Nathan Ballingrud

A short, insightful read into CRYPT OF THE MOON SPIDER.

@Bigcitylib2 I just saw this. Thank you for this wonderful post. I've read both Gaiman and Mieville, so I'm sure their influence was at play. (And strangely, I initially conceived Grub as an Englishman! More of that must have survived into the final draft than I realized.)

Crypt of the Moon Spider: A Short Post on a Short Book open.substack.com/pub/4mjmu/p/cr… On @NBallingrud 's recent novella.

@Bergershai Hi Shai, thank you so much! I hope you'll like the conclusion just as much. (I'm sorry it took me so long to respond; I haven't logged into X in a couple months.)

@NBallingrud Wow, just finished both of your Lunar Gothic books. Just wow! Had a blast reading these. so weird and creepy and smart. I can't even say what genre they are, but I couldn't care less. Now, I have to wait for the third one to come out.

@VrubelOlga "pleasantly gory" is a delightful pairing of words.

@VrubelOlga Thank you so much! 🙏

An amazing novella about beauty and monstrosity. Impeccably written. Pleasantly gory. Superb. @NBallingrud

Pre-order a signed copy from Malaprop's if you want! malaprops.com/book/s97812503…

Here's the US cover art for KINGDOM OF THE CONQUEROR WORM, out October 2026 from Tor Nightfire and Titan in the UK. Art by the incomparable Sam Araya.

@Unudurti I'm so glad you liked it. And I'm happy to see the book in India!

Finished “Crypt of the Moon Spider” by @NBallingrud in one sitting over the course of a rainy Hyderabad afternoon. Recommended. The novella is an ideal, if somewhat neglected, horror delivery vehicle. And here we see the full use of its strengths.

@zdubsman Nice!

@NBallingrud made it to the Barnes & Noble suggested reading table. Paired with some greats!

@BenBowlinHSW Thank you, man.

Bears repeating: @NBallingrud is rocking the pillars of what publishers call genre. No offense, Mr. B. This is Bradbury-level stuff.

CATHEDRAL OF THE DROWNED release day! "Ballingrud once again proves himself one of the most fearless, fun, and original writers at work in horror today." -- Dan Chaon, author of ONE OF US.

@SonnyBunch Not relevant to the point you’re making, but I feel compelled to add that the phrase “no one asked for this” always invites my immediate scorn. Who gives a fuck?

I like Ryan Gosling as much as the next guy, but like. BLADE RUNNER 2049 happened. Not very long ago! I liked BLADE RUNNER 2049! But it opened to almost *exactly* what TRON: ARES opened to.

@mrjorschusa Thank you! I hope you like the follow-up!

@NBallingrud Ordered it yesterday from Malaprops. Rereading moonspider now in preparation. I have been waiting a year for this. Congratulations and may it sell a million copies.

Book launch next week! I can't believe it's here already. Local filmmaker Jennifer Trudrung will help me send CATHEDRAL OF THE DROWNED out into the world at Malaprop's next Tuesday (21st) at 6pm. Please come if you can!

Apparently there’s an account pretending to be me sending weird DMs on bluesky. I DO NOT HAVE A BLUESKY ACCOUNT. If you encounter it, please report it.

@craigengler Thanks, man!

@NBallingrud Awesome....congrats!

I need a little help with surgery for my cat, Athena. Thank you, sincerely, for considering. Link in next post.

@kristina_ten @StillhousePress It's such a great book.

Gratitude for these words from @NBallingrud, one of my all-time favorite authors. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I think about “The Visible Filth” at least once a month. You can tell how long I’ve been reading Ballingrud by how young my dog looks in this balcony photo...

Finished copies of CATHEDRAL OF THE DROWNED have arrived. Less than a month away now. The Bishop awaits.