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Book Review: Welcome to the Splatter Club, Vol. 1, edited by K. Trap Jones

Welcome to the Splatter Club, Vol. 1, by various authors, edited by K. Trap Jones

Blood Bound Publishing, 2020

ISBN: 9781940250434

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition  ( Amazon.com )

 

The main thing Welcome to the Splatter Club has in common with its sequel (Welcome to the Splatter Club, Vol. 2, previously reviewed here) is the high level of originality.  The thirteen stories are quite loopy, and are all over the place for plotlines.  However, it is an uneven collection: as good as the ideas are, a number of the stories don’t have enough bang and pop to keep the reader interested and the pages flipping at a quick speed.  The first half of the book is clearly the better half. The best stories include:

 

“23 to 46”: the most original, the most entertaining, and also the funniest.  The sperm housed in Matt’s balls suddenly start talking to him, and make his life impossible for the rest of the story.  They are mad he isn’t reproducing, and Matt has no interest in kids.  This is a hilarious romp that gives new meaning to the term ‘body politics.’

 

“The Woman in the Ditch”: A rural area legend, the blond woman only appears swimming in the ditch alongside country roads when there is enough rain, and of course it only happens in certain years.  What does she want?  Go to her and find out…but it may not be what you desire.  This could almost be a dark version of a Disney fairy tale.  

 

“Code Black”: Tired of juveniles committing heinous crimes and getting away with them due to an overly liberal justice system?  So are the people of Trapper Valley, especially when a kid unleashes a monster from the Abyss.  However, this town has Code Black…which will do what the justice system won’t.  

 

“Dickey Dykstra”: Ever wanted to beat the tar out of your boss, just because he’s a total jackass?  So does a certain employee, but his boss, the aforementioned Dickey, has problems WAY bigger than being a dick at work.  Let’s just say they involve hobbyhorses, and prepare yourself for the unexpected.  When Dickey’s secret comes to light, he makes Leatherface seem like a normal, well-adjusted human being.

 

“The Big Bad Boy”: We all know that Twinkies, Snowballs, and Ho-Hos are never going to be found in the FDA’s food pyramid for a balanced diet, but what happens when they really will kill you?  One poor convenience store clerk is going to find out.

 

There are a few other good ones, but there’s also a chunk of stories that just don’t quite do it.  When it’s good, it’s quite good, but the lackluster ones are frustrating.  If you’re on the fence about buying this, just go for Vol. 2 in the series instead, which is a “can’t miss” collection of stories.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

 

Posted on March 21, 2023 by , Reply

Book Review: Shagging the Boss by Rebecca Rowland

Shagging the Boss by Rebecca Rowland
Filthy Loot, 2022
ISBN-13: 978-1088029046
Available: Paperback ( Bookshop.org )

 

Before anyone starts quoting Austin Powers in a bad accent, the shagging Rebecca Rowland refers to is quite different. The title does fit the novella though, yet I can’t divulge too much. It’s unique and a quick read, easy for one sitting but this story stuck to me like a great meal– more on that later.

 

Publishing is a bloody business. It makes strolling through hell feel like petting puppies in a field of flowers. It’s not for the weak-hearted or those who want validation. When the unnamed main character arrives at a book conference, fresh in the field and looking for bites, she’s looking for a foot in the door, something to break into a world that is full of monsters of the human kind. What she finds isn’t exactly what LinkedIn typically suggests. A strange man, Daniel, greets her at a book convention and invites her back to his hotel room, but the favor he offers isn’t exactly the sexist situation that too often occurs in the corporate world. It’s something much different. He makes her an offer after she awakes to find he took something from her– something physical– but reassures her all will be well, because of what he is, a boogeyman of sorts. To be specific, a yara-ma-yha-who, a creature of opportunity who consumes their prey, only to expel them– somehow changed. To say more would ruin the novella’s magic. The relationship and interplay between the apprentice and Daniel is pure fun to read. The book begs to be completed in one enjoyable sitting (yet I’ve gone through it twice and picked up on some cool nuances I missed the first time).

 

Rowland has been moving like a banshee, editing anthologies left and right (her Generation-Exed is perfect for the best group of people out there!), but this is my first time reading her prose. It won’t be the last. Comparisons are not necessary, yet one could be drawn between Elizabeth Massie and Joe R. Lansdale due to the smooth writing and easy dialogue.

 

Highly recommended, especially for anyone who is involved in the shark-infested world of writing and publishing.

 

Reviewed by David Simms

Posted on December 17, 2022 by , Reply

Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Folk Horror: Evil Lives on in the Land! edited by Stephen Jones

The Mammoth Book of Folk Horror: Evil Lives on in the Land! edited by Stephen Jones

Skyhorse, 2021

ISBN-13: 9781510749863

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition ( Bookshop.org  | Amazon.com)

 

 

Folk horror is finally getting the attention it deserves. Ancient traditions and practices, crumbling buildings surrounded by nature that has reclaimed the land, rituals that call down the gods, myths and legends coming to life. All of these and more can be found in the pages of The Mammoth Book of Folk Horror edited by Stephen Jones, acclaimed author and editor of horror and dark fantasy. While a relatively new term, folk horror has existed for much longer than this subgenre’s name.

 

This anthology contains many great tales of folk horror, old and new. The following are some of my favorites. “Jenny Greenteeth” by Alison Littlewood, set in the wartime English countryside, is the story of a young girl named Alice, an evacuee sent to live with a family that has two young daughters, Olivia and Betty. Olivia torments Alice with tales of Jenny Greenteeth until the stories seem to come true. In M. R. James’ “Wailing Well,” two members of a troop of scouts do not take the warning of a local shepherd seriously about avoiding the field containing the titular well, let alone using the water from it. Michael Marshall’s “The Offering,” set in Copenhagen, concerns a family on vacation staying in an Airbnb. When wife Lauren throws about a bowl of mysterious gray porridge in the refrigerator, Bill soon finds a sacrifice is made to the proper guardian of the house. Could it be the Nisse? “Gavin’s Field” by Steve Rasnic Tem tells of the titular character inheriting his father’s estate, but he discovers he should have done his homework on the property, and the town. “The Fourth Call” by the amazing Ramsey Campbell is my favorite story in the anthology. Mike returns to Leanbridge alone during Christmastime. He is drawn to the neighboring property, formerly owned by the Bundle family. When Mike tries to bring up the strange holiday tradition practiced in the village, longtime family friends, the Darlingtons, insist no such thing happened.

 

Other authors in this anthology include Algernon Blackwood, Christopher Fowler, Maura McHugh, Arthur Machen, Karl Edward Wagner, Simon Strantzas, Mike Chinn, David A. Sutton, H.P. Lovecraft, Kim Newman, Jan Edwards, Storm Constantine, Dennis Etchison, and Reggie Oliver. Included at the beginning of each entry is a write up of the author’s brief biography and works, as well as beautifully eerie black and white photography by Michael Marshall Smith.

 

The Mammoth Book of Folk Horror is a must-read for fans of folk horror, or new readers dipping their toes into the bog of the subgenre. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on September 22, 2022 by , Reply
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