The River
Joseph Paul Alvarado

In Joseph Alvarado’s eco-horror The River, flooding becomes less physical and more psychological – carrying us into increasingly surreal terrain. A poisoned waterway, mutant life, and a protagonist whose loss and guilt mirror the planet’s unraveling. Drought gives way to overwhelming rain, and the river that once sustained life becomes toxic. Fish mutate, pollution replaces abundance, and the landscape itself breaks down.

As this intensity builds, protagonist Jack grows increasingly unwell. He loses taste and touch and his shame over his wife’s death deepens. Her spirit appears in a last-ditch attempt to encourage appreciation for what’s at stake – fish, soil, fungi – yet collapse seems inevitable. In its own obscure way, The River acts as both environmental plea and warning.