Phantom Limb

Last Days #2

by Brian Evenson

After destroying the headquarters of an underground amputation cult, a burned and battered Kline finds himself in a holding cell. When he enlists the help of an ex-cop to commute his prison sentence, Kline inadvertently tangles with a schism of the very cult he sought to destroy. Can Kline investigate the sect’s ritualistic murder spree without getting lured into their ranks?

Frigid and precise, Phantom Limb interrogates our notions of wholeness, fate, and the lengths we are willing to go to connect with a higher power.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Mystery

200 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2026

About the author

Brian Evenson is an American academic and writer of both literary fiction and popular fiction, some of the latter being published under B. K. Evenson.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This follow-up to Brian Evenson’s Last Days is a worthy sequel, even if it cannot match the twisted brilliance of the first book. This is simply because Phantom Limb doesn’t take the story in any new directions, and is mostly more of the same.

But I was hooked on the glorious madness of Last Days, with its stark portrayal of unhinged religious fundamentalism filtered through the genre lens of a bleakly violent noir detective story. Phantom Limb provides a welcome return to that bonkers world, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity for a thrilling but mercifully short visit.

[Richard Derus · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: After destroying the headquarters of an underground amputation cult, a burned and battered Kline finds himself in a holding cell. When he enlists the help of an ex-cop to commute his prison sentence, Kline inadvertently tangles with a schism of the very cult he sought to destroy. Can Kline investigate the sect’s ritualistic murder spree without getting lured into their ranks?

Frigid and precise, Phantom Limb interrogates our notions of wholeness, fate, and the lengths we are willing to go to connect with a higher power.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Kline's back! Oh joy. The christian lunatics, the "Brotherhood of Mutilation" (follow the link, I'm not going through *that* again), are serious about getting Kline the ex-cop who damn near destroyed the entire cult. And so it goes....

This is barely not a novella. It's short; it's not a "Calgon, take me away" read. Or, if it is, I'm very worried about you. There is a lot of body horror, a lot of symbolic anti-religious messaging in that body horror as well as conceptually anti-religious messaging in the entire witness protection element of the story. As we all know, their gawd, like organized crime, finds everybody in the end.

After five years of relative safety in prison that he serves on bullshit charges under a fake name, Kline isn't out five seconds before the schismatic from the Brotherhood of Mutilation cult who call themselves Paul (that bit of quiet calling-out was *chef's kiss*, Author Brian!) find Kline to finish the destruction he began in Last Days. It was not for nothing he served that sentence and hoped his trail went cold. Yet, like all things religious, you're never ever free of the pollution.

In returning to the mutilates doing their infighting in October 2026, it's my interpretation of Author Brian's purpose in piling up the bodies, causing harm with abandon, enshittifying the world to show the gore-seeking reader the real damage done by True Believers. It's not important what their zeal is directed towards, in support of, because it results in irreparable harms caused—including death—regardless of to whom the harms are caused. Zealotry has this way of overshooting any boundaries one thinks to set.

So here's Kline amid a welter of gore as always, trying to expunge a nightmarish hate group. It works, it doesn't, it causes harm on the way and creates new zealots if not today or tomorrow then soon. People love hate, rage, and being Right about stuff more than food and sex combined. This is human nature, visible in cultures throughout time in archaeology, then in writing, now in images. I see no reason to think there was ever a past of peaceful coexistence after there were enough people alive to form persistent families. It's why our cultural heritage is replete with myths, folktales, parables that show in grim, graphic detail the perils of transgressing The Order of Things℠...the selfish urge to do that is overwhelming at times. We all feel it, but the consequences after are the point of these kins of stories. Is this really the world you want? If yes, be ready for the coalition of the harmed to exact revenge.

And so it goes.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I literally just finished Last Days, which I friggen adored, and wasted no time diving straight into the sequel the second I swiped that final page.

Phantom Limb picks up some time after Last Days leaves off, with our guy Kline facing jail time... but not for what he did to The Pauls or The Brotherhood. He assumes he's incognito, beliving he’s finally crawled out of that amputee‑cult horrorshow free and clear, but learns pretty fast that the promises made to him are already being broken. Inside those prison walls, the zealots are still hunting him, still convinced he’s theirs.

It’s just as grody, just as violent, and maybe even a little weirder than its predecessor, which is saying something. And while it didn’t hit quite as hard for me as Last Days did (sequels rarely do), it’s still a damn solid follow‑up and an absolute blast of a return to one of the coolest protagonists out there. Missing limb, missing toes, missing patience — Kline remains an all‑time fave!

I had a helluva time hanging out with him again.

[David Agranoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two Brian Evenson books in a row. Last Days was my introduction to Brian Evenson, who is one of the most reviewed/interviewed authors across my various blogs, columns, and podcasts. That first experience 17 years ago began when I attended a reading event in Portland at Powell’s, although I had never heard of Brian before that day. I went home with a copy of The Last Days. At the time, we lived near a high school stadium and track; I used to walk laps of the track reading. I have a distinct memory of reading some of the most disturbing moments of Last Days on those summer walks on the track. One of my strongest sense memories with a novel.

What did I say back then? “The story is of a former undercover cop, Kline, who in his last mission had his hand cut off by a “man with a cleaver.” He lives on, but he is lonely and depressed. All that changes when he gets a phone call asking him to go undercover again. The job: investigate the murder of a cult leader; the cult is made up of Christians who take Matthew so literally that they cut off their hands to get closer to God.

Once inside the cult, we learn that they have taken multiple amputations and have set a hierarchy based on who has the most body parts sacrificed. The world in the Brotherhood of Mutilation is both disgusting and darkly comedic. By the second half, when we meet their rival breakaway group, it gets even more amusing. That is not to say that the book is slapstick; it's a brutal horror bizarro detective story. Evenson's dialogue in this book is perfectly choppy noir with lots of short, snappy comical exchanges. The suspense is handled with a minimalist flair, and the moments of gruesome reveals are plentiful. This is a strange and wonderful piece of horror literature that should not be missed.”

What I didn’t know at the time was that type of dialogue was specific to this noir novel. I assumed that the first time that Brian Evenson, like Elmore Leonard, was always writing this kind of dialogue. As I read the sequel, however, I had almost two decades of reading Evenson to understand better what he was doing. Last Days and Phantom Limb are very noir, but that is not a natural style for Evenson. Chandler and Hammett wrote in that voice naturally; it was their voice. Evenson is a writer of many styles and voices; he does great at it, but this is a very intentional vibe. “Last time I saw you, you were carrying one head too many. Then you decided maybe you’d leave your spare head under my hospital bed.”
He leaned closer. “You know what it’s like knowing there’s a severed head under your bed?”
“Probably unpleasant,” said Kline.
“That’s it?” said Frank. “No, sorry about the head, Frank?”
“I already apologized for the arm,” said Kline.
“Last conversation we had,” said Frank, “you, me, and the head, you said you wanted to turn yourself in.”
“Change of heart,” said Kline.

That tells me that these two novels, described as literary horror by most, are the blackest of the black comedies, and I am not sure if Evenson considers them to be noir parody, but I do. Don’t get me wrong, they are horror novels for sure. I mean, these books make you cringe and laugh at the same time, and I think satire can be overlooked because it gets so gruesome at moments.

The Phantom Limb is a direct sequel, starting shortly after the first book's events. Kline is in prison, although the full extent of what he did is not known. He killed many in the Brotherhood and burned down their property. He doesn’t regret his actions but prison is not fun. This is depicted in a scene I just thought was excellently written. “Six months later, he was serving a five-year term. With good behavior, apparently he might be out in three. When he was processed, he was braced to have someone mess with him over his missing arm, but they left him alone. Apparently he was too beat-up, too scarred, to smell of anything but trouble.

The cell they assigned him had a lock that squealed when you turned the key in it and slid it open. He felt it every single time, gouging its way deeper and deeper into his brain.”

He is doing his time when a man shows up who knows who he is.

“You tell them,” said Kline. “Tell them that there’s no Kline here. Only Werner.”
“They already know who you really are,” Orst said.
“Werner,” Kline repeated. “And even if I were this Kline, judging by the looks of you I’d never come back to their goddamn fold.”
“You really want me to tell them that?”

Someone comes for Kline and regrets it. I love this description of solitary confinement. “Orst didn’t rat him out, but he still got two days in solitary. He was, after all, covered in blood. On the second day, in the darkness, just as he was getting used to the people he had killed circling around him, was almost ready to start having meaningful conversations with them, a guard released him, took him back to his cell.”

Kline is of course, dragged back into it. He is hired by the very people he tried to destroy who get him released and he is suddenly back in the strangest of all holy wars between the Brotherhood of Mutilation and the Pauls. That is when the gruesome deaths start up again.

This leads to a great line of noir dialogue.
“The thing I can’t figure out is why every time it’s either them or you it always ends up being them.”
“Just lucky, I guess.”

The religious cult that believes you are closer to god by cutting off body parts by seem crazy to us, but Kline has gotten stronger and survived so much after losing part of his arm. Is he tempted?

“The question is not whose hand was it, but whose hand can it be?”
“Whose hand can it be?”
Grida smiled with half her face, spread what remained of her arms. “Whoever desires it,” she said. “Perhaps, great doubter, even you.”

I won’t say why, but Phantom Limb and Glitch Evenson’s fantastic novella from Pink Beam has couple of things in common, including a stunning last page. This novel is fantastic. An amazing sequel to the first insane horror-noir body-horror detective classic, . Since that was a fix-up of two novellas can we call this the Brotherhood of Mutilation trilogy? Must-reads.

[David Piwinski · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

I was stoked to find a Brian Evenson novel in a bookstore that I didn’t recognize, even more stoked to find out it’s a sequel to one of my favorite books of his (Last Days), then triply stoked when I looked it up and it hasn’t technically been released yet. Thank you, anonymous Barnes & Noble employee who doesn’t know or care about street dates!

Pleased to say that I found this to be a worthy sequel. It more or less picks up where Last Days left off and continues the story without feeling like it’s rehashing plot points (mostly - there is a little bit with the Brotherhood that feels same-y, but it does go in interesting directions). I’m a huge sucker for the whole hard-boiled detective meets horror thing, so I’m probably biased, but it just works for me. And I’m always impressed by Evenson’s economy of language, his writing feels so precise and without any wasted words. Like, why give characters both a first and last name when a single name does the job just as well?

I thoroughly enjoyed this and would definitely recommend if you liked Last Days and want more.

[jaroiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very decent sequel. However, it lacked the element of surprise found in the first installment and the level of humor found in the previous two parts. Still interesting enough, though.

[Josh Mauthe · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

In the early going, I was a bit let down by Phantom Limb; I truly love Last Days , but through the first part of the book, I wasn't quite seeing what necessitated a return to Kline's surreal nightmare of a life. Sure, I was "glad" to be back - as much as you can in this bizarre world of amputating fanatics - but I couldn't see what made Evenson want to write a new book. But then Part Two begins, and things start to get very, very strange, as a new player enters the conflict, the violence gets more and more brutal and extreme, and reality gets far more malleable than you think. And it all builds up to a pretty stunning final act that pulls the whole book together, makes very clear what brought Evenson back to this world, and leaves you far more unsettled and uncertain than Last Days ever did, somehow.

I don't think it's quite the book that Last Days is - maybe that's unavoidable, with the lack of novelty and the unexpected horror that it could deliver without expectations. But even in its short length, Phantom Limb reminds you how vivid of a world Evenson can create in such a short time and with such careful prose, and how ably he straddles the line between Kafka-esque surreal reality, gory body horror, and satire of fanaticism, creating something truly memorable and haunting and even unnerving, all in less than 200 pages. It's unlike much else out there, and it's brilliant, horrific, strange, unsettling, and absolutely not for the faint of heart - even more than was the case with Last Days, and that's saying something.

[Luke Dylan Ramsey · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

My copy of Phantom Limb came in strangely early a few days ago, and I finished the book the other night.

My spoiler free thoughts:
1. It’s a 9/10 so definitely worth reading
2. You do have to have read Last Days beforehand
3. It’s not as good as Last Days imo but still very, very good

My thoughts with mild spoilers:
1. It’s not nearly as funny as Last Days was. Like I found Last Days kinda hilarious in a Beckett way. That being said, you can read Last Days and not find it funny and still enjoy it, I think. Anyway, there’s a lot less humor in Phantom Limb and it’s not nearly as absurd.
2. My enjoyment of Phantom Limb was heightened because I am aware of a few different scientific studies that I think were the inspiration for certain plot points. Tbh I don’t know what the studies were called or even how or why I became aware of them. But yeah. I can be more specific if you want, just ask.
3. While there is still a lot of violence, it’s not as heavy on that stuff as Last Days, nor is there as much amputation and stuff like that.
4. The book is far more mystical than Last Days.

My thoughts with heavy spoilers:
1. The ending definitely reminded me of the movie The Lobster, though I’m unsure if Evenson has seen it.
2. There could be a third book. In fact, I predict there will eventually be a third book.
3. Kline is even more grotesque physically than he was at the end of Last Days and is almost a caricature at this point.

I didn’t really have any major problems with Phantom Limb, it just wasn’t *quite* as good as Last Days. Last Days is probably my favorite thing by Evenson, though, a definite 10/10, and Phantom Limb is certainly worth your time.

[Baltimore Jones · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Brian Evenson is an author I've loved reading for years. I think his novel, Last Days, is nothing short of a masterpiece. Needless to say, I was thrilled when he announced that a sequel was being published. But did this sequel, Phantom Limb, hold up to expectations? Yes and no.

First off, the book is a fun read. I finished it in two days and devoured it as soon as I could. I thought that how the book opened up was a fitting way to continue the plot line of Last Days, and made clever use of its environment, however, after the first major scene change, my opinions shift.

The "big bad" here is laughable. I don't feel this character was fleshed out well enough to make me care about or fear them. As a result, I never really considered them as a major threat. It killed a little suspense for me despite the book trying to push the narrative forward and carve out new paths.

The ending to this, in my opinion, also felt underwhelming. Like an intentional cliffhanger, almost. Although it does remind me of another one of Evenson's books that's unrelated to this series.

One final difference between Phantom Limb and it's predecessor is that this book no longer felt creepy. Phantom Limb is very action oriented and sprinkles of black humor. For what it is, the novel is still entertaining and fun, but a little different in tone than I had imagined.

Overall, Phantom Limb was a fun read that I would recommend and Evenson fan to explore. However, it faces the unfair task of living up to the expectations set by Last Days.

[Aiko · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

I impulse bought this book because of its incredible cover, the premise, and a spot check that the writing seemed at least competent. Well, it turned out to be beyond competent; this is masterful writing.

The writing in the books is stark and propulsive; Evenson is a master of sentences pared town to their absolute bare minimum. I'm usually considering craft as I read, but I was so sucked in to the story that I barely noticed it, which is evidence of a master craftsman.

This book is a true page turner, which is a rare experience for me. There's a masterful balance between mystery and revelation that propels the story.

The first section of the book is pure ominous horror, but then the book adds mystery and thriller elements, though it's a horror first and foremost. It, like every horror book I've read so far (I'm fairly new to reading the genre regularly) did not quite stick the landing. On the one had it's a very logical and neat ending, but on the other hand it's rather unsatisfying. However, the journey to the end of the book was so killer (pardon the pun) that it's absolutely worth it.

[Marc Rothenberg · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Last Days by Evenson is one of my favorite books. Incredible noir book about religion, faith, sacrifice, and well, murder. It’s a book that I often recommend to anyone looking for something unusual. and compelling. When I heard that he was writing a sequel to it, I was excited but skeptical. I’m fortunate enough to be a friend of a friend of the author. My friend indicated how much I love the book, so my copy of this ARC came from the author. I will say this: it starts off a bit slow, and I only say slow relative to the first book’s ending. But it totally makes sense why it would start that way. By the end of the book, I was blown away when I realized that Evenson had created something totally different, a sequel that wasn’t simply a continuation or an expansion, what’s certainly brought in new ideas to the scenario. It’s not simply blind cult faith… what if there was something more? What if there really was a supernatural (in a religious sense) aspect? Would that convince you to “join the fold”? Again, a fantastic book, highly recommend it.

[Marla Moreau · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

4.25/5

This is Brian Evenson's brand new book that just came out. I preordered it not realizing it was a sequel to Last Days - a book that was published 17 years ago and that was not among the several of his books that I had read, LOL. So I read Last Days first, then immediately dove into Phantom Limb. Both books in the duology got a 4.25 from me.

It begins a bit after Last Days left off, and the first 2/3rds of it reads more like a crime thriller than horror (albeit a GOOD crime thriller), but the last third or so is pretty great. It gets surreal and dives more into the weird fiction territory I love. It's not as grisly or graphic as the first book, but it makes the reader question what is real significantly more (or rather why everything is happening as it is).

Not a perfect book, I do wish there was more speculative weirdness, but like Last Days I found it unputdownable and ripped through it in one sitting.

[Ali · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a good story involving amputation cults? I was excited to get a continuation of Last Days and wasn't sure what to expect. Kline's uncanny ability to get into and out of strange and dangerous situations shows up plenty and leads to yet another schism of the amputation cult.

I was certainly curious about the new sect but a little thrown off by the direction the story took with a certain element. I can't say what this element is as it would spoil the story but it seemed an odd choice as I think it was meant to be really happening judging by Kline's experience and what he witnessed. I'm not sure I really cared for that change in story type.

Evenson's writing is still just as good as usual, I just don't think I'm a fan of the little tweak he made.

[Translator Monkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty deliciously raw stuff here. Really excellent read for those interested in the genre. Readers with weaker stomachs will know from the blurb if they would be able to read this one without a bucket nearby, but frankly the creeping psychological horror was far more than the stuff related to a brotherhood of amputation aficionados.

Rounding up from 4.5 stars. Absolutely well-written and powerful.

[Goran Ivanovski · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Definitely still the same world and it picks up pretty much where it left off but the philosophical musings in this one fall short and it doesn’t have the kind of depth and complexity the first one had. Questions remain about the fate of the Pauls, the brotherhood or even the new sect. I feel he could’ve gotten more out of this story if he kept writing.

[Kyle Belcher · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

Phantom Limb did not hit the same as Last Days for me. The first installment was full of gritty body horror, campy detective noir, philosophical quandaries and dark humor. While Phantom Limb was run of the mill detective pulp with very few fantastical elements. Was not a fan of the clunky back and forth dialogue.

[Luke Pajowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Brian Evenson announced a sequel to my favorite work of his, I leaped in excitement. With Ligotti only releasing single pieces here and there, Evenson has picked up the mantle as my current favorite horror author.

Phantom Lumb picks up where Last Days leaves off and, like the previous novel, rests at the intersection of noir, cult horror and philosophy.

[Nicholas Rombes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Evenson. If it disappoints a little, it's only in comparison to Last Days, whose bar is so high. It's got the same mordant humor, classic Chandler-era detective pacing, and noir-ish sense that Fate will always catch you in the end.

[Kaija · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the level of horror I can handle. Enjoyable and fucking weird.

[Jonathan Herbrecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une tout étrange chute dans les affres de la vie de Kline. Dialogues percutants, sensation de perdre pied habituel chez l'auteur, un bon cru pour ce nouveau Brian Evenson.

[Sophie Abromowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

five stars until it comes out. and then we get REAL.

[Kristian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent pulpy fun, but don’t expect it to blow your mind.

[lauren 🫀 · Rating 4 out of 5]

you can find me in the freezer aisle

[Andrew Neilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good spooky read, don’t need to read the previous book for this one. One of the weirder plots I have read.

[ally ☆ · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

wow