Here Come the Lowlifes...

LOWLIFE UNDERDOGS by Dustin LaValley (2008 Raw Dog Screaming Press / 143 pp. / tp)

This collection of extra-short stories is hit and miss. There's some decent horror tales (such as 'Father Psychosis' and 'Hold Your Breath') but the few good ones are overshadowed by standard, forgettable fare like 'The Angel Ripper' and the predictable 'Angie the Avenger'.

LaValley's attempts at humor don't quite work, such as in 'Train Your Midget in Three Easy Steps' and 'The Stalker,' yet he manages to hit the nail on the head with scattered gems like 'Modern Horror,' 'Party Girl,' 'Of Judith and the Night' and the haunting "Tuesdays and Thursdays.'

The title tale (which is also the longest in the book) is a pointless attempt to shock the reader, and reads like a concept album a junior high death metal band might come up with. While I understand the author has created a collection of "lowlife" tales here, I don't know who really wants to read about necrophiliac punks for more than a page or two, let alone 23.

Is it worth sifting through the misses to get to the goodies (keeping in mind there's some really extreme stuff here)? I'd say YES--only because the tales are short and the entire book can be read in one sitting.
The ball (or should I say deformed fetus?) is in your court.

A Very Impressive Collection

THUNDERSHOWERS AT DUSK by Christopher Conlon (2006 Rock Village Publishing / 113 pp. / tp)

Conlon--author of this year's amazing debut novel MIDNIGHT ON MOURN STREET--had released this short (but impressive) collection in '06. While I occassionaly enjoy the quieter-side of horror, these 5 tales are a true cut above the rest.

In the title story, a man named George Bone becomes obsessed with a teenaged school girl to the point he follows her home and plans her murder; how it ends is both haunting and oddly heartbreaking. GHOSTS OF AUTUMN is my favorite of the lot, a brief yet emotionally-charged tale that may hit some readers a bit too close to home.

Conlon bases his third entry, DARKNESS, AND SHE WAS ALONE, on an unfinished Edgar Allan Poe tale. It's basically flash fiction of the highest order.

The last 2 stories deal with deceased children; despite its dark tone, BATHING THE BONES ends on a semi-humorous note, while the closing novella, THE UNFINISHED MUSIC, hasn't left my mind since I read the last word. The protagonist really shines here as we feel her pain as she deals with her troubling past.

While Conlon has been around as an editor and poet, his short fiction (as well as his debut novel) have quickly put him at the top of my must-read list. Gary A. Braunbeck's introduction provides a nice primer for an author I'd like to see much more from.

Keene's 4-issue mini-series ends...

There's been some GREAT horror comics coming out lately, and today I was sad to see the final of a 4-issue mini-series written by Brian Keene end. I read it in no time then went back and read the whole brief series again. DEVIL SLAYER tells the tale of an Iraqi soldier who voluntarily RETURNS to Iraq after 2 tours and ends up facing a barrage of demons (both his own and those of the literal kind). If you missed an issue or all of 'em---there's a trade edition coming soon. Lots of gun-totin', demon-crushing fun that's everything you'd expect from a Keene-penned tale. This series is put out by Marvel, but it's not for young kids.

I May Not Eat for a Week...

SUCCULENT PREY by Wrath James White (2008 Leisure Books / 307 pp. / mmp)

White's shocking small press novel has been released to the mainstream market---and the horror world may never be the same.

Joseph Miles is a cannibalistic serial killer who was kidnapped and tortured as a kid. He is convinced that his own serial killing is the result of a disease his attacker managed to pass on to him, hence the author's interesting premise: could serial killers be the victims of some kind of virus or disease?

I'm very mixed about this one. While the idea of SUCCULENT PREY had me from the get-go, its beyond-barbaric scenes of carnage (that I still can't believe are now in publication by a mainstream press) may be too much for many to handle--even gorehounds who think they've seen (or read) it all. At times the scenes of rape, torture, sex,cannibalism, and just plain cruelty became so monotoneous (and seemingly conscience-free) that I skimmed through them just to get to the next section. Yet the sections dealing with Joe Miles and his college professor's discussions, as well as Miles' musings on what's making him tick, I found to be among the finest of any serial-killer novel I've read. All of White's characters are well fleshed out (some of them literally) and the prose is (thankfully) quick.

I don't know if I should call SUCCULENT PREY a truly scary and disturbing horror novel, or sewer-porn for sadists; in a way it's both. I didn't want to finish this (as I'm not into the extreme thing), yet like a nasty car accident I couldn't turn away.

I can't see anyone crazy enough to finish this being able to forget it. Ever.
For fans of the extreme stuff only!

(I must give White credit here for creating a cannibal-serial killer who not only doesn't resemble Hannibal Lecter in the least, but also makes him look like a 50s sitcom TV dad who's been castrated).

You WON'T Be Prepared for This...

APESHIT by Carlton Mellick III (2008 Avant Punk / 178 pp. / tp)

Although best known for his all-out bizarro novels, Mellick strikes with this homage to low budget 80s horror films---and let me just say this one more than lives up to its title (and then some).

Three cute cheerleaders and three jocks make their way to a cabin in the woods which one of the jocks has inherited. As they guzzle beer on the ride up, they start to notice all kinds of dead animals lining the highway---more and more as they approach their destination. A redneck (who should be dead considering the condition they find him in) warns them to stay away from the forest. Of course our sex-crazed teens don't listen.

Almost immediately after they unpack and start partying, they're attacked by a strange mutant redneck-thing (I nearly lost it when it's first described) and the stage is set for one of the most depraved splatterthons I've ever read (and I'm most serious about that).

While APESHIT is a homage to the films Mellick (and most horror fans) grew up with, his bizarro-background shines through most of the time (especially during the unspeakably demented sex scenes), making for one truly unstable story that would probably receive a 4-X rating were it to become a faithfully adapted film.

What becomes of Crystal and Jason--two of APESHITs' more "saner" humans--enhances the insanity level of an ending I guarantee you will NEVER forget.

With undead necrophilia, monster-rape sodomy, abortion porn, more spilled guts than your average Fulci film, and so many more grotesqueries you'd need a notebook to remeber them all, APESHIT just may be the extreme gorehounds dream come true. (MAJOR bonus here for what just may also be the cover art of the year, courtesy of Ed Mironiuk).

I showered twice and rinsed with Listerine three times as soon as I finished this one.

A Surreal Redemption Tale

LEFTOVERS by Steve Vernon (2008 Magus Press--limited to 350 signed copies / 96 pp. / tp)

Father Simon is an ex priest-turned avenging mass murderer. When he's not busy feeding the homeless at The Shambles (a rundown soup kitchen), he's making people pay for their sins against God and man. When he comes to the aid of a young, sexually-abused teenager, Father Simon begins to realize he may have taken on his ultimate challenge.

This short novella--which is as dark and grimy as the back alleys of skid row--displays author Vernon at his finest: just when you think the horror can't get any worse, he employs his bizarre-style to twist LEFTOVERS into a surreal story that you just won't be able to shake off.

LEFTOVERS is a must for Steve Vernon fans, as well as those who like their horror shocking and off-centered--and most amazingly, there's still bits of the author's trademark humor despite the seriousness of the story. Features effective and haunting cover art by Daniele Serra.

This Night I'll Possess Your Slashed Corpse

THE DEAD PARADE by James Roy Daley (2008 Swarm Press / 247 pp. / tp)

Like Lee Thomas' Stoker-winning novel STAINED and the Denzel Washington film FALLEN, THE DEAD PARADE is another entry into the 'mysterious-demon-possesses-people then uses them to kill' subgenre (I've read many novels the past few years with this basic plot so I guess at this point we can call it its own subgenre).

After one of his best friends commits suicide, James McGee becomes the host for a small (and vicious) African demon (don't ask) who turns him into a murder machine. But among his (near) victims is an ex-con named Elmer who decides to call one of his old cell mates to help him take down the nutjob who nearly killed him. James is hiding out at his girlfriend Debra's secluded cottage, waiting for her to arrive---but his mind's no longer sure if he loves her or wants to butcher her like his growing trail of victims.

As Debra, the two ex-cons, the police and an invisible "dead parade" of James' victims close in along with the "Bakisi" demon, the stage is set for a brutal--although familiar--slash & shoot-a-thon.

If you're a fan of this subgenre you'll probably enjoy Daley's debut novel--if you're not, much of it may seem routine. But regardless, THE DEAD PARADE is fast paced (thanks to the tiny chapters and upbeat prose) and a decent first novel by an author who seems to have a lot of gusto.

Stay Away from that Well!

CRIMSON by Gord Rollo (to be released 3/09 by Leisure Books / 326 pp. / mmp)

Rollo's second novel (hot on the heels of his amazing debut, THE JIGSAW MAN), is a mixture of Stephen King's IT, Ed Lee's INFERNAL series, and a violent men's prison flick.

In 1977, four young friends discover an underground bomb shelter and decide to make it their fort. But before long they help to unleash a demon who's been hell-bent on escaping its temporary prison for over 20 years. After being tormented by a huge spider and talking scarecrow, one of them is eventually murdered by this dark being, and (oddly enough) things sort-of go back to normal.

Flash forward to 1986. Johnny has become the youngest person ever to rise to power in Canadian Parliament, and his friend David is continually plagued by gruesome nightmares stemming from their childhood experience. And worse---David begins to realize the creature has come back to use him and his friend Tom for its grand plan: it frames him for a savage murder, and David winds up with mutliple life sentences.

Hence we come to the third section of the book, set in 2006: David spends his time behind bars, trying to convince himself he's better off where he is with no creature to cause further harm. Johnny comes to visit him one day and reveals an awful truth about the creature and his father. On top of this, David is forced to be a "corner man" for one of his friends in a brutal underground prison fight known as The Game--where the loser doesn't leave alive. He begins to suspect one of the participants is under the creature's control but discovers there are worse things coming his way than he could ever had imagined.

From its shocking opening pages to the horrific conclusion, Rollo's CRIMSON--while featuring a familiar story and several been-there-done-that scenes--manages to give it all his own flavor and ends up with quite a satisfying read. As with his previous novels' updating of the Frankenstein Mythos, CRIMSON will be enjoyed by anyone into the coming-of-age tale. 'Big plus here for Chapter 25's prison fight scene: it'll have you rooting and cheering like the first time you saw ROCKY.

(Note: Prime Books originally released this as a Trade Paperback in 2002)