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Tapeworm
From Dusk till Dawn if the characters hooked up with The Thing in this twisted, gory horror debut, where a group of friends must confront questions of identity, aging, and desire during a vampire infestation in an isolated Californian desert. Come for the weekend, stay forever. After the recent separation from his wife Trish, Victor hopes his friends' annual weekend retreat to the Californian desert town of Superstition will loosen him up and reforge the group's fraying bonds. But something is waiting underneath Superstition, crawling its way into their group, and feeding into their desires with promises of reclaiming their youth. Remember me as I once was. Victor knows too well what it means to repress his desires. He's always attempted to be the perfect partner yet often found himself lacking. With Trish skipping the trip, he begins falling into the wild ways of Superstition. When the leader of the town's Welcome Committee approaches him with a romantic, sexually charged offer, Victor wonders if it's too good to be true. Let me show you. But the Welcome Committee expects a price to be paid for its services. One that cannot be fulfilled by willing bodies alone. By the end of the weekend, group bonding will have developed a whole new meaning. Because something wants to live inside Victor and his friends. For fans of Stephen Graham Jones, V. Castro, and Rachel Harrison, Tapeworm is an unforgettable, body-horror vampire novel that answers how far one will go to stop repressing their desires and finally set themselves free.
9 pages, Audiobook
Published August 18, 2026
About the author
A.P. Thayer
12 books100 followersA.P. Thayer is a queer, Mexican-American writer of speculative fiction. His work has appeared in Apex Magazine, Dark Matter, Uncharted Magazine, the Los Suelos multimedia anthology, and more. He is a staff writer for Frivolous Comma and has been an editor at Constelación and Para El Pueblo magazines. His debut novel, Tapeworm, is a body horror novel set in the California desert. It is forthcoming from Evil Twin in August of 2026. Outside of writing, A.P. loves cooking for others, playing RPGs around a table or on PC, and being yelled at by a small dog for lack of attention.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 202 reviews
Did Not Finish
May 27, 2026DNF @ 74%
When the worms started "happy screeching" as they bathed in the MMC's cum, I absolutely lost it and knew I couldn't do it lmao
This was 80% drama about a friend group and marital problems and 20% campy-verging-on-corny erotic horror. I thought that this was going to be more of a serious horror type of book, but it felt too much of a B movie made for Tubi. Also, there were too many people in the friend group and I ended up not caring for any of them.
Thank you to Evil Twin and NetGalley for this arc.
When the worms started "happy screeching" as they bathed in the MMC's cum, I absolutely lost it and knew I couldn't do it lmao
This was 80% drama about a friend group and marital problems and 20% campy-verging-on-corny erotic horror. I thought that this was going to be more of a serious horror type of book, but it felt too much of a B movie made for Tubi. Also, there were too many people in the friend group and I ended up not caring for any of them.
Thank you to Evil Twin and NetGalley for this arc.
September 5, 2026
⭐️ 3 ⭐️ My goodness what a weird book! I was slightly grossed out, saying WTF and at the same time somewhat agreeing to the points the author tried to make?? I think that at the heart of the story this is about freedom, connection, sexual repression and a desire that eventually is liberating as much as parasitic to our well being? I really don't know what to say or how to rate it but I'll just state what caught my eye.
What's it somewhat about?
A man with his best friends goes to California desert for an annual getaway. He is newly divorced and emotionally messy. His friendships are strained and his insecurities are brimming to the surface! The problem is...that Cali desert has something ancient and parasitic growing and it begins to awaken interesting emotions in our man Vic. Vic's repressed feelings are coming to the surface..he's desires are going wild and he begins to lose control of his own body. Desire becomes infectious, his appetite starts to consume him and everything he is touching, seeing or feeling turns grotesque, physically transformative and deliberately disgusting.
The parasitic creatures invade the body. They are 'vampiric' in imagery because as they invade the body, it feeds from the host while exploiting whatever the host wants. Our main character, Victor is a very repressed man. He hasn't had sex in a long time, he hasn't touched anyone in a long time, he hasn't felt 'free' in a long time.. and neither he feels desired by others in a long time. So our man Vic clearly feels misunderstood and wants to reclaim his own standing. He wants to understand himself and finally liberate himself from this repression. So when parasites enter his body, it becomes a liberating experience for him. He begins to experiences and go through crazy thoughts, sexual urges and what initially feels like existential entrapement turns into identity revelation.
This is really not a conventional vampire novel. I think it's best to think of it as a body horror and self-help relationship drama. The grotesque body imagery didn't disturb me (the erotic horror did), I think it was particularly used here to represent Vic's loss of autonomy. He's had trouble accepting himself. Who he thinks he was vs who he is when he's alone vs who he realizes he's meant to be.. It's about things that Vic wants but doesn't know what to do with what he wants.
I'm not sure if I got that right but thats what I thought about through out the novel as I was reading it.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Zando and the author, A.P. Thayer for an early ARC.
Publications: August 18, 2026
What's it somewhat about?
A man with his best friends goes to California desert for an annual getaway. He is newly divorced and emotionally messy. His friendships are strained and his insecurities are brimming to the surface! The problem is...that Cali desert has something ancient and parasitic growing and it begins to awaken interesting emotions in our man Vic. Vic's repressed feelings are coming to the surface..he's desires are going wild and he begins to lose control of his own body. Desire becomes infectious, his appetite starts to consume him and everything he is touching, seeing or feeling turns grotesque, physically transformative and deliberately disgusting.
