My Name Isn’t Paul is one of the most original short stories I’ve read in a long time. It’s eerie, emotional, and surprisingly tender in places—balancing sci-fi horror with a darkly introspective exploration of identity, grief, and what it means to belong. Drew Huff packs a ton of story into a short format without it ever feeling rushed or thin.

The main character is unlike any I’ve seen before, and watching him try to navigate humanity, connection, and instinct kept me fully hooked. The 1990s setting adds a surreal nostalgic layer to the otherwise otherworldly premise, grounding it in a strange, almost familiar reality.

It’s weird—in the best way. Offbeat, unsettling, and full of layered meaning, My Name Isn’t Paul is a short read that lingers. I highly recommend it for fans of experimental speculative fiction who aren’t afraid to get a little uncomfortable.

A lot of body horror for no reason. First time reading this author and i fear its not for me. The best thing ís that it was short.

3.5 stars
This was a quick weird read. I loved the concept of the Mirror People, in my mind, they looked like a cross between a steel wool scrubber and a wasp. The story was weird and eldritch and confusing (in a good way) to the end. I'd read the story of how the Mirror People came to our world for sure.

Paul, who's actually not Paul, is a Mirror Person who struggles to accept the nature of what he is. I guess even other worldly steel wool wasps are not immune from self loathing. After 7-10 years of existence, a Mirror Person goes into heat and he is dreading it. He fights so hard to not give in to the instinct, even once it's too late and it's already started. Then the story becomes us watching his decent into madness and watching him drag others down with him. I really liked the comparison between his mental state and a devastating storm.

This is a good story to start with if you are looking to dip your toes into more blood and gore, it's there but not obscene.

I wish we could have learned more about the Old Ones, they were spoken of with such fear that I was excited when we were going to meet one. But that part of the story ended quickly, in more of a whimper.

All in all, I enjoyed this story.

Thank you to Net Gallery for the ARC.
Love finding a weird and wonderful Novella, especially to read on a rainy Sunday.
I don’t tend to pick up sci-fi books but I was pleasantly surprised, with this short book. Paul in his bug eat bug world was a cool quirky character.
Would definitely read from this author in the future.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows Paul who is actually a bug that has taken over Paul’s body. This reads as a fever dream as things quickly unfold for Paul.

I thought this novella was just ok. I think the idea was there but it just wasn’t executed in the best way. I felt like the fever dream style was hard to follow and a lot was going on.

I don’t think this one was bad but I didn’t love it either.

3.5 stars

Wow, that was weird—in a good way!
The first few pages hooked me immediately and had me wondering how he ended up in that situation. The premise is unique, especially the descriptions of the mirror people. I think this is only the second book I’ve read from the perspective of the monster. Definitely do not read this while eating!

3.5 stars!

This book was lowkey weird as hell, but I did still have a fun time reading it.
If you enjoy weird horror involving insect creatures that can mimic other living creatures this may be the book for you!

This was WILD. It was a fever dream and a panic attack in one. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Make sure you’re prepared for this!

A mind-bending science fiction/horror novella for those who love a bit of chaos and a dash of existential dread.

Paul/not-Paul is on the verge of a mental breakdown as he battles his inner hatred of what he is (or, isn't?). After all, he's just a freakin' bug. Right?

When his fellow eldritch abominations contact him in an attempt to reconnect and prepare him for the looming realities of their true nature, he beings to spiral.

This was such a unique and interesting concept, and seeing Paul/not-Paul slowly descend into madness was quite the ride. I easily read this in one sitting and couldn't put it down.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I thought I would give this book a go in the spirit of widening my reading horizons and the interesting premise of the book.

However this.book was not for me and I definitely was not the intended audience. The gore definitely made me gip a little bit.

I think people who are fans of the Eldritch-horror-Sci Fi genre will be in for a treat.

The writing style and humour wasn’t for me
I felt like there needed to be more world building - it felt very one note
Interesting premise but the execution didn’t land it

This was a weird girl book if I ever read one. Very short and fast a gothic horror novella and was a great palette cleanser. Very gross at times! I was really rooting for the main character “Paul.” I had hoped the theme of “Paul” regretting his being and wishing he was a human would be more integrated into the storyline because it was my favourite part at the beginning but it lost its way a bit near the end.

Reminded me of a grosser version of the host by Stephanie Meyer.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc copy of this book.

A book filled with bugs and gore. A wild ride with a slightly whiny main character. The mirror people are going to intrigue and disturb you.

What a fun sci-fi novella! As someone who rarely picks up sci-fi but was desperate for a short, interesting read, I thought this could be a good time, and it certainly was.

My Name Isn't Paul is a fast-paced, trippy little tale of Paul, who isn't actually Paul, because he's some kind of bug man called a Mirror Person. These Mirror People mimic humans using the shells of their deceased bodies, which they control with intricate tendrils that the human eye cannot perceive. Paul doesn't want to be some gross bug dude; he wants to be a normal man who sells vacuums and gets along with his wife.

But when Paul starts to experience heat, he becomes erratic and, frankly, extremely dangerous. And it's chaos from there.

This was a read-in-a-day type of book, and it's so quick and simple there's not much to expand on. I enjoyed myself, felt freaky and weird in the 90 minutes it took me to read this, and then moved on with my day.

ok this novella was a wild ride... i can't wait to read more from this author. a very unique plot that is almost hard to wrap your mind around. perfect book for us sci fi lovers

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Drew Huff for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was strange in the best way possible. With horror not being my go to genre, I was shocked at how engaging and downright weird this book was. I was so grossed out and intrigued as I read this. I have not been able to stop thinking about this since putting it down and honestly, I'm more than likely going to be picking it back up.

After reading the novel The Divine Flesh by this author I didn’t think I’d ever read something as unsettling as that. Then he wrote this and it shook me. Unsure if cosmic horror is the thing for me, but the book was well written. It accomplished what it wanted to do which was make me feel horrified and disgusted. Very detailed

My Name Isn’t Paul is weird, wild, gory, and darkly funny, and it’s not quite like anything I’ve read before. If Grady Hendrix and Nick Cutter collaborated on a novella, it might look something like this.

Paul is not actually Paul; he is an alien bug that found Paul’s dying body and mimicked him, then took over his life. Unique in his brood, Paul wants to live as human a life as possible; he doesn’t want to pick a human to parasitically attach his eggs into, ensuring a good start for his babies as well as the inevitable death of their host. But Paul can’t help what he is. When his instincts become uncontrollable, he goes on a road trip, desperate to protect the humans around him from his monstrous impulses. Unfortunately, he manages to run into something far worse than him, and now he has to face ancient evil as well as his existential crisis.

My Name Isn’t Paul is a super fun and wild read that somehow manages to pack a surprising amount of emotional resonance in the middle of its gore, dark humor, and eldritch horror. This is my first book from this author, but it definitely won’t be my last! I didn’t know I needed a story from the POV of the cosmic monster, but now I need more as soon as possible.

I would recommend this novella to readers who love cosmic / eldritch horror, darkly humorous horror, wildly unique monsters, and body horror.

Thank you to NetGalley & Drew Huff for the arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.

There isn't a ton to say about this short book. It was really good! The book was really short but dark and interesting and emotional. I was fascinated by the story and the relationships between the mirror humans. The evolution of Paul was great as he slowly lost himself. Everything about this was perfect for a quick and fun novella. Plus I love Drew Huff just in general.

This was such a fun, bizarre lil book! It's a perfectly bite-sized read teeming with all of the bugs & blood that your horror loving heart could possibly desire. It serves up just the right amount of both silly & sickening, and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole tale. I'll definitely be checking out Drew's full length novel The Divine Flesh asap!

All of my thanks to NetGalley & Drew Huff for the ARC!