful twist on the male-driven stalker/murderer trope, “Blood of the Rougaru” a Cajun fried twist on the swamp cryptid that also features a healthy smattering of witchcraft, and my favorite of the whole collection, “Two Months too long”, which is the first time I’ve ever seen mixed media used in a horror short, and I was blown away by the originality. Reminding me of Laroccas “Things Have Gotten Worse Since We “Last Spoke” (but honestly, I’ll just say it, holly did it better) this tale involves a haunting look at obsession through a myopic 21st century lens, complete with photocopied hand written note, police reports, and other found footage media that gave this story a “holy hell did this actually happen?” Feel. One of the best collections I’ve read all year. 5/5

[Hilda · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I tell you there is something for everyone… there is something for everyone!! These short stories are so well written. They are short horror stories though. Up there with other very scary stories I’ve read before. Not everyone will like these. But it’s worth the read!!!

I’m so happy I found this author. I will read anything and everything she writes!

[Paul Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would you like to take your frustrations out on people who don’t think the rules apply to them? Or to feel the hollowness in your soul as you watch both your meager supplies dwindle and a sickness wipe out all humanity?
Well you are in luck because with FLESH COMMUNION AND OTHER STORIES you get all those feels and more! I can’t express how well Holly Rae Garcia draws you into her stories, making you not just and observer, but a vested participant. I read her book Come Join the Murder in August of 2020 and it is a story that always find myself thinking about. I believe there are several stories from this collection that I will think of often, like when I see a tiki torch, or go to a fair, or visit an animal refuge center….
I love Holly’s writing style. You just can’t help but be captivated. Everyone needs to read her work.

[Wayne Fenlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is brimming with originality and diversity. Humorous stories to real heavy hitters, and often combined, too.

HOW TO POSE THE DEAD being one. I found myself creasing up at it time and time again. I need more stuff from Holly with this kind of witty dialogue. And with that title... yep... you know things aren't going to pan out for someone.

THE MANY INDISCRETIONS OF AGENT 592 is another story that really displays a wicked sense of humour, and, as for the next story, JUST A DREAM, whether it was intentional or not, having a line that says "plunging" her into darkness was a proper stroke of genius. Probably just me, though. Things like that catch my eye.

THREE ACTS is an eloquent piece of work, with three being the key number in its structure. I really appreciated this one for that reason alone: the little jabs of thought. But, for as short as it is, this story is very thought provoking.

The first two stories in the collection REGULATORS and FLIP stood out for me as well. Again, really strong writing, extremely dark. Right off the bat, I was thinking to myself Holly's work really needs more attention.

I've yet to be disappointed. Her novel, novellas... Have all been great.

As is often the case with short story collections, they are often ignored, but you'd be really missing out here if you let this one pass you by.
It's got a hell of a lot going for it.

Truly great stuff.

Deserving of 5 stars.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.

This is a top-notch collection of stories from Holly Rae Garcia. There is something to please (and disgust) every flavor of horror fan. This is also the last book of 2023 for me, and it definitely helped me go out on a high note. 4.25 stars

Regulators ⭐⭐⭐.75
Flap ⭐⭐⭐.5
Blood of the Rougarou ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Even the Jellyfish ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Step Right Up ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
How to Pose the Dead ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trash Bags ⭐⭐⭐.5
Those Goddamn Strawberries ⭐⭐⭐.75
Her Mother's Smile ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Two Months Too Long ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fire in the Night ⭐⭐⭐
Liberty Bell ⭐⭐⭐.75
Flesh Communion ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
A Werewolf's Lament ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
When the Swell Breaks ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Bay Sirius Witch of Atchafalaya Basin ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Finest French Lace ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I Watch Them ⭐⭐⭐.75
Just a Dream ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Many Indiscretions of Agent 592 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Octosquatch ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Dinner Rush ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Three Acts ⭐⭐⭐.5
Step by Step ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Star of San Luis ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
Cat Food ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

[Linda L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved loved this variety of short stories. I never knew whether the next story was going to be gory, scary or weird. Great author & enjoyed her other books as well.

[noelleinomicon (Mia Ballard's version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I'd like to thank the author for the ARC of this collection!*

While I did enjoy this collection, I did feel that the stories were a bit hit or miss. I liked the inclusion of the super short stories as well as the poem, it gave it a "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" vibe, but with more gore. There are a few duds quite honestly, but there's also some really great standouts, such as "How to Pose the Dead", "Regulators" and "Octosquatch".

Overall a fun little collection, although I would avoid the last story if your sensitive to animal death.
3/5!

[Samantha Baugus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up off of my public library’s horror anthology/collection display because I’m a sucked for a good short story collection, especially horror short stories. I was mostly just drawn in by the cover because it gave me body horror vibes, which is one of my favorite horror sub-genres. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of body horror, but I still had a decent experience with a good number of the stories. Some were micro-stories/flash fiction. Barely 2 pages long little vignettes basically. I particularly love pieces like this because seeing how an author can work with such a small space to convey depth and nuance is always delightful to me. I do think some of these stories were mostly for the shock value, gore literature versus horror literature, but honestly I’m not opposed to some good thrills and chills sometimes. If you’re looking for some general spookiness right now, I’d give this collection a go. (Although I didn’t read the final story because it dealt with animal death.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to the author for giving me the chance to read and review an ARC of her forthcoming collection, 'Flesh Communion and Other Stories' - what a boon! I'd already read the closing story, "Cat Food", but re-reading just that one reminded me how good Holly Rae Garcia is at upending expectations and reworking things her way from the ground up. The collection, containing twenty-six pieces of work, from flash fiction, a poem, to several wonderful short stories, show Garcia's stellar storytelling skills at their finest. The flash fiction pieces are quite emotionally charged, mostly with regret, despair, and hopeless defiance at the workings of fate. They are thoughtful and tragic at the same time, and can certainly be enjoyed even by people not accustomed to reading horror. The poem, "Trash Bags", brought to my mind a well-known scene from the movie American Beauty, but it developed into an entirely different, even more powerful, image, a poem worth experiencing even by those who dislike poetry (like me!). However, the stories contained in this collection are the true stars of the book, I think, since their variety of themes is impressive, their inventiveness and originality reveal the mind of a truly talented short story writer, and I felt their endings never disappointed! My personal standouts were "Cat Food", of course, a quasi-post-apocalyptic tale on how far one might go when hungry, a very realistic tale on humanity's relation to pets, family love, and animals in general; "Two Months Too Long", an amazing story presented as an exchange of emails, very dark, with a totally unexpected ending, its central focus being the extreme lengths a stalker may go to achieve their objective; "Flesh Communion", a brilliant tale about a cult, presented as an interview with its last survivor; and the hilarious "The many Indiscretions of Agent 592", a darkly comedic story of an agent whose intelligence proves rather lower than expected. I am looking forward to reading more of Holly Rae Garcia's work in the future!

[Matt Micheli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horrifically beautiful. Flesh Communion and Other Stories has a little and a lot for everyone. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll get turned on and pissed off, and you may even lose your appetite. Holly Rae Garcia has a very authentic, honest way of writing, oftentimes blunt with just enough poetic eloquence added in, making her a master of prose. She also has a great way of planting seeds which keep the reader engaged and wanting to learn more about situations that will leave you guessing. I found myself sometimes rooting for the impending fates of certain unlikable but all-too-real characters that range from psychopaths to folks madly in love, to people starving to death and resorting to unconscionable acts to survive. This is a well-rounded, entertaining collection from a very talented writer. Highly recommend.

[Douglas Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garcia's first collection is an event for those of us who have read and loved her work over the past few years. This book serves as a reminder of not only her formidable chops as a writer, but the brutal irony that often accompanies the often twisted violence of her narratives, whether that comes in the form of the blood-soaked rage of a frustrated photographer or the delightfully violent comeuppance a video-store creep must face. But Garcia also shows she has excellent range, and she shows what a great ear for language she has in the poetry selections that grace this volume. This collection culminates in the wild and wonderful Cat Food, a novelette that demonstrates how good she is at building tension. If you like horror, Flesh Communion belongs on your bookshelf!

[Rachael Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

That first story! Oh man, what a way to open this collection. Loved it. And there are lots of similarly great tales littered throughout this book. "Her Mother's Smile" was heart breaking and the creativity of the story told all in email and social media threads (among other documents like a handwritten note and police reports) had me unable to tear my eyes away from my Kindle ereader, dreading what might happen next. This collection horrified me in the best ways. It is a bit gory at times (fyi) and it could get you cringing and/or locking your doors at night. If you're a horror fan, seriously, this is a well written book you need to read. 4.5 stars (rounded up).

[The Yeti Reads and Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's start out by talking about the cover. Like wow. Love it. Shout out to Lynne Hansen for that cover. Anyhow, let's get to what we came here for, shall we?

26 stories. That's right, 26 stories, and not a bad one in the bunch. Some will break your heart; others will get under your skin. Some will make you laugh. All of them will affect you in one way or another. I mean, come on, how can you not dig a story called Octosquatch? This is a stellar collection of tales. If you haven't read Holly yet, I highly recommend this one. Excellent read. Check it out.

5 severed fingers out of 5

[paganfrogs_bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Holly Rae Garcia for sending me an ARC kindle copy of her new collection of short stories.
My first thoughts on opening this book and seeing a long list of short story titles was that they would be quick to read and probably a little dull - but we all know first impressions can be misleading. Some of them are very short, but each of them were crafted well and drew me in with haunting, gruesome or visceral tales filled with emotions such as bloodlust or despair.

[Carina Stopenski · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was really a mixed bag, but mostly underwhelming. horror flash fiction can be done well, but the ones here didn’t really have the suspense to hook you in such a small space. the longer pieces could have been fleshed out more, though i did appreciate the place-based nature of some of them. not-so-original concepts, not-so-great execution.

[Megan Dauphars · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This book contains a bunch of short horror stories. I found it very easy to read. Some of the stories are slightly spooky, disturbing or tragic. Average read, nothing to run home about.

[Meliza · Rating 2 out of 5]

unfortunately i didn’t find any of these stories interesting or unique :/
a lot of them were very basic ideas you’ll find in any horror anthology and any idea that had potential like Cat Food was brought down by the writing

[Melissa Algood · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters are engaging, the stories have many twists, and there is a genre of short story for everyone’s liking.
My favorites were ‘those damn strawberries’, ‘how to post the dead’ and ‘flesh communion’ will be haunting me for many nights to come.

[Z. Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible collection of short stories. An absolute must read.

[Aleah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt like I was in the story the way Holly wrote! Super dark, weird, and a little sprinkle of dark humor. Still thinking about “How to pose the dead.” Enjoyed this book!

[Carlos]

A somewhat hit-and-miss collection, which takes some daring swings which don't always really connect.

[Sharlene Gerena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, read in two sittings. Honestly, kind of bad.

[Harper K · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

[Josh Lambie]

Looking camp right in the butt

[N.J. Gallegos · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author was kind enough to send me a digital ARC and this collection did not disappoint! Each piece thoroughly slayed but I had some favorites:

Regulators: A sexual predator gets the tables turned upon him in a most delicious way.

Flap: True love dies during a zombie outbreak. Poignant, beautiful, and depressing.

Blood of the Rougoru: Where the Crawdads Sing vs The Craft but make it voodoo werewolves.

Even the Jellyfish: For a flash fiction to build an entire marriage, burn it down, and make me cry? Powerful stuff.

Step Right Up: A story with total Bridget Nelson vibes. Nothing quite like brutal female vengeance.

How to Pose the Bed: What happens when something spectacularly snaps.

Those Goddam Strawberries: Love is Blind but with tragic death.

Her Mother's Smile: Talk about the consequences of your actions. Yikes.

Flesh Communion: A spooky take on Waco.

When the Swell Breaks: The pain of loss... true love, life, health.

Step by Step: Men care only for their pleasures.

Star of San Luis: Rebirth of Christ.

Cat Food: Meat (pigs, beef, lamb) is tainted with a virus and pets are off limits... usually.

[Kevin Knights · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author provided me with an advance reading copy, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

“Flesh Communion” is a horror anthology that packs in a whole lot of storytelling.

As the author says, this is a book “Featuring twenty-six tales of desperation, sorrow, and terror.” Many of the stories are downright chilling. There is a little dark humor tucked around the edges as well.

The writing is skillful, usually getting right to the point, which allows many of them to be very short. You get pulled along so well that when some of them end, you’re left wanting more – in a good way. And you never know what the next story is going to spring on you. Maybe a nightmare cult, maybe a taste of an apocalypse, a werewolf, a ghost, or an octosquatch (I’ll let you imagine what that is). It might also be a little slice of life from an ordinary person that’s so poignant it gives your heart a little squeeze.

Two of my personal favorites were “The Many Indiscretions of Agent 592,” a story of cloak and dagger told entirely by emails, and “The Finest French Lace,” which manages to convey multiple levels of dread. The title story is also truly unsettling.

The variety of the stories and situations is impressive. There’s plenty of gore and horror and adult language, which this reader is just fine with. I’d highly recommend this for fans of short horror stories.

[Nikolas Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly Rae Garcia includes such a variety of stories within this collection that there’s no doubt any discerning reader will find something to enjoy–many somethings, more than likely. From short poems and flash fiction to novelette-length tales, Flesh Communion and Other Stories is suitable for any attention span. Regardless of length or subject matter, the author will captivate you and dare you to turn away…knowing there’s no chance you’ll do any such thing.

The collection contains truly fascinating tales of revenge, relationships, and reminiscence…sometimes on their own and sometimes blurred together. There are cryptids of various kinds–including one I’m sure you’d never conceived of in your wildest fever dreams–lurking within these pages. The titular “Flesh Communion” delves into a dark and horrific conception of what was happening in Waco, TX during the Branch Davidian stand-off, and who are we to question the veracity of this fictional survivor’s account? One story that resonated with me more than the others focuses on a particularly sympathetic photographer pushed beyond her limits by an altogether too plausible family demanding portraits.

You’re making a mistake if you don’t give this collection your attention. It’s one hell of a ride, but one you will no doubt consider more than worth the price of admission.