Turducken

by Lindz McLeod

TURDUCKEN blends a variety of genres, from literary to comedy to horror, often within the same piece. The collection includes several of McLeod's most lauded short stories, including 'Them At Number Seventy-Four' (Pseudopod, '22), and 'Cake By The Ocean' (The Razor, '22), as well as a wide assortment of new, boundary-pushing work. You'll meet a banal retired couple who decide to spice up their marriage with a spot of murder, a sentient three-in-one bird who decides to escape from the warped scientist who bred it, and a story of a lads' night out gone terribly, terribly wrong. McLeod's ability to shock and delight is only surpassed by her ability to keep you up late into the night.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

121 pages, Paperback

Published November 10, 2022

About the author

Lindz McLeod is a queer, working-class, Scottish writer and editor who dabbles in the surreal. Her short prose has been published by Apex, Catapult, Pseudopod, DIVA, Nightmare, and many more.
Her longer work includes the award-winning short story collection TURDUCKEN (Spaceboy, 2023), as well as SUNBATHERS (Hedone Books, 2024), QUEEN O'NINE TAILS (Hedone Books, 2025), THE UNLIKELY PURSUIT OF MARY BENNET (Harlequin, 2025), WE, THE DROWNING (Android Press, 2026), THE MISEDUCATION OF CAROLINE BINGLEY (Harlequin, 2026), the collaborative anthology AN HONOUR AND A PRIVILEGE (Stanchion, 2025), and more. Her work has been taught in schools and universities, displayed in a museum, turned into avant-garde opera, and optioned for TV.
She is a full member of the SFWA, the former club president of the Edinburgh Writers' Club, and is in her third year of a PhD in Creative Writing. She lives in Edinburgh with her talented fiancée and their two extremely photogenic cats, Fitzwilliam Darcy and Dane.

Reviews

[Briar Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the highest praise I can give this collection is I feel like I have a much better understanding of how (effective) flash fiction "works" after reading it. The title story is, improbably enough, a real tearjerker! A few of these lean a little too heavily on their high concept premises for my taste, but McLeod is a very good writer whose ability to combine humor, sentimentality, naturalistic interpersonal dynamics, and surrealism in tiny, compact stories impressed me.

[T.J. Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this collection purely off of the strength of her (forthcoming!) story "Sunbathers," which I read in submissions as a first reader for Cosmic Horror Monthly. "Sunbathers" is the kind of story that leaps out of the pile with such velocity that you marvel at it. The language, the story, the ideas—everything about it spoke to me, made my brain fizz happily in its pan. In this regard, Turducken does not disappoint. It's full of investigations of language, experimentation with style, and above all, a fiercely playful intelligence.

Not every one of these stories hit the mark for me, but there was something interesting about every one. Most were flash, or smaller, and as a result, the twenty-three pieces included formed a collection that felt more like reading a book of prose poetry. This effect was intensified by the nature of the writing: most of it highly descriptive, but with a wise economy of prose.

There are two stories which are of a longer nature, and these stick out amongst the others. "Them at Number Seventy-Four," an early entry, manages to comment on the duration and longevity of devotion while skillfully wielding genre elements to heighten the reader's intrigue. Another longer piece, "Youngblood," delves into genre elements, combining the unrelenting terror of the film It Follows with a more plaintive note, and even manages to include some social commentary. I felt like the pacing of the collection was interrupted by these longer pieces, but that did not dampen my enjoyment of either.

Because of the patchwork-like structure, Turducken reads like a portfolio of an artist's work more than it does a finished collection, in my estimation. There is a broad showing of skills here, and McLeod dazzles with her raw ability. The stories do not cohere or form a sequence that is immediately gratifying, though there is some element of interweaving. A few stories positioned throughout contain the same characters, and possess similar titling schema—"Paradise Regained," "The One Where Paradise Begins to Crack" (featuring a bizarre mash-up of both culture jokes from Friends as well as lines ripped directly from episodes of Frasier (McLeod just gets me here, as Frasier is perhaps my favorite television show of all time, and the quotes she selects are among the best)) and finishing up with "Paradise Lost."

Perhaps my favorite piece in this collection is the micro-fiction entitled "The First Starfish Was Born During the Ordovician Period," which tumbles through a series of associative metaphor, expanding and contracting multiple times before finally exhaling. It's like watching someone's brain-path be lit up by activated neurons, all the way to the final line, which hits like a heart attack.

This is a book which screams promise and potential, with the electric presence of an active, curious brain behind the prose. It is composed of both the surreal and the fantastic, tinged with terror and fascination, and it all comes delivered with gorgeous, acrobatic writing.

Come see the showcase before McLeod moves on to bigger and brighter things, because, in my mind, the sky's the limit for this writer. I eagerly await her next publication.

[Lindsey Goddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two phrases come to mind when I attempt to describe this collection: "outside the box" and "off the wall". I found this book inspiring. McLeod has managed to infuse her wild ideas with solid story arcs--no simple task. Similar collections by other authors have run askew, simultaneously losing their plotlines and my attention, but this one was spot-on. It held my focus from beginning to end and made some poignant observations that are truly food for thought. Any ambiguity therein was welcomed and beautifully written. And as a horror fan, I much appreciate the chills some of these tales provided. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.

[N Dzerins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turducken is the best book I have read this year (out of 143 so far). The author has an incredible ability to weave a dystopian world in a handful of sentences, and a fantastic imagination for diverse storytelling - one of the stories is from the point of view of a sassy and envious Elmo from Sesame Street! Particular highlights are the grim pathos of Them At Number Seventy Four, the heart-quickening urgency of Youngblood and the effortless worldbuilding of the three pages that comprise Cake By The Ocean. An absolute joy to read.

[Cozy Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning collection of McLeod's work that shows the true range of her talent. She has the ability to pull at your heartstrings while staring into the abyss of the truly grotesque, make you laugh at the cheeky absurdity of just existing and take an unblinking look at the terrors of the world with raw conviction.

McLeod takes the standard of scope and perspective and pulls the rug out from under the confines of the 'rules'; launching it over the edge, tumbling and landing on it's feet. Renewed and absolutely resonating with power.

This is what speculative and transgressive fiction looks like. Absolutely stunning and highly recommend for anyone who's a fan of literary reads, rage, dark humor and pushing limits.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how McLeod is devoted to not only experimenting with the strange and surreal but also experimenting with form and the way she tells these stories. This is a book where you have no idea where the next story will take you, but you know the journey will be well worth it!