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Tapeworm

A Vampire Novel

Author A. P. Thayer

Hardcover

$28.00 US

Zando | Evil Twin

5.81"W x 8.56"H x 0.96"D (14.8 x 21.7 x 2.4 cm) | 16 oz (454 g) | 32 per carton

On sale Aug 18, 2026 | 304 Pages | 9781638933458

Sales rights: World

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Fiction > Gothic & Horror

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From Dusk Till Dawn meets The Thing in this debut horror novel, where a group of friends must confront questions of identity, aging, and desire during a vampire infestation in an isolated Californian desert.

The limited edition first printing includes arresting sprayed edges, designed endpapers, and a foil stamped case.

“Tapeworm is an eldritch orgy . . . directed under the loving Lovecraftian eye of John Carpenter. No amount of hand sanitizer will disinfect this book from your consciousness.” —Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

It needs to feed.

After the recent separation from his wife Trish, Victor hopes his friends' annual weekend retreat to the Californian desert town of Superstition will loosen him up and reforge the group's fraying bonds. But something is waiting underneath Superstition, crawling its way into their group, and feeding into their desires.

Victor knows too well what it means to repress his desires. He's always attempted to be the perfect partner, yet often found himself lacking. With Trish skipping the trip, he begins falling into the wild underbelly of Superstition in new ways. When the leader of the town's Welcoming Committee approaches him with a romantic, sexually charged offer, Victor wonders if it's too good to be true.

But the Welcoming Committee expects a price to be paid for its services. One that cannot be fulfilled by willing bodies alone. By the end of the weekend, group bonding will have developed a whole new meaning.

Because something is hungry for Victor and his friends.

For fans of Stephen Graham Jones, V. Castro, and Rachel Harrison, Tapeworm is an unforgettable, body-horror vampire novel that answers how far one will go to stop repressing their desires and finally set themselves free.

Praise for Tapeworm

"Tapeworm by A. P. Thayer has left me wounded, reeling, and repelled—and I absolutely adore it.”—Grimdark Magazine

“Slow-burning his way to a gnarly, all-consuming deflagration, Thayer’s vividly organic prose shines at the finicky analysis of the body and the mind, their desires and destruction. Throughout Tapeworm, all matter is transformed, and only one thing remains: hunger.” —Edgar Cantero, New York Times bestselling author of Meddling Kids

“Tapeworm slowly strangles the reader as it explores loss, lust, and vampirism through an unexpected creature that will literally make you squirm in the best of ways. A.P. Thayer is a must-read Chicano writer for 2026.” ―V. Castro, author of The Haunting of Alejandra

“Tapeworm is an eldritch orgy...directed under the loving Lovecraftian eye of John Carpenter. No amount of hand sanitizer will disinfect this book from your consciousness.” —Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

“Tapeworm is a visceral tale of broken hearts and famished monsters. With his delicate prose, a nightmarish atmosphere, and exquisite yearning, A.P. Thayer reveals himself as horror’s discovery of the year.” —J. V. Gachs, author of Epiphany

“Tapeworm is a stand-out body horror debut that tackles everything from connection and identity, friendship, and self-doubt. It’s Thayer’s confident use and command of voice channeling the vicious vampiric horror within the novel that conjures a narrative pulse that is equally infectious and irresistible.” —Michael J. Seidlinger, author of Anybody Home? and Brokeula

“The discomfort of friend groups growing older smashes right into eldritch body horror in this banger of a story from Thayer. Wrapped myself in a blanket and squirmed my way gleefully through it all. Unputdownable!” —Brent Lambert, author of A Necessary Chaos and co-founder of FIYAH Literary Magazine

A. P. Thayer is a queer, Mexican American author based out of Los Angeles who writes cross-genre speculative fiction. His work has been featured in Dark Matter Magazine, Space Fantasy Magazine, Uncharted Magazine, and several anthologies. He is also a full member of SFWA and HWA.

A. P. Thayer View titles by A. P. Thayer

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A. P. Thayer View titles by A. P. Thayer

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Available for sale exclusive:

• Afghanistan

• Aland Islands

• Albania

• Algeria

• Andorra

• Angola

• Anguilla

• Antarctica

• Antigua/Barbuda

• Argentina

• Armenia

• Aruba

• Australia

• Austria

• Azerbaijan

• Bahamas

• Bahrain

• Bangladesh

• Barbados

• Belarus

• Belgium

• Belize

• Benin

• Bermuda

• Bhutan

• Bolivia

• Bonaire, Saba

• Bosnia Herzeg.

• Botswana

• Bouvet Island

• Brazil

• Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter

• Brit.Virgin Is.

• Brunei

• Bulgaria

• Burkina Faso

• Burundi

• Cambodia

• Cameroon

• Canada

• Cape Verde

• Cayman Islands

• Centr.Afr.Rep.

• Chad

• Chile

• China

• Christmas Islnd

• Cocos Islands

• Colombia

• Comoro Is.

• Congo

• Cook Islands

• Costa Rica

• Croatia

• Cuba

• Curacao

• Cyprus

• Czech Republic

• Dem. Rep. Congo

• Denmark

• Djibouti

• Dominica

• Dominican Rep.

• Ecuador

• Egypt

• El Salvador

• Equatorial Gui.

• Eritrea

• Estonia

• Ethiopia

• Falkland Islnds

• Faroe Islands

• Fiji

• Finland

• France

• Fren.Polynesia

• French Guinea

• Gabon

• Gambia

• Georgia

• Germany

• Ghana

• Gibraltar

• Greece

• Greenland

• Grenada

• Guadeloupe

• Guam

• Guatemala

• Guernsey

• Guinea Republic

• Guinea-Bissau

• Guyana

• Haiti

• Heard/McDon.Isl

• Honduras

• Hong Kong

• Hungary

• Iceland

• India

• Indonesia

• Iran

• Iraq

• Ireland

• Isle of Man

• Israel

• Italy

• Ivory Coast

• Jamaica

• Japan

• Jersey

• Jordan

• Kazakhstan

• Kenya

• Kiribati

• Kuwait

• Kyrgyzstan

• Laos

• Latvia

• Lebanon

• Lesotho

• Liberia

• Libya

• Liechtenstein

• Lithuania

• Luxembourg

• Macau

• Macedonia

• Madagascar

• Malawi

• Malaysia

• Maldives

• Mali

• Malta

• Marshall island

• Martinique

• Mauritania

• Mauritius

• Mayotte

• Mexico

• Micronesia

• Minor Outl.Ins.

• Moldavia

• Monaco

• Mongolia

• Montenegro

• Montserrat

• Morocco

• Mozambique

• Myanmar

• Namibia

• Nauru

• Nepal

• Netherlands

• New Caledonia

• New Zealand

• Nicaragua

• Niger

• Nigeria

• Niue

• Norfolk Island

• North Korea

• North Mariana

• Norway

• Oman

• Pakistan

• Palau

• Palestinian Ter

• Panama

• PapuaNewGuinea

• Paraguay

• Peru

• Philippines

• Pitcairn Islnds

• Poland

• Portugal

• Puerto Rico

• Qatar

• Reunion Island

• Romania

• Russian Fed.

• Rwanda

• S. Sandwich Ins

• Saint Martin

• Samoa,American

• San Marino

• SaoTome Princip

• Saudi Arabia

• Senegal

• Serbia

• Seychelles

• Sierra Leone

• Singapore

• Sint Maarten

• Slovakia

• Slovenia

• Solomon Islands

• Somalia

• South Africa

• South Korea

• South Sudan

• Spain

• Sri Lanka

• St Barthelemy

• St. Helena

• St. Lucia

• St. Vincent

• St.Chr.,Nevis

• St.Pier,Miquel.

• Sth Terr. Franc

• Sudan

• Suriname

• Svalbard

• Swaziland

• Sweden

• Switzerland

• Syria

• Tadschikistan

• Taiwan

• Tanzania

• Thailand

• Timor-Leste

• Togo

• Tokelau Islands

• Tonga

• Trinidad,Tobago

• Tunisia

• Turkey

• Turkmenistan

• Turks&Caicos Is

• Tuvalu

• US Virgin Is.

• USA

• Uganda

• Ukraine

• Unit.Arab Emir.

• United Kingdom

• Uruguay

• Uzbekistan

• Vanuatu

• Vatican City

• Venezuela

• Vietnam

• Wallis,Futuna

• West Saharan

• Western Samoa

• Yemen

• Zambia

• Zimbabwe

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June 3 2026

Upcoming Horror Titles for the Fall

If reality is scary right now, escape into a nice horror book for you and your customers to enjoy! These are our favorite upcoming horror books, so we hope you can enjoy them this fall.

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June 3 2026

Tapeworm

A Vampire Novel

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Upcoming Horror Titles for the Fall

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