From These Dark Abodes (2024) - Lyndsie Manusos (SFINCS semifinalist)

Lethe and Petunia are servants at St. Edha's house. Every night, their masters shed their skin and dance as skeletons to crooning jazz in what they call The Revelry. They both desperately want to find a way to escape, but when one of their masters doesn't return to his skin the next morning, life as they know it at St. Edah's starts to unravel.

This novella was reviewed as part of SFINCS 2025.

    

    When I first started reading From These Dark Abodes I wasn't sure it was going to click for me. I felt like the prose was a little too poetic/flowery for my tastes. But, as I read further, I found myself fully immersed in Lethe and Petunia's story. There are some fantastically described moments of body horror woven together with an intense longing we feel with Lethe, for memories of her past life, for Petunia, and for a way out of St. Edah's house. 

   Manusos does a wonderful job at weaving in little hints as to the true nature of the house and the inhabitants roles within it (which I won't spoil for you here because it was truly a miraculous thing to experience firsthand).

Some things that stood out to me about the story.

    The way Manusos describes sensory details is so visceral. It made my skin crawl every time I read a description of one of the immortals peeling their skin off to reveal their skeletons beneath. The tenderness between Lethe and Petunia, the way the support each other and push each other to keep living another day in the hopes they'll finally find their escape. The character Bloody Bones the rat was a big highlight for me, I love a gross, weird little guy and he is the grossest and weirdest of little guys.

    I honestly have no criticisms of this story. I would talk about it more but I really don't want to spoil the experience for you. This is one of those books that is best experienced with little knowledge of what it's about. From These Dark Abodes will stick with me for a long time. A story of love, loss, and a desire for freedom, this story will be best enjoyed by those who like rich prose, body horror, and tales that divert your expectations.