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The Autopsy: Best Weird Stories of Michael Shea
From as early as the 1970s, Michael Shea (1946-2014) distinguished himself as one of the most compelling writers of weird fiction of his generation. Now that his classic story "The Autopsy" has been adapted for television for Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, the time is right for a full-scale assessment of Shea's work as a writer of tales of terror and the supernatural.
"The Autopsy" is one of several tales that mingles gruesomeness and science fiction. Others include "Polyphemus," where the members of a spaceship encounter the titanic eye of some unthinkably vast and hostile entity. "The Angel of Death" exhibits the battle of two alien entities as they successively inhabit hapless human beings in their quest for supremacy.
Shea's sensitivity to the downtrodden is exhibited in such tales as "The Horror on the #33," "Water of Life," and "Tollbooth," populated by homeless people, prostitutes, drug dealers, and other disdained members of society. Shea's affinity for California is shown in "Fill it with Regular," "Upscale," and other tales that bring his native state to life. As a bonus, two unpublished stories are included: "Feeding Spiders," evoking the work of a writer who adopted California as his home-Ray Bradbury; and "Ghost," where a vengeful ghost stalks the tough streets of South Boston.
Michael Shea was the author of dozens of novels and tales of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. This volume shows why his vibrant work deserves to live in the hearts and minds of weird fiction devotees.
"The Autopsy" is one of several tales that mingles gruesomeness and science fiction. Others include "Polyphemus," where the members of a spaceship encounter the titanic eye of some unthinkably vast and hostile entity. "The Angel of Death" exhibits the battle of two alien entities as they successively inhabit hapless human beings in their quest for supremacy.
Shea's sensitivity to the downtrodden is exhibited in such tales as "The Horror on the #33," "Water of Life," and "Tollbooth," populated by homeless people, prostitutes, drug dealers, and other disdained members of society. Shea's affinity for California is shown in "Fill it with Regular," "Upscale," and other tales that bring his native state to life. As a bonus, two unpublished stories are included: "Feeding Spiders," evoking the work of a writer who adopted California as his home-Ray Bradbury; and "Ghost," where a vengeful ghost stalks the tough streets of South Boston.
Michael Shea was the author of dozens of novels and tales of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. This volume shows why his vibrant work deserves to live in the hearts and minds of weird fiction devotees.
270 pages, Paperback
Published July 12, 2022
115 people are currently reading
375 people want to read
About the author
Michael Shea
73 books196 followersFor the British author of thrillers and non-fiction see Michael Shea
Michael Shea (1946-2014) was an American fantasy, horror, and science fiction author who lived in California. He was a multiple winner of the World Fantasy Award and his works include Nifft the Lean (1982) (winner of the World Fantasy Award) and The Mines of Behemoth (1997) (later republished together as The Incomplete Nifft, 2000), as well as The ARak (2000) and In Yana, the Touch of Undying (1985).
Michael Shea (1946-2014) was an American fantasy, horror, and science fiction author who lived in California. He was a multiple winner of the World Fantasy Award and his works include Nifft the Lean (1982) (winner of the World Fantasy Award) and The Mines of Behemoth (1997) (later republished together as The Incomplete Nifft, 2000), as well as The ARak (2000) and In Yana, the Touch of Undying (1985).
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 27, 2023
Some true gems of sci-fi horror from one of the genre's best, demonstrating Shea's penchant for exploring the intersection of out of this world cosmic horrors with those on the fringe of society. My favorites include The Autopsy, a stupendously taut and terrifying piece which I suspect was inspired by John W. Campbell's classic Who Goes There?, and The Angel of Death, a chilling yet humorous take on an alien scholar coming to Earth to research humanity only to cross paths with a serial killer.
January 1, 2023
I had to pick this up after seeing the episode of “The Autopsy” in Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities on Netflix. That episode was certainly the best of them, but had something to it that drove me to seek out the original story.
The stories in this book are of a similar caliber. Weird tales of supernatural horror, some of a sci-fi nature, that are truly mesmerizing. Definitely a Lovecraftian vibe with some Clark Ashton Smith and others, but much more modern, and almost splatter punk. Body horror. Intelligently written with some bigger words that I had to look up, but at least I was able to find definitions. Unlike reading Clark Ashton Smith where he uses words that were already archaic when he wrote them.
Highly recommended for fans of horror and weird fiction. This is probably the greatest weird fiction writer you’ve never heard of.
The stories in this book are of a similar caliber. Weird tales of supernatural horror, some of a sci-fi nature, that are truly mesmerizing. Definitely a Lovecraftian vibe with some Clark Ashton Smith and others, but much more modern, and almost splatter punk. Body horror. Intelligently written with some bigger words that I had to look up, but at least I was able to find definitions. Unlike reading Clark Ashton Smith where he uses words that were already archaic when he wrote them.
Highly recommended for fans of horror and weird fiction. This is probably the greatest weird fiction writer you’ve never heard of.
March 18, 2025
Final score for the collection probably 3.5/5
I enjoyed pretty much all the stories in this collection, but found they mostly ranged from 3/5 to 4/5 for me. To a person who is new to the genre I would definitely steer them towards other favourites of mine first, but if you’re well read in weird fiction and looking for more, you’ll probably enjoy these.
There’s a nice mix of different types of stories here, even though most trend towards cosmic themes there are some other more classic feeling horror ideas to be found as well. The two that have been title stories of Shea’s anthologies The Autopsy and Polyphemus are probably two of the standouts for me, and a few of these stories lean into body horror in cool ways as well. I do like that Shea writes original weird ideas and doesn’t really feel like he’s just try to mimic the content of writers like Lovecraft and REH which is often how a lot of more modern weird stories end up feeling
One thing I will say is that Michael Shea’s prose is not always my favourite. It’s not that it’s really poorly written, he gets most of his points and imagery across well enough, but I don’t find his prose flows very well, especially when compared with how nicely written some of Clark Ashton Smith’s stories are. I don’t mind writers using weird and obscure words for fun or to liven things up, but sometimes it feels like Shea leans a little too heavy into frequently finding words that nearly no person on earth is using.
All in all, I think this collection is definitely worth reading, there’s just stuff I would recommend checking out first for anyone who hasn’t read much of the genre.
I enjoyed pretty much all the stories in this collection, but found they mostly ranged from 3/5 to 4/5 for me. To a person who is new to the genre I would definitely steer them towards other favourites of mine first, but if you’re well read in weird fiction and looking for more, you’ll probably enjoy these.
There’s a nice mix of different types of stories here, even though most trend towards cosmic themes there are some other more classic feeling horror ideas to be found as well. The two that have been title stories of Shea’s anthologies The Autopsy and Polyphemus are probably two of the standouts for me, and a few of these stories lean into body horror in cool ways as well. I do like that Shea writes original weird ideas and doesn’t really feel like he’s just try to mimic the content of writers like Lovecraft and REH which is often how a lot of more modern weird stories end up feeling
One thing I will say is that Michael Shea’s prose is not always my favourite. It’s not that it’s really poorly written, he gets most of his points and imagery across well enough, but I don’t find his prose flows very well, especially when compared with how nicely written some of Clark Ashton Smith’s stories are. I don’t mind writers using weird and obscure words for fun or to liven things up, but sometimes it feels like Shea leans a little too heavy into frequently finding words that nearly no person on earth is using.
All in all, I think this collection is definitely worth reading, there’s just stuff I would recommend checking out first for anyone who hasn’t read much of the genre.
October 2, 2024
Overall, a mixed bag collection. When he's writing sci-fi informed horror, Michael Shea is hard to beat. Both "The Autopsy" and "Polyphemus" are excellent stories for this reason. Although they don't reach quite the same heights, "Fill it with Regular" and "The Angel of Death" are solid stories for the same reason.
On the other hand, when he's writing standard weird fiction, most of his efforts are rather unexceptional. This includes "Ghost," "Tollbooth," and "Upscale." There are some stories that fall somewhere in between. "Horror on the #33" attempts to be a bit more insightful than the average monster tale, and it somewhat succeeds. Likewise, "Water of Life" has a fairly effective blend of weird/horror with a more poignant side.
The last two stories, "Salome" and "Feeding Spiders," I thought were rather poor, if not outright bad.
On the other hand, when he's writing standard weird fiction, most of his efforts are rather unexceptional. This includes "Ghost," "Tollbooth," and "Upscale." There are some stories that fall somewhere in between. "Horror on the #33" attempts to be a bit more insightful than the average monster tale, and it somewhat succeeds. Likewise, "Water of Life" has a fairly effective blend of weird/horror with a more poignant side.
The last two stories, "Salome" and "Feeding Spiders," I thought were rather poor, if not outright bad.
October 21, 2024
The Autopsy has me obsessed
August 11, 2024
Only two tales worth reading
The titular tale and the last one: “The Water of Life”. The other stories were not inspiring. I would say they were boring and hackneyed, as well.
The titular tale and the last one: “The Water of Life”. The other stories were not inspiring. I would say they were boring and hackneyed, as well.
August 28, 2024
An overall very enjoyable collection of dark and/or weird stories. An occasional misstep for me, but by and large successful and atmospheric.
August 3, 2023
fine
some good ones and some duds. autopsy by far the best. lots of sexual content which was weirdish. lots of alien entities that are strangers or social outcasts.
some good ones and some duds. autopsy by far the best. lots of sexual content which was weirdish. lots of alien entities that are strangers or social outcasts.
November 16, 2023
More than a few stories here are reprised from the once-OOP "Polyphemus" collection, but I'll discuss the new ones here of course:
"Salome" sees Shea reprising some familiar themes (parasitic alien visitors, specifically) while also indulging a more conventional, um, horniness. As someone who is not a cat person, everything that happens here makes perfect sense to me.
"Fill It Up With Regular" is a mostly successful and far-ranging satire of our modern dependence on fossil fuels as we dope ourselves up to avoid dealing with the problem. Surprised I haven't seen more speculative fiction in this vein, to be honest, even if I don't know that this entry quite hits the mark it's aiming for.
"Ghost" struck me as the weakest of this new bunch so far, although it builds to a strong conclusion. I didn't really vibe with the main character, although that's not the most egregious misstep when it comes to short stories of course.
"The Tollbooth" this one struck me as being almost too brief to really sell the hallucinatory element, even though I don't think I'd necessarily have enjoyed a much longer version.
"Feeding Spiders" this one's a weird but overall fairly low-key coming-of-age vignette that I kept expecting to get much, much weirder before it suddenly just ended.
"Upscale" this one certainly scans a bit dated in some regards, and is the second entry in this collection to kick the sex descriptions into overdrive. As someone who's read a lot of sex scenes written by Stephen King, I think it bears mentioning that Michael Shea is much, much more comfortable operating in this mode.
"Water of Life" and this final story is another somewhat disappointing one, especially on the heels of having read so much of Shea's absolute best work for the first time recently. Conceptually limited the same way many of his '90s-written stories seem to be.
This also includes "The Horror on the #33," "Polyphemus," "The Autopsy," and "The Angel of Death" as well.
"Salome" sees Shea reprising some familiar themes (parasitic alien visitors, specifically) while also indulging a more conventional, um, horniness. As someone who is not a cat person, everything that happens here makes perfect sense to me.
"Fill It Up With Regular" is a mostly successful and far-ranging satire of our modern dependence on fossil fuels as we dope ourselves up to avoid dealing with the problem. Surprised I haven't seen more speculative fiction in this vein, to be honest, even if I don't know that this entry quite hits the mark it's aiming for.
"Ghost" struck me as the weakest of this new bunch so far, although it builds to a strong conclusion. I didn't really vibe with the main character, although that's not the most egregious misstep when it comes to short stories of course.
"The Tollbooth" this one struck me as being almost too brief to really sell the hallucinatory element, even though I don't think I'd necessarily have enjoyed a much longer version.
"Feeding Spiders" this one's a weird but overall fairly low-key coming-of-age vignette that I kept expecting to get much, much weirder before it suddenly just ended.
"Upscale" this one certainly scans a bit dated in some regards, and is the second entry in this collection to kick the sex descriptions into overdrive. As someone who's read a lot of sex scenes written by Stephen King, I think it bears mentioning that Michael Shea is much, much more comfortable operating in this mode.
"Water of Life" and this final story is another somewhat disappointing one, especially on the heels of having read so much of Shea's absolute best work for the first time recently. Conceptually limited the same way many of his '90s-written stories seem to be.
This also includes "The Horror on the #33," "Polyphemus," "The Autopsy," and "The Angel of Death" as well.
April 30, 2023
This collection of short stories compiles the best examples of Michael Shea's short fiction that would fit the genre of weird fiction and, to an extent, also that of cosmic horror. Overall, the majority of stories in this collection are very well-written and entertaining; the characters are often vivid and real, and the plots and ideas found in each story are, for the most part, refreshingly original and creative. Another strength to note regarding this collection of stories would be that the author displays his, seemingly effortless, ability to combine genres; for example, the title story, "The Autopsy," is an extremely effective mixture of horror and science fiction; furthermore, the story "The Angel of Death" is an entertaining mixture of horror, science fiction, and humor.
While I greatly enjoyed most of the stories in this collection, there were a couple that did not appeal to me. These stories were "Polyphemus" and "Fill It With Regular," both of which overstayed their welcome in terms of length, and also did not feature very interesting characters or storylines; overall, these were quite forgettable and were outshined by the truly great stories.
Overall, I would certainly recommend this collection to other readers, especially for those who enjoy horror stories. The horror tales in this collection, such as "The Autopsy," "The Horror on the #33," "Salome," and "Upscale," are enthralling and worthy of five stars out of five.
While I greatly enjoyed most of the stories in this collection, there were a couple that did not appeal to me. These stories were "Polyphemus" and "Fill It With Regular," both of which overstayed their welcome in terms of length, and also did not feature very interesting characters or storylines; overall, these were quite forgettable and were outshined by the truly great stories.
Overall, I would certainly recommend this collection to other readers, especially for those who enjoy horror stories. The horror tales in this collection, such as "The Autopsy," "The Horror on the #33," "Salome," and "Upscale," are enthralling and worthy of five stars out of five.
August 31, 2025
Leaving aside his early Dying Earth novel (A Quest for Simbilis, 1974), Michael Shea arrived with "The Angel of Death" (1979), which was nominated for a Nebula. He followed this up with "The Autopsy" (1980), which was nominated for both Nebula and Hugo, and probably should have won one or both awards. Next, he published "Polyphemus" in 1981 and "The Horror on the #33" a year later. All four of these excellent short fiction efforts appeared in F&SF. Not long after, he produced Nifft the Lean, a fix-up novel with won the World Fantasy Award in 1982. A more promising start to a career could hardly be imagined.
The short fictions mentioned above are the highlights of this collection and make it well worth the purchase price in themselves. After his stellar beginning, Shea's later work was inconsistent. (However, see my review for Demiurge, wherein appear "Copping Squid" and "The Pool.") The short stories from the 1990s that appear here, as well as the previously unpublished pieces, are distinctly lesser things. Nevertheless, an excellent collection. Kudos again to S. T. Joshi and Linda Shea for continuing to keep Michael Shea's work in print.
The short fictions mentioned above are the highlights of this collection and make it well worth the purchase price in themselves. After his stellar beginning, Shea's later work was inconsistent. (However, see my review for Demiurge, wherein appear "Copping Squid" and "The Pool.") The short stories from the 1990s that appear here, as well as the previously unpublished pieces, are distinctly lesser things. Nevertheless, an excellent collection. Kudos again to S. T. Joshi and Linda Shea for continuing to keep Michael Shea's work in print.
November 6, 2023
Jeg ventede så længe jeg nu synes at jeg kunne, før jeg anskaffede mig denne - min anden - novellesamling af Michael Shea. Det er virkelig vildt, når man oplever en forfatter der bare rammer en stil og et sprog som man forelsker sig fuldkommen i, men det har jeg i den grad gjort med Shea. Jeg kommer til at læse meget mere Shea med tiden, nok alt jeg kan få fat i, og helt bestemt alle hans noveller. Han er vanvittigt god til den korte isolerede fortælling, og hans sprog er levende og ofte temmelig klamt - på den bedst tænkelige måde!
Niveauet i denne novellesamling er højt, måske ikke helt så højt som 'Copping Squid', men næsten. Første novelle 'The Horror on the #33' blæste mig bagover, og var i mine øjne den stærkeste af dem alle.
Dem jeg vil fremhæve er:
The Horror on the #33
Salome
Polyphemus
The Autopsy
The Angel of Death
Water of Life
- Det er størstedelen af novellerne, og det må da sige et eller andet om niveauet. Genialt.
Niveauet i denne novellesamling er højt, måske ikke helt så højt som 'Copping Squid', men næsten. Første novelle 'The Horror on the #33' blæste mig bagover, og var i mine øjne den stærkeste af dem alle.
Dem jeg vil fremhæve er:
The Horror on the #33
Salome
Polyphemus
The Autopsy
The Angel of Death
Water of Life
- Det er størstedelen af novellerne, og det må da sige et eller andet om niveauet. Genialt.
February 21, 2023
Ultimately, I love Shea's writing. It's so chewy and delightful, and — while some of his characters can feel monotonous — you can tell when he's hit with the passion of a new idea and really sticks both hands into the creative soil.
The two new stories in this collection, 'Ghost' and 'Feeding Spiders', feel a bit unfinished as compared to the rest of the collection. Whether this is due to being previously unpublished and therefore originally meant to be worked on more, or because Shea originally thought they weren't good enough to publish, who can tell?
Aside from that, these were all stories I never read before, and they were a joy for me to read. Especially 'Fill It with Regular' and 'Upscale'. As a Sonoma County resident, it's a delight to read some of the weird come to my stomping grounds.
The two new stories in this collection, 'Ghost' and 'Feeding Spiders', feel a bit unfinished as compared to the rest of the collection. Whether this is due to being previously unpublished and therefore originally meant to be worked on more, or because Shea originally thought they weren't good enough to publish, who can tell?
Aside from that, these were all stories I never read before, and they were a joy for me to read. Especially 'Fill It with Regular' and 'Upscale'. As a Sonoma County resident, it's a delight to read some of the weird come to my stomping grounds.
November 2, 2022
Fantastic to have some of Michael Shea’s stellar stories back in print — particularly Polyphemus and the title story (superior to the recent, not-bad-at-all ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ adaptation), masterfully told tales at the junction of horror and sci-fi. Lives up to his rep. Wish I’d bought the 500+ page Centipede Press collection by a similar name before it got all rare and $$$… but grateful to Hippocampus (and Linda Shea) for getting this volume out there with no bank-breaking required.
May 13, 2025
I picked at this volume over the last couple of years, reading stories here and there, and ended up loving most of the work. Shea is amazing and I have mucho appreciation for Patton Oswalt from bringing him to my attention.
As a reader of Lovecraft/Lovecraftiana, I love how Shea brings the weird to an entirely new setting. This is Los Angeles, California, a world away from Arkham.
The titular story is terrific.
I also really liked "Water Of Life", "Tollbooth" and "Ghost".
As a reader of Lovecraft/Lovecraftiana, I love how Shea brings the weird to an entirely new setting. This is Los Angeles, California, a world away from Arkham.
The titular story is terrific.
I also really liked "Water Of Life", "Tollbooth" and "Ghost".
December 3, 2022
One of the masters of weird fiction finally reprinted and not hidden behind a stupid collector's edition. This deserves your reading time.
I loved the "Angel of death" "fill it with regular" and "Salome".
I loved the "Angel of death" "fill it with regular" and "Salome".
August 18, 2023
1.5 ⭐️ 18/12 = 1.5
There was only one story (Salome) that I gave 5⭐️. The rest were seven 1⭐️, two 3⭐️, and one DNF which equals zero stars.
Absolutely boring except for Salome, Upscale, and Water of Life.
There was only one story (Salome) that I gave 5⭐️. The rest were seven 1⭐️, two 3⭐️, and one DNF which equals zero stars.
Absolutely boring except for Salome, Upscale, and Water of Life.
June 16, 2024
Like a lot of others I see, I picked this up after seeing Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. Well worth my time. While the writing is definitely better on some stories than others, the sheer depth of imagination Shea exhibits is amazing. It’s a Clive Barker level of “out there”.
January 9, 2024
The "weird, comic guy with the dark sense of humor" I was actually looking for was Michael CHE.
February 12, 2024
A fantastic collection of stories from start to finish.
July 17, 2025
DNF. Which is unheard of from me!
I picked up this book for The Autopsy, as the episode on del Toro’s show was amazing, but oh boy, what a let down.
I tried to read through to reach The Autopsy, but I just couldn’t. First few stories were a pain in the neck at best, so I just skipped because I couldn’t take it anymore.
The writing style is A PAIN. It is unnecessarily *heavy* and pretentious, there are so many useless words and weirdly constructed and LONG sentences that make everything that’s going on unclear and confusing. Characters have no depth, only a lump of words on paper, and no movie playing in my head while reading since I was always busy trying to understand.
Anyway, I guess these stories are for you if you enjoy a heavy writing style that is trying very hard to be eloquent and deep, but is kinda failing and leave you rolling your eyes.
Blog | Bookstagram | Fable
I picked up this book for The Autopsy, as the episode on del Toro’s show was amazing, but oh boy, what a let down.
I tried to read through to reach The Autopsy, but I just couldn’t. First few stories were a pain in the neck at best, so I just skipped because I couldn’t take it anymore.
The writing style is A PAIN. It is unnecessarily *heavy* and pretentious, there are so many useless words and weirdly constructed and LONG sentences that make everything that’s going on unclear and confusing. Characters have no depth, only a lump of words on paper, and no movie playing in my head while reading since I was always busy trying to understand.
Anyway, I guess these stories are for you if you enjoy a heavy writing style that is trying very hard to be eloquent and deep, but is kinda failing and leave you rolling your eyes.
Blog | Bookstagram | Fable
May 17, 2023
There was only like one story I didn't like (Angel of Death) and even it had a fun premise and satisfying ending. The title story is certainly scary, but I personally think Polyphemus was the best story in the collection. It featured a team of human colonists on a distant planet fighting a Kaiju for their survival. It was excellent. Shea seems to really like the theme of aliens assuming or controlling human forms, so if that sort of thing sound interesting you should read this collection.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews