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Banana Brain
If Black Mirror and The Babadook had a deranged monkey baby, this would be it.
Adam’s barely holding it together. Broke, haunted, desperate for redemption. His new job as the night guard at a crumbling zoo felt like a first step. Until one drunken night, his phone ended up in the hands of the zoo’s newest chimpanzee.
Then the text messages began.
The animal knew things it shouldn’t. Secrets, sins, faces from the past. It wanted more than just the phone. It was playing a slow, unraveling, game of torture.
The cage door swings open in C.S. Fritz’s latest novel with a bizarre fever dream of primal dread, emotional extortion, and something far darker than guilt.
Adam’s barely holding it together. Broke, haunted, desperate for redemption. His new job as the night guard at a crumbling zoo felt like a first step. Until one drunken night, his phone ended up in the hands of the zoo’s newest chimpanzee.
Then the text messages began.
The animal knew things it shouldn’t. Secrets, sins, faces from the past. It wanted more than just the phone. It was playing a slow, unraveling, game of torture.
The cage door swings open in C.S. Fritz’s latest novel with a bizarre fever dream of primal dread, emotional extortion, and something far darker than guilt.
451 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 2025
About the author
C.S. Fritz
41 books274 followersCasey "C.S." Fritz grew up on a farm in Oregon, where he milked cows and had a pet pig. To escape the endless chores of cleaning chicken coops and watering tomatoes...Casey would draw.
As a young child, Casey's family moved to Arizona. It was there beneath the fiery gaze of the Southwestern sun, that he spent most of his life. Graduating school, marrying the love of his life and having two wild kids. It was also there that C.S. Fritz's work began to take traction with local galleries and art publications.
C.S. Fritz now is an award-winning author and illustrator with published children's titles as...
The Cottonmouth Trilogy, Good Night Tales, The Moonman Cometh, Seekers, and Good Night Classics!
Fritz's debut novel, A Fig For All The Devils released Halloween, 2021. Fig won best in horror with the IBPA's and is now in the works to be a major motion picture.
Other horror works by Fritz are, All Creatures Living Beneath The Sun, Banana Brain and Cabbage.
As a young child, Casey's family moved to Arizona. It was there beneath the fiery gaze of the Southwestern sun, that he spent most of his life. Graduating school, marrying the love of his life and having two wild kids. It was also there that C.S. Fritz's work began to take traction with local galleries and art publications.
C.S. Fritz now is an award-winning author and illustrator with published children's titles as...
The Cottonmouth Trilogy, Good Night Tales, The Moonman Cometh, Seekers, and Good Night Classics!
Fritz's debut novel, A Fig For All The Devils released Halloween, 2021. Fig won best in horror with the IBPA's and is now in the works to be a major motion picture.
Other horror works by Fritz are, All Creatures Living Beneath The Sun, Banana Brain and Cabbage.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews
October 29, 2025
This one got a little too weird/over the top. I wouldn’t have minded it if the characters and dialogue were a bit more well rounded. Both these aspects fell flat unfortunately.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Albatross Book Co for a copy!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Albatross Book Co for a copy!
August 31, 2026
This guy took "he's right behind me, isn't he" and tried to make it a whole book
July 1, 2026
0.5 ⭐️ spoilers
hate giving books such low ratings but jesus christ, the whole thing was poorly written metaphors and none of the story made any sense. there’s no development to any characters and they all spoke and acted the exact same. jeff gets no build up or signs to the things the cops find in his place and doesn’t care when they go to search his house. then there’s a mythical force sending rotting bananas to these people’s houses?? author tried to take the Travis the chimp story for this but even that made zero sense in context. so the monkey is half human half chimp but also has mythical god powers and can type and speak like a person but no one but the MMC has experienced this… alright. spotify audio narration of this wasn’t great but probably saved this from being a DNF
hate giving books such low ratings but jesus christ, the whole thing was poorly written metaphors and none of the story made any sense. there’s no development to any characters and they all spoke and acted the exact same. jeff gets no build up or signs to the things the cops find in his place and doesn’t care when they go to search his house. then there’s a mythical force sending rotting bananas to these people’s houses?? author tried to take the Travis the chimp story for this but even that made zero sense in context. so the monkey is half human half chimp but also has mythical god powers and can type and speak like a person but no one but the MMC has experienced this… alright. spotify audio narration of this wasn’t great but probably saved this from being a DNF
November 25, 2025
This was wild lol.
Honestly it was a fun read if you're not going into it expecting it to not be at least a little silly. Things definitely went off the rails at certain points and I wish it had focused more on the chimp and his history and built a bit more suspense around him seemingly being normal and the MC being tormented by him and unable to convince anyone of what was happening.
The writing is sold. It was a good pace where nothing felt like it sat for too long and it kept the story going. However, on the other end of that, there was a lot of interpersonal stuff that got explained very quickly then dropped because there wasn't quite enough time to fully build out the characters and their stories. I think this book would have benefitted a lot from being a bit longer and spending more time with each character.
One thing I can really give this book credit for is that it does have a very unique premise, and I loved the cover. The atmosphere was good, but I wish it had stayed more grounded and focused on a single "antagonist" as it were rather than branching out too much into the supernatural occurrences plaguing each character.
Thank you to Netgalley and Albatross for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! 🫶🍌
Honestly it was a fun read if you're not going into it expecting it to not be at least a little silly. Things definitely went off the rails at certain points and I wish it had focused more on the chimp and his history and built a bit more suspense around him seemingly being normal and the MC being tormented by him and unable to convince anyone of what was happening.
The writing is sold. It was a good pace where nothing felt like it sat for too long and it kept the story going. However, on the other end of that, there was a lot of interpersonal stuff that got explained very quickly then dropped because there wasn't quite enough time to fully build out the characters and their stories. I think this book would have benefitted a lot from being a bit longer and spending more time with each character.
One thing I can really give this book credit for is that it does have a very unique premise, and I loved the cover. The atmosphere was good, but I wish it had stayed more grounded and focused on a single "antagonist" as it were rather than branching out too much into the supernatural occurrences plaguing each character.
Thank you to Netgalley and Albatross for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! 🫶🍌
October 28, 2026
A solid creepy read for spooky season
January 8, 2026
This was whacky bananas and I honestly loved every minute of it. Full review to come!
[Edit: Full Review]
Banana Brain delivers on its promise. It is absolutely bananas. Fritz takes you on a journey you anticipated but were not prepared for. And for those looking for an injection of absurdist comedy in their horror, this serves as a perfect reprieve.
We follow Adam, a newly hired zoo security guard, attempting to hold onto his tenuous relationship with his younger sister, Ruby. Both emotionally and legally. Adam will do whatever it takes for his sister, including confronting the magic wielding chimpanzee who stole his cell phone and knows too much. And the craziness only begins there.
I had so much fun with this. I love that the writing style was at times earnest and poetic but also never took itself too seriously, keeping the mood of overall chaos at the perfect level of suspense. The pacing is fast—there is ALWAYS something happening. Themes of grief are interesting to explore juxtaposed to the zoochosis. There is also a pleasing touch of found footage vibes as you sift through security tapes and old emails of escalating intensity.
I shall say no more so as not to spoil the fun. If you’re looking for something bananas, try this and see how well it sticks.
🍌
[Edit: Full Review]
Banana Brain delivers on its promise. It is absolutely bananas. Fritz takes you on a journey you anticipated but were not prepared for. And for those looking for an injection of absurdist comedy in their horror, this serves as a perfect reprieve.
We follow Adam, a newly hired zoo security guard, attempting to hold onto his tenuous relationship with his younger sister, Ruby. Both emotionally and legally. Adam will do whatever it takes for his sister, including confronting the magic wielding chimpanzee who stole his cell phone and knows too much. And the craziness only begins there.
I had so much fun with this. I love that the writing style was at times earnest and poetic but also never took itself too seriously, keeping the mood of overall chaos at the perfect level of suspense. The pacing is fast—there is ALWAYS something happening. Themes of grief are interesting to explore juxtaposed to the zoochosis. There is also a pleasing touch of found footage vibes as you sift through security tapes and old emails of escalating intensity.
I shall say no more so as not to spoil the fun. If you’re looking for something bananas, try this and see how well it sticks.
🍌
March 28, 2026
2.5 ⭐️ I really liked this book until the end. Fritz writes with distinct descriptions that really flesh out the setting and characters. I enjoyed the creepiness of the chimpanzee and the weaving in of the stories of other historical chimps. But, the story just really fell apart for me in the end. It left me with so many questions, which I don’t always mind, but it seemed that these questions could’ve been answered if the ending didn’t feel so rushed. I do want to read more by Fritz though because I truly enjoyed the writing style.
October 21, 2025
This is different. Unique. An absurd horror. It has lovable characters and villains you'll loath. Easter eggs. The most unsettling events and situations are back stories and connections. Buckle up, this is a wild one, and a lot of fun.
May 29, 2026
This book is ......bananas
July 8, 2026
Pretty unreadable, some horrid animal deaths, not enjoyable at all and some bits that read as very ai generated. Also a bit vile to fictionalise the travis the chimp incident in such a way? Whaaaaat
June 30, 2026
Absolutely bananas and very outlandish but entertaining as hell.
June 11, 2026
Weird as fuck but super entertaining.
July 10, 2026
The one consistent vibe I kept getting throughout this audiobook was “middle school”. It reads like something a middle schooler would write—most actual character development and deep themes replaced with colorfully foul and quirky language, because that’s what grown ups do, right?
Way too much flowery, intangible descriptions of the characters’ inner thoughts and feelings that dragged out the word count while adding nothing. Besides aiding in the characters feeling more like YA caricatures than they did real people, of course. Couldn’t name a single character that I didn’t actively dislike honestly.
Which is disappointing because I really did expect to enjoy this to some extent. The title is memorable and interesting, the cover is fantastic, and even the synopsis had me intrigued which doesn’t usually happen. But when I finish a book, I don’t want to come away feeling like I found an old story I wrote off the top of my head when I was 12; strange and random in a way that has you going “okay, buddy” rather than being entertaining and coherent.
Way too much flowery, intangible descriptions of the characters’ inner thoughts and feelings that dragged out the word count while adding nothing. Besides aiding in the characters feeling more like YA caricatures than they did real people, of course. Couldn’t name a single character that I didn’t actively dislike honestly.
Which is disappointing because I really did expect to enjoy this to some extent. The title is memorable and interesting, the cover is fantastic, and even the synopsis had me intrigued which doesn’t usually happen. But when I finish a book, I don’t want to come away feeling like I found an old story I wrote off the top of my head when I was 12; strange and random in a way that has you going “okay, buddy” rather than being entertaining and coherent.
March 18, 2026
It was a really quick read, a page turner that could help you out of a slump. I was positive I’d like this since I really enjoyed A Fig For all the Devils, and because I like ridiculous and twisted books.
It turned out to be a very frustrating read for me because of the language. It’s very YA, and I got excited at first - nice with a creepy and fun read for younger readers. But I soon realised that it was just bad writing. Flat with awkward metaphors and similes that made no sense. The characters didn’t feel real and had no depth, which killed any emotion.
I don’t like giving this a bad review, but I need to as it’s been a while since I was this disappointed with an anticipated read. Sorry mr Fritz 🍌👎🏼
It turned out to be a very frustrating read for me because of the language. It’s very YA, and I got excited at first - nice with a creepy and fun read for younger readers. But I soon realised that it was just bad writing. Flat with awkward metaphors and similes that made no sense. The characters didn’t feel real and had no depth, which killed any emotion.
I don’t like giving this a bad review, but I need to as it’s been a while since I was this disappointed with an anticipated read. Sorry mr Fritz 🍌👎🏼
August 19, 2026
DNF. I am 90% certain this book is written heavily with AI. If I'm wrong, then it's just really bad, bad enough that I felt like something was just seriously fucking wrong with the writing as I worked my way through it. I've never been reading a novel before and been so distracted by the nagging suspicion that I'm reading AI generated text due to the lack of a clear voice and point of view. I actually wanted to finish it out of morbid curiosity but I finally hit a wall.. it's nonsensical, no consistency of place or time, no consistency in the story focus, characters change suddenly and dramatically, and I'm pretty sure the only reason I picked it up is an algorithm suggested it to me in the first place. Learned my lesson. Banana pulp slop.
November 4, 2026
The only thing that saved this from being a DNF was pure spite and an over dependence on the sunk cost fallacy. This novel is so poorly written and there were moments that I personally thought were AI generated.
There were a lot of threads that went unanswered or unestablished. Having the protagonist Adam be obsessed with Coldplay while simultaneously hating them was not quirky, it was tedious. Genuine horror elements are invalidated by poor writing (“the kiss” section at the end fully removing all suspense during the story’s climax as an example).
Overall, Banana Brain is a novel better marketed to teens than as a new take on horror.
There were a lot of threads that went unanswered or unestablished. Having the protagonist Adam be obsessed with Coldplay while simultaneously hating them was not quirky, it was tedious. Genuine horror elements are invalidated by poor writing (“the kiss” section at the end fully removing all suspense during the story’s climax as an example).
Overall, Banana Brain is a novel better marketed to teens than as a new take on horror.
July 22, 2026
the 1/2!!!!!💗🧚🏼🫣👏
the 2/2🤨🌊🤮😔🙄
the 2/2🤨🌊🤮😔🙄
July 29, 2026
wtf but yes.
February 15, 2026
I did not want to give this book 5 stars…but I had to. It is going to stick with me. How do you take something so mundane and make it freaking terrifying? I’m not even talking about the main nemesis of the story, but the side plot of bananas; they really got under my skin and are now quite unsettling to think about.
Dilly, the chimpanzee, was on a whole other level of making me uncomfortable. The impossibility of this strange story makes is so compelling. It has a supernatural aura and I kept muttering, what the heck is going to happen next?
So why, you ask, did I not want to give this five stars? It sounds like everything I could want in a book! Well…it made me mad. I loved these characters. Adam and Ruby had already been through so much even before the story began. Then we meet Emma and these three people are so unique and cool and don’t deserve the crap that gets thrown at them.
In short, this book is just wild but it’s a bunch of fun…if you like books where people you care about get harassed by a chimpanzee and bananas. (Shivers…those darn bananas) 🍌 🍌🍌
Dilly, the chimpanzee, was on a whole other level of making me uncomfortable. The impossibility of this strange story makes is so compelling. It has a supernatural aura and I kept muttering, what the heck is going to happen next?
So why, you ask, did I not want to give this five stars? It sounds like everything I could want in a book! Well…it made me mad. I loved these characters. Adam and Ruby had already been through so much even before the story began. Then we meet Emma and these three people are so unique and cool and don’t deserve the crap that gets thrown at them.
In short, this book is just wild but it’s a bunch of fun…if you like books where people you care about get harassed by a chimpanzee and bananas. (Shivers…those darn bananas) 🍌 🍌🍌
September 20, 2026
Worst thing a horror book can be is not scary, and this was in fact neither scary nor interesting. The only thing this book was successful at was promoting Coldplay
February 18, 2026
I loved the start of this book because it was so horrifyingly scary that I considered not finishing it because, turns out, I'm a wimp. I kept going because if that was the opening scene, what else could I be in store for?! Turned out to be disappointing weirdness. It was just all so bizarre that I couldn't really enjoy it. The space jumping just seemed so unrealistic that it made it not scary, just weird. I will say the end was crazy and I was not expecting that to happen.
October 8, 2025
2 Stars⭐️⭐️
I just could not get in to this. I was intrigued by the plot, but it just didn’t deliver for me. This is just my personal opinion, so definitely don’t let it sway you from picking this up if you’re interested.
I just could not get in to this. I was intrigued by the plot, but it just didn’t deliver for me. This is just my personal opinion, so definitely don’t let it sway you from picking this up if you’re interested.
September 2, 2026
Did you know that bananas are cursed? After reading this book you’ll never look at one the same way or at least I won’t. Banana pulp slithering under your skin … *cue music*
Banana Brain is a Creature feature - Cosmic Supernatural horror book that has no loss of Erie and mysterious elements. I loved the kills and how much the chimpanzee itself played into those kills. Showing off its strength and knowledge. It’s scary to think about what a Monkey who is pissed off is truly capable of and I think we get a glimpse of that. Following Adam dive deeper and deeper into madness was thrilling and erie to watch. Not knowing what is real and what is a hallucination brought on by this mysterious Primate.
The story is told through normal writing but, also emails that add another element of depravity and mysteriousness which I thought was very cool and unique. The story was very detailed and made you feel like you yourself might be going mad believing Adam or atleast wanting to. The ending of the book is oddly satisfying even know it probably left you with more questions than answers but honestly I’ve come to enjoy those more than straight forward endings.
The only con I have is the supernatural element and how during one part it just seemed to get a bit out of hand. If it would have toned down that supernatural part I would have been ok with it all. Just tried to be coming it was not.
Overall, it’s a damn good creature feature involving a mysterious, deranged monkey hell bent on revenge.
Banana Brain is a Creature feature - Cosmic Supernatural horror book that has no loss of Erie and mysterious elements. I loved the kills and how much the chimpanzee itself played into those kills. Showing off its strength and knowledge. It’s scary to think about what a Monkey who is pissed off is truly capable of and I think we get a glimpse of that. Following Adam dive deeper and deeper into madness was thrilling and erie to watch. Not knowing what is real and what is a hallucination brought on by this mysterious Primate.
The story is told through normal writing but, also emails that add another element of depravity and mysteriousness which I thought was very cool and unique. The story was very detailed and made you feel like you yourself might be going mad believing Adam or atleast wanting to. The ending of the book is oddly satisfying even know it probably left you with more questions than answers but honestly I’ve come to enjoy those more than straight forward endings.
The only con I have is the supernatural element and how during one part it just seemed to get a bit out of hand. If it would have toned down that supernatural part I would have been ok with it all. Just tried to be coming it was not.
Overall, it’s a damn good creature feature involving a mysterious, deranged monkey hell bent on revenge.
July 20, 2026
3.25🍌
"And, in the end, we lie awake and we dream of making our escape."
If you love bananas or your favorite band is Coldplay this book is for you. Interweaving almost every chapter with Coldplay lyrics was quite unique and even though I'm not a Coldplay stan, this deserves extra points.
The story is dark, twisted, and illusive with a heavy feel of a well-developed Creepypasta. The exploration of emotions, trauma, and guilt was impressive with the level of surrealism and psychological horror. The main character is haunted with regret about a family tragedy, and we are right there, up close and personal as his life quickly spirals out of control. The role of the chimpanzee Daffodil aka Dilly makes everything much more tense and terrifying.
It's a little bonkers, or should I say bananas, but I may or may not be intrigued by the discovery of this subgenre of horror.
"And, in the end, we lie awake and we dream of making our escape."
If you love bananas or your favorite band is Coldplay this book is for you. Interweaving almost every chapter with Coldplay lyrics was quite unique and even though I'm not a Coldplay stan, this deserves extra points.
The story is dark, twisted, and illusive with a heavy feel of a well-developed Creepypasta. The exploration of emotions, trauma, and guilt was impressive with the level of surrealism and psychological horror. The main character is haunted with regret about a family tragedy, and we are right there, up close and personal as his life quickly spirals out of control. The role of the chimpanzee Daffodil aka Dilly makes everything much more tense and terrifying.
It's a little bonkers, or should I say bananas, but I may or may not be intrigued by the discovery of this subgenre of horror.
July 3, 2026
This book popped up on my Spotify audiobooks recommendation list and the cover and title intrigued me so intensely I started listening to it immediately.
I liked this book, there’s definitely things I could’ve lived without but overall listening to this had me absolutely hooked and creeped the entire time. The narrator was great in this too, I’m picky when it comes to audiobooks and their narrators and the voice he gave Dilly gave me proper heebie jeebies.
I think going into this with little expectations and information is the right call. It’s right there in the title, this book is weirdly about bananas but also, not? About?? Bananas???? 🍌
I liked this book, there’s definitely things I could’ve lived without but overall listening to this had me absolutely hooked and creeped the entire time. The narrator was great in this too, I’m picky when it comes to audiobooks and their narrators and the voice he gave Dilly gave me proper heebie jeebies.
I think going into this with little expectations and information is the right call. It’s right there in the title, this book is weirdly about bananas but also, not? About?? Bananas???? 🍌
November 22, 2025
I guess I don't know what I expected? Yeah it's stupid. Yeah there is no character consistency, no decent proofreading. Actually kind of had me scared though to be honest. Pretty funny when they brought up the chimp in Connecticut. Yeah apes are scary as fuck. The incessant Coldplay references?
I wish I hadn't spent money on this book man
I wish I hadn't spent money on this book man
September 12, 2026
This book was a mix of classic horror and an acid trip. It was definitely gross and off-putting, buuuut it kept me interested.
Not one character felt fully fleshed out, and the ending tied one mystery into a perfect bow while leaving the bigger mystery of 'why' and 'how' mostly unanswered.
Despite all that, this book was so incredibly odd that I happily read it in two days purely because I needed to find out how it was all going to end.
Would recommend if you want a weird short book to get you out of a slump.
Not one character felt fully fleshed out, and the ending tied one mystery into a perfect bow while leaving the bigger mystery of 'why' and 'how' mostly unanswered.
Despite all that, this book was so incredibly odd that I happily read it in two days purely because I needed to find out how it was all going to end.
Would recommend if you want a weird short book to get you out of a slump.
January 27, 2026
I quite liked the story and I actually found myself being creeped out by bananas whilst reading the book, but I think it would’ve benefited from being a bit longer!
September 3, 2026
3 star story but 4 because the intro sucked me in with curiouirty.
taking-a-break
October 21, 2026also going in book jail bc I don’t have enough Spotify audiobook hours rn #myb
Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews