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Born to be Weird: A Short Collection of Demented Fantasy & Horror
A short collection of weird, twisted stories, featuring the gothic science story The School of Necromancy (like Harry Potter meets Frankenstein and Lovecraft!) and the very bloody horror The Gauntlet of Gore, which is like nothing else.
Included are the short stories (also available separately):
The School of Necromancy - Deep below the city of York, below the sewers, below the catacombs, lies the School. It is here, if you are privileged to be selected, that you can study the art of raising the dead.
Keep it Clean - Have you ever been swallowed by a public toilet? No? This man has. A truly grotesque and odious tale.
There's Only One King - Elvis Shadow walks the world, caught between this life and the next. A world containing other half-creatures, other myths and legends.
Quetzacthulhu - A monstrous and terrible Elder God arises to wreak destruction on the Aztec Empire, in this homage to Lovecraft.
The Half-School - A dream-like account of a return to an old school.
The Gauntlet of Gore - "When playing the Gauntlet, there are two options. Either you win, or the whole team dies.
Either you die, or you see every other opposing team member blown to bits. There are no corpses, only giblets."
January 5th - "It was January the 5th, and everywhere things were dead or dying."
Cover by JCD2 Design.
Included are the short stories (also available separately):
The School of Necromancy - Deep below the city of York, below the sewers, below the catacombs, lies the School. It is here, if you are privileged to be selected, that you can study the art of raising the dead.
Keep it Clean - Have you ever been swallowed by a public toilet? No? This man has. A truly grotesque and odious tale.
There's Only One King - Elvis Shadow walks the world, caught between this life and the next. A world containing other half-creatures, other myths and legends.
Quetzacthulhu - A monstrous and terrible Elder God arises to wreak destruction on the Aztec Empire, in this homage to Lovecraft.
The Half-School - A dream-like account of a return to an old school.
The Gauntlet of Gore - "When playing the Gauntlet, there are two options. Either you win, or the whole team dies.
Either you die, or you see every other opposing team member blown to bits. There are no corpses, only giblets."
January 5th - "It was January the 5th, and everywhere things were dead or dying."
Cover by JCD2 Design.
132 pages, ebook
Published November 11, 2018
5 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Set Sytes
34 books61 followersAuthor and purveyor of all things fantastical, dark and weird.
Please don't feed him onions.
Please don't feed him onions.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 9, 2021
This is the first time ever that I do a review about a Collection of short stories. I think it's also the first time that I read a Collection. I don't know how it generally goes so I guess I will just tackle each of them individually rather than write an overall review for the book as an anthology and how the stories share a similar theme (which I think it’s for the best as I don’t even know if that was the author’s intnention). Before I start the review I want to say this, though: I think the strength of these fragments lies in developing certain compelling ideas and unique concepts that can't fuel a whole book on their own, but are compelling enough to deal with them in an original manner. And this shorter format not only helps, but propels it to further horizons. This is, obviously, just my impression, but I will be comming back and back again to this argument in the other stories when I talk about what didn't click with me.
The School of Necromancy: An okay little story with a lot of potential not fully realized. The best thing here is the setting; The School is the very main character of the book, and the author let's you get intimate with lots of little details of how the culture and universe of this little setting Works: the subjects you can take, how to acces it... I was eager to learn more about it, though, but the story went to focus instead on the mystery of what happened with a couple of the students, a teacher and how the situation got out of hand.
The characters, in contrast with the school, are lacking and weren't really interesting to me. They didn't leave a strong enough impression in the 40 or so pages (less if we consider that the full story deals first with talking about the School of Necromancy) that came short to develop them or make me grow closer to them.
On the other hand, the prose is good, I would say, and it helps that the story was narrated by a charismatic character that gave a little edge to the text.
In the end I would give this a 6/10 and wish it had focused more on the school.
Keep it Clean: 10/10, best short story of the whole book, and one of my favorite things this author has written. I won't spoil anything in particular but I will say that it lives by everything I wrote in the first paragraph; unique concept and strong execution with the story that was presented. The prose here is stellar, with good turns of phrases, excelent pacing, descriptions on point that made the text feel vivid and real.
There's Only One King: I won't lie. I don't fully know what happened here. The main character is Elvis Presley. But not really. He is the shadow that was left behind when the real Elvis died. And he is on earth. But not really. It's limbo-esque setting in Earth where there are fantastic creatures and shadow remnants of the souls of other people. I don't know if I missed out on some things because I'm not fully familiar with Elvis's story and that's why I didn't grasp the full meaning of the text (or why Elvis went to Los Angeles and got brifely beat by some pachinko people) but I liked it. It felt weird and I couldn't tell what was going to happen next. 8/10 I needed more Marilyn Monroe.
Quetzachtulhu: I won't say much about this one because I feel like I will be going on again and again with the same problems I had with The School of Necromancy; I liked the setting (mesoamerican culture) and the monster that gives his name to the story, but the plot dragged on too long for what the story was trying to tell. Maybe this one could have a greater impact if it had a novella format or a fully fleged book where more of the reactions in face of this great calamity may have been explored. But as things are, a lot of things that happened here were merely brushed off in an instant, surely because of the story being restricted by it's length. The ending could also have been better: 5/10.
The Half School: I don't know what was this about. I was even more confused than with the Elvis's short story. I think it talked about how we are different versions depending of the moments, how we are perceived… I don't know. I know it talked about bullying. I know it left a good taste in my mouth after finishing the chapter. It felt hopeful despite the struggles the character had faced. I need to think more about this one. 8,5/10 somebody explain this one to me.
The Gauntlet of Gore: The most traditional short story of the bunch. It has a Hunger Games feel going for it (and the fact that is short helps you not thinking about how the society would prosper when childre literally murder each other in the dozens) and a really cool main character. The game itself is interesting but maybe it could have been explored further. It also felt like it laked something that could have made it more unique and engaging. 7/10.
I don't know how could I rate this Collection: the average of each story? The overall feel? Not rating it, even?
As of now, I think I'm going to give this one a 7/10 and tell anybody that reads this mess of a review to go ahead and give himself the pleasure to try out, at least, Keep It Clean. You are missing out on that one.
The School of Necromancy: An okay little story with a lot of potential not fully realized. The best thing here is the setting; The School is the very main character of the book, and the author let's you get intimate with lots of little details of how the culture and universe of this little setting Works: the subjects you can take, how to acces it... I was eager to learn more about it, though, but the story went to focus instead on the mystery of what happened with a couple of the students, a teacher and how the situation got out of hand.
The characters, in contrast with the school, are lacking and weren't really interesting to me. They didn't leave a strong enough impression in the 40 or so pages (less if we consider that the full story deals first with talking about the School of Necromancy) that came short to develop them or make me grow closer to them.
On the other hand, the prose is good, I would say, and it helps that the story was narrated by a charismatic character that gave a little edge to the text.
In the end I would give this a 6/10 and wish it had focused more on the school.
Keep it Clean: 10/10, best short story of the whole book, and one of my favorite things this author has written. I won't spoil anything in particular but I will say that it lives by everything I wrote in the first paragraph; unique concept and strong execution with the story that was presented. The prose here is stellar, with good turns of phrases, excelent pacing, descriptions on point that made the text feel vivid and real.
There's Only One King: I won't lie. I don't fully know what happened here. The main character is Elvis Presley. But not really. He is the shadow that was left behind when the real Elvis died. And he is on earth. But not really. It's limbo-esque setting in Earth where there are fantastic creatures and shadow remnants of the souls of other people. I don't know if I missed out on some things because I'm not fully familiar with Elvis's story and that's why I didn't grasp the full meaning of the text (or why Elvis went to Los Angeles and got brifely beat by some pachinko people) but I liked it. It felt weird and I couldn't tell what was going to happen next. 8/10 I needed more Marilyn Monroe.
Quetzachtulhu: I won't say much about this one because I feel like I will be going on again and again with the same problems I had with The School of Necromancy; I liked the setting (mesoamerican culture) and the monster that gives his name to the story, but the plot dragged on too long for what the story was trying to tell. Maybe this one could have a greater impact if it had a novella format or a fully fleged book where more of the reactions in face of this great calamity may have been explored. But as things are, a lot of things that happened here were merely brushed off in an instant, surely because of the story being restricted by it's length. The ending could also have been better: 5/10.
The Half School: I don't know what was this about. I was even more confused than with the Elvis's short story. I think it talked about how we are different versions depending of the moments, how we are perceived… I don't know. I know it talked about bullying. I know it left a good taste in my mouth after finishing the chapter. It felt hopeful despite the struggles the character had faced. I need to think more about this one. 8,5/10 somebody explain this one to me.
The Gauntlet of Gore: The most traditional short story of the bunch. It has a Hunger Games feel going for it (and the fact that is short helps you not thinking about how the society would prosper when childre literally murder each other in the dozens) and a really cool main character. The game itself is interesting but maybe it could have been explored further. It also felt like it laked something that could have made it more unique and engaging. 7/10.
I don't know how could I rate this Collection: the average of each story? The overall feel? Not rating it, even?
As of now, I think I'm going to give this one a 7/10 and tell anybody that reads this mess of a review to go ahead and give himself the pleasure to try out, at least, Keep It Clean. You are missing out on that one.
Read
January 8, 2022over all i'm giving this book a 2 out of 5. the first two stories were great and i would've loved if the other stories were more like it, but unfortunately it was kind of downhill from there. the stories were weird and unique in their own ways, but the first two set the bar really high (perhaps too high?) for me.
• the school of necromancy - 3.5/5
• keep it clean - 5/5 what the actual fuck is this story? and why do i want an entire book filled with stories like this?
• there's only one king - did not finish, skipped it after a couple of pages. for some reason it just felt off and i couldn't get into it.
• quetzacthulhu - 2.5/5
• the half-school - 2/5 i wasn't completely sure what was going on in this story. it was weird and i felt like it didn't do anything and nothing really happened? i was waiting for some big reveal or something to happen, but nothing happened.
• the gauntlet of gore - 3/5 sarah is an amazing character, but the story was just alright.
• january 5th - 2.5/5
• the school of necromancy - 3.5/5
• keep it clean - 5/5 what the actual fuck is this story? and why do i want an entire book filled with stories like this?
• there's only one king - did not finish, skipped it after a couple of pages. for some reason it just felt off and i couldn't get into it.
• quetzacthulhu - 2.5/5
• the half-school - 2/5 i wasn't completely sure what was going on in this story. it was weird and i felt like it didn't do anything and nothing really happened? i was waiting for some big reveal or something to happen, but nothing happened.
• the gauntlet of gore - 3/5 sarah is an amazing character, but the story was just alright.
• january 5th - 2.5/5
Read
October 22, 2025I hate giving low star reviews to indie books/authors, so I won’t rate where it’s counted.
However I fear this might be my most disliked book of the year. Which totally sucks because you would think “demented fantasy and bizarro horror” is totally up my alley. I only enjoyed two stories:
Keep It Clean- really grossed me out (this is a compliment) because I have a serious issue with bathrooms but wtf is the ending? He wakes up w a dirty poop knife and starts… killing people who, like, take shits? Or disrespecting toilets?? Idk
Gauntlet of Gore- pretty much the hunger games, but high school teams & some fantasy creatures. I found Sarah compelling and the action was fast, plus the little fucked up twist at the end was interesting. My favorite story in the whole collection, easy.
All in all, most stories were very boring. School of Necromancy is the first in the book & probably wouldn’t be the hook I would go with but it is kinda fun! Although my least favorite was Halfway bc brother I do not need another description of hell & then no fucking ending. “My quest must continue” okay I’m glad I’m not on it.
However I fear this might be my most disliked book of the year. Which totally sucks because you would think “demented fantasy and bizarro horror” is totally up my alley. I only enjoyed two stories:
Keep It Clean- really grossed me out (this is a compliment) because I have a serious issue with bathrooms but wtf is the ending? He wakes up w a dirty poop knife and starts… killing people who, like, take shits? Or disrespecting toilets?? Idk
Gauntlet of Gore- pretty much the hunger games, but high school teams & some fantasy creatures. I found Sarah compelling and the action was fast, plus the little fucked up twist at the end was interesting. My favorite story in the whole collection, easy.
All in all, most stories were very boring. School of Necromancy is the first in the book & probably wouldn’t be the hook I would go with but it is kinda fun! Although my least favorite was Halfway bc brother I do not need another description of hell & then no fucking ending. “My quest must continue” okay I’m glad I’m not on it.
November 8, 2023
So, Lovecraft, Ramsey Campbell, and Barker are influences that can be felt. I am not sure if the Bizarro connection aside from the humour in a few of the stories.
Many of the stories have that 'the outsider' feel. A few reach for the cosmic horror and do a decent job of attaining it.
Dreams of the unknown kadath seems to be a touchstone as well.
One story about a haunted toilet which is closest to Bizarro reminds me of Barker's story of a swimming pool, 'The Madonna'. Mainly due to its atmosphere and setting with transformation.
I enjoyed the read. I wish for a bit more, especially in terms of over the top. The ideas are good and can be pushed a little more. The signs for a good future are there.
Many of the stories have that 'the outsider' feel. A few reach for the cosmic horror and do a decent job of attaining it.
Dreams of the unknown kadath seems to be a touchstone as well.
One story about a haunted toilet which is closest to Bizarro reminds me of Barker's story of a swimming pool, 'The Madonna'. Mainly due to its atmosphere and setting with transformation.
I enjoyed the read. I wish for a bit more, especially in terms of over the top. The ideas are good and can be pushed a little more. The signs for a good future are there.
December 11, 2022
There was only one good story in the lot. The rest were messy and confusing
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews