Isolation is Safety

by Ira Rat (Editor), Jon Steffens, Joe Koch

four stories of fear and isolation written by the most unnerving voices in the modern horror underground

Featuring
Jon Steffens
Joe Koch
Justin Lutz
Dominick Cancilla

Genres: Horror

108 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2021

About the author

Ira Rat works and lives in Ames, IA.

Reviews

[Matt Neil Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

102 (literally) pocket-sized pages that pack a punch from Filthy Loot, featuring stories from Jon Steffens, Joe Koch, Justin Lutz and Dominick Cancilla. Predominantly body horror, with a fair bit of psychological trauma/derangement and a dash of folk horror, this made me want to read more by all the authors involved - 3 of whom I'd never read before plus Joe Koch, of whom I'm already a confirmed fan.

[Coral · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that shows isolation does not equal safety. 🪱

[Bob Comparda · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 short stories. The first one was twisted and got crazier and crazier and left you wanting more. The second was cool, but not really my style. I just couldn't get into the last two. Cool cover and I liked that it fit into my back pocket.

Jon Steffens - The Bone Mother ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Joanna Koch - How to Fillet Angels ⭐⭐⭐
Justin Lutz - Belly Full of Hell ⭐⭐
Dominick Cancilla - Shower Thoughts ⭐⭐

[on storygraph (macclown) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really strong opening with 'The Bone Mother' by Jon Steffens. A great little story about being isolated in the mountains, sick and scared. An incredible ending. My favourite of the lot.

'How To Fillet Angels' by Joanna Koch was ok, it rambled on a bit long and I'm not sure I entirely got it. But the imagery near the end was so, so good.

'Belly Full of Hell' by Justin Lutz was really good, a gross short horror about parasites, or something similar! Definitely something I'd like to see built on.

Finally, 'Shower Thoughts' by Dominick Cancilla was a great, quick little end to the book. A great little twist in the middle but not sure how I felt about the end.

A great little collection!

[Logan Hobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some gripping short stories. Body horror isn't really my thing, but the suspense in some of these stories was top notch.
1. The Bone Mother (3/5): good twist at the end, spooky villain
2. How to Fillet Angels (2/5): too abstract for me, and the confusing use of non-descriptives didn't help; hard to visualize the craziness that was happening. I'd love to see this as a TV episode though.
3. Belly Full of Hell (3.5/5): liked the narrative in this one, but the ending felt a bit rushed. Feel like it could be easily have been a great novella.
4. Shower Thoughts (1/5): The nonlinearity of it is confusing, a little too surreal for me.

[Noelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

1. The Bone Mother by Jon Steffens - 4 stars. Atmospheric and creepy. Definitely made me feel isolated. Will definitely check out his other FilthyLoot title.
2. How to Fillet Angels by Joanna Koch - 1 star. I just didn’t get it.
3. Belly Full of Hell by Justin Lutz - 3 stars. Great body horror. I only wish it told the reader a little more about the “condition” and how it came about in the first place. I know short stories don’t have to explain everything, but it would’ve benefitted more in this case.
4. Shower Thoughts by Dominick Cancilla - 1 star. Once again, I just didn’t get it.

Overall 2 stars. Steffens and Lutz made this bearable and really understood the theme of isolation.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another solid collection of stories from Filthy Loot, the press you can and should judge by their fantastic covers. This short collection of stories about isolation is well worth the ride.