SACCULINA by Philip Fracassi

Have you ever read a horror novel or seen a movie where certain scenes made your skin tingle and itch?

No? Well, that happened to me.
Kept scratching.

I guess that's what they call "making your skin crawl." Fracassi's swift and creepy novella takes a common thing that most people have seen all the time (especially if you've spent time around boats or docks), and finally makes you realize how freakishly spine-tingling they can be. The story is rightfully simple, focusing on a fateful fishing trip that two brothers take with their childhood friend and father, a trip that quickly turns into a nightmare.

Jim could only stand and stare at the wet boards of the deck, wondering how all of this had gone so terribly, terribly wrong. 

While it might not feature the same haunting writing of his previous novella Fragile Dreams, I feel like the direct prose hear is a better fit for this type of story. But like his other work, Fracassi doesn't sacrifice emotion and character relationships in favor of cheap horror, and that's the main reason it works so well. Why didn't I give this an even higher score? I wish the book went even more balls out with the monster and horror. If you want to be really creeped out? Well, after you read the book, google the title, read a couple of articles, and see if you don't agree; it's pretty damn unnerving.

CHECK OUT THIS CRAZY SHIT

This parasite also modifies its host's behavior by causing infected male crabs to act as females, and to expand their abominable cavity. The host's behavior is also modified to treat S. carcini's eggs as if they were its own eggs
This Fracassi guy has such a great career ahead of him and I can't wait to see what's next.

GRADE: B+