She’s Waiting in the Corridor (Terribilis, Book 1) by Acacia Daniels

KDP Amazon, 2027

ISBN: 9798278676102

Available: Kindle edition (pre-order, January 1, 2027)

Buy: Amazon.com

Acacia Daniels offers a haunting tale taking place on the planet Mors, with just as much red and as many mountains as the fourth planet of our solar system, albeit with a military base situated near strange vines and massive arachnid creatures on the loose. The world-building is simple, but effective. Mors is dreary, communications and practical supplies are limited, yet a loophole allows a massive supply of rubber ducks to be easily ordered to the station, alongside a risky medication known as Yarostol, to improve one’s combat abilities. The arachnid Megalonephila terribilis has taken several men down both near the base and in local mines with little trace of a struggle, leaving the protagonist, Captain Ulynov, to enlist the help of a new recruit named Yarina Baranouskaya, who is the only one to have a prior understanding of these creatures.

What stood out to me while reading this was the attention to detail to military-style schedules, training, and technology. The combination of English, Chinese, and Russian throughout the text, all belonging to Earth’s largest political superpowers was an interesting take, but a believable one. I also loved how lyrics from traditional Serbian and Belarusian music served as foreshadowing for the supposed woman waiting in the corridor, alongside a manic state involving the color red many of those that came close to Megalonephila terribilis experienced.

The pacing contains a variety of paragraph and sentence lengths, making just over 100 pages fly by quickly without bogging down the reader, and the combination of military horror and subtle Lovecraftian horror is well put together, particularly in the second half of the book as the stakes continue to build, revealing that the struggle to contain Megalonephilia terribilis isn’t just a freak incident and that its effects may be much more man-made than at first glance.

This short book is recommended for young adult readers who enjoy fast-paced military action combined with dystopian ambience and medical/arachnid horror. Readers will find that the story’s monstrous aspect reminds one of the aquatic horror game Still Wakes the Deep, while the near-apocalyptic nature of the story’s setting, particularly during its moments in the mines, is akin to Metro 2033.

Reviewed by Shaina Stahl