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Lunar Gothic Trilogy #2
Cathedral of the Drowned
The sequel to Crypt of the Moon Spider, Cathedral of the Drowned is a dripping, squirming, scuttling tale of altered bodies and minds.
There are two halves of Charlie Duchamp. One is a brain in a jar, stranded on Jupiter’s jungle moon, Io, who just wants to go home. The other is hanging on the wall of Barrowfield Home on Earth’s own moon, host to the eggs of the Moon Spider and filled with a murderous rage.
On Io, deep in the flooded remains of a crashed cathedral ship, lives a giant centipede called The Bishop, who has taken control of the drowned astronauts inside. Both Charlies converge here, stalking each other in the haunted ruins, while a new Moon Spider prepares to hatch.
There are two halves of Charlie Duchamp. One is a brain in a jar, stranded on Jupiter’s jungle moon, Io, who just wants to go home. The other is hanging on the wall of Barrowfield Home on Earth’s own moon, host to the eggs of the Moon Spider and filled with a murderous rage.
On Io, deep in the flooded remains of a crashed cathedral ship, lives a giant centipede called The Bishop, who has taken control of the drowned astronauts inside. Both Charlies converge here, stalking each other in the haunted ruins, while a new Moon Spider prepares to hatch.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published August 26, 2025
53 people are currently reading
4213 people want to read
About the author
Nathan Ballingrud
73 books1,357 followersI'm the author of North American Lake Monsters: stories, coming from Small Beer Press in July 2013. I'm currently at work on my first novel and several more short stories. I live with my daughter in Asheville, NC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
June 12, 2025
This horror scientific gothic novella is definitely a compelling, bizarre and a very strange one! This book is a sequel to the “Crypt of the Moon Spider”. It is a story that centers around Charlie Duchamp’s brain. It explores two parts of Charlie’s brain. As both sides of his brain are drawn to a flooded wreckage of a cathedral ship on lo, the two parts also differ in many ways. One side of his brain is a host to moon spider eggs and is driven by a murderous rage and is also hanging on the wall of Barrowfield’s house on Earth’s own moon. The other side of his brain seeks to return home on Jupiter’s jungle moon and is in a jar. Some of the themes expressed in this book are isolation and loneliness, duality and identity, body horror and the unknown. As this story unfolds, a lot of chilling and intense things begin to happen. Overall, I give this a 3 out of 5 stars.
This book is uniquely written, dark and has psychological tension. I found that it has ethical implications of advanced technology and it contained gothic and noir elements. It is like a nightmare that you want to wake up from. It’s gruesome, hard to stomach, not comfortable to read and surreal. I found this to have mysterious and adventurous vibes. I was not fully immersed while reading this book. This book is very sad and reflective. This is a very fast paced, short read that contained vivid imagery.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Nathan Ballingrud and Tor Publishing Group | Tor Nightfire for this electronic arc of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
I think fans of science fiction, mixed in with fantasy and psychological elements, would really enjoy reading this. There is a huge audience that would really love this book, it just didn’t connect with me. Content warnings include body horror, violence, gore and blood.
This book is expected to be published on October 21, 2025! Just around Halloween time!!
This book is uniquely written, dark and has psychological tension. I found that it has ethical implications of advanced technology and it contained gothic and noir elements. It is like a nightmare that you want to wake up from. It’s gruesome, hard to stomach, not comfortable to read and surreal. I found this to have mysterious and adventurous vibes. I was not fully immersed while reading this book. This book is very sad and reflective. This is a very fast paced, short read that contained vivid imagery.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Nathan Ballingrud and Tor Publishing Group | Tor Nightfire for this electronic arc of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
I think fans of science fiction, mixed in with fantasy and psychological elements, would really enjoy reading this. There is a huge audience that would really love this book, it just didn’t connect with me. Content warnings include body horror, violence, gore and blood.
This book is expected to be published on October 21, 2025! Just around Halloween time!!
September 24, 2025
Being that this is the second book of a trilogy, I was expecting answers to some of my questions from the first book; for instance: What is going on? LOL Instead, I find myself with more questions!
Reading the synopsis on this novella makes it sound like a fever dream/science fiction mash up. To be honest, it kind of is, but somehow it also has a pulpy adventure feel to it which is hard to pin down. This entry only has a few connections to the first book, but it does further the narrative, if only a little bit. Even with that, do NOT try to read this book without having read the first. You will be so lost. Hell, I felt lost at times and I DID read the first one!
This felt like a denser, more detailed story than the page count indicates. Maybe that's because I wanted to be sure not to miss any clues as to where all this going? Maybe it's because that's how the author wanted it? Hell, I don't know. All I do know is I feel a need to find out what is going on here. What does it all mean? Will any of these characters survive? What is it with all these spiders?
Once again, here I am, having had a good time, but wanting more! I recommend this read, but only to those have read the first book. And now? I begin the wait for the last one.
*ARC from publisher
Reading the synopsis on this novella makes it sound like a fever dream/science fiction mash up. To be honest, it kind of is, but somehow it also has a pulpy adventure feel to it which is hard to pin down. This entry only has a few connections to the first book, but it does further the narrative, if only a little bit. Even with that, do NOT try to read this book without having read the first. You will be so lost. Hell, I felt lost at times and I DID read the first one!
This felt like a denser, more detailed story than the page count indicates. Maybe that's because I wanted to be sure not to miss any clues as to where all this going? Maybe it's because that's how the author wanted it? Hell, I don't know. All I do know is I feel a need to find out what is going on here. What does it all mean? Will any of these characters survive? What is it with all these spiders?
Once again, here I am, having had a good time, but wanting more! I recommend this read, but only to those have read the first book. And now? I begin the wait for the last one.
*ARC from publisher
October 19, 2025
The stunning sequel to The Crypt of the Moon Spider.
As sequels go this was exceptional from start to finish. As expected the story picks up directly from the ending of the previous novella. Although in it's own obscure manner. That said, this builds vastly on its predecessor, it felt grander in scope, far more detailed and packed with emotion. If you read Moon Spider, you'll more than likely be looking for answers to many questions. You'll get some of those answers but with more questions to boot. That in itself is part of the beauty. The unknown is far more terrifying and desirable to us readers.
I'd love to chat about the story itself but its so crazily out there that you should explore it yourself.
Nathan Ballingrud really delivered a wonderful horror/science fiction story here. From beautifully written moments of mind bending cosmic wonder to the most gruesome bloodthirsty moments of unrivalled violence. Its all here in one fantastic volume.
I'm honestly left in awe!
As sequels go this was exceptional from start to finish. As expected the story picks up directly from the ending of the previous novella. Although in it's own obscure manner. That said, this builds vastly on its predecessor, it felt grander in scope, far more detailed and packed with emotion. If you read Moon Spider, you'll more than likely be looking for answers to many questions. You'll get some of those answers but with more questions to boot. That in itself is part of the beauty. The unknown is far more terrifying and desirable to us readers.
I'd love to chat about the story itself but its so crazily out there that you should explore it yourself.
Nathan Ballingrud really delivered a wonderful horror/science fiction story here. From beautifully written moments of mind bending cosmic wonder to the most gruesome bloodthirsty moments of unrivalled violence. Its all here in one fantastic volume.
I'm honestly left in awe!
Want to read
September 12, 2025Thank you Tor Nightfire for the ARC!
August 7, 2025
Crypt of the Moon Spider split the difference between horror and weird. Cathedral of the Damned will still make your stomach turn, but leans more heavily into the strangeness than the pure terror of its predecessor, and the story arc is elevated as a result.
Most of book one was spent at the psych ward on the Moon. In this packed sequel, more time is allotted to Earth (specifically a racial turf war in late 1920’s Brooklyn) as well as new setting — a partially submerged gothic Cathedral ship that landed just offshore on one of Jupiter’s moons, rich with volcanoes, jungles, and terrifying creatures of the deep.
The author paints a menacing picture of the many types of monsters in the story, be it environmental, alien, or human. The pages reek of dread as they fly by, an impressive mix of violent gang warfare, twisted science experiments, and arachnid-fueled horror — all presented with tight, evocative prose and excellent pacing.
It’s going to be a long wait for the next entry.
Most of book one was spent at the psych ward on the Moon. In this packed sequel, more time is allotted to Earth (specifically a racial turf war in late 1920’s Brooklyn) as well as new setting — a partially submerged gothic Cathedral ship that landed just offshore on one of Jupiter’s moons, rich with volcanoes, jungles, and terrifying creatures of the deep.
The author paints a menacing picture of the many types of monsters in the story, be it environmental, alien, or human. The pages reek of dread as they fly by, an impressive mix of violent gang warfare, twisted science experiments, and arachnid-fueled horror — all presented with tight, evocative prose and excellent pacing.
It’s going to be a long wait for the next entry.
June 3, 2025
This review was originally published at FanFiAddict.
Picking up immediately where Crypt of the Moon Spider left off, Cathedral of the Drowned follows Dr. Cull’s return to Red Hook where he joins up with local mobster Goodnight Maggie, seeking protection from the Moon Spider and her murderous cultists, the Alabaster Scholars. Maggie has problems of her own, as she begins to feel the squeeze of the Sicilian’s growing power, which has left two of her men dead. At night, she’s haunted by the ghost of Charlie, an enforcer she had sent to the moon to work for Cull, and who instead became a lab rat in the bad doctor’s various experiments revolving around the human brain and moonsilk. A section of Charlie’s brain has been removed and sent to Io, one of Jupiter’s many moons, where frightening discoveries await.
Oh yeah, all this is set in the 1920s, too.
If it sounds like there’s a lot going on, well… there is. Somehow Ballingrud makes it all digestible and easy to follow, keeping all of the very high weirdness remarkably grounded. Cathedral of the Drowned, however, is not a proper starting point for the uninitiated, with Crypt of the Moon Spider, the first entry in Ballingrud’s Lunar Gothic Trilogy, being a must-read prior to starting this one. Woe to the poor reader who picks up this book expecting a complete and self-contained story! The looks of confusion upon their faces are sure to be hilarious, though, as they try to figure out what they surely must have been drugged with prior to descending into this dream-occluded nightmare.
For those who might need some selling on The Lunar Gothic Trilogy, which upon Cathedral‘s release in October will be two-thirds completed, Ballingrud forgoes any modern scientific realism in favor of crafting a pulpy retrofuturistic horror story that owes far more to Edgar Rice Burroughs than Neil deGrasse Tyson. Where Burroughs had John Carter of Mars, Ballingrud has his Spider Woman of the Moon. The first book in his trilogy dove into the spider-webbed forests and Dr. Cull’s sanitarium on Earth’s moon. Here, Charlie’s dissected brain pilots a satellite to Io, the Jungle Moon of Jupiter, where a massive Cathedral ship from Earth has crashed and its crew of dead priests roam under the control of a titanic centipede god known as The Bishop.
All-in-all, it’s a throwback to classic pulp adventures from the early 1900s up through the black-and-white sci-fi flicks of the 50s. Ballingrud plays it all straight, too. He doesn’t try to explain anything away, like the hows and whys of regular, routine space travel for the common man and woman of the 1920s. It all just is. Readers are trusted to accept it without any fussy hand-holding. And unlike the retrofuturistic 1950s-inspired Fallout series of video games and TV show, there’s no tongue-in-cheek whimsy or self-referential silliness. Both this and the previous Crypt of the Moon Spider are hard-edged, cut-your-throat serious works of alt-history that pays terrific, and terrifying, homage to the stories and creators of yesteryear. While it shares some superficial similarities to Ballingrud’s other fantastical, alt-history sci-fier, The Strange, he also brings in plenty of horror, both body and cosmic, not to mention the plain old savage kinds, too. In some ways, these two Lunar Gothic stories feels like a marvelous blend of both The Strange and Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell. Certain passages here can’t help but remind one of “The Atlas of Hell” or his diabolical surgeons from “The Maw.” Ballingrud’s revisionism of the 1920s feels both real and ethereal, as degrees of the familiar coexist alongside nightmarish otherness. The more one buys into this world, the more they’ll be greatly rewarded.
Cathedral of the Drowned is also very much the middle child of this trilogy. It’s the essential middle part in Ballingrud’s narrative and readers are expected to already be familiar with this crazy world and what’s come before. They’re also expected to understand that this entry is, by its very nature, an incomplete story. Cathedral is a fine entry on its own, and a great follow-up to Crypt, but it also exists within the context of an as-yet-unfinished three-book cycle and how good or worthwhile it is depends on how well the third book lands. While Cathedral ends with a bang, it’s not THE ending to this story. There’s another book coming in 2026, and Cathedral does the necessary work to position these characters and align the stars for whatever weirdness comes next. If the first two books are any indication, we can expect the grand finale to be absolutely bonkers.
Picking up immediately where Crypt of the Moon Spider left off, Cathedral of the Drowned follows Dr. Cull’s return to Red Hook where he joins up with local mobster Goodnight Maggie, seeking protection from the Moon Spider and her murderous cultists, the Alabaster Scholars. Maggie has problems of her own, as she begins to feel the squeeze of the Sicilian’s growing power, which has left two of her men dead. At night, she’s haunted by the ghost of Charlie, an enforcer she had sent to the moon to work for Cull, and who instead became a lab rat in the bad doctor’s various experiments revolving around the human brain and moonsilk. A section of Charlie’s brain has been removed and sent to Io, one of Jupiter’s many moons, where frightening discoveries await.
Oh yeah, all this is set in the 1920s, too.
If it sounds like there’s a lot going on, well… there is. Somehow Ballingrud makes it all digestible and easy to follow, keeping all of the very high weirdness remarkably grounded. Cathedral of the Drowned, however, is not a proper starting point for the uninitiated, with Crypt of the Moon Spider, the first entry in Ballingrud’s Lunar Gothic Trilogy, being a must-read prior to starting this one. Woe to the poor reader who picks up this book expecting a complete and self-contained story! The looks of confusion upon their faces are sure to be hilarious, though, as they try to figure out what they surely must have been drugged with prior to descending into this dream-occluded nightmare.
For those who might need some selling on The Lunar Gothic Trilogy, which upon Cathedral‘s release in October will be two-thirds completed, Ballingrud forgoes any modern scientific realism in favor of crafting a pulpy retrofuturistic horror story that owes far more to Edgar Rice Burroughs than Neil deGrasse Tyson. Where Burroughs had John Carter of Mars, Ballingrud has his Spider Woman of the Moon. The first book in his trilogy dove into the spider-webbed forests and Dr. Cull’s sanitarium on Earth’s moon. Here, Charlie’s dissected brain pilots a satellite to Io, the Jungle Moon of Jupiter, where a massive Cathedral ship from Earth has crashed and its crew of dead priests roam under the control of a titanic centipede god known as The Bishop.
All-in-all, it’s a throwback to classic pulp adventures from the early 1900s up through the black-and-white sci-fi flicks of the 50s. Ballingrud plays it all straight, too. He doesn’t try to explain anything away, like the hows and whys of regular, routine space travel for the common man and woman of the 1920s. It all just is. Readers are trusted to accept it without any fussy hand-holding. And unlike the retrofuturistic 1950s-inspired Fallout series of video games and TV show, there’s no tongue-in-cheek whimsy or self-referential silliness. Both this and the previous Crypt of the Moon Spider are hard-edged, cut-your-throat serious works of alt-history that pays terrific, and terrifying, homage to the stories and creators of yesteryear. While it shares some superficial similarities to Ballingrud’s other fantastical, alt-history sci-fier, The Strange, he also brings in plenty of horror, both body and cosmic, not to mention the plain old savage kinds, too. In some ways, these two Lunar Gothic stories feels like a marvelous blend of both The Strange and Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell. Certain passages here can’t help but remind one of “The Atlas of Hell” or his diabolical surgeons from “The Maw.” Ballingrud’s revisionism of the 1920s feels both real and ethereal, as degrees of the familiar coexist alongside nightmarish otherness. The more one buys into this world, the more they’ll be greatly rewarded.
Cathedral of the Drowned is also very much the middle child of this trilogy. It’s the essential middle part in Ballingrud’s narrative and readers are expected to already be familiar with this crazy world and what’s come before. They’re also expected to understand that this entry is, by its very nature, an incomplete story. Cathedral is a fine entry on its own, and a great follow-up to Crypt, but it also exists within the context of an as-yet-unfinished three-book cycle and how good or worthwhile it is depends on how well the third book lands. While Cathedral ends with a bang, it’s not THE ending to this story. There’s another book coming in 2026, and Cathedral does the necessary work to position these characters and align the stars for whatever weirdness comes next. If the first two books are any indication, we can expect the grand finale to be absolutely bonkers.
December 24, 2025
Cathedral of the Drowned by Nathan Ballingrud is a nightmarish, gothic sci‑fi horror and the second installment of The Lunar Gothic Trilogy, building on the surreal world introduced in Crypt of the Moon Spider. It follows Charlie Duchamp in an utterly bizarre dual predicament: half of his brain lives in a jar on Jupiter’s jungle moon Io, longing to return to the woman he loves, while the other half remains in his body on Earth’s moon with murderous rage and spider‑spawned terror threatening everything around him. In the drowned wreckage of a crashed Cathedral ship on Io, Charlie’s two halves and a giant centipede entity called the Bishop stalk haunted ruins while new Moon Spiders prepare to be born in a setting that blends cosmic dread, body horror, and bleak noir energy.
This book throbs with atmosphere and grotesque imagination: the submerged cathedral, the drowned clergy twisted into monstrous forms, and the terrifying ecology of moon spider silk give it an unsettling, unforgettable texture that’s earned praise for its eerie blend of noir, cosmic horror, and surreal sci‑fi. This is a squirmingly intense and richly original with gorgeous, violent prose that evokes both dread and fascination, though its body horror, gore, and disturbing content aren’t for the faint‑hearted and the short, fast‑paced structure occasionally leaves worldbuilding feeling under‑explained unless you’ve read the first volume.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars. I’m giving Cathedral of the Drowned four stars because it pushes genre boundaries with fearless creativity: its weird, crawling horror and cosmic dread are uniquely compelling, and Ballingrud’s control of imagery and tone makes the absurd feel intimate and mean‑spirited. If you love experimental speculative fiction drenched in cosmic unease, unsettling body horror, and gothic atmosphere, this is a bold, eerie journey through fear and fragmentation that lingers in your mind long after you close the book but be prepared for intensity and ambiguity as this middle chapter ramps up toward the trilogy’s finale.
Trigger warning ⚠️: The novel includes body horror, violence, gore, and disturbing themes.
This book throbs with atmosphere and grotesque imagination: the submerged cathedral, the drowned clergy twisted into monstrous forms, and the terrifying ecology of moon spider silk give it an unsettling, unforgettable texture that’s earned praise for its eerie blend of noir, cosmic horror, and surreal sci‑fi. This is a squirmingly intense and richly original with gorgeous, violent prose that evokes both dread and fascination, though its body horror, gore, and disturbing content aren’t for the faint‑hearted and the short, fast‑paced structure occasionally leaves worldbuilding feeling under‑explained unless you’ve read the first volume.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars. I’m giving Cathedral of the Drowned four stars because it pushes genre boundaries with fearless creativity: its weird, crawling horror and cosmic dread are uniquely compelling, and Ballingrud’s control of imagery and tone makes the absurd feel intimate and mean‑spirited. If you love experimental speculative fiction drenched in cosmic unease, unsettling body horror, and gothic atmosphere, this is a bold, eerie journey through fear and fragmentation that lingers in your mind long after you close the book but be prepared for intensity and ambiguity as this middle chapter ramps up toward the trilogy’s finale.
Trigger warning ⚠️: The novel includes body horror, violence, gore, and disturbing themes.
November 3, 2025
This series is off the chain! I'm glad I re-read the first book beforehand or I'd have been more lost than Hurley and John Locke.
September 14, 2025
Arc from NetGalley
Another weird delving into Ballingrud’s strange and horrifying world. This entry trends to more immediate violence as opposed to the build in the first. The series is unique and beautiful and I’m eagerly anticipating the next entry.
Another weird delving into Ballingrud’s strange and horrifying world. This entry trends to more immediate violence as opposed to the build in the first. The series is unique and beautiful and I’m eagerly anticipating the next entry.
September 11, 2025
"Cathedral of the Drowned," the middle part of Nathan Ballingrud's Lunar Gothic Trilogy, continues the story of one of the lesser characters in the first book, Charlie or Grub. Charlie was an enforcer on Earth, working for a female mobster, Goodnight Maggie; on the Moon he became the violent head nurse of the now destroyed Home for Treatment of the Melancholy, working for the mad neuroscientist Dr. Cull; and he's now two people, his body and the violent part of his brain stuck in the lair of the new Moon Spider, and the sweet and gentle part travelling on a satellite, on the way to Jupiter.
And that's just one premise of the book! If it sounds complex, it's because it is: certainly not a standalone, the second entry in the trilogy complicates things even more, by bringing Goodnight Maggie front and center to the story; throwing Dr. Cull himself at her mercy; and allowing the space-travelling part of Charlie to appear to her and communicate his own anxieties once he lands on Io, one of Jupiter’s moons, a place with its own sinister backstory.
It's a wonder how Ballingrud manages to include so many plot-twists in a mere novella: from marvelous planetary vistas of a drowned cathedral-shaped spaceship on Io, and several nightmarish scenes in the Moon Spider's nest under the surface of the moon, to the pulpy atmosphere of Red Hook gangs preparing to fight each other, this is a well-crafted tale of dark scientific fantasy with strong Gothic overtones - though not for everyone.
The second book underplays the alternate, steampunk-like 1920s setting of the trilogy, almost taking the weird context for granted, no explanation or apology given and none needed. It delves into territory better fitting a cosmic horror adventure tale, bringing in dead old gods and their memories, accessible through dream-inducing substances produced by moon spiders; and last but not least, it includes a type of savage mentality which feels very modern, occasionally conflicting with the sense of revisionist, classic pulp adventure which the author intends to convey in general.
In sum, this is a complex book, deceptively short, fast-paced but not entirely reader-friendly on its own. Having read the first book is a must, and tolerating the irresolute standing of several mysteries integral to the plot has to be allowed for. If anything, however, this means that the finale will be impossible to predict: Ballingrud keeps his cards close, and isn't that exciting?
#NetGalley #titanbooks
And that's just one premise of the book! If it sounds complex, it's because it is: certainly not a standalone, the second entry in the trilogy complicates things even more, by bringing Goodnight Maggie front and center to the story; throwing Dr. Cull himself at her mercy; and allowing the space-travelling part of Charlie to appear to her and communicate his own anxieties once he lands on Io, one of Jupiter’s moons, a place with its own sinister backstory.
It's a wonder how Ballingrud manages to include so many plot-twists in a mere novella: from marvelous planetary vistas of a drowned cathedral-shaped spaceship on Io, and several nightmarish scenes in the Moon Spider's nest under the surface of the moon, to the pulpy atmosphere of Red Hook gangs preparing to fight each other, this is a well-crafted tale of dark scientific fantasy with strong Gothic overtones - though not for everyone.
The second book underplays the alternate, steampunk-like 1920s setting of the trilogy, almost taking the weird context for granted, no explanation or apology given and none needed. It delves into territory better fitting a cosmic horror adventure tale, bringing in dead old gods and their memories, accessible through dream-inducing substances produced by moon spiders; and last but not least, it includes a type of savage mentality which feels very modern, occasionally conflicting with the sense of revisionist, classic pulp adventure which the author intends to convey in general.
In sum, this is a complex book, deceptively short, fast-paced but not entirely reader-friendly on its own. Having read the first book is a must, and tolerating the irresolute standing of several mysteries integral to the plot has to be allowed for. If anything, however, this means that the finale will be impossible to predict: Ballingrud keeps his cards close, and isn't that exciting?
#NetGalley #titanbooks
October 27, 2025
BWAF Score: 7/10
TL;DR: As a middle entry that still stands alone, this sits near the top of the year’s novella-length weird for readers who want muscular, intimate cosmic horror. It extends the Lunar Gothic project without losing its street-level heat, and it proves Ballingrud can make big, chewy images work at crime-novel speed. He welds dockside noir to Jovian nightmare biology and makes it feel both pulpy and numinous. What lands is the creature logic and atmosphere, with a clean crime spine that keeps the weird moving. Memorable and proudly strange. Read if you want lunar crime soaked in cosmic rot.
In 1924 Red Hook, crime boss Goodnight Maggie controls the docks by trafficking moonsilk, a lunar substance that acts like a dream-drug and neural mesh. A rival Mafia faction murders one of her boys, and a ruined Dr. Barrington Cull returns from his offworld asylum begging for help while hinting at a catastrophe on the moon. Maggie’s enforcer Charlie has been split by Cull into two beings: a brutal body left on the moon and a gentle mind fired across space inside a spiky satellite. That satellite crash-lands on Io near a wrecked rocket-cathedral, where drowned clergy serve a vast centipede intelligence called the Bishop. Maggie needs Charlie back to survive on Earth; the Bishop wants eyes, minds, and memory. The stakes are simple and sharp: save your crew, or be digested by something that prays to itself.
The Bishop isn’t just a monster; it is an ecology of possession that pilots corpses for their eyes and craves new ways of seeing. The moonsilk is both drug and wiring, a creepy biological internet that ferries memory, hunger, and prayer. Charlie’s “soft half” rides in a satellite brain-jar, crashes beside a rocket-church, then plugs into a severed priest’s neck so the sphere becomes a face. That’s pulp and philosophy in one shot. Where a lot of modern cosmic horror hides behind fog, this book uses clean, noir-forward scaffolding. It scratches the Annihilation itch but swaps misty awe for heat, hunger, and a gangster’s need to act.
Ballingrud toggles between flinty crime diction and star-drunk lyricism without wobble. A sentence will snap like a switchblade, then slip into cathedral hush. POV choices include Maggie, Charlie, and even the Bishop, keeping the humanity hot while letting the weird bloom; the Bishop’s inner “Loam” is a tactile cosmology, not an exposition dump. Set pieces escalate cleanly. Maggie’s shark-jaw office is a little theater of power. The Io cathedral, with its bell tolling out of rhythm and its flooded crypt, is a full stage for corruption and worship. “A gibbous white shard. A pitiless light.” That four-beat pairing hardens the moon into a weapon and sets the book’s moral temperature. The story sprints early, exhales on the crossing to Io, then tightens for a bruising final movement; one middle transfer lingers a hair long, but momentum returns when the Bishop takes the wheel. Titled sections and compact chapters read like loaded vignettes; typography is straightforward, built for propulsion over ornament.
Moonsilk refracts every power struggle: Maggie hoards it to hold a neighborhood; the Church tried to export God on booster rockets; the Bishop wants eyes the way men want dominion. Charlie’s literal split turns a common noir dilemma into body-philosophy: can violence and tenderness coexist, or must one get launched into space. The tilted cathedral is a tomb for missionary certainty. The drowned clergy worship the thing that outlived their sermon, and the Bishop’s self-adoration is the cosmic echo of human institutions that confuse their own reflection for truth. The aftertaste is brackish awe. The image that sticks is a bell tolling in a rain-black nave while something smart and hungry learns to see through our dead.
Daring creature design, a sharp noir chassis, and sticky, singular images earn it standout status; a slightly airy middle keeps it short of the pantheon, but it’s absolutely one to champion.
Read if you like monster ecologies that make biological sense, can handle elegant body horror, and want your cosmic chills anchored to human stakes.
Skip if you need lore hand-holding, prefer tidy moral victories, or bounce off crime voices rubbing elbows with star-weirdness.
TL;DR: As a middle entry that still stands alone, this sits near the top of the year’s novella-length weird for readers who want muscular, intimate cosmic horror. It extends the Lunar Gothic project without losing its street-level heat, and it proves Ballingrud can make big, chewy images work at crime-novel speed. He welds dockside noir to Jovian nightmare biology and makes it feel both pulpy and numinous. What lands is the creature logic and atmosphere, with a clean crime spine that keeps the weird moving. Memorable and proudly strange. Read if you want lunar crime soaked in cosmic rot.
In 1924 Red Hook, crime boss Goodnight Maggie controls the docks by trafficking moonsilk, a lunar substance that acts like a dream-drug and neural mesh. A rival Mafia faction murders one of her boys, and a ruined Dr. Barrington Cull returns from his offworld asylum begging for help while hinting at a catastrophe on the moon. Maggie’s enforcer Charlie has been split by Cull into two beings: a brutal body left on the moon and a gentle mind fired across space inside a spiky satellite. That satellite crash-lands on Io near a wrecked rocket-cathedral, where drowned clergy serve a vast centipede intelligence called the Bishop. Maggie needs Charlie back to survive on Earth; the Bishop wants eyes, minds, and memory. The stakes are simple and sharp: save your crew, or be digested by something that prays to itself.
The Bishop isn’t just a monster; it is an ecology of possession that pilots corpses for their eyes and craves new ways of seeing. The moonsilk is both drug and wiring, a creepy biological internet that ferries memory, hunger, and prayer. Charlie’s “soft half” rides in a satellite brain-jar, crashes beside a rocket-church, then plugs into a severed priest’s neck so the sphere becomes a face. That’s pulp and philosophy in one shot. Where a lot of modern cosmic horror hides behind fog, this book uses clean, noir-forward scaffolding. It scratches the Annihilation itch but swaps misty awe for heat, hunger, and a gangster’s need to act.
Ballingrud toggles between flinty crime diction and star-drunk lyricism without wobble. A sentence will snap like a switchblade, then slip into cathedral hush. POV choices include Maggie, Charlie, and even the Bishop, keeping the humanity hot while letting the weird bloom; the Bishop’s inner “Loam” is a tactile cosmology, not an exposition dump. Set pieces escalate cleanly. Maggie’s shark-jaw office is a little theater of power. The Io cathedral, with its bell tolling out of rhythm and its flooded crypt, is a full stage for corruption and worship. “A gibbous white shard. A pitiless light.” That four-beat pairing hardens the moon into a weapon and sets the book’s moral temperature. The story sprints early, exhales on the crossing to Io, then tightens for a bruising final movement; one middle transfer lingers a hair long, but momentum returns when the Bishop takes the wheel. Titled sections and compact chapters read like loaded vignettes; typography is straightforward, built for propulsion over ornament.
Moonsilk refracts every power struggle: Maggie hoards it to hold a neighborhood; the Church tried to export God on booster rockets; the Bishop wants eyes the way men want dominion. Charlie’s literal split turns a common noir dilemma into body-philosophy: can violence and tenderness coexist, or must one get launched into space. The tilted cathedral is a tomb for missionary certainty. The drowned clergy worship the thing that outlived their sermon, and the Bishop’s self-adoration is the cosmic echo of human institutions that confuse their own reflection for truth. The aftertaste is brackish awe. The image that sticks is a bell tolling in a rain-black nave while something smart and hungry learns to see through our dead.
Daring creature design, a sharp noir chassis, and sticky, singular images earn it standout status; a slightly airy middle keeps it short of the pantheon, but it’s absolutely one to champion.
Read if you like monster ecologies that make biological sense, can handle elegant body horror, and want your cosmic chills anchored to human stakes.
Skip if you need lore hand-holding, prefer tidy moral victories, or bounce off crime voices rubbing elbows with star-weirdness.
October 14, 2025
4.5 stars.
Did I understand everything I read, probably not, but the vibes were immaculate.
I loved the return to this series, with some returning characters featuring in this story set across multiple worlds. This was very easy to read, with a lot of intriguing ideas within it. I grew fond of Maggie in particular, who we saw more sides to.
Thank you Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Did I understand everything I read, probably not, but the vibes were immaculate.
I loved the return to this series, with some returning characters featuring in this story set across multiple worlds. This was very easy to read, with a lot of intriguing ideas within it. I grew fond of Maggie in particular, who we saw more sides to.
Thank you Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 21, 2025
I loveeee this weird little 1920s bug horror world that Ballingrud has created. I've been patiently waiting for this installment in the series since last year, and it didn't disappoint. I really appreciate this pulp-y brand of Lovecraftian horror.
I always find myself wanting more, but I think the novella length suits these stories well and prevents them from overstaying their welcome. Now to wait until next fall for *looks at my ebook* Kingdom of the Conquerer Worm 👍
I always find myself wanting more, but I think the novella length suits these stories well and prevents them from overstaying their welcome. Now to wait until next fall for *looks at my ebook* Kingdom of the Conquerer Worm 👍
December 3, 2025
weird fiction done right!
November 12, 2025
This series continues with its whacked out goodness.
We follow two MCs now. One a villain from the first book who had been split in two. The part of his brain exhibiting the only good left inside him has been reconstructed by the moonspider web and sent to Jupiter’s moon in a jar.
The second character is an organized crime boss who is worried about the Sicilian mafia encroaching on her turf, and is shouldering the repercussions of the disastrous climax of the previous book.
While not as over-the-top bonkers as the first book, this remained trippy as hell with some great ooky bits. I love Ballingrud’s writing and this delivered.
August 22, 2025
“I am of the loam.”
The second book in Ballingrud’s Lunar Gothic Trilogy was everything I didn’t know I needed. I vividly remember finishing book one and not being able to go to sleep that night. Cathedral of the Drowned delivered that same creeping horror, but really expanded the universe of the moon spiders to a scale that is hard to fathom.
Every POV in this story was shocking and hard to read at times but I couldn’t stop. Between the Earth, the moon, and Io, I don’t know which was a scarier place to be. I would definitely recommend reading Crypt Of The Moon Spider first, and even giving yourself a refresher on it if you have read it already. Going into this book blind is ~possible~ but you definitely won’t get as much out of it that way.
I finally got to The Strange by this author earlier this year and will 100% be stalking the rest of his backlist ASAP. His scifi elements are perfect and the weird horror really works for me as well. Check out this trilogy if you love spiders, body horror, space, and goo!
**Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the eARC of this creepy a$$ title!**
The second book in Ballingrud’s Lunar Gothic Trilogy was everything I didn’t know I needed. I vividly remember finishing book one and not being able to go to sleep that night. Cathedral of the Drowned delivered that same creeping horror, but really expanded the universe of the moon spiders to a scale that is hard to fathom.
Every POV in this story was shocking and hard to read at times but I couldn’t stop. Between the Earth, the moon, and Io, I don’t know which was a scarier place to be. I would definitely recommend reading Crypt Of The Moon Spider first, and even giving yourself a refresher on it if you have read it already. Going into this book blind is ~possible~ but you definitely won’t get as much out of it that way.
I finally got to The Strange by this author earlier this year and will 100% be stalking the rest of his backlist ASAP. His scifi elements are perfect and the weird horror really works for me as well. Check out this trilogy if you love spiders, body horror, space, and goo!
**Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the eARC of this creepy a$$ title!**
June 29, 2025
In this sequel to Crypt of the Moon Spider, we focus on the two halves of Charlie Duchamp. One part of him is a brain in a jar, stranded on Jupiter’s jungle moon Io, who just wants to go home. The other, more murderous half of him, is left behind at Barrowfield Home on Earth’s moon and is a repeat host to the eggs of the Moon Spider.
There was a lot to unpack in this novella. This story was unique and amazingly written while also being incredibly atmospheric - all makings of a fantastic sci-fi horror story. I fell in love with Crypt of the Moon Spider for the ease in which Ballingrud shaped such a unique sci-fi world set in the 1920s. Everything felt so natural and common, that I never once questioned anything crazy that was happening, which is good, since this book continued those themes and upped the crazy.
I loved the gangster themes and enjoyed learning more about Maggie in this novella. Although I wish Veronica made a bigger appearance. But it is clear to me that this story is aligning all the stars in place for the final book and I can feel that the final installment is going to be a show stopping finale.
Overall, this made for a quick and entertaining read. I did enjoy the identity themes laced throughout this one, but as a whole, I personally enjoyed the first book more. The final book is set to release in 2026, and I can’t wait to see how Ballingrud finishes this series!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group/Tor Nightfire, and Nathan Ballingrud for the eARC of the second book of The Lunar Gothic Trilogy in exchange for my honest review!
There was a lot to unpack in this novella. This story was unique and amazingly written while also being incredibly atmospheric - all makings of a fantastic sci-fi horror story. I fell in love with Crypt of the Moon Spider for the ease in which Ballingrud shaped such a unique sci-fi world set in the 1920s. Everything felt so natural and common, that I never once questioned anything crazy that was happening, which is good, since this book continued those themes and upped the crazy.
I loved the gangster themes and enjoyed learning more about Maggie in this novella. Although I wish Veronica made a bigger appearance. But it is clear to me that this story is aligning all the stars in place for the final book and I can feel that the final installment is going to be a show stopping finale.
Overall, this made for a quick and entertaining read. I did enjoy the identity themes laced throughout this one, but as a whole, I personally enjoyed the first book more. The final book is set to release in 2026, and I can’t wait to see how Ballingrud finishes this series!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group/Tor Nightfire, and Nathan Ballingrud for the eARC of the second book of The Lunar Gothic Trilogy in exchange for my honest review!
October 21, 2025
Nathan Ballingrud could write a shopping list and I would read it and think it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever read, this will forever be true for me. The first installment of this series The Crypt of the moon spider was one of my favorites last year and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the next book! The cathedral of the drowned proved to be just as stunning as Crypt. I love that we got to follow some of the minor characters from the first book and really get to know them. Of course the most despicable of characters Cull, was still here in all his glorious nastiness. A doctor who has become that evil villain in every story we love to hate really got dropped down a notch or two in this installment. But we also get to really know Maggie. Ballingrud brings us a juxtaposition between a hardened evil killer whose the head of her own crime syndicate to the other side of her, which is deeply in love with Charlie and will do anything to bring him back to her. She’s guilt ridden but so angry and violent. I just couldn’t help completely falling in love with this character. The imagery in this book is stunning and frightening and plays like a movie in my head. Between the gore and the nightmarish descriptions, Nathan brings us gorgeous prose that I could read for days. If you haven’t read anything by him before I suggest you start now, my favorite being the Strange, a novel that came out a few years ago. His character work is sublime and I’m always so excited when I see that he has new work out. I can’t recommend him enough, go out and pick this one up today!
November 8, 2025
4.5*
Read review on: https://thereadingarmchair.blogspot.c...
Earlier this year, I picked Crypt of the Moon Spider on a whim without knowing that it was going to be a series. Only when I finished reading that novella, I discovered that not only it is book 1 in The Lunar Gothic Trilogy, but the second installment would be released soon. Just like the first book, Cathedral of the Drowned is also a novella that you can read in one sitting.
If you've read Crypt of the Moon Spider, you already know that the book is set in the 1920s. However, in this randition of the past, space travel is possible. The first book took part primarily on the moon, but book 2 takes us even further in our solar system, and more specifically at Io, one of Jupiter's moons. Despite this fact though, science takes the backseat. You will never learn how space travel works or how characters get from the Earth to the moon or Io. In that sense, the series takes inspiration from pulp novels (and I could see some similaries to William S. Burroughs's book I've read earlier this year).
Cathedral of the Drowned definitely has a larger scope compared to the first book of the series. However, I think that Nathan Ballingrud did an amazing job at bringing the world alive once more, and writing truly gothic and horrific scenes. The initial description of the Cathedral ship at Io, as well as the first description of The Bishop, the giant centipede, are imageries that have stuck with me.
Another thing I enjoyed quite a lot in this book is Charlie's character. In Crypt of the Moon Spider, I only viewed him as one of the bad guys. In this book, however, we get his two distinct sides that take two different forms. This created many interesting questions about what it means to be whole as person, loneliness, and having two contradicting sides inside of you.
Cathedral of the Drowned though doesn't take place solely on Io. In fact, the story mostly unfolds on Earth. Even though I quite liked Goodnight Maggie as a character, the final chapters that focused more on her dealing with the new sicilian mafia dulled my enjoyment. But when I started to feel disappointed with where the story was heading, the final pages happened, and oh boy! Again, I'm keeping my review completely spoiler free, but that ending was worth it.
All in all, Cathedral of the Drowned turned out to be one of the best books I've read recently. I loved it more than boon 1 and I can't wait for the final installement of the series next October. If you are looking for a horror novella series, The Lunar Gothic Trilogy definitely delivers.
Read review on: https://thereadingarmchair.blogspot.c...
Earlier this year, I picked Crypt of the Moon Spider on a whim without knowing that it was going to be a series. Only when I finished reading that novella, I discovered that not only it is book 1 in The Lunar Gothic Trilogy, but the second installment would be released soon. Just like the first book, Cathedral of the Drowned is also a novella that you can read in one sitting.
If you've read Crypt of the Moon Spider, you already know that the book is set in the 1920s. However, in this randition of the past, space travel is possible. The first book took part primarily on the moon, but book 2 takes us even further in our solar system, and more specifically at Io, one of Jupiter's moons. Despite this fact though, science takes the backseat. You will never learn how space travel works or how characters get from the Earth to the moon or Io. In that sense, the series takes inspiration from pulp novels (and I could see some similaries to William S. Burroughs's book I've read earlier this year).
Cathedral of the Drowned definitely has a larger scope compared to the first book of the series. However, I think that Nathan Ballingrud did an amazing job at bringing the world alive once more, and writing truly gothic and horrific scenes. The initial description of the Cathedral ship at Io, as well as the first description of The Bishop, the giant centipede, are imageries that have stuck with me.
Another thing I enjoyed quite a lot in this book is Charlie's character. In Crypt of the Moon Spider, I only viewed him as one of the bad guys. In this book, however, we get his two distinct sides that take two different forms. This created many interesting questions about what it means to be whole as person, loneliness, and having two contradicting sides inside of you.
Cathedral of the Drowned though doesn't take place solely on Io. In fact, the story mostly unfolds on Earth. Even though I quite liked Goodnight Maggie as a character, the final chapters that focused more on her dealing with the new sicilian mafia dulled my enjoyment. But when I started to feel disappointed with where the story was heading, the final pages happened, and oh boy! Again, I'm keeping my review completely spoiler free, but that ending was worth it.
All in all, Cathedral of the Drowned turned out to be one of the best books I've read recently. I loved it more than boon 1 and I can't wait for the final installement of the series next October. If you are looking for a horror novella series, The Lunar Gothic Trilogy definitely delivers.
November 9, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
So far, this trilogy is absolutely unhinged in the best way. Cathedral of the Drowned picks up after Crypt of the Moon Spider and somehow leans even harder into nightmare logic—violent, disgusting, fever-dreamy, yet deeply intentional. Ballingrud has sharpened his storytelling; the bizarre world feels more cohesive, the character work more pointed. The book shifts from the lunar asylum melancholy of book one into a mafia-tainted sci-fi horror that digs into identity, consciousness, and the body. We spend real time in the heads of three major characters, peeling apart what drives them and where desire crashes into reality. The result is surreal, psychological, and genuinely unsettling—grotesque in a way that actually lands, not just for shock value. For all its gore and weirdness, it still stands on its own as a story.
That said, your mileage may vary. The plot introduces Grub’s old boss, Maggie, a ruthless crime lord I never warmed to (probably the point). There are also some uncomfortable sexual scenes—including rape—that didn’t feel essential to the story. Still, Ballingrud remains wildly original; I haven’t read anything that feels quite like this. These novellas are short, sharp, and crawling with bugs—very weird, very gross, and very worth the time if you like horror that isn’t afraid to push past convention. I’m not sure “enjoy” is even the right word, but I had a great time, and I’m eager—maybe even hungry—for book three.
So far, this trilogy is absolutely unhinged in the best way. Cathedral of the Drowned picks up after Crypt of the Moon Spider and somehow leans even harder into nightmare logic—violent, disgusting, fever-dreamy, yet deeply intentional. Ballingrud has sharpened his storytelling; the bizarre world feels more cohesive, the character work more pointed. The book shifts from the lunar asylum melancholy of book one into a mafia-tainted sci-fi horror that digs into identity, consciousness, and the body. We spend real time in the heads of three major characters, peeling apart what drives them and where desire crashes into reality. The result is surreal, psychological, and genuinely unsettling—grotesque in a way that actually lands, not just for shock value. For all its gore and weirdness, it still stands on its own as a story.
That said, your mileage may vary. The plot introduces Grub’s old boss, Maggie, a ruthless crime lord I never warmed to (probably the point). There are also some uncomfortable sexual scenes—including rape—that didn’t feel essential to the story. Still, Ballingrud remains wildly original; I haven’t read anything that feels quite like this. These novellas are short, sharp, and crawling with bugs—very weird, very gross, and very worth the time if you like horror that isn’t afraid to push past convention. I’m not sure “enjoy” is even the right word, but I had a great time, and I’m eager—maybe even hungry—for book three.
November 7, 2025
Nathan Ballingrud’s *Cathedral of the Drowned* is a mesmerising novella that plunges you into a nightmarish realm filled with cosmic decay—an homage H.P. Lovecraft himself would admire. This sequel deepens the haunting beauty of the Lunar Gothic Trilogy, set against the eerie backdrop of drowned cathedrals on Io and fierce gang wars on the Moon. It follows Charlie Duchamp, a man torn between body and mind, as divine corruption gradually consumes everything around him.
Ballingrud’s prose is lush, visceral, and hypnotic blending body horror, noir grit, and cosmic dread into an unsettling tapestry. The atmosphere hangs heavy with despair and an unnerving sense of holiness, transforming each page into a feverish dreamscape.
As the middle instalment, it broadens the universe and explores its themes, though it leaves much unresolved, keeping you suspended between awe and unease. Nonetheless, its vivid imagery and daring ambition leave an indelible impression.
Verdict: An exquisite, grotesque, and haunting chapter that lingers long after the last page.
Ballingrud’s prose is lush, visceral, and hypnotic blending body horror, noir grit, and cosmic dread into an unsettling tapestry. The atmosphere hangs heavy with despair and an unnerving sense of holiness, transforming each page into a feverish dreamscape.
As the middle instalment, it broadens the universe and explores its themes, though it leaves much unresolved, keeping you suspended between awe and unease. Nonetheless, its vivid imagery and daring ambition leave an indelible impression.
Verdict: An exquisite, grotesque, and haunting chapter that lingers long after the last page.
October 11, 2025
still reeling from the crazy-wild, roiling barrel ride of a beautifully grotesque drama.
Ballingrud's art is utterly amazing. lyrically descriptive and palpably feeling, its shockingly, yet so powerfully-affecting, creeping gruesomeness.. is striking, and the wildness of the realities, coupled with the oddities of characters, compounded with the heady, almost gentle, care and love of the moment... makes this slim novella so much more penetrating than the pages bely.
hard to put words to his.
hard to share the depths of appreciation for this work of emotive art. and hard to believe a Second installment of a trilogy building and bettering the already-amazing First... but, here we are.
grateful for his mind and storytelling.
and enviously, anxiously awaiting what comes next! like we are invested with each of his creations and their travails. such complexity and reality underpinning all the fantasm, this trilogy may well be one of my favorites when completed.
thank you, NetGalley for the ARC. much much appreciated.
cannot wait for the concluding monstrosity to come!
Ballingrud's art is utterly amazing. lyrically descriptive and palpably feeling, its shockingly, yet so powerfully-affecting, creeping gruesomeness.. is striking, and the wildness of the realities, coupled with the oddities of characters, compounded with the heady, almost gentle, care and love of the moment... makes this slim novella so much more penetrating than the pages bely.
hard to put words to his.
hard to share the depths of appreciation for this work of emotive art. and hard to believe a Second installment of a trilogy building and bettering the already-amazing First... but, here we are.
grateful for his mind and storytelling.
and enviously, anxiously awaiting what comes next! like we are invested with each of his creations and their travails. such complexity and reality underpinning all the fantasm, this trilogy may well be one of my favorites when completed.
thank you, NetGalley for the ARC. much much appreciated.
cannot wait for the concluding monstrosity to come!
October 25, 2025
The long awaited sequel to Crypt of The Moon Spider has finally arrived and while it’s less Frightening it’s still an extremely dark journey into the human mind and beyond the stars.
The book picks up with old villains as the main characters as well as a new “protagonist” in the form of Goodnight Maggie, the merciless Irish-American Brooklyn crime boss whose relationship with Dr. Cull was instrumental in setting the events of the first book in motion.
The book follows the same formula as the first one in that every character you meet besides one is a huge piece of shit and all of those characters meet somewhat bittersweet tragic ends.
In addition to all the Human characters you also see the veil of the cosmos start to split a bit with some truly Alien minds thrown into the mix, including a familiar face from the first book.
Looking forward to Book 3!
The book picks up with old villains as the main characters as well as a new “protagonist” in the form of Goodnight Maggie, the merciless Irish-American Brooklyn crime boss whose relationship with Dr. Cull was instrumental in setting the events of the first book in motion.
The book follows the same formula as the first one in that every character you meet besides one is a huge piece of shit and all of those characters meet somewhat bittersweet tragic ends.
In addition to all the Human characters you also see the veil of the cosmos start to split a bit with some truly Alien minds thrown into the mix, including a familiar face from the first book.
Looking forward to Book 3!
October 8, 2025
3.5⭐️
This is the second book in the Lunar Gothic Trilogy! I read book one, Crypt of the Moon Spider, a few months ago and really enjoyed the blend of sci fi and horror. This sequel delivers the same grotesque imagery and abstract theories as book one. I think book one is overall stronger narratively speaking, as there was a mc who was easier to root for. Cathedral of the Drowned had extremely unlikable main characters, which I believe was intentional. There was also not enough time spent with the fmc to really make one emotionally invested in or compelled by her. There was also some uncomfortable sexual content in here that didn’t mesh with me as an asexual individual. I think the content is meant to be subversive rather than offensive but still, bizarre stuff 😂
I enjoyed that this installment had a new setting on Io, a moon of Jupiter. Exploring another cosmic entity and its influence and power on the environment of Io was intriguing, and helped develop the world of this trilogy more. The concept of giant insect-like entities traveling through space and time, connecting with the threads of reality, able to speak to us telepathically, was cosmic horror at its finest. I think this trilogy does its best when focused on these cosmic, eldritch aspects, and not so much the characters. The characters in this trilogy are basically puppets or chess pieces for beings far grander than them.
This is a really wonderful trilogy, ripe with weird, gross, and metaphysical concepts that challenge the reader. I think this trilogy is akin to a fever dream: reading it is almost hallucinogenic, you feel flushed, disoriented, and often times dropped into an entirely new level of reality, some forbidden void full of horrors.
Everyone who likes horror and science fiction should pick up these novellas!
Thank you to Tor Nightfire for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second book in the Lunar Gothic Trilogy! I read book one, Crypt of the Moon Spider, a few months ago and really enjoyed the blend of sci fi and horror. This sequel delivers the same grotesque imagery and abstract theories as book one. I think book one is overall stronger narratively speaking, as there was a mc who was easier to root for. Cathedral of the Drowned had extremely unlikable main characters, which I believe was intentional. There was also not enough time spent with the fmc to really make one emotionally invested in or compelled by her. There was also some uncomfortable sexual content in here that didn’t mesh with me as an asexual individual. I think the content is meant to be subversive rather than offensive but still, bizarre stuff 😂
I enjoyed that this installment had a new setting on Io, a moon of Jupiter. Exploring another cosmic entity and its influence and power on the environment of Io was intriguing, and helped develop the world of this trilogy more. The concept of giant insect-like entities traveling through space and time, connecting with the threads of reality, able to speak to us telepathically, was cosmic horror at its finest. I think this trilogy does its best when focused on these cosmic, eldritch aspects, and not so much the characters. The characters in this trilogy are basically puppets or chess pieces for beings far grander than them.
This is a really wonderful trilogy, ripe with weird, gross, and metaphysical concepts that challenge the reader. I think this trilogy is akin to a fever dream: reading it is almost hallucinogenic, you feel flushed, disoriented, and often times dropped into an entirely new level of reality, some forbidden void full of horrors.
Everyone who likes horror and science fiction should pick up these novellas!
Thank you to Tor Nightfire for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Read
August 11, 2025Thank you to Tor Nightfire for an ARC!
"Thrilling and haunting in equal measure. Cathedral of the Drowned is a noir-tinged phantasmagoria. Ballingrud writes with purposeful lyricism: a hybrid that is at once gothic and period piece. The result is a Stygian black reinvention of the genre that, when it waxes into its power as a period piece, is where it truly shines." — Sofia Ajram, author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning novella, Coup de Grâce
"Thrilling and haunting in equal measure. Cathedral of the Drowned is a noir-tinged phantasmagoria. Ballingrud writes with purposeful lyricism: a hybrid that is at once gothic and period piece. The result is a Stygian black reinvention of the genre that, when it waxes into its power as a period piece, is where it truly shines." — Sofia Ajram, author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning novella, Coup de Grâce
August 25, 2025
This book was such a ride. I accidentally received this without realizing it was a sequel. I went to work getting book one on KU and spent the weekend with that and the sequel. Everything from the first is ratcheted up in this one and it really does open more of that lore. If you have issues with spiders or creepy crawlers this will not be a good one for you but it’s a great time for us horror lovers and I am excited for the third book!
October 28, 2025
Ballingrud picks up right where he left off with Crypt of the Moon Spider, continuing through this bizarre, grotesque, and brutal sci-fi/fantasy tale in only a way that he can. This novella is the literary equivalent of a doom metal album, and I love that about it. The imagery is amazing, it brought to mind classic hard-boiled crime novels mixed with Warhammer 40k, and I cannot wait to see how Ballingrud wraps up this weird story with the final book in the trilogy.
October 16, 2025
Ballingrud is writing this series especially for me and I think that's very swell of him.
For real though, this series has everything I love. The language is gorgeous, it's deliciously gothic, it is strange and gorey... The only thing that could make it better is if it had lesbians.
For real though, this series has everything I love. The language is gorgeous, it's deliciously gothic, it is strange and gorey... The only thing that could make it better is if it had lesbians.
November 5, 2025
aaaaaand just like that finished this within hours like I did crypt of the moon spider. this is the most unique story ive ever and probably will ever read. the body horror, the horrendous imagery it makes me sick to my stomach and I can not stop yearning for more. bravo
November 25, 2025
This was slight disappointment as I usually love Ballingrud but this one just didn't connect as much. A bit too all over the place with confusion on what it wanted to be. Still, quite the imagination.
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