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Long Division: Stories of Social Decay, Societal Collapse, and Bad Manners
From the Bram Stoker Award-winning editors who brought you Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors comes an anthology of new fiction from the darkest minds in horror. We live in divided times. We’re fueled by misinformation. We retreat inside ideological bubbles. We no longer trust each other. We've forgotten what holds us together. We’re more dangerous than ever.
These original stories of transgression show us the mechanisms behind what’s fraying the bonds that bind us. Let's consider what’s worth saving and what requires smashing to bits.
These original stories of transgression show us the mechanisms behind what’s fraying the bonds that bind us. Let's consider what’s worth saving and what requires smashing to bits.
236 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 12, 2024
39 people are currently reading
423 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 31, 2025
I noticed my GR friend Char was reading this so I looked it up and it was on offer for only 81p on kindle so I downloaded it straight away. What attracted me to this anthology initially was the cool cover artwork and the quirky title. I went in quite blind, I didn’t read any reviews or beyond the basic description and thought if Palahniuk put his name to it, it’s surely worthy of a shot.
Like all collections, I rate each individual piece of writing and then decide a final rating. I will admit that a few of the twenty stories (two of which were poetry) I didn’t really understand, connect with or like very much at all! 🫣
Here’s my faves though -
Third-Time Lucy by Anna Taborska- lots to think about and I managed to read it without too much fear, because along came a spider…kinda…
S.A.M by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa- an older woman with a house robot puts her side across to her sons who perhaps ought to actually be there for her more instead.
The Nocturnal Gardener by Clay McLeod Chapman- Global warming has made temperatures soar, so gardening by moonlight is the answer! I LOVED this story! It is my favourite of all. Written with heart, easy to follow and a passage which made me shout out ‘YES’ - “We’ve reached that point in the season where I must bid farewell to my lettuce. The time for tomatoes is upon us. Beans and zucchinis”. I have a lettuce intolerance (yes, it’s a thing, shut up! 😂) and quite frankly I couldn’t think of anything more satisfying than pottering about by the light of the silvery moon! Of course I’d grow courgettes not zucchini’s as I’m in Britain, but would the nutrients from the soil be quite as rich as Agatha’s? 😉
You Are The Emptiness of Every Room You Occupy by Eric LaRocca- now THAT is what I call an opening line! 😲 (you’ll have to read it to see what I mean! 😜) Let me just gather myself one moment, because a huge portion of this story I felt was left unsaid and thank god for that! A disturbing, very entertaining weird weird weird-ass story, I’d say! In LaRocca’s world, may I suggest that you do NOT bring out your dead. I’ll stick with paying my rent by direct debit ta very much *shudders*.
I’ve given a three star rating which I think is fair considering I didn’t enjoy or ‘get’ over half of these stories but the ones I mentioned above made it well worth my time and for just 81 pence!
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Good. I liked it.
Like all collections, I rate each individual piece of writing and then decide a final rating. I will admit that a few of the twenty stories (two of which were poetry) I didn’t really understand, connect with or like very much at all! 🫣
Here’s my faves though -
Third-Time Lucy by Anna Taborska- lots to think about and I managed to read it without too much fear, because along came a spider…kinda…
S.A.M by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa- an older woman with a house robot puts her side across to her sons who perhaps ought to actually be there for her more instead.
The Nocturnal Gardener by Clay McLeod Chapman- Global warming has made temperatures soar, so gardening by moonlight is the answer! I LOVED this story! It is my favourite of all. Written with heart, easy to follow and a passage which made me shout out ‘YES’ - “We’ve reached that point in the season where I must bid farewell to my lettuce. The time for tomatoes is upon us. Beans and zucchinis”. I have a lettuce intolerance (yes, it’s a thing, shut up! 😂) and quite frankly I couldn’t think of anything more satisfying than pottering about by the light of the silvery moon! Of course I’d grow courgettes not zucchini’s as I’m in Britain, but would the nutrients from the soil be quite as rich as Agatha’s? 😉
You Are The Emptiness of Every Room You Occupy by Eric LaRocca- now THAT is what I call an opening line! 😲 (you’ll have to read it to see what I mean! 😜) Let me just gather myself one moment, because a huge portion of this story I felt was left unsaid and thank god for that! A disturbing, very entertaining weird weird weird-ass story, I’d say! In LaRocca’s world, may I suggest that you do NOT bring out your dead. I’ll stick with paying my rent by direct debit ta very much *shudders*.
I’ve given a three star rating which I think is fair considering I didn’t enjoy or ‘get’ over half of these stories but the ones I mentioned above made it well worth my time and for just 81 pence!
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Good. I liked it.
December 12, 2024
"But Arden was addicted to the hunt, the danger, and the transgressions. If he was caught making the mistake, he would be sent there … yet no one knew what happened in there because no one ever made it."
"It’s safer in your head because you’re not supposed to ache for unbroken promises. Nothing startles like the silence of a fulfilled wish. The night’s fingerprint wipes out every curse. And each specter at the window will know that it’s safer in your head
where candy blood flows
and cinnamon cinders
scorch your
hair."
💭Overall a rad anthology that examines the decline of civilization or societal collapse and explores the darker side of humanity. A total of twenty stories (which includes two poems), though varies in style yet fits the overall mood and represents the themes pretty well. Many great and well-known authors here and some I've just recently discovered but made a good impression.
Some stories which stood out for me: THIRD-TIME LUCY, THE FIRE OF ROSES, TWO SCHOOLS , TO WHAT DO WE OWE THIS PLEASURE, BLIGHT, THE NOCTURNAL GARDENER, YOU ARE THE EMPTINESS IN EVERY ROOM YOU OCCUPY, CELESTE, S.A.M, CINDERS IN YOUR HAIR
My thanks to Bad Hand Books for providing a free arc for review!
This collection is now available direct from Bad Hand website and def worth checking out. Happy publication day! (Dec. 12, 2024)
"It’s safer in your head because you’re not supposed to ache for unbroken promises. Nothing startles like the silence of a fulfilled wish. The night’s fingerprint wipes out every curse. And each specter at the window will know that it’s safer in your head
where candy blood flows
and cinnamon cinders
scorch your
hair."
💭Overall a rad anthology that examines the decline of civilization or societal collapse and explores the darker side of humanity. A total of twenty stories (which includes two poems), though varies in style yet fits the overall mood and represents the themes pretty well. Many great and well-known authors here and some I've just recently discovered but made a good impression.
Some stories which stood out for me: THIRD-TIME LUCY, THE FIRE OF ROSES, TWO SCHOOLS , TO WHAT DO WE OWE THIS PLEASURE, BLIGHT, THE NOCTURNAL GARDENER, YOU ARE THE EMPTINESS IN EVERY ROOM YOU OCCUPY, CELESTE, S.A.M, CINDERS IN YOUR HAIR
My thanks to Bad Hand Books for providing a free arc for review!
This collection is now available direct from Bad Hand website and def worth checking out. Happy publication day! (Dec. 12, 2024)
December 14, 2024
Go woke; get Laird Barron to be in your boke (that's how I spell 'book' now).
Horror stories with social messages. The Chuck Palahniuk entry was particularly gnarly. I also enjoyed the story by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa about an old lady dating her sex robot, she was a chad. Other favorites were by Elizabeth Massie, Scott Edelman, Eric LaRocca, and of course Laird Barron.
Horror stories with social messages. The Chuck Palahniuk entry was particularly gnarly. I also enjoyed the story by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa about an old lady dating her sex robot, she was a chad. Other favorites were by Elizabeth Massie, Scott Edelman, Eric LaRocca, and of course Laird Barron.
September 26, 2025
Enjoyed the Senf, Larocca, Chapman and Baron stories.
6/10
6/10
January 12, 2025
"Long Division: Stories of Social Decay and Societal Collapse and Bad Manners" is a dark, twisted, dystopian, and surreal collection of short stories.
My favorite stories in the collection included "Celeste", "The Fire of Roses, and
"The Nocturnal Gardener."
"Celeste" by Chuck Palahniuk is a story about a porn star haunting her former production set.
"The Fire of Roses" by Cynthia Pelayo is a story about a woman named Mrs. Darling, who lives in a seemingly idyllic small town founded by her grandparents.
She knows all of the towns darkest secrets. She also writes anonymous letters to the townspeople, telling them horrible things and revealing those darkest secrets. This story is a modern retelling of Shirley Jackson's story "The Possibility of Evil."
"The Nocturnal Gardener" by Clay McLeod Chapman is about an older woman finding peace in gardening at night. The story turns dark the further you get into it.
I highly recommend this collection! Thank you, Bad Hand Books, for sending me a copy of this amazing collection!
My favorite stories in the collection included "Celeste", "The Fire of Roses, and
"The Nocturnal Gardener."
"Celeste" by Chuck Palahniuk is a story about a porn star haunting her former production set.
"The Fire of Roses" by Cynthia Pelayo is a story about a woman named Mrs. Darling, who lives in a seemingly idyllic small town founded by her grandparents.
She knows all of the towns darkest secrets. She also writes anonymous letters to the townspeople, telling them horrible things and revealing those darkest secrets. This story is a modern retelling of Shirley Jackson's story "The Possibility of Evil."
"The Nocturnal Gardener" by Clay McLeod Chapman is about an older woman finding peace in gardening at night. The story turns dark the further you get into it.
I highly recommend this collection! Thank you, Bad Hand Books, for sending me a copy of this amazing collection!
September 26, 2025
A solid lineup. A usual, short fiction (particularly in anthoogies with themes) comes down to a matter of taste. There were several memorable stories in this one, but a good number of them just didn't hit for me. Personal favorites were Mason Ian Bundshuh's "Broken Sky Road," Ai Jiang's "The Next Station Is-," and Clay McCleod Chapman's "The Nocturnal Gardener".
The presentation and diversity was refreshing. As mentioned above, short fiction tastes are even more subjective than for novels, I think... after writing this, I skimmed several other reviews and confirmed that other readers were more drawn to stories that did not click for me.
Recommended.
The presentation and diversity was refreshing. As mentioned above, short fiction tastes are even more subjective than for novels, I think... after writing this, I skimmed several other reviews and confirmed that other readers were more drawn to stories that did not click for me.
Recommended.
December 10, 2024
This was a great collection of stories! Each one brought something different to the table and I am here for it. A few favorites were from Ai Jiang, Cynthia Pelayo, Clay McLeod Chapman and Laird Barron. Thank you so much to Bad Hand Books for sending me an ARC. Pick this up when it publishes December 12th, 2024 direct from Bad Hand's website!
December 6, 2024
This is a fantastic collection of short stories and a few poems- while the styles vary widely, they are all true to theme. Some great authors here!
March 15, 2025
Love the publisher's aesthetic, his political and cultural commitments, and the general vibe of the books he puts out. The notion of an anthology whose purpose is to capture the broader breakdown of so many things is brave, and more engaged than many a themed anthology. Judging by what's here, the call was quite general as well, and it attracted a number of big names.
