Reap, Sow (2025) - S.H.Cooper

 

Reap, Sow by S.H. Cooper is a horror novella that follows Luci (or Lucky, as her mama and papa but never Kenny, call her) as she tries to navigate a strange horror scape she's found herself in. Rooms that feel familiar but off somehow haunt her as she tries to find her way back home.

This novella was reviewed as part of the SFINCS competition.

I found it difficult to break down this novella in my usual WEIRDE reviews system, so I'm going to forgo that and just talk about my thoughts overall. I'll refrain from providing too many spoilers as I think this is a story best jumped into without any prior knowledge.

First off, the star of this story was the prose. S.H. Cooper does an absolutely fantastic job and weaving together an evocative description. I also think Luci's narration is top notch, readers can very easily connect with her mental state throughout the story and experience her anguish alongside her. I think it's a story that will stick with me for a long time primarily because of the stellar prose.

I don't read a ton of horror, and at first I wasn't sure how this story fit in the SFINCS competition as I felt like the speculative elements were a bit of a reach, but in the end, I think this story leans into the magical realism side of things.

The twist of this story is somewhat predictable (especially if you've read stories of a similar style) but I still found the journey to the end to be a very enjoyable read. I think the nightmare scenario Luci finds herself in is very well done at making Luci and the reader second guess themselves from time to time, which adds to the psychological horror of it all.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read with some prose and turns of phrase I will carry with me for a long time.