Book Review: The Hematophages: Splatterings by Stephen Kozeniewski
Published by French Press Publishing
Genre: Horror
Age: Adult
Format: ePub
Release Date: 16th March 2026
A lake that suddenly turns blood red. A space vessel with ‘Derelictus’ written on its side. A bailiff looking to repossess a medical asteroid. All of these short stories are combined in this collection by Stephen Kozeniewski, in the follow up to his 2017 science fiction horror novel, The Hematophages.
There are four short stories in this collection, which all take place in the Hematophages universe. Having not read the original novel, I was concerned that I wouldn’t understand what was going on, however, the stories were very accessible as they are not interconnected. Even though one of these stories is set on Earth, the way Kozeniewski writes cosmic horror is so well done. His prose is lively and fun, even when building the most gruesome visuals, and the emotions that his characters feel seem so real. As well as the obvious horrors in these stories, there is a wonderful current of underlying, emotional horrors that sticks with the reader. Even though this is a short book at 108 pages, it’s very immersive.
This fascinating short story collection features three reprinted stories and one original, but what really sets this collection apart is Kozeniewski’s exploration of his own work in the additional story notes. This unusual feature allows the audience to get a really good look at Kozeniewski’s thought processes, why certain choices were made, and also a look at the publishing process. I found this to be a fascinating choice, and I loved getting to ‘look behind the curtain’ as to why these stories were written and why they were included in this collection.
This unusual short story collection is a great entry to Kozeniewski’s literary canon, and works as a good introduction to his work. This collection leaves you scared but eager to explore more of his work, starting with The Hematophages.
Purchase at Amazon
Review by Sarah R. New
Twitter / Bluesky / Instagram: @aldbera
I received this Advanced Review Copy from the author for review consideration.
