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3.5 

Crypt of the Moon Spider

By Nathan Ballingrud
Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

Crypt of the Moon Spider is a dark and dreamy tale of horror, corruption, and identity spun into the stickiest of webs.

Years ago, in a cave beneath the dense forests and streams on the surface of the moon, a gargantuan spider once lived. Its silk granted its first worshippers immense faculties of power and awe.

It’s now 1923 and Veronica Brinkley is touching down on the moon for her intake at the Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy. A renowned facility, Dr. Barrington Cull’s invasive and highly successful treatments have been lauded by many. And they’re so simple! All it takes is a little spider silk in the amygdala, maybe a strand or two in the prefrontal cortex, and perhaps an inch in the hippocampus for near evisceration of those troublesome thoughts and ideas.

But patients aren’t the only ones with trouble on their minds, and although the spider’s been dead for years, its denizens are not. Someone or something is up to no good, and Veronica just might be the cause.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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302 Reviews

3.5
“This novella was quite unique and different from the stories I usually read. I felt completely immersed in the world and the characters. The writing was incredible, and I thoroughly enjoyed the horror elements. Set in 1923 in an alternate earth, the story features rockets traveling to the moon and trees growing on its surface.The sci-fi elements of this story are fantastic! If you love horror, sci-fi, experiments, cults, gore, and, of course, spiders, then this book is for you. "Of course you know of the relationship between the moon and madness."”
Surprised Face with Open Mouth“Crypt of the Spider Moon creates a unique and disturbing path to explore themes involving the patriarchy, institutionalism, and paternalism within the confines of a truly mind bending story. Ballingrud blends influences from Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein to give us the harrowing tale of Veronica whose life remains in shambles. Her husband fearing the worst send her to the moon to partake in an unorthodox method to rid herself of melancholy. What ensues is a terrifying tale where Veronica find herself with a mind that is no longer her own. Leaving the reader to question who in this tale is the real monster?”
Expressionless Face“just some spiders in the brains 🧠. really liked the overall vibe of the book so if anyone wants a quick weird horror where they cut open heads and put cultistic spiders in your brains then go right ahead while I keep thinking about what the hell could of happened next:))”

About Nathan Ballingrud

Nathan Ballingrud is the author of The Strange, Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell, and North American Lake Monsters. He’s twice won the Shirley Jackson Award, and has been shortlisted for the World Fantasy, British Fantasy, Bram Stoker, and Locus Awards. His stories have been adapted into the Hulu limited series Monsterland and the film Wounds. He lives in Asheville, NC.

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