Douglas Hackle's Blog, page 3
March 31, 2020
[Review] – Terror Mannequin
Well Read Beard (aka Kevin Whitten) reviews TERROR MANNEQUIN for Dead Head Reviews.
By Douglas Hackle
*Minor Spoilers
Awwww, YEAH! (I feel that since I am submitting this for Dead Head Reviews, I need to tell you that I didn’t just throw an “Awww, yeah” out there for nothing – it is from the book.)
Look, I loved this book, and if I am honest, it was kinda unexpected. I don’t get a lot of laughs out of the stuff I read, but this book was absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious. I would have called it a combo horror/bizarro going in. I have heard it referred to as absurdist; but for me, while it is absurd as hell and chock full of horror, it was a comedy. I found myself smiling throughout and laughing often, and you can ask my friends – I don’t smile a lot. Well, I don’t have friends either, but how else am I supposed to read all these books? That’s…
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March 27, 2020
The Horror Collection: Pink Edition is Now Out!
The ongoing Horror Collection series from KJK Publishing is a series of short anthologies of horror fiction, where each edition comprises no more than several short stories. Previous editions include tales from such authors as Ed Lee, Richard Chizmar, Michael Arnzen, Tim Curran, Simon Clark, and Ray Garton.The sixth edition—The Horror Collection: Pink Edition—was released today!
Priced at a low $1.49, The Horror Collection: Pink is a fine deal. You get the one of the longest (and most effed up) short stories I’ve written in the past year or so—“Are You the Girl with Ribbons in Her Hair?” (4,200 words)—along with stories from Tim Curran, Kyle M. Scott, Mike Duke, Zoey Xolton, Natasha Sinclair, and Kevin J. Kennedy.
Click the cover to buy it at Amazon, my tiny little TERROR TOTS!!
March 24, 2020
TERROR MANNEQUIN Kindle Sale!
Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZCHTRG5/...
Praise for TERROR MANNEQUIN:
“Batshit craziness!…Genuinely funny in the most ridiculous way. I really enjoyed [TERROR MANNEQUIN], and I honestly think that if you’ve never read a bizarro book, this might be the one you should grab.” – Livius Nedin, host of Booked. Podcast.
“Hackle isn’t afraid to get you clutching your seat with fear only to have you giggling in the next sentence, and vice versa…Terror Mannequin was an unexpected treat. Well worth a look (only don’t look at the jack-in-the-box…)” – Ben Walker at Kendall Reviews
“Terror Mannequin is weird, bizarre, humorous and very often horrifying…it reaches a gore-stained and near-incomprehensible crescendo that you can’t escape – and don’t want to regardless – because of just how damn good it is.” – Adam Selby-Martin at The Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviewer
“To say that Terror Mannequin is a comedy would be to downplay the nihilistic tragedy of it all. To call it a satire of office culture—and Thomas Ligotti’s weird tales of same—is to minimize the often-gruesome horror at play…there are moments that are genuinely brilliant.” – Orrin Grey at Signal Horizon
“I loved this book, and if I am honest it was kinda unexpected. I don't get a lot of laughs out of the stuff I read and this book was absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious.” – BookTuber Kevin Whitten, aka Well Read Beard
“So this was weird. In the best, most absurd and bizarre way…funny, irreverent, off-putting, offensive, interesting, creepy, gory and just plain fun. For all its absurdity, this is a really well-written, highly crafted story, and I really can't wait to read more from this author.” – Angel Hench, bookstagrammer
“When it comes to Mr. Hackle, you don't have a shot in hell of predicting what's going to happen, even if he's just told you. You can't possibly guess what he'll throw at you and expect you to catch, even though it's oozing, smelly, and ablaze. You can't know where the story will take you, what the characters will do and say, how it's all going to shake down in the end, even one page before that end.” – Melodie Ladner
“A clever outlandish romp of bizarro blood splatter, that rolls around in its own gore and jumps up for more. Absurdity literature at its finest!” – Donald Armfield
“Absurd, weird and extremely fun. I really enjoyed this book and have already recommended it to people…It's kinda brilliant. Highly recommended.” – Jason Morton
“If you're new to Hackle, this is a good place to start. If you’re an old hat at Hackle this is a must read.” – Frank Edler
“Douglas Hackle is an evil genius…I loved this book, and I will definitely be reading more by the author. I finished this the other day, and I already wish I could read more in this world.” – Kevin J. Kennedy
“Very weird, very gory, and very funny. Douglas Hackle has written the literary equivalent to The Toxic Avenger, a blood-soaked, genre-defying, anti-horror novel. I can't imagine everyone "getting" this type of writing, but for those who do, this is A+ stuff.” – Danger Slater
“For those of us who dig things darkly, comedically, wildly askew, we are lucky to have another book by Douglas Hackle on the shelves.” – Amy Vaughn
February 25, 2020
Tales of What!?
I had the honor of providing the featured short story (“TERROR SARDINES in TERROR SAUCE”) for the inaugural episode of Tales of What!? Produced by modern Renaissance man Luke Kondor, Tales of What!? is a high production value podcast devoted to bizarro short stories. As far as I know, it’s the only podcast of its kind at the moment. As such, it’s something to be excited about if you’re a longtime reader or writer of bizarro fiction. And if you’re new to bizarro fiction or curious about it, the podcast should prove to be a great way to sample the varied styles of writers working in the genre.
iTunes – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast…
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/0CPanYw…
“TERROR SARDINES in TERROR SAUCE” is included in my latest short story collection, Is Winona Ryder Still with the Dude from Soul Asylum? and Other LURID Tales of TERROR and DOOM!!!
Tales of What!?
iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0CPanYw...
“TERROR SARDINES in TERROR SAUCE” is included in my latest short story collection, Is Winona Ryder Still with the Dude from Soul Asylum? and Other LURID Tales of TERROR and DOOM!!!
And here's a drawing inspired by “TERROR SARDINES in TERROR SAUCE” courtesy of Goodreads reviewer extraordinaire Karen Brissette.
December 20, 2019
Early Reviews of TERROR MANNEQUIN
‘Sup, y’all? Hey, have you picked up a copy of my new novel, TERROR MANNEQUIN, yet? No? Well, if you’re on the fence about getting it, maybe one of the reviews cited and linked below can persuade you to drop down to the side of the fence that’s a lot more fun than the other.
Click image to go the book’s Amazon page.
***
Livius Nedin, who has interviewed the likes of Mark Z. Danielewski and David Duchovny (yeah, as in Mulder!), and guest host Frank Edler got together and reviewed TERROR MANNEQUIN for the 467th episode of Booked. Podcast:
“Batshit craziness!…Genuinely funny in the most ridiculous way. I really enjoyed [TERROR MANNEQUIN], and I honestly think that if you’ve never read a bizarro book, this might be the one you should grab.” –Livius Nedin, host of Booked. Podcast.
***
BookTuber Kevin Whitten, aka “Well Read Beard,” gave TERROR MANNEQUIN 5 stars, calling it “laugh-out-loud hilarious” and a great pallet cleanser for any horror fans who might occasionally find themselves all “horror-ed” out. Check out his video review of the book and maybe subscribe to his YT channel:
***
“To say that Terror Mannequin is a comedy would be to downplay the nihilistic tragedy of it all. To call it a satire of office culture—and Thomas Ligotti’s weird tales of same—is to minimize the often-gruesome horror at play…Yet, for all that bizarro fiction is often not my thing—and Terror Mannequin is often no exception—there are moments that are genuinely brilliant.” –From Orrin Grey’s review of TERROR MANNEQUIN at Signal Horizon:
https://signalhorizon.com/book-review-the-absurd-horrific-tragicomedy-of-terror-mannequin/
***
“Hackle isn’t afraid to get you clutching your seat with fear only to have you giggling in the next sentence, and vice versa. And because what you’re reading is so unapologetically peculiar, none of it feels out of place…In all, Terror Mannequin was an unexpected treat. Well worth a look (only don’t look at the jack-in-the-box…)” –From Ben Walker’s review of TERROR MANNEQUIN at Kendall Reviews:
http://kendallreviews.com/book-review-terror-mannequin-douglas-hackle/
***
“…Terror Mannequin is weird, bizarre, humorous and very often horrifying, and despite the plot going to some incredibly strange and uncomfortable places, I enjoyed it immensely…All of the key elements of the [bizarro] subgenre are to be found within Terror Mannequin, but Hackle deploys them in a deft and sure manner, building up the weird and horrific elements slowly but surely until it reaches a gore-stained and near-incomprehensible crescendo that you can’t escape – and don’t want to regardless – because of just how damn good it is.” Click on the link for the full review. –From Adam Selby-Martin’s review of TERROR MANNEQUIN at The Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviewer:
https://scifiandfantasyreviewer.wordpress.com/2019/11/11/terror-mannequin-douglas-hackle-review/
***
And here’s TERROR MANNEQUIN’s Goodreads page, where more reviews can be found:
Some Reviews of TERROR MANNEQUIN
‘Sup, y’all? Hey, have you picked up a copy of my new novel, TERROR MANNEQUIN, yet? No? Well, if you’re on the fence about getting it, maybe one of the reviews cited and linked below can persuade you to drop down to the side of the fence that’s a lot more fun than the other.
Click on the image to go the book’s Amazon page.
***
Livius Nedin (who has interviewed the likes of Mark Z. Danielewski and David Duchovny [yeah, as in Mulder!]) and guest host Frank Edler got together and reviewed TERROR MANNEQUIN for the 467th episode of Booked. Podcast:
“Batshit craziness!…Genuinely funny in the most ridiculous way. I really enjoyed [TERROR MANNEQUIN], and I honestly think that if you’ve never read a bizarro book, this might be the one you should grab.” –Livius Nedin, host of Booked. Podcast.
***
BookTuber Kevin Whitten, aka “Well Read Beard,” gave TERROR MANNEQUIN 5 stars, calling it “laugh-out-loud hilarious” and a great pallet cleanser for any horror fans who might occasionally find themselves all “horror-ed” out. Check out his video review of the book and maybe subscribe to his YT channel:
***
“To say that Terror Mannequin is a comedy would be to downplay the nihilistic tragedy of it all. To call it a satire of office culture—and Thomas Ligotti’s weird tales of same—is to minimize the often-gruesome horror at play…Yet, for all that bizarro fiction is often not my thing—and Terror Mannequin is often no exception—there are moments that are genuinely brilliant.” –From Orrin Grey’s review of TERROR MANNEQUIN at Signal Horizon:
https://signalhorizon.com/book-review-the-absurd-horrific-tragicomedy-of-terror-mannequin/
***
“Hackle isn’t afraid to get you clutching your seat with fear only to have you giggling in the next sentence, and vice versa. And because what you’re reading is so unapologetically peculiar, none of it feels out of place…In all, Terror Mannequin was an unexpected treat. Well worth a look (only don’t look at the jack-in-the-box…)” –From Ben Walker’s review of TERROR MANNEQUIN at Kendall Reviews:
http://kendallreviews.com/book-review-terror-mannequin-douglas-hackle/
***
“…Terror Mannequin is weird, bizarre, humorous and very often horrifying, and despite the plot going to some incredibly strange and uncomfortable places, I enjoyed it immensely…All of the key elements of the [bizarro] subgenre are to be found within Terror Mannequin, but Hackle deploys them in a deft and sure manner, building up the weird and horrific elements slowly but surely until it reaches a gore-stained and near-incomprehensible crescendo that you can’t escape – and don’t want to regardless – because of just how damn good it is.” Click on the link for the full review. –From Adam Selby-Martin’s review of TERROR MANNEQUIN at The Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviewer:
https://scifiandfantasyreviewer.wordpress.com/2019/11/11/terror-mannequin-douglas-hackle-review/
***
And here’s TERROR MANNEQUIN’s Goodreads page, where more reviews can be found:
December 13, 2019
Moby-Dick! Pft. More like Moby-MEH!! Humph! >:/
Which reminds me: I still have a few review copies (paperback and mobi) of TERROR MANNEQUIN. If you're interested in receiving one in exchange for posting an honest review on a book review site, blog, Amazon, YouTube, or here at good ol' Goodreads, send me a direct message.
Sincerely,
Dig-Doug Von Chillingstein
P.S. For the record, Moby-Dick is a 5-star read for me and one of the few novels I've read twice. I mean, what's not to like, yo??
December 3, 2019
YouTube Review of TERROR MANNEQUIN
Book Review - Terror Mannequin - Douglas Hackle
And here's his Goodreads review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sincerely,
Fyodor Dougstoevsky
November 21, 2019
TERROR MANNEQUIN on Booked. Podcast
'Sup, my tiny little chillsters?
So what else did a podcaster who has interviewed the likes of Mark Z. Danielewski and David Duchovny have to say about my new novel, TERROR MANNEQUIN? Find out in the latest episode of Booked. Podcast, where Livius Nedin and guest host Frank Edler review my book and discuss bizarro and Totino's Party Pizzas and stuff:
Ep. 467 - Terror Mannequin by Douglas Hackle with guest reviewer Frank Edler
Also, TERROR MANNEQUIN received a favorable review over at Kendall Reviews. From the review:
"Hackle isn’t afraid to get you clutching your seat with fear only to have you giggling in the next sentence, and vice versa. And because what you’re reading is so unapologetically peculiar, none of it feels out of place....In all, Terror Mannequin was an unexpected treat. Well worth a look (only don’t look at the jack-in-the-box…)"TERROR MANNEQUIN Review at Kendall Reviews
Sincerely,
Chilly D
