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The Skin Factory
Chase is trapped in a netherworld factory where he's forced to build human bodies for dark beings known as the Wardens to infiltrate our world. When Chase overhears a plan to infect humanity with soul eating spores called the obsidious, he escapes the Factory to save his mom and sister, Andi. Only there's a mix-up and Chase accidentally possesses a girl's body to escape in.
In our world, his mom is confined to an asylum, while Andi has already been infected with the obsidious. If Chase can purge the stuff from Andi, convince her he's really her brother, maybe they can save their mom. But whatever is locked inside the asylum might be the very evil Chase came back to save them from.
And it's been expecting him...
In our world, his mom is confined to an asylum, while Andi has already been infected with the obsidious. If Chase can purge the stuff from Andi, convince her he's really her brother, maybe they can save their mom. But whatever is locked inside the asylum might be the very evil Chase came back to save them from.
And it's been expecting him...
- GenresHorror
198 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 24, 2019
4 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Lucas Pederson
43 books56 followersLucas Pederson is an American novelist and short story writer of horror, dark fantasy, young adult and science fiction. He lives in a small Iowa town with his family and they're all pretty sure their cat is an alien. He can be reached at lucaspederson@yahoo.com, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 29, 2019
The Skin Factory by Lucas Pederson is the story of Chase and how he must overcome being a bodiless soul working in a factory in some twisted form of an afterlife to save his sister, mother and the girl he loves.
Chase is dead. Well, not DEAD, his soul still lives on, but his human body is very much dead. And if losing his human body wasn't bad enough, he was plucked off his path on his way to heaven to work in a twisted factory creating these robot type bodies for souls/creatures to inhabit in order to integrate themselves into life on earth.
When Chase finds out the bodies he and his fellow souls are creating are going to be used for the nefarious purpose of something called the Obsidious he decides that he must escape the factory in order to protect his sister and mother.
With the help of Bal, the soul who removed him from his path after death, Chase jumps into one of the bodies he helped manufacture and warps back to earth. The problem is, Chase might have taken the wrong body. But no matter what vessel he is in he still has to save the people he loves and maybe even all of humanity if he is feeling up to the task.
One aspect of the authors writing that I really enjoyed was the fun 'cuss words' and phrases he made up for Chase to use. A few of my favorites being, fruitbatty, cheese'n'rice, thank the gods and crunchy peanut butter and, floundernuts of purgatory. These definitely added to Chase's smartassed attitude/behavior.
In the end, this was a very solid book and I just found out it's going to be in three parts so I can't wait to see what happens next. The only complaints I really have about the book are one, I wish it was longer and two, I wish his mom being in the asylum was more prevalent, I love asylums so I was hoping we would get a little more time there. Other than that, the book had minor spelling/grammar errors that you tend to find in self-published/indie books but they weren't insane like some of the ones I have seen that took away from the story.
Overall, I gave the book 4/5 stars.
Chase is dead. Well, not DEAD, his soul still lives on, but his human body is very much dead. And if losing his human body wasn't bad enough, he was plucked off his path on his way to heaven to work in a twisted factory creating these robot type bodies for souls/creatures to inhabit in order to integrate themselves into life on earth.
When Chase finds out the bodies he and his fellow souls are creating are going to be used for the nefarious purpose of something called the Obsidious he decides that he must escape the factory in order to protect his sister and mother.
With the help of Bal, the soul who removed him from his path after death, Chase jumps into one of the bodies he helped manufacture and warps back to earth. The problem is, Chase might have taken the wrong body. But no matter what vessel he is in he still has to save the people he loves and maybe even all of humanity if he is feeling up to the task.
One aspect of the authors writing that I really enjoyed was the fun 'cuss words' and phrases he made up for Chase to use. A few of my favorites being, fruitbatty, cheese'n'rice, thank the gods and crunchy peanut butter and, floundernuts of purgatory. These definitely added to Chase's smartassed attitude/behavior.
In the end, this was a very solid book and I just found out it's going to be in three parts so I can't wait to see what happens next. The only complaints I really have about the book are one, I wish it was longer and two, I wish his mom being in the asylum was more prevalent, I love asylums so I was hoping we would get a little more time there. Other than that, the book had minor spelling/grammar errors that you tend to find in self-published/indie books but they weren't insane like some of the ones I have seen that took away from the story.
Overall, I gave the book 4/5 stars.
March 12, 2020
This book was not what I expected but in a good way. This is a YA sci fi horror. Chase was plucked from his final destination in the afterlife to work in a factory making humans. Why? These “fake” humans are apart of a bigger plan. What are they planning on doing with these human units? Chase must find a way out so he can save his mom and sister on earth. Chase has so many obstacles to over come and it’s fun reading him trying to figure out how to be human again. He has other issues to work through as well as trying to find his mom and sister. This book was a nice change from the normal horror books I’ve been reading. The writer gives you enough info on what’s going on with chase without being too wordy or laborious. It’s a fun quick read. The only issue I had was the constant child like phrases. I think they were over used but they may just be me since I don’t read much YA horror anymore. This book gave me vibes of like “the host” and “the fifth wave” but with more blood and gore.
April 17, 2020
The Skin Factory by Lucas Pederson is a Young Adult Horror novel about a teenager named Chase who, after dying, has his soul stolen from its path to his afterlife. His soul is placed in an otherworldly factory where he is forced to make fake human bodies which are going to be used to infiltrate Earth.
Wild stuff, right?
It’s almost nonstop action throughout the book, with the author introducing many cool and unique ideas and concepts. My issue was that with each introduction of a new set of circumstances, there wasn’t much of a corresponding explanation as to why or how things were what they were. And I found myself not being as engaged as I could have been with the story because of that.
As with most YA books, The Skin Factory contains slang and curse words that are unique to its fictional world. As a personal preference I generally don’t enjoy these and find that they can be overused in many YA stories, and this was the case here. But I do recognize that some people will love the inclusion of these throughout.
The Skin Factory is a fast-paced read that people can have fun with. And if you ever wondered what a lunatic, dancing Grim Reaper in a tutu would be like, then this is the story for you.
Wild stuff, right?
It’s almost nonstop action throughout the book, with the author introducing many cool and unique ideas and concepts. My issue was that with each introduction of a new set of circumstances, there wasn’t much of a corresponding explanation as to why or how things were what they were. And I found myself not being as engaged as I could have been with the story because of that.
As with most YA books, The Skin Factory contains slang and curse words that are unique to its fictional world. As a personal preference I generally don’t enjoy these and find that they can be overused in many YA stories, and this was the case here. But I do recognize that some people will love the inclusion of these throughout.
The Skin Factory is a fast-paced read that people can have fun with. And if you ever wondered what a lunatic, dancing Grim Reaper in a tutu would be like, then this is the story for you.
March 3, 2020
Really unique idea, well-executed YA.
The premise for THE SKIN FACTORY by Lucas Pederson is certainly a unique one: a teenage boy is killed when his abusive father accidentally hits him a little too hard in the wrong place, and he's put on his "path" to the afterlife. But an entity steals him off his path and takes him to the factory, where souls are kept as slaves to build human bodies they call "units" to be possessed by other creatures to silently take over the world. Then he escapes and sets out to find his sister and mother and protect them from a coming apocalypse.
At first, I'll admit, it took me a bit to get used to the writing style here. This wasn't Pederson's fault, it was my own, as I went in having never read him before and assuming this was going to be an extreme horror novel based on the title and cover only. That was my bad. What it actually is is more of an after-life-coming-of-age, dark fantasy, Young Adult novel. Once I got past my preconceptions, I really fell into the groove of the story. The main character says a lot of silly things throughout like "holy poop-nuggets!" and "donkey-nipple" and the like, and while they seemed jarring at first, the father into the story I got, the more it really seemed to fit this sixteen-year-old boy.
The dialogue is good, the pacing is steady and never lets you breathe for too long, and the characters are pretty well drawn. The backstory and the mythos of the tale are both unique and set the stage nicely for things to play out. It seems like there might be more to the story, though I'm unsure if the author is planning this to be the start of a series. I hope he does, as I'm interested in where it's all heading.
The only real critique I'd give here is that the climax seemed slightly rushed, but let me add a caveat: I listened to the audible version of this book, and right before we get to the climax, I went on a trip out of state for a few days and didn't get to continue on the book until I returned, so it's entirely possible that could have added to that feeling that it rushed a bit towards the end.
That aside, this was still an entertaining diversion and I'm glad I checked it out. Pederson is a solid writer I'm eager to read more from. I think you'll dig this one, and the audiobook (if that's your thing) is well-produced and finely narrated. I'd recommend this one to fans of dark YA fantasy and those into non-extreme horror.
The premise for THE SKIN FACTORY by Lucas Pederson is certainly a unique one: a teenage boy is killed when his abusive father accidentally hits him a little too hard in the wrong place, and he's put on his "path" to the afterlife. But an entity steals him off his path and takes him to the factory, where souls are kept as slaves to build human bodies they call "units" to be possessed by other creatures to silently take over the world. Then he escapes and sets out to find his sister and mother and protect them from a coming apocalypse.
At first, I'll admit, it took me a bit to get used to the writing style here. This wasn't Pederson's fault, it was my own, as I went in having never read him before and assuming this was going to be an extreme horror novel based on the title and cover only. That was my bad. What it actually is is more of an after-life-coming-of-age, dark fantasy, Young Adult novel. Once I got past my preconceptions, I really fell into the groove of the story. The main character says a lot of silly things throughout like "holy poop-nuggets!" and "donkey-nipple" and the like, and while they seemed jarring at first, the father into the story I got, the more it really seemed to fit this sixteen-year-old boy.
The dialogue is good, the pacing is steady and never lets you breathe for too long, and the characters are pretty well drawn. The backstory and the mythos of the tale are both unique and set the stage nicely for things to play out. It seems like there might be more to the story, though I'm unsure if the author is planning this to be the start of a series. I hope he does, as I'm interested in where it's all heading.
The only real critique I'd give here is that the climax seemed slightly rushed, but let me add a caveat: I listened to the audible version of this book, and right before we get to the climax, I went on a trip out of state for a few days and didn't get to continue on the book until I returned, so it's entirely possible that could have added to that feeling that it rushed a bit towards the end.
That aside, this was still an entertaining diversion and I'm glad I checked it out. Pederson is a solid writer I'm eager to read more from. I think you'll dig this one, and the audiobook (if that's your thing) is well-produced and finely narrated. I'd recommend this one to fans of dark YA fantasy and those into non-extreme horror.
March 30, 2020
THE STORY:
Chase is trapped in a netherworld factory where he's forced to build human bodies for dark beings known as the Wardens to infiltrate our world. When Chase overhears a plan to infect humanity with soul-eating spores called the obsidious, he escapes the Factory to save his mom and sister, Andi.
Only there's a mix-up and Chase accidentally possesses a girl's body to escape in.
In our world, his mom is confined to an asylum, while Andi has already been infected with the obsidious. If Chase can purge the stuff from Andi, convince her he's really her brother, maybe they can save their mom. But whatever is locked inside the asylum might be the very evil Chase came back to save them from.
But no matter what vessel he is in he still has to save the people he loves and maybe even all of humanity if he is feeling up to the task.
The premise for THE SKIN FACTORY is certainly a unique one. The teen boy suffers a gnarly death at the hands of his abusive father and he's put on his "path" to the afterlife. But an entity steals him o and takes him to the factory.
I love the authors writing and really enjoyed the fun 'swear words' and phrases he made up for Chase to use. These definitely added to Chase's smart-assed attitude.
This was a very solid YA sci-fi horror, quick and easy to read, and I just found out it's going to be in three parts so I can't wait to see what happens next.
Lucas Pederson is the author of short stories, anthologies, and novels. He has an extremely dark, imaginative mind full of horrors, and a unique writing style that will draw you into his world of nightmares. If you don't believe it, then you’re going to have to read this book to see what I am talking about.
Chase is trapped in a netherworld factory where he's forced to build human bodies for dark beings known as the Wardens to infiltrate our world. When Chase overhears a plan to infect humanity with soul-eating spores called the obsidious, he escapes the Factory to save his mom and sister, Andi.
Only there's a mix-up and Chase accidentally possesses a girl's body to escape in.
In our world, his mom is confined to an asylum, while Andi has already been infected with the obsidious. If Chase can purge the stuff from Andi, convince her he's really her brother, maybe they can save their mom. But whatever is locked inside the asylum might be the very evil Chase came back to save them from.
But no matter what vessel he is in he still has to save the people he loves and maybe even all of humanity if he is feeling up to the task.
The premise for THE SKIN FACTORY is certainly a unique one. The teen boy suffers a gnarly death at the hands of his abusive father and he's put on his "path" to the afterlife. But an entity steals him o and takes him to the factory.
I love the authors writing and really enjoyed the fun 'swear words' and phrases he made up for Chase to use. These definitely added to Chase's smart-assed attitude.
This was a very solid YA sci-fi horror, quick and easy to read, and I just found out it's going to be in three parts so I can't wait to see what happens next.
Lucas Pederson is the author of short stories, anthologies, and novels. He has an extremely dark, imaginative mind full of horrors, and a unique writing style that will draw you into his world of nightmares. If you don't believe it, then you’re going to have to read this book to see what I am talking about.
June 11, 2020
One of the most unique stories I have read in a long time. I didn't realize when I first started reading it that it is YA fiction. Although I generally enjoy reading YA fiction, most of it in recent years has been formula, dystopian fiction complete with a love triangle and two or more sequels. Although you will get some of the romance in this book, it is not the sappy romance you typically see in YA novels. If there had not been so much curse word substitution by the main character, I might never have discovered it was written for a younger audience. As a mom and big time horror fan, I was so happy to read something that I could also let my 12-year-old read, since there seems to be so little out there in the genre that is compelling for kids his age to read and I really want him to appreciate reading horror the way I do. It also has scifi elements, so if that's more your thing, you will definitely enjoy it in that sense.
The story is very fast-paced, with a bunch of crazy twists and turns that I hope to see in his other books. Have fun trying to predict what's going to happen next. The characters are real, and I really grew attached to them even though the book isn't extremely long. Best of all, it's witty and just downright entertaining. The ending could give way to a sequel, and that wouldn't really surprise me, but the book can also happily stand alone.
The story is very fast-paced, with a bunch of crazy twists and turns that I hope to see in his other books. Have fun trying to predict what's going to happen next. The characters are real, and I really grew attached to them even though the book isn't extremely long. Best of all, it's witty and just downright entertaining. The ending could give way to a sequel, and that wouldn't really surprise me, but the book can also happily stand alone.
March 17, 2020
I listened to the first half and read the second half. This is a fun read. It is the story of Chase, a soul trapped in a hell(?) prison, making humans...well bodies at any rate. He only wants to destroy the factory and go find his mom and sister. So he does the next best thing: he sabotages the factory, jumps in a body and comes back to “life.” Now to find his family and save the world. Easy peasy, right? Weeellll, no. I love the adventures, the romance, the...err. Well, you’re going to have to read this book to see what I am talking about. Do it. You know you want to.
November 6, 2025
The story was good, but the writing was all over the place. The way the characters spoke in the book went from kindergarten potty humor all the way up to adult language. One sentence would say something like Poopoo Peepee then the next would be dropping the F bomb. I couldn't figure out who the target audience was. And the dumb phrases were all throughout this story. Outside of this the story itself was unique and would have been a lot better with some consistency.
April 25, 2020
This book was something else. Skin Factory is the story of Chase, who is in a version of Hell where he makes model humans all day. Just pops the molars in and moves on to the next one. After having a disturbing dream about his still-living sister, he figures out a way to break out and go back to the living world, albeit in a different body. A very different body. He is going through the living world to save his sister and mother before the demons can catch up with him.
June 7, 2020
This book was not at all what I was expecting. I didn't know going in that it was ya but that didn't pull from my enjoyment in the least. This would easily have rated 5 starts from me except for the lead character's over use of a certain phrase that I found pulled me from the story because it wa used too frequently.
May 10, 2025
3 stars
It was okay. Reminded me a little of 'The Host' by Stephanie Meyer but with more supernatural elements.
It was okay. Reminded me a little of 'The Host' by Stephanie Meyer but with more supernatural elements.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews