One Hundred Thousand Lives After Death

by Megan Lee Bees

123 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2026

Reviews

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an utterly fantastic book, I'm so glad I picked it up at the Tacoma Literature Festival. I feel like I found a hidden gem, it's dark and creepy but also earnest and compassionate, there's a hopeful message of love and self-love here. I especially adored how explicitly Tillie's monstrousness was leaned into, the entire point was that it didn't need sugar coating, she was allowed to be her many selves and it made me so happy. I have a real appreciation for monster romances where the monster's inhuman aspects are fully present and this little book scratches that itch very well.

While I don't think it was intentional on the author's part, I also found Tillie's character very relatable as a trans person. There's a similar idea that you have to perform a role a certain way even if you don't fit all the parameters, that your body can feel wrong or restrictive but that you're afraid what feels right and comfortable will scare or repulse the people around you, and it hits pretty close to home. It was a fun and satisfying read, a heartfelt slice of wholesome horror that I'm going to be mooning over for a good long while.

[Karen Eisenbrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having a half hour to fill between registration and my first panel at Norwescon, I randomly dropped into the author’s reading and was immediately captivated by this cozy, creepy tale of Tillie, a woman whose body died ten years ago but whose consciousness lives on in thousands of spiders. I had to buy a copy of the book, and I was not disappointed in the rest of Tillie’s story.

With her loving husband Ivan, she has built new bodies and a new life, all while something monstrous and horrifying is going on in the forest nearby. I loved the blend of a charming, illustrated story of love, friendship, and acceptance with the creeping dread of the Hunger dwelling nearby. This short book is also packed with reflections on how we exile parts of ourselves for the comfort or convenience of others, on creativity and courage, and on learning to love what we fear. A delightful gift to stumble upon!

[Erica Sage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Things meets the Exorcist, directed by Guillermo fel Toro... In cinematic sense, not storyline... That's what I imagined as I read this novela and dreamed of it becoming a short film.

One Hundred Thousand Lives After Death by Megan Lee Bees is a story about Tillie, a woman who died years ago but continues living as a consciousness carried by spiders animating her body, trying to hold together a fragile, almost-normal life while something monstrous waits in the forest.

Just over 100 pages, with some illustrations, it’s strange and unsettling in a quiet, intimate way. It's beautifully written on the sentence level, and the description of Tillie's body (bodies) is cinematic. And, of course, it's got my favorite -- the dark forests of the PNW. This tale doesn't scare you as musch as it asks questions about family and loyalty and identity and belonging.