A Message from the Slave State

Slave State

by Chris Kelso

Everyone gets their message through sometime. Dan Smear is on the run. It won't be long until the Slave State finds him and makes him work in a forced labour enclave for the duration of his pathetic little life. But Smear doesn't know that he has another very real threat in keen pursuit - Denny Carr, the boy from Shell County who just brutally murdered his own father and who now wants bloody vengeance on Smear. Meanwhile Mr M is working as a covert agent for the Slave State and with the promise of a starring role in the hottest new soap opera, he's dedicated to the cause... You can't run away from the Slave State...

112 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2013

About the author

Chris Kelso is an award-winning genre writer, editor, illustrator, and musician from Scotland. His work has been published widely across the UK, US and Canada.

Reviews

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories of intrigue and paranoia build layers in an alternate universe that is not so different from our own.  Elements of our history and a glimpse into a possible future make this book a mesmerizing and imaginative read.

[Thomas Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many different types of story held within Kelso's Message From The Slave State. There is a strand of science fiction, a strand of horror, a strand of noir, of surrealism. When you intertwine all of these strands you get a narrative that isn't always straightforward but is always thoroughly entertaining. There is a raw quality to Kelso's prose that won't be to everyone's taste. He has admitted as much and he is to be commended for his bravery. He did not set out to write a money-spinning, number one bestseller that the critics would fawn over. He wrote the story HE wanted to write, the story that only he could write. But he populated it with colourful and three-dimensional characters, not all of them instantly likeable but each with very human flaws that we can recognise from real life, maybe even in ourselves. And Kelso clearly takes some pot shots at himself throughout the story. But to have written something so compelling and so unique at such a young age (rumours are he was only 19) is incredibly impressive. If you are looking for a story that travels the mundane highway from point A to point B with cardboard cut-out characters then leave this book alone. If, however, you enjoy some honest and well-written prose with compelling characters and amazing scenes, you should give Kelso's work a try.

[Joel Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a brilliant little book. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. very original, fun, and surreal. believable characters slide through and draw you into the mysterious world of the slave state. If you love Philip k dick like I do, this is your kind of book. A nice smartly written original mind f*cker. a wild ride that keeps you guessing until a very satisfying end you will not see coming.

[Gary Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, unique read. Chris Kelso is an author to keep your eyes on.

[Moira McPartlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember the first time I saw Pulp Fiction I thought ‘what the f...?’ I sat on the edge of my seat wondering what I’d let myself in for before relaxing, laughing, screeching, hand over eyes, over mouth but enjoying it just the same.
That is how I felt reading this Bizarro novella by young Scot’s writer Chris Kelso. The main story takes place in The Slave State where the unemployed have to work till the death in the mines. Leisure time is consumed in watching a reality TV show called The Sweet Merciful Release of Death. The main antihero is a creep of the likeable sort trying to escape the clutches of the Slave State while being pursued by Denny a teenager with a gun and a grudge. (The underlying themes are not that far from reality).
There is violence and sex and lots of laughs. Nearly all the writing rules have been broken. The novella changes perspective many times. It is interrupted frequently with short unrelated stories which I took to be episodes of the reality TV show. I might be wrong but unlike the characters no one will shoot me for that.
The two page cartoon that appeared in the middle made me laugh; an intermission? Maybe.
The main bonus for me was that it was enjoyable to read. It was fresh with unusual poetic metaphors that worked; there was a shadow of Cormac McCarthy style haunting the episodes with the young boy. Sentences were laid out almost stanza like, often cutting the sentence off in odd places. This gave a crispness to the text that made me pause before going on, often changing my perspective without somehow breaking the flow – it was an extraordinary experience.
I give this novella four stars for the same reason I give Stephen King four stars. The aliens and zombies appeared too late in the proceedings. If I'm to find aliens and zombies I like to know from the word go.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelso's first outing tells a revenge tale like no other, set in a world like no other, and filled with degenerate characters determined to make it through life one seedy, dysfunctional second at a time.

I came at this book a little backwards; this is Kelso's first novel and, chronologically, I have read it last. In some ways this is a good thing, more often I have found the more jarring elements of transgressive fiction so prevalent in this writer's work pervasive and addictive, meaning A Message from The Slave State contained the all-too-familial traits I have come to love about Kelso's writing.

The downside of reading this book after the fact of all the others (THE DREGS TRILOGY, I DREAM OF MIRRORS, VISTAS, BLACK DOG EATS THE CITY, etc) is the raw, jolting narrative that punched me in the guts when I was first introduced to Kelso's work was somewhat dulled; a real shame because that is the fault of this reviewer, not the book. In other words, to any other readers yet to dig into Kelso's seedy, transgressive blend of bizarro, sci-fi, cosmic and horror fiction, I merely say 'start here'.

Highly recommended.

[Love Kölle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a certain dreamlike spontaneity to it, a kind of anarchic narrative in which anything could happen att any given moment (and there are wierd twists and unforseen turns galore, let me tell you!). This is not saying that "A message from the slave state" is just a clusterfuck of strange - at its core there is this relatively straightforward revenge story, but then and again the surreal invade the pages and stuff goes off the rails (in a good way). This pendulum like quality is simultaniously the book's best strength and greatest weekness - would Kelso been better off dividing "a message from the slave state" into two separate stories (one straight up bizarro, one realist drama)? Perhaps. But then again, had he done that, we wouldn't have had this playfully unique lil' misfit of a book.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denny Carr, who has just murdered his father, wants vengeance on Dan Smear. Smear is trying to avoid a life of forced labor. Mr. M is an agent for the Slave State who has discovered a brief stardom in a popular soap opera. Oh, and the Earth is in bad shape and aliens are involved. This novella is as challenging and bizarre as it sounds. Smear is a louse, a total anti-hero. Characters weave in and out of the story unpredictably. And Kelso uses multiple techniques and more than one medium to get his story across. The result is a disorienting emotional landscape that feels utterly authentic. This is well worth reading for its power of language and bold rejection of formulas.

[Susan Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time following this story. The book is printed in a strange way. If you like thriller type of books maybe this is for you.

[M Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Smear is a jerk. He’s also a drunk, a paranoid misogynist, terrible father and, quite possibly, the saviour of the human race. Denny Carr has just murdered the man he thought was his father, and now he is going to kill Dan Smear. Meanwhile, benign assassin Mr M enjoys his fleeting fame as a soap opera star, extraterrestrials try and make amends for poisoning the earth and penis eating zombies go about their daily business. Welcome to the Slave State, a brutal, nihilistic nightmare world spawned by the visceral mind of Bizarro maestro Chris Kelso.



Part revenge thriller, part sci-fi story, part horror and part Twilight Zone episode, A Message From The Slave State grabs us by the throat and forces us to trawl the depths of human misery and self-destruction. Dan Smear is a typical Kelso anti-hero, repulsive and selfish, and also strangely likable and noble at the same time. He is but one of a whole cast of unpleasant characters that we feel genuine sympathy for as they try and make sense of their tainted, disillusioned world. Here in the Slave State, the unemployed are forced to work to death in the mines, and jobless Smear drives himself to the brink of madness as he tries to avoid this terrible fate. In today’s world of economic uncertainty, where the political establishment is gleefully stripping away the rights of poorer people in society, this concept takes on a very chilling resonance.


Surreal, sickening, funny and cruel, Slave State is brought viciously to life by Kelso’s gritty style and sardonic wit. Another Bizarro gem well worth risking your sanity for.