The parasitic creatures invade the body. They are 'vampiric' in imagery because as they invade the body, it feeds from the host while exploiting whatever the host wants. Our main character, Victor is a very repressed man. He hasn't had sex in a long time, he hasn't touched anyone in a long time, he hasn't felt 'free' in a long time.. and neither he feels desired by others in a long time. So our man Vic clearly feels misunderstood and wants to reclaim his own standing. He wants to understand himself and finally liberate himself from this repression. So when parasites enter his body, it becomes a liberating experience for him. He begins to experiences and go through crazy thoughts, sexual urges and what initially feels like existential entrapement turns into identity revelation.
This is really not a conventional vampire novel. I think it's best to think of it as a body horror and self-help relationship drama. The grotesque body imagery didn't disturb me (the erotic horror did), I think it was particularly used here to represent Vic's loss of autonomy. He's had trouble accepting himself. Who he thinks he was vs who he is when he's alone vs who he realizes he's meant to be.. It's about things that Vic wants but doesn't know what to do with what he wants.
I'm not sure if I got that right but thats what I thought about through out the novel as I was reading it.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Zando and the author, A.P. Thayer for an early ARC.
Publications: August 18, 2026
June 7, 2026
⭐ 1 Star (ARC via NetGalley)
What the hell did I just read?
Tapeworm was one of my most anticipated horror ARCs because the premise sounded absolutely bonkers in the best possible way: vampiric worms, body horror, an ancient god, and an isolated desert town. The prologue opened with genuine promise as an ancient entity is unleashed and chooses Trish as its first victim. I was all in.
Then the story jumps forward a year.
And proceeds to do almost nothing for 95% of the book.
Instead of leaning into the horror, gore, or body horror elements promised by the synopsis, the novel shifts to Trish's estranged husband Vic and his deeply unlikable friend group. What follows is hundreds of pages of relationship drama, sexual tension, midlife crises, and conversations that felt like they were constantly two seconds away from becoming an orgy.
I kept waiting for the horror to start.
It never really did.
The biggest frustration was that there are genuinely interesting ideas buried somewhere in this novel. Questions of aging, desire, identity, and repression could have made for a fascinating horror story. Instead, those themes overwhelmed the actual plot to the point where the vampiric worms felt like an afterthought.
The pacing was glacial, the characters were difficult to connect with, and the narrative often felt like it was wandering aimlessly. By the time the horror elements finally showed up in any meaningful way, I was already completely disconnected from the story.
And then there was the ending.
A massive WTF moment, but not in a good way.
This felt like a book that couldn't decide whether it wanted to be literary fiction, relationship drama, body horror, or social commentary, and in trying to be all of those things, it failed to deliver on any of them.
Unfortunately, this was a complete miss for me.
Tropes & Themes:
• Body horror
• Vampiric creatures
• Ancient evil awakening
• Desert town setting
• Midlife crisis
• Toxic friendships
• Repressed desires
• Literary horror
• Cosmic horror elements
• "What did I just read?" ending
What the hell did I just read?
Tapeworm was one of my most anticipated horror ARCs because the premise sounded absolutely bonkers in the best possible way: vampiric worms, body horror, an ancient god, and an isolated desert town. The prologue opened with genuine promise as an ancient entity is unleashed and chooses Trish as its first victim. I was all in.
Then the story jumps forward a year.
And proceeds to do almost nothing for 95% of the book.
Instead of leaning into the horror, gore, or body horror elements promised by the synopsis, the novel shifts to Trish's estranged husband Vic and his deeply unlikable friend group. What follows is hundreds of pages of relationship drama, sexual tension, midlife crises, and conversations that felt like they were constantly two seconds away from becoming an orgy.
I kept waiting for the horror to start.
It never really did.
The biggest frustration was that there are genuinely interesting ideas buried somewhere in this novel. Questions of aging, desire, identity, and repression could have made for a fascinating horror story. Instead, those themes overwhelmed the actual plot to the point where the vampiric worms felt like an afterthought.
The pacing was glacial, the characters were difficult to connect with, and the narrative often felt like it was wandering aimlessly. By the time the horror elements finally showed up in any meaningful way, I was already completely disconnected from the story.
And then there was the ending.
A massive WTF moment, but not in a good way.
This felt like a book that couldn't decide whether it wanted to be literary fiction, relationship drama, body horror, or social commentary, and in trying to be all of those things, it failed to deliver on any of them.
Unfortunately, this was a complete miss for me.
Tropes & Themes:
• Body horror
• Vampiric creatures
• Ancient evil awakening
• Desert town setting
• Midlife crisis
• Toxic friendships
• Repressed desires
• Literary horror
• Cosmic horror elements
• "What did I just read?" ending
March 19, 2026
WHAT DID I JUST READ 😳😳😳😳
RTC
RTC
April 8, 2026
HOLY EFFING CRAP THIS BOOK IS AMAZING
I have never read anything like this ever and I am beyond obsessed. I also had the heebie jeebies the entire last 25% of the book. I could not put it down. OMG. I LOVE
I have never read anything like this ever and I am beyond obsessed. I also had the heebie jeebies the entire last 25% of the book. I could not put it down. OMG. I LOVE
April 2, 2026
I was hoping for a horror novel when I started ‘Tapeworm’ by A.P. Thayer. The cover even promised ‘A Vampire Novel’.
I did not get what I expected.
While reading this tale, I entered a nightmare that at first seemed surreal, then quickly latched onto fears and phobias that turned my fingers flipping the pages quite sweaty. Verging on repulsive at times, I barreled through the pages, eating up the carnage. I was horrified yet addicted.
