Nightmare“Butter” by Erin Brown
“Painted Surfaces” by Guan Un
“Queen of the Rodeo” by Cody Goodfellow
Reviewed by László Szegedi
“Butter” by Erin Brown
“Butter” by Erin Born is like stepping into an episode of the TV show The Twilight Zone: during cooking, the reader and the protagonist are thrown into a bizarre parallel (?) world without any warning, and just as suddenly, we are yanked back out, with no clear explanation of what just happened. This happens multiple times, but the way the world switch is described and the adventures the protagonist has in them are not really frightening, only strange, making one’s eyebrows furrow in confusion.
As Nightmare Magazine also provides the stories in audio format, I listened to this one on Spotify, and I’ve found the vibe spot on. The reading by Nan McNamara was incredible, her voice and narration really brought out the eerie atmosphere. This proved to be the best episode of the Nightmare podcast I’ve heard so far.
“Painted Surfaces” by Guan Un
The story is about a husband relating the shenanigans of his wife in some far-off place, but as the story progresses, the reader can see the ending coming a mile away—there’s no real surprise there. The plot feels a bit thin like it’s not fully fleshed out, which leaves one wanting more detail and substance.
The author mentions at the beginning that it’s a retelling of an old Chinese tale, but it doesn’t quite capture the depth and richness you’d expect from a traditional folk story. Instead, it feels more like a draft of a dream.
“Queen of the Rodeo” by Cody Goodfellow
This story dives into that classic “frightening small town” vibe, which could have been fun, but it doesn’t quite live up to its potential. The idea of a “deal with the state” is thrown in here, which could have been really intriguing, but it’s not explained, leaving one wondering what it was all about.
The story struggles with focus—it spends too much time building up the eerie atmosphere of the town without giving us a clear, straight storyline to follow. By the time something actually happens at the end, it feels more like the intro of an action movie than the climax of a short story. If you’re into atmospheric reads, it might be worth a shot but don’t expect a tight, satisfying plot.
László is very happy for the britpop band Oasis being back together.