Carapace by Travis M. Riddle
Independently PublishedPublication Date: September 25th, 2025
Ebook. 241 pages.
About Carapace:
"Relationships shouldn't be this hard.
Our narrator lives a pretty decent life.
He has a job mining for a mysterious toxic substance used in the nation's #1 haircare product, parents who call him multiple times a week toward whom he feels an unyielding sense of obligation, and a two-bedroom apartment with his high school sweetheart Alyssa.
But one day, she reveals to him her dream: undergoing surgery to become a creature.
Although he isn't sure what that means, he is deeply supportive of her like always, and his devotion to her happiness above everything else soon starts to unravel his entire existence, which might be more fragile than he ever realized.
A darkly comedic satirical body horror for fans of The Substance."
Our narrator lives a pretty decent life.
He has a job mining for a mysterious toxic substance used in the nation's #1 haircare product, parents who call him multiple times a week toward whom he feels an unyielding sense of obligation, and a two-bedroom apartment with his high school sweetheart Alyssa.
But one day, she reveals to him her dream: undergoing surgery to become a creature.
Although he isn't sure what that means, he is deeply supportive of her like always, and his devotion to her happiness above everything else soon starts to unravel his entire existence, which might be more fragile than he ever realized.
A darkly comedic satirical body horror for fans of The Substance."
This book did not make me feel good--and I mean that in the best way possible.
Where do I begin with this one? (I may start too many of my reviews like this...) The author pitched this to me as "a dark comedy/body horror/satire about toxic relationships and capitalism," and that description really couldn’t be more accurate. Carapace is a strange, unsettling, and entirely absorbing story that feels a bit like being trapped in a bizarre waking dream--one that only continues to grow more and more grotesque and surreal the longer it lasts, and eventually you realize you might actually be trapped in a nightmare that is not going to let you wake up when you want to. If you've read anything else from Travis M. Riddle, then you should know that this book is pretty different from some of his fantasy work, but I think his style is very much present so I think you'll see some familiarity in places...
Our narrator is a miner living with his high school sweetheart, Alyssa. Early on, we learn that Alyssa has a desire that cannot be stopped, and that desire is to be turned into a creature. Apparently, there's a new trend of surgeries where people can turn themselves into a creature of their choosing (with some general frameworks provided, let’s not get crazy here). The narrator, our protagonist, is ever the passive partner and goes along with it. But not because he truly thinks it’s a good idea, rather because that’s pretty much how seems to live his life: with a true lack of agency that makes him fascinating. He is at turns a sympathetic character, but at other (more frequent) turns, he is entirely frustrating and left me wanting to shake him. And something tells me that’s part of the point.
This book is gross and I felt genuinely repulsed at points, but that's exactly what a good body horror is supposed to do. I'd also say there's some “apartment” horror going on here, which is highly oppressive and will leave you feeling claustrophobic, too. Riddle makes the strange feel viscerally present, and I found myself almost constantly scratching my head as characters veered more and more into absurdity that felt absolutely fitting to the satire. Everyone here is just a little (at minimum) freaky, and I love that Riddle really leaned into that. There’s a lot of weirdness going on here, folks. Additionally, I do not think I had any idea where this story was going at any point and I loved the unpredictability of it. You are truly along for the ride and you just have to buckle up and accept that this ride is going to keep taking you on its horrific journey and you cannot get out of the car at any point.
Carapace is one of those books that just makes you feel uneasy, but not in a ‘spooky’ horror way, just in a way where you know things aren’t right. I felt grossed out, annoyed with people, things felt bleak--and yet I couldn’t put it down. And honestly, I know that makes it sound like an unpleasant time, but I really do live for these reading experiences. I love something that makes me actually feel something and also experience something that I haven’t before, and I certainly haven’t quite experienced this before. And that’s also the mark of a great horror/satire: it makes you unsettled, frustrated, intrigued, and most importantly--turning the pages. I’d love to talk about the ending, so if anyone reads it, reach out and chat!
And just to touch on some themes, I was enamored with this exploration of what people will do to survive each day, and what people will tolerate to continue that survival without thought. I think there’s a lot going on with this lack of agency idea and being a cog in something, being caught up in something else, and even this idea of becoming a creature. There’s a lot to think about with this one and much more that could be said, but I’ll let you all explore that yourselves.
I also don’t want to give any type of spoiler, but I have to note: there is a dog, and there’s an event involving that dog that I did not like, and I don’t think some of my fellow animal loving readers will like, either. It’s handled in a way that absolutely serves the story and deepens everything going on, but I just wanted to give readers a head’s up because I did not expect it (and it reminded me why I no longer read any form of horror right before bed).
Carapace is not a comfortable read, but it’s not meant to be. It’s weird and thought-provoking and hard to fully convey without experiencing it yourself. If you're the type of reader who doesn't mind sitting in discomfort and is ready for an ending to sit with for a while, then this should be your next read. I'm not sure this book is going to be for everyone, but no book is so don't let that stop you!
Our narrator is a miner living with his high school sweetheart, Alyssa. Early on, we learn that Alyssa has a desire that cannot be stopped, and that desire is to be turned into a creature. Apparently, there's a new trend of surgeries where people can turn themselves into a creature of their choosing (with some general frameworks provided, let’s not get crazy here). The narrator, our protagonist, is ever the passive partner and goes along with it. But not because he truly thinks it’s a good idea, rather because that’s pretty much how seems to live his life: with a true lack of agency that makes him fascinating. He is at turns a sympathetic character, but at other (more frequent) turns, he is entirely frustrating and left me wanting to shake him. And something tells me that’s part of the point.
This book is gross and I felt genuinely repulsed at points, but that's exactly what a good body horror is supposed to do. I'd also say there's some “apartment” horror going on here, which is highly oppressive and will leave you feeling claustrophobic, too. Riddle makes the strange feel viscerally present, and I found myself almost constantly scratching my head as characters veered more and more into absurdity that felt absolutely fitting to the satire. Everyone here is just a little (at minimum) freaky, and I love that Riddle really leaned into that. There’s a lot of weirdness going on here, folks. Additionally, I do not think I had any idea where this story was going at any point and I loved the unpredictability of it. You are truly along for the ride and you just have to buckle up and accept that this ride is going to keep taking you on its horrific journey and you cannot get out of the car at any point.
Carapace is one of those books that just makes you feel uneasy, but not in a ‘spooky’ horror way, just in a way where you know things aren’t right. I felt grossed out, annoyed with people, things felt bleak--and yet I couldn’t put it down. And honestly, I know that makes it sound like an unpleasant time, but I really do live for these reading experiences. I love something that makes me actually feel something and also experience something that I haven’t before, and I certainly haven’t quite experienced this before. And that’s also the mark of a great horror/satire: it makes you unsettled, frustrated, intrigued, and most importantly--turning the pages. I’d love to talk about the ending, so if anyone reads it, reach out and chat!
And just to touch on some themes, I was enamored with this exploration of what people will do to survive each day, and what people will tolerate to continue that survival without thought. I think there’s a lot going on with this lack of agency idea and being a cog in something, being caught up in something else, and even this idea of becoming a creature. There’s a lot to think about with this one and much more that could be said, but I’ll let you all explore that yourselves.
I also don’t want to give any type of spoiler, but I have to note: there is a dog, and there’s an event involving that dog that I did not like, and I don’t think some of my fellow animal loving readers will like, either. It’s handled in a way that absolutely serves the story and deepens everything going on, but I just wanted to give readers a head’s up because I did not expect it (and it reminded me why I no longer read any form of horror right before bed).
Carapace is not a comfortable read, but it’s not meant to be. It’s weird and thought-provoking and hard to fully convey without experiencing it yourself. If you're the type of reader who doesn't mind sitting in discomfort and is ready for an ending to sit with for a while, then this should be your next read. I'm not sure this book is going to be for everyone, but no book is so don't let that stop you!
*I received a copy of the Carapace courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*
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