Kosmos Obscura: A Cosmic Horror Anthology
Graveside Press (June, 2025)
Reviewed by Christina Persaud
The cosmos has always fascinated us. With its inky depth, sparks of light, beautiful auroras, and baffling vastness, there is a space born from it in the human psyche that we have a feverish need to fill. This drive is fully realized in Kosmos Obscura, the new anthology from Graveside Press.
The horror collection features 29 talented writers who lend their pens to the provocative and other-worldly, delivering mind-bending and boundary-pushing fiction. Ranging from Amanda M. Blake’s examination of societal consciousness under profound fear to a darkly inventive and maniacal sales pitch by Clay McLeod Chapman, Kosmos Obscura is a wonderfully expansive read for the curious mind.
Step inside the Kosmos and peer into the horrors of the imaginative unknown.
Read on for sneak peek at select stories…
“Summoning Caleb” by Margo Pecha
“I chose Venerate Grove because it was the oldest cemetery in town and would therefore have the most interesting ghosts.” Crossing pandemic isolation with the creeping dread of what some describe as the “male loneliness epidemic,” this story follows a desperate man as he seeks companionship from beyond the grave. However, he gets more than he bargained for when his new, less-than-friendly housemate becomes inclined to steal more than a long stay.
“Northern Lights Too Far South” by Michael Kellichner
It begins with a question: “You ever see anything like this before?” The answer? Nope. Not even close. Set in rural America where farmland meets forest, a man attempts to rationalize the bizarre slaughter of his friends’ livestock and instead finds himself melting into the cosmic unknown. Fast-paced and visceral, this story will leave readers feeling insignificant in a threatening universe.
“The Book of Howard” by Alex Hunter
A true cosmic terror bridges our world and another. This story rattled me in ways that are both chilingly relatable and obscure. To say that death comes for us all is an understatement in “The Book of Howard,” where family obligation, strange traditions, and even genetic predisposition make up lasting legacies – whether we want them to or not.
“Berry Juice” by BJ Thoray
Asked by his family to take his mentally challenged cousin to an upcoming appointment, Wayne tries to complete the task while getting to know his cousin better. However, things take a wild turn when he gets a closer look into Cousin Jack’s mind. This story is as twisted as it is deliciously creepy.
“Intrusive Thoughts That Are Not Your Own” by T. T. Madden
When a freaky supernatural “accident” jolts quiet suburbia, madness and suspicion fall on the only interracial couple in the neighborhood. This story brilliantly explores the horrors of racism – both quiet and loud – and the plague of misguided thoughts born of sinister minds.
“Bluefish” by Doug Brunell
In the span of a moment, time seems to stand perfectly still. A strange darkness blots out the starry night sky and everything – from the feel of the air to the way we, as humans, function – is changed. Bunker down with two neighbors as they attempt to make sense of their odd dilemma, while hoping that tomorrow will be just another ordinary day.
“Would You Like to Hear About Our Travel Package Deals” by Clay McLeod Chapman
While most avoid disaster, a bold travel company offers the rich and bored a new kind of experience: catastrophic tourism. For top dollar, the affluent can witness world disasters firsthand and, subsequently, the sorrows that come with them just for sport. Cruel? Depraved? Well, that depends on how much you’re willing to spend. Plan your next excursion and book your shocking travel package today.
“From Black Clouds” by Amanda M. Blake
A town facing encroaching demise looks inward in a desperate attempt at salvation. Misguided fear quickly turns to hatred, and those who have provided love and shelter are violently turned away. Holding a mirror to society, this story asks: Should we fear a judgemental God, or rather, ourselves?
“Descendent” by Bryson Richard
In this masterful story, human beings have an inclination towards compassion, a characteristic that’s easy to forget as the nightly news pushes the horrific side of human nature into our psyche. But what if there was still empathy to be found? What would this powerful human emotion look like to an otherworldly being?
“A Place Called Omley” by A.J. Lewis
A man propelled by greed sells the promise of industrial progress to small, quaint towns. He knowingly exchanges it for mass sickness and death. Unfazed by his own hand in the misery, it takes something not of this world for him to take a long, hard look at himself – and it is an image he may never recover from.
“Kissing Bug Day” by J. Neira
The rule is simple: Don’t let the kissing bugs in. It’s easy enough to follow as the bugs carrying madness, death, and disease descend only one day a year. But when Oksana’s friend refuses to heed the warnings, all hell breaks loose. In this trauma-driven tale, survival means everything.
“He Who Lives Below” by Mel Harlan
Two young lives are forever changed one night while attending an opulent party. This heartwrenching story perfectly encapsulates how tragedy can leave us as different versions of ourselves, forever changed, regardless of how seemingly intact we may appear from the outside.
Kosmos Obscura: A Cosmic Horror Anthology is available everywhere books are sold.
Articlesofhorror.com is grateful to Graveside Press for providing a review copy of Kosmos Obscura: A Cosmic Horror Anthology.