Publishers Weekly
07/17/2023
Barb (Gargantuana’s Ghost) brings a hefty dose of the weird and uncanny to this collection of 18 intricate horror shorts, which sometimes bite off more than they can chew. The complex “And Our Next Guest...,” for example, in which a successful but unpleasant actor finds himself in a green room slowly filling with sand, doesn’t have time to fully realize its own ambitions. This story and others, including Barb’s foray into military horror, “The Other Half of the Battle,” about a group of teens playing in a junk yard as a war rages in the background, use drugs as an explanation for confusing and inexplicable happenings, which feels like a cop-out and undercuts the surreal scares. Far more successful are the tales that keep things simpler. The eponymous entry is a standout: a paranormal investigator discovers that a house is haunted not with the ghosts of the past but with the spirits of its future inhabitants—including the investigator himself. It’s a bumpy ride, but the breadth of tone and subgenre that Barb attempts is admirable. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"Wry, edgy, and satisfyingly dark. Pre-Approved for Haunting deploys modes of traditional horror to hit a very contemporary nerve." —Laird Barron, author of Worse Angels
"With a distinctive voice and subtle dark humor, Patrick Barb infuses classic horror scenarios with a touch of the surreal. This book feels mythic and yet very much of-the-moment." —Christi Nogle, author of The Best of Our Past, the Worst of Our Future
"Barb's debut collection not only seems to touch on every type of horror: his stories cross-pollinate different horror subgenres to create a number of entirely new—and surprising, and satisfying—species. An ambitious collection that both knows the rules, and knows exactly when to break them.” —Brian Evenson, author of The Glassy, Burning Floor of Hell
"Meta creepiness that celebrates the thrill of horror fiction, short sci-fi shocks, hauntings that bite deeper because they are so heartfelt: Patrick Barb shows an impressive range in this debut collection. I’m reminded of hands with too many fingers. Unnerving, yes, but each of those fingers has its own unique grasp of storytelling, and I had great fun reading these stories and their voices. A writer worth keeping a close eye on — for both your safety and your entertainment." —Michael Wehunt, author of Greener Pastures and The Inconsolables
“Pre-Approved for Haunting and Other Stories is filled with the unique, inventive, and unexpected, along with clever reveals. Patrick Barb is a natural at maneuvering between different voices and creating slow burn dread. A careful guide for readers down the tunnel of weird and strange, Barb’s stories guarantee you will not come out of the other side unchanged.” —Ai Jiang, Nebula and Locus Award finalist and author of Linghun
"Barb brings a hefty dose of the weird and uncanny to this collection of 18 intricate horror shorts...The eponymous entry is a standout: a paranormal investigator discovers that a house is haunted not with the ghosts of the past but with the spirits of its future inhabitants—including the investigator himself….the breadth of tone and subgenre that Barb attempts is admirable." —Publishers Weekly
"Patrick Barb is a name that is currently lighting up the horror genre. His new book, Pre-Approved for Haunting and Other Stories, is a serious page-turner, and every tale in the table of contents is dynamite. I can't wait to read whatever he writes next." —Gwendolyn Kiste, three-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Rust Maidens and Reluctant Immortals
