Samanthas

by Jacob Steven Mohr

Gifted burnout and wannabe gumshoe Finn Bracken exists on the margins of high school society, ghostwriting essays for whoever will pay while neglecting his own academics.

But when a regular client vanishes, it coincides with the arrival of three mysterious and near-identical foreign exchange students, all coincidentally named ‘Samantha.’

Drawn into a spiraling mystery by the missing boy’s haughty girlfriend, Finn finds himself matching wits and wills with a terror from beyond the stars, one that preys on lonely young men with an all-consuming lust for life and flesh.

Hardcover

Expected publication January 19, 2027

About the author

Jacob Steven Mohr does not believe in human consciousness; his works emerge as though from the ether, fully formed and fully ominous. Selections of these can be observed in Cosmic Horror Monthly, Shortwave Magazine, Chthonic Matter Quarterly, Weird Horror Magazine, and The Best Horror of the Year Vol. 15. He exists in Columbus OH. Follow him everywhere @jacobstevenmohr.

Reviews

[Jes]

Samanthas is an excellent high school horror that plays with familiar territory without belaboring old tropes. It feels fresh and fun, until the characters themselves realize it is not fun at all anymore.
Mohr's writing is as dynamic and engaging as ever, and his detailed images lend to the character voices rather than clogging the narrative. My personal favorite image was of the swim team on the gym bleachers like a colony of seals holding court atop their rock.
The characters and their relationships feel rich and complex, and Mohr doesn't slow us down with details that don't matter. We get the shape of past conflicts without having to know the details. Mohr has aptly dodged tired bullying tropes and instead presents teens with all their complexities and insecurities.
If there was one thing I craved a little more of, it would be leaning in a bit more to the detective story. For the reader, there is no whodunnit, just watching the main character discover the horror. I would have loved a bit more mystery.

I was grateful to receive an advanced galley of this book to review!

[Donna Taylor]

I love body horror that spins my head around! Throw in cosmic horror that emerges from the depths to swallow teens whole, and you can't get more perfect. In the vein of Betty Rocksteady, Jacob Steven Mohr will twist your mind with his descriptions, leaving you utterly disoriented, slightly nauseous, and desperate for more.