05/28/2025 Recent Reads & Reviews
- Candace Nola
- May 28
- 3 min read
Today, I review a short but brutal story from Wesley Southard. Wesley does not get talked about enough and I greatly encourage you to check this one out and be sure to snag one or two others from him!
Matter of fact, I included two bonus reviews from some older work of Wesley's as well!
Enjoy!
EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD
By Wesley Southard
Southard pulls no punches in this tension filled fight for survival from a burning building. Two office workers, badly injured, have only minutes to escape the high-rise they work in, one of whom is lost in memories of the past, confronting his own demons.
With heavy themes of racial tension, bigotry, and domestic terrorism, Southard gives us a story that is timely, relevant and thought-provoking.
HIGHLY SUGGESTED READING
BONUS REVIEWS: MORE FROM WESLEY SOUTHARD
CRUEL SUMMER
By Wesley Southard
In this unsettling new story by author Wesley Southard, we are taken along for summer vacation with a devoted mom and her son, and her not so devoted boyfriend. Melissa longs to see her childhood vacation spot again, wishing to make new memories with her son, Patrick, and her current boyfriend, Hoyt. Like any good mom that has made some bad decisions, she is trying to bring the broken family closer together with good times in the sun and sand, hoping that her man won’t let her down, again. Hoping that he will finally show his good side, the side she thought he had, and become a good man.
Hoyt is nothing but a smug, arrogant son of a bitch that abuses both Melissa and her son Patrick every chance he gets, enjoying their pain and torment. He is your typical domestic abuse loser, and he only becomes viler and crueler as the story unfolds.
Patrick is the good son, caught in the middle, not wanting to upset his mom but hating Hoyt with every fiber of his being. He wants his mom to see Hoyt for what he really is, and for him and his mom to be free and happy again, like they used to be.
Tensions run high as bad luck rears its ugly head before they reach their final destination, causing a violent episode with Hoyt and Melissa. The anger, and the pain carries over to the next day, and the next as their vacation begins in Florida. Hoyt makes a half-hearted attempt to apologize with a chartered fishing trip which turns into the beginning of the end, for them all.
But something older than the lake, maybe older than time, lies in wait at the bottom of the lake. Something that feeds on hate, and destruction, something that is hungry and that has awakened just in time to turn an exercise in self-defense into an all-out battle for survival.
Cruel Summer will draw you in with its relatable characters. You will hate Hoyt as much as Patrick does. You will empathize with Melissa and become her cheerleader as events unfold. You will love Patrick through her eyes; you will become fierce, angry and protective as she struggles to save her son and herself. You will feel the horror as she does, the terror that Patrick endures, and the pain they go through before this story is over.
This is horror at its best. Well-written, relatable, and completely unexpected.
TRY AGAIN
by Wesley Southard
TRY AGAIN has a very interesting concept–hitting the reset button on a situation continuously, almost like a scary GROUNDHOG DAY. However, unlike the popular movie, time does not stop and the night progresses, it is only the people who reset.
Confused? Yep, it does sound rather confusing; I know. Robin had a bad incident at the gym and, heading home, she is still fuming when she arrives to find her dad being held hostage during a home invasion. She wants to save him, but every time she tries to enter the house, she is somehow reset to her drive back home.
With the people inside the house who are holding her dad hostage knowing someone is trying to get in, will she be able to save her father even if she gets inside?
First, huge kudos to Southard for putting a certain phrase on repeat to inform the reader about the reset without boring them. Also, well done in keeping the action going inside the loop. There is so much happening in a very short space of time. This concept is quite unique, and I would imagine difficult to pull off correctly, but Southard does just that, perfectly.
At the end of the day this novella is a damn fun read. While gory in places, I don’t think this is too over the top for those that do not read extreme horror. Highly recommend to all horror fans.
Check out all Wesley's work below:
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