Fetty on the Switches by David Simmons
Clash Books (June 30, 2026) 
Reviewed by Adam Allen
David Simmons is a rising star in horror fiction, and in Fetty on the Switches, Simmons shows readers the wide range of emotions, fears, and humanity he is capable of conjuring in his stories. This is an incendiary, disturbing, funny, and raw collection that you will not leave unscathed. And if you’re like me, you will put this book down as a newly minted David Simmons fan. This is not easy to digest; it will gross you out, make you think, and make you laugh, sometimes all on the same page.
Simmons’ beloved Baltimore is the sun that centers and energizes all of his stories. And just like the sun, it makes life possible, but if you don’t respect it or have proper protection, it can also kill you, quickly and quietly. The title itself is a nod to some of those dangers, with “Fetty” being a slang term for Fentanyl, and “switches” referring to the device you can put on a handgun to turn it into an automatic.
The stories range from the absurd, like “Glock Dookie,” a titular story that is downright Kafka-esque, to grounded and all too human, like “Archipelago” and “Love in the Time of Fentanyl,” but are tied together by themes of poverty, race, class, and both the desperation and hope that can be found in the darkest of places.
“Glock Dookie”, a title that probably makes you smirk a little, is my favorite short story that I’ve read this year and joins the pantheon of the best literature taking place inside a prison. I was amazed at how much understanding, humor, and pathos Simmons puts into this story. Oh, and one of the main characters is a ten-foot-tall gall wasp.
“Gigi’s Hands” is another standout, in which the main character has to consume the hands of their grandmother, almost like a drug, in order to get through the day. The good news is those hands grow back, like a salamander’s after being snapped off. “Whole Time” is another story that blends fantastic social commentary on how governments and capitalism have poisoned and destroyed entire communities, and the strange parasitic relationship that can develop when those same agencies provide relief through money or services.
Should you read It?
It’s dark, holds no punches, and it will leave you breathless and reeling. But if you want to be on the ground level for a major new talent in horror, you absolutely need this book.
