Suburban Gothic

Urban Gothic #2

by Brian Keene, Bryan Smith

Two titans of modern horror-Brian Keene and Bryan Smith-team up for the terrifying crossover sequel to both Keene's URBAN GOTHIC and Smith's THE FREAKSHOW.




The Westgate Galleria Mall was once a sprawling, shining monument to American consumerism and suburban growth. Now, it is a crumbling reminder of how both have fallen-an architectural ghost, haunting the outskirts of society. That makes it the perfect filming location for a YouTube channel devoted to the exploration of abandoned places. But the mall isn't as empty as it seems and the residents have sinister obscene plans for them. Now, with the daylight still hours away, both the hunters and the hunted will fight to stay alive...and desperately try to make it home.




SUBURBAN GOTHIC by Brian Keene and Bryan Smith-Home is where is the severed heart is...

Genres: Horror, Splatterpunk

241 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2020

About the author

BRIAN KEENE writes novels, comic books, short fiction, and occasional journalism for money. He is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. His 2003 novel, The Rising, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later film) with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as Doctor Who, Hellboy, Masters of the Universe, and Superman.

Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.

Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.

Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.

The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Keene's Urban Gothic, which I enjoyed, and Smith's The Freakshow, with which I was unfamiliar. It's an extremely brutal and graphic book with several scenes of sexual violence and bizarre abuse and readers unable to stomach such should avoid it. It's set in an abandoned shopping mall which seems to be the set for Romero's Dawn of the Dead film. There are several other brief homages to famous historical bits from the genre, such as Aliens and Harlan Ellison's I have No Mouth and I Must Scream. There are two gangs who have taken up residence in the mall, and in traditional slasher fashion they take turns in slaughtering people who happen to find their way in. None of the characters are developed well enough that they become sympathetic, but it was still an entertaining enough read, though the ending wasn't too resounding. (Spoiler warning!) One of the characters begins to climb a Cliver Barker-ish tower near the end that was probably supposed to be significantly meaningful, but it escaped me completely, and the rest of the survivors seemed to be setting up for another sequel. Urban Gothic offered more in the way of satire and social commentary, but this one was still pretty good.

[Tara Losacano · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this book was everything I'd hoped for and more!! It had all the makings of an epic sequel, plus some new depravity for good measure. I appreciated how they brought elements from both Urban Gothic by Keene and Freakshow by Smith in so seamlessly. The ending was perfect and I'm hoping for a third book to continue the story.. Southern Gothic, anyone? 5/5 freak skulls 💀

[Uptown Horror Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

ORIGINAL REVIEW (August 5, 2021)

After the cannibalistic and deformed mutants from the first book are forced to flee their home, they stumble upon an abandonded mall that just so happens to be home to another group of mutants who are just as fucked up and depraved as they are. What should've been a match made in heaven (or hell) quickly becomes a power struggle as these two groups find themselves at odds with eachother and we watch this giant house of horrors turn into a war zone.

I'd been looking forward to reading this book for years now, but I have to be honest with myself and say that although the book was good, it wasn't nearly as good as its predecessor. All of the great social commentary regarding race and classism from the first book is nowhere to be found in this sequel, and its attempt to tie into Bryan Smiths other novel, "The Freakshow" just turned into a jumbled mess towards the end. If a person who isn't familiar with Bryan Smith's work were to read this book I feel like they'd have no idea what was going on. Hell......*I* didn't even know what was going on half the time.

As I stated before, the book WAS entertaining, and maybe I'm being unfair to the book by comparing it to the first one, but I feel like this installment was more of a mindless gore-fest, instead of a splatterpunk novel that was actually trying to say something the way the first book was.

I'm giving Suburban Gothic 3 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐

REREAD REVIEW (October 6, 2025)

So I feel like I was a bit harsh with my initial review. After rereading both books back to back I was surprised to see how much I was enjoying this sequel and how much fun I was having. Brian Keene makes a brilliant perspective shift, turning the mutant cannibals of the first book into the main protagonists and actually making the reader sympathize with their plight. I even found some of them to be cute 😂

Bryan Smith adds a touch of his on-brand wackiness to the book and bringing his universe into this story just makes it feel bigger and better in every way. My only complaint is that I wish he would've tied this universe in with his "Depraved" series as well. Would've been much more fitting.

I'm pretty sure that if this series continues its gonna take place after the events of this book, but I'd love to see a prequel more than anything. I need to know how this mutant family came to be and how it all started. Either way I'll be looking forward to the next entry in this series - whatever that may be.

I'm giving Suburban Gothic 4 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waited 10 years for this sequel to Urban Gothic. It was worth the wait. Awesome gory and creepy story. It wasn't as good as Urban Gothic, but was close. I liked how well Keene and Smith worked together. I was lucky to get a Thunderstorm copy. Thunderstorm Books did an awesome job on this limited edition.

[Dakota Dawe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keene and Smith did exactly what they wanted to with this book. The kills and action sequences are over the top and in-your-face brutal. There’s so many times a death came unexpectedly. This was such a fun read and it was worth the wait for the paperback edition. The pacing is excellent, and the references to Covid-19 made me chuckle at times. This book should be on every horror reader’s shelf.

[Emily Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book written by 2 of my favorite authors?! Sign me up!! After reading both The Freakshow and Urban Gothic I couldn’t wait to get to this one! This one was really fun. I loved that it took place inside of an abandoned mall. It made for such a cool setting! The dynamic between the two different groups living inside made for an interesting story. Plus the added outsiders venturing inside when they shouldn’t. This was one brutal, hilarious at times and action packed read!

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian Keene and Bryan Smith are THE greatest splatterpunk writers of all time. This is the best of the best.
And they did a collaboration?!
Excuse me while I fangirl out.....

This book combines Keene's Urban Gothic (which happens to be my favorite book by him) and Smith's The Freakshow. While I enjoy their separate works more, Suburban Gothic delivers us the best of both writers. All the best of Keene's mythos and madness. All the best of Smith's depravity.

If you're a splatterpunk fan, get your hands on this book immediately.

[Horror Bookworm Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horror Bookworm Reviews
https://horrorbookwormreviews.com/

Forced from their environmental catacombs beneath the surface level, a mutated family has been decimated and forced to rebuild their lineage elsewhere. An abandoned mall by the name of Westgate Galleria, has become the new home to these vile monstrosities and gruesome freaks. Here is where two inverse clans have initiated their existence. One has undertaken a vision of horrific scientific experimentations and the other wants to lead his mutants to the promise land. Between the two, lie the innocent victims that happen to cross these malformed deviants path.

Suburban Gothic is a stand alone story as well as a sequel to both Urban Gothic by Brian Keene and The Freakshow by Bryan Smith. With its location taken place in a dystopian mall, this novel conjoins both unruly bizarre captors and their desolate prey. With immoral characters such as Captain Rat, Tusk-Face and Doctor Midnight, this “Hills Have Eyes” on steroids packs an extreme punch.

The duo of Keene & Smith bring their “A Game” to this inbred carnival of carnage. It was exciting to experience what these two heavyweights of horror had in store for their readership. The unusual characters inhabiting the walls of the subterranean mall are the true celebrities of this grotesque work of fiction. Their creepiness allows the reader to bypass any unnecessary fat and focus directly on the central rotted meat of the story. Nonetheless, be prepared to encounter a variety of abominations and exploitations of every sinister kind. Not for the easily offended.

What we have here is a nasty novel cookie consisting of two outer Brian/Bryan shells with a creamy bloody filling. Published by Deadite Press, this grab bag of disemboweling, decapitation and fetal twin rage take all the necessary risks to present an enjoyable vile experience. Basic rule to survive a Keene/Smith novel…never, ever, under any circumstance go near an abandoned mall. A five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Horror Bookworm Recommendation.

[Mylene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Splatterpunk extraordinaire

I recently read Urban Gothic, so I could dive into this sequel, (as I read The Freakshow several years ago). I felt that, although good, it did not rate as high as either origin story. I believe part of reason for that was that the characters were not explored deeply enough for the reader to really rue their demise. That being said, it was still a fun sequel with some hi innovative and brutal kill scenes. And, when I say brutal, I mean BRUTAL.

One small detail that I really appreciated was the inclusion of Mabel from JF Gonzales’ stories. I am hoping that Keene and Smith might include her character at some point.

They also put together an intriguing storyline for another collaboration. I’m looking forward to Part 3..

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting blood soaked mashup sequel to Keene's Urban Gothic and Smith's Freakshow. Refugees from both groups are holed up in an abandoned shopping Mall. Definitely unhealthy for anyone who happens to find themselves anywhere near the premises. Recommended for readers with strong stomachs, but not the faint of heart.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read but it was slow in parts and it felt like more of a set up to another book than a sequel to the two books that came before it. Preferred Urban Gothic and Freakshow but would still recommend reading this.

[Katrina Lawrenz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Super disappointed in this one. I’ve read every book Brian Keene wrote and loved them all. This one however was just super annoying. I got this book to read a gory book not get lectured about COVID 19 and wearing masks. It ruined the entire book. Super disappointing.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the record, Brian Keene is becoming one of my all time favorite authors. I’ve been loving his books lately and have many more of his works on my “want to read” list; however, I only read one book by Smith (Depraved) and hated it. I thought he focused too much on the sexually explicit scenes for the sake of shock value, and it ended up hurting the story. Here in Suburban Gothic, I noticed that with some scenes involving Dr. Midnight, but the story was a little better.

Not sure who wrote what scenes specifically, but I think it’s safe to give props to both authors. I do believe I would have preferred this novel more, had it just been written by Keene and stayed a solo sequel to Urban Gothic, but I didn’t completely hate Smith’s addition to the extent that I hated Depraved. Even though this book had some of those scenes that dragged and had “Smith’s signature style” in it, there was still more good in this novel than there was bad.

Solid read.

[Alex McConnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read the majority of Keene’s work and a number of Smith’s books as well, I had high hopes for this collaborative “sequel” to each authors standalone novels. Unfortunately, Suburban Gothic was far more interested in being extreme, torturous, gross-out horror than it was in following any cohesive plot.
Essentially the mutant inbred cannibal family from Keene’s Urban Gothic wind up “working with” characters from Smith’s Freakshow. They lure people into the mall and then torture them in the name of the malls overseer and head bad guy Dr. Midnight. A group of people wind up in the mall being horrifically picked off one by one. There seems to be a small explanation of why all the torture near the end of the book, but it’s barely explained and seemed glossed over.
The long and the short is that this book didn’t really work. It was clear the authors had different ideas for where the characters and story were going, as plot threads are ignored and characters do complete personality switches between chapters. The book itself seemed to just be two authors killing characters as grotesquely as possible while imagining a mall full of mutants. Which is another issue I have. A full mall of mutant creatures and freaks? That came from where????
Basically I wanted to enjoy this collaborative effort but the inconsistencies and lack of plot were overwhelming. On top of which I could have done without a couple of the more extreme scenes. The fact the was a sequel was also very barely explored. I expected much better.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Keene’s Urban Gothic which I really enjoyed and Smith’s Freakshow, which I haven’t got around to reading yet. The two writers and the merging of their books, ideas and styles works remarkably well, and they tell a gruesome story with some very memorable and disturbing moments. I highly recommend this to fans of either writer, you don’t need to read all the related books to enjoy this gorefest, however if you are easily offended then stay away!

[DJMikeG · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of both authors, so I was very excited for this book. The book was not bad by any means, but didn't quite live up to my expectations. It is an incredibly disgusting book, which was to be expected as both Keene's Urban Gothic and Smith's The Freakshow were, as well. For my money, though, it just didn't quite read like either author at their best.
That said, even on an off day, both Keene and Smith deliver the goods.
The ending felt a little too quick for me. The storylines of the book all read like we were racing towards a big gnarly blowout of an ending, but it all just wraps up pretty quickly.
While it was a fast read, and will shock even the most hardened fans of extreme horror, it just didn't quite work as a whole for me. Not disappointing but also not quite great.

[Danny Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Keene and Bryan Smith are both masters of the extreme horror and splatterpunk subgenres that have made a name for themselves throughout the years with stuff like The Rising and Depraved. Suburban Gothic is their collaborative piece that is a sequel to stories they've both written individually, such as Urban Gothic and The Freakshow. This bizarre combination of the two stories along with it being a huge love letter to the extreme horror subgenre, makes this an interesting experiment and I've been looking forward to reading it!

The Westgate Galleria Mall was once the home to a thriving capitalist economy, but online shopping and the internet have taken over and have resulted in such establishments becoming defunct. But with the shoppers and employees all gone, new tenants have taken over the mall. Two factions are continuing with their lives, one of them being a series of mutants who have been chased out of their home and the other a mysterious species from another realm. But neither of them is exactly on easy footing with one another. The mall has always had an air of tension to it, but with multiple groups of curious humans coming into the fold to investigate the supposedly abandoned palace of consumerism, shit is about to go insane.

Brian Keene and Bryan Smith have written an exciting and grotesque piece of extreme horror fiction that is both a love letter to the sub-genre as well as feeling very inspired by Dawn of The Dead, but instead of zombies, it is a mall filled with mutated maniacs and bizarre entities from another realm. It is an extremely violent and at times imaginative novel filled with a bizarre cast of characters from Youtubers, an Instagram model, and drug addicts to bizarre scientists, and a mutated family.

It's a novel that keeps you on your toes with its violent scenes and unpredictability. It's an insane novel that's explosive in the bloodiest way possible. The story is very thin on plot admittedly but it makes up for it by expanding upon the villains from Urban Gothic and the sheer bizarre reality of the science that's established in The Freakshow. Most of the characters in this story (bar a couple of exceptions) aren't particularly good people, they are all very self-centered individuals with their own personal trials and tribulations to face. It's a novel that reminds me of films like Jason vs Freddy in the sense that it's more about the villains and what gruesome things they will come up with for their victims, as opposed to the victims themselves. But it's a lot more fun than any of those movies and a lot more imaginative in some ways.

I enjoyed the little references to other novels in the extreme horror sub-genre such as The Bighead for example, which as a huge fan of that novel I really appreciated.

Overall: It's not an outstanding story by any means, especially when comparing it to the two novels it's essentially a sequel too. But this is a really fun and explosive novel, that admittedly also has a pretty cool ending, bittersweet sure, but it's neat all the same. 8.5/10

[D.S. West · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't explored the splatterpunk and extreme corners of horror lit until recently, thanks to a horror group I've joined; this is only my second foray, after Kristopher Trains's Toxic Love. The story is well executed. This is a mutual sequel to two of the authors' precious books, which is an interesting project. I hadn't read the previous books following Scug and his mutant pals, nor of the previous exploits of Dr. Midnight and his freakshow, but this novel was a blast to read.

Nasty, nasty depictions of murder and torture are a given for this genre, so if you're not into prose about firecrackers inserted in Ds or agonizing dismemberments, this isn't your tea. I didn't think I'd enjoy such gore-centric material, but the humor kept it together. The ending is a little underwhelming, but it frees both authors to continue with their characters in future installments if they want-- makes sense.

A few months ago I was thinking I would be turned off by COVID being a factor in fiction, but the movie The Host (on Shudder) and now this novel utilize it wonderfully. There's some terrific political and topical banter that cracked me up-- it's tongue in cheek and adds lots of flavor to this messy affair.

The setting makes this work too. Remember malls? Remember those? This is almost nostalgic, besides the murderous bums and flesh-eating freaks. Good times.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by Brian Keene and Bryan Smith is a terrifying sequel to Urban Gothic and a crossover from Smith's The Freakshow, I read over a decade ago that it worth the wait absolutely yes!!

We begin the prologue with Scug, Jax and Gax and their family including little ones are escaping their urban home, this is after the police raid their home with guns leaving their home burning down to the ground, they end up escaping through the sewers hiding in s**t and p**s the first night. They decide to leave and head to the surburbs.

As they run, they come upon a desolate mall that is unoccupied, they thought at first, but Mr Midnight is living there with monstrosities of his creations and people with deformities that are unimaginable ..... so sick that these two authors came up with. Now I thought I had a strong stomach .... not for this book at quite a lot of times 😱😱😳

It's a sickening, horrific, gore infested story, terrorising, blood splatter horror, and cringe worthy, too .... oh my god. This book definitely tested my limit of extreme horror, especially when I had to take a break from the book. Be warned you need a strong mind and stomach to read this book. It horrified me and sickened me so grossed me out. Read if you dare, I have warned you!!! Do not enter this mall. You'll die trying to escape the horrors that are unimaginable inside!!!!

[Glenn Rolfe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man, I waited for this book (a sequel to Keene's excellent and terrifying URBAN GOTHIC).
The weight of expectations were just way too much. Brian had trouble finishing this one and brought in fellow Leisure Horror Guru Bryan Smith. I am a fan of both writers works and them as individuals.
Unfortunately, I think Brian should have just buried this book.
Suburban Gothic starts out okay, but quickly unravels into a cartoonish romp that I just couldn't care about or believe in.
Part of the magic of its predecessor was Keene's incredible ability to make the scenario feel "possible". You felt bad for its cast and wanted to see them get out alive.
Sadly, I had none of those feelings reading this book.

Others may enjoy this one a heck of a lot more than me.
This will never stop me from reading either author, as they are both awesome.

This one just never had a chance. Sorry, brothers.

I give Suburban Gothic 2 sad, cartoony scare-bear stars. Just read or reread URBAN GOTHIC and/or DEPRAVED instead.

[Cody Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well then...I waited a while for this one, and I have to say this one was good, but Im not a fan of what he did to all the characters. I know it's a horror novel, but still. He left it open for a 3rd book. I will continue to follow this series. Brain's writing is good and continues to be one of my writing influences. Just like any other author books can be hit or miss. This one was just okay. Still worth the read though!

[Kyle L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big fan of Brian Keene's Urban Gothic. So, I was excited to read the sequel. Haven't read Bryan Smith's Freakshow, but this seemed to be more of a sequel to that, and featuring Scug and his family in merely a supporting role.
Needless to say, it was nothing like the original. Weird otherworldly storylines take the forefront over the more terrifying grounded horrors of Urban Gothic. By the halfway point, every likeable character you were rooting for was either dead, or became irredeemable.

[Thomas Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sequel was almost as good as its predecessor. Violent, gory, realistic imagination. I felt like I was in the mall and I can see the human spider and I can see the human pillar. I have a feeling their will be a part 3. The ending did leave a few cliffhangers. And I am hoping for more of the 13 tie-ins!

[DaisyDoesBooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really disappointed with this. After being a big fan of Brian Keene for many years I’ve found his last couple of books to be quite poor. The schlocky-horror is just too much and it’s very much style over substance. I get that splatterpunk is supposed to be over the top but this just feels like it was trying to shock and gross-out readers while forgetting to have an actual story going on.

[Tara Magana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a depraved, gory ride and everything that I expect from Brian Keene.

[Jesse Bollinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very extreme story. Not that that was surprising, with the authors involved. Some really interesting kills in the story. My only criticism would be that I felt the characters were a little under developed, although people who read horror may not care about those sorts of things. It made me have trouble caring what happened to them.

[Ryan Sasek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun bloody ride from these two fantastic authors. If you enjoyed Urban Gothic and Freakshow definitely check this one out.

[Eric Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, disturbing, sickening, perverted, a great sequel to urban gothic, Brian Keene rarely disappoints.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic entry in the "Gothic" series. Gory grossfest but that's a good thing! Highly recommended for fans of extreme horror.

[Nicole Castaneda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but found it was lack the “crossover” that I was looking for. It was much more a sequel to Urban Gothic than it was a mashup of Urban Gothic and The Freakshow, in my opinion.