That said, I wish this were better. The last thing we need is milquetoast both-sidesism, but I do have to note that a lot of these are built on incredibly simplistic takes where bad people (maliciously intrusive small-town gossips; stiff-necked, intolerant private-school heads; Trump-type voters) mostly get a deserved comeuppance for being bad. I'm not saying that the point should be to celebrate the kind of meanness and gloating relish in cruelty we're seeing all around these days, or even to say, "well, hey, but why do these people behave this way? I better hit up that diner in Pennsylvania where I found those same four Trump voters who've been interviewed ad nauseam since 2016 and air, yet again, the ignorant bile and resentment that these 'forgotten Americans' spew." But take the private-school story: the entire point is that a couple of malicious teenagers cook up a plot to get rid of their new head, who has the temerity to enforce the rules, by sending anonymous lies to the longtime head of the associated boys' school accusing their new head of smoking, having boys over, etc. This man, who has allegedly worked with teenagers for decades, immediately becomes hysterical over the contents of these letters, does not do even the most basic checking-up (apparently, no students have ever lied to him or attempted to pit adults against one another in his career), and concocts a series of plots to discredit her that, of course, end up rebounding horribly.
You know what would be better? If that character had the remotest shred of plausibility and complexity rather than being a one-dimensional voice of horrified, old-line conformism. Not because "the other side" needs to be celebrated or even plumbed all that deeply (you want to do one of those Eudora Welty pieces where you get inside Musk's head or something--was thinking of the one where she predicted James Earl Ray's mindset before anyone knew who had shot MLK--go for it), but just because I think good fiction for the current predicament embraces some sense of complexity and accuracy. (I liked John F.D. Taff's entry in some ways, since it explodes the [il]logic of partisanship to its [ir]ational extreme, but again the central character is just a cartoon.)
There are a few good entries, my favorites being Andy Davidson's, one of the best at executing the brief with subtlety, and Laird Barron's, which feels at best tangentially linked to the theme, but it's another one of his delightful, jauntily sardonic cosmic-horror yarns featuring a clan of, well, monstrous entities (one seems to be a vampire, one some sort of extra-dimensional entity, and so on) masquerading as a family in upstate New York and doing their best to bring on evil, but also dealing with even more evil entities and worse, bureaucratic BS in the realm of evil. It's at once a joke and a fun monster story.
All in all, a project I admired but that I wish had been executed with a greater degree of subtlety.
That said, I wish this were better. The last thing we need is milquetoast both-sidesism, but I do have to note that a lot of these are built on incredibly simplistic takes where bad people (maliciously intrusive small-town gossips; stiff-necked, intolerant private-school heads; Trump-type voters) mostly get a deserved comeuppance for being bad. I'm not saying that the point should be to celebrate the kind of meanness and gloating relish in cruelty we're seeing all around these days, or even to say, "well, hey, but why do these people behave this way? I better hit up that diner in Pennsylvania where I found those same four Trump voters who've been interviewed ad nauseam since 2016 and air, yet again, the ignorant bile and resentment that these 'forgotten Americans' spew." But take the private-school story: the entire point is that a couple of malicious teenagers cook up a plot to get rid of their new head, who has the temerity to enforce the rules, by sending anonymous lies to the longtime head of the associated boys' school accusing their new head of smoking, having boys over, etc. This man, who has allegedly worked with teenagers for decades, immediately becomes hysterical over the contents of these letters, does not do even the most basic checking-up (apparently, no students have ever lied to him or attempted to pit adults against one another in his career), and concocts a series of plots to discredit her that, of course, end up rebounding horribly.
You know what would be better? If that character had the remotest shred of plausibility and complexity rather than being a one-dimensional voice of horrified, old-line conformism. Not because "the other side" needs to be celebrated or even plumbed all that deeply (you want to do one of those Eudora Welty pieces where you get inside Musk's head or something--was thinking of the one where she predicted James Earl Ray's mindset before anyone knew who had shot MLK--go for it), but just because I think good fiction for the current predicament embraces some sense of complexity and accuracy. (I liked John F.D. Taff's entry in some ways, since it explodes the [il]logic of partisanship to its [ir]ational extreme, but again the central character is just a cartoon.)
There are a few good entries, my favorites being Andy Davidson's, one of the best at executing the brief with subtlety, and Laird Barron's, which feels at best tangentially linked to the theme, but it's another one of his delightful, jauntily sardonic cosmic-horror yarns featuring a clan of, well, monstrous entities (one seems to be a vampire, one some sort of extra-dimensional entity, and so on) masquerading as a family in upstate New York and doing their best to bring on evil, but also dealing with even more evil entities and worse, bureaucratic BS in the realm of evil. It's at once a joke and a fun monster story.
All in all, a project I admired but that I wish had been executed with a greater degree of subtlety.
April 13, 2025
Rounded up to four stars, a little bit, because the quality within is wildly uneven. I mean, we get Laird Barron and Andy Davidson in top form, totally, we get a fine Palahniuk story, and then there comes Jonathan Lees to prove he doesn't really understand the words he's using. There's some stuff that would work best as filler in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (not to knock these stories down, but that's what they are), there's a totally disjointed Hawaiian entry, in general you pays your money and you takes your chances. YMMV, obviously.
December 17, 2024
Wow! What a gnarly collection of horror with some poignant social commentaries.....basically, people suck lol This collection has an All Star lineup of authors, including Clay McLeod Chapman, Chuck Palaniuk, Zone Stage, Laird Barron and so many more!
February 9, 2025
As with any anthology, some of these stories worked for me and some didn't. With a table of contents and a list of authors that any horror reader would find difficult to resist, this is a solid volume of short stories.
The ones that worked best for me were:
Scott Edelman's Boiling Point. What a strange little tale. It left me feeling....unsettled.
The Nocturnal Gardener by Clay McCleod Chapman-Gardening by moonlight will protect you from the sun's rays.
Eric LaRocca's You Are the Emptiness In Every Room You Occupy. This story was so messed up I can't even talk about it here, for fear of ruining it for you.
Beggin for Thread by Gary Braunbeck. A poignant and powerful tale about a Vietnam Vet.
Overall, I enjoyed more stories than I disliked which is always a good thing. The good ones here were REALLY good, but of course, your mileage may vary.
I like what Bad Hand Books is doing, I like their author lineup and I love their policies and what they stand for. In political days like these, it's important to support the things you care about.
I rated this 3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4 here at Goodreads. Recommended!
*ARC from publisher.
The ones that worked best for me were:
Scott Edelman's Boiling Point. What a strange little tale. It left me feeling....unsettled.
The Nocturnal Gardener by Clay McCleod Chapman-Gardening by moonlight will protect you from the sun's rays.
Eric LaRocca's You Are the Emptiness In Every Room You Occupy. This story was so messed up I can't even talk about it here, for fear of ruining it for you.
Beggin for Thread by Gary Braunbeck. A poignant and powerful tale about a Vietnam Vet.
Overall, I enjoyed more stories than I disliked which is always a good thing. The good ones here were REALLY good, but of course, your mileage may vary.
I like what Bad Hand Books is doing, I like their author lineup and I love their policies and what they stand for. In political days like these, it's important to support the things you care about.
I rated this 3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4 here at Goodreads. Recommended!
*ARC from publisher.
February 16, 2025
I really enjoyed several of the stories in this short story horror anthology. I enjoyed: “The Fire of Roses,” by Cynthia Pelayo, “Yard Signs,” by John FD Taff, “The End of the World After All,” by Andy Davidson, and “The Nocturnal Gardener, “ by Clay McLeod Chapman.
May 13, 2025
A solid collection led by a monster tale from Laird Barron. Elizabeth Massie delivers a cool tale, "Two Schools", John Taff' "Yard Signs" fit the times perfectly and Eric LaRocca makes any collection worth purchasing! For my tastes, there wasn't one story that didn't intrigue me.
Read
February 2, 20253.5 stars
February 23, 2025
Good stuff from Bad Hand. I am excited to get into more of their titles.
March 28, 2025
Solid book of short stories. Some better than others. Short enough to get through a story or so a day. 3 ⭐️
February 2, 2025
I picked this one up because of the Edward Gorey-esque cover and the promise of thematically relevent material to our current time, a time more frightening than your average horror movie for a lot of us. Overall the anthology was a mixed bag, but there were enough stories that knocked it out of the park to make up for some of the weaker ones.
Highlights include:
Fire of Roses by Cynthia Pelayo - Mrs. Darling is a monster under a friendly facade. She write anonymous poison pen letters to the people of her town. However someone is finally on to her. Reminds me of a Shirley Jackson story I once read.
Third Time Lucy by Anna Taborska - In a dystopian 22nd century London, the poor live in the dark (expensive window taxes mean most windows are boarded up) on crowded estates. Once a month, every bulding has a lottery and the "winner" gets a month's rations in exchange for "donating" a body part. This is Lucy's third time "winning." But something unexplainable is happening to Lucy. I do love a good "eat the rich" story.
Blight by Lora Senf - Another timely story about a girl whose skin changes, predicting the future. The town where she lives keeps her locked up, but they idolize her and eagerly await her predictions...until things go bad and she is blamed. Affecting story of how those who are "different" are often scapegoated and abused by those in power (and society in general). Heartbreakingly accurate.
Yard Signs by John F.D. Taff - Dale is a supporter of a Trump-like political candidate whose campaigners are willing to go to any lengths for "their guy." This story makes fun of the gullibility of some voters, as well as their callousness in the face of others' needs.
Two Schools by Elizabeth Massie - Man, schoolkids can be assholes. In this one, Hilly and Joanie attempt to get the new principal of Joanie's school fired by manipulating the principal of Hilly's. I really enjoyed all the twists this one took. It was one of the most entertaining in the anthology.
Highlights include:
Fire of Roses by Cynthia Pelayo - Mrs. Darling is a monster under a friendly facade. She write anonymous poison pen letters to the people of her town. However someone is finally on to her. Reminds me of a Shirley Jackson story I once read.
Third Time Lucy by Anna Taborska - In a dystopian 22nd century London, the poor live in the dark (expensive window taxes mean most windows are boarded up) on crowded estates. Once a month, every bulding has a lottery and the "winner" gets a month's rations in exchange for "donating" a body part. This is Lucy's third time "winning." But something unexplainable is happening to Lucy. I do love a good "eat the rich" story.
Blight by Lora Senf - Another timely story about a girl whose skin changes, predicting the future. The town where she lives keeps her locked up, but they idolize her and eagerly await her predictions...until things go bad and she is blamed. Affecting story of how those who are "different" are often scapegoated and abused by those in power (and society in general). Heartbreakingly accurate.
Yard Signs by John F.D. Taff - Dale is a supporter of a Trump-like political candidate whose campaigners are willing to go to any lengths for "their guy." This story makes fun of the gullibility of some voters, as well as their callousness in the face of others' needs.
Two Schools by Elizabeth Massie - Man, schoolkids can be assholes. In this one, Hilly and Joanie attempt to get the new principal of Joanie's school fired by manipulating the principal of Hilly's. I really enjoyed all the twists this one took. It was one of the most entertaining in the anthology.
January 30, 2025
To What Do We Owe This Pleasure is the star here IMHO. 4 stars out of five only because the first several stories failed to grab me.
The second half of the book's stories are incredibly well written and haunting.
Very heavy... need a cheerful palate cleanser to chase away the doom after this one.
The second half of the book's stories are incredibly well written and haunting.
Very heavy... need a cheerful palate cleanser to chase away the doom after this one.
January 6, 2025
An excellent compendium of stories from a range of award-winning authors. With great variety of content, everything from poems to stories set in the porn industry to Eldritch horror from such luminaires as Chuck Palahniuk and Laird Barron, Long Division is a rock-solid collection of weird tales.
January 23, 2025
Not a bad weird fiction anthology. I bought it because it has a Laird Barron story in it and, as far as I'm concerned, you can't go wrong with Barron. All the stories are well written, and a few damn right creepy. Great for having by your bedside for when you need to be creeped out before bed.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews