Synopsis

Reality is already strange. Terrafide makes it dangerous. 

Terrafide: Tales from the Edge of Sci-Fi, Horror, & Humor, the familiar world fractures-just enough to let the impossible slip through. Ordinary people find themselves in extraordinary situations where survival, sanity, and dark humor collide. 

A burned-out cashier discovers retail has a breaking point. A haunted cop faces an invasion he can’t escape. A scientist’s failing marriage may cost humanity its future. A washed-up punk band reunites at the worst possible time the apocalypse. A tourist app pairs strangers with a murder to solve. An exterminator dreams of reviving a radioactive past. A machine built to think like us may control everything. And at one used car lot, closing the deal can be deadly. 

Blending the eerie unease of Black Mirror, the supernatural tension of Stranger Things, and the razor-edged humor of Saturday Night Live, Hyatt’s genre-defying collection delivers stories that shock, disturb, and linger long after the final page. 

Because in Terrafide, reality isn’t just bending-it’s breaking. 

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Praise

“Smart sci-fi/horror mashups are always a delight to read. Ryan Hyatt weaves relevant topics into action-packed stories with relatable characters, whimsy, and carnage, proving thinking can be fun.” – Lucy Leitner, Author, Outrage: Level 10 

“In Terrafide, Ryan Hyatt blends sci-fi, horror, and dark humor to reveal a world where rigid systems devastate humanity. These stories are viciously smart and expose the quiet terror of efficiency mistaken for progress.” – Jon Bassoff, Author, The Memory Ward 

“Terrafide is a collection of Ryan Hyatt’s greatest hits, along with some new releases you don’t want to miss!” – Erica, Reviewer, The Reading Wife

Guest Post

I’m trying to have fun.

At least when it comes to book marketing. Life is too short to be spent hawking my wares on the internet in a series of endless posts and updates.

I work behind a screen, and when I’m not working, I write behind a screen, and when I’m not writing, I’m supposed to promote my writing behind a screen?

No, thanks. I’m sick of screens—but I’m not sick of storytelling.

To promote the release of my first story collection, I tried to be strategic about my screentime.

Linked below are eight readings from the eight stories in Terrafide: Tales from the Edge of Sci-Fi, Horror, & Humor. These readings were shot by my friend Simon Cardoza around the Salton Sea area of Southern California—places like Bombay Beach, Slab City, Salvation Mountain, and East Jesus.

These communities have a peculiar history and a post-apocalyptic feel, which seemed like a natural setting to share excerpts of my sci-fi, horror, and satirical tales. And, like my stories, some of the readings have a surprise ending.

I hope you enjoy the clips. We certainly enjoyed making them.

The Manager * Psycho Therapy * When the Fireworks Fade * Punk Ain’t Undead

Enhanced: A Hollywood Murder Mystery * Bob’s Pest Control * Starlight Save Us * Lot Lizards

About the Author

Ryan Hyatt was born in Tucson in 1976. He was raised in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Copenhagen before returning to his hometown and graduating from the University of Arizona in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in history, psychology and creative writing. Hyatt spent much of his twenties working as a reporter and columnist for newspapers such as the Apache Junction Independent and Santa Monica Daily Press.

In addition to the Terrafide series, he is author of the modern western, The Death of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and editor of the satirical sci-fi news site, The La-La Lander, as well as Not Your Father’s Bedtime Stories, children’s tales he creates with his daughter. He holds a master’s degree in education from California State University Northridge and develops and manages literacy intervention programs for Los Angeles schools.

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