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Tamika Thompson
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Unshod, Cackling, and Naked Paperback – June 13, 2024

by Tamika Thompson (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 46 ratings
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  1. Next Generation Indie Book AwardsWinner, 2024
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*Next Generation Indie Award Winner for Horror*


A beauty pageant veteran appeases her mother by competing for one final crown, only to find herself trapped in a hand-sewn gown that cuts into her flesh. A journalist falls deeply in love with a mysterious woman but discovers his beloved can vanish and reappear hours later in the same spot, as if no time has passed at all. A cash-strapped college student agrees to work in a shop window as a mannequin but quickly learns she's not free to break her pose. And what happens when the family pet decides it no longer wants to have "owners?"

In the grim and often horrific thirteen tales collected here, beauty is violent, and love and hate are the same feeling, laid bare by unbridled obsession. Entering worlds both strange and quotidian, and spanning horror landscapes both speculative and real, Unshod, Cackling, and Naked asks who among us is worthy of love and who deserves to die?


A collection


"This powerful collection of 13 intimate horror shorts from Thompson (Salamander Justice) derives its scares by pushing mundane Black experiences into unsettling territory. Several pieces dive into simultaneously validating and terrifying expressions of Black female rage...Readers of any background will find that these stark terrors hit close to home."

-Publishers Weekly


"This collection of short stories from Thompson (Salamander Justice, 2020) is thrilling and engrossing, with classic horror tropes and experimental new tactics and scares...Thanks to these exquisite stories, readers will look forward to a future library with a shelf full of Thompson's books."

- Booklist


"Each story pulls you in, ties you to it for one blistering hard ride after another. They all are certain to leave their own personal mark, whether it's the twisting of everyday common things, people, or animals, or the more reflective, unspoken sorrows and hatred of those closest to us, and of ourselves."

- Bailey Hunter, Dark Recesses Press

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  1. Print length
    246 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Unnerving
  4. Publication date
    June 13, 2024
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.52 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1998763358
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1998763351
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Unnerving (June 13, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 246 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1998763358
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1998763351
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.52 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 46 ratings

About the author

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Tamika Thompson

Tamika Thompson

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Tamika is author of THE CURSE OF HESTER GARDENS (Erewhon/Kensington, 2026) and Next Generation Indie Book Awards Horror Winner, UNSHOD, CACKLING, and NAKED, which Publishers Weekly calls "powerful," "unsettling," and "terrifying," as well as author of SALAMANDER JUSTICE, and fiction editor for Foreword INDIES Award-winning anthology, GRAFFITI. Her work has appeared in several speculative fiction anthologies as well as in Interzone, Prairie Schooner, The New York Times, and Los Angeles Review of Books, among others. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Columbia University and a Master of Arts in Journalism from the University of Southern California. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she hosts her own blog and newsletter, Tamika Talks Terror.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
46 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's storytelling engaging, with two stories woven into each tale. The writing style receives positive feedback for its evocative and fluid nature, along with its purposeful imagery.

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7 customers mention "Storytelling"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the storytelling in the book, with each story being engaging and featuring two narratives for each tale, though some find them outright terrifying.

"...Stories like The Turn are downright terrifying, Bridget is Missing feels like an Octavia Butler tribute, and Mannequin Model is written so painfully..." Read more

"...The language, imagery, and all around story telling is suburb, with, in my opinion, "And We Screamed" being my favorite...." Read more

"...I love everything about it, the relatable storytelling that tricks you into thinking it's gonna be a good old time and then a few minutes later you..." Read more

"These are really compelling short stories and unlike any I have read. Dystopian, horrifying, world turned upside down, laugh out loud, cry out loud...." Read more

4 customers mention "Writing style"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, describing it as evocative and fluid with purposeful imagery.

"...feels like an Octavia Butler tribute, and Mannequin Model is written so painfully beautiful that you wish it had seventy more pages...." Read more

"...in this collection prove that Tamika Thompson not only has a creative imagination, but also, the writing skills to bring, not only her characters to..." Read more

"...Thompson's writing is evocative and fluid, her storytelling is effortless (though I'm sure she put a lot of work in to make it seem so)...." Read more

"For its purposeful imagery, stirring voices, and fierce commentary, do not miss this collection. Thompson is a master of her craft...." Read more

A Walk Through Horror of All Kinds
5 out of 5 stars
A Walk Through Horror of All Kinds
Tanika Thompsons newest release, Unshod, Cackling, and Naked, is a collection of horror that pulled me in and kept me in my seat every single time I opened this book. The stories range from cosmic, ecological, haunting, and even into body horror, so there is probably something for literally every sort of horror fan. There are a couple of the increasingly popular “good for her!” genre in here(which were definitely some of my favorite). Like I usually do, instead of reviewing individual stories and spoiling it, I’m just going to share my favorites from the collection: -I Am Goddess -Abduction Near Knife Lake -The Turn Each of these is incredibly satisfying in the “no such thing as a happy ending” way. I’ll be watching for more from this author, I was desperate for some of these to be full length, and I’ve no doubt a full length in the future will be every bit as amazing as these were.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Damien Casey
    5.0 out of 5 stars I will be glorious.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Unshod, Cackling, and Naked by Tamika Thompson is to horror what Ted Chiang’s Story of your life is to Science Fiction. Each story is distinct, unique, powerful, emotional, and full of passion from the author. Thompson has a voice and she is not afraid to use it in her writing. At times the writing feels lyrical, like the words have created a rhythm of their own in your head. The content in each is so unique and unlike anything else that you can’t help but point your eyes at the book and not look away. Stories like The Turn are downright terrifying, Bridget is Missing feels like an Octavia Butler tribute, and Mannequin Model is written so painfully beautiful that you wish it had seventy more pages. This is a great collection for the horror fan who wants MORE from
    a short story read than just a monster and some victims. Let this book get deep in your being and enjoy every place it takes you.
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  • John Michael
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Horror Anthology Worth Reading
    Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    While several reviewers have compared this anthology collection to "The Twilight Zone," I feel it's more in tone and style with Clive Barker's "The Books of Blood." The language, imagery, and all around story telling is suburb, with, in my opinion, "And We Screamed" being my favorite. Each story is engaging in its own way, though, with the last entry, Abduction Near Knife Lake," a true white knuckler.
    The 13 stories in this collection prove that Tamika Thompson not only has a creative imagination, but also, the writing skills to bring, not only her characters to life, but her visions as well. I feel "Unshod, Cackling, and Naked" is just the starting point for this talented storyteller. And would not be surprised is this writer goes far.
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  • Kenya Moss-Dyme
    5.0 out of 5 stars Shaken, spent and blown away
    Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I purchased this book months ago upon seeing others share it on social media, due mainly to the cover and of course already glowing recommendations. Finally had a chance to read and once I dug in, I could not stop. 'The Turn' grabbed me immediately, being a dog lover myself. The suspense and impending doom in the story is masterfully laid out from one page to the next, all the way to the surprising ending. "I will be glorious" creeps over you with the same suffocating blanket, you feel it covering you but can't get out. "She by the Sea" is another favorite. I can't even pick the best of this incredible collection. I love everything about it, the relatable storytelling that tricks you into thinking it's gonna be a good old time and then a few minutes later you're looking around the room to make sure you're alone. I can't wait to see what else is coming! (note: I have also purchased and will review Salamander Justice!)
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  • Susan E Dix
    5.0 out of 5 stars Monsters and more
    Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2025
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    These are really compelling short stories and unlike any I have read. Dystopian, horrifying, world turned upside down, laugh out loud, cry out loud. They cover it all. You will tear through these stories and want more.
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  • B. Monroe
    5.0 out of 5 stars There's brilliance in the darkness...
    Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    A brilliant collection of excellent dark fiction. It reminded me a lot of the Twilight Zone, or Outer Limits, but not maybe in the way you'd expect. Not simply because the stories were weird or unsettling, but more how Serling and his writers had a lot of Things To Say (TM), and used the trappings of speculative fiction to say them.
    Thompson's writing is evocative and fluid, her storytelling is effortless (though I'm sure she put a lot of work in to make it seem so). And she has a lot of Things To Say (TM) in these stories. Things about racism, misogyny, mental health, and other topics which are worthy of discussion.
    I absolutely enjoyed every story in this collection, and can't wait to read more of her work.
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  • L.E. Daniels
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Master of her Craft
    Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    For its purposeful imagery, stirring voices, and fierce commentary, do not miss this collection. Thompson is a master of her craft. Each story holds mirror to mirror and acutely reflects the terror of our world through tightly woven layers and swift economy. There are always two stories at play for each tale: the surface horror story and a deeply resonant echo for those willing to hear it. My favorite stories were "Under the Crown" and "These Parts" as I found my pulsing racing, urging these protagonists to overturn their worlds. Brilliant.
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  • Susan Vrabel-Williams
    5.0 out of 5 stars Creepy Stories!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I have to say that I liked every story in this collection. They're all quite scary, but my absolute favorite was "She by the Sea."
    I will definitely be looking for more of Tamika Thompson's work!
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  • Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sit back, get plenty of popcorn!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2024
    Each story kept me wondering what each page will bring. Cant wait for the movie(s).
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Top reviews from other countries

  • ScotttheReader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Variety Meets Consistency
    Reviewed in Canada on April 23, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Tamika Thompson, Unshod, Cackling, and Naked

    The Turn: A message of political rebellion wrapped up in something everyday and relatable (pets). A story that addresses change and fatigue with the way things are while also reminding that not everything is black and white, and that groups are made up of individuals.

    Bridget Has Disappeared: Part creepy, part weird, part thought-provoking, good characters drive this story, which feels like the prologue to something larger, leaving you with as many questions as answers. Liked this one a lot.

    Under the Crown: A story of rebellion with some unsettling imagery and important social critique.

    I did it for you: I like the darkness, the dirt, the gore, the character interiority. Just the right length. I could see it as part of a longer work as well though.

    The Bats: Good intensity and action, a horror, thriller, and actioner with filmlike pace, while still fitting in all the backstory necessary for full development of character and plot.

    These Parts: More strong interiority mixed with horror. An angry story, wherein you can feel the emotion seething in every word.

    i will be glorious: Possibly the most complex story in the collection, it delves into psychology as well as a very unusual horror.

    Angry Slash of Blood: A gory and disturbing story that also delves into the mentality of love in the most unsettling manner possible.

    Mannequin Model: Another psychological gem, the depiction of the descent into madness delivers an unsettling, hazy cloud of druglike reality.

    She By the Sea: This one feels the most uncomfortably real within the collection. Painfully plausible. The right length.

    And We Screamed: A good story of growth, family, visceral self-awareness. The early tone feels dark and violent, but the story progresses into a more coming-of-age style reminiscence. I like the story; I’m just not sure it fits with the tone of the rest of the collection.

    I Am Goddess: A story of power. Not just the Goddess concept of the title and repeated mantra, but the power of words, of little things that add up, of mindsets, of other people’s opinions. It builds well into vengeance that delves deeply into different types of ills that require revenge.

    Abduction Near Knife Lake: A great finisher, with consistent suspense throughout and a very twisted conclusion.
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  • St. Ghost
    5.0 out of 5 stars I didn't want it to end
    Reviewed in Canada on February 2, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    What an amazing collection. There wasn't a single story that left me indifferent and I just didn't want the collection to end. The stories are both social commentary and entertainment. If you like stories that you can analyse and think about for a minute you'll enjoy this collection but you can also enjoy it for its entertainment value.
    It's horror that doesn't rely on gore to make you feel something and some stories had me at the edge of my seat, highly recommend this book.
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