My Two Cents: TIME OF DEATH by N.J. Gallegos

Even though I'm a nurse, I don't read a lot of medical horror. Same holds true for watching medical dramas on TV. Don't get me wrong. I think Noah Wyle is as hot now in the promos I've seen for The Pitt as he ever was back in the day in promos I saw for ER. But having suffered through enough inaccurate healthcare representations on film (looking at you, every single TV show or movie where a person with no pulse is defibrillated back to life -- yes, even YOU, otherwise-beloved 2013 remake of Evil Dead directed by Fede Alvarez), I have a low tolerance for inaccurate portrayals of medical professionals and the profession itself in fictional settings, and normally abstain.

Thus, when author N.J. Gallegos recently invited me to read an ARC of "Time of Death," the upcoming collection of medical horror short stories, I was initially hesitant. However, when I read her biography and learned she is an emergency room physician by trade, that gave me some confidence, if not hope.

That being said, you don't have to have a medical background to enjoy "Time of Death." Gallegos is a fantastic writer, and while if you do work in healthcare, you'll undoubtedly appreciate the industry Easter eggs she peppers into her stories, that foundational knowledge isn't critical to the any of the tales. All you need walking into "Time of Death" is a love of horror fiction, and all its many and varied subgenres, because Gallegos serves them up wonderfully.

The collection's opening salvo, "Full Code?" sets the mood and pace: it's business as usual late one night for an ER physician, right up until the moment when a little old lady recently declared dead turns out to be anything but.

Other personal favorites include:

"Home Visit" - Not all medical horror takes place in a hospital. Home health is a booming business in America, as insurance companies find ways to hustle patients home from the hospital sooner. Home health nurses face just as many challenges and crises as those in a more traditional clinical setting. You never know what's you're going to find when you walk through a patient's front door...as the unfortunate nurse at the center of this story discovers.

"Continuing Education" - A serial predator meets his match in a would-be victim who turns out to be more cunning and dangerous than expected.

"All is Fair Amongst Vermin and Germs" - A cautionary fable about how quickly the tables may turn, when the scientists become the specimens, and test subjects develop quick -- and terrifying -- learning curves.

"The Trouble with John Doe" - The crew of an emergency flight transport struggle to keep a patient alive en route to the hospital. They soon come to regret this.

"Death Knell" - A doctor's near-death experience gives a bird's-eye glimpse into the horrors awaiting in the afterlife.

"Primum Non Nocere" - Short, sweet, and giving The Bride! vibes.

"Close Encounters of the ER Kind" - A doctor encounters a most...unusual patient.

"The Call Shift" - Hope springs eternal, even during the zombie apocalypse.

Gallegos delivers the goods in this collection. You want zombies? Check. Werewolves? Check, check. Historical horror? Check, check, and check. Splatterpunk? You betcha! Biological horror? Yes, please!

Each of the stories in "Time of Death" were previously published in different outlets, but all fit together seamlessly as if Gallegos had this collection in mind for them the entire time. In addition to the horror elements, which she nails, Gallegos also captures not only the stress and fatigue all-too-often experienced by healthcare professionals, but also the underlying sense of optimism, compassion, and hope that keeps most of us motivated, even during the busiest shifts, even with the most complex or confrontational of patients. While you don't have to work in healthcare to appreciate this latter, hopefully you'll walk away with a deeper appreciation for the trials and tribulations healthcare workers face on an ongoing basis. Zombies, werewolves, and the vengeful dead might be a welcome reprieve in comparison.

"Time of Death" releases May 26, but is available for pre-order now. You'll find it here.