Cyanide Constellations: And Other Stories

by Sara Tantlinger

Enter into a wicked Eden of poisonous plants, radium kisses, and cosmic chaos. In this, her debut fiction collection, Bram Stoker Award-winning author Sara Tantlinger explores the poignant relationship between nature and horror, featuring four brand-new stories, including a Nathaniel Hawthorne-inspired novelette, "The Revenge of Rappaccini's Daughter." Just be sure to creep carefully through this garden. The flowers whisper, and the moon holds destructive secrets.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Collections

167 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 21, 2025

About the author

Sara Tantlinger is a 5x Bram Stoker Award nominee, and the author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning The Devil’s Dreamland: Poetry Inspired by H.H. Holmes, as well as other works like To Be Devoured, Cradleland of Parasites, and Love for Slaughter. She is an active HWA member and participates in the HWA Pittsburgh Chapter. She embraces all things macabre and can be found at saratantlinger.com and on Instagram @inkychaotics

Reviews

[Micah Castle]

Simply: this is a collection you should read if you're a fan of horror of all sorts: eco, sci-fi, quiet, gothic, weird. All the stories were fantastic, but my favorite is the novella, "Acidic Atonement of Sulfur Planet." I wish this could've been a full novel, it alone is worth picking up this book for.

[Kerry]

When Sara Tantlinger announced her latest short story collection at our local HWA meeting, I asked for an early review copy. Boy, am I glad I did! Cyanide Constellations and Other Stories collects twelve unique stories, three of which are specific to this collection. Every story showcases Sara Tantlinger’s beautiful writing and her obvious love of nature. Even the grisliest stories in the group possess a poise I’ve come to expect from her.

“Viridescent Dark” starts things off with an atmospheric apocalypse. “As Humans Burn Beneath Us” sees clouds observing the end. “The Bones He Planted” aches and longs as a loving couple goes through the unthinkable. Next up is a bit of fun, “A Haunting of Lawn Ornaments” reminded me of a beloved Goosebumps tale by R.L. Stine. I loved “The Revenge of Pappaccini’s Daughter” just as I loved its Hawthorne inspiration. (Incidentally, check out the dedication to this book!) The titular story flows with the wisdom of the cosmos. “With Radium On Her Lips,” another of my favorites in this collection, delves into how an historical wrong should have been righted. “Avian Eyes” is a transformation that I would embrace. “Moonflowers” also aches with longing and obsession. “Acidic Atonement On Sulfur Planet” sees the earth ended and interplanetary philosophical observations. The clever “Gardening By the Moon: A How-To Guide” instructs on the proper preparation of an unusual, cultivated space. “After the Twilight Fades” concludes the collection beautifully.

Cyanide Constellations and Other Stories releases on 21 October, 2025 - in time for spooky season and all that entails - so grab a copy before it sells out!

[Azzurra Nox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story collection is packed with thought-provoking, terrifying tales that linger long after you finish. Most of Tantlinger’s stories dive into apocalyptic worlds where humanity pays the ultimate price for its greed and failure to respect nature — and wow, does she make us feel that downfall.

Some standouts for me were “As Humans Burn Beneath Us” and “Acidic Atonement on Sulfur Planet” — both haunting visions of our planet’s decay and humanity’s self-inflicted doom.

There are a few breathers from the darkness, though! I especially loved “A Haunting of Lawn Ornaments,” where a neighborhood is terrorized by lawn gnomes (and if you know me, you know I’m obsessed with haunted dolls and cursed trinkets 👀).

Another favorite, “The Revenge of Pappaccini’s Daughter,” flips the script on who the real monsters are — reminding us that men’s cruelty often overshadows even nature’s wrath, and that the natural world might be the only place left to find solace.

Every story shines in its own chilling way. Tantlinger’s range is incredible — her writing not only terrifies but forces us to confront what we should truly fear: the death of nature and the fiery downfall of humanity’s own making. 🌿🔥

[Hailey Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a point in this collection where I yelled "No!" because of the turn a story took at four pages in, and that says so much about Sara Tantlinger's effective and beautiful writing. Four pages with those characters who didn't appear in an earlier story, completely fresh, and I was already upset over their fates. The collection as a whole rumbles with gorgeous prose and evocative atmosphere, and there's a sense of growth and rot throughout, both in the earth and from above. It's rare for a collection to have such a clear unified aesthetic between the stories, but despite the stories being so different, you can practically see this collection's starlight and earthen tones and a pervasive greenness that is plant life, radiation, and the life-and-deathlines of the universe.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I am a fan of short dark fiction AND one of my favorite anthologies of such, Chromophobia, was curated by Sara Tantlinger, I knew I had to pick up the lauded writer’s first written collection. I was not disappointed. The stories are simply ethereal; Tantlinger’s voice, darkly poetic. One of the tales’ particular strengths is the author’s ability to create believable, relatable characters. The residents of this universe could be my own family, and that makes sliding into worlds filled with virulent moon dust, deadly plant-women, and speakeasy-sippin witches as easy as slipping into a warm bath.

My favorites of the collection are “A Haunting of Lawn Ornaments,” “With Radium on Her Lips,” and of course, Beatrice’s (bravo!!) revenge story, “The Revenge of Rappaccini’s Daughter.”

[The Smoog · Rating 3 out of 5]

The style of this book felt a little too prose poem for my tastes, but that’s definitely not a fault, just my own preferences. There are certainly some powerful ideas here, and there is a lot of stuff that’s quite thought-provoking. I was kinda confused why the lawn ornament story just stopped, though.

Listened on Audible, and the narration was somewhat understated but very appropriate to the book.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of Sara Tantlinger’s work and this collection did not disappoint. These stories explore the beauty and brutality of nature, the search for love and meaning, the blight of humanity, and our insistence on scorching a path to our own destruction. Gorgeously written.