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Disseverment: A Horror Story
When Tyler receives a mysterious letter in the mail from a man claiming to be his stepfather, he is suddenly plunged back into the nightmares of his past, and has to make an important decision that will change him forever. Disseverment is a psychological horror story not for the squeamish.
62 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 16, 2021
33 people are currently reading
905 people want to read
About the author
Z.C. Krol
1 book16 followersZ.C. Krol lives in Ohio with his wife and dogs, and is working on another project. When he's not writing, he's probably watching a bad horror movie or reading something creepy. You can email him at zckrol.writing@gmail.com and he'll absolutely respond to you. You can also find him on this new website called Facebook. Bonus points if you send him horror memes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
September 5, 2025
Every Ounce Counts...
DISSEVERMENT: A Horror Story
by Z.C. Krol
5 stars. Tyler Swanson's girlfriend Madelyn had a sense of foreboding when she gave him the letter...
Tyler read and reread the letter...
It brought back memories and nightmares featuring shouting, surgical knives, and bile...
The letter was from Donna, Tyler's mother, who had an unnecessary and ongoing problem with her weight...
Since her weight problem was imaginary...
Donna had a history of seeking surgeons who could be paid to remove unnecessary parts of her body to "lighten the load"...
Every ounce counts was Donna's motto...
Donna's disorder ultimately brought an end to her marriage and estrangement from her son Tyler...
Next day...
Tyler met his father for breakfast to discuss the letter, and Tyler told Dad bluntly that Donna was sick and dying...
And...
She really wanted to see Tyler one last time before she died...
Dad said: Don't go. Nothing good will come of it...
Irritated, Tyler ignored Dad's warnings...
In her letter, Donna told Tyler that she had recovered from her weight loss disorder with the help of her new husband...
But now she suffered from cancer...
When Tyler arrived at Mom's house the next day for their last visit, he saw that she never really had cancer at all...
She suffered from addition by subtraction...
This extreme horror novella is an example of great writing in this genre. It wasn't just blood, guts, murder, and mayhem randomly thrown at the reader. Rather, it had a very developed plot with a surprise ending. Excellent story!
Warning to some readers, there is some racial content some might find offensive, and it touches on some mental illnesses.
DISSEVERMENT: A Horror Story
by Z.C. Krol
5 stars. Tyler Swanson's girlfriend Madelyn had a sense of foreboding when she gave him the letter...
Tyler read and reread the letter...
It brought back memories and nightmares featuring shouting, surgical knives, and bile...
The letter was from Donna, Tyler's mother, who had an unnecessary and ongoing problem with her weight...
Since her weight problem was imaginary...
Donna had a history of seeking surgeons who could be paid to remove unnecessary parts of her body to "lighten the load"...
Every ounce counts was Donna's motto...
Donna's disorder ultimately brought an end to her marriage and estrangement from her son Tyler...
Next day...
Tyler met his father for breakfast to discuss the letter, and Tyler told Dad bluntly that Donna was sick and dying...
And...
She really wanted to see Tyler one last time before she died...
Dad said: Don't go. Nothing good will come of it...
Irritated, Tyler ignored Dad's warnings...
In her letter, Donna told Tyler that she had recovered from her weight loss disorder with the help of her new husband...
But now she suffered from cancer...
When Tyler arrived at Mom's house the next day for their last visit, he saw that she never really had cancer at all...
She suffered from addition by subtraction...
This extreme horror novella is an example of great writing in this genre. It wasn't just blood, guts, murder, and mayhem randomly thrown at the reader. Rather, it had a very developed plot with a surprise ending. Excellent story!
Warning to some readers, there is some racial content some might find offensive, and it touches on some mental illnesses.
December 12, 2023
I know my brain plays too much cause why couldn’t I stop picturing the old lady from that one chocolate episode of SpongeBob .. I’M SORRY BUT WTF 😭
September 1, 2025
3.5 stars. This was a really solid debut for ZC Krol. Congratulations and welcome to the horror author community! In a lot of ways, it reminded me of a few scenes from the movie Tusk, which I regard as one of the most nauseating films ever made. But the gore and body horror wasn't necessarily too detailed or grisly. It was just the right amount to compliment the tone of the story. Most authors who craft plots like this just fall victim to the trap of spending all of their effort describing the torture scenes, and everything else falls secondary, resulting in a very bland story. But, Krol did a really nice job of it here. And the way he crafted the flow of this book was really great, as you had no idea what was about to happen, but were also aware that things were going to get gnarly. Enough breadcrumbs without getting the whole loaf along the way. Is that an expression or did I just make that up? Anyway, Tyler is a very captivating lead and I also really enjoyed the small cast of characters, each getting their own attention in special ways. My biggest critiques here all revolve around the fact that it was all a bit too brief. Tyler just kept having more and more bad fortune fall onto him, with no proper arc or satisfying culmination. I think that if this story was given some more detail and time to simmer, it may have broken it up a bit for the reader. And there was a ton of material that could have been elaborated on, without making the story drag out. The ending was powerful, but because everything else that happened leading up to it, without sufficient development, it felt a bit underwhelming and incomplete. Another solution would have been to revise the ending and have Tyler make some other 'interesting' decisions for himself and his wife, Maddy. I'd love to go into more detail on those possibilities, but I'd be spoiling a whole lot of good stuff. So, not without some minor creative issues, this was a really great start for a hopefully very successful writing career for ZC Krol.
October 10, 2023
I enjoyed this horror novel for the most part. The first 2/3 was really compelling, but the end kinda ruined it for me. One character’s actions didn’t make any sense and felt like they came out of nowhere in the last few pages, so I was left feeling unsatisfied.
September 21, 2024
Every ounce counts 🤢
3.8🩸
3.8🩸
July 4, 2025
I don’t even know what star rating to give this… weirdest book I’ve read in a while, what was that ending 😂
March 30, 2024
I picked this book up knowing absolutely zero about it not even the premise and it has just smacked me across the face.
What a fantastically written novella that is full of mystery, vile body horror and tension.
Basic plot is Tyler receives a letter from a step father he did not know existed stating his mother is dying. Tyler's childhood was filled with trauma and he hasnt seen his mother in decades. His step father states his mother wants to see him after all these years before it's too late for her.
As we slowly come to realise the nature of the trauma Tyler suffered and his relationship with his mother the discomfort grows with each chapter. I wont say anything more about the actual story but its horrific and a certain "reveal" was written in a way that just left me shaking my head in disgust and shock.
I particularly loved how the author wrote the initial chapter as well dipping in snippets of the letter that was sent into the commencement of the story. It flowed perfect and was unique way to do this.
This novella should be more widely known. If you love body horror, hideous manipulative characters, a horrific ending and an element of mystery this is one you definitely need to check out.
Just remember "every ounce counts"
4.5 stars!
What a fantastically written novella that is full of mystery, vile body horror and tension.
Basic plot is Tyler receives a letter from a step father he did not know existed stating his mother is dying. Tyler's childhood was filled with trauma and he hasnt seen his mother in decades. His step father states his mother wants to see him after all these years before it's too late for her.
As we slowly come to realise the nature of the trauma Tyler suffered and his relationship with his mother the discomfort grows with each chapter. I wont say anything more about the actual story but its horrific and a certain "reveal" was written in a way that just left me shaking my head in disgust and shock.
I particularly loved how the author wrote the initial chapter as well dipping in snippets of the letter that was sent into the commencement of the story. It flowed perfect and was unique way to do this.
This novella should be more widely known. If you love body horror, hideous manipulative characters, a horrific ending and an element of mystery this is one you definitely need to check out.
Just remember "every ounce counts"
4.5 stars!
March 5, 2024
I met this author through a Goosebumps Book Club discord, and really loved the cover design, so I grabbed a paperback to check out.
This is well written, and precise in its word choices. There is not a single piece of unnecessary content in this novella. It starts off quickly, setting the stage where the main character is in a good place. The kind of vibe that is just immediately eerie to me, because you know with a genre tag like ‘horror’ something is bound to go wrong. And fast... it's like the idea of starting something stating there is a knife, so that the audience subconsciously keeps remembering that there is a knife. However for me, when the bad or scary starts out with happiness, it makes me five times as on edge.
There are dark themes and traumas described in this, so I’m sure it won’t be for everyone. Somehow the author takes things that are already dark, and elevates them to all new horrors. And I really liked that he did so without getting gory, overly bloody, or heavy in his descriptions. If you’ve ever wondered how horrifying Dexter would be if the audience wasn’t designed to like him? Or if he wasn’t targeting bad guys? Vivisection is not out of play here.
Heavily tapping into obsessions, possession, infatuation, extreme control. This one represents these and turns them up to 11, to the most extreme versions of them.
Personally a 5/5*, a quick and enjoyable horror. The twist weirdly made me think of the movie ‘Stalked by my Doctor,' which is awful (and this is NOT) and my niece made me watch it because she thinks it's funny.
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-dissev...
This is well written, and precise in its word choices. There is not a single piece of unnecessary content in this novella. It starts off quickly, setting the stage where the main character is in a good place. The kind of vibe that is just immediately eerie to me, because you know with a genre tag like ‘horror’ something is bound to go wrong. And fast... it's like the idea of starting something stating there is a knife, so that the audience subconsciously keeps remembering that there is a knife. However for me, when the bad or scary starts out with happiness, it makes me five times as on edge.
There are dark themes and traumas described in this, so I’m sure it won’t be for everyone. Somehow the author takes things that are already dark, and elevates them to all new horrors. And I really liked that he did so without getting gory, overly bloody, or heavy in his descriptions. If you’ve ever wondered how horrifying Dexter would be if the audience wasn’t designed to like him? Or if he wasn’t targeting bad guys? Vivisection is not out of play here.
Heavily tapping into obsessions, possession, infatuation, extreme control. This one represents these and turns them up to 11, to the most extreme versions of them.
Personally a 5/5*, a quick and enjoyable horror. The twist weirdly made me think of the movie ‘Stalked by my Doctor,' which is awful (and this is NOT) and my niece made me watch it because she thinks it's funny.
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-dissev...
December 2, 2024
2,5*
What the hell was that 👁️👄👁️ think eating disorder turned into a body horror situation, throw in a psychopath and voilà.
I think I prefer my horror a bit more subtle with slowly mounting dread, not this wham bam OTT story, I'm afraid my eyebrows will stay permanently raised.
Could've been 3 ⭐ but the ending killed it, absolutely nonsensical.
What the hell was that 👁️👄👁️ think eating disorder turned into a body horror situation, throw in a psychopath and voilà.
I think I prefer my horror a bit more subtle with slowly mounting dread, not this wham bam OTT story, I'm afraid my eyebrows will stay permanently raised.
Could've been 3 ⭐ but the ending killed it, absolutely nonsensical.
October 11, 2023
A Twisted, Beautifully Written Novella!
This was a three-sitting read for me, but only because work got in the way. I did not want to put DISSEVERMENT down. The story is fast, disturbing, and the prose is downright excellent. I'm looking forward to reading more from Krol. Highly recommended!
This was a three-sitting read for me, but only because work got in the way. I did not want to put DISSEVERMENT down. The story is fast, disturbing, and the prose is downright excellent. I'm looking forward to reading more from Krol. Highly recommended!
November 4, 2023
wtf wtf wtf
I love body horror
I love body horror
March 30, 2024
Incredible! Family ties, cutting them, cutting yourself off, and then reconciliation of sorts. Disseverment goes for the soul, literally, and getting there is heartbreaking, soul crushing, and an experience that would make Cronenberg proud. Highly recommended!
March 7, 2023
What the heck did I just read?
October 11, 2023
babe would you still love me if i was just a torso with no limbs
January 31, 2025
To say that it scared the shit out of me would be an understatement... My hands were shivering so intensely that i had to stop reading it at one point. There is extreme body horror in it, so read it with caution. It’s definitely not for the squeamish. And
what the shit hell of an ending was that? It kinda ruined everything.
That's why i gave it 2 stars only.
With that said, i have to give it to the author, his writing style was really impressive. I was hooked from the very first page of the book.
With that said, i have to give it to the author, his writing style was really impressive. I was hooked from the very first page of the book.
May 3, 2024
4.5/5, rounded down.
Whoa, Krol is one sick fuck, and I think I like it! Seriously though, this is a short work, only about 100 pages, but I was filled with dread the whole time, and then when shit happens, its so much worse than I even anticipated. Well done, and I'll definitely be reading more from this author.
