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Of Flesh & Metal
Fresh off a breakup and down on his luck, Randy struggles to make ends meet and provide for himself and his daughter until he lands a factory job that seems to be the answer to all his problems. Things are finally looking up!
But this is not your normal factory. This place keeps their employees on a tight leash through means that would make OSHA blush. But Randy’s pulling in some dough, and he can’t let his daughter down, or his insufferable ex.
The money is good, but the consequences are dire as Randy navigates his way through a workplace where Big Brother watches and punishment can be violent… even deadly!
Does Randy have what it takes to be upper management, or will he have to bring the whole place down? As the lines between the past and the present blur and the struggle to make ends meet begin to consume him, Randy must fight for his life, his honor, and a reality that is slipping away like sand through an hourglass.
But this is not your normal factory. This place keeps their employees on a tight leash through means that would make OSHA blush. But Randy’s pulling in some dough, and he can’t let his daughter down, or his insufferable ex.
The money is good, but the consequences are dire as Randy navigates his way through a workplace where Big Brother watches and punishment can be violent… even deadly!
Does Randy have what it takes to be upper management, or will he have to bring the whole place down? As the lines between the past and the present blur and the struggle to make ends meet begin to consume him, Randy must fight for his life, his honor, and a reality that is slipping away like sand through an hourglass.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 4, 2026
3 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Robert Essig
93 books280 followersRobert Essig is the author of 30 books such as Baby Fights, Disco Rice, and Master of Bodies, which was nominated for a Splatterpunk Award. He has published over 130 short stories and edited three anthologies. Robert lives with his family in east Tennessee.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 14, 2026
If you're into job (or workplace, or corporate) horror, this book will make your day! Utterly creepy scenes of mysterious happenings during a guy's shifts in a factory, strange coworkers, a weird receptionist, shadowy supervisors, and a monstrosity for a boss - not to mention the armed goons, the Kafkaesque settings and the kill chains (was that a pun?), plus the visceral body horror!
The book's greatest asset for me though was the flawed main character: you can really feel for him, share in his anxieties as well as the happy moments with his young daughter, and give him the benefit of the doubt as often as needed; he's just too damn relatable (which is ironic, come to think of it)!
Overall, this is actually a fun, easy read, but with a shocking ending! Should have seen it coming, but these authors combined are true magicians: they made sure I'd be looking in the wrong place for answers!
The book's greatest asset for me though was the flawed main character: you can really feel for him, share in his anxieties as well as the happy moments with his young daughter, and give him the benefit of the doubt as often as needed; he's just too damn relatable (which is ironic, come to think of it)!
Overall, this is actually a fun, easy read, but with a shocking ending! Should have seen it coming, but these authors combined are true magicians: they made sure I'd be looking in the wrong place for answers!
January 13, 2026
BLOODY HELL.
I knew right from the prologue that I'm going to love this book. Everything about this is perfect.
The main character, Randy, along with his family, was so well-written and fleshed-out that I became truly invested in their story and their well-being. I know that so may people will find them relatable, and that thought moves me.
Mr. Fink, the main villain, was very disgusting. I found myself wanting to crawl out of my skin so many times and douse my entire body in bleach. Or at least my brain, so I don't get to imagine him (it?) anymore.
Everything was written vividly and with great detail, I didn't have to work hard AT ALL to imagine them. Certain scenes will sit in my brain for a long time. I don't think I'll be able to un-hear that clanking sound ever.
For people who are into/looking for a genuinely terrifying workplace horror, THIS IS IT.
I give this ALL OF THE F*CKING STARS.
I knew right from the prologue that I'm going to love this book. Everything about this is perfect.
The main character, Randy, along with his family, was so well-written and fleshed-out that I became truly invested in their story and their well-being. I know that so may people will find them relatable, and that thought moves me.
Mr. Fink, the main villain, was very disgusting. I found myself wanting to crawl out of my skin so many times and douse my entire body in bleach. Or at least my brain, so I don't get to imagine him (it?) anymore.
Everything was written vividly and with great detail, I didn't have to work hard AT ALL to imagine them. Certain scenes will sit in my brain for a long time. I don't think I'll be able to un-hear that clanking sound ever.
For people who are into/looking for a genuinely terrifying workplace horror, THIS IS IT.
I give this ALL OF THE F*CKING STARS.
January 26, 2026
Of Flesh & Metal 🏭
Oh I’m so so grateful for this ARC, Robert & Chuck teamed up to bring this brutal work of art & I loved every minute of it!!
Randy is desperate for a job, with a recent divorce from a woman who’s consistently demanding payment for their child, he’s no choice but to accept a maintenance job at a factory, MetalWorkz.
Instantly he knows theirs something off about this place, witnessing chains slithering around like they have a mind of their own & weird fists attached that pop up out of nowhere. Every question he asks his co-workers about the factory seems to get dodged. He knows something just isn’t quite right?!
But he needs the money, if he keeps his head down & doesn’t ask anymore questions then it’ll all be ok won’t it? Erm NOPE it won’t, the story unravels, NDA’s are signed…its gonna get a whole lot worse 🫣
👏🏼😱 So I read this until my eyes were stinging right before bed, I couldn’t put it down & guess what happened….I had the worse nightmares about big long chains with hands on them trying to get me! It was awful! 😩 safe to say this was impactful 😅
I don’t always like sci-fi horror, I don’t always gel with it but this! F yes to this!!
I devoured it & enjoyed the fear it put into me 🤣 it was a craaaazy story!! Also the ending was so unexpected 🫣
Thank you so much for the ARC! It is released & available now. Please do check those triggers first! 🤎
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oh I’m so so grateful for this ARC, Robert & Chuck teamed up to bring this brutal work of art & I loved every minute of it!!
Randy is desperate for a job, with a recent divorce from a woman who’s consistently demanding payment for their child, he’s no choice but to accept a maintenance job at a factory, MetalWorkz.
Instantly he knows theirs something off about this place, witnessing chains slithering around like they have a mind of their own & weird fists attached that pop up out of nowhere. Every question he asks his co-workers about the factory seems to get dodged. He knows something just isn’t quite right?!
But he needs the money, if he keeps his head down & doesn’t ask anymore questions then it’ll all be ok won’t it? Erm NOPE it won’t, the story unravels, NDA’s are signed…its gonna get a whole lot worse 🫣
👏🏼😱 So I read this until my eyes were stinging right before bed, I couldn’t put it down & guess what happened….I had the worse nightmares about big long chains with hands on them trying to get me! It was awful! 😩 safe to say this was impactful 😅
I don’t always like sci-fi horror, I don’t always gel with it but this! F yes to this!!
I devoured it & enjoyed the fear it put into me 🤣 it was a craaaazy story!! Also the ending was so unexpected 🫣
Thank you so much for the ARC! It is released & available now. Please do check those triggers first! 🤎
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 13, 2026
Yup this was a cool read. This book gave me the feeling I was reading a 80s scifi horror which was awesome. It's also rather creepy. Not just the creatures but also the way the factory was controlled. If you are into killer machines then you will really enjoy this book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews