Soup

by Kate DeJonge, S.D. Smyle (Editor)

Ashley McCormack was brutally abused as a child, but she's found a way to thrive as the sadistic Assistant Coroner at the City of Changusay morgue. Convicts from a nearby maximum security prison get shanked on a regular basis, and Ashley loves to play with their remains, picturing her estranged father with every slice of her scalpel. When the morgue is updated with the newest in "environmentally friendly" human disposal systems, the Alkaline Hydrolysis HT500, a fellow member of her dark web death group makes an offer she can't refuse. No really, she can't.

Genres: Horror, Novella, Suspense

72 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 12, 2022

About the author

Voted "most likely to run and hide" from anything spooky in younger years, Kate has made it one of her life goals to prove everyone wrong. Her stories are based on recurring nightmares, her experiences as a paranormal investigator and medium, and explorations into the crossroads where the darkness of mental illness become tangled with horror fiction (based on her own experience with CPTSD and MDD).

If you enjoy the works of Anne Rice, give her Bathorians series a try. It's witchcraft, alternative history, a splash of romance for heat, and plenty of bloody gore. Recommended age 16+.

Her short stories cover all things supernatural/horror, from ghosts and ghouls to live burials and dark fetishism. Recommended age 16+.

Reviews

[Lady MacDeath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ashley McCormack has always had a fascination for the morbid. She dreams of owning her own funeral home, and after graduating from college in “Funeral Services”, she gains employment as a “Morgue Assistant” at the City Morgue. Here, she helps herself to small trophies from the bodies of serial killers, rapists and paedophiles.

This was an enjoyably, dark and interesting, scientific extreme horror story, and was a perfect read for me, with my fascination of all things morbid and macabre.

Highly recommended 👍🏼

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Ronald McGillvray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate DeJonge hits it out of the park with her novella Soup. Ashley has some issues but she’s found a creative workaround for them. She’s also found a way to share her deviant behaviour with others. Someone though is watching her and they’re going to make her an offer she can’t refuse. Soup is an excellent, fast paced read that you won’t soon forget. Soup’s up.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

DAMN...that was bloody murderous good soup....🍲 Extremely satisfying.
A dark and mysterious read....I loved Ashley's character and her little trophies and I wanted a hell of a lot more of the darklorrd666🌚
I would of loved this book to be longer as I was getting totally engrossed in it and it suddenly and abruptly came to an end😩
Kate DeJonge has a wonderful mind and is an awesome horror author...I loved this book.
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐'s as I wanted sooooooo much more from the Liquidiser and the darklorrd666!!!

[Yvonne (the putrid Shelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soup is a story that quite literally has you gagging. When you think of the worst of the worst in humanity, what comes to mind? The murderers, the child abusers, the sexual assaulter s. If you had the opportunity to dispose of them in the most perverted way, would you?

This is what Ashley does. As a survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of her father, she has no time for these kinds of people. She has weird perversion for disposing of these kind of people. Working at the city’s morgue, she has studied and worked her ass off to get where she is. She is a mortician and is obsessed with death (I mean, aren’t we all?)

She finds her kind her people via the dark web and shares her little trophies via live streams. The scene with the detached bollock in the garlic press will live in my head rent free for a long time to come!

The city has decided in order to combat the environmental damage of incinerating bodies that they will install a new system – The Alkaline Hydrolysis HT500. Basically eviscerating the human body into a “soup.” When DarkLorrd666 contacts her via the dark web with a business proposition, will Ashley be able to refuse or will she provide human soup to very eccentric buyers?

This story was like crack. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the pages. I read it in one sitting and the way the author described things didn’t leave much to the imagination! The author led me up the garden path and abducted me with their skill. I only wished it’d been longer – I was hooked!

[Lia's Haunted Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was dark, fun, and unapologetically morbid; Ashley is a brutal, fascinating main character. After surviving horrific childhood abuse, she’s carved out a life as an assistant coroner where death is routine and control is finally hers. The morgue becomes her playground, her coping mechanism, and her way of reshaping trauma into something she owns.

What really stood out was how the story balances horror with agency. Ashley isn’t written as someone we’re meant to pity. She’s unsettling, sharp, and deeply intentional in how she navigates the world. The alkaline hydrolysis angle adds an extra layer of discomfort that feels both modern and gross in the best way, leaning hard into the whole saving the planet, one dissolved body at a time vibe. Reduce, reuse, recycle… apparently that applies to corpses too.

Short, nasty, and oddly empowering, Soup knows exactly what it wants to be. It doesn’t moralize, it doesn’t soften the edges, and it lets its main character take control of her narrative in the most disturbing, eco-friendly ways possible.

[Renée · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mmm… soup.

[Kayla Krantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dark Web is a place of darkness and chaos from all corners of the human mind. A person can find everything there. Even human "soup."

Ashley McCormick has a unique interest in death. As Assistant Coroner, having access to bodies is a daily occurrence for her. She takes advantage of that by taking trophies of the worst of the worst humans who land on her table. To pass the time, she shares her interests with a group of like-minded humans on the Dark Web. It’s her safe zone, until she receives a mysterious DM with a once in a lifetime offer.

Soup is an intense horror novella. Short but will leave you with a knot in your stomach. This is perfect for fans of extreme horror. My favorite part about this story is how real of it seemed and could be.

Kate DeJonge is a new author to me, but after this, I’ll definitely be reading more of her work in the future!

[Stefanie Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

DAMN.

If soup is what you want then soup you shall receive.

Ashley works as a assistant coroner in a morgue and is dreaming about owning her own morgue one day. Her days are busy with dead bodies, taking little trophies from them so she can present them to her audience online later. Ashley only takes trophies from men that are rapists, wife beaters and child molesters. See, Ashley had a terrible childhood and her dad was truly a monster. Her fascination with death and dead bodies is better than any real social interaction. One day, she gets an offer. An offer that is truly bizarre to her. What will she do?

I flew through the pages. Loved it. I WANT MORE OF ASHLEY! I love short stories/novellas but sometimes I crave more.. lol this is one of those. I want to write the Author and tell her that I need more of Ashley.

[Rachel M · Rating 5 out of 5]

For such a short book this one really hits home. What you think is just gonna be a straight up extreme horror story has so much more depth to it. The story touches on abuse issues, which in turn lead to mental health issues and just brings a whole new concept to what you may think is going to be an over the top silly horror designed to be gross and shock you. Anyone for soup?

[DA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Macabre and disturbing

I loved this book! I will be reading more from this author for sure. Authors that can take a disturbing subject and create a story that holds your interest are very talented and this author is no exception.

[Alison Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

soup du jour !

Well goddamn!!! Read it. Period. This is brilliantly crafted and so outside the box! Kate you better be already writing the sequel !!! 🍜🖤

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Murder Soup...to simply die for!'

Young Ashley works in a morgue and lives for her passion of producing and demonstrating her quite unique talents in the world of morbid fine art. Then suddenly, with the introduction of a new, and totally unexpected client stream, coupled with the advancement of science, a business opportunity mysteriously reveals itself which may just be too good to ignore.

'Soup' is an excellent short horror story that cleverly uses modern contemporary issues, namely the eco-friendly processing and dispersal of dead bodies, in this case mostly of convicted abusers, murderers and rapists, and the use of social media techniques in order to build up a successful web of business and personal interests. Add into the mix a wonderfully, yet worrying, intoxicating blend of domestic physical abuse, which leads to some serious mental health degeneration, then you have yourself a fantastically dark tale in which to simply enjoy.

This pure fun adventure is soberingly refreshing, and the expertly researched plot contains plenty of blood, gore and seriously sinister flesh-reducing action. I look forward with eager anticipation to reading more in this thoroughly absorbing unique series of genuinely 'soup-orific' horror and devilishly demented crazy madness.

Finally, a big thank you to Kate for joining us Gore Whores, and for emphasising and highlighting a possible funeral service venture in the near future. Truly frightening!

'May the DarkLorrd stay with you, my good sister!'

Rating: 4.6 incredibly bright stars.

[Damien Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a few of Kate DeJonge’s short stories in the past, and they keep getting better and better! Her writing is immersive, fast-paced, and dripping with blood, gore, and depravity. I certainly won’t be eating soup for a while 😅

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book more than expected, left me wanting to know what happens next. now onto the second lol

[Veronica ☠️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ashley had a very abusive life as a child and finally escaped when she was 18. She always loved the darker things in life and decided to become a funeral director. Although she enjoyed the embalming process a lot more, she finished her course and worked for the city morgue in Toronto where the worst of criminals were sent to be embalmed. Ashley has a fetish of taking a little piece of them home to...play with.

Since she had no friends, she had a persona online and they listened to all her dark stories. One day at work a new machine was introduced, the Alkaline Hydrolysis HT500. Basically this machine will liquify the body and the liquid remains go to the farmers for their crop. Ashley loved this a lot and someone by the name of Darklorrd666 took an interest. He made her an offer she couldn't refuse. But this person was watching her every move and Ashley would soon find out she's in a pickle.

The was so damn good! Give me all the human liquids and I'll eat it up! I loved how it was a Canadian author and throughout the book were references to Canada, Toronto specifically. I liked the dark web concept and just how much Ashley loved the dark side. I'm ready to see what Darklorrd666 has in store for Ashley! A gross but great read!

[FranWeird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um...ok. I mean, the writing was good, the story was good, but "soup". I can't even. The cover is dope as fuck though 👌🏽

[Corrina Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew as soon as I started reading this that I was going to like it, but I was wrong....I loved it!! 🖤

Ashley was a misfit as a child, dealing with abuse from others, mainly her father! She develops a fascination for death, and, now, as a mortician she can indulge her fascinations and exact her revenge in her own way, and on people that abuse others! She also likes to keep little trophies to satisfy her needs and make her feel better about what she is doing!
When new equipment is installed in the mortuary, Ashley jumps at the chance to get trained on how to use it, and it attracts interest from sinister places. She receives a private message from an unknown source, with an offer, a morbid yet interesting offer, an offer she can't really refuse! Maybe it's time for a career change…..catering maybe? 😉

This was a dark, disturbing, yet cathartic tale. It hooks you from the very beginning, and as Ashley gets in deeper and deeper, you are completely immersed in that journey with her! I really liked Ashleys character, I felt real sympathy for her! A deliciously depraved quick read, that gave me Rayne Havok vibes too. But….I need more!!!! I need to know what Ashley gets up to with the freedom of her own funeral home….

[Justin Boote · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grabbed this short novella the other day and pretty much read it in one sitting. And if the plot was dark already, by the time I got to the last third or so, it definitely got darker!
Ashley works as a morgue attendant, which is fitting as she has a morbid fascination with death. She's quite the introvert, few friends and preferring to share her disturbing 'hobby' with those on a social media platform called Darklings. Then a new tool for 'cremating' the remains is introduced and Ashley, after suggestions by someone on a dark web site, is given the opportunity to make a lot of money. But, of course, something goes very wrong when disposing of one of the corpses....
I don't know if Kate has worked in a morgue but the attention to detail is very well done, putting us right in the scene. And the title of this novella, Soup....well you gotta read this and find out why. A dark, morbid tale that questions morals and the lengths some people will go to experience new thrills. Excellent, quick read!!

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this immensely. Great writing, terrific story, well-paced, plus a satisfactory ending. It's short but delivers aplenty: a coroner with some interesting perversions and a true passion for the dead tries to handle her experiences of child abuse by taking parts from the deceased (mostly criminals and abusers). This escalates quickly when a new process for the disposal of human remains, aquamation, becomes the new standard in the office. Then a dark web fan of hers makes her an offer. What follows is gruesome and gross, but no extreme horror fan should miss it! 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up.

For such a short title it managed to be a lot of things without coming across as jarring at any point. Ashley isn't an endearing character per se but she makes a dark kind of sense and she pulls you in and drags you along for the whole ride in a way whether you like it or not.
Do yourself a favor and go in completely blind with this one (unless you have some major triggers of course), you'll thank me later.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. Short and sweet. And gross

[Iamthez · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most unique takes on the whole dark web trope. The main character alludes to all sorts of horrific abuse in her childhood but instead of letting it control her, she takes charge, finding a way to process the trauma while creating an epic social media persona. One day she gets an offer that rattles her, and leaves her wondering how far is too far.

The writing is flawless, and flows beautifully. there was obviously research done and it shows with the masterful descriptions of the goings on in the coroner's office. My only complaint is that it feels like there is more to the story that maybe wasn't as fleshed out. Some of the ending seemed a little deus ex machina, a bit too convenient. I think that would have been solved if it was a little longer.

A great entry into the world of horror novellas! If you enjoyed Meat or Tender is the Flesh, you'll like this one.

[Diana | Indie Book Addict · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashley works in a morgue and hopes to soon own her own funeral home. In the meantime, she takes little trophies from work and discusses things in a chat room with like-minded people that also have morbid curiosities. All is well until a certain individual messages with a special request. Will she cross the line?
Ashley had a rough life and often flashes back to the abuse she endured. This also reflects in her work, as she takes things out on the pedophiles and murderers she tends to. She has very dark thoughts and often acts on them sometimes without much thought. I personally loved her character. DeJonge did a wonderful job making her a little mysterious wrapped in a whole lot of wickedness.

If you enjoy horror and are looking for a quick read check this one out. It might even please the extreme crowd a bit.

[Dion Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this, I should probably be grossed out by this story, but I was so caught up in the characters and what was happening, I forgot about the gross stuff, in saying that, if you are a bit squeamish, maybe not eat before or after reading this for a while.
This story is exceptionally well written and flows smoothly, with a similar feel to Dead Inside by Chandler Morrison.
I just found out there is a Soup 2, so that is going on my to read list.

[Zee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book within 3-4 hours and I couldn’t put the book down. I devoured this book and want more! It follows Ashley who works at a morgue. Our homegirl Ashley has had a rough childhood because of her abusive dad. I won’t go into details but will just tell you one thing, Ashley takes trophies from work ;). This book kept me hooked from the first page until the last. Highly recommended 💀💀

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story unlike anything I've read before - you won't look at soup the same way.
This one was recommended in a horror group im part of and seeking something different I picked this up. It was quick and easy to read. While the premise was horrifying there wasn't too much gore or graphic violence. The idea that people do this stuff though is enough to keep you up at night. The author writes a complex and interesting main character. Trigger warnings for child abuse and scenes involving dead bodies. Although your probably not looking for a fluffy feel good book you selected this one.

[Courtney Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the reasons I don’t read many short stories is because they always seem to end just as I’m getting invested and this time is no different! I need more chapters! I’m not easily grossed out, but warning to those who are a little squeamish!

[Samantha Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Soup" by Kate DeJonge. I was sent my copy in exchange for a honest review.

Ashley McCormack highly enjoys what she does for a living. Without her career as a Morgue Attendant she'd have never been able to fulfill her desire of treating the rapists the pedophiles after death the way they truly deserve, or more importantly how they should have been treated while living. Lester Dubois, Ashley's boss, will be retiring soon and it couldn't have came at a better time. She'll have the pleasure of learning a new method of disposing of human remains - Aquamation. I considered telling you more here, but best to find out on your own. Read it if you dare.

This story blew me away. I wasn't expecting the creativity or the ending that left me needing more. I truly think that's my only complaint about this story, it just ended too soon for me but it also left the perfect gateway for a sequel 😉. I was also surprised to learn that Aquamation is in fact an actual method of disposing human remains. I think this story would be perfect for the upcoming fall season, especially Halloween. It's super creepy and outlandishly shocking.

[Nell · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I really enjoy a book, I consciously don’t allow myself to finish reading it. This way I foolishly can permit myself to enjoy the story longer. Since “ Soup” is a novella I read it in very measured doses. DeJonge doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable or hidden nastiness of the human psyche. Her characters are real and “fleshy” even though only a couple are outside of the internet domain. If you are a fan of the macabre and gross….yes gross! This is a story for you. It is the stuff of nightmares and has you longing for a sequel. This character needs her own “business”. You will want DeJonge to make it happen. Eat it up everyone…..soup’s on!

[Serenity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok reads

I enjoyed the girls morbid sense of thought. I just felt like the writer was pushing a political agenda with a good bit of it. It was an ok read for me.