Stuff I've Read: Tales from the Lazaretto by Thom Carnell

After 12 years and eight books filled with macabre musings on life, death, and corporate consumerism, you would think Thom Carnell has said everything he’s had to say.  Then a global pandemic comes about and gives a man time to think.  Next thing you know, we’re here again, on another trip into the doors of Carnell’s mind with his isolation-inspired collection, Tales from the Lazaretto.

Tales from the Lazaretto (2023)

Lazaretto is the follow-up to Horror Book, and contains 19 original Carnell tales centered around isolation, the beauty of death, and the terror of stillness.  From stories involving a cup of coffee with the Grim Reaper (Advent), to the strange things that happen while we sleep and dream (The Somnambulist), Carnell twists things we take for granted as safely enjoyable into dangerous and varied grotesqueries.  He does all this while granting us an all-access pass to where his mind was when he crafted these tales with his signature, Serling-esque opening narrations.  Standout stories include I Double-Dog Dare Ya, featuring childish rambunction gone awry; Hitting the Spot, centered around the thing an ex can do to make it hard to completely stay away from them; and The Mumble, which makes a near literal monster out of an abusive parent.

Carnell’s storytelling style remains brash and conversational, as if telling you a scary story in a power outage with a flashlight on.  It has a gravitational quality that draws you to the heart of every tale, exposing the horror that lies within.  Like most anthologies, not everything is for everyone, but there are no bad stories here, and everyone will find at least one story worth the price of admission.

Pros: Variety, effective storytelling

Cons: Not for everyone.

Rating: 5 of 5 stars.