Insurrection: A Novelette

by Ruth Anna Evans

Lorraine is suffering from end-stage cancer, and her wife Wren is doing everything she can to care for her. But they are living through a political meltdown---insurrectionists have taken over the government, hospitals, police departments, and are roaming the streets enforcing their own kind of law. And that law does not allow for a queer couple to live in peace.

A chilling and horrifying near-future novelette, this short story by Ruth Anna Evans will leave you completely shaken.

Genres: Horror

33 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 25, 2025

About the author

Ruth Anna Evans is a writer of short horror fiction who lives in the heart of all that is sinister: the American Midwest. She has been composing prose of all types since childhood but finds something truly delightful in putting her nightmares on the page. Her stories are full of twists and turns with relatable protagonists and startling endings. If you like Grady Hendrix and Ira Levin, you'll like Ruth Anna Evans. Follow Ruth Anna on Twitter @ruthannaevans for updates on her work.

Reviews

[Diana | Indie Book Addict · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is short, just 33 pages, but wow, it packs a punch. In Insurrection, insurrectionists have taken over the government, police, hospitals... everything. They're enforcing their own twisted version of the law, and there’s no room in it for a queer couple just trying to live in peace.

Evans manages to induce serious anxiety in such a short amount of time and that’s no small feat. What makes it hit so hard is how close it feels to real life. It’s terrifying because it doesn’t feel like fiction; it feels like a warning.

You can always count on Evans to shake you to your core, even in her shorter works, and that really says something. The emotion in this one is raw and real, and you feel every second of it. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for something gripping, intense, and uncomfortably close to home.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

How many times will I have my heart broken by Ruth Anna Evans? Who knows. All I know is that I'll keep reading her stories as long as she keeps writing them.

As the title suggests, this is sort of a "what if" story of how differently things could have gone had the January 20 insurrection gone differently. If the people storming the Capitol had succeeded in their effort to take over by rounding up our legislators and shooting them. While that didn't happen in the real world, one can't deny the parallels to current events. I do love a good alternate reality story, but man, this one hits close to home.

[Ali O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insurrection by Ruth Anna Evans
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I love going into books blindly, but boy I was not ready for this! 💔 I’m a bit broken by this story. It was so emotional, loving, touching, sad and scary.

It’s a very fast read and a book that sure made me think…

[Mouna Abdellati · Rating 1 out of 5]

they tried but did not succeed. sorry

[Angel Medina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick read, but it's a very powerful read. It talks about the potential reality of our world in the not-too-distant future. I found myself angry and sad at the same time, which made this read really good. It's a real-life horror story of what could happen to marginalized people. This is a story I think everyone should read, as it tackles current issues today.

Ruth does a great job capturing the emotions in this story. I was angry and sad, but the story was designed to do that. It's not a long read at all, so go read it today. This might be an important story during these tense times.

[S.E. Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woke up early because I'm a night shifter so my sleep schedule is always out of whack. Instead of fighting insomnia, I decided to take advantage of it for a change and get in some long overdue reading. "Insurrection" by Ruth Anna Evans has been on my TBR list for awhile and while this isn't the kind of story you enjoy, it's definitely one you will never forget. Beautifully written, compelling, heart wrenching, and horrifying because it could be real, this story is brutal, bleak, and impossible to put down. You know the ending even before it begins, but cling to the hope that you're wrong, that compassion and basic human decency might somehow prevail even in the sorts of nightmarish circumstances Evans depicts. This is powerful stuff, with shades of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road," only without the glimmer of hope for humanity's redemption in the end.

[Sara Ferrarese · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tiny little novelette gave me more genuine terror than anything I've ever read. Reading this, right now, when it really feels like this could happen in the next few weeks, is truly terrifying. Ruth Anna Evans, as usual, has tapped into the primal, simmering fear that lives in the center of me, ripped it out, and held it up for the world to see. Her talent is incredible. If you think you're up for some "it'll be here before you know it" dystopia, read this.

[Daniel C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman suffering through Stage-4 cancer during a near-total social collapse; hospitals run in an almost Trumpian manner; another desperate woman trying to save her cancerous lover; all with an undertone of an Endtime of sorts.
At 64 pages, quite an interesting book, watching the character's interaction with one another in such a bleak landscape.

[Roxanne Reniers · Rating 4 out of 5]

🥲💔