Terrafide

Terrafide 

Terrafide is the latest collection of eight short stories from author Ryan Hyatt. I’m thrilled to be checking this book off my to be read list because Ryan is my favorite science fiction author. It generally isn’t my favorite genre, but he has written in such a way that I really do enjoy it. 

Ryan Hyatt’s books are just far enough out into left field that they aren’t totally crazy. It is easy to see his ideas and scenarios actually happening, and that makes it fun for me. 

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Some of the stories in Terrafide are ones that I’ve already read and some are brand new. Not only do I have the chance to revisit favorites, I can read brand new stories as well, all in the same book. This is a win-win for me. 

This year it has become my goal to primarily read my favorite authors, and that definitely includes Ryan Hyatt. I think life is too short to read bad books, so why not read my favorites? Having just finished reading The Frenzy from Joyce Carol Oates, Terrafide seemed like the next perfect short story collection to read. 

Have you read Terrafide? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About Terrafide 

Reality is already strange. Terrafide pushes it over the edge.

In Terrafide: Tales from the Edge of Sci-Fi, Horror, & Humor, everyday lives collide with the bizarre, the terrifying, and the absurd. This genre-bending collection explores a universe that looks unsettlingly like our own—until it doesn’t.

A burned-out checkout clerk caring for her senile mother rethinks retail hell. A haunted police officer confronts an alien invasion he can’t outrun. A scientist fighting to save her marriage may also be humanity’s last hope. A washed-up punk band reunites in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. A tourist app matches two strangers with a murder to solve. An exterminator plots to restore his hometown’s radioactive “glory days.” A humanlike machine balances a headache with control of the solar system. And a used car dealership’s cutthroat sales tactics turn lethally real.

Part Black Mirror, part Stranger Things, part Saturday Night Live, Hyatt delivers sharp, darkly funny stories that thrill, unsettle, and linger—proving why Fanbase Press calls him “one of the greatest new authors of dystopian fiction.” 

Thoughts on Terrafide 

The Manager 

“Mom’s death by dementia is good reason to move on, but where? How? What else could I do? I have no real employable skills. I man a bullet proof bubble for a living.” 

Ryan Hyatt, Terrafide

This is one of those stories that I can totally see actually happening. One of my pet peeves in life is stores that replace cashiers with self-checkout. I think I should get a discount if I’m doing all the work and not being paid. I also boycott stores that only have self-checkout. I understand old people now who are set in their ways, because I’m totally one of those now. But I digress. 

This seems like it will be the future in a few years, with a cashless society buying everything either online or through machines. I can see it coming. The problem here is a growing population, and dwindling job opportunities. At some point this is going to cause some kind of chaos and/or mental break for many, as we’ve witnessed in The Manager. 

I loved the ending of this story, because it was a middle finger to all of it. To choose to leave and seek a happy life elsewhere. More people should do exactly that. 

Psycho Therapy 

“Thompson and McCabe watch three huge, canine-like creatures crack open the man’s chest with their claws. They slurp up his guts. The alpha tears off the head with a single snapping bite, swallowing it whole, and gazes at the officers with a cluster of reddish eyes. One of the pupils lingers on McCabe.” 

Ryan Hyatt, Terrafide

Psycho Therapy was originally my introduction to Ryan Hyatt’s writing. It’s been a while, so I had to go read my own review to see if I liked it or not. I also decided to read the story again and see if it hit differently for me after several years have passed. 

I have to admit that I enjoyed reading this even more the second time, and I love that fact. Sometimes books hit differently at different points in our lives. I’ve been reading We Were the Mulvaneys many times over the years, and it really does resonate differently as I get older. 

When the Fireworks Fade 

“If we’re serious about solving our planet’s problems… for ourselves… for our children… we need to start treating our situation like the crisis it is. The honeymoon for life on Earth is over.”

Ryan Hyatt, Terrafide

When the Fireworks Fade was an interesting story, because it had a more personal feel to it than most of Ryan’s other stories. As I get older, I often look back on my younger years and see things I would change if I could. I felt something of a connection to Dee in this story. 

Punk Ain’t Undead 

“As the virus filters into Bill’s brain, he shares his final thoughts as a human.” 

Ryan Hyatt, Terrafide

I read a review of this story that called it “Airheads meets The Walking Dead” and it makes sense. I found it to be a hilarious story the second time around because it is hard to keep a straight face reading it. It feels like a comedy show about Covid and people who are stuck up and just talk to hear themselves make noise. Not to mention the realization that we’re all like that at times. 

I will say that I definitely appreciate this one more the second time around of reading it, and I’m glad I can revisit it through the Terrafide collection. 

Enhanced 

“Darkness descends over the six-lane corridor, and Dave sees the pixelated apparition of a Latina woman appear.” 

Ryan Hyatt, Terrafide

I vaguely remember reading this one previously. This was the first writing that I read after I had Covid, and it was a legit struggle. I remember the brain fog being the absolute worst thing about it all. Which meant that I needed to read this one again and form a more current opinion on it. 

In this story we meet Dave, who is on a mission to find out the truth about a murder. Who does he have to help him? Marilyn Monroe and Easy E, from behind a screen. 

My favorite part about Enhanced is that it is a short story, and a complete one. But it still felt like it could easily be turned into a full novel and become a huge hit. I really enjoyed this story. 

Bob’s Pest Control 

“Luckily my computer is intact. I plop into the office chair and brush chunks of puke and bloody, coagulating paperwork off my desk.” 

Ryan Hyatt, Terrafide

American Psycho meets Ghostbusters. 

Meet Bob the exterminator. Bob will rid you of both your cockroaches, and for an extra charge, your annoying neighbors, mean boss, and anyone else who happens to make life even moderately unbearable for you. It will cost you, but morality is certainly not an issue for Exterminator Bob. 

I have an autographed copy of Bob’s Pest Control in my book collection, and it is still a favorite of mine. I love when authors send me autographed books, it always makes me smile. 

Bob wants to return Los Angeles back to the good ole days of the 1980s and has grand plans on exactly how to do so. What could possibly go wrong? Just everything. It is like a comedy of errors and is hilarious. Ryan Hyatt manages to cram so much information, character development, and descriptions into a mere fifty-five pages that I’m still blown away by it. 

Starlight Save Us 

“Life, he realizes, is a kaleidoscope of ever shifting arrays of beauty and tragedy.” 

Ryan Hyatt, Terrafide

Starlight Save Us is another new story for me. What happens when humans become extinct and robots take over the world? Do humans still have a lasting impact on history or the future? 

This story reminded me a bit of the book Hazards of Time Travel in that the world looks totally different. But in this case, the captain of Starlight is trying to save the world and rewrite history. Can he do it? 

This story could easily become a full novel, with this being the prologue to the beginning. I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t connected to it either. It certainly made my imagination go running wild though. What would the world look like without humans in the future? 

Lot Lizards 

“A bare-chested, bare-footed Caucasian male… in boxer shorts and a sombrero… walked into this car dealership showroom… and threatened you… with a syringe?” 

Ryan Hyatt, Terrafide

Welcome to Rick’s Discount Auto! 

Lot Lizards had me laughing out loud more than once, because I can see these things Ryan Hyatt writes actually happening, and I love it. This is a story that starts funny and interesting, takes a hard left turn into weird, and then comes back around full circle to make complete sense in the end. This is a fun and strange adventure that is totally worth the ride. 

This was another short story that was even better than I remember it being the first time that I read it. 

Final Thoughts on Terrafide 

I’m calling Terrafide a five star read. I will be buying a physical copy for my book collection when it is released, which is one part of my five star criteria. I really appreciate this collection because it gave me the opportunity to read several stories a second time and experience them all over again. That is like visiting an old friend I haven’t seen in a few years. 

I have been reading Ryan Hyatt’s writing since 2022, and it is always a fun rollercoaster ride when I open one of his stories. If you aren’t familiar with his writing, you really should be. I’ve never been a science fiction fan, but I am a fan of Ryan’s version of science fiction. 

Terrafide also introduced me to some new stories. I’m always impatiently waiting on Ryan Hyatt to write more stories, and I keep hoping for another full novel to be in the foreseeable future as well. Needless to say, I’m always happy for any opportunities to read his latest and greatest stories. 

I’m grateful when I have the opportunity to read Ryan Hyatt’s writing, and I go into them all with high expectations, and I wasn’t disappointed. My expectations were exceeded here. His stories are certainly off in left field, because that’s what dystopian fiction is all about. But they are just far enough out there that I can easily see them actually happening in the only semi-distant future. I often wonder if I’ll see his ideas become an actual reality in my lifetime. 

If you enjoy short stories, funny stories, dystopian fiction, or science fiction, you will enjoy Terrafide and all the stories in it. 

Discussion 

Have you read Terrafide or any other writing from author Ryan Hyatt? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

About the Author 

Ryan Hyatt attributes his passion for writing to an adventurous upbringing and active imagination. He was born in Tucson in 1976. Ryan and his two younger sisters spent childhood living in communities throughout Arizona and California. 

He returned to his hometown to earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona in 1999. Working as an editor for a defunct horse trade magazine, and then as an auto liability investigator, Ryan sold his car to move to Barcelona, Spain in October 2002, fed up with corporate life. 

His experiences culminated in “Friends of the Night,” an unpublished memoir written at age 25. Failing to find a job in Spain, he returned to the United States four months later destitute and despondent because his foreign conquest didn’t last. 

Ryan spent the remainder of his twenties moving back and forth between Phoenix and Los Angeles working as a journalist. It was in the throes of his love/hate relationship with conservatism and liberalism, the United States and Europe, Arizona and California, music and monotony, his friends and himself, that Ryan wrote his debut novel. This second edition was reprinted in 2016.

Ryan Hyatt tells stories about your future. He is a former news reporter, columnist, and author of the Terrafide sci-fi series. He edits the satirical sci-fi news site, The La-La Lander, as well as Not Your Father’s Bedtime Stories, kids lit he creates with his daughter, author Sage Hyatt. Find him at the beach and his stories across the internet. 

Ryan holds a master’s degree in education from California State University Northridge and develops and manages literacy programs for Los Angeles schools. 

Purchasing Terrafide 

• If you are interested in buying the paperback version of Terrafide, click here.
• Click here for the Kindle version.
• Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

More From Ryan Hyatt 

Did you enjoy my review of Terrafide? Need another great Ryan Hyatt story? Here are my favorites! 

The Terrafide Series

• Rise of the Liberators
• The Psychic’s Memoirs
• Stay Younger Longer
• The Initiates
• Worlds War One
• Terrafide

Short Stories

• The Last Shimmer (Sage Hyatt)
• Psycho Therapy
• Punk Ain’t Undead
• Bob’s Pest Control
• Enhanced
• Lot Lizards
• The Harvest

Standalone Novels

• The Death of Rock and Roll

Author Interview 

I had the amazing opportunity to visit with Ryan Hyatt about Terrafide, his writing in general, and more. I am always grateful when an author will chat with me about their books, writing, and anything else. It is so much for me, like talking to my bestie about football or anything else that lets me nerd out about something I absolutely love. 

Do you have a favorite short story in this collection?  

Hi, Erica. Thanks for giving me a chance to answer these questions!

This first one is tough to answer. Each of the stories in this collection comes from a special place: inspired by an experience, an injustice, a vision, something I noticed and felt. As such, as ridiculous as many of these tales may be, they are each in some way personal.

With that said, two that are especially special or ‘favorites’ of mine are Psycho Therapy and Bob’s Pest Control.

Psycho Therapy centers on a world turned upside down by an alien invasion, and a cop who has become a stranger to his world as a result. In some ways, the premise of the story is a mirror that reflects how I feel about our own world, and yes, in some ways I feel like that stranger-cop.

Bob’s Pest Control centers on a blundering, well-wishing exterminator determined to restore his hometown to the ‘rad’ place it was in the 1980s when he was growing up. The mad scientist’s plan goes awry, but Bob’s simplistic worldview impressed on him as a youth is one I can relate to, and in this story, had fun nostalgically sentimentalizing. For better or worse, I am a proud product of the 1980s and a member of Generation X. 

What makes a great short story?  

Word choice. In the span of a few pages. a writer needs to create a world in which a reader sees through a character’s eyes and is compelled to solve a problem with that character within that world. 

A great short story is driven by a reader’s curiosity about what’s happening, so it must be interesting enough to keep the reader vested and turning pages, but it also must be emotionally satisfying enough to resonate with the reader after the story ends. That’s not an easy feat, so in every great story, every word counts.  

What inspires you to write science fiction and dystopian stories?  

Some people see the glass as being half full. Others see it as being half empty. While I think there is truth in both perspectives, writing dystopian stories allows me to explore how much worse life could be, which makes me feel better about how unpleasant life already often is.

Do you ever feel a connection to the characters you’ve created? 

Definitely. A lot of them are spin-offs of people I know, love, and despise in real life. 

If any of your books or stories were turned into a movie, which book would you want it to be? Who would be your ideal cast for this movie? 

I think a lot of my stories would make great adaptations for TV, film, comics, and video games.

The people I often imagine playing them, however, are stars of yesteryear and much older now. I’m thinking of Keanu Reeves in The Matrix or Johnny Depp as Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. 

With age, a lot of the actors I grew up with have lost their edge, and therefore, their appeal to a younger, wider audience. 

All of which makes me—as a guy approaching fifty—glad I’m not an actor, to be so summarily judged. As I get older, there’s a chance my writing can improve and still be seen as in touch with the times. I don’t necessarily have the limited shelf-life actors, musicians, and other entertainment-types often face (a sad reality and part of the inspiration, by the way, for my novel, Stay Younger Longer).

So, I would need to get back out into the L.A. entertainment scene and meet some new young blood muckraking actors to star in my stories, which are often intended for a mature but not necessarily ‘old’ audience. 

Which character from any of your stories would you want with you during a zombie apocalypse? 

Truth Canal, the band that reunites for a concert in Punk Ain’t Undead, my story about the zombie apocalypse, were inspired by musician-friends of mine in real life. 

While I can definitely think of more skillful prepper-types that it would be smarter for me to team up with during a zombie apocalypse, I’m not sure it would be as fun as driving around with Truth Canal in a taco truck slaying human monsters. Those guys know how to have a good time, even in the worst of times. They kick ass, in their own special way, even if their music kinda stinks.

Thanks again, Erica! I hope your readers enjoyed this interview. 

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