Most of the anthologies I read range from 10-15 stories, so when I saw that Shredded: A Sports & Fitness Body Horror Anthology contained 17, I immediately thought, ‘Oh, there are probably some theme-adjacent duds in here somewhere.’

Nope.

And while I did enjoy some stories more than others, I can honestly say, there’s not a single dud in this whole anthology. They all stick reverently to both theme and body horror. Shredded covers wrestling, basketball, football, gym enthusiasts, rodeo clowns, cross-country runners, power lifting, swimming, gymnastics, MMA, hockey, figure skating, yoga, and more.

The stories that really stood out to me, hit me in the gut, were The Swish Heard ‘Round Central Nebraska by Tim Meyer (the format, almost done like a script, was effective, and the story moved like lightning), I’m Gonna Make You A Legend by Brandon Applegate (italics used to great effect here, a nice twist on the bully revenge trope), Don’t Make It Weird by Red Lagoe (a strong voice, super original), Massive Gains by Caias Ward (lots of humor, multiple formats/angles that serve the story well), Blood, Ash & Iron by Charles Austin Muir (masterful, probably my favorite story), It All Comes Back by Matthew Pritt (lean, simple prose, with a strong emotional core, this one hurt), and Avulsion by Madeleine Sardina (masterful in its ability to have a suffering character parallel the world around them, and an ending that goes full circle).

The gems here (and this is just my opinion, what hit hardest to me): Massive Gains, Blood, Ash & Iron, It All Comes Back, and Avulsion.

Cons: Lots of italics, mirror scenes, some story/plot overlap.
Pros: Story approach/format, gutsy, bold stories, strong voices, great story placement, true to theme and body horror, and, most of all, story length. The length of stories was pitch perfect. I read half of this anthology in one sitting, half in another. It’s a breeze to move through.

Shredded is well worth the price of admission. I highly recommend it!