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The Boy with the Chainsaw Heart
For almost 20 years, Carlton Mellick III has been writing some of the strangest and most compelling novels the bizarro fiction genre has to offer. Described as one of the top 40 science-fiction writers under the age of 40 by The Guardian and "one of the most original novelists working today" by extreme horror legend Edward Lee, Mellick returns with a Bio-Mech action horror story set on a surreal battlefield in the no man's land between Heaven and Hell.
Mark Knight wakes in the afterlife to discover that he's been drafted into Hell's army, forced to fight against the hordes of murderous angels attacking from the North. He finds himself to be both the pilot and the fuel of a demonic war machine known as Lynx, a living demon woman with the ability to mutate into a weaponized battle suit that reflects the unique destructive force of a man's soul.
While piloting Lynx, Mark adapts quickly to his new life as a soldier and learns that his abilities far surpass those of a normal human recruit. His fighting skills are so great that it could even be a turning point in this war that has not progressed in over five thousand years. But Mark has no interest in winning the war for the kingdom of Hell. All he wants is to see his wife, Amy, once again. As a Christian woman who died tragically in her youth, Mark is positive that she went to Heaven after her death. And if he can fight his way past the angels to reach Heaven's Gate, Mark believes he'll be able to rescue Amy from a life of servitude and find a place they can live together for the rest of their post-human lives.
Set in the same universe as Mellick's bizarro romantic comedy, I Knocked Up Satan's Daughter, The Boy with the Chainsaw Heart illustrates a darker side of the afterlife, one that neither Christian nor Atheist would wish to endure.
Mark Knight wakes in the afterlife to discover that he's been drafted into Hell's army, forced to fight against the hordes of murderous angels attacking from the North. He finds himself to be both the pilot and the fuel of a demonic war machine known as Lynx, a living demon woman with the ability to mutate into a weaponized battle suit that reflects the unique destructive force of a man's soul.
While piloting Lynx, Mark adapts quickly to his new life as a soldier and learns that his abilities far surpass those of a normal human recruit. His fighting skills are so great that it could even be a turning point in this war that has not progressed in over five thousand years. But Mark has no interest in winning the war for the kingdom of Hell. All he wants is to see his wife, Amy, once again. As a Christian woman who died tragically in her youth, Mark is positive that she went to Heaven after her death. And if he can fight his way past the angels to reach Heaven's Gate, Mark believes he'll be able to rescue Amy from a life of servitude and find a place they can live together for the rest of their post-human lives.
Set in the same universe as Mellick's bizarro romantic comedy, I Knocked Up Satan's Daughter, The Boy with the Chainsaw Heart illustrates a darker side of the afterlife, one that neither Christian nor Atheist would wish to endure.
- GenresBizarro FictionHorror
182 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2018
8 people are currently reading
172 people want to read
About the author
Carlton Mellick III
119 books2,187 followersCarlton Mellick III (July 2, 1977, Phoenix, Arizona) is an American author currently residing in Portland, Oregon. He calls his style of writing "avant-punk," and is currently one of the leading authors in the recent 'Bizarro' movement in underground literature[citation needed] with Steve Aylett, Chris Genoa and D. Harlan Wilson.
Mellick's work has been described as a combination of trashy schlock sci-fi/horror and postmodern literary art. His novels explore surreal versions of earth in contemporary society and imagined futures, commonly focusing on social absurdities and satire.
Carlton Mellick III started writing at the age of ten and completed twelve novels by the age of eighteen. Only one of these early novels, "Electric Jesus Corpse", ever made it to print.
He is best known for his first novel Satan Burger and its sequel Punk Land. Satan Burger was translated into Russian and published by Ultra Culture in 2005. It was part of a four book series called Brave New World, which also featured Virtual Light by William Gibson, City Come A Walkin by John Shirley, and Tea from an Empty Cup by Pat Cadigan.
In the late 90's, he formed a collective for offbeat authors which included D. Harlan Wilson, Kevin L. Donihe, Vincent Sakowski, among others, and the publishing company Eraserhead Press. This scene evolved into the Bizarro fiction movement in 2005.
