The Patient Routine

A psychedelic, propulsive stream-of-consciousness narrative that feels at times claustrophobic, at times conspiratorial, and at all times curiously suspenseful. Unlike anything I've ever read." — Nick Cutter, author of The Troop "Filled with frantic death energy. Entrancing, gruesome, and heartening too. hall's lyrical hospital saga shows that we are small inside the grandiose mortality machine." — Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth "the patient routine is a merciless, anxiety-charged, possible-apocalypse, possible-zombie thriller, long narrative poem about the body in maddening conversation with itself. luna rey hall takes us through the terrifying halls of a hospital in lockdown while deftly exploring an immensely personal journey through the shifting realities of an over-medicalized mind, a body snared in systems that do not understand or serve it. The tension between inner and outer worlds is relentless and the body horror hits all the worst/best buttons while raising philosophical questions of identity and power. What a torturously smart little book." — Joe Koch, author of The Wingspan of Severed Hands and Convulsive Ashton is convinced they are dying. whether it be from cancer, heart disease, or a fungal infection, they know something bad is always about to happen. after a night of health-related panic attacks, & urged by a voice in their head, Ashton decides to check in to the ER again but when another patient is brought in with an unknown ailment that puts the entire hospital on lockdown, Ashton may be trapped in their worst nightmare.