Spread Me
What if The Thing, but Kurt Russell had the hots for the alien?
Okay, that’s not a completely fair comparison, but it’s not entirely unfair either, as even Sarah Gailey has her characters put money in Spread Me’s version of the swear jar when any reference is made to the film.
The science geek in me was into this research mission concept. Kinsey is leading a mission to study the cryptobiotic crust (basically the dirt isn’t dirt, it’s made of microscopic organisms like algae, fungi, lichens - scientific marvels on their own - and mosses) in an isolated desert.
Sarah Gailey expertly sets up the feeling of isolation by putting her characters not only in a desert, but inside an airlocked NASA station that was abandoned by the U.S. government, and where the phone and internet service go out whenever the wind picks up, which is often.
She then goes on to tell us how the researchers combat that isolation - by basically having round-robin relationships so that nearly everyone has slept with everyone- except Kinsey - who is not attracted to any of them - at least not at first.
On an outing, Kinsey realizes the specimen she has collected is alive, but she breaks quarantine to bring it into their station.
Cue her unusual attraction to the creature - and the horror of discovering they have almost no way of knowing who’s been infected until it’s too late.
Spread Me is the virus erotica horror we didn’t know we needed, and Sarah Gailey may find she’s started a whole new sub-genre.
Xe Sands is becoming one of my favorite audiobook narrators. She sounds natural, and her inflection and cadence are appropriate to the text.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy for my honest review. Pub date: 9/23/25
Support your favorite indie bookstore (and me) by using my link to order the audiobook from https://libro.fm/referral?rf_code=lfm60355 OR if you prefer using your eyes to read, support your favorite indie (and give us both 20% off if it’s your first purchase) by using my link at https://refer.bookshop.org/candidanorwood.
