Issues with Authority, Nadia Bulkin; Ghoulish Books, 2025.
Issues with Authority is a collection of three stories by Nadia Bulkin.
The first story, “Cop Car,” is a fascinating but flawed tale of sociopathy, cultism, covert ops, and a doomed attempt to build a family. One of the plot elements is “a hat on a hat” — leaving it out wouldn’t change the story much, but included, it’s an additional implausibility to swallow. The prose is beautiful and the characters wonderfully drawn.
“Your Next Best American Girl” is a scorching fantastic satire built on body horror. It reminds me of Bulgakov, whom I’ve recently read, and also of The Beauty, which I’ve been watching. Bulkin cuts deeper than the TV series, though.
This collection saves the best for last with “Red Skies in the Morning.” The premise is similar to the movie The Ring, but the approach is original, mixing family drama, serial killer thriller and police (or at least government) procedural. It’s the most moving of the three stories, and I’d love to see it adapted for television.
(I wasn’t paid for this review, and don’t get any kind of affiliate compensation.)