In addition to writing, Mellick is an artist and musician.
Mellick's work has been described as a combination of trashy schlock sci-fi/horror and postmodern literary art. His novels explore surreal versions of earth in contemporary society and imagined futures, commonly focusing on social absurdities and satire.
Carlton Mellick III started writing at the age of ten and completed twelve novels by the age of eighteen. Only one of these early novels, "Electric Jesus Corpse", ever made it to print.
He is best known for his first novel Satan Burger and its sequel Punk Land. Satan Burger was translated into Russian and published by Ultra Culture in 2005. It was part of a four book series called Brave New World, which also featured Virtual Light by William Gibson, City Come A Walkin by John Shirley, and Tea from an Empty Cup by Pat Cadigan.
In the late 90's, he formed a collective for offbeat authors which included D. Harlan Wilson, Kevin L. Donihe, Vincent Sakowski, among others, and the publishing company Eraserhead Press. This scene evolved into the Bizarro fiction movement in 2005.
In addition to writing, Mellick is an artist and musician.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 6, 2019
One hapless dude finds himself assisting a sexy bio-mechanical demon as they battle robot angels in the afterlife. It's crazy, for sure, but between the battles we play with several ideas about the benefits and pitfalls in regards to America's evangelical religious fervor. It's a smart commentary that is more focused on the action than taking a stand (which is a good thing!) and the imagery Mellick employs is as vivid and gross and out-of-this-world as I've come to expect from him. Good times.
August 26, 2019
Review to follow...
November 26, 2018
I don't try to hide the fact that Carlton Mellick III is one of my favourite authors. Imagination is one of the biggest appealing factors I look for when choosing books, and Mellick has his imagination figured out to a fine art. After a couple of decades and dozens of books, Mellick still knows how to craft a solid story with so much imagination it's crazy.
Chainsaw Heart takes place in the same universe as another of his books, I Knocked Up Satan's Daughter. This is one of the few Mellick titles I haven't read yet, but it's not really a sequel and it deals with a fresh cast of characters, so you're not missing out from reading one over the other first.
The story follows a heaven vs hell narrative, but from there he unpacks an interesting take on the human servants which populate this world and their role in the war. On top of that Mellick utilises a bio-mech trope popular in anime (my first thought goes to Evangelion as the nearest example).
Here we have demon bio-mechs piloted by the humans who wind up in hell. They fight against angel mechs piloted by the humans who wind up in heaven. Mellick uses the bones of this concept to unpack the ideas behind what warrants a person to go to heaven and hell, and with it the subjective religious perspectives of faith and good vs evil. It warrants saying that these things are a lot more complicated than the heaven-folk would have it portrayed, and some interesting ideas relating to slavery and free will are explored in this book. On top of that, Mellick relies on a tried and true mechanic for driving a story forward: a quest for lost love.
Individually, you could argue that there's nothing quite revolutionary about this story, and without one or two of the plot elements it would definitely feel like the story was lacking something, but what Mellick has crafted here, the pieces combine into a crazy inventive and thoughtful bio-mech of a novella.
Did I mention that the bio-mech suits are fuelled by the flesh of their human pilots? What are you waiting for? Get reading already.
Chainsaw Heart takes place in the same universe as another of his books, I Knocked Up Satan's Daughter. This is one of the few Mellick titles I haven't read yet, but it's not really a sequel and it deals with a fresh cast of characters, so you're not missing out from reading one over the other first.
The story follows a heaven vs hell narrative, but from there he unpacks an interesting take on the human servants which populate this world and their role in the war. On top of that Mellick utilises a bio-mech trope popular in anime (my first thought goes to Evangelion as the nearest example).
Here we have demon bio-mechs piloted by the humans who wind up in hell. They fight against angel mechs piloted by the humans who wind up in heaven. Mellick uses the bones of this concept to unpack the ideas behind what warrants a person to go to heaven and hell, and with it the subjective religious perspectives of faith and good vs evil. It warrants saying that these things are a lot more complicated than the heaven-folk would have it portrayed, and some interesting ideas relating to slavery and free will are explored in this book. On top of that, Mellick relies on a tried and true mechanic for driving a story forward: a quest for lost love.
Individually, you could argue that there's nothing quite revolutionary about this story, and without one or two of the plot elements it would definitely feel like the story was lacking something, but what Mellick has crafted here, the pieces combine into a crazy inventive and thoughtful bio-mech of a novella.
Did I mention that the bio-mech suits are fuelled by the flesh of their human pilots? What are you waiting for? Get reading already.
May 15, 2020
*4.5 stars*
This book, like all of Mellick's books, is a shit ton of fun. It's an epic battle between heaven and hell, only the demons and angels alike use human slaves to do the fighting for them. It's the lovechild of Godzilla and all the fucked up parts of the Bible. Def recommended for fans of Mellick, kaiju, and / or bizarro.
This book, like all of Mellick's books, is a shit ton of fun. It's an epic battle between heaven and hell, only the demons and angels alike use human slaves to do the fighting for them. It's the lovechild of Godzilla and all the fucked up parts of the Bible. Def recommended for fans of Mellick, kaiju, and / or bizarro.
July 31, 2020
Leave it to Mellick to write about sexy bio-mech demons fighting robot angels in the afterlife! . This is a roaring fun story of good vs evil and heaven vs hell. These battling mechs use human souls as fuel and this is as unique a story as ever from him!
November 13, 2021
Pretty good book overall, but not one of my favourite CM3s. I haven't read 'I Knocked Up Satan's Daughter' though, so perhaps I would have gotten more from it if I had done before picking this up!
January 20, 2019
Everything you read this author for
May 26, 2021
Yeah, I think I'm done with the bizzaro fiction genre. The titles are strange, but they always give a decent explanation/culmination at the end. I was lucky that the first book I read was "Zombies and Shit". That was great. I'd definitely encourage that one to anyone wanting to try out bizzaro fiction.
February 3, 2024
The A-plot is filled with demons and angels fighting each other in giant mech suits, but somehow the B-plot about a religious woman becoming deranged is more interesting.
October 2, 2025
yo creo que está bien te hace sentir incómodo pero no es tan incómodo capaz es porque no soy religioso pero sí sentí esa locura está buena la construcción de mundos y o qué hay pocos personajes de los desarrollan bien entiende sus motivaciones el final es ñeee pero está bien
un pana que se suicida luego de la muerte de su esposa termina en el infierno en esta dimensión el reino de el cielo y el infierno está en guerra y como que los demonios son unos mecas gigantes que pelea usan como combustible almas humanas y al mismo tiempo esas almas son pilotos que mediante pelean se van consumiendo hasta que mueren y así con otro entonces el pana termina con una demonia y terminan teniendo buen feeling el demuestra que es un gran estratega ella va subiendo de rango Gracias a él y el trata de mantenerse vivo lo más posible hasta conseguir a su prometida en el cielo se escucha muy cool todo hasta que vamos entendiendo cómo era su vida antes de morir y nos explica que el pana es un migajero pinta su esposa como la mujer más devota y cristiana más hermosa amable y simpática pero también nos deja ver El lado oscuro de esta mujer que era una fanática religiosa en su universo se estaba prohibiendo las religiones y ella para defender a su Dios junto con otros cristianos crearon un grupo terrorista donde la Chama le excitaba explotar cosas y nada en una de esas reuniones uno de esos borrachos tenía a sus hijos jugando con armas una no estaba descargada y se le va un tiro en la sala y le pega a la mujer y nada al final van a dar cuenta que ni siquiera valió la pena porque nunca hubo tal Guerra civil que los extremistas creyeron que iba a pasar que a quién siguió con su vida él no lo pudo superar y se mató qué pasa que peleando contra los mecas del cielo porque según los Ángeles como que no respetaban y estaban ganando la guerra apoderándose de territorio del infierno y nada pasa que se consigue con un rival que explota bombas y dijo este es mi mujer y pensó que era ella y nada se obsesiona para poder pelear con ella hasta que ella no lo reconoce y en un ataque de furia la casi mata qué pasa que la Meca termina obsesionándose con el piloto y al mismo tiempo como no lo quería consumir se comía a los pilotos de los Ángeles y sus almas eran tan puras que sentía como el abrazo de Dios o algo así la cosa es que estaba drogada borracha por consumir a cristianos entonces le hizo creer a el piloto que su mujer no era su mujer que era otra gente aunque no te deja muy claro si era que el hombre estaba tan desesperado que quería encontrar a su esposa que pensó que esa chica era su esposa o si era su esposa y la Meca le hizo pensar que no lo era para que ella se lo pudiera comer y bueno terminan cogiendo y él termina sintiendo también la droga del espíritu Santo y fin
un pana que se suicida luego de la muerte de su esposa termina en el infierno en esta dimensión el reino de el cielo y el infierno está en guerra y como que los demonios son unos mecas gigantes que pelea usan como combustible almas humanas y al mismo tiempo esas almas son pilotos que mediante pelean se van consumiendo hasta que mueren y así con otro entonces el pana termina con una demonia y terminan teniendo buen feeling el demuestra que es un gran estratega ella va subiendo de rango Gracias a él y el trata de mantenerse vivo lo más posible hasta conseguir a su prometida en el cielo se escucha muy cool todo hasta que vamos entendiendo cómo era su vida antes de morir y nos explica que el pana es un migajero pinta su esposa como la mujer más devota y cristiana más hermosa amable y simpática pero también nos deja ver El lado oscuro de esta mujer que era una fanática religiosa en su universo se estaba prohibiendo las religiones y ella para defender a su Dios junto con otros cristianos crearon un grupo terrorista donde la Chama le excitaba explotar cosas y nada en una de esas reuniones uno de esos borrachos tenía a sus hijos jugando con armas una no estaba descargada y se le va un tiro en la sala y le pega a la mujer y nada al final van a dar cuenta que ni siquiera valió la pena porque nunca hubo tal Guerra civil que los extremistas creyeron que iba a pasar que a quién siguió con su vida él no lo pudo superar y se mató qué pasa que peleando contra los mecas del cielo porque según los Ángeles como que no respetaban y estaban ganando la guerra apoderándose de territorio del infierno y nada pasa que se consigue con un rival que explota bombas y dijo este es mi mujer y pensó que era ella y nada se obsesiona para poder pelear con ella hasta que ella no lo reconoce y en un ataque de furia la casi mata qué pasa que la Meca termina obsesionándose con el piloto y al mismo tiempo como no lo quería consumir se comía a los pilotos de los Ángeles y sus almas eran tan puras que sentía como el abrazo de Dios o algo así la cosa es que estaba drogada borracha por consumir a cristianos entonces le hizo creer a el piloto que su mujer no era su mujer que era otra gente aunque no te deja muy claro si era que el hombre estaba tan desesperado que quería encontrar a su esposa que pensó que esa chica era su esposa o si era su esposa y la Meca le hizo pensar que no lo era para que ella se lo pudiera comer y bueno terminan cogiendo y él termina sintiendo también la droga del espíritu Santo y fin
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2025
3.5 rounded down
Mark has been reborn to fight for Hell in the eternal war against Heaven. Heaven has been invading their land and massacring their people for centuries. Mark and a knight named Lynx fuse together and are an unprecedented pairing destroying angels unlike any before them. But all Mark wants to do is reach enemy lines in hopes of reuniting with his deceased wife Amy….at any cost.
What an interesting concept that Heaven and Hell are real. Not only that, but Heaven is evil and Hell is seen as the good guys.
I enjoy Marks loyalty and drive. He is so determined to find Amy that he constantly is trying to find better war tactics and try new things the Knights have never seen before. He brought a new perspective to the war that was much needed.
The main drag for me was Amy. She’s a religious nut and anytime it would flashback to learning about Amy it just lost me.
Overall it was ok. I was really into the creation of the Knights, their battles and history. But I was really not into learning about Amy in general or Mark and hers relationship story. The ending was alright. Everything was just kinda alright for me.
Mark has been reborn to fight for Hell in the eternal war against Heaven. Heaven has been invading their land and massacring their people for centuries. Mark and a knight named Lynx fuse together and are an unprecedented pairing destroying angels unlike any before them. But all Mark wants to do is reach enemy lines in hopes of reuniting with his deceased wife Amy….at any cost.
What an interesting concept that Heaven and Hell are real. Not only that, but Heaven is evil and Hell is seen as the good guys.
I enjoy Marks loyalty and drive. He is so determined to find Amy that he constantly is trying to find better war tactics and try new things the Knights have never seen before. He brought a new perspective to the war that was much needed.
The main drag for me was Amy. She’s a religious nut and anytime it would flashback to learning about Amy it just lost me.
Overall it was ok. I was really into the creation of the Knights, their battles and history. But I was really not into learning about Amy in general or Mark and hers relationship story. The ending was alright. Everything was just kinda alright for me.
January 15, 2021
Carlton's books are always full of more heart and human interest than one would expect from reading the synopsis and looking at the covers. In this book, the title character has gone to hell, where he is weaponized to fight angels. The core of the story though is his determination to get to heaven to find his wife, a devout Christian woman. This was a good story with an interesting take on heaven and hell.
August 14, 2021
After committing suicide following his wife's death, the main character, Mark, finds himself in Hell and is drafted into Hell's army against the forces of Heaven -- a seemingly never ending war. He, like the other humans, is placed into a giant demon, in a kind of symbiotic relationship, and join the fray. This description just glasses over what happens, but if you have a taste for the truly bizarre, read this book (of any Carlton Mellick III book).
April 22, 2023
So you wake up in hell because that’s where most of us are going anyways and you’re drafted to pilot Voltron style a demon in a never ending battle with the bio-mech Angel forces of heaven. You’re a fucking genius at this but the catch is that the better you are the more it sucks because the host demon body feeds on your living flesh the entire time.
That’s The Boy With The Chainsaw Heart, coming this fall to your favorite Saturday morning lineup.
That’s The Boy With The Chainsaw Heart, coming this fall to your favorite Saturday morning lineup.
December 27, 2024
Hace ya un tiempo yo tenía ganas de leer esta novela, por lo que, cuando por fin la leí estuve gratamente satisfecho. La historia en sí es grandiosa, podemos ver bastantes tácticas y motivaciones personales del protagonista, además de que en la misma historia nos cuentan cuales fueron sus razones para odiar la religión y a Dios, muy válidas de hecho. Tengo cierto temor a la religión y esta novela expresa muy bien el fanatismo religioso, llegando a darme escalofríos.
May 12, 2025
This one is from the top shelf of the Mellick books. I've read Satan's Daughter and, as it happens a lot with these short books, I was ready for more of that interesting dimension. Glad the author delivered with a kind-of-sequel. Wish we could have had just a extra chapter centered around Amy, though. Or on Lynx. Or both, as greedy as it may sounds.
May 11, 2021
An exciting, heartbreaking, unique story!
November 17, 2022
Reads like an action movie/ horro/ bizarro novel.
Good fun
Good fun
August 10, 2023
Brilliant. An imaginative take on heaven and hell as only Mellick could have come up with.
Want to read
May 15, 2024Huh. Came out two years before Chainsaw Man. Amusing parallel, at least in title.
August 20, 2025
A criticism of christofascist mentality coming from the priest of the weird, CM3 himself.
December 1, 2024
Love it.
March 9, 2022
A satisfying, yet totally different sequel of sorts to "I Knocked up Satan's Daughter" – this one's more James Cameron than Richard Curtis. Again it's frustratingly short – I read it in one go on a train journey from Liverpool to London – but it was very enjoyable and by chapter 3 I was rooting for the fall of Heaven. I hope we might revisit Lynx and her pilot in a future book, or at least another installment of the war between Hell and Heaven - come on you Demons!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews