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Reef Mind
The coral reef rose from the seas, spreading across the land with incredible speed. A rapidly evolving invasive species.
It transformed the landscape.
Mutated every living creature of the surface world.
We never suspected it had a plan.
“An unsettling novella with so many ways to get under your skin. A new voice in Weird Horror worth keeping a close eye on.”
Michael Wehunt, The October Film Haunt and Greener Pastures“Unfolds with terror and hypnotic beauty.”
Ivy Grimes, The Ghosts of Blaubart Mansion"Zorn has stitched together a future unburdened by petty desire–there’s a greater power pulsing eerily beneath the prose."
Andrew F. Sullivan, The Marigold and The Handyman Method“Surreal and skin-crawling. A pure oceanic nightmare and a must-read for fans of eco-Weird.”
Thomas Ha, Uncertain Sons and Other Stories
It transformed the landscape.
Mutated every living creature of the surface world.
We never suspected it had a plan.
“An unsettling novella with so many ways to get under your skin. A new voice in Weird Horror worth keeping a close eye on.”
Michael Wehunt, The October Film Haunt and Greener Pastures“Unfolds with terror and hypnotic beauty.”
Ivy Grimes, The Ghosts of Blaubart Mansion"Zorn has stitched together a future unburdened by petty desire–there’s a greater power pulsing eerily beneath the prose."
Andrew F. Sullivan, The Marigold and The Handyman Method“Surreal and skin-crawling. A pure oceanic nightmare and a must-read for fans of eco-Weird.”
Thomas Ha, Uncertain Sons and Other Stories
95 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 9, 2025
3 people are currently reading
4248 people want to read
About the author
Hazel Zorn
3 books24 followersHazel Zorn has been published in many short fiction outlets since 2016. She works as an oil painter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
September 28, 2025
Reef Mind is an eldritch apocalyptic horror novella about sentient hive mind coral reef that is striving to be the dominant species. It transforms the environment and all inhabitants leading to bizarre mutations. The story has a psychedelic atmosphere with flying fish, human bodily transformation, with a few illustrations within the book that create a world similar to something you find in a Jeff Vandermeer novel. It was a fun quick read, a cautionary tale about our treatment of the environment.
I gave it 3.5 stars because I wanted a bit more length to flesh out the story and characters. I look forward to future books by Hazel Zorn. If you are looking for weird eco-horror with love for the ocean and water species then I highly recommend .
I gave it 3.5 stars because I wanted a bit more length to flesh out the story and characters. I look forward to future books by Hazel Zorn. If you are looking for weird eco-horror with love for the ocean and water species then I highly recommend .
November 12, 2025
The author herself claims this is a novel about climate change anxiety, which it totally is, but I saw a lot of parental anxiety expressed in here also, not just in terms of our looming environmental crises, but in the general we-all-feel-ourselves-getting-older sense too. It's like, you're expected to hand off the world to the next generation, but at the end of the day, the world has changed beyond your control. They adapt, not by choice but by sheer necessity, and in doing so, become these alien entities to us, unknowable, facing an unknowable future that extends well beyond whatever years we have left. I find these thoughts sobering and sad, but also, a little hopeful too. Each generation is like it's own species, you see, but connected to the others, much like the coral reef itself. To that end, this novel serves as an excellent extended metaphor, while still being full of the things that make horror a pleasure to read--grotesque imagery, harrowing moments of survival, and a cast of archetypal characters all lining up for the slaughter. I really liked this one.
October 11, 2025
3.5? I do recommend, for its sense of tragedy and being effective icky and the sorrow of losing the world. I did not at all expect it to be so much about parenthood—yearning for, fearing, being the tragic result of, accidental, and post-apocalyptic. Who among the middle generations of our current era has not had to think about parenting in climate collapse, if only to say hell no and I wouldn’t have done it regardless? I like that this addresses parenting as personal choice and the tragedy that can give rise to in the midst of a happy partnership, and how it manages to sneak in a chitinous monster child despite everything regarding Matt and Amanda.
Points off for being oddly meandering for something that clocks in at under a hundred pages and, in the meandering, somewhat losing its way. Points nrutr for me really not caring for any of the characters. No points off but noted that it needed one more pass of copy edits because there are some egregious typos.
The premise made me pick this up but I would have liked to see it all get pushed further—if in nothing else, than in the emotional intensity. It’s about the precious and all encompassing nature of certain human connections but my heart wasn’t wrenched as much as I’d expect the content to wrench it. The connection wasn’t quite there.
I’d read more from Hazel Zorn, though, and I’m interested in checking out more from Tenebrous who are an indie press who do seem to be trying out some interesting offbeat books.
Most obvious and immediate comparison for read next or read this if you like is absolutely Jeff VanderMeer Annihilation. What is this if not a sort of thinking thing sometimes gooey thing filling the world, growing too much, and changing you from the inside out?
Points off for being oddly meandering for something that clocks in at under a hundred pages and, in the meandering, somewhat losing its way. Points nrutr for me really not caring for any of the characters. No points off but noted that it needed one more pass of copy edits because there are some egregious typos.
The premise made me pick this up but I would have liked to see it all get pushed further—if in nothing else, than in the emotional intensity. It’s about the precious and all encompassing nature of certain human connections but my heart wasn’t wrenched as much as I’d expect the content to wrench it. The connection wasn’t quite there.
I’d read more from Hazel Zorn, though, and I’m interested in checking out more from Tenebrous who are an indie press who do seem to be trying out some interesting offbeat books.
Most obvious and immediate comparison for read next or read this if you like is absolutely Jeff VanderMeer Annihilation. What is this if not a sort of thinking thing sometimes gooey thing filling the world, growing too much, and changing you from the inside out?
August 19, 2025
Reef Mind is an upcoming climate and eco-horror novella. A coral reef is rising from the sea and transforming landscapes. It is also mutating life … all life. The line between the natural world and humanity is obliterated. But Reef Mind is more than just climate, eco and body horror. Its about the fragility of the human condition. This story dives into the frightening impact of ecological collapse and how truly helpless humans really are in this world. There are also themes of survival and grief. To say this book freaked me all the way out is an understatement. Zorn has crafted a unique apocalyptic tale that is haunting and impossible to forget. You can pick this up when it publishes September 09, 2025. Thank you Tenebrous press for sending me an ARC!
July 27, 2025
The sea is coming for you...
Ooh this book grabbed me by the arm and sunk its cold fingerlike villi under my skin. If it's got elements of eco-horror, body horror, cli-fi and weird fiction, I'm all in. Throw oceanic horror into the mix and helloooo... I want to be drenched in it!
The book follows Matt and Amanda from the early days of the change. Something has shifted in the air. The fish and the coral reefs are able to survive outside of the water. An invasive species that is starting to take over the land. Most of the people are sick. They are transforming. Those left untouched by the change wander through grief, decay, and something like survival.
Reef Mind is a glorious apocalyptic ride—taut, terrifying, and just the right length for a binge read. It explores what happens when ecosystems fight back, when parenting becomes feral, and when evolution feels personal. Lush, terrifying, and beautifully weird, Reef Mind is a submerged scream for preservation and persistence.
For fans of fungal fiction like The Last of Us and The Beauty.
Ooh this book grabbed me by the arm and sunk its cold fingerlike villi under my skin. If it's got elements of eco-horror, body horror, cli-fi and weird fiction, I'm all in. Throw oceanic horror into the mix and helloooo... I want to be drenched in it!
The book follows Matt and Amanda from the early days of the change. Something has shifted in the air. The fish and the coral reefs are able to survive outside of the water. An invasive species that is starting to take over the land. Most of the people are sick. They are transforming. Those left untouched by the change wander through grief, decay, and something like survival.
Reef Mind is a glorious apocalyptic ride—taut, terrifying, and just the right length for a binge read. It explores what happens when ecosystems fight back, when parenting becomes feral, and when evolution feels personal. Lush, terrifying, and beautifully weird, Reef Mind is a submerged scream for preservation and persistence.
For fans of fungal fiction like The Last of Us and The Beauty.
July 25, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – REEF MIND by Hazel Zorn 🧠🌊🪸
This book slapped me across the face with a wet, coral-covered hand and whispered, “You are one with the reef now.”
And honestly? I didn’t hate it. 💀🐚
It’s raw, strange, and totally unhinged—in that hallucinatory fever dream where the ocean rewrites your DNA kind of way. Some areas could’ve gone deeper (pun intended), but the intentional confusion, the creeping dread, and the uncomfortable body horror? Absolute chef’s kiss. 👁️🩸🦀
By the time I finished, I wasn’t sure if I needed therapy or gills.
Would recommend to fans of weird fiction, eco-horror, or anyone who enjoys screaming internally while reading 90 pages of brain coral breakdown.
Hazel Zorn, you’ve corrupted me in the best way. 🐙
Thank you to Tenebrous Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book slapped me across the face with a wet, coral-covered hand and whispered, “You are one with the reef now.”
And honestly? I didn’t hate it. 💀🐚
It’s raw, strange, and totally unhinged—in that hallucinatory fever dream where the ocean rewrites your DNA kind of way. Some areas could’ve gone deeper (pun intended), but the intentional confusion, the creeping dread, and the uncomfortable body horror? Absolute chef’s kiss. 👁️🩸🦀
By the time I finished, I wasn’t sure if I needed therapy or gills.
Would recommend to fans of weird fiction, eco-horror, or anyone who enjoys screaming internally while reading 90 pages of brain coral breakdown.
Hazel Zorn, you’ve corrupted me in the best way. 🐙
Thank you to Tenebrous Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 5, 2025
Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC from the publisher.
In this cli-fi-horror novel, corals are growing uncontrollably, the oceans are rising and the sea is reclaiming the land for itself, using an infection that changes all lifeforms. Eco horror and body horror can be combined in very fun ways and this book manages this feat masterfully.
Told through the perspectives of Amanda and Matt, a couple that live on the coast and find themselves stuck there as the infection spreads, we get to experience firsthand what it feels like to transform and to watch a loved one transform. While Amanda’s narrative is more internal, examining her past, grief about infertility and her existence before the transformation, Matt’s narrative focusses on his life after the change, his grief and the ways he deals with what comes after.
With fish and jellyfish swimming through the air, corals growing out of most people and changing them, the landscape is unrecognizable and haunting. The writing really depicts this strange new world wonderfully and the illustrations included in the book were gorgeous! I also really enjoyed the way the story examined how familial ties work, how familiarity works and what to do if those you care about have become unrecognizable to you.
A short, but interesting trip through a changed world with characters that, while not exactly loveable, are realistically flawed and that you still can’t help but want to succeed, whatever form their success may take.
TW: body horror, cannibalism, child abuse (physical, emotional), child death, child murder-ish, death, grief, gore, injury, miscarriage (past), murder, pregnancy (past), violence
In this cli-fi-horror novel, corals are growing uncontrollably, the oceans are rising and the sea is reclaiming the land for itself, using an infection that changes all lifeforms. Eco horror and body horror can be combined in very fun ways and this book manages this feat masterfully.
Told through the perspectives of Amanda and Matt, a couple that live on the coast and find themselves stuck there as the infection spreads, we get to experience firsthand what it feels like to transform and to watch a loved one transform. While Amanda’s narrative is more internal, examining her past, grief about infertility and her existence before the transformation, Matt’s narrative focusses on his life after the change, his grief and the ways he deals with what comes after.
With fish and jellyfish swimming through the air, corals growing out of most people and changing them, the landscape is unrecognizable and haunting. The writing really depicts this strange new world wonderfully and the illustrations included in the book were gorgeous! I also really enjoyed the way the story examined how familial ties work, how familiarity works and what to do if those you care about have become unrecognizable to you.
A short, but interesting trip through a changed world with characters that, while not exactly loveable, are realistically flawed and that you still can’t help but want to succeed, whatever form their success may take.
TW: body horror, cannibalism, child abuse (physical, emotional), child death, child murder-ish, death, grief, gore, injury, miscarriage (past), murder, pregnancy (past), violence
July 15, 2025
I was provided with a digital ARC of this title, courtesy of the publisher. All views and opinions are my own.
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With Reef Mind, Hazel Zorn recognizes how most of us will approach this story. Readers who will open this book expecting one thing, and being faced with something entirely different, as it unfurls in great and terrible splendor. This is a book about recognizing those fictions we've constructed, and made part of our life, and more importantly when things beyond our control force us to face those fictions, and the ugliness it hides. By the authors own admission this book is about Climate Anxiety.
Something that some of us work to manage on a daily basis, and others choose to hide from. The Coral in this story is the Wild Fires, the Hurricanes, the Floods, the smoke, the myriad illnesses.
How do we as a species, as individuals, as Parents, children, tackle something beyond us?
Two authors whose works echoed in my mind as I read Reef Mind. Stanislaw Lem, and his story of an Other most Alien "Solaris" and Jeff Van DerMeer's Southern Reach series. Like these author's Hazel Zorn has written something rich and complex in is weirdness. How we choose to behave, act towards ourselves, towards others, when confronting something beyond our understanding. This speaks to who we are as people, as a species. Even more so, when the other wears a form or face familiar, human, are we able to accept it or do we revert to hatred and violence. Curiosity or Ignorance? Accepting and embracing versus running and hiding.
-
With Reef Mind, Hazel Zorn recognizes how most of us will approach this story. Readers who will open this book expecting one thing, and being faced with something entirely different, as it unfurls in great and terrible splendor. This is a book about recognizing those fictions we've constructed, and made part of our life, and more importantly when things beyond our control force us to face those fictions, and the ugliness it hides. By the authors own admission this book is about Climate Anxiety.
Something that some of us work to manage on a daily basis, and others choose to hide from. The Coral in this story is the Wild Fires, the Hurricanes, the Floods, the smoke, the myriad illnesses.
How do we as a species, as individuals, as Parents, children, tackle something beyond us?
Two authors whose works echoed in my mind as I read Reef Mind. Stanislaw Lem, and his story of an Other most Alien "Solaris" and Jeff Van DerMeer's Southern Reach series. Like these author's Hazel Zorn has written something rich and complex in is weirdness. How we choose to behave, act towards ourselves, towards others, when confronting something beyond our understanding. This speaks to who we are as people, as a species. Even more so, when the other wears a form or face familiar, human, are we able to accept it or do we revert to hatred and violence. Curiosity or Ignorance? Accepting and embracing versus running and hiding.
September 4, 2025
Review originally on JamReads
Reef Mind is a bold ecohorror novella, written by Hazel Zorn, and published by Tenebrous Press. A book that takes a current issue such as climate anxiety and uses it not to only weave a rich and complex story, but to also touch themes such as the fictions we tell ourselves to continue with our lives, how they are a protective layer over the ugly reality, while also delivering a fair share of spine tingling moments.
Something has shifted in the environment; fish and coral reefs are able to live outside of the war. Most of the people are getting sick, changing into something reef-like; those untouched have to face the loss of the beloved ones and the grief for a world in decay, all while trying to survive. We will be following Matt and Amanda during these first days of change, in a sort of post-apocalyptic story which shows many faces, from humanity and from nature.
During this ride, Zorn takes the opportunity to explore things such as when nature fights back against human progress, evolution on a personal scale and how pain can shape the vision of the world; all while gifting us with terrific scenes that are not afraid of going into the weird territory.
Reef Mind is an excellent novella, a proposal that subverts certain narrative structures to create something more visceral; if cli-fi and ecohorror are your jam, this novella should be at the top of your TBR list!
Reef Mind is a bold ecohorror novella, written by Hazel Zorn, and published by Tenebrous Press. A book that takes a current issue such as climate anxiety and uses it not to only weave a rich and complex story, but to also touch themes such as the fictions we tell ourselves to continue with our lives, how they are a protective layer over the ugly reality, while also delivering a fair share of spine tingling moments.
Something has shifted in the environment; fish and coral reefs are able to live outside of the war. Most of the people are getting sick, changing into something reef-like; those untouched have to face the loss of the beloved ones and the grief for a world in decay, all while trying to survive. We will be following Matt and Amanda during these first days of change, in a sort of post-apocalyptic story which shows many faces, from humanity and from nature.
During this ride, Zorn takes the opportunity to explore things such as when nature fights back against human progress, evolution on a personal scale and how pain can shape the vision of the world; all while gifting us with terrific scenes that are not afraid of going into the weird territory.
Reef Mind is an excellent novella, a proposal that subverts certain narrative structures to create something more visceral; if cli-fi and ecohorror are your jam, this novella should be at the top of your TBR list!
August 31, 2025
This eco-horror novella hits where it hurts. While calling forth fantastical marine phenomena, the heart of this book remains all too human. Each chapter dissects Matt until his relationship and his very psyche feel like an open wound. The body horror was especially horrific with my heart caught up in emotional turmoil. I have a healthy wariness of the deep blue unknown but I've never felt so squeamish about coral before.
Thanks so much to Tenebrous Press for sending an advance copy my way. First From the Belly and now Reef Mind... I'm seeing a pattern of impeccable taste in waterlogged horror. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
Thanks so much to Tenebrous Press for sending an advance copy my way. First From the Belly and now Reef Mind... I'm seeing a pattern of impeccable taste in waterlogged horror. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
September 24, 2025
Zorn has created something special here, a freaky, moving, psychedelic eco-horror that pulses with fear and anxiety about changes in climate and the self. The illustrations are incredible and the print version is well worth it to be able to see them in full detail. I can't wait for more from this emerging author!
July 17, 2025
Astounding, weird, and hauntingly beautiful.
July 29, 2025
Bizarre and gross and bleak and confusing, but in a way that's kind of riveting. The narration has the detached, hollow feel of people who have nothing left to lose (and, in one case, maybe never had anything to lose to begin with). Everything that happens is just to the left of being comprehensible. The prose is visceral. I am unsettled in all the ways a book like this should unsettle me, plus a few extra ones just for fun. I do wish that some things were explained a little more clearly, but I also know that the eldritch-adjacent-ness of it all means that understanding was never an option. A very solid four stars.
July 2, 2025
This book had me hooked from the beginning, I have a deep fear of the ocean,so this book hit in the perfect way. I really enjoyed the switching between perspectives.
July 3, 2025
It’s easy to glance at the synopsis of this book and think, “Oh cool—killer psychedelic coral! This’ll be a blast.”
And it ends up being completely brutal. An absolute gut punch of anxiety and heartbreak.
Hazel Zorn has wrapped up themes of climate change, family, extinction, and individualism in a tight, body horror-filled piece of eco-horror. As a new(ish) father, I can appreciate so many of the emotions that cut through this novella. Easily devoured in an afternoon. This is my first foray into the work of Zorn, but not the last.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher, and solemnly swear that no crab people or sentient coral influenced our opinion.
…I mean MY opinion.
And it ends up being completely brutal. An absolute gut punch of anxiety and heartbreak.
Hazel Zorn has wrapped up themes of climate change, family, extinction, and individualism in a tight, body horror-filled piece of eco-horror. As a new(ish) father, I can appreciate so many of the emotions that cut through this novella. Easily devoured in an afternoon. This is my first foray into the work of Zorn, but not the last.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher, and solemnly swear that no crab people or sentient coral influenced our opinion.
…I mean MY opinion.
October 16, 2025
"Isn't there always a change to the body before it can share itself with another? Puberty before sex, sex before pregnancy. I was done sharing. Or trying to. I thought I was done with change."
2.5/5 stars
Synopsis:
A previously unknown invasive lifeform emerges from the depth of the ocean and begins to transform the landscape. As above, so below; the surface landscape is overtaken, transformed and mutated into an almost psychedelic coral scenery. And so are the people that live near its shores…
My thoughts:
Although I loved many of the ideas behind this novella, I didn’t love the execution as much as I hoped I would. The oceanic imagery, mixed with grotesque bodily transformation is very effective, and the sporadic illustrations by Becca Snow, which are included throughout, lift it to another level. There’s a lot of commentary on climate-change (as to be expected), legacy, parenthood and (undesired) childlessness. Some of those later points, I didn’t know would feature so prominently, but tied in beautifully to the story and themes at hand.
Where the novella stumbled a little was in its writing style. It’s very hallucinatory and kaleidoscopic, which I didn’t mind. It was also quite “overwritten”, and the combination of those two elements pushed it into my allergy-zone. To give you an impression: in the span of a few pages, an eye is described as “a bulbous nucleus of terror” and a character contemplates randomly: “what is creation, but a terrible cancer haunted by inevitable decay?” Sure, it sounds poetic, but when you think of it longer than a few seconds, it doesn't actually say anything meaningful in the context of the story.
The purple prose also took away from my investment in any of the character, which is essential in a story with an emotional core like this one. Overall, I’m happy I’ve read this one, but among the 6 horror novella's I read back to back this month, it's not my favourite.
Finally, I went back and forth on whether to round my 2.5 star-rating up or down. On the one hand, I noticed 2 typo’s, which I do feel are usually unacceptable in a finished product that I paid for with my own money. On the other hand, for a small publisher like Tenebrous Press to take a risk in curating the beautiful artwork both within, as well as on the cover: I can only respect and applaud that. To me, the level of care placed on the graphic design, outweighs 2 small textual errors.
2.5/5 stars
Synopsis:
A previously unknown invasive lifeform emerges from the depth of the ocean and begins to transform the landscape. As above, so below; the surface landscape is overtaken, transformed and mutated into an almost psychedelic coral scenery. And so are the people that live near its shores…
My thoughts:
Although I loved many of the ideas behind this novella, I didn’t love the execution as much as I hoped I would. The oceanic imagery, mixed with grotesque bodily transformation is very effective, and the sporadic illustrations by Becca Snow, which are included throughout, lift it to another level. There’s a lot of commentary on climate-change (as to be expected), legacy, parenthood and (undesired) childlessness. Some of those later points, I didn’t know would feature so prominently, but tied in beautifully to the story and themes at hand.
Where the novella stumbled a little was in its writing style. It’s very hallucinatory and kaleidoscopic, which I didn’t mind. It was also quite “overwritten”, and the combination of those two elements pushed it into my allergy-zone. To give you an impression: in the span of a few pages, an eye is described as “a bulbous nucleus of terror” and a character contemplates randomly: “what is creation, but a terrible cancer haunted by inevitable decay?” Sure, it sounds poetic, but when you think of it longer than a few seconds, it doesn't actually say anything meaningful in the context of the story.
The purple prose also took away from my investment in any of the character, which is essential in a story with an emotional core like this one. Overall, I’m happy I’ve read this one, but among the 6 horror novella's I read back to back this month, it's not my favourite.
Finally, I went back and forth on whether to round my 2.5 star-rating up or down. On the one hand, I noticed 2 typo’s, which I do feel are usually unacceptable in a finished product that I paid for with my own money. On the other hand, for a small publisher like Tenebrous Press to take a risk in curating the beautiful artwork both within, as well as on the cover: I can only respect and applaud that. To me, the level of care placed on the graphic design, outweighs 2 small textual errors.
September 5, 2025
cheers to Tenebrous for providing a digital ARC to review
apparently my review i wrote for the ARC of this book, back in July has disappeared from this site... I'm not sure why. It's incredibly frustrating. so here's the condensed version I posted on socials back in July.*sigh*
A story that comes at you like a straightforward eco horror, but soon has you turning on your head, examining human reactions when faced with something very alien, yet painfully familiar. Evoked Solaris and jeff_vandermeers Southern Reach series. Hazel has written something very potent, it's going to burrow inside and leave you considering things.
apparently my review i wrote for the ARC of this book, back in July has disappeared from this site... I'm not sure why. It's incredibly frustrating. so here's the condensed version I posted on socials back in July.*sigh*
A story that comes at you like a straightforward eco horror, but soon has you turning on your head, examining human reactions when faced with something very alien, yet painfully familiar. Evoked Solaris and jeff_vandermeers Southern Reach series. Hazel has written something very potent, it's going to burrow inside and leave you considering things.
August 18, 2025
Thought provoking eco horror. This was a quick read, I did feel it was a bit confusing at times and I felt it lacked explanation where it would’ve benefited. But I still enjoyed it and would recommend to any fan of eco horror or anyone who wants to be even more afraid of the ocean
June 29, 2025
First off, thank you so much to Tenebrous press for the free arc in exchange for my honest review.
TW: child loss
This book immediately sucked me in. I am endlessly fascinated and simultaneously fearful of the ocean so this scratched that part of my brain that can be horrified and intrigued at the same time. Ocean eldricht horror, eco horror, body horror, and the horror that can only reside in the hearts of men made for such a stunning, visceral, eerie, sad, horrifying, beautiful and unsettling read, I would have gladly read 500 pages of this. Absolutely loved it.
TW: child loss
This book immediately sucked me in. I am endlessly fascinated and simultaneously fearful of the ocean so this scratched that part of my brain that can be horrified and intrigued at the same time. Ocean eldricht horror, eco horror, body horror, and the horror that can only reside in the hearts of men made for such a stunning, visceral, eerie, sad, horrifying, beautiful and unsettling read, I would have gladly read 500 pages of this. Absolutely loved it.
October 19, 2025
BWAF Score: 8/10
Hazel Zorn, an artist from the Northeastern US and a debut novelist, brings a painter’s eye to the visceral horror of Reef Mind. This is her first major published work and a bold leap into speculative horror. Tenebrous Press, known for championing New Weird Horror, pairs Zorn’s text with Becca Snow’s evocative cover art and Echo Echo’s intricate interior illustrations, enhancing the book’s unsettling aesthetic. Zorn’s dedication to her family and her nod to La Jolla’s landscapes suggest a personal anchor in the ecological dread that permeates the novella, marking her as a fresh voice unafraid to dive straight into the abyss.
Reef Mind unfolds in a near-future La Jolla, California, where a mysterious coral invasion has choked the coastlines, transforming the environment and its inhabitants in horrifying ways. Matt, a retired firefighter, and Amanda, a lifeguard haunted by past losses, navigate a world where the ocean’s wrath manifests as grotesque mutations and an alien intelligence. As society crumbles beneath this ecological nightmare, the couple confronts personal grief and a chilling entity that mimics and manipulates human forms. The novella weaves a tale of survival, loss, and transformation, set against a backdrop of psychedelic coral towers and air-swimming fish. Zorn crafts an atmospheric descent into a reality where humanity’s dominance is usurped by a sentient, vengeful ocean.
Reef Mind is a pulsating nightmare exploring humanity’s fraught relationship with nature, specifically the ocean as a primordial force seeking revenge. Zorn’s central theme of ecological retribution feels like a howl against climate change, with the coral acting as a sentient, colonizing entity that mirrors humanity’s own destructive expansion. The novella’s philosophical core probes whether consciousness itself is a disease, a notion Amanda articulates with chilling clarity: “Consciousness as virus. How interesting. If it’s an accident, maybe it’s something we caught.” This existential dread elevates the horror beyond body terror, questioning humanity’s right to exist when we are essentially the lice in nature’s hair. Symbolically, the coral’s grotesque transformation of human bodies into skeletal, blooming structures reflects a perverse rebirth, a macabre parody of pregnancy and creation that connects directly to Amanda’s miscarriages and Matt’s reluctant fatherhood. The interconnected, manipulative intelligence of the “reef mind” becomes a metaphor for collective guilt, invading personal agency like fungal rot.
Zorn’s prose is vivid and tactile, dripping with sensory detail that makes the coral invasion feel horrifyingly alive. “Neon colors shot upwards like so many fireworks and settled, in some places, to blanket the ground in a multicolor cloak.” Her style leans into New Weird Horror, blending grotesque physicality with psychological unraveling, though now and then it tips into overwrought metaphors. The alternating perspectives of Matt and Amanda deepen the emotional stakes, their voices distinct yet unified by despair. The novella critiques humanity’s arrogance in assuming dominion over nature, echoing real-world anxieties about ecological collapse while sidestepping heavy-handed moralizing. It forces readers to confront their complicity in environmental decay, all wrapped in a fever dream of bioluminescent terror. Zorn’s refusal to offer neat resolutions amplifies the unease, leaving us to stew in the implications of a world where humanity is no longer the apex predator but prey to a blooming, vengeful ecosystem.
Reef Mind is a triumph of originality, conjuring a premise that feels like Cronenberg had a one-night stand with a coral reef and birthed a nightmare. The concept of a sentient coral invasion transforming humans into grotesque hybrids is daring and fresh. Zorn’s world-building is immersive, with La Jolla’s coastal beauty warped into a psychedelic hellscape of calcium carbonate skeletons teeming with warped life. The horror hits hard, especially in scenes like Amanda’s transformation, where “fiery orange polyps wormed out” of her skull, an image seared into your frontal lobe for life. The novella’s atmosphere is suffocating, the oxygen-rich air and air-swimming barracudas creating a tactile, disorienting sense of alien invasion. Zorn’s prose shines when making the coral feel alive and malicious, a character in its own right.
Matt and Amanda are compelling but uneven. Matt’s everyman heroism, grounded in his firefighter past, anchors the story, but his stubborn denial of the coral reality feels repetitive and drags the pacing early on. Amanda’s arc, steeped in grief over her miscarriages, is more nuanced, her descent into the coral’s influence both heartbreaking and horrifying. Their relationship, strained by loss and apocalypse, adds emotional heft, though Matt’s perspective occasionally dominates, leaving Amanda’s voice underutilized in the middle act. The pacing falters here too, with some scenes, like Matt’s endless moping at Torrey Pines, lingering too long without advancing the horror. The introduction of Miriam, a coral-worshipping scientist, injects fresh tension, but her motivations feel half-baked, a missed opportunity to deepen the allure of the reef mind.
The horror hits where it counts, blending body grotesquery with philosophical terror. The coral’s ability to mimic loved ones, particularly the Not-Amanda scene, is pure nightmare fuel, fusing psychological torment with physical disgust. However, the novella’s reliance on visions and psychic communications sometimes veers into abstraction, risking coherence in favor of weirdness. While that my favored aesthetics, I can see how it may frustrate readers craving grounded stakes. The climax, featuring Matt’s eerie confrontation with his “daughter,” is haunting but rushed, leaving threads like his paternal conflict dangling. Still, Zorn’s commitment to a bleak, uncompromising vision ensures the horror feels earned, never gratuitous, marking Reef Mind as a standout in the genre for its audacity and refusal to coddle.
This one is an excellent example of New Weird Horror, delivering a bold, original premise that mutates ecological dread into a vivid, coral-crusted nightmare. Zorn’s lush prose and immersive world-building create a suffocating sense of doom, while the themes of human hubris and consciousness-as-virus give it intellectual bite. The body horror is unforgettable, skulls blooming with polyps and skin crawling with villi, and the coral’s sentience feels genuinely alien. Matt’s repetitive denial and some overindulgent vision sequences dull the momentum. Amanda’s perspective, while potent, deserved more narrative space, and Miriam’s role feels undercooked. These flaws hold it back, but its daring, weird vision and refusal to spoon-feed make it a must for any horror fan craving uncompromising, bizarre fiction.
TL;DR: Reef Mind is a grotesque, atmospheric plunge into a coral-choked apocalypse, blending body horror with ecological revenge. Zorn’s bold premise and vivid prose make it essential for New Weird Horror fans, though uneven pacing and underdeveloped characters stop it just shy of perfection.
Recommended for: Nihilistic oceanographers who’d rather French-kiss a sea anemone than read another zombie novel, and crave horror that blooms like a corpse flower in their nightmares.
Not recommended for: Sunburned beach bros who think horror means jump scares and would rather surf than face the ocean’s wrathful, polyp-sprouting revenge.
Hazel Zorn, an artist from the Northeastern US and a debut novelist, brings a painter’s eye to the visceral horror of Reef Mind. This is her first major published work and a bold leap into speculative horror. Tenebrous Press, known for championing New Weird Horror, pairs Zorn’s text with Becca Snow’s evocative cover art and Echo Echo’s intricate interior illustrations, enhancing the book’s unsettling aesthetic. Zorn’s dedication to her family and her nod to La Jolla’s landscapes suggest a personal anchor in the ecological dread that permeates the novella, marking her as a fresh voice unafraid to dive straight into the abyss.
Reef Mind unfolds in a near-future La Jolla, California, where a mysterious coral invasion has choked the coastlines, transforming the environment and its inhabitants in horrifying ways. Matt, a retired firefighter, and Amanda, a lifeguard haunted by past losses, navigate a world where the ocean’s wrath manifests as grotesque mutations and an alien intelligence. As society crumbles beneath this ecological nightmare, the couple confronts personal grief and a chilling entity that mimics and manipulates human forms. The novella weaves a tale of survival, loss, and transformation, set against a backdrop of psychedelic coral towers and air-swimming fish. Zorn crafts an atmospheric descent into a reality where humanity’s dominance is usurped by a sentient, vengeful ocean.
Reef Mind is a pulsating nightmare exploring humanity’s fraught relationship with nature, specifically the ocean as a primordial force seeking revenge. Zorn’s central theme of ecological retribution feels like a howl against climate change, with the coral acting as a sentient, colonizing entity that mirrors humanity’s own destructive expansion. The novella’s philosophical core probes whether consciousness itself is a disease, a notion Amanda articulates with chilling clarity: “Consciousness as virus. How interesting. If it’s an accident, maybe it’s something we caught.” This existential dread elevates the horror beyond body terror, questioning humanity’s right to exist when we are essentially the lice in nature’s hair. Symbolically, the coral’s grotesque transformation of human bodies into skeletal, blooming structures reflects a perverse rebirth, a macabre parody of pregnancy and creation that connects directly to Amanda’s miscarriages and Matt’s reluctant fatherhood. The interconnected, manipulative intelligence of the “reef mind” becomes a metaphor for collective guilt, invading personal agency like fungal rot.
Zorn’s prose is vivid and tactile, dripping with sensory detail that makes the coral invasion feel horrifyingly alive. “Neon colors shot upwards like so many fireworks and settled, in some places, to blanket the ground in a multicolor cloak.” Her style leans into New Weird Horror, blending grotesque physicality with psychological unraveling, though now and then it tips into overwrought metaphors. The alternating perspectives of Matt and Amanda deepen the emotional stakes, their voices distinct yet unified by despair. The novella critiques humanity’s arrogance in assuming dominion over nature, echoing real-world anxieties about ecological collapse while sidestepping heavy-handed moralizing. It forces readers to confront their complicity in environmental decay, all wrapped in a fever dream of bioluminescent terror. Zorn’s refusal to offer neat resolutions amplifies the unease, leaving us to stew in the implications of a world where humanity is no longer the apex predator but prey to a blooming, vengeful ecosystem.
Reef Mind is a triumph of originality, conjuring a premise that feels like Cronenberg had a one-night stand with a coral reef and birthed a nightmare. The concept of a sentient coral invasion transforming humans into grotesque hybrids is daring and fresh. Zorn’s world-building is immersive, with La Jolla’s coastal beauty warped into a psychedelic hellscape of calcium carbonate skeletons teeming with warped life. The horror hits hard, especially in scenes like Amanda’s transformation, where “fiery orange polyps wormed out” of her skull, an image seared into your frontal lobe for life. The novella’s atmosphere is suffocating, the oxygen-rich air and air-swimming barracudas creating a tactile, disorienting sense of alien invasion. Zorn’s prose shines when making the coral feel alive and malicious, a character in its own right.
Matt and Amanda are compelling but uneven. Matt’s everyman heroism, grounded in his firefighter past, anchors the story, but his stubborn denial of the coral reality feels repetitive and drags the pacing early on. Amanda’s arc, steeped in grief over her miscarriages, is more nuanced, her descent into the coral’s influence both heartbreaking and horrifying. Their relationship, strained by loss and apocalypse, adds emotional heft, though Matt’s perspective occasionally dominates, leaving Amanda’s voice underutilized in the middle act. The pacing falters here too, with some scenes, like Matt’s endless moping at Torrey Pines, lingering too long without advancing the horror. The introduction of Miriam, a coral-worshipping scientist, injects fresh tension, but her motivations feel half-baked, a missed opportunity to deepen the allure of the reef mind.
The horror hits where it counts, blending body grotesquery with philosophical terror. The coral’s ability to mimic loved ones, particularly the Not-Amanda scene, is pure nightmare fuel, fusing psychological torment with physical disgust. However, the novella’s reliance on visions and psychic communications sometimes veers into abstraction, risking coherence in favor of weirdness. While that my favored aesthetics, I can see how it may frustrate readers craving grounded stakes. The climax, featuring Matt’s eerie confrontation with his “daughter,” is haunting but rushed, leaving threads like his paternal conflict dangling. Still, Zorn’s commitment to a bleak, uncompromising vision ensures the horror feels earned, never gratuitous, marking Reef Mind as a standout in the genre for its audacity and refusal to coddle.
This one is an excellent example of New Weird Horror, delivering a bold, original premise that mutates ecological dread into a vivid, coral-crusted nightmare. Zorn’s lush prose and immersive world-building create a suffocating sense of doom, while the themes of human hubris and consciousness-as-virus give it intellectual bite. The body horror is unforgettable, skulls blooming with polyps and skin crawling with villi, and the coral’s sentience feels genuinely alien. Matt’s repetitive denial and some overindulgent vision sequences dull the momentum. Amanda’s perspective, while potent, deserved more narrative space, and Miriam’s role feels undercooked. These flaws hold it back, but its daring, weird vision and refusal to spoon-feed make it a must for any horror fan craving uncompromising, bizarre fiction.
TL;DR: Reef Mind is a grotesque, atmospheric plunge into a coral-choked apocalypse, blending body horror with ecological revenge. Zorn’s bold premise and vivid prose make it essential for New Weird Horror fans, though uneven pacing and underdeveloped characters stop it just shy of perfection.
Recommended for: Nihilistic oceanographers who’d rather French-kiss a sea anemone than read another zombie novel, and crave horror that blooms like a corpse flower in their nightmares.
Not recommended for: Sunburned beach bros who think horror means jump scares and would rather surf than face the ocean’s wrathful, polyp-sprouting revenge.
September 2, 2025
🌊 BRO vs. REEF MIND 🌊
⸻
🥊 The Book: The ocean finally takes its revenge. A living reef claws its way out of the sea, swallowing the land, mutating fish, animals, and humans into something…other. At the heart of the chaos are Matt and Amanda, survivors clinging to each other as grief, sickness, and transformation ripple through what’s left of the world.
💪 The Bro: I’ll admit it—nothing freaks me out like the ocean. It’s gorgeous, terrifying, and alien all at once. This book gave me everything I crave in horror: atmosphere, creeping dread, emotional gut-punches, and the kind of imagery that sticks under your skin like sea salt after a swim.
⸻
🥊 ROUND 1: First Impressions
• Hooked immediately: the reef rising and spreading inland is one of the most striking apocalypse setups I’ve read.
• Zorn’s prose balances beauty and brutality, complete with lush descriptions of coral alongside grotesque mutations.
• Matt and Amanda are layered, flawed, and achingly human, grounding the surreal horror.
⸻
🥊 ROUND 2: In the Thick of It
• The transformations are nightmare fuel.
• Themes run deep—climate change, reef destruction, survival vs. adaptation, and the cost of life itself.
• The ocean horror vibes are immaculate: part The Thing, part Annihilation, part Blue Planet turned inside out.
⸻
🥊 ROUND 3: The Home Stretch
• The ending lingers, both unsettling and strangely hopeful, daring you to see beauty in the cracks.
• It’s rare to find horror that horrifies and heals in equal measure, but Reef Mind pulls it off.
• Visceral, eerie, sad, and breathtaking all at once.
⸻
🔥 FINAL BELL: The ARC Bro Scorecard 🔥
🥊 Total Knockout – Reef Mind is oceanic dread at its finest. Zorn marries eco-horror, body horror, and cosmic terror with raw humanity and fragile beauty. It’ll ruin your day, break your heart, and still leave you staring at the reef in awe.
⸻
🥊 The Book: The ocean finally takes its revenge. A living reef claws its way out of the sea, swallowing the land, mutating fish, animals, and humans into something…other. At the heart of the chaos are Matt and Amanda, survivors clinging to each other as grief, sickness, and transformation ripple through what’s left of the world.
💪 The Bro: I’ll admit it—nothing freaks me out like the ocean. It’s gorgeous, terrifying, and alien all at once. This book gave me everything I crave in horror: atmosphere, creeping dread, emotional gut-punches, and the kind of imagery that sticks under your skin like sea salt after a swim.
⸻
🥊 ROUND 1: First Impressions
• Hooked immediately: the reef rising and spreading inland is one of the most striking apocalypse setups I’ve read.
• Zorn’s prose balances beauty and brutality, complete with lush descriptions of coral alongside grotesque mutations.
• Matt and Amanda are layered, flawed, and achingly human, grounding the surreal horror.
⸻
🥊 ROUND 2: In the Thick of It
• The transformations are nightmare fuel.
• Themes run deep—climate change, reef destruction, survival vs. adaptation, and the cost of life itself.
• The ocean horror vibes are immaculate: part The Thing, part Annihilation, part Blue Planet turned inside out.
⸻
🥊 ROUND 3: The Home Stretch
• The ending lingers, both unsettling and strangely hopeful, daring you to see beauty in the cracks.
• It’s rare to find horror that horrifies and heals in equal measure, but Reef Mind pulls it off.
• Visceral, eerie, sad, and breathtaking all at once.
⸻
🔥 FINAL BELL: The ARC Bro Scorecard 🔥
🥊 Total Knockout – Reef Mind is oceanic dread at its finest. Zorn marries eco-horror, body horror, and cosmic terror with raw humanity and fragile beauty. It’ll ruin your day, break your heart, and still leave you staring at the reef in awe.
September 14, 2025
A fever dream of an apocalyptic tale with The Last of Us vibes, Reef Mind follows the surreal experiences of a loving couple after the human world on land is subsumed by an oceanic invasion. We take turns hearing the thoughts of Matt and Amanda as they endure very different fates in the wake of the incursion of an ever-growing coral reef and its accompanying inhabitants, both weird and familiar.
The author paints a terrifying yet strangely alluring picture of the changed landscape. Was I wrong to think it would be amazing to witness flying jellyfish, the fluttering fronds of overgrown coral, and bizarre crab-like creatures without having to venture beneath the waves? It would be quite a sight (even if cut short by being consumed by the relentless growth of a complex ecosystem which views humans as a parasite at worse and as unwilling servants at best).
Chock full of unforgettable imagery and a lovely sense of melancholy and inevitability, this can be considered a peek into humanity's future if this planet ever decides to right the imbalance and harm we have inflicted upon it. Would we be extinguished completely or evolve and adapt? This is not the book for those readers who expect a scientific and rational explanation for the happenings described. It is instead for fans of the bizarre and unexplained who can appreciate the underlying ecological message as well as the way our protagonists' fates seem tied up to their very human fallibilities and foibles.
Bonus points for the evocative illustrations that help bring the changed world to life, but also be aware of content warnings for body horror, cannibalism, grief and loss, mentions of child abuse and pregnancy loss, violence and gore. Another stellar outing from Tenebrous Press who are creating an eclectic but thrilling weird horror ecosystem of their own.
The author paints a terrifying yet strangely alluring picture of the changed landscape. Was I wrong to think it would be amazing to witness flying jellyfish, the fluttering fronds of overgrown coral, and bizarre crab-like creatures without having to venture beneath the waves? It would be quite a sight (even if cut short by being consumed by the relentless growth of a complex ecosystem which views humans as a parasite at worse and as unwilling servants at best).
Chock full of unforgettable imagery and a lovely sense of melancholy and inevitability, this can be considered a peek into humanity's future if this planet ever decides to right the imbalance and harm we have inflicted upon it. Would we be extinguished completely or evolve and adapt? This is not the book for those readers who expect a scientific and rational explanation for the happenings described. It is instead for fans of the bizarre and unexplained who can appreciate the underlying ecological message as well as the way our protagonists' fates seem tied up to their very human fallibilities and foibles.
Bonus points for the evocative illustrations that help bring the changed world to life, but also be aware of content warnings for body horror, cannibalism, grief and loss, mentions of child abuse and pregnancy loss, violence and gore. Another stellar outing from Tenebrous Press who are creating an eclectic but thrilling weird horror ecosystem of their own.
June 27, 2025
I love being part of the Tenebrous Press ARC team because of books like Reef Mind by Hazel Zorn. As soon as I read about a sentient invasive reef and mention of weird horror, I was sold. I'm a simple creature - give me weird and writhing and I'm happy.
Content Warnings:
Pregnancy loss, child death (explicit), reference to past child abuse, partner death, body horror, cannibalism, and more.
Reef Mind follows the story of Matt and Amanda during a major shift in the world's ecology. Underneath the story of survival are themes of parenting and perpetuation of a species, climate and reef destruction and conservation, and the cost of life at its core.
As a parent that has experienced miscarriage, many scenes in this book hit home and drew me in deeper. There were scenes that made me think of Crimes of the Future (if you've seen this movie and enjoyed it, you'll probably enjoy this book) including the body horror and the child loss that was used in the story in weird and uncomfortable ways that were unexpected. I couldn't look away.
I want to say that if you are an ocean nerd, you are gonna love this book. I made so many high pitched sounds of joy when reading to the point that my family became concerned (especially after I told them what the book was about). I won't spoil things but I will say that Thecosomata (sea butterflies) make a big appearance and I was thrilled.
Reef Mind is a truly unique journey and take on eldritch apocalyptic horror. I have read a lot in both sub-genres and I have never come across anything like this before.
If you are a fan of ocean horror, body horror, parent/grief horror, and all things weird - you are going to want to grab this book.
Content Warnings:
Pregnancy loss, child death (explicit), reference to past child abuse, partner death, body horror, cannibalism, and more.
Reef Mind follows the story of Matt and Amanda during a major shift in the world's ecology. Underneath the story of survival are themes of parenting and perpetuation of a species, climate and reef destruction and conservation, and the cost of life at its core.
As a parent that has experienced miscarriage, many scenes in this book hit home and drew me in deeper. There were scenes that made me think of Crimes of the Future (if you've seen this movie and enjoyed it, you'll probably enjoy this book) including the body horror and the child loss that was used in the story in weird and uncomfortable ways that were unexpected. I couldn't look away.
I want to say that if you are an ocean nerd, you are gonna love this book. I made so many high pitched sounds of joy when reading to the point that my family became concerned (especially after I told them what the book was about). I won't spoil things but I will say that Thecosomata (sea butterflies) make a big appearance and I was thrilled.
Reef Mind is a truly unique journey and take on eldritch apocalyptic horror. I have read a lot in both sub-genres and I have never come across anything like this before.
If you are a fan of ocean horror, body horror, parent/grief horror, and all things weird - you are going to want to grab this book.
November 5, 2025
For a novella that can be read in two or three sittings, “Reef Mind” certainly left my brain and heart reeling. Although technically told from two points of view, the narrative mainly follows a former fireman named Matt. He manages to survive a freak ecological “disaster” in which coral rises from the sea and basically consumes the world—including his partner, Amanda.
But this story is far from your typical post-apocalyptic eco horror. It WILL scratch that itch if that’s what you’re looking for, but author Hazel Zorn avoids sermonizing or telling a straightforward adventure, and instead uses this motif to explore themes of parenthood and the dissolution of family in a dying world. Matt finds himself raising a coral child (you’ll have to read it to see what I mean) on his own, and his attitude toward it is complicated and sometimes disturbing, but also strangely relatable in a nuanced way.
With its sideways plotting and enigmatic themes, “Reef Mind” reminds me of “literary weird” authors like Brian Evenson and Jeff Vandermeer, or how I imagine Root Rot by Saskia Nislow to be (though I haven’t read it yet and am probably wrong). It’s genuinely imaginative, full of grief, mystery, and striking psychedelic imagery.
But this story is far from your typical post-apocalyptic eco horror. It WILL scratch that itch if that’s what you’re looking for, but author Hazel Zorn avoids sermonizing or telling a straightforward adventure, and instead uses this motif to explore themes of parenthood and the dissolution of family in a dying world. Matt finds himself raising a coral child (you’ll have to read it to see what I mean) on his own, and his attitude toward it is complicated and sometimes disturbing, but also strangely relatable in a nuanced way.
With its sideways plotting and enigmatic themes, “Reef Mind” reminds me of “literary weird” authors like Brian Evenson and Jeff Vandermeer, or how I imagine Root Rot by Saskia Nislow to be (though I haven’t read it yet and am probably wrong). It’s genuinely imaginative, full of grief, mystery, and striking psychedelic imagery.
July 31, 2025
Reef Mind is an upcoming cli-fi horror novella that I consider an instant staple of the genre.
The reefs and ocean life have had enough and are out for revenge and reclamation. This is portrayed in such horrific, beautiful, and fun ways you can tell the author is a fine artist. That is the setting for a truly unsettling portrait of a family changing with the collapse; slowly day by day until one morning you wake up and your community, partner, and even kids, are unrecognizable to you.
Reef Mind explores what humanity means when circumstances make us other than human, and who is included in our survival drive. Is it just us alone, or our immediate families? Or is the dying world striving to survive all one system, indifferent but untameable?
I’m so here for the body horror as eco horror subgenre and Reef Mind is a great place to start.
An absolute banger as usual from Tenebrous Press coming out 9.9
I received an ARC but these are my honest thoughts. I will definitely pick up a copy in part to have that beautiful cover by Becca Snow in my home
The reefs and ocean life have had enough and are out for revenge and reclamation. This is portrayed in such horrific, beautiful, and fun ways you can tell the author is a fine artist. That is the setting for a truly unsettling portrait of a family changing with the collapse; slowly day by day until one morning you wake up and your community, partner, and even kids, are unrecognizable to you.
Reef Mind explores what humanity means when circumstances make us other than human, and who is included in our survival drive. Is it just us alone, or our immediate families? Or is the dying world striving to survive all one system, indifferent but untameable?
I’m so here for the body horror as eco horror subgenre and Reef Mind is a great place to start.
An absolute banger as usual from Tenebrous Press coming out 9.9
I received an ARC but these are my honest thoughts. I will definitely pick up a copy in part to have that beautiful cover by Becca Snow in my home
August 28, 2025
Special thanks to Tenebrous Press for the ARC copy they provided.
Reef Mind was a great read. I sped through it in two or three nights of pre-sleep reading, and have no regrets for reading it after dark, with all the lights out. Equal parts creepy, sorrowful, and insightful, I enjoyed every word.
The duo perspectives of Matt and Amanda allow for a view into the mind of the vengeful reef, and that of the fearful survivors, watching their world turn to calcified, yet living stone. Remorse flows through every word, as the characters grieve the loss of reality as we know it, as well as themselves when they turn slowly into something else. Something other and alien.
For all the horror and slow, creeping death, Reef Mind also conjures beauty and rebirth. It hints at change that isn’t complete dissipation of self or life. If you’re willing to peer through the cracks and the pockmarked stone, you just might find something beautiful.
Reef Mind was a great read. I sped through it in two or three nights of pre-sleep reading, and have no regrets for reading it after dark, with all the lights out. Equal parts creepy, sorrowful, and insightful, I enjoyed every word.
The duo perspectives of Matt and Amanda allow for a view into the mind of the vengeful reef, and that of the fearful survivors, watching their world turn to calcified, yet living stone. Remorse flows through every word, as the characters grieve the loss of reality as we know it, as well as themselves when they turn slowly into something else. Something other and alien.
For all the horror and slow, creeping death, Reef Mind also conjures beauty and rebirth. It hints at change that isn’t complete dissipation of self or life. If you’re willing to peer through the cracks and the pockmarked stone, you just might find something beautiful.
November 23, 2025
For better or for worse, I think book length has a major impact on how seriously I scrutinize a story.
With that being said, Reef Mind has things that weren’t perfect and I couldn’t care less because it presented some really neat ideas in a span of about 80 pages.
When a book can be read in a few hours its value proposition becomes much easier to justify, and when the book offers up such great concepts then I’m happy to spend what amounts to a long movie to hear what the author has to say.
Parasitic Eco-horror, a healthy dose of oceanic fear of the unknown, an examination of how we can even begin to understand life that is so fundamentally different from us, literal flying fish, and a cool analogy of the painful creative nature of birth.
Was it perfect? Absolutely not. But it was the length of a LOTR movie, so it gets a 5.
Rad book.
With that being said, Reef Mind has things that weren’t perfect and I couldn’t care less because it presented some really neat ideas in a span of about 80 pages.
When a book can be read in a few hours its value proposition becomes much easier to justify, and when the book offers up such great concepts then I’m happy to spend what amounts to a long movie to hear what the author has to say.
Parasitic Eco-horror, a healthy dose of oceanic fear of the unknown, an examination of how we can even begin to understand life that is so fundamentally different from us, literal flying fish, and a cool analogy of the painful creative nature of birth.
Was it perfect? Absolutely not. But it was the length of a LOTR movie, so it gets a 5.
Rad book.
August 21, 2025
Hazel Zorn's "Reef Mind" is an unsettling novella that plunges readers into a world transformed by a rapidly evolving, invasive, sentient coral reef. The story, part of the weird horror genre, depicts a unique apocalyptic scenario where the reef spreads across land, mutating everything in its path and exhibiting a mysterious, unknown agenda.
The narrative weaves themes of survival, parenting, grief, and the destructive potential of nature, drawing parallels to real-world concerns about climate change and reef conservation. Zorn's writing evokes a sense of "unsettling," "skin-crawling," and "oceanic nightmare," according to Tenebrous Press. Readers who appreciate body horror, parental grief narratives, and ecological anxieties will find this a uniquely crafted and impactful read.
The narrative weaves themes of survival, parenting, grief, and the destructive potential of nature, drawing parallels to real-world concerns about climate change and reef conservation. Zorn's writing evokes a sense of "unsettling," "skin-crawling," and "oceanic nightmare," according to Tenebrous Press. Readers who appreciate body horror, parental grief narratives, and ecological anxieties will find this a uniquely crafted and impactful read.
September 21, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 Stars
Reef Mind was such a unique and immersive read. The underwater setting felt vivid and strange in the best way—like slipping into an alien ecosystem you don’t want to leave. I loved how Hazel Zorn blended mystery, science, and a touch of the uncanny to make the reef itself feel like a living character.
The characters were compelling, and the way their relationships unfolded against the backdrop of the reef kept me turning pages. Some sections moved a bit slowly, which is why this isn’t a full 5 stars, but overall it was a fascinating, thoughtful story that stuck with me.
If you enjoy atmospheric settings, science-tinged mysteries, and a dash of speculative weirdness, this is absolutely worth diving into.
Reef Mind was such a unique and immersive read. The underwater setting felt vivid and strange in the best way—like slipping into an alien ecosystem you don’t want to leave. I loved how Hazel Zorn blended mystery, science, and a touch of the uncanny to make the reef itself feel like a living character.
The characters were compelling, and the way their relationships unfolded against the backdrop of the reef kept me turning pages. Some sections moved a bit slowly, which is why this isn’t a full 5 stars, but overall it was a fascinating, thoughtful story that stuck with me.
If you enjoy atmospheric settings, science-tinged mysteries, and a dash of speculative weirdness, this is absolutely worth diving into.
September 14, 2025
(giveaway book)
This novella was certainly interesting! It’s not the type of book I would otherwise pick up, but i’m glad i read it all the same. I didn’t quite follow what was happening (i understood all of it, i just never formed a complete picture) but i felt like that just added to the freakiness of it! there were a couple of pictures so if you’re sensitive to that (like i am lol) i’d recommend being careful that you don’t see them (as i did after the first, they’re full pages so it’s easy to see them coming in advance). Definitely weird, definitely horror so it hit the mark on both points!
This novella was certainly interesting! It’s not the type of book I would otherwise pick up, but i’m glad i read it all the same. I didn’t quite follow what was happening (i understood all of it, i just never formed a complete picture) but i felt like that just added to the freakiness of it! there were a couple of pictures so if you’re sensitive to that (like i am lol) i’d recommend being careful that you don’t see them (as i did after the first, they’re full pages so it’s easy to see them coming in advance). Definitely weird, definitely horror so it hit the mark on both points!
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