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Pieties: Expanded Edition
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Expected 15 Apr 26Wheaton, Illinois. 1981. After contracting a debilitating new mystery illness doctors are calling GRID, Andrew Fineman reluctantly bids farewell to his new life in NYC, returning to the uber-religious suburb where he was born-and the control of his estranged parents. Sick, destitute, a thousand miles from his West Village circle, Andrew finds himself trapped in a home overseen by his strict, domineering father. A man who believes Andrew's sickness may be a punishment from God.
While more sympathetic, his mother appears ill as well, sleepwalking the darkened halls, her body covered in unexplained sores and bruises. At night, his father disappears for hours into the secluded, picture-perfect Japanese garden behind the house, a strange obsession he's cultivated as long as Andrew can remember. And there's a horrible scratching in the walls that may or may not be rats... When he spies his father in the garden with a stranger, late at night and half hidden in the stands of bamboo, Andrew begins to investigate.
Before long, a series of ominous events convinces him there is something far more dangerous than mere adultery at play. Even worse, his mother may end up being the next victim...
Madness creeping around every corner, Andrew wonders if these incidents are merely symptoms of his illness, or does some terrible secret truly lurk between the black surface of the koi pond and his father's forbidden, walled-off groves of whispering bamboo?
“Pieties blends supernatural and real world horror in a way that is compelling and powerful.” - Mark Allan Gunnells, Author of Imposter Syndrome
While more sympathetic, his mother appears ill as well, sleepwalking the darkened halls, her body covered in unexplained sores and bruises. At night, his father disappears for hours into the secluded, picture-perfect Japanese garden behind the house, a strange obsession he's cultivated as long as Andrew can remember. And there's a horrible scratching in the walls that may or may not be rats... When he spies his father in the garden with a stranger, late at night and half hidden in the stands of bamboo, Andrew begins to investigate.
Before long, a series of ominous events convinces him there is something far more dangerous than mere adultery at play. Even worse, his mother may end up being the next victim...
Madness creeping around every corner, Andrew wonders if these incidents are merely symptoms of his illness, or does some terrible secret truly lurk between the black surface of the koi pond and his father's forbidden, walled-off groves of whispering bamboo?
“Pieties blends supernatural and real world horror in a way that is compelling and powerful.” - Mark Allan Gunnells, Author of Imposter Syndrome
148 pages, Paperback
Expected publication April 15, 2026
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4 people want to read
About the author
Marc Ruvolo
8 books27 followersMarc Ruvolo (he/him) is a queer writer and musician living in Portland, Oregon who once considered himself a punk. He founded the seminal Bucket O’ Blood book store in Chicago, and his poetry and fiction have appeared in Baffling Magazine (Neon Hemlock), Slay and Slay Again: A Queer Horror Anthology, and Cynthia Pelayo’s “Gothic Blue Book” series. He’s published three horror novellas, “SLOE,” in 2023 by Unnerving Books, “WASTE GROUND” by Slashic Horror Press in 2025, and “PIETIES: EXPANDED EDITION,” by Slashic Horror in April 26. Find him on Bluesky at @marcruvolo.bsky.social.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 5, 2026
ARC Review
“The kiss sent tiny electric shocks through Andrew’s body. It seemed years since another man had innocently touched him like that. It hadn’t been that long, of course, and in the end, it was just a peck, a crumb of affection, but even a crumb could be spun into a feast when your future promises famine, or even nothing at all.”
This book has a high creep-factor, especially if religious horror in realistic situations is your thing. There’s a slow burn discomfort, especially given Andrew isn’t particularly likable IMO, but you still root for him regardless. Despite the slow pace, the story flows well. I don’t know what the previous version was like but this one is well written with infuriatingly believable characters.
The overall vibe of this story isn’t ’fun.’ It’s disturbing and morose, given Andrew’s predicament and the attitudes of the people around him, but there’s no downtime or boring moments. I felt bad for Andrew but was also so angry at him for getting into situations he shouldn’t and making the wrong choices time and again. But that only proves how human he is, how good Ruvolo’s writing is, and how messed up the conclusion to this story is.
Definitely give this story a read if you’re looking for something dark and uncomfortable.
