Michael had one single anchor after his divorce, his beloved dog Zylo. After finding his only companion brutally killed outside his home, Michael’s whole world comes undone. After the police dismiss his case, Michael still refuses to let Zylo’s death be in vain.

Fueled by grief and rage, Michael discovers something much darker than Zylo’s death. The deeper he digs into what he finds, he more disturbing are the things he uncovers: a secret cult, organ harvesting, worship of old gods.

How much would you sacrifice for the ones you love?

Why we’re excited about this book:

Over the past ten years, Micah Castle has been building quite the line up of weird and horror fiction. The author of Reconstructing a Relationship, A Home in the Darkness, The Women Without Eyes, and Homecoming, Castle’s short fiction is collected within The Abyss Beyond the Reflection and Who Spoke on the Other Side, and can be found in such publications as The Horror Tree, Flame Tree Press’s Weird Horror Short Stories, and Always Darker Inside: A Cursed Objects Anthology among others. With his latest, Castle channels the devastating grief of losing a beloved canine friend with a tale of strange cults and ancient deities. Early readers have called the book “… Gory, emotional, and full of mystery” and said The Companions We Lose is ” … a dark and horrifying tale that will captivate anyone but especially dog owners out there who care deeply for their pets.”

“I’m excited for The Companions We Lose to release, because a lot of work and time was put into it. And, even when it was contracted with a publisher that inevitably fell through, I wholly believed it was a good story that would resonate with people. It was made far, far better with phenomenal editing by Rachel Oestreich, too. I just hope readers feel the same way I do about the book.

Releasing from Anhedonia Press 7 November 2025, The Companions We Lose by Micah Castle is available for pre-order now.