Publication Date: February 11, 2025
An unsettling and creepy story collection of literary horror set in the Renfield universe from “major new talent” (R.L. Stine) Sam Rebelein, author of Edenville.
“I hope I get to go back to Renfield County again, before too long.” —LitHub on Edenville
There’s something wrong in Renfield County.
It’s in the water, the soil, the wood. But worst of all, it’s in the minds of the residents, slowly driving them mad. When Lawrence Renfield massacred his family and drew The Giant in his farmhouse with their blood, no one imagined the repercussions. At the very least, the bloodstained wood should have been set aflame, not chopped down and repurposed as furniture, décor, and heirlooms across the county. But that’s exactly what happened. Now regular people—like you and me—are sitting on… eating with… admiring… the cursed wood and reaping the consequences.
These are their stories.
In “My Name Is Ellie” a young girl uncovers disturbing secrets hiding in the walls of her beloved grandmother’s home. An unassuming box, built with reclaimed wood, connects a grieving widower with his late wife’s lingering spirit in “Hector Brim.” In “Detour” a father, desperate to return home, finds himself trapped in a dizzying maze, haunted by stories of lurking monsters that live off the remains of weary travelers.
Playing with the uncanny to explore themes of loneliness and grief, Sam Rebelein returns upstate to unravel the mysteries of Renfield. But regardless of what started the trouble, there’s one thing of which we can be certain: for those living here, the nightmare is far from over.
To pull off an effective horror story, a well-developed plot is crucial to offset the startling twists and turns.
Sometimes, it takes the writer a bit of time to build the suspense. Such is the case in The Poorly Made and Other Things by Sam Rebelein. It’s also important to note that this book apparently provides a follow-up to the haunting and mysterious world introduced in Edenville, the author’s previous book.
As a result, readers unfamiliar with the Renfield universe will be at a disadvantage. While the book is primarily a compilation of unrelated short stories, they are tied together by a letter from a woman to her brother.
The author’s writing style is solid, but without a clear foundation, I couldn’t get traction with this collection.
The Poorly Made and Other Things provides another level of horrifying tales for fans familiar with the author’s previous book.
Sam Rebelein is the Bram Stoker Award–nominated author of Edenville and the short story collection The Poorly Made and Other Things. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College, with a focus on Memoir and Short Fiction. His work has appeared in PseudoPod, Bourbon Penn, Gamut, The Deadlands, Ellen Datlow’s The Best Horror of the Year, and elsewhere. Edenville also received a Wonderland Book Award for Best Novel. Sam lives, writes, and teaches in Poughkeepsie, NY.
