And One Day We Will Die: Strange Stories Inspired by the Music of Neutral Milk Hotel

by Patrick Barb (Editor), Adam Clair (foreword), Lillah Lawson (Contributor)

Celebrate the Strangeness of Being Anything at All



Spotlighting the bizarrely beautiful and beautifully bizarre music and lyrics of indie folk rock band Neutral Milk Hotel, And One Day We Will Die features 22 short stories from the realms of weird, phantasmagoric, and speculative fiction, all inspired by the cult classic songs written and performed by Jeff Mangum and company. From alternate histories where happy endings are allowed and mythological re-imaginings that center love over destruction to awe-inspiring contemplations of the potential in the present and dark and unfathomable future visions, all featured authors selected one song from the beloved Neutral Milk Hotel songbook to use as a springboard for their tales.



Editor and publisher Patrick Barb has assembled a diverse array of authors and tales, with the love of Neutral Milk Hotel acting as connective tissue, solidifying into an all-star album's worth of writing talent. Drawing from On Avery Island, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Ferris Wheel on Fire, and even some of the band's bootleg recordings, these stories speak to the spark struck by Mangum's haunting, inspiring, and perplexing creative output that burns with a passionate intensity through the prose offerings within.



Featuring fiction

Lillah Lawson

Helen Victoria Murray

M. Lopes da Silva

Camila Hamel

Briar Ripley Page

Joe Koch

Tiffany Morris

D. Matthew Urban

Christi Nogle

Tim Major

Dan Coxon

Matthew Kressel

Lindz McLeod

Erin Brown

Brian Evenson

Edward Barnfield

Dale Light

Corey Farrenkopf

Ai Jiang

Michael Horita

Richard Thomas

John Langan



And a Foreword by

Adam Clair (author of Endless A Lo-Fi History of the Elephant 6 Mystery)

Genres: Anthologies, Horror, Fiction, Music, Short Stories, Adult

315 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 14, 2025

About the author

Patrick Barb is an author of weird, dark, and spooky tales, currently living (and trying not to freeze to death) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His published works include the dark fiction collections The Children’s Horror and Pre-Approved for Haunting, the novellas Gargantuana's Ghost, Turn, and JK-LOL, as well as the novelette Helicopter Parenting in the Age of Drone Warfare. He is the editor and publisher of the anthology And One Day We Will Die: Strange Stories Inspired by the Music of Neutral Milk Hotel. His forthcoming works include the Killer VHS novella Night of the Witch-Hunter from Shortwave Publishing and his debut sci-fi/horror novel Abducted from Dark Matter Ink. His 2023 short story "The Scare Groom" was selected for Best Horror of the Year Volume 16. Visit him at patrickbarb.com.

Reviews

[inciminci · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'est le moment où un homme sain d'esprit qui cause avec un fou ne s'est pas encore aperçu que c'est un fou.

The quote above by Marcel Proust from À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs, the second installment of his In Search of Lost Time series, describes a moment you haven't yet realized that the person you are chatting with is, in fact, insane. It is this quote, oddly enough, that has always sprang to my mind, the feeling that surfaces from within me, when I listen to the American folk rock band Neutral Milk Hotel. It is the core of what this music's surface of pleasantness and harmony, conveyed by melodious, honeyed, smooth tunes, hiding outbursts of intense emotion and distorted, disrupted by glimpses of insanity, by cacophony, awakens in me. And this intrigues me, this haunts me. I can listen to them and be inspired to a different feeling every single time, but that basis of oddity, of weirdness remains.

Hence, editor Patrick Barb couldn't have chosen a more interesting, more bountiful band to base his anthology upon, and ever since I found out about this work, I spent my time wondering what this band inspired in others, what sentiments it provoked in them, so much so that it was possible to make a whole anthology of it. Having finally read it, I can safely say it was possibly the single most interesting read I had in the past year or two, as it was an answer to my guesswork. It is recommended to give (re-)listen to the songs as you read the correspondent short story, as it can open the doors to a better understanding of how "this" was born from "that".

Most of the 22 authors went for the atmosphere, the weirdly skewed fun house, folk festival, masquerade vibes where darker things are honeyed with joy and fun. Many elements reinforce this aura; the ferris wheel on fire (which makes a smashing book cover too), mechanical games and toys, carnivals and masquerades, slightly science fictional, post apocalyptic settings, paranormal elements, moving, absurdist plot lines that are not always easy to understand, and that are not always meant to be understood. At times the stories features direct quotes from the songs, at times they merely echo the lyrics.

Sometimes you can imagine the corresponding song as some kind of background music or soundtrack to the short story, such as in Lillah Lawson's Untitled (inspired by Ghost) where a burnt-out young mother is running away from her life, or Brian Evenson's The Garden Head (inspired by Gardenhead/Leave Me Alone)m while at other times you can draw a very literal connection between the two works, as in M. Lopes da Silva's The Polyamorous Heart of Death (inspired by Holland 1945) which revolves around a girl being killed in Holland in 1945 and reincarnated as a Spanish boy, or Camila Hamel's Twins (inspired by A Baby for Pree) where a mother who had to give her twin babies away at birth encounters them in a park years later, as adults. Then there were those stories I neither understood the context nor the connection to any song of, but, let me assure you, ALL short stories, even those in the last category, are written in amazingly high quality and superior prose.

My highlights were;

Helen Victoria Murray's Argyria (Progress Review) (inspired by Where You'll Find Me Now) in which the life and work of two photographers and lovers, both men, in the mid 19th century is told in short, retrospective reviews by an art historian who develops an obsession for them.

Joe Koch's The Clown King in Yellow (inspired by The Fool), creates an amazingly on the point atmosphere in the story of Jeremy who must go back home for a family funeral, which is to take place in the form of a masquerade.

I completely forgot what exactly happens in Not Even the Ghosts, Not Even the Birds by Tiffany Morris (inspired by The King of Carrot Flowers Part 1) except that it's about the end of the world, but I remember the writing is to die for! I already marked other books by her to read later.

Erin Brown's Mirrorboy (inspired by Avery Island/April 1st) is about Paul who is a golem made out of glass/mirrors and who works in a fun house, going on a date after work.

And finally Dale Light's Crungus and Loeb - An Unpublished Review (inspired by I Will Bury You in Time) is about the Holocaust as a theater performance that traumatizes even the audience.

On a last note, keeping in mind that The Diary of Anne Frank was one of the main inspirations behind one of the mere two albums NMH ever brought out, traces of that aspect are all around these short stories too, sometimes very subtle.

Finally, I'm thrilled to have discovered Patrick Barb as an author and as an editor this year. With And One Day We Will Die he curated a consummate work of art, in that each piece of writing it comprises, inspires and moves, is obviously created with care and thought. And that's rare nowadays.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthologies are always hard to review interestingly, especially ones inspired by music or film: reviewers have already their own ideas about what the music or the movie means, and whether they like it - adding other people's viewpoints to the mix, in the form of fiction, risks inviting disaster, since too much variety and ambiguity are simply inevitable, and both the book and the review may easily spin out of control. So it's a genuine achievement on the editor's part when they produce a book of such consistently high quality and so true to its inspiration as Patrick Barb did with "And One Day We Will Die"! I'm hugely impressed!

The anthology contains 22 stories drawing on the music and lyrics of Neutral Milk Hotel, the '90s Louisiana musical band, famous for its haunting style, its alt-rock folk sound, and its opaque song lyrics. Each story starts with the author noting which song of the Neutral Milk Hotel catalog they're inspired by, and delivers a horror (or horror-adjacent) story of incredible originality and absolute immersion. Although the tales are mostly literary horror and weird fiction, there are also stories of dark fantasy, dystopian sci-fi and alternate history. It's worth mentioning that all authors go for atmosphere, tone and mood, with zero regard for plot twists, cheap intrigue, or facile, deus ex machina endings. This makes their story the perfect companion to the often emotionally overwhelming and mutlilayered musical experience of the Neutral Milk Hotel song they have selected.

Occasionally, the lyrics or the songs may be also mentioned in the story (see Lillah Lawson's disrturbing story of "Untitled," inspired by “Ghost,” and Christi Nogle's "The Project," inspired by “Oh, Comely”); sometimes they throw light on a line, or interpret it in relevance to Jeff Mangum’s specific interests (for example, his interest in "The Diary of Anne Frank"; see Matthew Kressel's stunning "White Roses in Their Eyes," inspired by “untitled (‘Ghost’ coda)”). Usually, the stories treat reality as a surprise package, a precious gift meant ot be unwrapped (see the awe-inspiring "Twins" by Camila Hamel, inspired by “A Baby for Pree”) - or play with the story format itself (see Helen Victoria Murray's "Argyria (Progress Review)," literally a review of an old photo album intepreted through queer themes, a story inspired by “Where You’ll Find Me Now”), or shun natural law for complicated, supernatural ambiguities dressed in surrealist imagery (see Joe Koch's fascinating "The Clown King in Yellow," inspired by “The Fool”).

Surrealism, the weird, and the uncanny are standard motifs in the anthology (culminating in the brilliantly unsettling Langan story, "For the Rest of Our Lives, We Will Wait in You: A Record," inspired by “You’ve Passed”). Many stories employ standard narrative themes to eventually target the heart rather than the mind (Brian Evenson's "The Garden Head," inspired by “Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone,” Ai Jiang's "On the Bridge Above the River," inspired by “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea,” and Richard Thomas' heartfelt "Naomi Ascending," inspired by “Naomi,” provide three widely different examples of this). Several stories prove to be unexpected gateways into the bleakly absurd (Dan Coxon's "Terminus," inspired by “Two-Headed Boy, Pt. 2”) or the mythological ( Lindz McLeod's "Styx and Stones," inspired by “Someone Is Waiting”). A single story builds upon the hidden savagery of the paranormal (Brian Ripley Page's "Her Reflection," inspired by “My Dream Girl Don’t Exist”). And many others mix the religious with the existential, the romantic and the metaphysical (for example, Corey Farrenkopf's "The Church of Our Lords. The Church of Dogs.", inspired by “The King of Carrot Flowers Part 2 and 3”).

In sum, "And One Day We Will Die" readily fulfills one's craving for weird, polysemous, literary horror, without surrendering itself to the gratuitously absurd and the unnecessarily ambiguous. Admittedly, similar to their inspiration, the stories are not always easy to digest or understand; they share that rough, serpentine, carnival sensibility with Neutral Milk Hotel's music. In my eyes, this makes the book an undoubted success, and I heartily recommend it!

[Ruxandra Grrr]

omg, this feels like something made specifically for me, since every time I think How Strange It Is to Be Anything At All my eyes tear up! Super excited for this. I hope it ruins me forever.

[Jenna]

Need this!

[Sheena Forsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off/ full disclosure: I was sent an eARC by Patrick Barb for an honest review.

I came to this anthology completely ignorant of the band whose music these stories are built upon. I would listen to the songs through the course of reading this; sometimes before starting the stories,other times after. Either way worked well, although it is a little bit easier understanding the basis of the tale if you recognize some of the references. As such, I can thank the tales for having introduced me to neat music as well as some new (to me) authors. The songs are often ambiguous enough to lend themselves well to this project but I can’t imagine it being easy writing with this kind of framework; so kudos for that. Although some stories hit harder for me than others, there are no weak links and Barb has done an impressive job curating his first anthology.
Firmly steeped in the weird, the authors vary widely in how they chose to fulfill the brief: You’ll find everything set in the darkness of the (possibly near) future, others in the past, stories dealing with cosmic horrors as well as those focused on frights more firmly rooted in our daily existence; or existence itself. Other stories reimagine historic events and ask “what if”. I struggled to connect with some of the stories but I’d expect that from an anthology which is pushing the envelope of the weird. Readers of Undertow Publications might want to give this one a go as I couldn’t stop thinking ‘I can easily imagine some of these in Weird Horror’).

An overview with short notes of the stories can be found below (I’ve marked those that now live rent free in my head with an “*”). I’d also recommend stop reading this review if you don’t want any spoilers.


-Untitled by Lillah Lawson (inspired by “Ghost”):
A woman goes to a seaside hill to avoid the city and to ‘become a ghost’ when something odd appears. Sometimes you find yourself back right where you started. Reads like an elegant handling of the topic suicide.

-“Argyria (Progress Review) by Helen Victoria Murray (inspired by “where you’ll find me now”):*
About the people behind a historic photography firm told through the thesis written years later. The author of the thesis finds themself ever increasingly haunted the further into research they delve; both figuratively and possibly beyond that. Deliciously ambiguous and a story that crept up on me.

-The Polyamorous Heart of Death by M. Lopes Da Silva (inspired by Holland 1945):
The subject of a painting suffers a sudden death and inspiration strikes as the painter descends into his work and paints the fresh corpse. Reads like a love story of sorts.

-Twins by Camila Hamel (inspired by ‘A Baby for Pree’):*
A woman spots twins walking down the road and gets a feeling that they are the twins grown of the ‘unborn’ ones she was pregnant 20 years ago. She decides to follow and sits down for a bite to eat and drink with them. What ensues is a thoroughly odd encounter. At first led to believe that the MC is going through trauma or dealing with delusions, the ambiguous ending has me doubting it more. There’s layers to this story; what exactly happened to the twins she was carrying; MC doesn’t seem entirely sure (or able to deal with it) Furthermore, the story touches on some terrible event which has people locking down for particles in the wind and talk about how how few babies are born and AI bots for the elderly. Clever & disconcerting short story that encompasses a lot more than the few pages would lead you to believe. Postapocalyptic and dystopian leanings without it being the salient part of the creepiness. One which I suspect people who’ve found themselves having to choose to proceed with a pregnancy will find hitting hard. Masterful writing and possibly my favorite of the lot along with “Mirrorboy” mentioned further down.

-Her Reflection by Briar Ripley Page (inspired by “My Dream Girl Don’t Exist”):*
A boy has a special invisible friend; a girl & is advised as to how to see her. A gentle, nostalgic and oddly comforting coming-of-age tale. There’s a sweet longing to this.

-The Clown King in Yellow by Joe Koch (inspired by “The Fool”):*
Jeremy is going to their eldest brother’s funeral: a masquerade funeral; no mask; no entry. The early premise itself had me expecting I’d like this, and I was not wrong. An engaging trans-inclusive cosmic story about betrayal, madness & the masks we wear. My first time reading Koch = 10/10

-Not Even the Ghosts, Not Even the Birds by Tiffany Morris (inspired by “The King of Carrot Flowers Part 1”):
Mechanical castle with its creepy automatons and a lonely man waiting for visitors as something has descended and he hasn’t heard a living voice for days; that is, until Nia arrives. There’s an expectant quality to this; a waiting for salvation, company, or hope itself.

-Just the Motion by D. Matthew Urban (inspired by “Little Birds”):
A man grapples with traumatizing memories of his father on a beach where he has now taken his daughter. Something beckons him to join them in the water. Hallucinations or something more? Taps well into parental fears and unknowable creatures of the sea which gave me vague Lovecraftian vibes (without the bigotry). Ultimately a melancholy story of when the voices; be they internal or external, manage to separate you from your loved ones.

-The Project by Christi Nogle (inspired by “Oh, Comely”):
Kay has retreated to a shack to finish a project she’s hoping will bring her closer to her late mother without distractions. A town cut off from the rest of the world she’s been forbidden to visit, odd local customs like not being able to move out from parents’ homes until marriage
A foreboding dream of violence and rage, an unsettling vision of her mother warning her of things to come. All of the above set in the scheme of a world where VR-like experiences draw masses of people and large parts of the populations have had augmentations done in order to take part in it. Abrupt ending; wish I’d be able to follow Kay further through the woods. That being said; love how Nogle has managed to merge folk horror with sci-fi.

-Transmission by Tim Major (inspired by “Two-Headed Boy”):
Louis is cooped up inside an apartment while under siege and building a companion of sorts. Thoughts about a boy, either real or a result of paranoia rattling around his head. A reminder that sometimes even our creations are beyond our control and wishes. And that sometimes in making them we’re undone (or maybe re-done)

-Terminus by Dan Coxon (inspired by “Two-Headed Boy, Pt. 2”):
Andrej works in the line of transport for radioactive material for in a world that went to hell after decades of nuclear war where no one seems to be the winners. He’s experiencing the effects of radiation sickness when he has a precognitive dream heralding a box with mysterious marks. The box holds something echoing the previous story.

-White Roses in Their Eyes by Matthew Kressel (inspired by “Untitled (‘Ghost Coda’)”:*
“You’re right, Jeff. Time isn’t linear. The world is an incredibly blurry, crazy dream we’re all sort of stumbling through. I’m both alive and dead(…)”
Epistolary Story told through letters
rich in references to “Jeff” (directly referencing a certain band linked to the collection) from the ghost’s POV.
Letters from a grandmother; she is dreaming she’s a ghost in her father’s old office in The Netherlands and that the ghost is trying to tell her something. Alternative and well written histfic heartbreaking in it’s handling of what could have been.

-Styx and Stones by Lindz McLeod (inspired by: “Someone is Waiting”)
A love story on the River Styx as told from Charon’s POV. Sweet and sentimental.

-Mirrorboy by Erin Brown (inspired by: “Avery Island/April 1st”):*
A coming of age-tale about a boy in the matter of mirror working/living in the mirror hall of a funfair. Hours away from what he believes is his 1st date, his expectations (and literally him) are shattered. First time reading about teenage angst in the shape of a sentient mirror. Odd, touching and clever; this one gave me SGJ-vibes and one of my two favorite stories (along with “Twins” mentioned above)

-The Garden Head by Brian Evenson (inspired by: “Gardenhead/Leave me Alone”):*
A mysterious garden and the person who steals their way into it only to be confronted by an otherworldly and sentient plant (or something vaguely similar to a plant). Ambiguous and quite unsettling. I’ll be avoiding the garden for a while.

-The Oxygen Thief by Edward Barnfield (inspired by: “I Hear You Breathe”):
The air’s gone sour, black market sales of oxygen siphoned from less well to do parts of the world are doing well & we’re acquainted with a girl working at a futuristic bordello when a angry and mysterious man walks in.
Scary imagining of a road we might very well be headed down. Zeitgeist in its handling of themes of climate change, inaction and contagious illnesses.

-Crungus & Loeb: An Unpublished Review by Dale Light (inspired by: “I Will Bury You in Time”):
An audience member is harrowed by a polarizing Traveling performance of violence, atrocities & natural disaster.

-The Church of Our Lords, The Church of Dogs by Corey Farrenkopf (inspired by: “The King of Carrot Flowers, part 2 & 3”):
Deals with religious hypocrisy and secrecy as we follow two altar boys down a basement to see what their priest has kept hidden. The idea of finding myself in a cellar with a fervously muttering old priest made for a claustrophobic and unsettling read. A good coming of age-story I suspect a lot of readers will enjoy.

-On the Bridge Above the River by Ai Jiang (inspired by “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea”):
An ambiguous and lyrical tale about obsession, identity, façades and dashed dreams.

-Perfect Dream by Michael Horita (inspired by: “Engine”):
Someone’s dreams of their mom as she was before their demon-ridden (possibly personal; or something more) father broke them; full of hope, longing and inevitable heartbreak.

-Naomi Ascending by Richard Thomas (inspired by: “Naomi”):
A man and the rumored witch or prophet /shapeshifter (the ‘what’ depending on the townie) he offers a ride out of pity. The act of kindness leads him to a revelation unlike those most bear witness to. Blood moon is coming and with it so will bad things. Then the elders arrive in classic witch hunt-style although what ensues is far from what most readers will expect from stories with similar outsets.

-For the Rest of Our Lives, We Will Wait in You: A Record by John Langan (inspired by: “You’ve Passed”):
Georgie is enamored (obsessed) with an older band and pleasantly surprised when a member of the band replies to her email. Interested in both the music, she’s also curious about its greater lore; like the mysterious woman referred to as ‘Cranberry’ who no one really knows anything about. Nothing except that she had an important role. Now that Cranberry’s dying, Georgie joins one band member to the house which serves as the band’s hub and has an unsettling, dreamlike experience she won’t entirely be able to make sense of nor forget.

[ScarlettAnomalyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I had been looking forward too, and I managed to snag on BookSirens!

Collections are just hitting right the last little bit and this one was no slouch in that department.

I am going to be honest, i had no idea what Music of the Neutral Milk Hotel was, but I did see Milt post a review about this book, so I had to check it out.

This was 22 of the weirdest little stories, and I loved every second of it.

I don't feel like I had to know about the Milk Hotel part to enjoy this book, I enjoyed it going in blind, but I am now curious about it, so I will be checking it out later lol .

Few to note were
Styx and Stones, absolutely unhinged but wonderful.
The Garden Head and Her Reflections, they punched me right in the freaking gut.

I will need to check out more work by these Authors, I did not know a few of them before i started this collection.

[David Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a rare beast in my experience. I am used to finding three, four at most stories in a single anthology that appeal to me. A lot of themed anthologies are put together on short timelines, and filled in great part with stories by names that were accepted without having submitted anything for marketing purposes. This book, edited by Patrick Barb, breaks the rules. I started to realize about halfway through that I had thoroughly enjoyed every story I'd read. That did not change as I finished the book.

The stories are as surreal as the music that inspired them. No one held back. Some are so bleak you need to go and be alone for a while after finishing. The very first story dealing with suicide was one of my favorites, but filled with pain.

Standouts for me were "Untitled," by Lilitllah Lawson, "Argyria (Progress Review)," - Helen Victoria Murray, "Her Reflection," by Briar Ripley Page, "The Clown King in Yellow," by Joe Koch, "The Project," by Christi Nogel, "White Roses in Their Eyes," by Matthew Kressel, Ai Jiang's "On the Bridge Above the River," and John Langan's "For the Rest of Our Lives We Will Wait in You: A Record.

These are deeply stylistic, literary stories that go very, very dark. The authors understood that inpsired by a song didn't mean you had to see a progression of lyrics to ties them together... it could be a single snippet that brought something new. I love this book. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

eARC from publisher

I started this collection a week ago, sure that I'd have plenty of time to read all the stories before its publication.

I think I have two left, but I've got to get to bed the night before it drops, and I'm a little saddened that this wasn't for me. Too dreamy, which maybe I should have expected, but I always hear Neutral Milk Hotel as sharp.

There are some standout stories, or maybe just ones I enjoyed: Lindz McLeod's "Styx and Stones," Corey Farrenkopf's "The Church of Our Lords. The Church of Dogs," "Mirror Boy" by Erin Brown.

What the collection does have is rich imagery and vast amounts of imagination. There are moments that will haunt me, even if the stories do not resolve in ways that I enjoyed (or even remember). Find them yourself.

Who this is for: Neutral Milk Hotel fans who want to be the Leo Pointing meme, and people who like their stories to be like fever dreams, slightly out of reach.

[Kyle Lemmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the editor/publisher for sending me the ARC. I’m a longtime Neutral Milk Hotel fan and this collection of weird and strange tales fits the psychedelic folk-rock band’s aesthetic quite well. Seek it out on January 14! You will not be disappointed. My favorite stories from the anthology were by Lilah Lawson, Ai Jiang, Joe Koch, Erin Brown, John Langan, Corey Farrenkopf, Lindz McLeod, and Brian Evenson, but all of them were entertaining and fit with that otherworldly Jeff Mangum strangeness we all know and cherish.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a strong anthology and worked with the theme of this. Each story worked with everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the way each story worked with this collection. There was a beauty to it and worked with what I was hoping for. It had me wanting to learn about this band that it's based on.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Christina Pfeiffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

**REVIEW**

AND ONE DAY WE WILL DIE: Strange Stories Inspired by the Music of Neutral Milk Hotel
Edited by: Patrick Barb
Release: 1/14/25
Page count: 316
KU: No Hoopla: No

Overall rating: 5/5

There’s twenty-two stories so let’s get into it. But TL;DR, by this immediately. It’s a stellar collection.

Untitled by Lillian Lawson - Every mother will relate to this story - whether they want to or not. “Nobody had warned her that she was a finite resource. That she would wither up and petrify.” (6/5)

Argyria (Progess Review) by Helen Victoria Murray - Art broken down and thoroughly researched. An obsession for the MC. (3/5)

The Polyamorous Heart of Death by M. Lopes da Silva - This is what happens when you take the phrase “still life” a bit too literal. “Will he be your kindling or your flame?” (6/5)

Twins by Camila Hamel - Pree was out walking one day and believes she sees her twins… that she lost years before. (5/5)

Her Reflection by Briar Ripley Page - Jacob has a voice in his head and with an opportunity, he can get it out. But will it be worth it? (4/5)

The Clown in Yellow by Joe Koch - Jeremy must go back home for a family member’s funeral but this is no ordinary funeral or family. (4/5)

Not Even the Ghosts, Not Even the Birds by Tiffany Morris - When the end of the world happens, always carry quarters. (4/5)

Just the Motion by D. Matthew Urban - Harris goes back to the beach of his youth. With his daughter, Kayla, he will be forced to revisit the past. (5/5)

The Project by Christi Nogle - Kay goes off the grid in order to begin bringing her mother’s journal to life, but at what cost? (4/5)

Transmission by Tim Major - Louis is building his love but is it going to be heaven or hell? (Ties to next story) (4/5)

Terminus by Dan Coxon - Andrej dreams of a crate that becomes a reality and must have it. Although, somethings are best left unopened. (5/5)

White Roses in Their Eyes by Matthew Kressel - An old woman comes to terms with her life, family, and the unknown. (3.5/5)

Styx and Stones by Lindz McLeod - What happens when the ferryman (ferry woman) falls in love and Hades is as cruel as Zeus can be? (This broke my heart wide open. 6/5)

Mirror boy by Erin Brown - Paul (Pablo) has a date with Elise but he’s not a normal teenager and even less so after Bip. I hate Bip. (6/5)

The Garden Head by Brian Evenson - A man wanders into a garden and gets more than in touch with nature. (4/5)

The Oxygen Thief by Edward Barnfield - A high roller walks into an oxygen bar for a night of conversation and pain. (6/5)

Crungus and Loeb - An Unpublished Review by Dale Light - A couple are talked into going to a theater performance that will forever change their lives. (6/5)

The Church of Our Lords. The Church of Dogs. By Cory Farrenkopf - Two boys are given a “gift” from Father Brenan that is supposed to make their parents proud. (4.5/5)

On the Bridge Above the Water by Ai Jiang - Doppleganger lore is scary but losing one that you consider a deity could be worse. (5/5)

Perfect Dream by Michael Horita - The past experiences of our parents can impact our relationships in ways we never could imagine. (4/5)

Naomi Ascending by Richard Thomas - William communes with nature after meeting with the local witch and that’s when the trouble begins. (4/5)

For the Rest of Our Lives, We Will Wait in You: A Record by John Langan - A story told as a record set list. (4/5)

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was promised strange and it delivered. Some of the stories stood out more than others, but all of them being based on Neutral Milk Hotel songs was a fun concept! Recommend for any NMH fans looking for something to read.

[Cee]

Millennial Cringe.

I wanted to excoriate this short story collection but as I sat around for two days thinking about it, I don't think it's exactly fair/worth it.

Derek asked: What were you expecting?

Me: I don't know, not this. Not just mentions of Anne Frank, "nothing at all", incoherence, and carrot flowers. Not just directly pulled lyrics that feel like they want to prompt me to:
Derek: Well that's exactly what I would expect from a collection of stories about music.

So what was I expecting? Am I too tied to my own interpretation of the music? (But also how oh how could you write about King of Carrot Flowers Pt 1 - AKA the best domestic horror and just make it into post apocalyptic - or Little Birds - easily the easiest body horror elements into something about evil Mermaids?!)

There were some interesting stories for sure but mostly they felt pandering. Afraid to dwell on the more unsavory elements for fear of upsetting dear ol' Jeff.

I expected more coherence because a song can get away with less but a story cannot. It's creepy in a song but lazy in a story.

Two extremely cringy stories aside, most at least tried. That's something. I still like this music so I'm the cringeiest one.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful collection of eclectic fiction. Each story a world of their own. Each individual but flows and ebbs into each other to create this cohesive book. I liked the idea of this book. As someone who's mind wonders into a creative reflection generated by music it was interesting to see how that manifested in others. At first drawn to the book by its cover it was a nice Easter egg at the conclusion to find out why it drew me in. It lends an extra nugget of introducing a band one might not have found on their own. Although I received this advance review copy for free it is the kind of book I would naturally be drawn to if on the shelves of local book store. I am happy to voluntarily share this review in hopes other attracted to this kind of work may find it.

[jess wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not a huge fan of short stories, but being a huge fan of NMH, I HAD to read this one. The stories work well together thematically, and I enjoyed most of them. One story, “White Roses in Their Eyes”, took this book to the next level for me, though. I’ll still be thinking about this story years from now.

[Kelly Strautmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these stories are right up my alley with their weirdness. Some didn’t make sense. Enjoyable.

[David Swisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd little collection of stories that are equal parts surreal, sad, and grotesque. I went in never having listened to Neutral Milk Hotel, and I think that shaped my experience. Some parts in most stories clearly nod to lyrics or references I didn’t catch, which left me feeling a bit outside the circle. What carried the book for me wasn’t the tie-in to the music, but the way some authors managed to capture a strange, aching atmosphere.

Like most anthologies, it’s uneven. A few stories lean so hard on strangeness that they lose their footing and end up more confusing than compelling. But there are moments of quiet devastation and weird beauty that don’t need any prior context, and that's what makes this collection work.

Even without knowing the music, those stories make it feel like wandering through a dream you’re not sure you want to wake up from. Fragmented, unsettling, but with flashes of something haunting and real.

I won't call it essential reading, but it is good reading. Definitely for fans of strange, surreal, and/or weird horror, and I assume even better if you're a fan of Neutral Milk Hotel.

[Steve Stred · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Huge thanks to Patrick Barb for a digital ARC of this one!*

As long as I can remember, music has been an integral part of my life. I’m not ashamed to say that there’s been times music has literally saved my life and when I’ve been at my lowest of low moments, I’ve turned to music. When a song can take me somewhere, whether the lyrics relate specifically to that moment – and at times they’re not even in English – it forever sticks with me. When I was traveling to Lac La Biche, Alberta to say my goodbyes to my aunt, CCR ‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain’ played literally everywhere. I can still hear it playing in the Kelowna Airport, on the airplane when we landed in Calgary to transfer planes, in the van driving to my aunt and uncles house and again in the hospital when we were visiting my aunt. And wouldn’t you know it, the song was playing a million times on the trip home.

I had a similar experience a few years ago when I took our believed American Bulldog OJ to the vet for the final time. On the drive there, Rod Stewart’s ‘Forever Young’ was playing. It was on again at the vet’s. And when I left without him, I was trying to keep it together, so I changed the radio channel, not wanting to listen to anything else while driving. And sure enough, the scheduled show on the sports talk channel used ‘Forever Young’ as it’s intro music. SERIOUSLY!

Music is the lifeblood of our emotions, our memories and brings people together like nothing else.

Saying all of that, before I read this anthology, I’d heard of Neutral Milk Hotel, but had never really listened to them. After reading this, I popped onto Youtube and listened through a dozen songs, recognizing a bunch of them. I can’t say that I’m a huge fan, but I can absolutely see why they’ve created the cult following they have and why it was that Patrick Barb got together over a dozen authors for this anthology based on the band’s songs.

What I liked: The level of talent on display here is world class, but it was also refreshing to see a lot of newer names to me and up-and-coming names as well. It wasn’t the standard TOC that everybody always sees when a new anthology is announced and you can practically guess the first twelve authors announced every single time.

There were a lot of very solid stories, but there were a few that really stood out.

The opening story, ‘Untitled’ by Lilah Lawson was easily the perfect choice to open the anthology. It’s not only the most eerie story, but in this readers mind, the best story within. It follows a woman who decides that she’s going to become a ghost and goes about remembering her life, why she decides being a ghost is the best way forward. The ending to this story showcases what each story is going to deliver, but none of them do it as pristinely as Lawson did. Haunting and atmospheric, which is exactly what I want in a well crafted song.

‘The Clown King in Yellow’ by Joe Koch is another perfect example of why you should be reading Joe’s work. Joe’s work is always powerful and pushes the boundaries of where a story can go. It’s like the first time you see a comic book artist draw part of the image outside of the frame. The story follows a family that changes their memorial celebration into a Halloween party of sorts and as the night goes on, things grower tenser and tenser. It works so very well and if it wasn’t for Lawson’s phenomenal piece, this would’ve been my favorite.

‘The Garden Head’ by Brian Evenson. Good friggin’ lord. Is there nothing that Evenson can’t make creepy? This story had me tucking the blankets around my feet and making sure the closet doors remained closed. A person finds a path. They follow it. They find some gates and a transcendental event occurs. That’s about all I can say without really spoiling it, but holy wow was this unnerving.

Throughout, the stories weave and work there ways into the readers brain and I can really see fans of the band absolutely raving about this anthology for years to come.

What I didn’t like: If you know my reading tastes, you’ll know I struggle with epistolary storytelling, and there were a number of those stories within that I just couldn’t connect with.

As well, though I think you can really enjoy and experience this batch of stories without being familiar with the band, there are definitely Easter eggs and song lyrics within that fans of the band will embrace and enjoy that much more.

Why you should buy this: Fans of the band will definitely eat this up and hold these stories high within their reading lives. Those who’re not familiar with the music but are familiar with the authors will be very, very happy with what is delivered here. And those readers, who simply enjoy anthologies and anthologies around music will most likely find their new favorite short story within.

Solid, balanced and (as evidenced by the amazing foreword) respectful of the source material, Barb has done an amazing job with this anthology.

[Zane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never been a big Neutral Milk Hotel fan other than their most famous songs, but I was really excited when I heard about this collection simply based on the premise alone - I don't know of another short story anthology with stories based on individual songs, let alone a specific band. I really hope this becomes more of a thing, because it's a really cool concept.

Unfortunately, I did not like most of the stories in this collection. Maybe they just weren't my thing - a lot of the other reviews are glowing - but most of the stories just didn't resonate with me at all. I think my biggest complaint was that almost every story was extremely ambiguous and non-linear. I've never been a fan of the fever-dream type story where there's no clear indication of what's going on, so I struggled to get through most of the collection.

Many of the stories started off with a specific premise, but then things eventually evolved into this twisting nightmare where you have no idea what's happening and the author's using all of this flowy imagery and then there's no conclusion or any explanation of what the purpose of the story actually was. It's one thing to have the occasional story like that, but well over half of the stories were like this.

There were 2 stories that I actually did like - "White Roses in Their Eyes" and "For the Rest of Our Lives, We Will Wait in You: A Record". The first story was set in an alternate universe where the Holocaust never happened because Hitler was killed in a bar fight in Munich. The story is told through letters from Anne Frank to her granddaughter and nephew - Anne is seeing flashes of our universe and is trying make connections between her world and ours. She also breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to Jeff Magnum, the lead singer of Neutral Milk Hotel - maybe this was our Anne speaking from beyond the grave? I don't know, it's almost like there was 2 different Franks in the story. Magnum has always felt some sort of connection to Frank, with one of the band's most famous songs, "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" being at least, in part, about her. I really liked the concept of this story, although the fourth-wall breaks become very disjointed and it took me over half of the story to figure out what was going on.

The second story was written by one of my favorite authors, John Langan - his style and the design of the story were the main reasons I didn't dislike this one as well. Langan tells his story in the style of album linear notes, with each "chapter" as a specific song and a Side A and B break in the middle of the story. We learn of the George Herbert Collective, a band in the early 90s that only released one album, but gained a large cult following (sound familiar?). The history of the band is explored through the eyes of Georgie, who falls down a deep rabbit-hole after she discovers the band for the first time. Her obsession with the album leads her to email the band members, of which only the primary songwriter responds. They form a relationship that leads her to visit the home where the band recorded their album, where she meets "Cranberry" a semi-mythical woman that was involved with the band during their long tour after the album's release. Of course things get overly weird and dreamy and there's no ultimate final conclusion, but I loved the way Langan told the story and the history behind the band itself. I think Langan implies that there's other universes and for some reason Cranberry, who is dying of cancer, has unlocked them somehow.

Like I said, these stories weren't my cup of tea. They may be someone else's, but I can't reasonably recommend the collection to others because they really, really, really weren't my cup of tea. The collection took me months to get through because I just couldn't sit down to read for longer than a handful of pages. Take all of that as you will - if you want to read a short story about a boy made of a fun-house mirror this may be your collection!

[Rita Tourner · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's very rare for me to buy a new book upon its release date but as soon as I learned of its existence, there was no way I could ignore it.

A surrealist horror anthology?? Completely inspired by the music of Neutral Milk Hotel?? To slightly tweak a famous quote from Junji Ito's The Enigma of Amigara Fault- "This is my anthology, it was made for me!"

And after devouring these stories in the span of a day, I find myself praising that this book was as good as I hoped it would be One Day We Will Die sets out to capture the surreal, poetic beauty of Neutral Milk Hotel's music and it certainly delivers.

That is to say, though... if you are a NMH fan picking this up hoping/expecting each story to be a direct adaption of the song its based upon, or some kind of song fic circa early 2000s fanfic style... you'll be diving in with the wrong mindset and might miss out on appreciating these stories for what they actually are- little gems INSPIRED by the music and the imagery and feelings they in turn inspired in the authors. Just wanted to throw that in as a friendly heads up!

Like any anthology, some stories stood out more than others and were juicy peach ripe with prose and emotion. Some of my personal favorites included 'White Roses In Their Eyes' by Matthew Kressel, 'Her Reflection' by Briar Ripley Page, 'The Church of Our Lords, The Church of Dogs' by Corey Farrenkopf, and 'Mirrorboy' by Erin Brown.

Others seemed more focused on just being as weird as possible, and not in the confuddling fun of navigating a lucid fever dream that reading good surrealist fiction should feel like. 'The Polyamorous Heart of Death' was like this, but at least had some striking imagery to make up for it. (Extra bummed about this as Holland, 1945 might just be my favorite NMH song of all time)
'The Garden Head' didn't even have that much and I read through it with all the joy of a migraine. Easily the weakest story in the entire collection.
Most disappointing of all- 'On The Bridge Above The River', the much anticipated story based off of the song In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (c'mon we are talking THE quintessential NMH song here!!!) was a mess of jaded social media preaching that failed to make any kind of relevant message about how low lusting after unobtainable standards set by influencers can sink you.

Overall, this anthology is a must read for anyone who enjoys Neutral Milk Hotel and the feelings they inspire with their music. You'll be moved, you'll be befuddled, and sure, you might be creeped out by the some of the stories if you don't read horror on the regular. And you'll certainly be reaching for your Neutral Milk vinyl to spin while you savor all of which you just experienced when you're done.

[Wyatt Towns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A disharmonic triumph, And One Day We Shall Die: Strange Stories Inspired by the Music of Neutral Milk Hotel is a collection like no other, striking a secret chord in the American creative zeitgeist that echoes with so many of today’s most important writers of fiction. It is one of the few collections of speculative fiction that I think can actually transcend the regular audience, offering something of interest and consequence to those who are only occasionally drawn to fiction. I can’t promise you’ll love every leg of this pilgrimage, as this road is haunted by many ghosts, but I do promise it’s a journey worth taking.

Strengths
-Remarkable breadth of voice, showcasing some of the sharpest established and up-and-coming fiction
-Does its inspiration material justice, transcending formats and keeping the essence of what made the foundational material so resonant
-Variety of style, content, and theme mean there will be something here to appreciate for almost any reader of fiction

Weaknesses
-Not all efforts to transpose the identity of Neutral Milk’s Hotel music make for effective fiction
-With such quality in the collection, some entries are inevitably outshone, and quality entries have gone unremarked up on here

Full, spoiler-free review appears on Vogue Horror .

[Windy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ARC read was a massive hit for me.
NEUTRUAL MILK HOTEL: Strange Stories Inspired by the Music of Neutral Milk Hotel ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Comes out tomorrow January 14.

Tbh, I wasn’t familiar with the band Neutral Milk Hotel prior to finding this book and now I’m low-key obsessed. I also found a few new-to-me authors to follow which is always a bonus.

These 22 weird fiction stories are just that! Weirdly immersive and surreal; a sweet concoction of fantasy, scifi, romance, paranormal and horror.

A few personal standouts were
* Ai Jiang- On the Bridge Above the River
* Brian Evanson- The Garden Head
* Lindz McLeod- Styx and Stones
* Brian Ripley Page- Her Reflection
* John Langan- For the Rest of Our Lives, We Will Wait in You: A Record

I highly recommend this to any and all fans of weird fiction. I’ll definitely be looking for a physical copy on my bookstore travels. It’s a must-have for me.