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Astrophobia: An Anthology of Space Horror
Astrophobia: the fear of stars and celestial space. Thirteen tales of horror beyond Earth. Ranging from hard sci-fi to space fantasy, there is a story here for every horror loving heart.
Featuring:
Kay F. Atkinson - Imperative
K.L. Brandt - To the Crust
Joe Butler - We Give Our Bodies to the Beautiful Dark
Freddie A. Clark - GUDSKOMPLEX
Carolina Cruz - Ontology of a Killer Robot; Or, I Think Therefor I Kill
daneh - The Mechanic
Vesper Doom - WE ARE HERE TO HELP
Juniper Lake Fitzgerald - Germination
S. Jean - You & I Are Eternal
Audrey Martin - Ice
Franklyn Newton - Gigantomachy
Cara Nox - Blind Spots
Still - The Feast of Night
Featuring:
Kay F. Atkinson - Imperative
K.L. Brandt - To the Crust
Joe Butler - We Give Our Bodies to the Beautiful Dark
Freddie A. Clark - GUDSKOMPLEX
Carolina Cruz - Ontology of a Killer Robot; Or, I Think Therefor I Kill
daneh - The Mechanic
Vesper Doom - WE ARE HERE TO HELP
Juniper Lake Fitzgerald - Germination
S. Jean - You & I Are Eternal
Audrey Martin - Ice
Franklyn Newton - Gigantomachy
Cara Nox - Blind Spots
Still - The Feast of Night
Unknown Binding
Published May 13, 2025
2 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Vesper Doom
10 books83 followersVesper Doom (she/they) is a queer, autistic writer from the greater Washington, DC area. She lives with her husband and two cats. When she isn’t writing, Vesper enjoys reading, playing video games, painting, and summoning forgotten gods for coffee.
You can find her online as @vesperdoom, and at vesperdoom.carrd.co.
You can find her online as @vesperdoom, and at vesperdoom.carrd.co.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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June 3, 2025Having been a contributor to this anthology I won't leave a star rating. Instead, I'd just like to say thank you to all of the wonderful authors, the cover artist, and the curator for such a valuable creative experience. There is so much talent, creativity, and hard-earned skill that went into this project and I'm honored to have been a part.
April 10, 2025
You can read my full review over on Grimdark Magazine: https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/revi...
"Ultimately, in Astrophobia, it doesn’t matter which story you pick, you are guaranteed some juicy squick. These are some disquieting tales from the edges of humanity, out in the vast dark of space, that will interrogate some equally dark corners of our collective experience. Expect discomfort."
"Ultimately, in Astrophobia, it doesn’t matter which story you pick, you are guaranteed some juicy squick. These are some disquieting tales from the edges of humanity, out in the vast dark of space, that will interrogate some equally dark corners of our collective experience. Expect discomfort."
June 3, 2025
For me personally, this was an absolute highlight read this year. The only "downside" of it was that I would have enjoyed the atmosphere a lot of these stories create even more on a grim winter's eve - but nothing that can't be fixed with a re-read in November/December this year.
I really loved how disquieting and dense some of the stories were, how much they played with some of humanity's primal fears, and I actually caught myself more than once with goosebumps on my skin.
The authors united in this book have such great, diverse stories to tell - a lot of them went on my TBR stack (for existing and future releases), and I can't wait to enjoy more of their wonderful writing. If you want something different to read, something that really hits the mark of cosmic/space horror, this book is a huge recommendation and a true enrichment for the genre. Please immerse yourself in these wonderfully creepy stories told.
All of them are such unique tales of their own, and I enjoyed them equally well, so I won't give any further ratings on them, except for my favorite one: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 by Still. There is so much dark beauty in his writing, I truly enjoyed the atmosphere transported and the pictures he creates in your mind. Every word was pure (frightening) joy, and it was such a delight to read a short story that was so richly filled with strange and beautiful characters and that embarked on a story so different from anything I ever read. A true cosmic treasure. I cannot wait for more stories to come within this wonderfully created realm of wonders.
I really loved how disquieting and dense some of the stories were, how much they played with some of humanity's primal fears, and I actually caught myself more than once with goosebumps on my skin.
The authors united in this book have such great, diverse stories to tell - a lot of them went on my TBR stack (for existing and future releases), and I can't wait to enjoy more of their wonderful writing. If you want something different to read, something that really hits the mark of cosmic/space horror, this book is a huge recommendation and a true enrichment for the genre. Please immerse yourself in these wonderfully creepy stories told.
All of them are such unique tales of their own, and I enjoyed them equally well, so I won't give any further ratings on them, except for my favorite one: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 by Still. There is so much dark beauty in his writing, I truly enjoyed the atmosphere transported and the pictures he creates in your mind. Every word was pure (frightening) joy, and it was such a delight to read a short story that was so richly filled with strange and beautiful characters and that embarked on a story so different from anything I ever read. A true cosmic treasure. I cannot wait for more stories to come within this wonderfully created realm of wonders.
March 31, 2025
thank you to the author for the e-arc of this collection.
i loved some of these stories! this collection is so diverse in fears and representations. i really enjoyed myself!
i loved some of these stories! this collection is so diverse in fears and representations. i really enjoyed myself!
June 6, 2025
A thrilling, very varied, exciting space horror collection. I really appreciated the diverse, interesting vibes and the darkness. I really had a great time with all the stories in this one, there's something for every type of space spooks lover.
Imperative: 4* - I loved the idea with the autonomous space suit after a spaceship crash. Slightly too fast for my liking from the halfway point onward, but that ending. Gave me both the heebies AND the jeebies.
To The Crust: 3* - LOVE a mining planet horror. Would have loved to know more about the world and the creature, but the gross-out was excellent.
We Give Our Bodies to the Beautiful Dark: 4.5* - One of my favourites. I loved how casual the style was, made it really easy to read while the Horrors were closing in. Hesitant to want to know more by the end because the ambiguity does supply some of the creeps, so I'm not gonna complain.
Gudskomplex: 3* - Not exactly my style but very anime which I appreciated, and the time-jumping narration was a great choice. For this one, I wished for more ambiguity at the end, I'm so hard to please, I know, sorry. :D
Ontology of a Killer Robot: 5* - Can't even exactly say why, but this was probably my favourite from the bunch. It just all worked so well together. *chef kiss*
The Mechanic: 3* - A++ for the setting, the darkness, the despair. A bit raw for me, but will be thinking of that last scene in the middle of the night.
We Are Here To Help: 4* - A classic case of "wtf happened on this space station?!" It seemed a bit short, I would have wanted to know so much more, but it was very effective in its terseness. The ending? Ouch.
Germination: 4* - Fascinating POV. Loved it.
You And I Are Eternal: 3.5* - Space fantasy anime vibes. Poetic, which in this genre maybe not exactly my style. I did appreciate the ending a Lot.
Ice: 4.5* - ICE SPOOPS. One of my favourite spoops. Very disconcerting throughout. Wanted more by the end but I loved it.
Gigantomancy: 3* - Excellent idea, but it felt a bit unfinished. Would love to know more!
Blind Spots: 4.5* - Another highlight, another variation to the "wtf happened on this space station". :D Skillfully paints its world, and the narration style is very engaging. I was really afraid for the character by the end.
The Feast of Night: 3* - I felt a bit like we got the second part of a longer story, so it was hard for me to appreciate the lore and the characters. In any case, I would love to know more!
I received a free ARC of this book and it did not influence my opinion. Thank you for this creepy collection!
Imperative: 4* - I loved the idea with the autonomous space suit after a spaceship crash. Slightly too fast for my liking from the halfway point onward, but that ending. Gave me both the heebies AND the jeebies.
To The Crust: 3* - LOVE a mining planet horror. Would have loved to know more about the world and the creature, but the gross-out was excellent.
We Give Our Bodies to the Beautiful Dark: 4.5* - One of my favourites. I loved how casual the style was, made it really easy to read while the Horrors were closing in. Hesitant to want to know more by the end because the ambiguity does supply some of the creeps, so I'm not gonna complain.
Gudskomplex: 3* - Not exactly my style but very anime which I appreciated, and the time-jumping narration was a great choice. For this one, I wished for more ambiguity at the end, I'm so hard to please, I know, sorry. :D
Ontology of a Killer Robot: 5* - Can't even exactly say why, but this was probably my favourite from the bunch. It just all worked so well together. *chef kiss*
The Mechanic: 3* - A++ for the setting, the darkness, the despair. A bit raw for me, but will be thinking of that last scene in the middle of the night.
We Are Here To Help: 4* - A classic case of "wtf happened on this space station?!" It seemed a bit short, I would have wanted to know so much more, but it was very effective in its terseness. The ending? Ouch.
Germination: 4* - Fascinating POV. Loved it.
You And I Are Eternal: 3.5* - Space fantasy anime vibes. Poetic, which in this genre maybe not exactly my style. I did appreciate the ending a Lot.
Ice: 4.5* - ICE SPOOPS. One of my favourite spoops. Very disconcerting throughout. Wanted more by the end but I loved it.
Gigantomancy: 3* - Excellent idea, but it felt a bit unfinished. Would love to know more!
Blind Spots: 4.5* - Another highlight, another variation to the "wtf happened on this space station". :D Skillfully paints its world, and the narration style is very engaging. I was really afraid for the character by the end.
The Feast of Night: 3* - I felt a bit like we got the second part of a longer story, so it was hard for me to appreciate the lore and the characters. In any case, I would love to know more!
I received a free ARC of this book and it did not influence my opinion. Thank you for this creepy collection!
May 14, 2025
Space happily sounds like screaming most of the time. But the void is something else entirely. It is absence.
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Content warning, not a complete list: violence, gore, cannîbalism, and body horror.
For more information check out the content warning in the book.
-----
This is an anthology.
It's a collection of 13 space horror short stories.
POVS range from 1st to 3rd.
Spice: none
-----
Astrophobia is a horror anthology where danger and death lurks, hunts or beckons those in the vast and dark space. It has well written stories, each dark and creative in their own way. If you want to read eerie sci-fi horror, consider reading this.
I was fascinated by the danger and eeriness experienced by the main characters of each
story. I liked most of the stories and found them interesting. My favorites were: To the Crust, GUDSKOMPLEX, WE ARE HERE TO HELP, Ice and We Give Our Bodies to the Beautiful Dark.
I was a bit confused by what went on in some stories though. And some stories left me wanting more.
I really liked this anthology and enjoyed reading it. If I read sci-fi, it's mostly sci-fi romance. So it was nice to read something different from what I usually do.
This was an ARC read. I'm grateful to the curator for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
-----
Content warning, not a complete list: violence, gore, cannîbalism, and body horror.
For more information check out the content warning in the book.
-----
This is an anthology.
It's a collection of 13 space horror short stories.
POVS range from 1st to 3rd.
Spice: none
-----
Astrophobia is a horror anthology where danger and death lurks, hunts or beckons those in the vast and dark space. It has well written stories, each dark and creative in their own way. If you want to read eerie sci-fi horror, consider reading this.
I was fascinated by the danger and eeriness experienced by the main characters of each
story. I liked most of the stories and found them interesting. My favorites were: To the Crust, GUDSKOMPLEX, WE ARE HERE TO HELP, Ice and We Give Our Bodies to the Beautiful Dark.
I was a bit confused by what went on in some stories though. And some stories left me wanting more.
I really liked this anthology and enjoyed reading it. If I read sci-fi, it's mostly sci-fi romance. So it was nice to read something different from what I usually do.
This was an ARC read. I'm grateful to the curator for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
May 2, 2025
I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book and am sharing my honest thoughts!
This book has a bunch of different stories by different authors. They all have a theme of space horror.
Space, mystery and what really brings the horror is oddly how close to the real world some of it hits!
Some stories really remind you computers, robots, A.I. can't think for itself! It's form of "helping" is not helping but hurting!
Sometimes with short stories you don't get a lot of background on the characters, you're dropped into an ongoing situation and you don't really get a solid ending. That's just how short stories are and nothing against any of the talented authors here.
Just some of it was a bit confusing to me and I'm sure it's just an issue with me. I would have like to get to know the characters at bit better.
My favorites were "We are here to help" it scared me the most and "We give our bodies to the beautiful dark" it really interested me.
I'd definitely recommend this book, it was my first time reading many of the talented authors here!
There's a lot of interesting and creepy stories!
It's well written, spooky, mysterious and engaging! Definitely worth picking up!
This book has a bunch of different stories by different authors. They all have a theme of space horror.
Space, mystery and what really brings the horror is oddly how close to the real world some of it hits!
Some stories really remind you computers, robots, A.I. can't think for itself! It's form of "helping" is not helping but hurting!
Sometimes with short stories you don't get a lot of background on the characters, you're dropped into an ongoing situation and you don't really get a solid ending. That's just how short stories are and nothing against any of the talented authors here.
Just some of it was a bit confusing to me and I'm sure it's just an issue with me. I would have like to get to know the characters at bit better.
My favorites were "We are here to help" it scared me the most and "We give our bodies to the beautiful dark" it really interested me.
I'd definitely recommend this book, it was my first time reading many of the talented authors here!
There's a lot of interesting and creepy stories!
It's well written, spooky, mysterious and engaging! Definitely worth picking up!
May 16, 2025
𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 by Kay F. Atkinson -
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐓𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 by K.L. Brandt -
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐖𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 by Joe Butler -
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was FANTASTIC. Absolutely fantastic. I loved it!
𝐆𝐔𝐃𝐒𝐊𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐗 by Freddie A. Clark - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spooked me, should have read during the day. Total Dead Space vibes.
𝐎𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭 by Carolina Cruz - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 by daneh - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐖𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 by Vesper Doom - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Literally so glad I read this during the day!
𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 by Juniper Lake Fitzgerald - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 by S. Jean
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I want more of this book so much!!
𝐈𝐜𝐞 by Aubrey Martin - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Literally so disappointed where this ended, need more!
𝐆𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐲 by Franklyn S. Newton - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 by Cara Nox - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Super interesting, would read a full story!!
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 by Still - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Perfect.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐓𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 by K.L. Brandt -
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐖𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 by Joe Butler -
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was FANTASTIC. Absolutely fantastic. I loved it!
𝐆𝐔𝐃𝐒𝐊𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐗 by Freddie A. Clark - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spooked me, should have read during the day. Total Dead Space vibes.
𝐎𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭 by Carolina Cruz - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 by daneh - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐖𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 by Vesper Doom - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Literally so glad I read this during the day!
𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 by Juniper Lake Fitzgerald - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 by S. Jean
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I want more of this book so much!!
𝐈𝐜𝐞 by Aubrey Martin - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Literally so disappointed where this ended, need more!
𝐆𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐲 by Franklyn S. Newton - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 by Cara Nox - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Super interesting, would read a full story!!
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 by Still - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Perfect.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews