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Insect Kin
A claustrophobic supernatural horror novella from award-winning author Matthew Tait.
At the height of a global pandemic, Lucas and Vanessa awake in darkness. They've been stolen from their lives and dumped inside Ashbrook Court – an abandoned social housing estate in Adelaide long since left to rot. As memories return and the body count rises, they begin to uncover the truth about Ashbrook Court.
Something is waiting.
Something that wants to hatch.
INSECT KIN is a descent into isolation, madness, and infestation.
At the height of a global pandemic, Lucas and Vanessa awake in darkness. They've been stolen from their lives and dumped inside Ashbrook Court – an abandoned social housing estate in Adelaide long since left to rot. As memories return and the body count rises, they begin to uncover the truth about Ashbrook Court.
Something is waiting.
Something that wants to hatch.
INSECT KIN is a descent into isolation, madness, and infestation.
142 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 27, 2025
About the author
Matthew Tait
30 books46 followersMatthew Tait is an award-winning Australian horror author whose work blends psychological intensity with uncanny, brutal atmosphere. He published his first collection of dark fiction in 2011 and has since built a catalogue of titles praised for their originality and emotional depth. His novel Deception Pass won the Australasian Shadows Award for Best Novel, an honor for which he has been nominated three times. His short story Car Crash Weather was also commended by the Australian Horror Writers Association.
A former horror columnist and lifelong devotee of the genre, Tait’s work has been described as “the sort of horror Clive Barker must read on his days off.” When not crafting unsettling narratives, he’s immersed in the gritty tones of grunge music.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 28, 2026
Matthew Tait creates his own version of the Candyman in this short but powerful story about a supernatural executioner of Adelaide's social underbelly.
Set in the abandoned ruins of a soon to be demolished Adelaide public housing block, the story sees a former resident and his long-time crush forced to unravel the mysterious figure behind a series of a gruesome killings of other former residents.
Tait draws shades of Bentley Little and Richard Laymon for his violent and gritty tale, which for the most part feels strangely akin to Adelaide's own shocking true crime past.
Clocking in at around 120 pages it's also a perfect bite size book to consume in a single sitting.
Set in the abandoned ruins of a soon to be demolished Adelaide public housing block, the story sees a former resident and his long-time crush forced to unravel the mysterious figure behind a series of a gruesome killings of other former residents.
Tait draws shades of Bentley Little and Richard Laymon for his violent and gritty tale, which for the most part feels strangely akin to Adelaide's own shocking true crime past.
Clocking in at around 120 pages it's also a perfect bite size book to consume in a single sitting.
February 6, 2026
Wyndham's "The Day of the Triffids" meets Ballard's "High-Rise" played out in suburban Adelaide. While the title is taken from a song by Bush, this horror story had me hearing "Come to Daddy" by Aphex Twin accompanied by the fluttering of countless chitin wings. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, Matthew Tait offers us this nightmarish tale set in an abandoned housing estate undergoing a metamorphosis.
It all kicks off with the reader plunged into solitary confinement alongside Lucas and Vanessa, experiencing their confusion and desperation. It soon becomes clear where they are, their old housing estate, Ashbrook Court. They have woken up, however, to a new and nightmarish reality that they need to come to terms with.
Insect Kin is an exploration of isolation, insanity, and a world in disorder. If you have a fear of insects, reading this book will push your mind to the limits of its endurance. After all, that's what Matthew Tait does best. Don't say I didn't warn you.
It all kicks off with the reader plunged into solitary confinement alongside Lucas and Vanessa, experiencing their confusion and desperation. It soon becomes clear where they are, their old housing estate, Ashbrook Court. They have woken up, however, to a new and nightmarish reality that they need to come to terms with.
Insect Kin is an exploration of isolation, insanity, and a world in disorder. If you have a fear of insects, reading this book will push your mind to the limits of its endurance. After all, that's what Matthew Tait does best. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews