Suppose every terrible, horrible thing imagined came true? Every nightmarish intrusive thought reality? Overcome with grief, Karina learns that for her, she now has the ability to turn her worst daydreams into tangible truths, sending her further down into the spiral of depression and guilt.
And when she begins to have visions of her dead family, and a strange shadow figure begins to appear to her, Karina struggles to maintain what’s left of her sanity in a desperate fight to use her newfound abilities to make things right again and save her loved ones.
Why we’re excited about this book:
In just a few years, Red Lagoe has managed to capture the attention of readers seeking hard-hitting, visceral horror fiction. The author of the collections Lucid Dreams, Dismal Dreams, Impulses of a Necrotic Heart: and Other Afflictions, and the forthcoming novel Bloodstains by Gaslight, Lagoe’s short fiction has appeared in such publications as If I Die Before I Wake: Tales of Deadly Women and Retribution, Slash-Her, and Dead Letters: Episodes of Epistolary Horror, among others, and she was the editor for Nightmare Sky: Stories of Astronomical Horror. With her latest, Lagoe bends reality with a young woman whose intrusive thoughts spin out of control in nightmarish and very physical manifestations. Kealan Patrick Burke (Kin, Sour Candy) says: “Like Pet Sematary before it, In Excess of Dark is a sad and often shocking meditation on the devastating impact of grief. It’s also Red Lagoe’s finest book to date—a terrifying tale of loss and hereditary darkness that will keep you enthralled right up to the shocking, skin-crawling conclusion.”, and Laurel Hightower (Below, Silent Key) says: “In Excess of Dark is a dark, tightly written journey through the nightmare of an all-too relatable mind. Red Lagoe has crafted a fast-paced tale of inner darkness, casting a light on the shadows we all carry. Karina’s slide into guilt and despair is woven with brutal and increasing terror, written with Lagoe’s deft touch for scene, atmosphere and emotion. A fantastic novella.”
Forthcoming from DarkLit Press 15 March 2024, In Excess of Dark by Red Lagoe is available for pre-order now.
BOB PASTORELLA