Fort Collins Bookseller Curates Dark Body Horror Picks

Reva from Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins calls Luke Dumas’s new novel Nothing Tastes as Good an “outlandish body horror” tale about weight loss and fatphobia. It’s not just a story about shedding pounds; it’s a story about shedding your humanity when the medicine works too well.

Emmett Truesdale is 300 pounds. He’s stuck in a dead-end job in Southern California, carrying the weight of childhood trauma and millennial ennui. He tries every diet. Nothing sticks. Then he enrolls in a clinical trial for a drug called Obexity. The results are miraculous. He sheds weight at superhuman speed. His life improves overnight.

But there’s a catch. A killer catch.

The side effects include lost stretches of time and overwhelming cravings. People who were cruel to Emmett start disappearing. The police warn of a cannibalistic killer on the loose. Emmett fears Obexity is turning him into a monster. He can’t give it up, though. Not when people finally start treating him like a human being.

It’s a sharp critique of how we value bodies over souls. And it’s hitting shelves at Atria Books for $29.

The Fort Collins shop isn’t just pushing one genre this week. The staff is curating a mix of Icelandic mystery and a Korean indictment of capitalism. Let’s look at the other picks.

Mia, another bookseller at the store, recommends Dead Weight by Hildur Knútsdóttir. It’s a Tor Nightfire release priced at $24.99. The plot involves a black cat showing up at Unnur’s door. Unnur tracks down the owner, Ásta. Ásta is lost and needs help. She slips into Unnur’s life like a gust of cold air in a Reykjavík night.

The friendship is welcome. Then it gets violent. Ásta’s husband is abusive. Unnur has to ask herself how far she’d go for a stranger. The book tests the limits of loyalty when there’s blood on your hands.

Then there’s Hunger by Choi Jin Young. It’s a European Editions release for $18. It’s described as an underground indictment of capitalism. The source material cuts off there, but the implication is clear: this is a story about survival in a system designed to fail you.

Old Firehouse Books is located in Fort Collins. It’s a local institution. The staff picks these books. They aren’t just reading for fun; they’re reading to understand the current cultural moment. The horror genre is having a moment. It’s not just about jump scares. It’s about social anxiety made flesh.

Nothing Tastes as Good tackles the pressure to be thin. Dead Weight tackles the pressure to be loyal. Hunger tackles the pressure to be productive.

The prices are standard. $29. $24.99. $18. You’re paying for the paper, the ink, and the author’s insight. But you’re also paying for the escape. For the few hours you spend reading, you’re not in Fort Collins. You’re in a clinical trial. You’re in Reykjavík. You’re in the underground.

The store is open. The books are available. The staff has spoken.

If you’re looking for a quick read, stick to the romance. If you want to feel uncomfortable, pick up Nothing Tastes as Good. It’s outlandish. It’s body horror. It’s about how far you’ll go to be seen.

The bottom line is simple. The shop is curating a specific mood. Dark. Heavy. Real. They’re recommending books that don’t let you off the hook. They’re recommending books that make you question your own choices.

That’s worth the price of admission.