A Review of Splatterlands
By Casey Douglass
I haven’t read many
books that made me feel dirty. Splatterlands, published by Grey Matter Press managed to do that repeatedly. The stories inside are so
gory, charnal and raw that the 13 tales flashed by all too quickly.
As the title of the book might suggest, this is a decidedly adult book. It features the strongest language possible, scenes of rape, sexual kinkiness, cannibalism and brutal murder, so if that kind of thing leaves you colder than a ravaged corpse, I doubt this book will be for you.
Below, I have given
only the briefest titillation as to what the short stories are about.
I don’t want to ruin their impact if you do decide to purchase the
book.
The first tale is
Heirloom by Michael Laimo.
It follows a young girl who takes possession of her father’s
antique rifle and puts it to uses that would surely void the original
warranty if it was still in force.
The second, Violence
for Fun and Profit by Gregory L.
Norris, follows the fortunes of a poor soul who has fallen
foul of the banking system and the arseholes that make the decisions.
What starts as revenge soon turns into something far more profitable.
The third story is
Empty by A.A. Garrison,
a tale that features so much swearing and gore that the universe it
plays out in begins to rip under the pressure.
Number four is
Amputations in the Key of D by
Jack Maddox, a fascinating look at the creative process and a
way that an artist might find his true ability.
Five is Housesitting
by Ray Garton, a
cautionary tale about rummaging through other peoples property if
ever there was one.
Number six is Dis by
Michele Garber, a descent into madness and demon pleasing
barbarity that twists the psyche into a wretched and brutal thing.
Tale seven is Dwellers
by Paul M. Collrin, a
mystical desert trip that turns out to be the most eye opening thing
in main character Scrye’s life.
Eight is Party
Guests by Chad Stroup, a
look into the mind of Geoffrey, a ‘special’ young man who sees
the world in his own unique and bloody way.
Story number nine is
The Viscera of Worship by
Allen Griffin, which follows the travails of a man who walks
the dark path of Leviathan, out to test his faith and prove himself
worthy of his God.
Number ten is The
Defiled by Christine Morgan.
A group of raping warriors comes up against a foe that just happens
to treat them the way they most sorely deserve.
Story eleven is The
Artist by James S. Dorr,
a tale that finds the joy in meat being moulded into various forms.
Number twelve is A
Letter To My Ex by J. Michael
Major, a confessional suicide email filled with enough
suffering to scar the recipient for life.
The final story is Devil Rides Shotgun by Eric Del Carlo. A struggling detective invokes outside forces in his hunt for a vicious serial killer.
I enjoyed all of the
stories but the stand out ones for me at least, were: A Letter To
My Ex, Heirloom and The Viscera of Worship. The
first is just mind numbing, the second so rudely sexual and the third
so dark and meaty that they stayed with me the longest of any of the
tales.
There were a couple I
didn’t enjoy, partly due to their writing style but I won’t
single them out as it will be a very subjective thing from reader to
reader.
I would happily
recommend Splatterlands to any lover of the extreme side of fiction;
someone who doesn’t feel averse to the feeling of sleaze seeping
into their mind until they can almost taste it.
Rating : 5/5