Stars: 4.75 (rounded to 5)
“The kiss sent tiny electric shocks through Andrew’s body. It seemed years since another man had innocently touched him like that. It hadn’t been that long, of course, and in the end, it was just a peck, a crumb of affection, but even a crumb could be spun into a feast when your future promises famine, or even nothing at all.”
This book has a high creep-factor, especially if religious horror in realistic situations is your thing. There’s a slow burn discomfort, especially given Andrew isn’t particularly likable IMO, but you still root for him regardless. Despite the slow pace, the story flows well. I don’t know what the previous version was like but this one is well written with infuriatingly believable characters.
The overall vibe of this story isn’t ’fun.’ It’s disturbing and morose, given Andrew’s predicament and the attitudes of the people around him, but there’s no downtime or boring moments. I felt bad for Andrew but was also so angry at him for getting into situations he shouldn’t and making the wrong choices time and again. But that only proves how human he is, how good Ruvolo’s writing is, and how messed up the conclusion to this story is.
Definitely give this story a read if you’re looking for something dark and uncomfortable.
Stars: 4.75 (rounded to 5)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What a ride.
This story builds slowly but is not boring, it layers small hints and unsettling details that keep you wanting to keep reading.
Andrew’s experiences takes you along at a pace that feels both steady and interesting, making it a surprisingly fast read despite the slow-burn structure.
The characters are well written, the world is vivid, and the relationships feel authentic within the story.
It’s a short read, but absolutely worth it.
Set in the early 80s, the book includes period-accurate homophobia and limited understanding of mental health. Whilst the portrayal of chronic and incurable illness are handled with care, showing not only the toll on the person living with the condition but also the emotional strain on those around them
These elements are handled respectfully and realistically, grounding the story in its time without feeling gratuitous.
Your taken along with Andrew, whilst he tries to understand what his father is really doing in the garden.
Then when we finally find out, bam — like a slap in the face — delivering both the truth you’ve been waiting for and an ending that leaves you wanting more without feeling lost or cheated.
The horror elements sit in the background and are not used for shock value. Instead, they creep forward quietly as the story progresses.
Making for an interesting read.
Thank you to the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. As always, I only choose ARCs I would pick up in a store or library — life’s too short to read bad books. This review reflects my own honest opinion.
I did really enjoy this book and picked it but because of the blurb.
This story builds slowly but is not boring, it layers small hints and unsettling details that keep you wanting to keep reading.
Andrew’s experiences takes you along at a pace that feels both steady and interesting, making it a surprisingly fast read despite the slow-burn structure.
The characters are well written, the world is vivid, and the relationships feel authentic within the story.
It’s a short read, but absolutely worth it.
Set in the early 80s, the book includes period-accurate homophobia and limited understanding of mental health. Whilst the portrayal of chronic and incurable illness are handled with care, showing not only the toll on the person living with the condition but also the emotional strain on those around them
These elements are handled respectfully and realistically, grounding the story in its time without feeling gratuitous.
Your taken along with Andrew, whilst he tries to understand what his father is really doing in the garden.
Then when we finally find out, bam — like a slap in the face — delivering both the truth you’ve been waiting for and an ending that leaves you wanting more without feeling lost or cheated.
The horror elements sit in the background and are not used for shock value. Instead, they creep forward quietly as the story progresses.
Making for an interesting read.
Thank you to the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. As always, I only choose ARCs I would pick up in a store or library — life’s too short to read bad books. This review reflects my own honest opinion.
I did really enjoy this book and picked it but because of the blurb.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
"Pieties" spends some time telling one story while building another in the background. Hints of the latter keep dropping throughout, but it's only when the main tale finally stumbles upon the hidden one that those hints actually pay off, in a major, explosive way. The main tale is the story of Andrew, a gay young man in the '80s, who, having just discovered he's carrying a new illness, one that's been appearing more and more often among gay men, returns home to his parents to recover. The progress of the disease is told like a process of discovery: noone at that point in time knows what the sore throat, the bruises and the rashes imply; much less Andrew, who accidentally spreads the disease around.
Ruvolo captures the reader's attention by repeatedly putting Andrew on the spot, often in contrast with the way of life of his Christian, homophobic parents. Andrew's small town experiences made me feel for him: he's not strong but appears quite persistent, and he wisely avoids facing bigotry and narrowmindedness head on. The real issues, however, are happening right under his nose, and it'll take a lot till he catches on what's going on: is his parents' house haunted? Is someone visiting his father's Japanese garden at night? And what about all the missing cats?
The climactic ending is literally chaos! So much horror seemingly out of nowhere (almost like pulling rabbits out of a hat!). I was so desperate to know how things would turn out, I couldn’t stop reading. Among the last scenes ("Corrupted" - wow chills all over!), there was a sense of true malevolence! The epilogue provides a sort of closure, a much needed chance to breathe after all the darkness. There's also a palpable sense of foreboding, so I'm not sure what kind of closure this is supposed to be. Either way, highly recommend!
Ruvolo captures the reader's attention by repeatedly putting Andrew on the spot, often in contrast with the way of life of his Christian, homophobic parents. Andrew's small town experiences made me feel for him: he's not strong but appears quite persistent, and he wisely avoids facing bigotry and narrowmindedness head on. The real issues, however, are happening right under his nose, and it'll take a lot till he catches on what's going on: is his parents' house haunted? Is someone visiting his father's Japanese garden at night? And what about all the missing cats?
The climactic ending is literally chaos! So much horror seemingly out of nowhere (almost like pulling rabbits out of a hat!). I was so desperate to know how things would turn out, I couldn’t stop reading. Among the last scenes ("Corrupted" - wow chills all over!), there was a sense of true malevolence! The epilogue provides a sort of closure, a much needed chance to breathe after all the darkness. There's also a palpable sense of foreboding, so I'm not sure what kind of closure this is supposed to be. Either way, highly recommend!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I love stories that so perfectly blend the horrors of reality and the supernatural. This one is a tad of a slow burn but it never drags. The weirdness slowly grows until the bloody chaotic ending you will not see coming! The MC Andrew isn't always likable, but that makes him feel all the more real and relatable.
Ruvolo dug deep to share the isolation, shame, fear, and uncertainty too many gay men faced in the 1980s. While it may be difficult to read, these stories need to be told and remembered.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to read an early review copy of this book from the author. I look forward to reading more from them.
Ruvolo dug deep to share the isolation, shame, fear, and uncertainty too many gay men faced in the 1980s. While it may be difficult to read, these stories need to be told and remembered.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to read an early review copy of this book from the author. I look forward to reading more from them.
Review of advance copy received from Author
My review: I think I might have found my new favourite genre. I loved the parallels between the the demon in the fish and the 'demon' of Andrew's illness. The real demon was loneliness, a sickness that permeated through each and every character. Ultimately it's loneliness that compels Andrew to make the decisions he does, and even more so in the end, with Enid and Christine and their denial of everything that happens. All in all an excellent novella that feels deeply personal. I'm definitely going to be reading more from Ruvolo in the future.
Review of advance copy received from Author
PIETIES is a very personal book to me. It's dedicated to my first (high school) boyfriend who passed from complications of HIV in 1993. The first version was published by the wonderful Off Limits Press, who sadly stop operation in 2024. Thank you do David-Jack and Slashic Horror Press for believing in this strange story and offering to bring it back into print. With this expanded edition, I've added an epilogue, which offers a glimpse of what happened after the climactic event described in the main book. I hope that it you enjoy it.
Review of advance copy
This uses the mystery illness in a perfect way of the horror genre, I was invested in what was happening during this tense atmosphere. It uses the storyline perfectly and I cared about the characters and enjoyed the realistic element to this. Marc Ruvolo has a great writing style and thought taking a real event that happened and make it into an extreme horror novella was perfect. I liked that it was expanded on and hope to read more from Marc Ruvolo.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was one of those horror books that you don't realize was horror until the end and then it just hits you. If you take out the horror elements at the end you get a gripping story where you just feel for the main character and all he is going through. The book felt so much in the time frame it is sent, which made it feel all the more real. I sat down and devoured this book.
I was given a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I was given a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy
Very creepy and very clever. I was worried it was going to get creepy enough to give me nightmares, lol, but it stops just short of that. I like the ending. While it doesn’t tie up nicely with a bow, it ends in an interesting way. Leaving you curious, but also somewhat satisfied. It’s a novella, so short and sweet. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I didn't mind this story. I just felt like it went on longer than It needed to. I liked the main character and the ways his illness was portrayed. The isolation of the main character was well done aslo. The one thing I didn't like about him was that he was such a little snitch. I also wished that there was some sort of conclusion to the story.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews