Review of "Scared Sh!tless" by Alex Tucker
Updated: Sep 8
Scared Sh!tless by Alex Tucker is a sh!t ton of fun!
From its slowburn start to being thrust into the middle of the horror time and time again, I was constantly fully immersed.
Tucker's characters are mostly ordinary people thrust into extraordinary situations, situations which completely transformed the character into someone unrecognizable if you were to go back to the start of their story. That is something I absolutely loved the exploration of—that anyone, from drinker to thief to construction worker, can turn into something disgusting (the type of disgusting varies from piece to piece) given the right circumstances.
My thoughts on each story:
• San Diego
The slow-build made the ending hit that much harder. Sometimes horror lies less in the landscape and happenings, and more in the emotion—proven with this piece.
• Four & Twenty
This piece is disgustingly (word purposely chosen) good! A hint of dark humor and a dash of commentary certainly makes the most perfect horror-pie.
• It Takes a Thief
Beyond obsessed with the premise here, and in no universe could I have predicted that ending.
• Fool Us Twice
The title of this story hit twice (pun intended) as hard as soon I finished reading it.
• My Electric Heart
This one is my favorite for its creative take on telepathy and the dark humor throughout!
• The Spelling Game
The definition of "fuck around and find out". A very vindicating piece!
Quotes I thought were neat:
• "The planet was reckless, so its citizens lived recklessly in return. Everyone and everything you loved could’ve been taken at any time, so they loved cautiously, keeping all forms of endearment at arm’s reach. This outlook had encased their hearts in hardened shells of apathy, so that when the worst finally happened, they could move on and keep surviving."
— San Diego
• "When a free meal appears on a lion’s doorstep, it doesn’t matter whether it’s hungry."
— It Takes a Thief
The language in this collection is rich, and all the stories are very unforgettable. Scared Sh!tless will follow through on its title, but not quite in the way you'd expect!
