‘The Beauty’ is a Unique Horror

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In the Valley of the Rocks, after half the population of the world has died out, a group of men gather around the fire nightly to discuss what life used to be like. Nate, their storyteller, speaks of the days of the past when women still lived, before they were taken out by a mysterious yellow fungus. After a bizarre type of mushroom begins to grow over the burial sites of the deceased women, Nate and a few others begin to go looking to find out what it could mean. A few of the men come across bizarre beings that seem both feminine in their behaviors, while being composed of a moving, interactive fungus. The begin to refer to them as “The Beauty,” but are the creatures hiding a dangerous secret?

The Beauty, by author Aliya Whiteley, is a unique type of horror story. The true horror isn’t an unknown creature, but rather the men’s fear of becoming feminine, in almost all regards. Without giving too much away, the Beauty begins a transformation process in the men of the Valley of the Rocks, and it isn’t too long before the men begin to fight against everything they fear. The Beauty is a perfect tale for a time where gender politics are so visible.

The Beauty also includes a short story of the Sci-Fi variety, called Peace, Pipe. This goes more into the frustrations

The Beauty is now available from Titan Books.

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