Whoa, Krol is one sick fuck, and I think I like it! Seriously though, this is a short work, only about 100 pages, but I was filled with dread the whole time, and then when shit happens, its so much worse than I even anticipated. Well done, and I'll definitely be reading more from this author.
January 26, 2024
This book was so short but amazing
I am a new fan of body horror
Some scenes were so crazy that I started crying
I just cannot comprehend how such a short book can be so amazing and gruesome
I am a new fan of body horror
Some scenes were so crazy that I started crying
I just cannot comprehend how such a short book can be so amazing and gruesome
January 29, 2024
What in the actual fuck was that ending???
February 7, 2024
Last chapter ruined it for me. Why would Maddy do *that*? There was no indication or character development to make it sense. 2 stars only for the build-up.
August 23, 2024
actual rating: 3.5/5 stars
i enjoyed this story and the direction a lot but i do think it was too short for what it was. i wanted a bit more pages to flesh out the story.
i enjoyed this story and the direction a lot but i do think it was too short for what it was. i wanted a bit more pages to flesh out the story.
October 24, 2023
Holy shit.
October 19, 2023
WHAT!!!
September 13, 2024
omg!!
I had to reread certain passages multiple times lol wtf! this was insane!! I did not expect this at all!
I had to reread certain passages multiple times lol wtf! this was insane!! I did not expect this at all!
November 21, 2024
Well then…
I had no idea what was I was getting myself into when I started this…but I definitely was not expecting the ending to go like that 😬
I had no idea what was I was getting myself into when I started this…but I definitely was not expecting the ending to go like that 😬
September 26, 2023
2.5 ⭐️ This novella started out as a thriller vibe to me, which I highly enjoyed! I was engaged and intrigued. I liked the ominous tones and the eeriness of how the story was told, such a unique story (from a psychological and medical standpoint, also). This could have been nearly a 5 ⭐️ read for me until the end. Things went a bit unhinged in a weird way for me; therefore, I went straight down the middle with my rating. Nonetheless, I always appreciate the symbolism of short novellas and horror stories like these! The symbolism of finding one’s own peaceful nature after years of tormenting trauma, how enough is never quite enough for some human beings, the mend of relationships, and the gatekeeping of toxicity. Very interesting horror story, I would recommend to certain readers! ❤️
May 11, 2023
Disseverment - a short horror story that will never escape my mind and will forever keep my stomach sick.
This twisted, messed up short will unlock new fears. It is truly disgusting, in the best way possible of course.
Characters to adore, others to question and of course that one you scoffed at and yet they were right all along, go figure, should have listened!
This debut short story is shocking and will have you on your toes, begging for the best outcome.
Definitely worth picking up and has me excited to see what else Z.C. Krol has in store for us.
Thanks for reading
Nichi
This twisted, messed up short will unlock new fears. It is truly disgusting, in the best way possible of course.
Characters to adore, others to question and of course that one you scoffed at and yet they were right all along, go figure, should have listened!
This debut short story is shocking and will have you on your toes, begging for the best outcome.
Definitely worth picking up and has me excited to see what else Z.C. Krol has in store for us.
Thanks for reading
Nichi
December 31, 2023
my stomach is sick. the imagery is horrifying but perfect!
March 12, 2023
3.5 stars.
What makes you human?
What a great unpredictable short story. I was disgusted, disturbed, and shocked. The ending was unexpected and I loved that it took me by surprise.
If you love short stories, body horror, and want to squirm in your seat with uneasiness as you read, then this one's for you.
What makes you human?
What a great unpredictable short story. I was disgusted, disturbed, and shocked. The ending was unexpected and I loved that it took me by surprise.
If you love short stories, body horror, and want to squirm in your seat with uneasiness as you read, then this one's for you.
October 23, 2025
Another horror for October ticked off ✅
This was a super quick read, and genuinely did exactly what I wanted it to do. It was disturbing, gross, messed up and will give me an uncomfortable nights sleep. So yes successful horror read thank you.
This was a super quick read, and genuinely did exactly what I wanted it to do. It was disturbing, gross, messed up and will give me an uncomfortable nights sleep. So yes successful horror read thank you.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews