Miasma
NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP
June and Michael, already tense from the problems in their marriage boiling over during a trip out, return home and find a strange smell in their house, which they trace to something yellow, fog-like, and rising in the basement. Whatever it is, it makes them lose consciousness, and when they wake, their world has become different. Threatening. Violent hallucinations tap into marital tensions and blend imperceptibly with the real world, which becomes more nightmarish as others in the house—first Frank, their ex-military basement tenant, and then their children, teenage Rachel and eight-year-old Anson—show signs of mental derangement along with grotesque physical reactions to the gaseous invader, which is not only rising in the house but surrounding it. The strained couple wants to grab the kids and flee, but the task becomes more and more difficult as they must move higher and higher in the house to stay out of the corrosive miasma. Scarier, perhaps, than the aspects of their situation that don’t make sense are the ones that do—Frank’s conspiratorial rambling, a mysterious package that arrives. They near mental breaking points as they not only must cope with an impossible situation but must also face the unanswerable: who might do such things to them and why.
Based on the award-winning screenplay, finalist for Best Horror Feature at Austin After Dark, semi-finalist at the Filmmatic Horror Screenplay Awards, and nominee for Best Feature Script at the Independent Horror Movie Awards.
Advance praise on Goodreads…
”The book has an interesting concept and makes you second guess everything you know as you flip though the pages.”
“The writing was well paced and addictive.”
“Overall, Miasma is a fast-paced novella with some strong body and psychological horror elements, and I enjoyed my time with it.”
Read a SAMPLE!
Available November 17, 2026! Pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo!
If you like stories that combine psychological and physical extremes, you might also try L. Andrew Cooper’s novella The Skinner Effect.
Dr. Burrows has limitless resources to develop innovative processes for behavioral conditioning that achieve extreme outcomes. He programs his subjects with violence so they will commit violence… Read more!