Substack serials I recommend

I enjoy getting engrossed in stories, so I love following serial stories.

I enjoy getting engrossed in stories, so I love following serial stories. Here’s what I’m reading currently. If you have more suggestions, especially those with audio, please post them in the comments.

Photo by Bernd 📷 Dittrich on Unsplash

Brujas

By R. M. Greta

Brujas is a visceral, witchy tale of loss and seizing control. I can see and smell every depiction R. M. Greta writes about the mesa. Especially the food and flowers. Her narrative is so palpable that I sometimes feel like I've witnessed a ritual I shouldn’t have been spying on. I’m surely cursed by proxy.

Catriz and Elvis are forces not to be messed with.

It’s a short, yet searing 8-part series. I’ve been savoring it slowly, saving the last part until I can set aside time to contemplate it.

Three women with ties to ancestral magic via a fictional indigenous tribe go up against a corrupt witch in the desert of Southern California. Brujas is a folk horror/dark fantasy commentary on colonization and the systems that fail women of color.

Start here: Brujas pt. 1

Jack and the Beanstalk Cafe

By Happy Nielsen

This is definitely not a romance novel about a badass vampire and her doofus wizard who occasionally undress each other with their eyes and occasionally kiss—platonically, of course. It’s romance adjacent. And torture adjacent. You see, it’s all about magic and vampires—not romance! It’s quite cozy.

I also enjoy the narration on all most (ahem) of the chapters.

It is mostly lighthearted and Happy, although of course there is some danger lurking around the corner...

I think people who enjoyed books like Legends & Lattes, movies like National Treasure, or who ironically or unironically loved Twilight would also love this story.

Start here: Chapter 1: The Beanstalk Cafe

No Such Thing As Normal (Olivia/Ben)

By Nikki | Nocturnal Narrator

I started reading this story when it was published as separate serials, one for each of Olivia and Ben’s perspectives. The first few chapters of Olivia had audio narration.

I haven’t finished all the Olivia and Ben chapters, but now is a good time to catch up, as Nikki has restructured them into a single novel. I’m happy to start over because it’s an engrossing story, with protagonists you shouldn’t identify with—but it’s hard not to.

I don’t want to spoil too much of the story, so I’ll post the synopsis here.

No Such Thing As Normal is a dark, dual-narrative thriller that pairs a psychopathic researcher who can predict violence with a combat-hardened soldier who’s spent years carrying it out.

Start here: No Such Thing As Normal | FOREWORD

Slice of Death

By KJ Harlow

Ever is Death’s new apprentice. He has no memory of what it was like to be a human, but is plopped right onto Earth—in front of an ice cream parlor. This is a touching slice-of-life story that treats moments of death with dignity.

There’s Death and Choas, though it’s still quite cozy. I read this when I want a break from the real world.

Each chapter is short. I’d love to have a complete audio version of this story.

Death's first apprentice is sent to live as a human on Earth for 365 days, awkwardness ensues.

Start here: Prologue

Thrain

By Andrew Taylor

Thrain is an epic, high-fantasy story with an intriguing, war-torn, magical world. I’m not yet too far along with the story because I’m listening to the excellent narration performance by Andrew as he publishes them. I listen to every chapter as soon as the audio is available. The narration is currently available up to Part 12 - Chapter 4.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a synopsis for Thrain.

Start here: Thrain - Part 1 - Chapter 1

The Spectral Agent

By Jan Herrington

I’m a bit biased, but I love this story and the characters. I read them or talk about them nearly every day, then listen to them five or ten times, because I’m the editor for it. I edit, Jan reviews, I generate and listen to the audio, Jan reviews, and we repeat.

It could be considered a paranormal crime thriller, but it’s really about the characters and their internal struggles writ large on a backdrop of murder mystery, ghosts, and the uncovering of a criminal underworld.

It’s designed to be heard. Audio for every episode is available on Substack, as well as Spotify and Apple Podcasts, to make it easy to binge while in the car or doing chores.

Aspiring detective Viktor Levitsky thought he was investigating a suicide—until the corpse spoke. The line between hallucination and reality blurs as Viktor is pulled into a grim mystery of secrets, corruption, and possession. With a voice in his head that won’t shut up and a feeling he can't shake, Viktor must uncover the truth before a malignant force takes control.

Start here: The Spectral Agent - Chapter 1