Nikki Noir's Blog, page 6

Mother's Boys by Daniel I. Russell

I’ll never look at a cheese grater the same way… A blurb from David C. Hayes described the book in the following way: “Take one part Sid Vicious, one part H.P. Lovecraft and shake.” That’s a pretty accurate description of Mother’s Boys. Only, I’m not sure if Sid Vicious was as bad as the albino antagonist Johan and his group of boys. They are a nasty crew who delight in manipulating and torturing women. Though the Sex Pistols reference could also be referring to Natalie, the main character who leads a punkrock lifestyle. From piercings, tattoos, and dreadlocks, Natalie has done everything she can to stand out from the crowd. Walking home late one night after work, Natalie witnesses Johan’s crew murder a prostitute. In a panic, she flees and the sewer is her best route for escape. As she pushes deeper into the network of tunnels, she stumbles into a secret lair that is just as horrifying as the murderers searching for her. What unfolds next is an action-packed novel with a lot of heart and a lot of gore. The most impressive part is probably how Russell makes each character come alive. If you don’t want any spoilers, go get a copy of MB now. This is a severely original premise by Daniel I Russell and I promise you will be entering new ground in the extreme genre. If you’re ready for a few more twists, then I guess you can read on… The lair is home to family of mutants. Some more hideous than others. And it just so happens that the murdered prostitute is the mother of this sewer-dwelling family, doing her best to provide a living for her boys. Natalie finds herself trapped and unsure where her best bet for safety lies. The monsters above or the mutants below. There are more twists waiting and I cannot spoil them. However, I will say that the family is devastated and pissed when they find out what Johan and his boys did to their mother, setting up an all-out battle between the two sides. If you want extreme horror that can deliver powerful character development while still making you cringe, come get your freak on! Sid Vicious and Lovecraft. X-men and Ed Lee. Whatever combo you, choose Russell and Blood Bound Books have a serious winner. It was one of the few extreme horror novels that left me with a really great feeling at the end… Though I still can't look at a cheese grater without cringing

When the End is Only the Beginning - Mendes

A Guest Blog by S.C. Mendes By the beginning of 2019, I came to the conclusion that I would never write fiction again. When The City was first published, I had every intention of continuing the series. Unfortunately, life has a way of derailing the best-laid plans. Social media stressors, keeping up at my day job while carving out time to write, and finding positive people in the industry to work with have all been difficult for me. The best path seemed to be ending my writing endeavors and fading away as quietly as possible. If nobody reads my book, then I can’t let anybody down. Through a series of fortunate events (as she would say), I was able to lend support to an aspiring writer, Nikki Noir. Her enthusiasm is contagious and I enjoyed working with her on the craft of writing and marketing. Nikki is ambitious, and since she is new to the industry, she is not hindered by the obstacles or faulty mindset of many other writers. To Nikki, mistakes seem to be opportunities for her to learn, and when you combine that with what she gives back to the industry and genre, I know she has a bright future in dark fiction. This type of growth mindset will put anyone, in any field, on the fast-track to success. While I’m happy sharing my ideas with her, helping with story arcs and dialogue, I still did not believe I had another book in me, or even a short story. The apprehension to take out the keyboard was more than just my time constraints. The joy of horror itself was becoming alien to me. My connection to the genre had been slipping away over the last two years. There were even days when I felt a twinge of sadness and regret for the extreme content I'd published. I see so much apathy around me every day and my stories seem like more fuel on the fire of violence and despair that is already raging in our world. It took a while, but I realized this was a very negative perspective of the genre, and perhaps I had thrown in the towel too soon. As I said earlier, life has a way of derailing our plans. Sometimes though, life is just giving us a detour, not a derailment. The path may change, but the destination remains the same. Problem is we can’t always see that from our perspective. We only see the new obstacles, the mounting problems, and we think our dreams have been snatched away from us even though they haven't. After much reflection, it was clear that I had fallen into this trap. I'd had hit a road closure, yes, but the destination was still waiting patiently for me. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and when I searched more closely, I discovered a new passageway. After more talks with Nikki and Blood Bound Books, I know my path now and I can reconcile myself with the horror. Things are about to get crazier in the world of S.C. Mendes and Nikki Noir, but through our dark works, we’re going to make a bright future for our communities. To kick things off, all profits from The City will be donated to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, as of Sept. 1st. The donation will be annual and you can find more about the program at here. By December, I will dust off the rough draft of The City Part II (still untitled) and get back to work on Max Elliot’s future. It feels good to say that officially. I once read a Cherokee story about an elder telling his grandson that there is a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One wolf is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other wolf is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The grandson asked, “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed." I always liked this story. And while I see a lot of truth to it, I no longer believe you can starve the black wolf forever. The black wolf has some very crucial qualities. It can be a driving force in your life, spurring you forward to become more, achieve more. The black wolf can catapult you to victory. But you must be his master. If left unchecked, the black wolf will devour you and burn you out. If you learn how to feed him correctly though, he will serve you well. I think I understand the horror in me now and my place in that industry. I am proud to be a part of a coalition with Blood Bound Books and Redrum Reviews. Please Join us! Thanks, Nikki!

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town

"You know how it goes, the more fucked up way in which you die, the more you get remembered in a small town." Well, that’s not the exact quote from Jenny in Everybody Dies Famous in a Small Town, but that’s the gist of what the sixteen-year-old said. She’s speaking to her friend Mika Shaw regarding the recent teen deaths that have rocked their reservation community located near the eastern Sierras. It was nice to see Wrath James White take me to a new environment compared to the other books and stories I’ve read of his. Living in the Southwest myself, I am aware of Indian Reservation communities, but I don’t have much knowledge about life on the reservation. Like anywhere else, I’m sure there are good and bad parts, but since it’s Wrath, you know he’s going to expose the reader to the worst side of everything and this book is no exception. With apathy all round them, and not much to do, Micah and Jenny pass the days of summer in a haze of drugs and sex. Boredom will not grip Mika for long though as she is marked by the Pahoha—supernatural creatures with pale skin and black eyes. Their voices sound like the cries of young children which summon strangers to the lake to be drowned. Though they often appear as babies, these malevolent spirits can materialize as anything. Now that Mika has seen the water babies, neither she nor anyone she loves is safe. I really enjoy books about myths and legends, especially ones that bring in cultures that aren’t always as prevalent in mainstream fiction. Let’s face it, I can only handle so many werewolf and vampire books. While the pahoha are a great myth—if they are a myth ;)—this was a hard story to read. Be forewarned that all the graphic scenes of drugs and violence involve youths. Life can be harsh on the reservation and there was one scene that actually made me a bit ill. I think the saddest part was knowing that adolescents are forced to live in these conditions. That horror was worse than any supernatural killers. I give Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town 3.5 stars out of 5 because the ending felt rushed. I believe there was a bit more Wrath could have done to improve the story development while still maintaining the same type of ending. I was very fortunate to receive this as a gift from someone, however, this is a limited edition from Thunderstorm Books. A quick search on Amazon shows the hardcover as unavailable at the moment. Anyone know where more copies can be found? Until then, stay out of the water, or at least use protection ;)

The Grand Experiment

I Remember the cartoon movie The Secret of NIMH? At the urging of my mentor, I watched the movie for the first time since I was probably nine. There were a few things I remembered as soon as they popped on the screen again. The charming Justin, the ridiculous crow, and the sassy mouse kid. Oddly enough though, what I didn’t remember was all the bizzare elements, like how creepy the scenes with the Great Owl and Nicodemus were—I mean for a kid. I also think I missed a very important message in the movie. My mentor then gave me the name John B. Calhoun and told me to find out the secret of NIMH. If I was successful. Then he and I would begin a story together. I’m a late bloomer. I can admit that. So maybe the secret is not going to be as earth-shaking for you as it was for me. In fact, my research suggests that the subversive messages of the movie were already well-known and debated in the 60s and 70s. So perhaps this blog is the equivalent of finding out about the Roswell crash just now in 2019 and hopping on the internet to share the fascinating find lol But, I will persist… For starters, NIMH stands for the National Institute of Mental health. The acronym is only explained once in the movie, but I never noticed the connection or even questioned the letters previously. In the movie, the mental health institute is where rats are kept and experimented on until their eventual escape—the escape being orchestrated by Mrs Brisby's late husband Jonathan. You see, the institute's experiments on the rats gave them super intelligence. Now these newly freed species of genius rodents are planning to how to move forward with their lives having escaped the cruel NIMH. Currently, they are unable to stay in the rosebush they’ve commandeered—and set up a secret society within by stealing electricity from the nearby farm. It is important to not that most of the rats known that stealing is wrong, another reason they must push forward to a new home. When trying to explain it to Mrs. Brisby, Nicodemus the rat wizard says something to the effect of “We are too intelligent to remain among the rats any longer.” Many themes of awareness and responsibility, nature and science are examined in the film. And I’m shocked no adults have brought up this movie to me before now. Looking at in with grown-up eyes, I see so many important topics to discuss, but I will limit it to just one today. Despite the various messages, I think one part of the 'secret' is that we are the rats. And the experiments of NIMH are all around us. Not just in today’s world, but all throughout history. Just as a rat revolves in an exercise wheel without escape, so too does history circle around, subjecting us to the same fate over and over. Who pulls the strings of our grand experiment though? Does NIMH represent the government? Aliens? God? Or perhaps there is no God, and this is just the natural path of how organisms evolve and then devolve. Yes, species do devolve given enough time...and enough knowledge. We’ve seen species go extinct, but I don't think we’ve ever known a species to advance to the point of super intelligence and self-awareness, a point where they become so aware that they see the experiment around them…well, no species until us. II. John B. Calhoun was an ethologist and behavioral researcher who studied population density and its effects on behavior. Between the late 40s and early 60s he set up experiments through to study rats and mice. Previous experiments had yielded interesting and disastrous results and led to his most famous study at NIHM: Universe 25. He wasn’t trying to create a super intelligent race of rodents with Universe 25; he was trying to see what would happen to mice if they lived in paradise. A utopia as it were. I won’t bore you with the specifics, if you’re a science buff, you can easily find out the parameters of his various experiments with a quick google search. In short, the mice were given a garden of Eden, free from predators and disease. There was unlimited food and water, temperature control, etc. Everything a mouse could want. As a result, there was no ‘want’, no desire, just a sort of being-ness you could say. You would think that the mice would strive in such an environment. With the struggles of life having been eliminated and every need met, an organism should reach peak happiness, receive longevity and strength. In reality though, this mouse heaven turned to hell rather quickly, and within two years the entire population was dead. III. Calhoun estimated that Universe 25 could house around 3,800 mice. There were multiple levels to the enclosure, divided into "main squares" and then subdivided into levels, with ramps going up to "rodent condos.” Even though there was unlimited food, in various accounts I read , it reported that the food in some areas was better quality than in others. The better food was harder to get at, and many mice stopped making the journey when they could stay where they were and gorge themselves. Other factors led to mice staying in certain zones of the enclosure despite having the ability to roam freely. The population flourished and lived in harmony for quite some time. The original two “Adams” and two “Eves” grew to a population of about 2,200 in peace. After this growth was reached though, and despite having plenty of room left for expansion, the population began to deteriorate. Several factors led to mice nesting in close quarters, not seeking out the less crowded rooms, and as the mice choose to bunch up in the limited spaces, a “behavioral sink”—as Calhoun called it—set in. In the crowed quarters vicious attacks took place between the mice. Things like forced sex, mothers abandoning babies, and occurrences of cannibalism. When the results were published, many people began making the link between humans and the rodents, commenting on how urban areas and overcrowding led to crime and the cesspool of moral decay that was in cities. Like the mice, we have an amazingly large world to spread out in, and there was once a golden age, where people flourished and built magnificent monuments of stone, beautiful pyramids encoded the geometry of the universe, and we lived in harmony with nature. Now at 7.5 billion people on the planet though, many of us have devolved. We viciously attack each other, we abandon our families, we kill ourselves with pleasure despite an abundance in the world that this species has never seen before. From food to information, we are blessed with everything at our fingertips…and yet something is still wrong. IV “I shall largely speak of mice, but my thoughts are on man, on healing, on life and its evolution.” That is the opening line to Calhoun’s paper “Death Squared: The Explosive Growth and Demise of a Mouse Population”. He went on to write that there are two kinds of death that can take place in a species: physical and spiritual. While he removed the physical threats in Universe 25, Calhoun had made a world that was spiritually unhealthy. As a result, the rodents experienced a spiritual decay and that manifested into the physical deterioration and death of the mice. Although I plan to look further into his life, I got the sense that the horrifying experiment came with a silver lining for Calhoun. It spurred him on a mission to find and discuss cures for the possible fate that could befall mankind. Unfortunately, us humans apparently aren’t much interested in cures, I guess. And beyond the scary implications for mankind with the knowledge of Universe 25, people stopped following Calhoun and his search for ways to preserve humanity. That should be a clear sign that we are in a period of behavioral sink, the decline of humans. The Kali Yuga as yogic tradition would call it. The era when the majority of us stop searching for ways of improving. It should be noted however, that there was a segment of the mouse population that did not devolve. Calhoun called this small percentage the “beautiful ones”. They were mice who had managed to get away from the masses. They lived in very small groups and did not engage with the other mice. They had no need to fight for dominance, no desire for sex; instead they spent their days grooming, eating, and sleeping. They were considered the picture of health since they did not have the scars/illnesses that marred other mice in the experiment. Eventually this small population would die of old age without procreating. Now I’m sure I could be accused of oversimplifying the experiments or overgeneralizing the results. Probably true. Is our world really full of devil rats and beautiful ones? Well, maybe it's not that cut and dry. Clearly there are differences in humans and mice, and the results can not be extrapolated to our species perfectly, but perhaps, there is something of merit here. At the very least there is plenty still to explore. I have no desire to explore through experimentation on people or rodents though. I will choose to explore through storytelling instead. Coming back to the Secret of NIMH, there's more layers of meaning than just the societal implications of Universe 25. Calhoun's experiments don’t account for all the weird stuff in the movie. Like the planetary magick symbol in the floor of the rat's meeting hall; a secretive meeting with rat leaders deciding the fate of their society. And what about Nicodemus’s scrying mirror and telepathic ability? The glowing eyes of the owl and the magick talisman that saves the day. I see religious/mythical parallels in the cartoon as well as occult symbolism and ideas. It makes me think of wicked conspiracies and consider who might be behind the grand experiment of our own universe. Who is peering down on us like the rats NIMH? This is the kind of crazy stuff I loved talking to my mentor about. And now that I accepted his challenge, I’m very happy to announce that I get to explore these ideas with a writer I love working with! Don’t miss out on S.C. Mendes’s and my first collaborative book The Lockdown! Here's a sneak peek at the first draft of the cover and you can learn more about Mendes's here. There is not a school shooting in the book. I promise. But it will be chilling and like The Secret of NIMH, there will definitely be more than meets the eye. I also promise it will be the first of many disturbing manuscripts we work on together! Get alerted to the release date

What comes after a mentor?

“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” - Isaac Newton I do not believe that anyone succeeds on their own. At some point you will need the expertise of others to assist you in your endeavors, and one day, you in turn, will be key in someone else’s success. It's a beautiful circle of growth. Hence the reason everyone tells you to get a mentor. And I whole heartily agree. My mentor has been instrumental in helping me smooth out my rough first drafts and is constantly challenging my creativity. I don’t think a mentor takes the place of connecting with great professionals in your industry though. I’ve met many wonderful people via social media who have been willing to assist me in all aspects of releasing my book from beta reading, professional blurbs, and friendly advice, all the way to artists who work tirelessly to make my cover ideas come to life. Speaking of which, the cover below is from Don Noble. These colleagues are critical and it’s important to maintain the relationships with these high-quality people. A great example of someone in the industry sharing experiences with young writers is this post from Duncan Ralston. I found some great advice in this blog and I’ve already gone on it share them with others. Sharing tips and valuable content is something I’m big on doing. I can only hope I’ve paid forward all the help I received in some way by sharing such posts on social media, writing reviews, or just providing people with quality products and entertainment. Despite the close ties you'll have with these colleagues when sharing in their successes, your mentor will have an even closer bond with you. They are more personally invested in your victories. They are a source of guidance and advice and a sounding board for your ideas. They can decrease the amount of mistakes you make when beginning your career and encourage you to grow personally and professionally. However, there is a third tier of support that differs slightly from mentorship. If you want your career to rocket to the next level, find yourself a sponsor or advocate. Fairygodboss.com defines the difference this way “A sponsor will help you advance while a mentor will give you ideas on how you might advance. Think of it this way: a mentor is like a guidance counselor, while a sponsor is like the college admissions officer. The latter opens doors for you while the former describes possible doors to you.” Sponsorship, like mentorship, is a two-way street. And just recently I think I’ve been fortunate enough to turn my mentor into my sponsor. Honestly, I’m kinda freaking out with excitement over the whole thing. Now that I’m involved in this protégé/collaborative relationship, I can see the differences from mentorship. I want to believe that this will be my big break, but I still hear that nagging voice of failure sometimes. Not to mention, the degree of commitment is much higher and the work is getting harder. But I also think that means I'm getting closer. So I’m taking it one day at a time and ignoring the doubts best I can. If things work out, I’ll be back with a follow-up post on how you too can find a sponsor as well as what I’ve learned from the experience. I also look forward to revealing the work my sponsor and I are in the process of creating! And regardless of how things pan out, you can always find my reviews and ramblings here. Have you experienced a mentor or sponsor relationship? How was it?

The Drive-Thru Crematorium by Jon Bassoff

The Drive-Thru Crematorium is strange. But you already knew that based on the title. I mean, combining a drive-thru with a mortuary is a little crazy, right? “The drive-thru idea had been Dr. Wagner’s. This way, people could come by after work or during their lunch break and they wouldn’t need to deal with parking or making small talk with people they might have conflict with. If meals could be purchased with such convenience, why not funeral viewings?” (Bassoff, 131). Those lines really stuck in my head. As I read more, I paused and thought of the people I work with, TV shows, news stories, and some of the social media posts I encounter. In comparison a drive-thru morgue doesn’t seem so crazy after all. In fact, in less than a decade, I’d be surprised if the first drive-thru viewing doesn’t have a grand opening in America. This book is like that. You question what the heck is going on with the characters and their motivations, but the more you read, the more you simply accept that this is the way people are. The world is kind of insane. The book starts with Stanley Maddox arriving at his job—the same job he’s held for six years at Evergreen Lending—yet the other employees don’t recognize him today. Even his boss Mr. Elliott seems to be at a loss. He consistently calls Stanley Mr. Mallory, not Maddox, and assumes that he is the new underwriter. After a brief and awkward attempt to convince his boss otherwise, Stanley simply accepts the mistake. Mr. Elliott goes on to inform “Mr. Mallory” that unfortunately, things are very tight at the lending office and they really can’t afford to give him a salary. “However, I don’t think it’s such a rotten deal to come into the office each day even if you aren’t getting paid” (Bassoff, 10). Stanley hates confrontations, so rather than argue, he simply accepts being someone else and after six years, basically starts again as an unpaid intern hoping for a big break. I got a Fight Club/American Psycho feel in the sense that Stanley Maddox is interchangeable and unimportant. Rather than the high-flying world of Wall Street and the mergers and acquisitions that Patrick Bateman represents in American Psycho, Stanley is the working-class equivalent—loan officers, call center support, insurance sales, etc. We may think our jobs are our identities, but we must not be that important since you can be forgotten and replaced easily. As we follow Stanley over the next few days, things only get worse, yet we see him accept all the crap that the world throws at him with little to no argument. On the first occasion from coming home from his unpaid job; his wife Wendy lets him know that there is a rabbit running around the house leaving bloody footprints and that Stanley needs to take care of it. Within a week of “losing” his job Stanley returns home again, this time to find Wendy watching Hallmark movies with some guy who resembles a lumberjack—Wendy seems to be incapable of doing anything other than watching Hallmark movies and cooking dinner, BTW. “Oh, this is Jeff” is all she gives as way of explanation for the man on the couch with her. Again, Stanley accepts it. Same as he accepts the fact that dinner was only made for Wendy and Jeff, and later that there’s really no room for him in the bed anymore…because Jeff is sleeping in it! As Stanley’s life deteriorates more and more, there is another plotline of a serial killer on the loose known as The Midnight Monster. The two stories intertwine and we find that Stanley isn’t really Stanley…or maybe he is. Is Pat Bateman a killer or was it all his imagination? Remember how weird The Machinist was? Take these movies and add in a flare of David Lynch and you have Drive-Thru Crematorium. It’s awkward and disjointed like a dream. Similar to Eraserhead, which I can’t quite explain either, there’s a message in Jon’s book, but you feel it rather than articulate it. At its core, I think Drive-thru is a look at the absurdness of modern life and what it does to people. We are more connected than ever before, yet isolated and dead inside. We have little identity despite our jobs and clothes and appearances and we hope these things make us unique individuals. We sit in Red Robin or Chili’s or Applebee’s and discuss the best paint to use for the guest room. Acrylic or alkyd? Eggshell? Semi-gloss? How about the easiest way to maintain buffalo grass for an award-winning front yard? Our conversations are so insignificant. We make mountains out of meaningless materialism and yet the mysteries of death and life are treated with little reverence. Drive-Thru is a quick read and because of the dreamlike qualities, I suggest finishing it just a few sittings. Those who like straight horror may not like the disjointed feel. Yet hardcore bizarro fans, will not find a completely topsy-turvy world that they might be used to from authors like Carlton Mellick III. Jon Bassoff’s novella is somewhere between the two genres and I feel it’s unique enough to amass a cult following. I’m interested to see what Jon’s other stuff is like. Get your convenient viewing copy here and follow more of Jon’s work at his author page here.

The Drive-Thru Crematorium by Jon Bassoff

The Drive-Thru Crematorium is strange. But you already knew that based on the title. I mean, combining a drive-thru with a mortuary is a little crazy, right? “The drive-thru idea had been Dr. Wagner’s. This way, people could come by after work or during their lunch break and they wouldn’t need to deal with parking or making small talk with people they might have conflict with. If meals could be purchased with such convenience, why not funeral viewings?” (Bassoff, 131). Those lines really stuck in my head. As I read more, I paused and thought of the people I work with, TV shows, news stories, and some of the social media posts I encounter. In comparison a drive-thru morgue doesn’t seem so crazy after all. In fact, in less than a decade, I’d be surprised if the first drive-thru viewing doesn’t have a grand opening in America. This book is like that. You question what the heck is going on with the characters and their motivations, but the more you read, the more you simply accept that this is the way people are. The world is kind of insane. The book starts with Stanley Maddox arriving at his job—the same job he’s held for six years at Evergreen Lending—yet the other employees don’t recognize him today. Even his boss Mr. Elliott seems to be at a loss. He consistently calls Stanley Mr. Mallory, not Maddox, and assumes that he is the new underwriter. After a brief and awkward attempt to convince his boss otherwise, Stanley simply accepts the mistake. Mr. Elliott goes on to inform “Mr. Mallory” that unfortunately, things are very tight at the lending office and they really can’t afford to give him a salary. “However, I don’t think it’s such a rotten deal to come into the office each day even if you aren’t getting paid” (Bassoff, 10). Stanley hates confrontations, so rather than argue, he simply accepts being someone else and after six years, basically starts again as an unpaid intern hoping for a big break. I got a Fight Club/American Psycho feel in the sense that Stanley Maddox is interchangeable and unimportant. Rather than the high-flying world of Wall Street and the mergers and acquisitions that Patrick Bateman represents in American Psycho, Stanley is the working-class equivalent—loan officers, call center support, insurance sales, etc. We may think our jobs are our identities, but we must not be that important since you can be forgotten and replaced easily. As we follow Stanley over the next few days, things only get worse, yet we see him accept all the crap that the world throws at him with little to no argument. On the first occasion from coming home from his unpaid job; his wife Wendy lets him know that there is a rabbit running around the house leaving bloody footprints and that Stanley needs to take care of it. Within a week of “losing” his job Stanley returns home again, this time to find Wendy watching Hallmark movies with some guy who resembles a lumberjack—Wendy seems to be incapable of doing anything other than watching Hallmark movies and cooking dinner, BTW. “Oh, this is Jeff” is all she gives as way of explanation for the man on the couch with her. Again, Stanley accepts it. Same as he accepts the fact that dinner was only made for Wendy and Jeff, and later that there’s really no room for him in the bed anymore…because Jeff is sleeping in it! As Stanley’s life deteriorates more and more, there is another plotline of a serial killer on the loose known as The Midnight Monster. The two stories intertwine and we find that Stanley isn’t really Stanley…or maybe he is. Is Pat Bateman a killer or was it all his imagination? Remember how weird The Machinist was? Take these movies and add in a flare of David Lynch and you have Drive-Thru Crematorium. It’s awkward and disjointed like a dream. Similar to Eraserhead, which I can’t quite explain either, there’s a message in Jon’s book, but you feel it rather than articulate it. At its core, I think Drive-thru is a look at the absurdness of modern life and what it does to people. We are more connected than ever before, yet isolated and dead inside. We have little identity despite our jobs and clothes and appearances and we hope these things make us unique individuals. We sit in Red Robin or Chili’s or Applebee’s and discuss the best paint to use for the guest room. Acrylic or alkyd? Eggshell? Semi-gloss? How about the easiest way to maintain buffalo grass for an award-winning front yard? Our conversations are so insignificant. We make mountains out of meaningless materialism and yet the mysteries of death and life are treated with little reverence. Drive-Thru is a quick read and because of the dreamlike qualities, I suggest finishing it just a few sittings. Those who like straight horror may not like the disjointed feel. Yet hardcore bizarro fans, will not find a completely topsy-turvy world that they might be used to from authors like Carlton Mellick III. Jon Bassoff’s novella is somewhere between the two genres and I feel it’s unique enough to amass a cult following. I’m interested to see what Jon’s other stuff is like. Get your convenient viewing copy here and follow more of Jon’s work at his author page here.

The Future of RedRum Reviews

I Have a dream. A wet dream. A gory, sloppy, and terrifying vision for the future and it all started with a present given to me in 2018—DOA III: An Anthology of Extreme Horror. I like dark stuff. Always have. But my palate had never sampled anything quite like the stories in that book. Some of my favorite authors like Chuck Palahniuk had definitely touched on similar themes and graphic depictions. But there was something about the writing in the short stories of DOA III that was unique. After a little digging on the contributing authors, I uncovered entire sub-genres of horror I didn’t even know existed—some of it ended up being more ‘mainstream’ than I ever realized too. The more extreme, bizarro, erotic, and weird fiction I read, the more fascinated I became. Soon I was no longer idly browsing the titles, I was enjoying the stories and actively trying to find better and better books! That’s when I got that wonderfully horrible idea…. As a lifelong book lover, I’d always been curious as to what being an author was like. In the past, I’d tried my hand at random short stories here and there. Looking back though, all my attempts were lame recreations of plots I already knew well. However, as I heeded the call from the darkest of all sub-genres, I found new inspiration. A vast majority of the plots were new to me, and I felt a creativity I hadn’t known before. As I got to know more authors and readers in the community, I found that the more absurd and graphic a story was—as long as it was well written—the better. Being able to shock someone in the community is like a badge of honor. And I found myself wanting to shock and to be shocked in return. The getting shocked part was easy. I read Ed Lee…lol. Shocking others though was the tricky part. I couldn’t expect to pick up a pen and jump into a culture I’d only just discovered. That’s when RedRum Reviews was born. The reviews are my honest reactions to this new journey into horror. In the beginning I had a whole post on my welcome page about how I was going to dive in headfirst and invited everyone to join me—but to go easy as it was my first time

The Future of RedRum Reviews

I Have a dream. A wet dream. A gory, sloppy, and terrifying vision for the future and it all started with a present given to me in 2018—DOA III: An Anthology of Extreme Horror. I like dark stuff. Always have. But my palate had never sampled anything quite like the stories in that book. Some of my favorite authors like Chuck Palahniuk had definitely touched on similar themes and graphic depictions. But there was something about the writing in the short stories of DOA III that was unique. After a little digging on the contributing authors, I uncovered entire sub-genres of horror I didn’t even know existed—some of it ended up being more ‘mainstream’ than I ever realized too. The more extreme, bizarro, erotic, and weird fiction I read, the more fascinated I became. Soon I was no longer idly browsing the titles, I was enjoying the stories and actively trying to find better and better books! That’s when I got that wonderfully horrible idea…. As a lifelong book lover, I’d always been curious as to what being an author was like. In the past, I’d tried my hand at random short stories here and there. Looking back though, all my attempts were lame recreations of plots I already knew well. However, as I heeded the call from the darkest of all sub-genres, I found new inspiration. A vast majority of the plots were new to me, and I felt a creativity I hadn’t known before. As I got to know more authors and readers in the community, I found that the more absurd and graphic a story was—as long as it was well written—the better. Being able to shock someone in the community is like a badge of honor. And I found myself wanting to shock and to be shocked in return. The getting shocked part was easy. I read Ed Lee…lol. Shocking others though was the tricky part. I couldn’t expect to pick up a pen and jump into a culture I’d only just discovered. That’s when RedRum Reviews was born. The reviews are my honest reactions to this new journey into horror. In the beginning I had a whole post on my welcome page about how I was going to dive in headfirst and invited everyone to join me—but to go easy as it was my first time

Sick Fux by Tillie Cole

Sick Fux
A Review By Eleanor Merry Tick tock. There are some books that stick with you long after you read them. Certain scenes that will flash into your mind when you are least expecting them, bringing you back to that moment you first entered the world created by the book. To me, that is a sign of an amazing novel, and without a doubt, Sick Fux delivers this. Fair warning though, this is not a story for the faint of heart and is darker than most horror stories I've ever read. It is a perfect example of how blood, sex, and revenge can combine to make the perfect horror-romance. Sick Fux opens with two children, Ellis and Heathen, who are as different as can be. Ellis is a sweet, Alice in Wonderland-obsessed child. Heathen, however, is dark and broody with an innate bloodlust which was discovered at a young age. Only the lovely Ellis has ever been able to get close to him. Heathen names her Dolly, for her adorable childlike appearance and fascination with the fantasy world of her own making. He is her Rabbit, carrying her along on their adventures through their own make-believe Wonderland. Ellis and Heathen get thrust into a world of horrific circumstance and find themselves separated for years. The things done to these children will break even the blackest of hearts. Heathen finally returns to save Ellis eleven years later from the horrible world in which she resides, where he finds a shell of the lovely girl he once knew. Slowly but surely, he pulls Ellis out of her mental prison to reveal his perfect evil counterpart—Dolly. This was not an easy read in many ways. The things these characters go through as children shape the story and their own futures in a terrible, yet perfect, way. Ellis, or Dolly, is a dynamic and twisted character that ebbs and flows throughout the story, battling with her own inner demons. Heathen is the perfect anti-hero and despite his deep-seated and sick desires, his care and love for his sweet Dolly is evident. Together, they kill and fuck their way to a perfect conclusion and end to a fantastic story. Micky and Mallory Knox. Bonnie and Clyde. Joker and Harley Quinn... Ellis and Heathen (AKA. Dolly and Rabbit) from Sick Fux deserve a spot with these epic and twisted couples. Sick Fux is, at its core, a revenge story, motivated by love and darkness. Two sick fucks who have endured horrifying things and must find their own place in the world. With a twisted Wonderland theme, this is a unique, vivid and fast-paced story you will not be able to put down. If you're a sick fuck, check out more from Tillie Cole here *** Eleanor Merry was born and raised in beautiful Vancouver, BC and still lives there with her tiny human and her fiance. The offspring of a fairy queen and an undead warlord, she was brought up with an appetite for terror and beauty.

When she isn’t writing, she is a voracious reader with eclectic tastes which tends to lean towards horror and the twisted, however is known to indulge in dirty romances on the side. Her influences include authors such as Brian Keene, Mark Tufo, Richard Laymon and Tillie Cole. In all genres, nothing is off limits and she looks forward to sharing more of her own twisted and strange thoughts with the world.