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The Extra
10 people head out on a backpacking trip, but the first night 11 set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who's the extra?
THE EXTRA is the debut dark sci-fi novella by Annie Neugebauer.
THE EXTRA is the debut dark sci-fi novella by Annie Neugebauer.
132 pages, Paperback
First published September 9, 2025
36 people are currently reading
1613 people want to read
About the author
Annie Neugebauer
61 books146 followersAnnie is a novelist, blogger, nationally award-winning poet, and two-time Bram Stoker Award-nominated short story author. She is the author of The Outsiders Sequence (The Extra, The Other, and The Spare) and You Have to Let Them Bleed. You can visit her at www.AnnieNeugebauer.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
October 13, 2025
3.5⭐️ rounded up
Ten people head out on a backpacking trip in Arkansas, but the first night eleven set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who’s the extra?
This novella is perfect for the season. The sense of claustrophobia and dread sets in early and only intensifies as the story unfolds.
I’m so glad I knew beforehand that this one has an open ending because I’m NOT a fan of those. I’m the type who needs answers. While my rating was definitely affected by that, the fact that I still rounded up says a lot. I’m still thinking about it and trying to make sense of the ending even after discussing it with my GR friends Jayme and Dutchie. The fact that I’m still thinking about it days later makes me wonder if that was the author’s intention with the ambiguous ending. Still, if there had been a more definitive conclusion, this would’ve been a solid 4⭐️ or even higher.
Ten people head out on a backpacking trip in Arkansas, but the first night eleven set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who’s the extra?
This novella is perfect for the season. The sense of claustrophobia and dread sets in early and only intensifies as the story unfolds.
I’m so glad I knew beforehand that this one has an open ending because I’m NOT a fan of those. I’m the type who needs answers. While my rating was definitely affected by that, the fact that I still rounded up says a lot. I’m still thinking about it and trying to make sense of the ending even after discussing it with my GR friends Jayme and Dutchie. The fact that I’m still thinking about it days later makes me wonder if that was the author’s intention with the ambiguous ending. Still, if there had been a more definitive conclusion, this would’ve been a solid 4⭐️ or even higher.
October 17, 2025
*Spooky Season 2025*
Ten people head out on a multi-day backpacking trip in Arkansas but on the first night 11 people are setting up camp. Who's the extra?
It sounds like a riddle, right?
The sense of foreboding started when the group comes across a hungry dog at the start of the trail. The pouring rain doesn’t help.
Then, a strange humming noise is heard, and the group’s headlamps grow much brighter before snuffing out completely. Batteries on any cell phones that were left on are dead too.
It seems like this is when the “extra” joined the group.
But, everyone remembers everyone else from orientation and the 10 person van ride, and nobody is wearing different gear.
How can there be eleven?
The 96 page novella is broken up into 15 SHORT chapters-the rules of being a good guide. They include topics such as: Rule #1: Plan Ahead and Prepare, Rule #5: Leave only Footprints, Take Only Pictures and Rule #13: Don’t Panic
Rule # 15 is: Leave What You Find
The Leader must make a decision. Does he choose correctly?
The ending is ambiguous, leaving much to the imagination and it BEGS for discussion! I have so many ideas running through my mind!
THE EXTRA is the DEBUT dark sci-fi novella by Annie Neugebauer, which I highly recommend!
TWO shared-universe sequels are forthcoming from the author and Shortwave Publishing: “The Other” (in 2026) and “The Spare” (in 2027). “The Extra” is considered “The Outsiders Sequence #1.”
I will be watching for sequences #2 and #3 as this is my favorite kind of “Spooky Season” read.
A ONE SITTING READ-AVAILABLE NOW!
Ten people head out on a multi-day backpacking trip in Arkansas but on the first night 11 people are setting up camp. Who's the extra?
It sounds like a riddle, right?
The sense of foreboding started when the group comes across a hungry dog at the start of the trail. The pouring rain doesn’t help.
Then, a strange humming noise is heard, and the group’s headlamps grow much brighter before snuffing out completely. Batteries on any cell phones that were left on are dead too.
It seems like this is when the “extra” joined the group.
But, everyone remembers everyone else from orientation and the 10 person van ride, and nobody is wearing different gear.
How can there be eleven?
The 96 page novella is broken up into 15 SHORT chapters-the rules of being a good guide. They include topics such as: Rule #1: Plan Ahead and Prepare, Rule #5: Leave only Footprints, Take Only Pictures and Rule #13: Don’t Panic
Rule # 15 is: Leave What You Find
The Leader must make a decision. Does he choose correctly?
The ending is ambiguous, leaving much to the imagination and it BEGS for discussion! I have so many ideas running through my mind!
THE EXTRA is the DEBUT dark sci-fi novella by Annie Neugebauer, which I highly recommend!
TWO shared-universe sequels are forthcoming from the author and Shortwave Publishing: “The Other” (in 2026) and “The Spare” (in 2027). “The Extra” is considered “The Outsiders Sequence #1.”
I will be watching for sequences #2 and #3 as this is my favorite kind of “Spooky Season” read.
A ONE SITTING READ-AVAILABLE NOW!
October 17, 2025
Disturbing. Eerie. Unsettling. Perplexing...
Ten individuals head out for a backpacking trip in the wilderness. When camp is set up the first night, Matt - the leader, has a headcount of eleven, and he recognizes everyone present. Who is the extra...?
The Extra is short in length, yet atmospheric, and the author does a superb job with consistent pacing through the story. I knew going in about the ambiguous ending, but that didn't keep me from giving this a try, and once I had, it hasn't discouraged me from continuing to the next one when available. In fact, I'm even more curious.
I listened to the 2H32M audiobook narrated by Sean Patrick Hopkins, who convincingly portrays Matt's first-person perspective teetering between calm and losing it. Matt's plate is pretty full.
The Extra is the first novella in Neugebauer's shared-universe The Outsider Sequence. The two remaining novellas are The Other (2026) and The Spare (2027). I'm anxious to discover what links these three novellas together!
3.75⭐
Ten individuals head out for a backpacking trip in the wilderness. When camp is set up the first night, Matt - the leader, has a headcount of eleven, and he recognizes everyone present. Who is the extra...?
The Extra is short in length, yet atmospheric, and the author does a superb job with consistent pacing through the story. I knew going in about the ambiguous ending, but that didn't keep me from giving this a try, and once I had, it hasn't discouraged me from continuing to the next one when available. In fact, I'm even more curious.
I listened to the 2H32M audiobook narrated by Sean Patrick Hopkins, who convincingly portrays Matt's first-person perspective teetering between calm and losing it. Matt's plate is pretty full.
The Extra is the first novella in Neugebauer's shared-universe The Outsider Sequence. The two remaining novellas are The Other (2026) and The Spare (2027). I'm anxious to discover what links these three novellas together!
3.75⭐
September 28, 2025
Perfect for spooky season, The Extra was packed to the brim with a claustrophobic vibe and a heavy dose of eerie foreboding. Bringing to mind The Twilight Zone in all of its spine-chilling glory, this dark sci-fi/horror novella had me flying through the short, creepy chapters at speed. After all, the realistic protagonist and atmospheric setting made me feel as if I was there. I do have to say, though, that as much as I love camping, it wasn’t a trip that I’d want to be on. Filled with plenty of nerve-shredding dread, the paranoia messed with this horror novice’s head in the best possible way. You see, I had to read it with the lights on after I was chilled to the bone thanks to the thoroughly disturbing events.
All said and done, there wasn’t a thing not to love about this riveting read. Intensely true-to-life but also just a tiny bit unhinged, the open-ended conclusion had me questioning everyone and everything—including the narrator. You see, someone is not supposed to be there, but we haven’t a clue who it could be. Quietly sinister and beyond unsettling, it was a thought-provoking tale of what I would do in their place. After all, this debut was a mind-blowing stunner of psychological intrigue. Bravo, Ms. Neugebauer, you creeped me out to my core. Now I’m just crossing my fingers and toes that there’s more to this story because I just have to know what comes next for these characters. Rating of 4.5 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
10 people head out on a backpacking trip, but the first night 11 set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who's the extra?
Thank you to Annie Neugebauer and Shortwave Publishing for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE September 9, 2025
Content warning: nothing of significance
All said and done, there wasn’t a thing not to love about this riveting read. Intensely true-to-life but also just a tiny bit unhinged, the open-ended conclusion had me questioning everyone and everything—including the narrator. You see, someone is not supposed to be there, but we haven’t a clue who it could be. Quietly sinister and beyond unsettling, it was a thought-provoking tale of what I would do in their place. After all, this debut was a mind-blowing stunner of psychological intrigue. Bravo, Ms. Neugebauer, you creeped me out to my core. Now I’m just crossing my fingers and toes that there’s more to this story because I just have to know what comes next for these characters. Rating of 4.5 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
10 people head out on a backpacking trip, but the first night 11 set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who's the extra?
Thank you to Annie Neugebauer and Shortwave Publishing for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE September 9, 2025
Content warning: nothing of significance
September 13, 2025
The Participants
Ten is eleven in this story. Our narrator, Matt, is on a hiking trip with nine others, making that ten of them in all. Matt knows that there are ten in all. He just counted them
It is raining bathtubs of rain. So much water. I feel wet. The ten hikers have begun their walking in the rain. They are cold, clammy and wet. It is night time when they are doing their best to get to their first destination.
They get to a bridge and cross over the shallow water in a hurry. With their boots removed and their sandals placed on their feet, they make good time.
They come upon a stray dog and Matt takes the responsibility to send it away because it may cause a lot of trouble with the other hikers. When he is on his way back to cross over the bridge a large bolt of light appears, the light is blinding and he is unable to see for several minutes.
When the light disappears, everyone’s head lights are burned out. So are the phones that are turned on.
Matt decides to do a head count again and counts eleven people, including himself. What is this? What is happening? There is one head too many. An extra.
Four stars. 💫💫💫💫
Ten is eleven in this story. Our narrator, Matt, is on a hiking trip with nine others, making that ten of them in all. Matt knows that there are ten in all. He just counted them
It is raining bathtubs of rain. So much water. I feel wet. The ten hikers have begun their walking in the rain. They are cold, clammy and wet. It is night time when they are doing their best to get to their first destination.
They get to a bridge and cross over the shallow water in a hurry. With their boots removed and their sandals placed on their feet, they make good time.
They come upon a stray dog and Matt takes the responsibility to send it away because it may cause a lot of trouble with the other hikers. When he is on his way back to cross over the bridge a large bolt of light appears, the light is blinding and he is unable to see for several minutes.
When the light disappears, everyone’s head lights are burned out. So are the phones that are turned on.
Matt decides to do a head count again and counts eleven people, including himself. What is this? What is happening? There is one head too many. An extra.
Four stars. 💫💫💫💫
September 17, 2025
The premise of this one is simple the outcome not so much.
A group of 10 hikers, including our narrator, have embarked on a multi day backpacking adventure. On the first leg of their trip, they stumble across a very hungry dog. Everyone decides the best course of action is to move forward without the dog.( I’m pretty sure I would’ve strapped the dog somehow into my backpack and continued with him, but that’s me and I digress). After being delayed by the dog, the campers are about ready to settle in to their campsite when all of the sudden their headlamps zap out, and everyone is in the dark. Lucky for them Matt has come prepared with extra batteries. Once everyone is settled, Matt realizes that they started off with 10 people, but now have 11. How could that be? Who is this extra person? Where did this person come from? What do they want? All of these questions must be answered before the end of their trip. Or do they?
This was definitely an extremely atmospheric novel where you could just feel the tension in the air. I kept looking at each character with side eye. Could it be them?
This is certainly not one of those novels that you wanna read or take with you on a camping trip. Along with fungus and spiders, camping is another one of those things I don’t mess around with. Especially after this novel.
It is definitely open ended so you kinda have to draw your own conclusions.
A group of 10 hikers, including our narrator, have embarked on a multi day backpacking adventure. On the first leg of their trip, they stumble across a very hungry dog. Everyone decides the best course of action is to move forward without the dog.( I’m pretty sure I would’ve strapped the dog somehow into my backpack and continued with him, but that’s me and I digress). After being delayed by the dog, the campers are about ready to settle in to their campsite when all of the sudden their headlamps zap out, and everyone is in the dark. Lucky for them Matt has come prepared with extra batteries. Once everyone is settled, Matt realizes that they started off with 10 people, but now have 11. How could that be? Who is this extra person? Where did this person come from? What do they want? All of these questions must be answered before the end of their trip. Or do they?
This was definitely an extremely atmospheric novel where you could just feel the tension in the air. I kept looking at each character with side eye. Could it be them?
This is certainly not one of those novels that you wanna read or take with you on a camping trip. Along with fungus and spiders, camping is another one of those things I don’t mess around with. Especially after this novel.
It is definitely open ended so you kinda have to draw your own conclusions.
October 16, 2025
A group of university students go on a camping trip. Ten of them in total, including the professor. Yet every time he redoes the head count he comes up with 11 people. An extra. How is that even possible? You'll have to read this to find out.
I freaking loved the idea of this but hated the end result. I felt like the author could have done so much more here. To be fair, from other reviews I already knew it had an open end yet my curiosity was piqued enough to still give it a try anyhow.
And I'm not totally disappointed. It was just creepy enough to keep me flipping the pages. It was well written and I felt the author nailed the setting and tone.
I just wanted MORE. She came up with such a great premise but she wasn't able to bring it full circle with any kind of explanation so she just ended it. Which was maybe her point all along? Or, maybe there'll be a follow up novella? If there is a follow up I will gladly read it to finally get some closure but being left to wonder has left me feeling a little unsatisfied. 3 stars!
I freaking loved the idea of this but hated the end result. I felt like the author could have done so much more here. To be fair, from other reviews I already knew it had an open end yet my curiosity was piqued enough to still give it a try anyhow.
And I'm not totally disappointed. It was just creepy enough to keep me flipping the pages. It was well written and I felt the author nailed the setting and tone.
I just wanted MORE. She came up with such a great premise but she wasn't able to bring it full circle with any kind of explanation so she just ended it. Which was maybe her point all along? Or, maybe there'll be a follow up novella? If there is a follow up I will gladly read it to finally get some closure but being left to wonder has left me feeling a little unsatisfied. 3 stars!
July 15, 2025
"Something is wrong."
What did I just read? My mind is all a flutter, just whirlin and twirlin and I love it! Ten people go on a backpacking trip, but suddenly there's eleven people, and everyone remembers each other. Who's the extra? It's like some twisted logic puzzle and I had to figure it out!
The pace is unrelenting as the anxiety inducing paranoia increases with every page. There's an oppressive sense of claustrophobia despite the tangibly atmospheric great outdoors setting. The fear and distrust was palpable and the dread inescapable. When you can't even trust your own memories, how do you know who you're really with?
THE EXTRA is psychological horror at its best, blended with a touch of sci fi and cosmic horror. It's also a fascinating look at judgments we make based on our perception of normalcy in a given situation. This little BANGER of a story hits HARD, with characters you get a complete sense of. There's some truly chilling moments that'll raise the hair on the back of your neck or send shivers down your spine!
Expect an eerie feeling, a growing sense of unease, and due to some ambiguity, an inability to stop pondering long after you've finished. If you want an ABSOLUTE distraction for however long it takes you to read this 115pg novella, you've GOT. IT! Just don't read it at night in the dark...or when you're camping! Fans of horror, thrillers and science fiction will love this. Annie Neugebauer has completely won me over and I'll be on the lookout for whatever she writes next. Trust me, you're gonna wanna grab this creepy GEM up ASAP!
____
Thank you Shortwave Publishing for my free copy. All opinions are my own.
What did I just read? My mind is all a flutter, just whirlin and twirlin and I love it! Ten people go on a backpacking trip, but suddenly there's eleven people, and everyone remembers each other. Who's the extra? It's like some twisted logic puzzle and I had to figure it out!
The pace is unrelenting as the anxiety inducing paranoia increases with every page. There's an oppressive sense of claustrophobia despite the tangibly atmospheric great outdoors setting. The fear and distrust was palpable and the dread inescapable. When you can't even trust your own memories, how do you know who you're really with?
THE EXTRA is psychological horror at its best, blended with a touch of sci fi and cosmic horror. It's also a fascinating look at judgments we make based on our perception of normalcy in a given situation. This little BANGER of a story hits HARD, with characters you get a complete sense of. There's some truly chilling moments that'll raise the hair on the back of your neck or send shivers down your spine!
Expect an eerie feeling, a growing sense of unease, and due to some ambiguity, an inability to stop pondering long after you've finished. If you want an ABSOLUTE distraction for however long it takes you to read this 115pg novella, you've GOT. IT! Just don't read it at night in the dark...or when you're camping! Fans of horror, thrillers and science fiction will love this. Annie Neugebauer has completely won me over and I'll be on the lookout for whatever she writes next. Trust me, you're gonna wanna grab this creepy GEM up ASAP!
____
Thank you Shortwave Publishing for my free copy. All opinions are my own.
September 9, 2025
well, who needs sleep anyway, am i right fellas
very paranoid and claustrophobic vibes, pretty sure i was holding my breath for an hour straight, very curious how the author will handle the “sequels”
very paranoid and claustrophobic vibes, pretty sure i was holding my breath for an hour straight, very curious how the author will handle the “sequels”
June 13, 2025
I was in a full-on reading slump when I picked up 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 by Annie Neugebauer, but honestly? That cover, with the creepy little paper doll silhouettes, and the super short, ominous summary had me.
🏕️ 𝘛𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘶�� 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱.
𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦.
𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖? 🌲
How do you not get intrigued after reading that? And then you check the cover again and see the title 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 printed in all different fonts — so unsettling in the best way. It came in a Shortwave Publishing box, so I already knew it was gonna be weird and fucking good. And thank the horror gods I grabbed it when I did because this novella snapped me right out of my slump.
It’s atmospheric, claustrophobic, and had me second-guessing everything. So many twists you never see coming. Absolutely unhinged, but, again, in the best way possible. If you love horror novellas that go hard and fast with the paranoia, this one’s for you. You know what, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺.
(𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙬𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙋𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮!)
🏕️ 𝘛𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘶�� 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱.
𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦.
𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖? 🌲
How do you not get intrigued after reading that? And then you check the cover again and see the title 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 printed in all different fonts — so unsettling in the best way. It came in a Shortwave Publishing box, so I already knew it was gonna be weird and fucking good. And thank the horror gods I grabbed it when I did because this novella snapped me right out of my slump.
It’s atmospheric, claustrophobic, and had me second-guessing everything. So many twists you never see coming. Absolutely unhinged, but, again, in the best way possible. If you love horror novellas that go hard and fast with the paranoia, this one’s for you. You know what, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺.
(𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙬𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙋𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮!)
October 22, 2025
This review was originally published at FanFiAddict.
When I chaperoned my kid’s field trip to a nature reserve last year that were multiple checkpoints to take attendance before departing both the school and the park to make sure everyone was accounted for. I mention this because it was the predominant thought that sprung to mind while listening to Annie Neugebauer’s The Extra, narrated by Sean Patrick Hopkins.
Matt is our lead POV through the supernatural crisis that arises and is responsible for taking a small group of college students on a class hiking and camping trip through the woods several states away from their native Texas. Matt is a stickler for the rules and has written an entire guidebook for his two student-employees to follow. The van they take seats ten, and by god, there will be only ten people seated, even if room could be made for an extra two or three bodies, but it can’t, it won’t, not under Matt’s watch, by god.
Upon arriving at the site of their trip, the group is almost immediately set upon when a strange electrical surge knocks out their headlamps. Not long after, Matt notices something odd – their party of ten has increased by one. Somehow, there’s an extra person among them, but he can’t figure out who it is because he has memories of each of them, which could only have been planted in his mind by whoever – or whatever – this mysterious anomaly is.
And here is where I began wondering why the hell this strict rule-follower who is taking a group of college kids into the woods doesn’t have an attendance sheet. He doesn’t do roll-call, or have people sign in, or sign liability waivers for this excursion into the woods so far from home? We know these students had to register and pay for all this, so where’s the paperwork, Matt? Matt, with all his rules, doesn’t, in this age of school shootings and government-sponsored abductions and human trafficking, do the most basic bare minimum task expected of a school excursion across state lines and make sure everyone is accounted for before taking them all off in a van for an hours long road-trip to the middle of nowhere?
I get why Neugebauer doesn’t. It’s the same reason cell phones never work in these types of stories (they don’t work here, either, of course, thanks to no cell signal in the forest). To have Matt take attendance upon being confronted by this extra person would be to make this already short novella even shorter.
I couldn’t get over this omission, nor the fact that it’s not even brought up as a suggestion by Matt’s student guides who help shepherd their 7, plus one, hikers along the trail. It festered and gnawed away at my enjoyment the whole way through. I’m not sure if the lack of an attendance sheet is a glaring omission, an inconvenience merely swept under the rug, or just laziness, but it really did irk me. Maybe if this story had been set in the 1970s or ‘80s, I could have given it a pass, but in this era of helicopter parenting and cellphone check-ins, it struck me as galling. Even if I were able to overlook the lack of roll call, I cannot overlook Matt’s collection of photographs of his student group pre-hike and why he didn’t just compare that against who is present around him now. Since the anomaly apparently can’t affect digital photos the way it can the human mind, or maybe doesn’t know about digital cameras, one might reasonably conclude it doesn’t know about attendance records either. But why doesn’t Matt? We know he’s a rule lover, a fact so baked into the narrative that each chapter is titled Rule #1, Rule #2, Rule #3, etc., etc., etc.
The Extra isn’t about logic, though, so much as it is about conveying a certain mood, an emotional response, and a paranoid vibe. The parable here is an exploration of just how easy it is to Other another, and then exile and dismiss them altogether for nebulous, if not imaginary, reasons. It calls into question who the real villain is and whether or not it’s the right thing to do given perceived threats in a given context. I couldn’t help but wonder what a story reframing the point of view would like here, if we saw things through the eyes of this stranger wondering why their hiking guide is acting so weird and worrying about being found out when all it wants to do is just blend in. Maybe that would be too straightforward of an analogy, though, for certain groups already so thoroughly victimized, vilified, and excluded.
While the premise is intriguing, the execution is too soft, too clean, too cozy. We never get a real sense of what this anomalous person is capable of beyond blending in and implanting false memories, but it doesn’t appear to pose any threat beyond just being an unexpected and unwanted person our narrator has to deal with, and god, who hasn’t been there before? There’s no violence, no bloodshed, no tension, no real sense of danger, no stakes at all beyond whatever the reader’s imagination might conjure on the author’s behalf. It’s horror for people who think mayonnaise is too spicy.
Neugebauer resists any easy answers to the predicament she sets forth, approaching the subject matter with abstruseness. I never could suss out exactly why we were supposed to feel so afraid of this extra or to consider them a potential danger and wondered exactly what the harm would be in letting this person on the bus home, beyond Matt’s apparent seating issues. Would allowing this extra a ride into civilization truly be the end of the world? If so, what’s the evidence of this? Is a false memory, even a good one, enough to condemn another being? For the amount of agonizing our narrator does over this extra, it all amounts to very little in the end. It’s a shame, because there is a neat concept at the core of this book and some cool ideas. They’re all just underbaked and never materialize into anything substantial, engaging, or even remotely horrifying. At least The Extra is short, and Hopkins’ narration is powerful and attention-holding, so it has that going for it, if nothing else.
When I chaperoned my kid’s field trip to a nature reserve last year that were multiple checkpoints to take attendance before departing both the school and the park to make sure everyone was accounted for. I mention this because it was the predominant thought that sprung to mind while listening to Annie Neugebauer’s The Extra, narrated by Sean Patrick Hopkins.
Matt is our lead POV through the supernatural crisis that arises and is responsible for taking a small group of college students on a class hiking and camping trip through the woods several states away from their native Texas. Matt is a stickler for the rules and has written an entire guidebook for his two student-employees to follow. The van they take seats ten, and by god, there will be only ten people seated, even if room could be made for an extra two or three bodies, but it can’t, it won’t, not under Matt’s watch, by god.
Upon arriving at the site of their trip, the group is almost immediately set upon when a strange electrical surge knocks out their headlamps. Not long after, Matt notices something odd – their party of ten has increased by one. Somehow, there’s an extra person among them, but he can’t figure out who it is because he has memories of each of them, which could only have been planted in his mind by whoever – or whatever – this mysterious anomaly is.
And here is where I began wondering why the hell this strict rule-follower who is taking a group of college kids into the woods doesn’t have an attendance sheet. He doesn’t do roll-call, or have people sign in, or sign liability waivers for this excursion into the woods so far from home? We know these students had to register and pay for all this, so where’s the paperwork, Matt? Matt, with all his rules, doesn’t, in this age of school shootings and government-sponsored abductions and human trafficking, do the most basic bare minimum task expected of a school excursion across state lines and make sure everyone is accounted for before taking them all off in a van for an hours long road-trip to the middle of nowhere?
I get why Neugebauer doesn’t. It’s the same reason cell phones never work in these types of stories (they don’t work here, either, of course, thanks to no cell signal in the forest). To have Matt take attendance upon being confronted by this extra person would be to make this already short novella even shorter.
I couldn’t get over this omission, nor the fact that it’s not even brought up as a suggestion by Matt’s student guides who help shepherd their 7, plus one, hikers along the trail. It festered and gnawed away at my enjoyment the whole way through. I’m not sure if the lack of an attendance sheet is a glaring omission, an inconvenience merely swept under the rug, or just laziness, but it really did irk me. Maybe if this story had been set in the 1970s or ‘80s, I could have given it a pass, but in this era of helicopter parenting and cellphone check-ins, it struck me as galling. Even if I were able to overlook the lack of roll call, I cannot overlook Matt’s collection of photographs of his student group pre-hike and why he didn’t just compare that against who is present around him now. Since the anomaly apparently can’t affect digital photos the way it can the human mind, or maybe doesn’t know about digital cameras, one might reasonably conclude it doesn’t know about attendance records either. But why doesn’t Matt? We know he’s a rule lover, a fact so baked into the narrative that each chapter is titled Rule #1, Rule #2, Rule #3, etc., etc., etc.
The Extra isn’t about logic, though, so much as it is about conveying a certain mood, an emotional response, and a paranoid vibe. The parable here is an exploration of just how easy it is to Other another, and then exile and dismiss them altogether for nebulous, if not imaginary, reasons. It calls into question who the real villain is and whether or not it’s the right thing to do given perceived threats in a given context. I couldn’t help but wonder what a story reframing the point of view would like here, if we saw things through the eyes of this stranger wondering why their hiking guide is acting so weird and worrying about being found out when all it wants to do is just blend in. Maybe that would be too straightforward of an analogy, though, for certain groups already so thoroughly victimized, vilified, and excluded.
While the premise is intriguing, the execution is too soft, too clean, too cozy. We never get a real sense of what this anomalous person is capable of beyond blending in and implanting false memories, but it doesn’t appear to pose any threat beyond just being an unexpected and unwanted person our narrator has to deal with, and god, who hasn’t been there before? There’s no violence, no bloodshed, no tension, no real sense of danger, no stakes at all beyond whatever the reader’s imagination might conjure on the author’s behalf. It’s horror for people who think mayonnaise is too spicy.
Neugebauer resists any easy answers to the predicament she sets forth, approaching the subject matter with abstruseness. I never could suss out exactly why we were supposed to feel so afraid of this extra or to consider them a potential danger and wondered exactly what the harm would be in letting this person on the bus home, beyond Matt’s apparent seating issues. Would allowing this extra a ride into civilization truly be the end of the world? If so, what’s the evidence of this? Is a false memory, even a good one, enough to condemn another being? For the amount of agonizing our narrator does over this extra, it all amounts to very little in the end. It’s a shame, because there is a neat concept at the core of this book and some cool ideas. They’re all just underbaked and never materialize into anything substantial, engaging, or even remotely horrifying. At least The Extra is short, and Hopkins’ narration is powerful and attention-holding, so it has that going for it, if nothing else.
October 6, 2025
Oh come on!!! 🤬 What a crappy ending!!!
It wasn't what I wanted, ok, it happens. Where I expected a sci-fi huis clos on the open, I got a simple mystery. I get it. I should have paid better attention. I accept that.
But I can't accept that ending .....
🚮
On a side note: the actor who narrated the audiobook on audible was really good.
It wasn't what I wanted, ok, it happens. Where I expected a sci-fi huis clos on the open, I got a simple mystery. I get it. I should have paid better attention. I accept that.
But I can't accept that ending .....
🚮
On a side note: the actor who narrated the audiobook on audible was really good.
December 3, 2025
Headcount...
What a fantastic little gem!
A group of backpackers are deep in the Ozark wilderness when their leader slowly becomes convinced that one of the party isn’t who they claim to be. That’s all I’ll say; the less you know going in, the better.
The story moves at a perfect pace, with tight writing—Neugebauer adds seemingly throwaway details into dialogue scenes that add to the overall immersion into the story—proof of how good her writing is. This felt like it was written specifically for me. I love the paranoia. I’m almost certain the ending of the book is a nod to the ending of a certain film that clearly inspired it.
Highly recommended for anyone who loves slow-burn, quiet horror. ★★★★½
What a fantastic little gem!
A group of backpackers are deep in the Ozark wilderness when their leader slowly becomes convinced that one of the party isn’t who they claim to be. That’s all I’ll say; the less you know going in, the better.
The story moves at a perfect pace, with tight writing—Neugebauer adds seemingly throwaway details into dialogue scenes that add to the overall immersion into the story—proof of how good her writing is. This felt like it was written specifically for me. I love the paranoia. I’m almost certain the ending of the book is a nod to the ending of a certain film that clearly inspired it.
Highly recommended for anyone who loves slow-burn, quiet horror. ★★★★½
December 7, 2025
The Extra is an interesting little novella with a very simple premise.
Ten people head out on a backpacking trip, but the first night eleven set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who's the extra?
Throughout the entire story, there is a sense of unease that something is wrong. Despite it being so short, I still appreciate the sense of tension the author managed to convey. We can definitely feel the main character’s panic and uncertainty.
It is a very ambiguous story, which I know is not everyone’s cup of tea. I personally love ambiguity in horror but was underwhelmed by the ending - I definitely would have preferred some kind of twist.
Still, I would recommend The Extra. It kind of reminds me of We Need to Do Something in terms of not knowing what is real and what isn’t throughout the story. 4 ⭑.ᐟ
Ten people head out on a backpacking trip, but the first night eleven set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who's the extra?
Throughout the entire story, there is a sense of unease that something is wrong. Despite it being so short, I still appreciate the sense of tension the author managed to convey. We can definitely feel the main character’s panic and uncertainty.
It is a very ambiguous story, which I know is not everyone’s cup of tea. I personally love ambiguity in horror but was underwhelmed by the ending - I definitely would have preferred some kind of twist.
Still, I would recommend The Extra. It kind of reminds me of We Need to Do Something in terms of not knowing what is real and what isn’t throughout the story. 4 ⭑.ᐟ
August 2, 2025
Reading The Extra felt a lot like watching a horror movie and wanting to yell at the characters for making obvious mistakes. There’s this group photo taken at the start of the trip with 10 people, clearly accounted for. Later on, it’s referenced again to confirm there’s an 11th, a shadowy figure smack in the middle. So…why not just cross-reference the photo with the group to figure out who the “extra” is? That part was a little frustrating for me.
Shove that aside though and I actually thought this one was pretty interesting. It’s a super short read but it packs a decent amount of dread and uncertainty into it. The ending really had my adrenaline pumping! A solid novella for sure!
Shove that aside though and I actually thought this one was pretty interesting. It’s a super short read but it packs a decent amount of dread and uncertainty into it. The ending really had my adrenaline pumping! A solid novella for sure!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2025
The Extra is a tight, tense, paranoid psychological thriller with a fantastic, simple premise. Ten people go camping in the woods, only for there to be eleven of them and everyone remembers everyone. Who is the extra?
This novella has soft hints of sci-fi, psychological horror (heavy on the psychological), and a mystery at its center. This is perfect for readers of Paul Tremblay.
The Extra is an excellent short read, just maybe don’t read it right before bed.
Thank you to Shortwave for the eARC for review!
This novella has soft hints of sci-fi, psychological horror (heavy on the psychological), and a mystery at its center. This is perfect for readers of Paul Tremblay.
The Extra is an excellent short read, just maybe don’t read it right before bed.
Thank you to Shortwave for the eARC for review!
September 13, 2025
The extra follows a group of 10 backpackers into the woods, or was it 11? The trip started with 10 hikers, but as they set up camp there is 11. And the problem is, everyone remembers everyone else. Who is the extra? This is a great small novella packed with psychological horror that borders on paranoia. We follow our main character Matt, who has to make a difficult choice by the end of the camping trip on who the extra is, and hope he is right for the sake of everyone and even civilization. Each mundane interaction, the characters look shifty. Are they human? Is it that one? We can’t bring the extra into society.
I can’t wait for the sequel!
I can’t wait for the sequel!
December 28, 2025
3.5 rounded up
November 26, 2024
I feel so lucky that Annie is my long time best friend and critique partner. Rest assured: I am unquestionably biased.
That said, I also know what great writing looks like to me: thought-provoking in a way that lingers long after I finish reading, descriptions that depict the mundane in exhileratingly unfamiliar ways, and characters and concepts that feel entirely, impossibly brand new. It looks like everything Neugebauer does. Every single time.
The Extra is discomforting. It is UPSETTING. Someone isn't supposed to be there. Somebody's presence is an un-exhaled breath. The Extra is creepy, creative, clever, and quick. It's one of my favorite Neugebauer pieces, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.
Neugebauer is a modern master of horror, suspense, and literary disquiet. At some point in the future, her name will smirk sideways from uncountable bookshelves, and this is your first opportunity to join that lucky club.
Read The Extra.
But don't say I didn't warn you.
That said, I also know what great writing looks like to me: thought-provoking in a way that lingers long after I finish reading, descriptions that depict the mundane in exhileratingly unfamiliar ways, and characters and concepts that feel entirely, impossibly brand new. It looks like everything Neugebauer does. Every single time.
The Extra is discomforting. It is UPSETTING. Someone isn't supposed to be there. Somebody's presence is an un-exhaled breath. The Extra is creepy, creative, clever, and quick. It's one of my favorite Neugebauer pieces, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.
Neugebauer is a modern master of horror, suspense, and literary disquiet. At some point in the future, her name will smirk sideways from uncountable bookshelves, and this is your first opportunity to join that lucky club.
Read The Extra.
But don't say I didn't warn you.
September 15, 2025
This book ends without any kind of resolution. In the afterword she makes note that there will be two forthcoming novellas to complete the story. I believe she would have been better served by finishing the complete book before publication.
As it is, the story is rife with anxiety. A three day jaunt on the trails in a state park is thrown into panic when it is discovered that the ten of them who had arrived suddenly have an eleventh member. No one can discern which of the hikers is the extra person. Fear builds as the days go by. That’s about it.
As it is, the story is rife with anxiety. A three day jaunt on the trails in a state park is thrown into panic when it is discovered that the ten of them who had arrived suddenly have an eleventh member. No one can discern which of the hikers is the extra person. Fear builds as the days go by. That’s about it.
July 5, 2025
Excellent debut novella. I loved the feeling of madness throughout. And the ending was perfect.
October 10, 2025
THE ENDING MADE ME SO MAD
June 26, 2025
This read was tense and incredibly unnerving.
“Ten people head out on a backpacking trip, but the first night eleven set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who is the extra?”
I had such anxiety reading this so I’m thankful it was a novella. The atmosphere was perfect and the setting lended a helping hand in keeping up the creep.
Fans of Paul Tremblay will love this.
Thank you to the author and shortwave for the eARC!
“Ten people head out on a backpacking trip, but the first night eleven set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who is the extra?”
I had such anxiety reading this so I’m thankful it was a novella. The atmosphere was perfect and the setting lended a helping hand in keeping up the creep.
Fans of Paul Tremblay will love this.
Thank you to the author and shortwave for the eARC!
September 3, 2025
As always, my endless thanks to Shortwave Media for the physical ARC.
A group of 7 students, 2 group leads, and 1 director head into the woods for a backpacking trip. 10 people. So how the hell do they set up camp on the first night with 11 total? Something is clearly wrong, but they all seem to remember each other like there isn’t an extra. Those in charge even remember everyone from the pre-trip dinner, but how could that be possible?
This is an incredibly simple, creepy, eerie premise. It’s also short, so it had to be all about atmosphere. Which can be quite hard to capture in so short a time. This is where I originally struggled personally. I was creeped out, and my brain was screaming “alien” but I didn’t necessarily feel that creeping unease. Truthfully, I did get really sick during the reading of this one, which prolonged the time it took to finish, so that could honestly be on me. The one singular thing that I still struggle with though is the author harping on them using a 10-seat passenger van. I just found it odd that the main character needed to grasp that as his holy ground for knowing. Coming from the times of being a teen while only one friend drove, only smushing in a single other person doesn’t feel farfetched to me. Two smaller women or men sharing a backseat? That could easily have explained it, but the author had the main character take the 10 seats as confirmation. And maybe there’s a point to that that I am simply missing, but I feel like a well placed sentence explaining it away would have helped. As the instructor, is he such a stickler for safety and rules that he’d never seat an extra person perhaps?
I also wouldn’t have said no to another 30 pages or so. I feel like we get snippets of the students, but not all of them, and maybe not necessarily deep enough to have a decision be made on who the extra was. And maybe with his prying, one of them would have thought to ask “why are you asking this?…I was talking with so and so and they said you asked them that too…” and that would have added a layer of tension more to the atmosphere. But again, perhaps that is the point—the author’s subversion, or even perversion, of expectations.
Mildly spoilery (but also not) below:
Now the real surprise for me comes from the ending. At first, I thought it was okay but rather simple. Now, NOW I can’t stop freaking thinking about it. They said only ten of them are leaving the woods no matter what, that was the decision. Who in their right mind (especially because they clearly aren’t) could make that call? How would you live with it, not knowing if you were really right or not? Did you do the right thing, or did you condemn the world, unleashing something that was never meant to leave those woods? Oh my god, I seriously can’t get it out of my head, and therefore, it’s continually grown on me. There’s no answers here, no comforting end. If you can’t trust your own mind, your memories, what else can’t you trust? Can’t we trust?
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-the-ex...
A group of 7 students, 2 group leads, and 1 director head into the woods for a backpacking trip. 10 people. So how the hell do they set up camp on the first night with 11 total? Something is clearly wrong, but they all seem to remember each other like there isn’t an extra. Those in charge even remember everyone from the pre-trip dinner, but how could that be possible?
This is an incredibly simple, creepy, eerie premise. It’s also short, so it had to be all about atmosphere. Which can be quite hard to capture in so short a time. This is where I originally struggled personally. I was creeped out, and my brain was screaming “alien” but I didn’t necessarily feel that creeping unease. Truthfully, I did get really sick during the reading of this one, which prolonged the time it took to finish, so that could honestly be on me. The one singular thing that I still struggle with though is the author harping on them using a 10-seat passenger van. I just found it odd that the main character needed to grasp that as his holy ground for knowing. Coming from the times of being a teen while only one friend drove, only smushing in a single other person doesn’t feel farfetched to me. Two smaller women or men sharing a backseat? That could easily have explained it, but the author had the main character take the 10 seats as confirmation. And maybe there’s a point to that that I am simply missing, but I feel like a well placed sentence explaining it away would have helped. As the instructor, is he such a stickler for safety and rules that he’d never seat an extra person perhaps?
I also wouldn’t have said no to another 30 pages or so. I feel like we get snippets of the students, but not all of them, and maybe not necessarily deep enough to have a decision be made on who the extra was. And maybe with his prying, one of them would have thought to ask “why are you asking this?…I was talking with so and so and they said you asked them that too…” and that would have added a layer of tension more to the atmosphere. But again, perhaps that is the point—the author’s subversion, or even perversion, of expectations.
Mildly spoilery (but also not) below:
Now the real surprise for me comes from the ending. At first, I thought it was okay but rather simple. Now, NOW I can’t stop freaking thinking about it. They said only ten of them are leaving the woods no matter what, that was the decision. Who in their right mind (especially because they clearly aren’t) could make that call? How would you live with it, not knowing if you were really right or not? Did you do the right thing, or did you condemn the world, unleashing something that was never meant to leave those woods? Oh my god, I seriously can’t get it out of my head, and therefore, it’s continually grown on me. There’s no answers here, no comforting end. If you can’t trust your own mind, your memories, what else can’t you trust? Can’t we trust?
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-the-ex...
October 26, 2025
Idea amazing. Ending shit.
November 19, 2025
This was an extremely tight paced novella with just enough character exploration to keep it interesting for all 115 pages. The only spoiler in this review is the story poses several questions you get no answer to which can feel a bit unfulfilling. But as that is obviously the point of the book it’s a five star for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2025
Maybe I’m in the minority here, but I can’t understand why anyone would recommend this book. Practically
nothing happens.
