Title: Death in Its Many Forms
Author: S.H. Cooper
Release date: October 2nd, 2026
*Huge thanks to S.H. for the digital ARC of this one!*
If you’ve been following my reviews for some time you’ll have seen two trends appear. First – I’ve frequently lamented how I’m struggling to read collections and anthologies (reminder – a collection is from a single author, an anthology is from multiple authors) simply because I read SO MANY a few years back and I grew burned out on them. Second – for fantastic author pals, I’ll always put my own struggles aside to read and review their work to help promote it and hopefully increase eyeballs on those releases.
S.H. Cooper is one such author pal who I’ll always read and review and support. In my head I have a group of authors I’ve lumped together who I’m always excited to see what they’re producing. Laurel Hightower, Sonora Taylor, Tiffany Mok, Nico Bell & S.H. Cooper make up that author group FYI. So, if you’re at home reading this and looking for authors to read and support, this fivesome should be already written down.
When Cooper announced ‘Death in Its Many Forms,’ I was super excited! I couldn’t wait for this to release, as Cooper’s writing is fantastic and I love how she tells her stories. When she posted she had ARC’s available, I reached out and was elated when she sent me one back.
Knowing how easily Cooper handles subgenres and moves around within them, I dove in and as expected – was richly rewarded.
What I liked: Showcasing her talents across ten stories, Cooper tackles different ways/forms of death within each. The settings may all be different – though a few are similar-ish and not in a bad way – but the emotional weight of each is the same. Death will come and nobody is safe from the grim reaper.
Each story hops from highlight to highlight and I found myself really cherishing my time with each tale, loving the setup and the delivery. Cooper – much like the other four I highlighted earlier – has a familiar yet fresh writing voice and I found hints of the other books she’s written nestled within a number of these stories. I honestly struggled to pick out any story that I considered my favorite, so after finishing the book and reading my notes about each one, I chose two to highlight that really struck me deeper and connected with my reading brain more than the rest.
‘Charnel Mother’ – a story following two grave digger’s hired to retrieve a body goes sideways real quick. This one might’ve been the scariest/spookiest story within the collection. While in the process of getting the body during the night, one of them swears they see a woman watching them and hears what they think is a bell. Soon, they both think they see the woman following them and, in typical Cooper fashion, things only get more horrible from there. This was excellent and one I wished was about twenty times the length!
‘Breaking the Routine’ – if I had to choose a favorite, this one would probably be in. We follow a woman on her typical work day. Arrive at the office, makes coffee, goes to her desk, staples paper etc., etc. Repeat. Repeat. Ground hog day. But then she notices slight variations. Hears odd noises, sees shadows. As the reality of what’s occurred sets in, Cooper doesn’t hold back and this one goes from unsettling and strange to heart wrenching and soul crushing. Phenomenal story.
What I didn’t like: I feel like my notes might be wrong, but one thing I noticed was that outside of the last story, every story is told in 1st person POV. I only think readers would find this an issue if you were sitting down and reading them all back-to-back, but because I would read a story and pause for a day or two, it never felt like more of the same or created an issue with resetting the reading brain between each story.
Why you should buy this: I mean, it’s an S.H. Cooper release. So, yes. You should absolutely buy it. If that isn’t convincing enough, then how about this – ten fantastic stories told through the fantastic prose of a fantastic writer, where – should you choose – you could absolutely read in a single sitting. Fantastic. And when you finish and close the book you’ll do two things. The first will be to buy more of Cooper’s books – I suggest Inheriting Her Ghosts and Threads of Ash: South – and the second will be to nod your head and say, ‘Well, that was fantastic.’
Amazing collection.
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