A group of friends, a weekend getaway in a remote desert location, mysterious strangers - seems like tropes of well worn tales. ‘Tapeworm’ turns this scenario into a story that folds together the right portions of real life hardships, sexual fluidity, body horror, deep rooted fears, and bloodsucking creatures. The actions are just believable at each unpredictable turn, the bloodshed and gore is over the top in a glorious way, and the outcome is refreshingly bold. Bravo.
I did not get what I expected.
While reading this tale, I entered a nightmare that at first seemed surreal, then quickly latched onto fears and phobias that turned my fingers flipping the pages quite sweaty. Verging on repulsive at times, I barreled through the pages, eating up the carnage. I was horrified yet addicted.
A group of friends, a weekend getaway in a remote desert location, mysterious strangers - seems like tropes of well worn tales. ‘Tapeworm’ turns this scenario into a story that folds together the right portions of real life hardships, sexual fluidity, body horror, deep rooted fears, and bloodsucking creatures. The actions are just believable at each unpredictable turn, the bloodshed and gore is over the top in a glorious way, and the outcome is refreshingly bold. Bravo.
September 7, 2026
I didn't hate it, but I also didn't just die from the cringe but...
June 8, 2026
Just finished Tapeworm by A.P. Thayer, recommended by my bookish bestie @dezreadswithtotoro.
Tapeworm is an immersive horror novel that had me feeling like I was watching From Dusk Till Dawn while reading.
A group of friends heads to the desert town of Superstition for their annual retreat. After a recent separation, Victor is struggling with the absence of his wife, Trish, and finds himself feeling isolated among their longtime friend group. While wandering through town, he encounters the sexy and enigmatic Xochi, who serves as the unofficial “welcoming committee” of Superstition. What follows is a surreal journey filled with blood, desire, horror, and unforgettable twists.
I really loved this book. It kept me hooked from the beginning and constantly wanting to read just one more chapter. Thayer does an excellent job developing the friend group, making each relationship feel authentic and layered. Interestingly, I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable—and somehow that made the story even more compelling.
I had a pretty good idea of what was happening about 60% of the way through, but I was completely unprepared for the final 25%. It was absolute chaos in the best possible way.
This is definitely body horror, and yes—there are worms. If that’s something you can handle, you’ll be fine. It’s also a queer horror novel with more sexual content than I expected, but it fit the story well and added to the wild, blood-soaked ride.
This is Thayer’s debut novel, and I can’t wait to see what he writes next.
Thank you to @apthayer and @netgalley for the advanced copy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Tapeworm is an immersive horror novel that had me feeling like I was watching From Dusk Till Dawn while reading.
A group of friends heads to the desert town of Superstition for their annual retreat. After a recent separation, Victor is struggling with the absence of his wife, Trish, and finds himself feeling isolated among their longtime friend group. While wandering through town, he encounters the sexy and enigmatic Xochi, who serves as the unofficial “welcoming committee” of Superstition. What follows is a surreal journey filled with blood, desire, horror, and unforgettable twists.
I really loved this book. It kept me hooked from the beginning and constantly wanting to read just one more chapter. Thayer does an excellent job developing the friend group, making each relationship feel authentic and layered. Interestingly, I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable—and somehow that made the story even more compelling.
I had a pretty good idea of what was happening about 60% of the way through, but I was completely unprepared for the final 25%. It was absolute chaos in the best possible way.
This is definitely body horror, and yes—there are worms. If that’s something you can handle, you’ll be fine. It’s also a queer horror novel with more sexual content than I expected, but it fit the story well and added to the wild, blood-soaked ride.
This is Thayer’s debut novel, and I can’t wait to see what he writes next.
Thank you to @apthayer and @netgalley for the advanced copy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
August 19, 2026
FFS, you guys. Two pseudo‑vampire wannabe novels back‑to‑back, completely by accident. I started The Burn Line right as I queued up Tapeworm for my commute, and somehow I ended up in the exact same situation twice: books insisting their weird little creatures were vampires when they were very clearly… not. The synchronicity was almost unsettling and yet this was the worst of the two.
This book was weird, the sex was icky, and I still have no clue if those things were supposed to be vampires or just desert parasites with a superiority complex.
The opening drags — we’re stuck with a miserable couple on a desert vacation with their equally miserable couple‑friends. Fast‑forward a year: same trip, except now the husband shows up solo and refuses to talk about the split. Then he meets a hot desert girl and immediately loses all brain cells.
Nothing actually happens until the last 2.3 hours — which I listened to at 1.9x speed because the narrator read so slowwwww — and then suddenly it’s chaos. Are they vampires? Parasites? Worm‑people? I finished the book and still couldn’t tell you.
And the sex scenes. LORD. I am not built for “daddy do me dirty” desert kink. These scenes were physically painful to endure. I have yet to encounter a monster‑spice moment that isn’t cringe, and this book doubled down.
In the end, Tapeworm is a strange, uneven novel that left me more perplexed than satisfied. Entirely too horny, completely confusing, and absolutely not the vampire book it thinks it is.
This book was weird, the sex was icky, and I still have no clue if those things were supposed to be vampires or just desert parasites with a superiority complex.
The opening drags — we’re stuck with a miserable couple on a desert vacation with their equally miserable couple‑friends. Fast‑forward a year: same trip, except now the husband shows up solo and refuses to talk about the split. Then he meets a hot desert girl and immediately loses all brain cells.
Nothing actually happens until the last 2.3 hours — which I listened to at 1.9x speed because the narrator read so slowwwww — and then suddenly it’s chaos. Are they vampires? Parasites? Worm‑people? I finished the book and still couldn’t tell you.
And the sex scenes. LORD. I am not built for “daddy do me dirty” desert kink. These scenes were physically painful to endure. I have yet to encounter a monster‑spice moment that isn’t cringe, and this book doubled down.
In the end, Tapeworm is a strange, uneven novel that left me more perplexed than satisfied. Entirely too horny, completely confusing, and absolutely not the vampire book it thinks it is.
September 8, 2026
I went back and forth on what to give this for quite a while, so this might be a bit of a rambling review.
Let’s start with the good. Thayer writes excellent prose; his ability to use language to create a mood—especially a surreal and disturbing one—is simply incredible. The body horror was deliciously awful, that whole back third had me squirming but unable to pull myself away from the page, as did a few other moments scattered throughout. I also really liked his idea of this eldritch not-quite-a-hive-mind monster and its slow spread, very cool stuff.
Unfortunately, there are some bad things that just have to be noted. Smallest but first, this is not “a vampire novel” like it advertised. The worms drink blood, sure, but they also eat the rest of you + your feelings/memories and only follow one vampire rule which felt just tossed in there to justify the line. Second, as many people said, this book feels like two completely separate books until towards the end. The divorce and friend group drama (which, in fairness, is not my cup of tea in most media) was pretty boring and seemed beside the point of the book. I was always waiting for it to end so we could get to the weird psychedelic horror stuff. Lastly, up until again that back third, this book is just WAY too horny oh my god. I’m not usually one to complain about spice in books, and there were times it served the plot here to be fair, but Victor felt closer to a hormonal teenage boy than a nearly middle aged man with the way he wanted to fuck basically everyone he encountered and thought about/pursued that in graphic detail. It really was just excessive and felt like a cheap way to get disgust out of the audience and justify the horror genre before the monster really got doing its thing.
All that to say, this book is a mixed bag. If I could just reread the last third, I totally would!! I can definitely see how someone would really love it. For me, I’m glad I picked it up, but I doubt I’ll be giving it a reread.
Let’s start with the good. Thayer writes excellent prose; his ability to use language to create a mood—especially a surreal and disturbing one—is simply incredible. The body horror was deliciously awful, that whole back third had me squirming but unable to pull myself away from the page, as did a few other moments scattered throughout. I also really liked his idea of this eldritch not-quite-a-hive-mind monster and its slow spread, very cool stuff.
Unfortunately, there are some bad things that just have to be noted. Smallest but first, this is not “a vampire novel” like it advertised. The worms drink blood, sure, but they also eat the rest of you + your feelings/memories and only follow one vampire rule which felt just tossed in there to justify the line. Second, as many people said, this book feels like two completely separate books until towards the end. The divorce and friend group drama (which, in fairness, is not my cup of tea in most media) was pretty boring and seemed beside the point of the book. I was always waiting for it to end so we could get to the weird psychedelic horror stuff. Lastly, up until again that back third, this book is just WAY too horny oh my god. I’m not usually one to complain about spice in books, and there were times it served the plot here to be fair, but Victor felt closer to a hormonal teenage boy than a nearly middle aged man with the way he wanted to fuck basically everyone he encountered and thought about/pursued that in graphic detail. It really was just excessive and felt like a cheap way to get disgust out of the audience and justify the horror genre before the monster really got doing its thing.
All that to say, this book is a mixed bag. If I could just reread the last third, I totally would!! I can definitely see how someone would really love it. For me, I’m glad I picked it up, but I doubt I’ll be giving it a reread.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC copy.
A. P. Thayer has a wonderful voice in their character writing. The cast of characters felt like very real people and the dynamics of their relationships as friends, couples, the kinds of changes and experiences you’d expect from years longs friends felt very realistic.
I appreciated the “normalness” of including characters of differing kinds of queerness while also not feeling forced or as if a checklist was being ticked off for diversity. I love to see diversity of backgrounds and orientations in characters and I feel Thayer did great about making these people feel like real people you’d meet and have in an average friend group. Even the pettier issues, such as the clash of personalities and differing loyalties between Diego and Vic felt all too common having had personal experience in my own friend groups with the awkwardness that comes when two friends break up or fall out in a way that ends up impacting the friend group as a whole.
The horror of this book was a slow creep that steadily built up until it finally reveals itself in all its grotesque glory and never pulls any of its punches. Some scenes absolutely had me gritting my teeth and literally gasping out loud at times.
For all of its strengths I did find the ending to be a little rushed and somewhat predictable by the time things start taking off about 70% through the books length. I felt a certain characters motivations made sense but the how, when, why and other details of what they had done didn’t really feel very satisfying. I think the story would have benefited by having a little bit more information on that while not needing to get so detailed that it detracts from the eldritch nature of what this creature, entity, being actually is or how it came to be. I believe eldritch horror is best when it remains incomprehensible but I do think that the human efforts in the face of the unknowable shouldn’t necessarily hold to that same level of obscurity.
Overall Tapeworm is still absolutely worth the time spent reading and even if the ending didn’t match my expectations or satisfaction I’m still left impressed with Thayers writing and look forward to reading more from them in the future.
A. P. Thayer has a wonderful voice in their character writing. The cast of characters felt like very real people and the dynamics of their relationships as friends, couples, the kinds of changes and experiences you’d expect from years longs friends felt very realistic.
I appreciated the “normalness” of including characters of differing kinds of queerness while also not feeling forced or as if a checklist was being ticked off for diversity. I love to see diversity of backgrounds and orientations in characters and I feel Thayer did great about making these people feel like real people you’d meet and have in an average friend group. Even the pettier issues, such as the clash of personalities and differing loyalties between Diego and Vic felt all too common having had personal experience in my own friend groups with the awkwardness that comes when two friends break up or fall out in a way that ends up impacting the friend group as a whole.
The horror of this book was a slow creep that steadily built up until it finally reveals itself in all its grotesque glory and never pulls any of its punches. Some scenes absolutely had me gritting my teeth and literally gasping out loud at times.
For all of its strengths I did find the ending to be a little rushed and somewhat predictable by the time things start taking off about 70% through the books length. I felt a certain characters motivations made sense but the how, when, why and other details of what they had done didn’t really feel very satisfying. I think the story would have benefited by having a little bit more information on that while not needing to get so detailed that it detracts from the eldritch nature of what this creature, entity, being actually is or how it came to be. I believe eldritch horror is best when it remains incomprehensible but I do think that the human efforts in the face of the unknowable shouldn’t necessarily hold to that same level of obscurity.
Overall Tapeworm is still absolutely worth the time spent reading and even if the ending didn’t match my expectations or satisfaction I’m still left impressed with Thayers writing and look forward to reading more from them in the future.
August 19, 2026
Meh.
A ideia inicial é interessante, porém não é bem explorada. O drama entre personagens tinha o potencial de ser decente, mas a relação com o aspecto de terror foi capenga ao ponto de estragar qualquer possibilidade de decência.
O livro usa muito de violência física e de sexo pra tentar escandalizar o leitor, o que revela no autor uma incapacidade de capturar uma atmosfera realmente assustadora.
Não gostei que os beija-flores não foram explorados e, falando nisso, o prólogo estragou um possível twist e fadou esse livro ao fracasso.
A ideia inicial é interessante, porém não é bem explorada. O drama entre personagens tinha o potencial de ser decente, mas a relação com o aspecto de terror foi capenga ao ponto de estragar qualquer possibilidade de decência.
O livro usa muito de violência física e de sexo pra tentar escandalizar o leitor, o que revela no autor uma incapacidade de capturar uma atmosfera realmente assustadora.
Não gostei que os beija-flores não foram explorados e, falando nisso, o prólogo estragou um possível twist e fadou esse livro ao fracasso.
Did Not Finish
July 18, 2026DNF at 22%. I just don’t like any of the characters, especially the main MC.
March 17, 2026
3.8 The book was good, the story dragged a bit, the characters were okay, and I was just wanting more. The writing shines for itself. A.P. Thayer knows his craft and gets you into his world no matter what. The main character was annoying, but the whole friend dynamic was so real and fresh to see. I think it needed more, but to be a debut, it is really impressive work. Again, the writing: chef's kiss.
Thank you, evil twin, for the arc. This is my honest review of the book.
Thank you, evil twin, for the arc. This is my honest review of the book.
August 20, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
If you saw me mark this as a DNF and then undo that within like half an hour. Yeah.
I really wanted to love this. I SHOULD'VE loved this. A comp to John Carpenter's The Thing? One of my favorite movies of all time? "directed under the loving Lovecraftian eye of John Carpenter"? Clay McLeod Chapman, I think you overhyped it, man.
The pros: I love the cast. They're all very interesting, and incredibly well-rounded. They absolutely feel like real people having mid-life crises. Their relationships are fantastic; the friendgroup picks sides, even "allies" are hesitant at times, "enemies" are often sympathetic. Bonus points for the racial/ethnic and queer diversity, which I thought was well-executed. I also loved the town of Superstition! The atmosphere created was suitably mysterious and tense, and I love the way it evolved over time to get increasingly weirder. There's also so much lore about the monster that I found fascinating, so much implied that just leaves me with more questions ina good way. As it says on the cover, this is a vampire story, but it's also eldritch horror, and the references to the King in Yellow and Carcosa certainly perked my interest. I don't think this is meant to be an adaptation of the King in Yellow/Hastur, the motifs don't line up at all beyond the yellow, but there are certainly references/allusions to it that are fun. I also loved the body horror/gore. I've said before in other reviews that what most people call excessive gore is just normal to me, or even underwhelming. I am happy to say that I finally found something that I agree is a LOT of body horror/gore and I (mostly) really enjoyed it. It's VERY The Thing, including what I think are at least two direct and purposeful references. The eldritch horror elements, particularly the madness, are also very fun and well-done. I even liked a good chunk of the sex stuff as it linked in with the plot and themes, though more on that in the cons.
The cons: Alright let's get the big one out of the way. This book is horny as hell. And like, that's fine. I'm asexual, so it's not my cup of tea, but I can appreciate when sex scenes are good and/or meaningful, and as I said above, there are many of those! But there is just so. Fucking. Much. Sex. For the middle chunk of the book it is genuinely nearly constant. When I nearly DNF'd it was at about 66% of the way through, and I had been SLOGGING through the last 30% of that because so much of it was just being extremely horny all the time, to the point that it made it difficult to enjoy that parts of the book that WEREN'T sex-related, or that were but were plot-important. Like, I think the word in the synopsis that needs to be highlighted isn't vampire, or eldritch, or any of that - it's orgy. THAT'S the keyword here. And that's fine! I think this would qualify as erotic horror and in that sense I hope it finds its true audience, but I do wish I had known that going in. Aside from all that, my othet main gripe is that I found the themes of reclaiming youth to get lost near the end. I guess they make a resurgance at the very very end, but for most of the last section it's kind of forgotten, and not having it linked to your climax makes the connection through the whole story feel a bit weak. Last thing is that there is something treated like a twist at the very end that. We the audience literally knew the whole time. Maybe not exactly the way we expected, but still. It was interesting, but fell very flat for me.
I think if I knew just how sex-heavy this was I may not have picked it up, but I don't think it's a bad book.
If you saw me mark this as a DNF and then undo that within like half an hour. Yeah.
I really wanted to love this. I SHOULD'VE loved this. A comp to John Carpenter's The Thing? One of my favorite movies of all time? "directed under the loving Lovecraftian eye of John Carpenter"? Clay McLeod Chapman, I think you overhyped it, man.
The pros: I love the cast. They're all very interesting, and incredibly well-rounded. They absolutely feel like real people having mid-life crises. Their relationships are fantastic; the friendgroup picks sides, even "allies" are hesitant at times, "enemies" are often sympathetic. Bonus points for the racial/ethnic and queer diversity, which I thought was well-executed. I also loved the town of Superstition! The atmosphere created was suitably mysterious and tense, and I love the way it evolved over time to get increasingly weirder. There's also so much lore about the monster that I found fascinating, so much implied that just leaves me with more questions ina good way. As it says on the cover, this is a vampire story, but it's also eldritch horror, and the references to the King in Yellow and Carcosa certainly perked my interest. I don't think this is meant to be an adaptation of the King in Yellow/Hastur, the motifs don't line up at all beyond the yellow, but there are certainly references/allusions to it that are fun. I also loved the body horror/gore. I've said before in other reviews that what most people call excessive gore is just normal to me, or even underwhelming. I am happy to say that I finally found something that I agree is a LOT of body horror/gore and I (mostly) really enjoyed it. It's VERY The Thing, including what I think are at least two direct and purposeful references. The eldritch horror elements, particularly the madness, are also very fun and well-done. I even liked a good chunk of the sex stuff as it linked in with the plot and themes, though more on that in the cons.
The cons: Alright let's get the big one out of the way. This book is horny as hell. And like, that's fine. I'm asexual, so it's not my cup of tea, but I can appreciate when sex scenes are good and/or meaningful, and as I said above, there are many of those! But there is just so. Fucking. Much. Sex. For the middle chunk of the book it is genuinely nearly constant. When I nearly DNF'd it was at about 66% of the way through, and I had been SLOGGING through the last 30% of that because so much of it was just being extremely horny all the time, to the point that it made it difficult to enjoy that parts of the book that WEREN'T sex-related, or that were but were plot-important. Like, I think the word in the synopsis that needs to be highlighted isn't vampire, or eldritch, or any of that - it's orgy. THAT'S the keyword here. And that's fine! I think this would qualify as erotic horror and in that sense I hope it finds its true audience, but I do wish I had known that going in. Aside from all that, my othet main gripe is that I found the themes of reclaiming youth to get lost near the end. I guess they make a resurgance at the very very end, but for most of the last section it's kind of forgotten, and not having it linked to your climax makes the connection through the whole story feel a bit weak. Last thing is that there is something treated like a twist at the very end that. We the audience literally knew the whole time. Maybe not exactly the way we expected, but still. It was interesting, but fell very flat for me.
I think if I knew just how sex-heavy this was I may not have picked it up, but I don't think it's a bad book.
August 23, 2026
I wanted to like it. I really tried to like it, but I just couldn’t. I tried to be pulled into the story, and unfortunately it continued losing me. I can see where this wanted to go and what it wanted to achieve, but I don’t feel like it got there in execution. I think if the horror had started a little earlier, then I could’ve pushed past the rest that often felt unnecessary, but even once it did start, it didn’t convince me. I couldn’t connect with it, and it felt like the novel was trying to accomplish too many things at once. At no point did I care about any of the characters to the extent that I kept thinking about how they could all die and it would not affect me, nor would I care. I do not need a likeable character to enjoy a book, but there was not a single character I was rooting for, which is often very important in horror. None of them were good friends, and I did not like the abuse accusations and how it was handled. I was honestly ecstatic when they all died, and frankly nothing happens for over half of the novel. I am not someone who finds horror scary because that’s not what attracts me to the genre, and yet it’s rare that you make it feel boring to me. I am by no means disgusted or grossed out by anything, and I can appreciate a sex heavy book, but when the contents of a novel primarily start feeling ridiculous, not even comedic, you lose me a little. Overall, it was boring, and I also fully disliked the ending. From the start, you are aware of what is happening with Trish, and it feels like something interesting is going to happen, but the ending was very disappointing. However, I will say that there were some enjoyable parts, and it had a lot of potential to be a good story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
July 5, 2026
Tapeworm delights in making readers deeply uncomfortable, not only through some grotesque imagery, but through emotional vulnerabilities it exposes. It's a messy, visceral blend of body horror and relationship drama wrapped up in a creature feature that transforms a friends' getaway tradition into something terrifying. At its heart is Victor, a man struggling with the collapse of his marriage and quietly questioning the life he is facing. His emotional uncertainty makes him a compelling center of the novel as the group's annual retreat spirals into a nightmare populated by voracious parasitic vampires that are far removed from the genre's romantic interpretations. Thayer's monsters are hungry, invasive, and repulsive, delivering some body horror that is both creative and stomach-churning. Tapeworm goes beyond the premise in the way it explores identity and desire. We see the masks people wear within long lasting friendships. As loyalties reveal themselves and hidden feelings surface, the horror becomes just as psychological as it is physical. The novel embraces queer relationships and fluid sexuality with a sense of normalcy, allowing those details to exist naturally within the story versus feeling performative. The pacing is deliberate and slower building, and once the horrors take hold, the tension does not let up. Gruesome and emotionally heavy, Tapeworm offers an inventive spin on vampire mythology that is for readers seeking horror that is emotionally messy and gloriously disgusting. I think this book would be a good fit for fans of Eric LaRocca and the book Spread Me by Sarah Gailey. Thank you to Zando's horror imprint, Evil Twin, for sending me a review copy. This book publishes August 18th, 2026. Look out for full coverage from me over at The Fundamentals magazine soon!
August 30, 2026
4.5 ⭐️
What the hell did I just read???
Vibes review incoming, y’all should know by now my reviews are just filled with all my feelings and stream of consciousness rambles lol 😂
It was so disgustingly good, highly recommend for my horror friends. A new take on vampires that I can stand behind!
The comps were deliciously accurate for this book..
From Dusk Til Dawn meets Thing is accuracy level 3000 for this!!
Where do I even start with this book?
It definitely started off with a bang, from the prologue, I was already locked in with the author’s writing that is just so descriptive that it just flew off the page for me and I was picturing everything very graphically in my head (for better or worse at some moments 😂). From page 180, to the end I could not put it down, I literally made coffee at 11pm so I could stay up and finish 😂
🪱The gore- fantastic ✅
🪱The plot- so much wtf 😬 ✅
🪱The cast of characters- hot mess express friend group with underlying issues and the MMC was just having an existential crisis and questioning his own reality and it was just so bingeable with the character drama going on alone 🍿… or maybe you should not be eating while reading some parts of this book 😂
🪱I also loved the diverse rep in this book of cultures and queer representation!
🪱This book isn’t going to be for everyone but I was living, laughing and gagging!
🪱This is a strong debut so bravo to the author because I will definitely be picking up whatever else he writes from now on!! There are scenes in this book that will forever be engrained in my memory!
Thanks to Zando and Evil Twin for the gifted ARC!
What the hell did I just read???
Vibes review incoming, y’all should know by now my reviews are just filled with all my feelings and stream of consciousness rambles lol 😂
It was so disgustingly good, highly recommend for my horror friends. A new take on vampires that I can stand behind!
The comps were deliciously accurate for this book..
From Dusk Til Dawn meets Thing is accuracy level 3000 for this!!
Where do I even start with this book?
It definitely started off with a bang, from the prologue, I was already locked in with the author’s writing that is just so descriptive that it just flew off the page for me and I was picturing everything very graphically in my head (for better or worse at some moments 😂). From page 180, to the end I could not put it down, I literally made coffee at 11pm so I could stay up and finish 😂
🪱The gore- fantastic ✅
🪱The plot- so much wtf 😬 ✅
🪱The cast of characters- hot mess express friend group with underlying issues and the MMC was just having an existential crisis and questioning his own reality and it was just so bingeable with the character drama going on alone 🍿… or maybe you should not be eating while reading some parts of this book 😂
🪱I also loved the diverse rep in this book of cultures and queer representation!
🪱This book isn’t going to be for everyone but I was living, laughing and gagging!
🪱This is a strong debut so bravo to the author because I will definitely be picking up whatever else he writes from now on!! There are scenes in this book that will forever be engrained in my memory!
Thanks to Zando and Evil Twin for the gifted ARC!
August 23, 2026
TL;DR: Not exactly the horror for me but I can see this working for others.
Source: NetGalley, so many thanks to the publisher!
Plot: Vic is meeting friends after a messy breakup and things get even messier.
Characters: They were all… alright. Mostly dislikable and fairly 2D.
Setting: A desert town that’s slowly disappearing. Or is it?
Horror: Eldritch, out of this world combined with bugs and some vampiric elements.
Thoughts:
The cover of this one says a Vampire novel, and while I’ll agree to some extent I’d say this is a more ‘Horny cosmic horror worm’ horror. Though I suppose that doesn’t look great on a selling copy of a book.
Tapeworm follows Vic as he’s struggling after a messy breakup. He meets up with some friends for a group vacation after being told to go by his former wife. It’s clear pretty quick that his breakup has had some adverse affects on the dynamic of the group. Add to that his own mental instability and the growing uneasy feeling that something is wrong and we have the beginnings of a toxic horror soup.
From the jump we as the reader know there is something hunting these folks. For me I think that might have taken some of the ‘scare’ portion of this away. What was left was some intense body horror scenes at the end, but a somewhat predictable development of the plot as we were in on a lot of what was happening.
Tapeworm was fun, I don’t know if it’s going to be one I revisit but I can definitely see this working for a lot of folks. It’s queer, it’s horny, and it’s got some decent bug/worm horror so if that works for you? Try this one out.
Source: NetGalley, so many thanks to the publisher!
Plot: Vic is meeting friends after a messy breakup and things get even messier.
Characters: They were all… alright. Mostly dislikable and fairly 2D.
Setting: A desert town that’s slowly disappearing. Or is it?
Horror: Eldritch, out of this world combined with bugs and some vampiric elements.
Thoughts:
The cover of this one says a Vampire novel, and while I’ll agree to some extent I’d say this is a more ‘Horny cosmic horror worm’ horror. Though I suppose that doesn’t look great on a selling copy of a book.
Tapeworm follows Vic as he’s struggling after a messy breakup. He meets up with some friends for a group vacation after being told to go by his former wife. It’s clear pretty quick that his breakup has had some adverse affects on the dynamic of the group. Add to that his own mental instability and the growing uneasy feeling that something is wrong and we have the beginnings of a toxic horror soup.
From the jump we as the reader know there is something hunting these folks. For me I think that might have taken some of the ‘scare’ portion of this away. What was left was some intense body horror scenes at the end, but a somewhat predictable development of the plot as we were in on a lot of what was happening.
Tapeworm was fun, I don’t know if it’s going to be one I revisit but I can definitely see this working for a lot of folks. It’s queer, it’s horny, and it’s got some decent bug/worm horror so if that works for you? Try this one out.
August 17, 2026
Vic is in the midst of a divorce from his wife Trish and winds up going solo to meet their friend group for their yearly trip to the desert town of Superstition. While driving into town and making a pitstop at the local AmPm Vic mees The Superstition Welcoming Committee, an attractively seducing bike gang, and things begin to take a very strange turn. This story’s timeline takes place over the weekend trip weekend. The story starts of slowly establishing the setting of superstition and the drama amongst the friend group. And continues by showcasing and strong elements of body horror and gore towards the ending of the book. The vampiric creatures, worms, gore and how we got to it all kept me drawn in. I was left wondering wtf did I just read when I got to the end…but in the best way 🪱
Tropes:
🪱 Body Horror
🩸 Vampiric Creatures
🪱 Ancient Evil Awakening
🩸Desert Town Setting
🪱 Midlife Crisis
🩸 Toxic Friendships
🪱 Repressed Desires
🩸 Literary Horror
🪱 Cosmic Horror Elements
🩸 "What Did I Just Read?" Ending
🪱 Dusk Til Dawn Vibes
May 14, 2026
I feasted on every single page of this book. The story revolves around Victor and his feelings of grieve consuming him due to his failed marriage; but as the story goes we duels over the emotions crawling and feasting on this group of friends on a vacation weekend at superstition; the story is heavy on emotions, the suppressed feelings, resentment, desires, insecurities and all this happens while the best gory nightmare/fever dream/ other realm/ hell it self… is boiling down the surface, through the perfect sand storm and lots of worms predicting the rotting of the plot. The way every single detail is described to me was the perfect way to simmer a story that slowly infest you to the core and I’m not even mention the weirdly but deeply erotic and smutty orgy you get invited to, seducing you into a jaw dropping finale. I’m still like wtf I just read but I never been this satisfied at being this “confused and chocked”. Is not only a solid debut for me, but also one of my favorite reads of this year so far 🪱🌵
GO PRE-ORDER this book NOW!
Arc by NetGalley, all my thoughts are my own.
GO PRE-ORDER this book NOW!
Arc by NetGalley, all my thoughts are my own.
August 17, 2026
WOW!! What a brutally gruesome horror book!! I could not stop turning the pages and once it ended; I felt like I needed to scrub my brain with something happy or I would have nightmares but I loved every second. The author wrote in a way that made you feel the terror. Terror of monsters, terror of adulting and terror of truth. Remind me never to visit the desert and I don’t think I will look at hummingbirds the same way. This is really all I can say about this book without giving away spoilers. Highly recommend if you like weird horror/body horror books.
Thank you to the author, evil twin, Zando and NetGalley for this gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the author, evil twin, Zando and NetGalley for this gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 19, 2026
Sometimes I read a book, and when I finish, I can only go, “what the f*ck did I just read?”
This was one of those.
It’s not really a vampire story, I’ll put that first - the worms are part of an ancient being. From Dusk til Dawn felt like a heavy influence, and I’m not complaining. The story is a relationship drama first, and the horror doesn’t truly start until the last 30%.
It is also very sexual focused - a lot of fluid sexuality, a lot of nudity, and half mast mentions.
It’s a weird one, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC.
This was one of those.
It’s not really a vampire story, I’ll put that first - the worms are part of an ancient being. From Dusk til Dawn felt like a heavy influence, and I’m not complaining. The story is a relationship drama first, and the horror doesn’t truly start until the last 30%.
It is also very sexual focused - a lot of fluid sexuality, a lot of nudity, and half mast mentions.
It’s a weird one, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC.
May 18, 2026
This piece was well-written, lacked redundancy, and contained a thoroughly complex plot. Moreover, there were elements of fantasy, erotica, alongside realistic fiction, which contrasted one with one another. In direct relation, it was oddly descriptive and described sexual matters uniquely. Overall, I lack critiques for this novel.
August 28, 2026
5 stars/worms/sleepless nights. This book was a wild ride that had my skin crawling. Some parts felt like a fever dream I couldn't look away from, and others were scarily-relatable, introspective moments dealing with loneliness, an aging friend group, and rediscovering yourself after a divorce. Highly recommended for fans of The Thing, The Troop, Lost Boys, and From Dusk till Dawn!
August 9, 2026
a genuine what the fck did I just read type of book - worms? vampires? body horror? messy friend group dynamics? creepy small town vibes? this one has them all.
August 26, 2026
This book was gifted to me by Evil Twin
Unfortunately it just didn’t work for me. Took a while to get the point and I didn’t really bond with the characters like I wanted to.
Unfortunately it just didn’t work for me. Took a while to get the point and I didn’t really bond with the characters like I wanted to.
June 15, 2026
Wow. I can definitely say that I’ve never read anything like this before. There were absolutely parts that made me shudder and have to close the book for a moment before I proceeded. If queer, body horror isn’t your thing, this book will not be for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be recommending it to others. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. 5/5 stars.
#Tapeworm #NetGalley
#Tapeworm #NetGalley
September 12, 2026
Coulda done without the sexual parts
September 9, 2026
Messy, sexy, nasty, and one hell of a fun read.
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