The MC, Matt, leads 9 people on a camping adventure. Then, after a strange incident, he counts and realizes there are 10 people there, plus him, for a total of 11. Someone doesn’t belong - but everyone has memories of everyone else being present since the beginning of the trip. No one recognizes there is an Extra.
This is a short book, less than 100 pages in the Kindle edition. There are a few spooky situations and some build up to a twist/reveal, but then the book just ends. The premise was good but the execution was definitely lacking.
There is no violence, no bloodshed, no threatening situations. Matt thinks everyone is in great danger when he discovers The Extra, but we never find out why. Why does Matt feel so concerned about bringing it back home? It never does anything to hurt or bother anyone, aside from tag along on the camping trip.
Also, it annoyed me that he knows there is an Extra - but he has no attendance sheet or formal paperwork with names of paid participants. He has extra batteries, extra food, extra bandaids, but no official list of people he is leading on an out of state camping trip? That is a bridge much too far.
I feel like this would be a creepy-ish read for a much younger audience - maybe YA? It was a waste of time for me.
nothing happens.
The MC, Matt, leads 9 people on a camping adventure. Then, after a strange incident, he counts and realizes there are 10 people there, plus him, for a total of 11. Someone doesn’t belong - but everyone has memories of everyone else being present since the beginning of the trip. No one recognizes there is an Extra.
This is a short book, less than 100 pages in the Kindle edition. There are a few spooky situations and some build up to a twist/reveal, but then the book just ends. The premise was good but the execution was definitely lacking.
There is no violence, no bloodshed, no threatening situations. Matt thinks everyone is in great danger when he discovers The Extra, but we never find out why. Why does Matt feel so concerned about bringing it back home? It never does anything to hurt or bother anyone, aside from tag along on the camping trip.
Also, it annoyed me that he knows there is an Extra - but he has no attendance sheet or formal paperwork with names of paid participants. He has extra batteries, extra food, extra bandaids, but no official list of people he is leading on an out of state camping trip? That is a bridge much too far.
I feel like this would be a creepy-ish read for a much younger audience - maybe YA? It was a waste of time for me.
June 25, 2025
Annie Neugebauer delivers an unnerving psychological thriller in
The Extra
, a novella that doesn't just entertain us but has us questioning our own memories. This fast-paced tale is equal parts unsettling and thought-provoking making for a unique reading experience.
Ten people head out on a backpacking trip, but the first night eleven set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who is the extra?
The Extra by Annie Neugebauer is a psychological thriller with a deceptively simple yet chilling premise–an extra person. Neugebauer wonderfully weaves paranoia and anxiety this novella which brims with suspense, leaving me on the edge of my seat with every page turn and questioning everything.
The tale is thought-provoking and challenged me to reflect on the reliability of my own memories. With a stellar atmospheric, claustrophobic setting, this novella truly kept me guessing along the way. It's creepy and unsettling–even upsetting at moments–in the best way possible while continuing to remain creative and unique.
Although the shorter length of the book doesn't allow for much character development, it doesn't fully detract from the story's main appeal. Neugebauer really focuses on the concept of the extra person against the stellar backdrop of an isolating wilderness. The location made for an even more eerie story.
The Extra definitely leans more toward the science-fiction genre rather than mystery. Unlike a mystery story, which often ties up loose ends and answers all questions, sci-fi tales tend to leave certain questions unanswered to really drive one the intrigue. While a slightly different ending may have elevated the story in my eyes, it remained a gripping and memorable story. As well as, the incredibly fast-paced read made for a great single sitting experience.
The Extra hits bookstores everywhere on September 9, 2025 from Shortwave Publishing. I suggest you preorder directly from the publisher.
NOTE: We received an advance copy of The Extra from the authors. Opinions are our own.
Ten people head out on a backpacking trip, but the first night eleven set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who is the extra?
The Extra by Annie Neugebauer is a psychological thriller with a deceptively simple yet chilling premise–an extra person. Neugebauer wonderfully weaves paranoia and anxiety this novella which brims with suspense, leaving me on the edge of my seat with every page turn and questioning everything.
The tale is thought-provoking and challenged me to reflect on the reliability of my own memories. With a stellar atmospheric, claustrophobic setting, this novella truly kept me guessing along the way. It's creepy and unsettling–even upsetting at moments–in the best way possible while continuing to remain creative and unique.
Although the shorter length of the book doesn't allow for much character development, it doesn't fully detract from the story's main appeal. Neugebauer really focuses on the concept of the extra person against the stellar backdrop of an isolating wilderness. The location made for an even more eerie story.
The Extra definitely leans more toward the science-fiction genre rather than mystery. Unlike a mystery story, which often ties up loose ends and answers all questions, sci-fi tales tend to leave certain questions unanswered to really drive one the intrigue. While a slightly different ending may have elevated the story in my eyes, it remained a gripping and memorable story. As well as, the incredibly fast-paced read made for a great single sitting experience.
The Extra hits bookstores everywhere on September 9, 2025 from Shortwave Publishing. I suggest you preorder directly from the publisher.
NOTE: We received an advance copy of The Extra from the authors. Opinions are our own.
October 3, 2025
This had the potential to be so creepy! I mean it was kind of, but there is a lot of not-much happening in here. It is tense, but I was really begging for something spooky to happen!
August 31, 2025
The Extra was SO creepy. You could really feel the tension and unease coming right off the pages.
The Extra follows a university hiking/camping trip in the woods of Arkansas. After a strange incident at the start of the trip, there are suddenly eleven people instead of ten. The only problem? Every participant remembers everyone else. So who is the extra?
This one will really mess with your mind! I was on edge practically the whole time and even had gooses bumps a few times!
The Extra follows a university hiking/camping trip in the woods of Arkansas. After a strange incident at the start of the trip, there are suddenly eleven people instead of ten. The only problem? Every participant remembers everyone else. So who is the extra?
This one will really mess with your mind! I was on edge practically the whole time and even had gooses bumps a few times!
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