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Under a Malevolent Eye
Not yet published
Expected 18 Aug 26A plague of eyes descends upon a fascist-occupied city. After a woman gets an illegal abortion, her period-tracking app threatens to turn her in. A government agent becomes dangerously obsessed with the person they're tracking. When a call center worker fails to meet her quotas, a mysterious entity vows to ruin her life.
Under a Malevolent Eye collects eight horror and Weird fiction stories that explore how our lives fall apart under inescapable surveillance. Featuring Meagan Kane, Charlene Elsby, Joe Koch, Cynthia Gómez, Briar Ripley Page, Eric Raglin, Zin E. Rocklyn, and Mae Murray.
Under a Malevolent Eye collects eight horror and Weird fiction stories that explore how our lives fall apart under inescapable surveillance. Featuring Meagan Kane, Charlene Elsby, Joe Koch, Cynthia Gómez, Briar Ripley Page, Eric Raglin, Zin E. Rocklyn, and Mae Murray.
140 pages, Paperback
Expected publication August 18, 2026
About the author
Eric Raglin
26 books76 followersEric Raglin (he/him) is a horror/Weird fiction writer based in Minneapolis. His short story collections include Extinction Hymns and Nightmare Yearnings. He owns Cursed Morsels Press and has edited multiple horror/Weird fiction anthologies. Find him on Bluesky or Instagram @ericraglin1992.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
It seems that more than a few folks out there are finally waking up to the reality of the strange and deeply disturbing surveillance omni-culture we are immersed in. Like a
Yes, some of this is very new, hot garbage and nothing but a bad time. Yes, some of the bells and whistles are new, but the panopticon was not built over night. The whisper networks and tapped phone lines have been long buried, hidden like unseen root networks for ages. The eyes in the painting are following you across the room, as they followed your grandparents, and relatives long forgotten.
The knee jerk reaction, when coming to Under A Malevolent Eye, is an expectation of stories purely about the now. Perhaps because there such growing body of investigative reports, whistle blower testimonies and lived experience being shared, around contact and interaction with that great amorphous Surveillance Blob. Publisher, editor and contributing author Eric Raglan, seems to have anticipated this most probable expectations. Seemingly in direct response, Eric has intentionally brought together authors whose stories eschew the easy path of derivative horror. Each author recognizes that draw of the easy scare, the “fast fiction” capability of telling something unsettling about the present incarnation of the surveillance state, yet staying on the surface. That’s not what the stories are written for, because there’s nothing to learn if we remain on the surface.
Under a Malevolent Eye will make your stomach hurt. You’re heart will ache, while your pulse speeds up. We’re all acutely aware of the state of things now, and are riddled with anxieties about what nightmares could blossom tomorrow, or the day after that. Whether it’s from a meditation on self sacrifice and inability to grieve, out of fear. Or perhaps it will be from a reminder of the capacity individuals to willingly harm others through wielding power and control. Collectively these are stories both timeless and prescient. Meagen Kane, Charlene Elsby, Joe Koch, Cynthia Gomez,Briar Ripley Page, Zin E. Rocklyn, Mae Murray and Eric Raglan, each bring a thread to the collective work of weaving a web of tales, to trouble, to warn and educate us. But for a few brief glimpses of light (we take care of our pet cats), there is no happiness here, but there is illumination. Through the reading, and perhaps their the writer own telling, there is hope.
It seems that more than a few folks out there are finally waking up to the reality of the strange and deeply disturbing surveillance omni-culture we are immersed in. Like a
Yes, some of this is very new, hot garbage and nothing but a bad time. Yes, some of the bells and whistles are new, but the panopticon was not built over night. The whisper networks and tapped phone lines have been long buried, hidden like unseen root networks for ages. The eyes in the painting are following you across the room, as they followed your grandparents, and relatives long forgotten.
The knee jerk reaction, when coming to Under A Malevolent Eye, is an expectation of stories purely about the now. Perhaps because there such growing body of investigative reports, whistle blower testimonies and lived experience being shared, around contact and interaction with that great amorphous Surveillance Blob. Publisher, editor and contributing author Eric Raglan, seems to have anticipated this most probable expectations. Seemingly in direct response, Eric has intentionally brought together authors whose stories eschew the easy path of derivative horror. Each author recognizes that draw of the easy scare, the “fast fiction” capability of telling something unsettling about the present incarnation of the surveillance state, yet staying on the surface. That’s not what the stories are written for, because there’s nothing to learn if we remain on the surface.
Under a Malevolent Eye will make your stomach hurt. You’re heart will ache, while your pulse speeds up. We’re all acutely aware of the state of things now, and are riddled with anxieties about what nightmares could blossom tomorrow, or the day after that. Whether it’s from a meditation on self sacrifice and inability to grieve, out of fear. Or perhaps it will be from a reminder of the capacity individuals to willingly harm others through wielding power and control. Collectively these are stories both timeless and prescient. Meagen Kane, Charlene Elsby, Joe Koch, Cynthia Gomez,Briar Ripley Page, Zin E. Rocklyn, Mae Murray and Eric Raglan, each bring a thread to the collective work of weaving a web of tales, to trouble, to warn and educate us. But for a few brief glimpses of light (we take care of our pet cats), there is no happiness here, but there is illumination. Through the reading, and perhaps their the writer own telling, there is hope.
Review of advance copy
I love horror short stories, so I was excited to read this book. However, a couple of the authors write in incredibly dense language, making their stories a chore to even figure out what was happening. Aside from those couple verbose authors, the rest of the stories are very good, there are some truly disturbing ones in here. If those good stories have any flaws it's only that several of them feel too short, they introduce really interesting concepts and worldbuilding, then everything just stops right as they're really getting going. Really, 3 stars feels too harsh, but between the two dense writers and how truncated so many of the other stories felt, I can't give it 4, either. 3.5 stars from me.
June 22, 2026
ARC Review.
I received a copy of Under a Malevolent Eye by the publisher, Cursed Morsels. I honestly went into this blind, and I’m really glad I did. This anthology is about the horror of surveillance. From literal eyes popping up on humans, to AI entities, this anthology induces straight paranoia. The dystopian dread in this isn’t so dystopian. Some of these stories aren’t far from our future, and that scares me. This is definitely a read that makes you feel like shit in a good way. If that is your jam, you’ll be happy to know it’s also queer! I’m very wishy-washy about anthologies, but this is one I’m happy to recommend.
I received a copy of Under a Malevolent Eye by the publisher, Cursed Morsels. I honestly went into this blind, and I’m really glad I did. This anthology is about the horror of surveillance. From literal eyes popping up on humans, to AI entities, this anthology induces straight paranoia. The dystopian dread in this isn’t so dystopian. Some of these stories aren’t far from our future, and that scares me. This is definitely a read that makes you feel like shit in a good way. If that is your jam, you’ll be happy to know it’s also queer! I’m very wishy-washy about anthologies, but this is one I’m happy to recommend.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews