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Grass
"Sheila never wanted to see her ex-husband again, so she was neither prepared nor happy when she had to identify his body after a plane crash in the South Georgia marshes. She was even less prepared for what followed her home from the morgue."
After writing stories for a number of anthologies, 'Grass' is Anya Martin's debut solo publication, a truly strange story of weird swampy love and loss and sex and death.
Includes full wrap-around cover and three interior illustrations by Jeanne D'Angelo. 106 pages. Comes with 6" x 9" print of front cover art. Limited to 150 copies.
After writing stories for a number of anthologies, 'Grass' is Anya Martin's debut solo publication, a truly strange story of weird swampy love and loss and sex and death.
Includes full wrap-around cover and three interior illustrations by Jeanne D'Angelo. 106 pages. Comes with 6" x 9" print of front cover art. Limited to 150 copies.
106 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
1 person is currently reading
279 people want to read
About the author
Anya Martin
30 books51 followersANYA MARTIN’s debut collection, Sleeping with the Monster, was published by Lethe Press. Her novella Grass was a Dim Shores limited edition chapbook, and was published as Hierba in Spanish translation by Dilatando Mentes Editorial. Her play Passage to the Dreamtime was published by Dunhams Manor Press. Her fiction has appeared in anthologies and magazines including Cooties Shot Required, Tales from a Talking Board, Looming Low, Eternal Frankenstein, Cthulhu Fhtagn!, Giallo Fantastique, Cassilda's Song, Xnoybis #2, Resonator: New Lovecraftian Tales From Beyond, Borderlands 6, Mantid, Daybreak Magazine and Womanthology: Heroic. She blogs at ATLRetro.com and co-produces The Outer Dark symposium and podcast, featuring interviews with contemporary Weird/spec-lit creators, with Scott Nicolay for This Is Horror. Otherwise, she was weaned on Friday Night Frights, has always rooted for the monster, and regrets abandoning her earliest career aspiration—digging for dinosaurs. She listens to punk rock with a heavy side of funk and experimental jazz, cooks dangerously hot curries, and likes hanging with dogs. She’s also half-Finnish, has an anthropology degree from Smith College, and earns her living as a journalist. Her author Website can be found at www.anyamartin.com and her Twitter handle is @anya99.
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December 5, 2023
Historia extraña que trata sobre el sentimiento de culpa, la sensualidad y el proceso del duelo.
Todo ello aderezado y como telón de fondo las plantas, la vegetación y la naturaleza.
Esta combinación, extraña no vamos a negarlo, nos presenta la vida de Sheila y todo lo que acontece después del fallecimiento de su exmarido.
Han tenido una relación tormentosa con episodios de maltrato. Una vez ha conseguido salir de ella, recibe una llamada telefónica en la que le informan que tienen que ir a identificar su cadáver ya que sería el único pariente cercano. No sólo tiene que ide tificarlo sino hacerse cargo de los gastos y los preparativos del funeral. Nuevos recuerdos afloran a su mente, una especie de felicidad por no tener que preocuparse por si vuelve a aparecer junto con un sentimiento de dependencia emocional. Para ir supliendo su ausencia, Sheila se ha dedicado a sus plantas, las tiene por toda la casa lo que hace que su cuidado le ocupe unas cuantas horas.
Y en este ambiente y junto a una ayuda de su amiga comenzará a divagar y soñar en un mundo que hace que no tenga que preocuparse por nada.
Aparecerá el hombre de limo y experimentará sensaciones que no imaginaba.
Nos sumergerá en un mundo onírico, el mundo de los sueños y las sensaciones que se entrelaza con el real y que llevará a Sheila a una epifanía final.
Como digo un libro corto extraño y que narra de una manera curiosa el proceso del duelo y la pérdida.
Como viendo siendo habitual Dilatando Mentes nos regala una pequeña joya plagada de ilustraciones y detalles junto con las misceláneas finales que hacen de su lectura toda una delicia.
Todo ello aderezado y como telón de fondo las plantas, la vegetación y la naturaleza.
Esta combinación, extraña no vamos a negarlo, nos presenta la vida de Sheila y todo lo que acontece después del fallecimiento de su exmarido.
Han tenido una relación tormentosa con episodios de maltrato. Una vez ha conseguido salir de ella, recibe una llamada telefónica en la que le informan que tienen que ir a identificar su cadáver ya que sería el único pariente cercano. No sólo tiene que ide tificarlo sino hacerse cargo de los gastos y los preparativos del funeral. Nuevos recuerdos afloran a su mente, una especie de felicidad por no tener que preocuparse por si vuelve a aparecer junto con un sentimiento de dependencia emocional. Para ir supliendo su ausencia, Sheila se ha dedicado a sus plantas, las tiene por toda la casa lo que hace que su cuidado le ocupe unas cuantas horas.
Y en este ambiente y junto a una ayuda de su amiga comenzará a divagar y soñar en un mundo que hace que no tenga que preocuparse por nada.
Aparecerá el hombre de limo y experimentará sensaciones que no imaginaba.
Nos sumergerá en un mundo onírico, el mundo de los sueños y las sensaciones que se entrelaza con el real y que llevará a Sheila a una epifanía final.
Como digo un libro corto extraño y que narra de una manera curiosa el proceso del duelo y la pérdida.
Como viendo siendo habitual Dilatando Mentes nos regala una pequeña joya plagada de ilustraciones y detalles junto con las misceláneas finales que hacen de su lectura toda una delicia.
October 2, 2016
The book "Grass" by Anya Martin tells the story of Sheila from the point in her life when the police come to her door and tell her that her ex-husband is dead in a plane crash and they need her to go to the morgue and identify the body.
The catch is Sheila hates her ex. He used to abuse and hit her in his alcoholic rages. She is so happy to be rid of him. Sheila is happy now living on her own and raising her plants, working from home and getting high every now and then, and she has recently gotten hold of some excellent weed that has cased her to have extraordinary hallucinations.
While at the morgue something oozes of her ex's body and attaches itself to her foot and travels home with her.
This is quite an enjoyable novella from Anya Martin. I have also read and enjoyed some of Ms. Martin's short story. so it is indeed a pleasure to read her work in a longer form. "Grass" is also quite sexually charged and also contains some what may be deemed by some as "disturbing scenes".
Don't let that stop you from reading this excellent story.
This book is number 138 of 150 signed numbered copies and are signed by Anya Martin.
The catch is Sheila hates her ex. He used to abuse and hit her in his alcoholic rages. She is so happy to be rid of him. Sheila is happy now living on her own and raising her plants, working from home and getting high every now and then, and she has recently gotten hold of some excellent weed that has cased her to have extraordinary hallucinations.
While at the morgue something oozes of her ex's body and attaches itself to her foot and travels home with her.
This is quite an enjoyable novella from Anya Martin. I have also read and enjoyed some of Ms. Martin's short story. so it is indeed a pleasure to read her work in a longer form. "Grass" is also quite sexually charged and also contains some what may be deemed by some as "disturbing scenes".
Don't let that stop you from reading this excellent story.
This book is number 138 of 150 signed numbered copies and are signed by Anya Martin.
January 12, 2021
Esperaba más.
November 8, 2020
¡Qué terrible es la sensación de arrastrar un peso que te impide seguir adelante! Esa lacra que te anula como persona, que te encierra entre murallas que tú mismo te has construido, que te sirve como pretexto para esconderte tras cualquier excusa.
Sheilla trata de continuar con su vida escondiendo su devastador pasado hasta que un día no le queda más remedio de tener que enfrentarse de nuevo a sus miedos.
Y es que ha recibido una inesperada llamada para identificar el cadaver de quien fue su marido en un depósito de cadáveres. Allí se encuentra cara a cara con su pasado y, de manera inevitable, termina por remover todos los recuerdos que creía haber olvidado, llevándose consigo su devastadores traumas.
A raíz de ahí lo mejor es no saber demasiado, más allá de que nos adentraremos de lleno en la cabeza de Sheilla y veremos como de destruida puede estar a pesar de su aparente fortaleza. Anya Martin nos invita a pasar esos días encerrados en la casa de nuestra protagonista, donde veremos la fijación y mimo que siente por las plantas, esas amigas a las que cuida con devoción sin esperar nada más de ellas que la presencia de su belleza.
Todo esto nos lo contará Sheilla en primera persona, ayudándose de un poco de marihuana que le ayudará a aliviar la carga que tiene acumulada. En cierto modo, el consumo liberará el peso de esa carga pero, al mismo tiempo, la enfrentará cara a cara a ella en una batalla de la que sabe que sólo vencerá destruyéndolo todo a su paso.
Pero claro, ¿que es lo que pasa cuando tus recuerdos del pasado no quieren marchase?, ¿cómo dejas atrás una reminiscencia que ahora te hace feliz? ¿Cómo consigues dar un paso al frente cuando eres incapaz de mirar el suelo que tienes delante?
Anya Martin nos presenta un novela corta muy interesante en el que indaga en todas esas preguntas mientras que nos presenta una historia de amor peculiar y bizarra, con un peculiar sentido del erotismo y, sobre todo, llena de dureza en cada una de sus frases. Es imposible leerla sin que te raspe por dentro, sin que sientas la misma sensación mustia que experimentan nuestros personajes, de necesitar como sea un poco de agua para evitar secarte de manera definitiva.
Un experimento bizarro, precioso y lleno de reflexión.
Sheilla trata de continuar con su vida escondiendo su devastador pasado hasta que un día no le queda más remedio de tener que enfrentarse de nuevo a sus miedos.
Y es que ha recibido una inesperada llamada para identificar el cadaver de quien fue su marido en un depósito de cadáveres. Allí se encuentra cara a cara con su pasado y, de manera inevitable, termina por remover todos los recuerdos que creía haber olvidado, llevándose consigo su devastadores traumas.
A raíz de ahí lo mejor es no saber demasiado, más allá de que nos adentraremos de lleno en la cabeza de Sheilla y veremos como de destruida puede estar a pesar de su aparente fortaleza. Anya Martin nos invita a pasar esos días encerrados en la casa de nuestra protagonista, donde veremos la fijación y mimo que siente por las plantas, esas amigas a las que cuida con devoción sin esperar nada más de ellas que la presencia de su belleza.
Todo esto nos lo contará Sheilla en primera persona, ayudándose de un poco de marihuana que le ayudará a aliviar la carga que tiene acumulada. En cierto modo, el consumo liberará el peso de esa carga pero, al mismo tiempo, la enfrentará cara a cara a ella en una batalla de la que sabe que sólo vencerá destruyéndolo todo a su paso.
Pero claro, ¿que es lo que pasa cuando tus recuerdos del pasado no quieren marchase?, ¿cómo dejas atrás una reminiscencia que ahora te hace feliz? ¿Cómo consigues dar un paso al frente cuando eres incapaz de mirar el suelo que tienes delante?
Anya Martin nos presenta un novela corta muy interesante en el que indaga en todas esas preguntas mientras que nos presenta una historia de amor peculiar y bizarra, con un peculiar sentido del erotismo y, sobre todo, llena de dureza en cada una de sus frases. Es imposible leerla sin que te raspe por dentro, sin que sientas la misma sensación mustia que experimentan nuestros personajes, de necesitar como sea un poco de agua para evitar secarte de manera definitiva.
Un experimento bizarro, precioso y lleno de reflexión.
October 22, 2016
Beautiful novella which seamlessly blends horror, science fiction, the weird, and erotica. I was expecting to be impressed, Dim Shores consistently publishes excellent work, but I did not expect to be as moved by this story as I was. This is a story about the comforts a person can find in the midst of the strangest and most tragic of circumstances. An exceptionally well written and highly imaginative piece. Highly recommended.
October 21, 2020
4,25 / 5
Terror. Ciencia ficción. Weird. Erótico. Esos son algunos de los adjetivos que rodean a Hierba (Grass, 2016), de Anya Martin, la última publicación de Dilatando Mentes. Etiquetas nada desencaminadas a mí parecer. En apenas 100 páginas, bien concentradas, fluye un complejo, pero a la vez sencillo relato multicapa sobre el abuso, la ansiedad, la pérdida, la empatía el estrés postraumático y el simple placer, navegando de forma experta por temas que no mucho puede comprender.
Así conocemos a Sheila, una cuarentona gerente de marketing, que vive de forma solitaria apoyada por su amiga Felecia y refugiada en un casi aislamiento hogareño y una rutina horticultora. Sin embargo, debe viajar cuatro horas en coche para identificar el cadáver de su exmarido, muerto en un accidente de avión en Georgia. Lo que no sabe, es que cuando regresa de su viaje, algo la ha seguido hasta su casa. Un polizón, algo extraño.
Sheila y su hogar son, salvo en los compases iniciales, el único escenario que pisamos en la novela. Sin embargo, su profundidad y complejidad son tales, que ni siquiera creo haber captado todo en la primera lectura. Anya tiene una prosa sensorial, donde se siente el pegajoso y húmedo calor del verano sureño, así como la naturaleza palpitar y crecer dentro de esa casa. Muchas líneas están repletas de simbolismo y metáforas, haciendo un fuerte uso de los colores y visiones oscuras entremezcladas con la botánica. Y si hablamos del erotismo, me descubro el sombrero ante un par de jugosas, imprescindibles y tórridas escenas que terminan de dibujar a Sheila por completo. El cúmulo de sensaciones es indescriptible.
Empecé a leer engatusado por la hipnótica y preciosa portada de Juan Alberto Hernández, y me dejé fluir durante horas como cierto limo protagonista durante todo el relato. Una hermosa historia de terror, ciencia ficción, weird y erotismo engalanada con un lírico y reflexivo postfacio a cargo de Amparo Montejano (directora de Circulo de Lovecraft), que palpita en tu cabeza horas después de leerla.
Reseña más extensa en el blog: https://boywithletters.blogspot.com/2...
Terror. Ciencia ficción. Weird. Erótico. Esos son algunos de los adjetivos que rodean a Hierba (Grass, 2016), de Anya Martin, la última publicación de Dilatando Mentes. Etiquetas nada desencaminadas a mí parecer. En apenas 100 páginas, bien concentradas, fluye un complejo, pero a la vez sencillo relato multicapa sobre el abuso, la ansiedad, la pérdida, la empatía el estrés postraumático y el simple placer, navegando de forma experta por temas que no mucho puede comprender.
Así conocemos a Sheila, una cuarentona gerente de marketing, que vive de forma solitaria apoyada por su amiga Felecia y refugiada en un casi aislamiento hogareño y una rutina horticultora. Sin embargo, debe viajar cuatro horas en coche para identificar el cadáver de su exmarido, muerto en un accidente de avión en Georgia. Lo que no sabe, es que cuando regresa de su viaje, algo la ha seguido hasta su casa. Un polizón, algo extraño.
Sheila y su hogar son, salvo en los compases iniciales, el único escenario que pisamos en la novela. Sin embargo, su profundidad y complejidad son tales, que ni siquiera creo haber captado todo en la primera lectura. Anya tiene una prosa sensorial, donde se siente el pegajoso y húmedo calor del verano sureño, así como la naturaleza palpitar y crecer dentro de esa casa. Muchas líneas están repletas de simbolismo y metáforas, haciendo un fuerte uso de los colores y visiones oscuras entremezcladas con la botánica. Y si hablamos del erotismo, me descubro el sombrero ante un par de jugosas, imprescindibles y tórridas escenas que terminan de dibujar a Sheila por completo. El cúmulo de sensaciones es indescriptible.
Empecé a leer engatusado por la hipnótica y preciosa portada de Juan Alberto Hernández, y me dejé fluir durante horas como cierto limo protagonista durante todo el relato. Una hermosa historia de terror, ciencia ficción, weird y erotismo engalanada con un lírico y reflexivo postfacio a cargo de Amparo Montejano (directora de Circulo de Lovecraft), que palpita en tu cabeza horas después de leerla.
Reseña más extensa en el blog: https://boywithletters.blogspot.com/2...
November 29, 2021
Co je malý, to je hezký. To u téhle knížky platí stoprocentně. Je fakt malá, vejde se vám do kapsy džín a ještě se k ní dají dát klíče od domu a dvě krabičky cigaret. I obsahově je to spíš novelka, kterou máte přečtenou během cesty metrem. Je ale půvabná jak obsahem, tak zpracováním. Má stylovou obálku a elegantní ilustrace. Co se týče obsahu, tak i když patří do hororu, více než na děsivých scénách stojí na střetnutí s neznámem a na psychologii postav. Někde je Tráva srovnávaná s Tváří vody, díky vztahu (i fyzickému) s něčím neznámým a nebezpečným, ale přijde mi, že novela je spíše o psychologickém vyrovnávání se se špatným vztahem… možná i tím, že se hupsne do jiného špatného vztahu. Je to víc pocitovka, než něco, co by mělo silný příběh (navíc, jak se pak rozebírá v důkladném autorčině doslovu, tak až na obludu všechno čerpala ze života a snažila se pomocí knížky vyrovnat se svou situací), ale i tak to má nějakou atmosféru, a jsem rozhodně zvědavý na další knížky z nakladatelství Medusa. To se zdá, že chce konkurovat Gnómu, zaměřením na osobitější a originálnější hororové příběhy. (Ale další knížka už by mohla přinést větší porci, tohle byl vážně jen takový předkrm.)
September 3, 2022
Qué cosa más bonita y bizarra acabo de leer, madre mía!!
January 31, 2021
Podría considerarse por su extension como un relato y cierto es que aprovecha bastante su escasa longitud para contar todo.
Ni terror ni erotismo como le marca muha gente. Es una historia de tristeza, soledad y obsesión.
Una mujer que sufrío malos tratos por su expareja, ahora le toca identificar su cadaver. Tras ese mal trago empieza a relacionar lo que ha visto en su cadaver, con los malos tratos que recibía por él y su gusto por la plantas. Eso se mezcla por con su soledad en su piso y bum, aparece sus paranoia.
Ni terror ni erotismo como le marca muha gente. Es una historia de tristeza, soledad y obsesión.
Una mujer que sufrío malos tratos por su expareja, ahora le toca identificar su cadaver. Tras ese mal trago empieza a relacionar lo que ha visto en su cadaver, con los malos tratos que recibía por él y su gusto por la plantas. Eso se mezcla por con su soledad en su piso y bum, aparece sus paranoia.
December 3, 2016
I really loved this novella. Dim Shores always puts out great stuff, and Anya Martin's Grass is absolutely no exception. There's something Southern Gothic about it, sure, but that's partly due to the setting. I had trouble putting my finger on it, but finally I decided that the story has a 1970s feel to it. Which seems strange, but it's there, in the seams and in the humidity in the air. There's a thrift store, dusty vibe, in a good way. Thus my impression is of a new weird fiction classic caught, trembling, between noir and now.
A woman's very abusive ex-husband has died in a plane crash in a Florida swamp, and she is the only one available to identify the body. She doesn't know how to feel when she sees the corpse in the morgue, and to make matters much stranger, her life isn't the same by the time her journey ends back home in Atlanta. Her life isn't the same at all.
I won't say more than that, but the surreal, suspenseful, uniquely erotic nature of this story had a touch of Robert Aickman, a pinch of Ramsey Campbell, and a brushing of Joyce Carol Oates. But as we're seeing more and more lately, Anya Martin is Anya Martin more than any of those influences. And that's a good thing.
A woman's very abusive ex-husband has died in a plane crash in a Florida swamp, and she is the only one available to identify the body. She doesn't know how to feel when she sees the corpse in the morgue, and to make matters much stranger, her life isn't the same by the time her journey ends back home in Atlanta. Her life isn't the same at all.
I won't say more than that, but the surreal, suspenseful, uniquely erotic nature of this story had a touch of Robert Aickman, a pinch of Ramsey Campbell, and a brushing of Joyce Carol Oates. But as we're seeing more and more lately, Anya Martin is Anya Martin more than any of those influences. And that's a good thing.
February 4, 2018
A swampy love story and a string of memories that need to sink deep into the murky waters that it came from.
Following one women's struggle to leave the memories of her ex in the past and when his dead body is placed in her hands to bury something else takes his place. Something ghostly, yet oozing, a gelatin mold that covers her thoughts, absorbs her and leaves her wet with even more memories of her ex and the more recent memories floating on the surface.
Excellent Read.
This is collector number 111
Following one women's struggle to leave the memories of her ex in the past and when his dead body is placed in her hands to bury something else takes his place. Something ghostly, yet oozing, a gelatin mold that covers her thoughts, absorbs her and leaves her wet with even more memories of her ex and the more recent memories floating on the surface.
Excellent Read.
This is collector number 111
April 5, 2017
A wonderful weird mystery tale that combines fine writing with first class storytelling.
October 29, 2020
Con Hierba, de nuevo asistimos a ese estimulante tipo de narración en la que un elemento fantástico irrumpe de manera frontal en la cotidianidad. Este recurso, explotable en múltiples direcciones, es utilizado por Anya Martin como una herramienta para explicar ciertos mecanismos mentales con los que afrontar un duelo. En este caso, un duelo complicado.
Una mujer se ve obligada a viajar a una funeraria para reconocer el cuerpo de su ex pareja, un hombre que la maltrataba sumido en los efectos del alcohol, y que ha fallecido en un accidente aeronáutico. Este punto de partida, ya tenebroso y potente por sí mismo, es solo un pequeño preámbulo para una historia que podríamos enmarcar dentro de esa nueva corriente que se ha venido en llamar weird fiction y que tan satisfactorios retazos de buena literatura nos está proporcionando en los últimos años.
Hierba es original por su forma de encarar una historia de carácter muy íntimo —ya que el narrador está permanentemente pegado a la cabeza de la protagonista—, de tal modo que lo que debería ser una simple exploración de los sentimientos de una persona ante la pérdida se transforma en un ambiguo relato con tintes de terror, ciencia ficción y erotismo.
Reseña completa en "Dentro del Monolito": https://dentrodelmonolito.com/2020/10...
Una mujer se ve obligada a viajar a una funeraria para reconocer el cuerpo de su ex pareja, un hombre que la maltrataba sumido en los efectos del alcohol, y que ha fallecido en un accidente aeronáutico. Este punto de partida, ya tenebroso y potente por sí mismo, es solo un pequeño preámbulo para una historia que podríamos enmarcar dentro de esa nueva corriente que se ha venido en llamar weird fiction y que tan satisfactorios retazos de buena literatura nos está proporcionando en los últimos años.
Hierba es original por su forma de encarar una historia de carácter muy íntimo —ya que el narrador está permanentemente pegado a la cabeza de la protagonista—, de tal modo que lo que debería ser una simple exploración de los sentimientos de una persona ante la pérdida se transforma en un ambiguo relato con tintes de terror, ciencia ficción y erotismo.
Reseña completa en "Dentro del Monolito": https://dentrodelmonolito.com/2020/10...
September 23, 2023
Po nějakém čase jsem opět kontrolně zabloudil na web Medusy a co nevidím? Tráva a Ta, co jde první už se tu objevily jako ebooky! Takže díky moc Romanu Tilcerovi, klik sem, klik tam, a už jsem to ládoval do Kindle.
Tráva je rozsahem útlá knížečka, kterou dáte skoro na posezení. Teda pokud jste na tyhle trochu zvláštní až bizarní příběhy, které nám v poslední době některá malá "one-man-show" nakladatelství servírují. Kromě Medusy je tu třeba Gnóm!
Mně se to líbilo, bylo to tak akorát divný, aby mě to zaujalo a jakmile mě to chytilo, četlo se to skoro samo. Takový trochu bizarně-erotický horror by se to možná dalo nazvat. Ovšem žádných "Padesát odstínů zeleného slizu" to není.
Pro mě jako pro chlapa tam byly jistý věci, který se mi tak úplně nezdály, hlavně co se týká Sheily. Ale Anya Martin říká, že to v podstatě celý zažila, takže zjevně ví, o čem mluví a kdo jsem já, abych to zpochybňoval. Řekl bych možná, že si tuhle knížku o trošku víc užijí děvčata.
Nicméně určitě tuhle bahenně-erotickou jednohubku doporučím, a to i chlapům.
Tráva je rozsahem útlá knížečka, kterou dáte skoro na posezení. Teda pokud jste na tyhle trochu zvláštní až bizarní příběhy, které nám v poslední době některá malá "one-man-show" nakladatelství servírují. Kromě Medusy je tu třeba Gnóm!
Mně se to líbilo, bylo to tak akorát divný, aby mě to zaujalo a jakmile mě to chytilo, četlo se to skoro samo. Takový trochu bizarně-erotický horror by se to možná dalo nazvat. Ovšem žádných "Padesát odstínů zeleného slizu" to není.
Pro mě jako pro chlapa tam byly jistý věci, který se mi tak úplně nezdály, hlavně co se týká Sheily. Ale Anya Martin říká, že to v podstatě celý zažila, takže zjevně ví, o čem mluví a kdo jsem já, abych to zpochybňoval. Řekl bych možná, že si tuhle knížku o trošku víc užijí děvčata.
Nicméně určitě tuhle bahenně-erotickou jednohubku doporučím, a to i chlapům.
March 23, 2017
A weird swamp monster tale straight from a Georgia marsh.
Even after a few years, Shelia is still trying to restore normalcy to her life after being left by her abusive husband for another woman. Any normalcy is destroyed when she receives a call that her ex, Dave, has died in a plane crash. Shelia is his closest next of kin and also listed as his emergency contact. Monica, Dave's new wife was also killed in the crash. Shelia goes to identify the body and decides (I believe partially because she still loves him but also because she feels it may provide some closure for her) to have a proper memorial and burial for him despite the fact he was so horrible to her. What Shelia doesn't know, is that at sloshy swamp monster had attached itself to Dave, and has now decided to catch a ride home with Shelia. I love these types of original monsters. It is a viscous gelatinous form but has some sentience and can be dangerous.
Shelia is a very solitary character and the author does a great job of capturing that loneliness and claustrophobia. A large portion of the story is told in the home of the main character who has been using horticulture to cope with her abuse and trauma. This novella is rich with symbolism and metaphor. Martin's use of color and botanical themes throughout the book conjure dark and beautiful visions in your mind. It definitely has all the elements I love in a good weird fiction tale. I loved the ending and I will just leave it at that. I think you should pick this one up for yourself it is still available at Dim Shores. The book also comes with a beautiful cover and some nice illustrations that enhance the story. I will be looking forward to checking out more work by Anya Martin in the future as well.
Even after a few years, Shelia is still trying to restore normalcy to her life after being left by her abusive husband for another woman. Any normalcy is destroyed when she receives a call that her ex, Dave, has died in a plane crash. Shelia is his closest next of kin and also listed as his emergency contact. Monica, Dave's new wife was also killed in the crash. Shelia goes to identify the body and decides (I believe partially because she still loves him but also because she feels it may provide some closure for her) to have a proper memorial and burial for him despite the fact he was so horrible to her. What Shelia doesn't know, is that at sloshy swamp monster had attached itself to Dave, and has now decided to catch a ride home with Shelia. I love these types of original monsters. It is a viscous gelatinous form but has some sentience and can be dangerous.
Shelia is a very solitary character and the author does a great job of capturing that loneliness and claustrophobia. A large portion of the story is told in the home of the main character who has been using horticulture to cope with her abuse and trauma. This novella is rich with symbolism and metaphor. Martin's use of color and botanical themes throughout the book conjure dark and beautiful visions in your mind. It definitely has all the elements I love in a good weird fiction tale. I loved the ending and I will just leave it at that. I think you should pick this one up for yourself it is still available at Dim Shores. The book also comes with a beautiful cover and some nice illustrations that enhance the story. I will be looking forward to checking out more work by Anya Martin in the future as well.
October 10, 2021
¿Qué coño es esto que acabo de leer? 🤢🤢
June 2, 2024
Tak Trávou mám konečně dočtené vše, co zatím vyšlo od Medusy :)) Tráva splňuje to, co Medusa slibuje - divné knihy pro divné lidi (to zas splňuju já), protože tohle fakt divnokniha je, ale v tom dobrém slova smyslu. Opět musím vyzdvihnout výborný překlad v podání Romana Tilcera (to budu dělat asi vždy a pořád). Stejně jako u Ta, co jde první, tak i tady tahle knížka pro mě pulzovala barvami. Nečekaně všemi odstíny zelené a sem tam i záblesk rudé. Erotický bizzaro prvek působil smyslně a zcela na místě, nakolik se to o takových scénách dá říct (nechci spoilerovat). Zmatení, touha a spousta dalších emocí, které se v hlavní hrdince střídají jak na horské dráze během nečekaného spojení, jakoby reflektovaly dlouhou emoční pouť rozporuplných pocitů, které zažívala během toxického vztahu s bývalým manželem, který byl charismatický násilník. Konec knihy bylo pro mě trochu vyšumění do ticha, možná jsem čekala něco jiného, ale jinak se mi Tráva líbila.
December 7, 2020
Le recomiendo Hierba a quien le interese la reflexión acerca del duelo y la supervivencia al abuso, también a quienes conozcan y disfruten la tradición temática de los novios monstruosos y quieran leer cómo se puede llevar más allá, a lo más hondo y oscuro.
Reseña completa: https://libros-prohibidos.com/anya-ma...
Reseña completa: https://libros-prohibidos.com/anya-ma...
January 26, 2022
Mentiría si dijera que me ha gustado. Se me ha hecho tedioso e inconexo, y eso que el libro es muy corto... Vamos, como su propio nombre indica, una fumada de libro.
October 14, 2016
A novelette of erotic horror, Grass is both gross and sexy. I won't go into the plot (spoilers). The prose is the right mix of swampy lyricism and probing and NSFW erotic interior explanation. Check out this masterful opening:
"Can a body be a forest? A deep dank overgrown woods? A tangle of viscous vegetation that requires a machete to slash a path to its dark, dark heart?"
The illustrations/cover art by Jeanne D'Angelo are lush and creepy. The cover is beautiful, creepy image that alludes both to the vegetable landscapes of Rousseau and the flowers of Georgia O'Keefe.
For fans of Kathe Koja and Livia Lllewellyn.
"Can a body be a forest? A deep dank overgrown woods? A tangle of viscous vegetation that requires a machete to slash a path to its dark, dark heart?"
The illustrations/cover art by Jeanne D'Angelo are lush and creepy. The cover is beautiful, creepy image that alludes both to the vegetable landscapes of Rousseau and the flowers of Georgia O'Keefe.
For fans of Kathe Koja and Livia Lllewellyn.
July 3, 2024
Nerozumím hororu. Mně to prostě nepřipadalo jako horor. Cosi weird, sci-fi erotika, ale ne horor...
Ale že ten sliz zelenej je celkem přítulnej... :D
Ale ať je to jaký chce žánr, bavilo mě to. Takové 4,5* zaokrouhluji nahoru.
Nakladatelství Medusa fandím, jako druhá na řadě bude Ta, co jde první :). A určitě si pořídím i Rezavé panny, až vyjdou. Horor, nehoror.
---
Druhé čtení, teda tentokrát formou poslechu audioverze:
Působí to na mě trochu jinak. Víc detektivně, thrillerovitě, míň eroticky. Ale asi je to tím, že to čte žena (což je sice podle textu správně, ale asi to na mě tak nepůsobí). Stále je ale ten zelenej dost přitažlivej. :)
Ale že ten sliz zelenej je celkem přítulnej... :D
Ale ať je to jaký chce žánr, bavilo mě to. Takové 4,5* zaokrouhluji nahoru.
Nakladatelství Medusa fandím, jako druhá na řadě bude Ta, co jde první :). A určitě si pořídím i Rezavé panny, až vyjdou. Horor, nehoror.
---
Druhé čtení, teda tentokrát formou poslechu audioverze:
Působí to na mě trochu jinak. Víc detektivně, thrillerovitě, míň eroticky. Ale asi je to tím, že to čte žena (což je sice podle textu správně, ale asi to na mě tak nepůsobí). Stále je ale ten zelenej dost přitažlivej. :)
February 15, 2023
Una historia oscura de deseo y culpa, resentimiento y lujuria.
Cuando Sheila se ve involucrada en el funeral de su ex esposo maltratador, no sabía que se iba a encontrar con algo que la haría perderse en una ensoñación de placer, plenitud y dicha; a un precio demasiado alto.
Mientras nuestro hardware sea la carne, seremos criaturas guiadas por sentimientos y emociones y deseos.
Cuando Sheila se ve involucrada en el funeral de su ex esposo maltratador, no sabía que se iba a encontrar con algo que la haría perderse en una ensoñación de placer, plenitud y dicha; a un precio demasiado alto.
Mientras nuestro hardware sea la carne, seremos criaturas guiadas por sentimientos y emociones y deseos.
May 29, 2017
"Can a body be a forest? A deep dank overgrown woods? A tangled jungle of viscous vegetation that requires a machete to slash a pathway to its dark, dark heart?"
From the thickest, darkest depths of a long forgotten swamp, comes Anya Martin's novella, Grass, another knockout book from Dim Shores, a vanguard of Weird and Horror fiction. Huge props to Jeanne D'Angelo, for creating such a lush, alluring, alien-like cover that emanates vibes of mystery, erotica, and science-fiction, accurately capturing Martin's humid and swampy tale. I can honestly say that, out of Dim Shores' current catalog, it's my favorite cover.
Grass centers on Sheila, a woman living in Georgia who receives a call saying that her alcoholic, abusive ex-husband Dave, and his wife Monica, were killed in a plane crash. Due to Dave never updating his medical records, Sheila is still listed as an emergency contact and must drive to Camden County in southern Georgia to identify the body, ensuring that it is indeed Dave. After two years of trying to forget Dave and all the pain he caused her, he is suddenly thrust back into Sheila's life, and as a corpse no less! Sheila gets much more than the corpse of her ex-husband, though; she leaves the morgue with a stowaway; something alien, a primordial being that takes Sheila to new levels of passion and pleasure.
After two readings of Martin's novella, I feel like it can be considered something along the lines of a treatise on abuse against women. All the elements combined to make her tale are backdrops, where at the forefront of the tale, is Sheila's struggle to survive, attempting to live her life one day at a time, in the horrible wake of Dave's brutality against her. One would think that Sheila would have been thrilled upon hearing about Dave's death, and while there was some exultation, there were more emotions that flooded throughout her mind:
"The biggest surprise was a sudden emotion of loss, sadness--no, not love! Should she be crying? Did Dave deserve her tears? She never thought she'd ever cry if he died. He deserved to die, didn't he, for what he had done to her? No, she didn't have any reason to cry. She didn't love Dave, couldn't even remember saying she did. The emotion churned, intensified into hate, the back of her head burning as it used to after he slammed his fist into it. She closed her eyes and grasped above her forehead, wincing at the pain."
For those who have never even remotely experienced what Sheila went through at the hands of Dave, it's difficult to understand why anyone would feel anything other than happiness at the death of such a disgusting human being; is it really for us to understand? Are we ever actually going to truly understand? Perhaps Sheila remembered the more pleasant times with Dave, and may have even missed those times. And, perhaps, Sheila turns to hate because, in a sense, Dave got off easy; he's dead and gone, and the majority of people who knew him will never know just how terrible he was. Worst of all, Sheila is still alive, and still dealing with the mental and emotional scars that Dave left upon her. Every single day, Sheila has to muster the mental and physical fortitude to keep going, compartmentalizing her trauma, focusing on taking care of her flowers and plants, giving her a sense of comfort
Another aspect of abuse that Anya deftly explores is the 'why'. Why did Sheila stay with Dave for as long as she did? For some, the simple answer is, "You should've left him the moment he laid his hands on you." We all want to believe it should be that easy, but, unfortunately it isn't. Anya doesn't provide the reader with a single response, but rather, through Sheila, opens up the reader to a world of reasons and the psychology behind them. Dave wasn't always abusive to Sheila; there relationship didn't start off that way, it was gradual. Even then, there were periods of calm between Dave's violence. Maybe Sheila thought the last time would be it. Maybe she found herself normalizing it. Perhaps she just focused on the better times, and that it wasn't like this all the time. She could've felt trapped, or thinking that she would never find something better than life with Dave. Dave's mental and physical abuse kept Sheila down, and in fear. Then, Dave divorces Sheila, leaving her to wonder if she was the problem the whole time, further fracturing her self-esteem and confidence; now, clearly, Sheila wasn't the problem, but you can see how Dave completely destroyed everything about her. At one point, Sheila actually contemplates suicide, wondering if it's a better alternative than living a life of trauma, triggers, and constant anxiety.
The creature, alien, whatever you want to call it, serves as not only a source of comfort for Sheila, but as a source of pleasure; something new, something different. Did Dave ever please Sheila? If he did, she can't remember when, or if he ever did. Is this the Unknown for Sheila? Because of Dave, would Sheila ever be able to let another man into her life? The swamp creature--something from a more primordial time--does more for Sheila than anyone ever did. Much like Dave, however, Sheila discovers the true nature of the creature: it must have water, and will devour anything it can to survive. Sheila found herself in the same situation she was in with Dave for all those years, and had to get out of it as soon as possible, leading to the abrupt, yet jaw dropping conclusion.
Of course, these themes and elements would be nothing without Anya's smooth prose. She uses language that creates a lush, humid, vibrant, and tragic tale. Her descriptions of the Georgia heat and humidity greatly emphasize the oppression felt by Sheila; so much, in fact, it's more than capable of making the reader heavy with the weight of Sheila's experiences. And Anya's erotic passages involving Sheila and the swamp creature are quite juicy, and do well to express what Sheila had never quite experienced. Blending Horror, Erotica, Science Fiction, and referencing such films as Swamp Thing, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and more, along with themes of abuse, post traumatic stress, tragedy, anxiety, and pleasure, Anya Martin crafted a tale that is on the level of being discussed in a college literature course. Anya expertly navigates these themes that many do not understand, nor, to some extent, want to acknowledge. I was only left with one question: when are we going to see an Anya Martin collection?
From the thickest, darkest depths of a long forgotten swamp, comes Anya Martin's novella, Grass, another knockout book from Dim Shores, a vanguard of Weird and Horror fiction. Huge props to Jeanne D'Angelo, for creating such a lush, alluring, alien-like cover that emanates vibes of mystery, erotica, and science-fiction, accurately capturing Martin's humid and swampy tale. I can honestly say that, out of Dim Shores' current catalog, it's my favorite cover.
Grass centers on Sheila, a woman living in Georgia who receives a call saying that her alcoholic, abusive ex-husband Dave, and his wife Monica, were killed in a plane crash. Due to Dave never updating his medical records, Sheila is still listed as an emergency contact and must drive to Camden County in southern Georgia to identify the body, ensuring that it is indeed Dave. After two years of trying to forget Dave and all the pain he caused her, he is suddenly thrust back into Sheila's life, and as a corpse no less! Sheila gets much more than the corpse of her ex-husband, though; she leaves the morgue with a stowaway; something alien, a primordial being that takes Sheila to new levels of passion and pleasure.
After two readings of Martin's novella, I feel like it can be considered something along the lines of a treatise on abuse against women. All the elements combined to make her tale are backdrops, where at the forefront of the tale, is Sheila's struggle to survive, attempting to live her life one day at a time, in the horrible wake of Dave's brutality against her. One would think that Sheila would have been thrilled upon hearing about Dave's death, and while there was some exultation, there were more emotions that flooded throughout her mind:
"The biggest surprise was a sudden emotion of loss, sadness--no, not love! Should she be crying? Did Dave deserve her tears? She never thought she'd ever cry if he died. He deserved to die, didn't he, for what he had done to her? No, she didn't have any reason to cry. She didn't love Dave, couldn't even remember saying she did. The emotion churned, intensified into hate, the back of her head burning as it used to after he slammed his fist into it. She closed her eyes and grasped above her forehead, wincing at the pain."
For those who have never even remotely experienced what Sheila went through at the hands of Dave, it's difficult to understand why anyone would feel anything other than happiness at the death of such a disgusting human being; is it really for us to understand? Are we ever actually going to truly understand? Perhaps Sheila remembered the more pleasant times with Dave, and may have even missed those times. And, perhaps, Sheila turns to hate because, in a sense, Dave got off easy; he's dead and gone, and the majority of people who knew him will never know just how terrible he was. Worst of all, Sheila is still alive, and still dealing with the mental and emotional scars that Dave left upon her. Every single day, Sheila has to muster the mental and physical fortitude to keep going, compartmentalizing her trauma, focusing on taking care of her flowers and plants, giving her a sense of comfort
Another aspect of abuse that Anya deftly explores is the 'why'. Why did Sheila stay with Dave for as long as she did? For some, the simple answer is, "You should've left him the moment he laid his hands on you." We all want to believe it should be that easy, but, unfortunately it isn't. Anya doesn't provide the reader with a single response, but rather, through Sheila, opens up the reader to a world of reasons and the psychology behind them. Dave wasn't always abusive to Sheila; there relationship didn't start off that way, it was gradual. Even then, there were periods of calm between Dave's violence. Maybe Sheila thought the last time would be it. Maybe she found herself normalizing it. Perhaps she just focused on the better times, and that it wasn't like this all the time. She could've felt trapped, or thinking that she would never find something better than life with Dave. Dave's mental and physical abuse kept Sheila down, and in fear. Then, Dave divorces Sheila, leaving her to wonder if she was the problem the whole time, further fracturing her self-esteem and confidence; now, clearly, Sheila wasn't the problem, but you can see how Dave completely destroyed everything about her. At one point, Sheila actually contemplates suicide, wondering if it's a better alternative than living a life of trauma, triggers, and constant anxiety.
The creature, alien, whatever you want to call it, serves as not only a source of comfort for Sheila, but as a source of pleasure; something new, something different. Did Dave ever please Sheila? If he did, she can't remember when, or if he ever did. Is this the Unknown for Sheila? Because of Dave, would Sheila ever be able to let another man into her life? The swamp creature--something from a more primordial time--does more for Sheila than anyone ever did. Much like Dave, however, Sheila discovers the true nature of the creature: it must have water, and will devour anything it can to survive. Sheila found herself in the same situation she was in with Dave for all those years, and had to get out of it as soon as possible, leading to the abrupt, yet jaw dropping conclusion.
Of course, these themes and elements would be nothing without Anya's smooth prose. She uses language that creates a lush, humid, vibrant, and tragic tale. Her descriptions of the Georgia heat and humidity greatly emphasize the oppression felt by Sheila; so much, in fact, it's more than capable of making the reader heavy with the weight of Sheila's experiences. And Anya's erotic passages involving Sheila and the swamp creature are quite juicy, and do well to express what Sheila had never quite experienced. Blending Horror, Erotica, Science Fiction, and referencing such films as Swamp Thing, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and more, along with themes of abuse, post traumatic stress, tragedy, anxiety, and pleasure, Anya Martin crafted a tale that is on the level of being discussed in a college literature course. Anya expertly navigates these themes that many do not understand, nor, to some extent, want to acknowledge. I was only left with one question: when are we going to see an Anya Martin collection?
January 6, 2023
První setkání se žánrem weird fiction a mě se to líbilo. Bylo to zvláštní, jak už vlastně žánr napovídá, ale já mám tyhle divnosti ráda. Jedná se o erotický horor, ale zároveň je to sonda do duše člověka, který se snaží utéct od minulosti a bolesti, možná celkově od života?
Bylo to čtivé a svižné...rozhodně stojí za přečtení.
A miluju, když jsou v knize playlisty, takže za to taky velké plus. :)
Bylo to čtivé a svižné...rozhodně stojí za přečtení.
A miluju, když jsou v knize playlisty, takže za to taky velké plus. :)
June 26, 2024
Audiokniha od nakladatelství co vydává " divné knihy pro divné lidi" takže jo a tohle bylo přesně to 😁
August 7, 2022
Na první pohled vypadá Tráva jako mix Bažináče, Tváře vody a svérázné erotické romance, ve skutečnosti je niternou výpovědí ženy žijící v minulosti s násilníkem a alkoholikem. Překvapivě se s ním znovu setká, tentokrát však její ex leží na pitevním stole a ona musí identifikovat jeho tělo. Torzo, které v ní probudí vzpomínky na vzájemné soužití a do života jí přinese i podivného tvora, našli policisté po havárii malého letadla uprostřed močálu v jižní Georgii. Prošpikované bambusem a větvemi.
Hororové prvky novela obsahuje, byť je primárně nacpaná emocemi, osamělostí, přemítáním nad vlastní minulostí a ukončeným toxickým vztahem v marihuanovém oparu. Sílu textu ještě umocní doslov, autorčina katarze, který z Trávy udělá ještě o fous osobnější text. Protože hlavním monstrem tady není tajemný netvor z bažin, ale fackující manžel vystrkující drápy i ze záhrobí.
Sexuální scény tady zabírají méně prostoru, než jsem očekával a naprosté souznění s bytostí z bažin, kdy hlavní hrdinka naprosto podlehne tělesné rozkoši a přestane téměř vnímat plynoucí hodiny a dny, je tak spíš chvilkovým poblouzněním, než citlivě budovanou love story jako z Tváře vody. Hlavním tématem Trávy totiž není rozvíjení nového vztahu, ale dopady toho minulého. Který, i když se zdá že je definitivně uzavřený, dokáže ještě potrápit.
Hororové prvky novela obsahuje, byť je primárně nacpaná emocemi, osamělostí, přemítáním nad vlastní minulostí a ukončeným toxickým vztahem v marihuanovém oparu. Sílu textu ještě umocní doslov, autorčina katarze, který z Trávy udělá ještě o fous osobnější text. Protože hlavním monstrem tady není tajemný netvor z bažin, ale fackující manžel vystrkující drápy i ze záhrobí.
Sexuální scény tady zabírají méně prostoru, než jsem očekával a naprosté souznění s bytostí z bažin, kdy hlavní hrdinka naprosto podlehne tělesné rozkoši a přestane téměř vnímat plynoucí hodiny a dny, je tak spíš chvilkovým poblouzněním, než citlivě budovanou love story jako z Tváře vody. Hlavním tématem Trávy totiž není rozvíjení nového vztahu, ale dopady toho minulého. Který, i když se zdá že je definitivně uzavřený, dokáže ještě potrápit.
December 23, 2016
This novella has everything - including an incredible cover by Jeanne D'Angelo. The story is sharply focused, its brilliant character work underscoring the glorious pulpy erotic horror that forms the bulk of the narrative. This kind of physical horror can often come across a little overcooked, but Martin - who I'll definitely be reading more of after this - balances every layer perfectly. This is one of those pieces of writing that demands revisiting, with the promise of a new crevice or curve to be appreciated with every encounter. It's fun and weird, but it's all so real too, with a dark rhythm that pulses between tragedy and hope, a fever dream's descent into primordial horror. Or maybe not horror so much as hunger?
November 16, 2016
I bought this book mainly because I had been curious about Anya Martin for quite a while but I will not deny that the beautiful art cover by Jeanne D’Angelo is what finally convinced me to give Martin a try.
Grass lured me in from the very beginning with its lyrical prose and vivid descriptions. Martin successfully crafts this surprisingly moving tale of erotic horror while finding opportunities to insert nods to Swamp Thing and Creature of the Black Lagoon. Highly recommended.
Grass lured me in from the very beginning with its lyrical prose and vivid descriptions. Martin successfully crafts this surprisingly moving tale of erotic horror while finding opportunities to insert nods to Swamp Thing and Creature of the Black Lagoon. Highly recommended.
February 3, 2017
I really enjoyed this novella. Unsettling, erotic, thoughtful- I was reminded of Robert Aickman and Angela Carter. I hadn't read anything by Anya Martin before, but I will certainly be reading more after this.
October 15, 2016
an easy, trippy, sexy read w/ nods to Swamp Thing, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and much, much more. highly recommended for comic book, horror, and fantasy fans of a mature age.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews