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War Slut
In a future where everyone in the world has been drafted into the military, there is only one enemy left to fight . . . ourselves.
Five exhausted soldiers are sitting in the middle of a frozen Arctic wasteland, waiting for something to happen. They don't know why they are there or what they are supposed to be doing. Their superior officers have stopped giving them orders, their food supply is running low, and they are unsure whether or not their enemy actually exists at all. Once they lose their war slut (a transmorphing sex cyborg), the soldiers leave the safety of their camp in order to get it back. Only what they find out in the dark icy landscape is something far beyond what they ever could have imagined.
Part 1984, part Waiting for Godot, and part action horror video game adaptation of John Carpenter's The Thing , WAR SLUT is a fast-paced dystopian tale of the dark and the absurd.
Five exhausted soldiers are sitting in the middle of a frozen Arctic wasteland, waiting for something to happen. They don't know why they are there or what they are supposed to be doing. Their superior officers have stopped giving them orders, their food supply is running low, and they are unsure whether or not their enemy actually exists at all. Once they lose their war slut (a transmorphing sex cyborg), the soldiers leave the safety of their camp in order to get it back. Only what they find out in the dark icy landscape is something far beyond what they ever could have imagined.
Part 1984, part Waiting for Godot, and part action horror video game adaptation of John Carpenter's The Thing , WAR SLUT is a fast-paced dystopian tale of the dark and the absurd.
73 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2006
8 people are currently reading
397 people want to read
About the author
Carlton Mellick III
91 books2,168 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 - 30 of 55 reviews
September 19, 2011
Crying Hugh Jake and the rest of his platoon hunt draft dodgers in the Arctic wastelands with their shape-shifting sex droid, the War Slut, in tow. Will any of them leave the polar desert alive?
War Slut is reminiscent of John Carpenter's The Thing. It has that paranoid feel. The strange doll creatures the soldiers find in the Arctic are suitably creepy. Sweet, the War Slut, was actually a fairly sympathetic character. Jake was okay. The rest of the characters were pretty thin, as was the story.
Remember in high school when you had to write a paper of a certain length and resorted to messing with the font and margins to meet your requirements? That's what War Slut is like. The print is huge and the margins seem wide to me. It's barely novella length but stretched out to 70-something pages. Stretch it as much as you want, it still feels like a ripoff at $7.95.
That's about all I can say. War Slut was a disappointment after the last Carlton Mellick III I read, The Warrior Wolf Women of the Wasteland, and felt like a misfire. To use a sexual analogy, if Warrior Wolf Women of the Wasteland had been a spectacular sexual experience, War Slut was just a wet dream.
War Slut is reminiscent of John Carpenter's The Thing. It has that paranoid feel. The strange doll creatures the soldiers find in the Arctic are suitably creepy. Sweet, the War Slut, was actually a fairly sympathetic character. Jake was okay. The rest of the characters were pretty thin, as was the story.
Remember in high school when you had to write a paper of a certain length and resorted to messing with the font and margins to meet your requirements? That's what War Slut is like. The print is huge and the margins seem wide to me. It's barely novella length but stretched out to 70-something pages. Stretch it as much as you want, it still feels like a ripoff at $7.95.
That's about all I can say. War Slut was a disappointment after the last Carlton Mellick III I read, The Warrior Wolf Women of the Wasteland, and felt like a misfire. To use a sexual analogy, if Warrior Wolf Women of the Wasteland had been a spectacular sexual experience, War Slut was just a wet dream.
March 1, 2023
"Non aspettatevi una storia di guerra che sia realisticamente accurata. Infatti, i soldati di questa vicenda assomigliano di più ai pupazzetti di G.I. Joe con cui può giocare un bambino di nove anni mentre fuori nevica. O magari assomigliano ai soldati nei videogiochi d’azione fantascientifici di guerra."
Questo è Mellick....Questa storia parla dell’assurdo.
Ogni uomo, donna, e bambino del mondo era stato arruolato nell’esercito per combattere la guerra contro i renitenti alla leva.I renitenti: codardi, ribelli, traditori, anarchici. Credevano di averli uccisi tutti. Ma ne rimanevano ancora. Da qualche parte.
Trovo che lo spacciatore di CM3 abbia roba buona.
In questa storia ci sono un sacco di bizzarrie o_O dal miele per orecchie che contiene una sostanza chimica che migliora l’udito.
I proiettili sega, assomigliano a due seghe circolari in miniatura.
I proiettili biblioteca hanno la forma di piccoli libri che, una volta sparati, volano nell’aria sbattendo le pagine.
I proiettili stomaco, simili a un piccolo palloncino pieno di acido.
Ditemi voi quale mente normale avrebbe potuto partorire idee simili.
Anche qui riesce ad infilare, tra un manichino ed un ghiacciolo, domande esistenziali e l'amore...Carlton mette sempre l'amore nelle sue storie.
Bene, ora dato che ho finito quelli gratuiti, è arrivato il momento di acquistarne qualcuno....
Questo è Mellick....Questa storia parla dell’assurdo.
Ogni uomo, donna, e bambino del mondo era stato arruolato nell’esercito per combattere la guerra contro i renitenti alla leva.I renitenti: codardi, ribelli, traditori, anarchici. Credevano di averli uccisi tutti. Ma ne rimanevano ancora. Da qualche parte.
Trovo che lo spacciatore di CM3 abbia roba buona.
In questa storia ci sono un sacco di bizzarrie o_O dal miele per orecchie che contiene una sostanza chimica che migliora l’udito.
I proiettili sega, assomigliano a due seghe circolari in miniatura.
I proiettili biblioteca hanno la forma di piccoli libri che, una volta sparati, volano nell’aria sbattendo le pagine.
I proiettili stomaco, simili a un piccolo palloncino pieno di acido.
Ditemi voi quale mente normale avrebbe potuto partorire idee simili.
Anche qui riesce ad infilare, tra un manichino ed un ghiacciolo, domande esistenziali e l'amore...Carlton mette sempre l'amore nelle sue storie.
Bene, ora dato che ho finito quelli gratuiti, è arrivato il momento di acquistarne qualcuno....
April 10, 2013
I first read War Slut in 2008 and thought it was brilliant. "Social commentary! What weird images! War is bad but why do we need it! Gender bending fuck toy soldiers that fall in love! Yeah!"
I was young...so young.
Let's be serious: Carlton Mellick III is no literary genius. I'd hesitate to even call him literary. He's a weird sort-of-anarchist dick who pumps out poorly-edited manuscripts with a hardcore 'avant-punk' following, and that is totally fine. I won't deny that when I was in university, fed up of reading canonized British author after canonized British author, he was a happy bit of rebellious respite. But oh, what changes with time...
This book goes down smooth, unlike many of CMIII's more childishly vulgar novellas (god, the total fucking horror that was Razor Wire Pubic Hair!), and can be read in well under an hour. The plot and style are simplistic at best, though there are some quite striking ideas and images which -- in the hands of a better writer, or even a mediocre filmmaker (this book is seriously visual) -- could have been remarkable.
Sometimes a reread confirms your initial reaction, and sometimes...well, sometimes you reread War Slut and shake your head smilingly at the whippersnapper you used to be.
3 stars for nostalgia, mainly ---- as well as its sheer potential.
I was young...so young.
Let's be serious: Carlton Mellick III is no literary genius. I'd hesitate to even call him literary. He's a weird sort-of-anarchist dick who pumps out poorly-edited manuscripts with a hardcore 'avant-punk' following, and that is totally fine. I won't deny that when I was in university, fed up of reading canonized British author after canonized British author, he was a happy bit of rebellious respite. But oh, what changes with time...
This book goes down smooth, unlike many of CMIII's more childishly vulgar novellas (god, the total fucking horror that was Razor Wire Pubic Hair!), and can be read in well under an hour. The plot and style are simplistic at best, though there are some quite striking ideas and images which -- in the hands of a better writer, or even a mediocre filmmaker (this book is seriously visual) -- could have been remarkable.
Sometimes a reread confirms your initial reaction, and sometimes...well, sometimes you reread War Slut and shake your head smilingly at the whippersnapper you used to be.
3 stars for nostalgia, mainly ---- as well as its sheer potential.
August 29, 2011
A good satirical look at war and societies need for it, taking place in a world where society is at war with the "draft dodgers" because apparently from birth you are drafted and everybody is a soldier. The last enemy to fight... ourselves?
The main character in this story, Hugh Jake who suffers from weepy leaky eyes and narcolepsy, and his military battalion are sent from North Africa to the Arctic to snuff out one of the last draft dodger resistances.
Mellick stays true to his form keeping the reader wanting more, as stated in other reviews of his work I have done, the stories are generally short and with some little annoying typos; however, this one seemed shorter then usual. It has many chapters some of them only half a page long, and the longest being maybe 2 pages. The end to this one was a bit abrupt, but the meat of it was real good, leaving you wondering, what is the cost of freedom? Does the end justify the means?
The main character in this story, Hugh Jake who suffers from weepy leaky eyes and narcolepsy, and his military battalion are sent from North Africa to the Arctic to snuff out one of the last draft dodger resistances.
Mellick stays true to his form keeping the reader wanting more, as stated in other reviews of his work I have done, the stories are generally short and with some little annoying typos; however, this one seemed shorter then usual. It has many chapters some of them only half a page long, and the longest being maybe 2 pages. The end to this one was a bit abrupt, but the meat of it was real good, leaving you wondering, what is the cost of freedom? Does the end justify the means?
May 20, 2024
Another great and unique story by Mellick!
There is some romance, adventure, action, mystery and weird scenes in this one. Not my favorite by this author but still enjoyed it!
3/5
There is some romance, adventure, action, mystery and weird scenes in this one. Not my favorite by this author but still enjoyed it!
3/5
January 6, 2019
È il secondo libro di Carlton Mellick che leggo, dopo Apocalisse Peluche, e il mio giudizio rimane essenzialmente quello maturato già al primo approccio con l'autore: una lettura simpatica e fuori dagli schemi, ma che a conti fatti lascia poco o niente.
Le idee curiose e originali sono innumerevoli, ma rimangono spesso fini a se stesse e non contribuiscono a rendere migliore la trama. Una peculiarità particolarmente sentita in Puttana da guerra, che ha una trama più lineare (e banale) di Apocalisse peluche.
Ma anche indipendentemente da ciò, il libro non è mai riuscito a catturarmi particolarmente. Ho osservato "dall'esterno" il procedere della storia, senza alcun coinvolgimento emotivo.
La prosa di Mellick è funzionale al ritmo serrato delle vicende, ma, in entrambi i libri, non mi è parsa mai particolarmente ispirata o degna di nota. È uno stile scorrevole, ma anche molto semplice, che contribuisce a rendere dimenticabile l'esperienza.
Carlton Mellick è indubbiamente una presenza atipica nel panorama letterario, con una fantasia sfrenata che non può non incuriosire chi ama lo "strano", ma come scrittore forse non è totalmente nelle mie corde.
Vista la brevità e la scorrevolezza dei suoi libri, penso che prima o poi proverò a dargli un'altra opportunità, anche perché le sue trovate restano comunque interessanti e godibili.
Le idee curiose e originali sono innumerevoli, ma rimangono spesso fini a se stesse e non contribuiscono a rendere migliore la trama. Una peculiarità particolarmente sentita in Puttana da guerra, che ha una trama più lineare (e banale) di Apocalisse peluche.
Ma anche indipendentemente da ciò, il libro non è mai riuscito a catturarmi particolarmente. Ho osservato "dall'esterno" il procedere della storia, senza alcun coinvolgimento emotivo.
La prosa di Mellick è funzionale al ritmo serrato delle vicende, ma, in entrambi i libri, non mi è parsa mai particolarmente ispirata o degna di nota. È uno stile scorrevole, ma anche molto semplice, che contribuisce a rendere dimenticabile l'esperienza.
Carlton Mellick è indubbiamente una presenza atipica nel panorama letterario, con una fantasia sfrenata che non può non incuriosire chi ama lo "strano", ma come scrittore forse non è totalmente nelle mie corde.
Vista la brevità e la scorrevolezza dei suoi libri, penso che prima o poi proverò a dargli un'altra opportunità, anche perché le sue trovate restano comunque interessanti e godibili.
November 16, 2022
As a fan of CM3, this one is just simply not his best work. You can see the groundwork of what will lead to some of his great stories. To be honest, this one just didn't get weird enough for me 🤣 this one had plot points that just didn't deliver, and what bizarro elements the author had kind of pulled me out of the Narrative in a way that didn't flow like other Bizarro books I've read. I will still be traveling through this authors entire catalog, but this one may be one to skip for future readers.
Horror ⭐️
Plot ⭐️⭐️
Characters⭐️⭐️
Writing ⭐️
Fun⭐️⭐️
Horror ⭐️
Plot ⭐️⭐️
Characters⭐️⭐️
Writing ⭐️
Fun⭐️⭐️
September 4, 2011
Another Mellick I like! The king of Bizarro-stories..
A few soldiers are looking for the lost "war slut" someone who can change her form into anyone the soldiers want for their sexual desires.
In a freezing icy environment the soldiers got to deal with a invincible enemy, they think..
Weird characters, weird weapons (little icicles, little sawblades as bullets) and another crazy stuff.
Mellick's trademark. A fun read.
A few soldiers are looking for the lost "war slut" someone who can change her form into anyone the soldiers want for their sexual desires.
In a freezing icy environment the soldiers got to deal with a invincible enemy, they think..
Weird characters, weird weapons (little icicles, little sawblades as bullets) and another crazy stuff.
Mellick's trademark. A fun read.
January 29, 2015
Fantastic. Very eerie. Loved the ending.
April 29, 2018
Being prior military, this one was a laugh a minute! Oh, how I love this author's imagination!
November 13, 2022
Neanche lontanamente ai livelli de Il Villaggio delle Sirene. Parte benissimo, poi allunga troppo la parte centrale e finale un po' deboluccio. Quello che, presumo, dovrebbe essere il grande plot twist della storia si capisce praticamente appena viene inserito, ma viene trascinato fino alla fine diventando il segreto di Pulcinella. Gradevole, ma nulla di più.
October 7, 2014
"But this isn't about realism. Realism isn't my style. This is about the absurd."
Carlton Mellick III ends his author's note on this.
In a near future (?), everyone in the world is in the military, in a eternal war against... the draft dodgers, people who are not in the military.
The protagonist is a narcoleptic soldier, who is deployed along with his unit in the Artic, chansing draft dodgers, according to his superiors. But, after a major battle, few members of the unit are left standing. The officers just sit on their quarters, smoking and drinking, and not responding to the soliders's pleas.
One day, the War Slut disappears. She (he? it?) is a genetically engineered being, that can assume any shape, for the sole purpose of sexually gratifying the men and women in this mixed-gender army. And when the survivors go out to look for her (him? it?), they discover more than they could handle.
This book has action, romance, conspiracy theories, a "And Then There Were None" feel. It's a wonderful book by the absolute master of the Bizarro genre.
Carlton Mellick III ends his author's note on this.
In a near future (?), everyone in the world is in the military, in a eternal war against... the draft dodgers, people who are not in the military.
The protagonist is a narcoleptic soldier, who is deployed along with his unit in the Artic, chansing draft dodgers, according to his superiors. But, after a major battle, few members of the unit are left standing. The officers just sit on their quarters, smoking and drinking, and not responding to the soliders's pleas.
One day, the War Slut disappears. She (he? it?) is a genetically engineered being, that can assume any shape, for the sole purpose of sexually gratifying the men and women in this mixed-gender army. And when the survivors go out to look for her (him? it?), they discover more than they could handle.
This book has action, romance, conspiracy theories, a "And Then There Were None" feel. It's a wonderful book by the absolute master of the Bizarro genre.
September 11, 2021
So this military unit has an android who goes into battle with them during the day and can transform into any person they want during the night time in order to fulfill their sexual desires.
This seems like a great premise, right? Well the author decides to showcase this for only 10% of the book and for the other 90% he writes this weird ass plot about army deserters who can turn into porcelain dolls in order to hide from the militaries tracking system.
This was a very weird book and it seems like the author was trying way too hard to create some sort of deep social commentary about war and conformity, but ultimately he failed at that.
Im giving this book 2 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐
This seems like a great premise, right? Well the author decides to showcase this for only 10% of the book and for the other 90% he writes this weird ass plot about army deserters who can turn into porcelain dolls in order to hide from the militaries tracking system.
This was a very weird book and it seems like the author was trying way too hard to create some sort of deep social commentary about war and conformity, but ultimately he failed at that.
Im giving this book 2 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐
December 3, 2018
As the seventh book by Carlton Mellick III that I have read, so far, it is not the most disappointing one yet (that title goes to "Apeshit" - see my comments on that one). And it certainly is, once again, not badly written at all. However, it did not work for me.
The idea in itself (if we leave out the character providing the story title, which I am indifferent about) is quite interesting - everyone on earth has been drafted into the military (by birth), and there is noone to fight anymore. And there certainly was quite interesting imagery provided in the story. Also, it does work as an interesting metaphor for PTSD, at least in parts. But what does not work for me is the development of the story, and its conclusion. You see, most of Mellick's novels I have read so far provide some kind of absurd setting and/or situation, and take it to some quite logical conclusion. In light of the setting Mellick provides, all usually makes some kind of sense and is logical. Here, though, not only does the conclusion not provide this (at least for me), there are also quite a few aspects that are not explained. That in itself usually is not a problem, but when the unexplained does not really fit the rest, and is only there to provide imagery or interesting atmosphere, I cannot help but feel that such devices are not used in a functioning manner. This was the case here - at least for me.
All in all, it was an okay story, and quite a quick read, but it does rank low on my scale of "books by Mellick". I'd recommend reading other novels by him, instead.
The idea in itself (if we leave out the character providing the story title, which I am indifferent about) is quite interesting - everyone on earth has been drafted into the military (by birth), and there is noone to fight anymore. And there certainly was quite interesting imagery provided in the story. Also, it does work as an interesting metaphor for PTSD, at least in parts. But what does not work for me is the development of the story, and its conclusion. You see, most of Mellick's novels I have read so far provide some kind of absurd setting and/or situation, and take it to some quite logical conclusion. In light of the setting Mellick provides, all usually makes some kind of sense and is logical. Here, though, not only does the conclusion not provide this (at least for me), there are also quite a few aspects that are not explained. That in itself usually is not a problem, but when the unexplained does not really fit the rest, and is only there to provide imagery or interesting atmosphere, I cannot help but feel that such devices are not used in a functioning manner. This was the case here - at least for me.
All in all, it was an okay story, and quite a quick read, but it does rank low on my scale of "books by Mellick". I'd recommend reading other novels by him, instead.
Read
November 11, 2025I guess I’m a sucker for punishment, because I read a second of these short things.
It’s a less competent, weirder, clearly a fetish, ‘The Wanting Seed’.
It certainly thinks it’s saying a thing about the futility of war, and war as a means to control, but it’s not really. It’s just another story about this authors very clear transformation fetish. Dude likes turning people into living dolls. Which is fine, I guess.
It’s my own fault I read the one about crawling into a woman’s vagina and becoming a latex bunny-man, and then decided to read the one about war and a sex bot. Especially because I read the review by someone who read it as a teen, and then again as an adult, and said it was fake deep.
60-odd pages and my curiosity got the better of me. I will probably not make the same mistake a third time.
It’s a less competent, weirder, clearly a fetish, ‘The Wanting Seed’.
It certainly thinks it’s saying a thing about the futility of war, and war as a means to control, but it’s not really. It’s just another story about this authors very clear transformation fetish. Dude likes turning people into living dolls. Which is fine, I guess.
It’s my own fault I read the one about crawling into a woman’s vagina and becoming a latex bunny-man, and then decided to read the one about war and a sex bot. Especially because I read the review by someone who read it as a teen, and then again as an adult, and said it was fake deep.
60-odd pages and my curiosity got the better of me. I will probably not make the same mistake a third time.
April 21, 2020
I wanted to read something by Mr. Mellick so I could get a feel for what the bizarro movement was about in the area of "literature". I guess the ideas put forth in War Slut hearkened towards some of the ideas in Steampunk in that if things were put together in a different way in our world then some things might be possible. That sort of thinking gets me towards some of the technology in the War Slut story. That aside it is basically strange science fiction and to me, not that far off the beaten path. Though the story had its own merits, it was not so compelling that I wanted to venture further into the world, so if there was a sequel I would probably not pick it up.
April 17, 2018
Strange little novella about a world where everyone is a soldier and there’s an eternal war against draft dodgers, and genetically engineered shape-shifting sex androids keep everyone satisfied. They end up in the Arctic and people start to die and there’s cities made of ice populated by porcelain dolls. Usual Mellick stuff. LOL. I was really hoping this one had more. It had a lot of promise, but I felt it left a ton of loose threads flapping in the icy arctic wind and could have been so much better!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2020
This was Really pretty good. but very short. It felt like a Sci-Fi war Episode of a show like Black Mirror or Twilight zone. Note I said episode as again its pretty short. Despite the name the sex scenes were few (one and barely part of second ) and not overly graphic especially for a bizzaro genre story, I mean I certaily wouldnt give it to my kid but Ive seen way way worse in mainstream. Anyway I enjoyed the book.
August 21, 2017
I take Mellick's books for what they are but sometimes you wish he put more into it. The book had some really cool ideas on weapons and of course the "War Sluts" will probably be a thing in a few hundred years if we don't destroy the planet before that. So he should of explored the weaponry more and the war sluts and of course a super abrupt ending which left me more than irritated.
September 15, 2024
This novel has so much potential to be great but it's too short to build or create the feeling upon these protagonists. I really did enjoy reading though. I can tell that Carlton is not good at literature, but his story kept activate me to turn on the next page until the end. Good start with his bizarro fiction.
January 26, 2025
CM3 has perfected the blend of absurd and understandable narrative. He is able to tell a story that is completely strange but the reader is able to follow and enjoy. This is a great example of that prowess and though not my favorite of this era of his work still a fantastic story.
January 19, 2018
Weird but fun!
Great story the whole world is in the army fighting a war from birth and they have genetically created robots for sex! I can't say more you need to read it!!
Great story the whole world is in the army fighting a war from birth and they have genetically created robots for sex! I can't say more you need to read it!!
February 20, 2020
Interesting idea, but a very short development with a brief conclusion. Could be longer and more fleshed out.
July 29, 2022
Many interesting elements in this very short novella, above all a weird sense not knowing what’s going on. I would hang out with these characters a little longer.
October 14, 2014
Mah... dopo aver letto questo racconto lungo, la mia prima esperienza con la “Bizarro Fiction”, la prima impressione è che i “beoti”, ossia quelli che secondo il “Duca di Vaporteppa” rifiutano questo genere letterario non lo fanno per ignoranza o addirittura “xenofobia” (?) quanto al contrario (spesso se non sempre) siano semplicemente persone che hanno già letto qualcosa di Carlton Mellick III...
Oh, il libro mi pare tradotto benissimo, e realizzato con grande cura editoriale (anche se il ritornello auto celebrativo su quanto loro rispettino i lettori imho il Duca potrebbe anche evitarlo), ma la storia... ecco, quella io l'ho trovata un po'... noiosa.
Noiosa perché nonostante quello che scrivono nella postfazione sia Chiara Gamberetta che il Duca le “trovate” dell'autore non le trovo poi sempre così coerenti e funzionali alla trama, ma a volte imho proprio “weird for the sake of weird” e dopo un po' hanno cominciato a stancarmi.
Certo, non ci sono solo difetti, anzi... i personaggi sono ben delineati, e il libro si legge velocemente e facilmente... ma alla fine mi ha lasciato veramente poco, e forse io ho bisogno di libri magari leggermente più impegnativi ma anche più “sostanziosi”.
Molto interessante è la “Introduzione alla Bizarro Fiction” di Chiara Gamberetta, anche se non sono completamente d'accordo con l'autrice che ci sia una differenza così netta tra letteratura surrealista e Bizarro, o della sua opinione molto forte che se cerchi “metafore, allegorie, e simbolismi” nelle opere di questo autore allora sei solo un “sedicente critico letterario” (o un coglione, secondo Mellick medesimo) perché per quanto l'autore non consideri la sua opera come un'allegoria (cosa che da buon “tolkieniano” non posso che apprezzare), allo stesso tempo imho esiste anche la libertà interpretativa del lettore, che inevitabilmente applicherà e porterà il racconto anche dove l'autore non l'avrebbe fatto o voluto, e senza che per questo il lettore diventi necessariamente un cialtrone.
Infine: prima di leggere “Puttana da Guerra” ero intenzionato a leggermi a breve anche “La Vagina Infestata”, ma adesso ho parecchi dubbi ed è molto probabile che con quest'autore io abbia chiuso.
Oh, il libro mi pare tradotto benissimo, e realizzato con grande cura editoriale (anche se il ritornello auto celebrativo su quanto loro rispettino i lettori imho il Duca potrebbe anche evitarlo), ma la storia... ecco, quella io l'ho trovata un po'... noiosa.
Noiosa perché nonostante quello che scrivono nella postfazione sia Chiara Gamberetta che il Duca le “trovate” dell'autore non le trovo poi sempre così coerenti e funzionali alla trama, ma a volte imho proprio “weird for the sake of weird” e dopo un po' hanno cominciato a stancarmi.
Certo, non ci sono solo difetti, anzi... i personaggi sono ben delineati, e il libro si legge velocemente e facilmente... ma alla fine mi ha lasciato veramente poco, e forse io ho bisogno di libri magari leggermente più impegnativi ma anche più “sostanziosi”.
Molto interessante è la “Introduzione alla Bizarro Fiction” di Chiara Gamberetta, anche se non sono completamente d'accordo con l'autrice che ci sia una differenza così netta tra letteratura surrealista e Bizarro, o della sua opinione molto forte che se cerchi “metafore, allegorie, e simbolismi” nelle opere di questo autore allora sei solo un “sedicente critico letterario” (o un coglione, secondo Mellick medesimo) perché per quanto l'autore non consideri la sua opera come un'allegoria (cosa che da buon “tolkieniano” non posso che apprezzare), allo stesso tempo imho esiste anche la libertà interpretativa del lettore, che inevitabilmente applicherà e porterà il racconto anche dove l'autore non l'avrebbe fatto o voluto, e senza che per questo il lettore diventi necessariamente un cialtrone.
Infine: prima di leggere “Puttana da Guerra” ero intenzionato a leggermi a breve anche “La Vagina Infestata”, ma adesso ho parecchi dubbi ed è molto probabile che con quest'autore io abbia chiuso.
July 13, 2015
”every man, woman, and child in the world was drafted into the military to fight a war against the draft dodgers. this was years ago, long before i was born, long after all the nations of the world united as one. the cowards, rebels, traitors, anarchists. we thought we killed them all. but there were still a handful of them left.”
as far as short stories go, this was a decent read. i’m not sure how much i can say without spoiling the story, but i will say that i was actually somewhat disappointed by the fact that the title was ‘war slut’ and the cover image was, presumably, a war slut, but the story itself actually didn’t focus on sweet or her kind very much at all. we got some backstory about the war sluts, but i just wanted more. in general, i’m not a huge fan of military/war stories, but mellick’s ability to write a dystopia transcends my usual tastes. there’s an obvious overflow of creativity in everything he writes, tons of minor details and subplots that make his characters and settings pop off of the pages, even if i’m a little disappointed by the lack of inclusion of the story’s title subject.
there was a creepy little twist here, and even the fact that 9/10 of my questions went unanswered brought some air of mystery to the table, along with a touch of realism because our main character had a lot of questions that went unanswered, too. i love that things in mellick books don't always end happy, and this book was no exception: i loved the ending.
July 21, 2012
WAR SLUT begins with a preface letting the reader know that Carlton Mellick III doesn't intend for this to be an accurate military story. Then he begins his story.
A love story. I know, a love story titled "WAR SLUT"? Well, Carlton Mellick juxtaposes these two things (love and war) over one another very nicely, and adds a heap of weird things into the mix for extra flavour.
CMIII asks, what is it that makes a relationship? Is a relationship something we create in our own image? is it possible to base a healthy relationship solely on physical attributes? what is it that drives us to put ourselves in extreme environments in order that we maintain a certain way of being? Do we remain human if we cease to be true to ourselves, abandon what we truly love and chase a simulacrum of it instead? What do we surrender of ourselves that we might be able to go on living, trying to be comfortable in a world that is completely alien to how we naturally are? and obviously, the perennial question that has plagued mankind since war began: Who would I choose to have sex with if I had a war slut that could look like anybody in the world?
I really enjoyed this book and thoroughly recommend it to any person even remotely interested in human relationships and what it means to be human.
Bizarre characters and weaponry, a brilliant plot, and a poignant message.
Not bad for a book titled "War Slut".
A love story. I know, a love story titled "WAR SLUT"? Well, Carlton Mellick juxtaposes these two things (love and war) over one another very nicely, and adds a heap of weird things into the mix for extra flavour.
CMIII asks, what is it that makes a relationship? Is a relationship something we create in our own image? is it possible to base a healthy relationship solely on physical attributes? what is it that drives us to put ourselves in extreme environments in order that we maintain a certain way of being? Do we remain human if we cease to be true to ourselves, abandon what we truly love and chase a simulacrum of it instead? What do we surrender of ourselves that we might be able to go on living, trying to be comfortable in a world that is completely alien to how we naturally are? and obviously, the perennial question that has plagued mankind since war began: Who would I choose to have sex with if I had a war slut that could look like anybody in the world?
I really enjoyed this book and thoroughly recommend it to any person even remotely interested in human relationships and what it means to be human.
Bizarre characters and weaponry, a brilliant plot, and a poignant message.
Not bad for a book titled "War Slut".
August 15, 2012
Oh wow. Imagery. Sweet, sweet imagery.
"They are like butterflies made of razor blades."
The way ammunition was described in this book, was absolutely refreshing.
Connections to books, saws, butterflies, and water balloons. I mean, seriously... A+ imagination.
I like Mellick's notes at the beginnings of his books. They kind of give you a little bit of a feel as to what was going through his mind (idea wise and where he drew his inspiration from) while he was writing the story. Like the one at the beginning of this one stated that it was by no means a realistic war story, more drawn from like War-based video games, and I definitely got a sort of Gears of War vibe from this book. I think mainly based solely on the characters.
I like the idea of Sweet, too. The War Slut, being an actual genetically modified War Slut who sleeps with all of the soldiers in their time of "need" and transforming into anything or anyone they want, is interesting yet fascinating.
I also liked the setting of this book a lot as well. I think anytime the setting of a book is somewhere cold or arctic, I'm immediately more interested...
And then of course Mellick throws in his sweet, subtle, and fucked up twists and then throws in a little dash of weird romance in there to spice everything up.
A very fun read.
"They are like butterflies made of razor blades."
The way ammunition was described in this book, was absolutely refreshing.
Connections to books, saws, butterflies, and water balloons. I mean, seriously... A+ imagination.
I like Mellick's notes at the beginnings of his books. They kind of give you a little bit of a feel as to what was going through his mind (idea wise and where he drew his inspiration from) while he was writing the story. Like the one at the beginning of this one stated that it was by no means a realistic war story, more drawn from like War-based video games, and I definitely got a sort of Gears of War vibe from this book. I think mainly based solely on the characters.
I like the idea of Sweet, too. The War Slut, being an actual genetically modified War Slut who sleeps with all of the soldiers in their time of "need" and transforming into anything or anyone they want, is interesting yet fascinating.
I also liked the setting of this book a lot as well. I think anytime the setting of a book is somewhere cold or arctic, I'm immediately more interested...
And then of course Mellick throws in his sweet, subtle, and fucked up twists and then throws in a little dash of weird romance in there to spice everything up.
A very fun read.
September 2, 2013
"But this isn't about realism. Realism isn't my style. This is about the absurd."
Carlton Mellick III ends his author's note on this.
In a near future (?), everyone in the world is in the military, in a eternal war against... the draft dodgers, people who are not in the military.
The protagonist is a narcoleptic soldier, who is deployed along with his unit in the Artic, chansing draft dodgers, according to his superiors. But, after a major battle, few members of the unit are left standing. The officers just sit on their quarters, smoking and drinking, and not responding to the soliders's pleas.
One day, the War Slut disappears. She (he? it?) is a genetically engineered being, that can assume any shape, for the sole purpose of sexually gratifying the men and women in this mixed-gender army. And when the survivors go out to look for her (him? it?), they discover more than they could handle.
This book has action, romance, conspiracy theories, a "And Then There Were None" feel. It's a wonderful book by the absolute master of the Bizarro genre.
Carlton Mellick III ends his author's note on this.
In a near future (?), everyone in the world is in the military, in a eternal war against... the draft dodgers, people who are not in the military.
The protagonist is a narcoleptic soldier, who is deployed along with his unit in the Artic, chansing draft dodgers, according to his superiors. But, after a major battle, few members of the unit are left standing. The officers just sit on their quarters, smoking and drinking, and not responding to the soliders's pleas.
One day, the War Slut disappears. She (he? it?) is a genetically engineered being, that can assume any shape, for the sole purpose of sexually gratifying the men and women in this mixed-gender army. And when the survivors go out to look for her (him? it?), they discover more than they could handle.
This book has action, romance, conspiracy theories, a "And Then There Were None" feel. It's a wonderful book by the absolute master of the Bizarro genre.
December 17, 2008
This story kicked ass!
Probably my favorite Mellick story so far. It has all of Carlton's famous edginess, but it also combines a subversive, almost poetic undercurrent about the ravages of patriotic lies and war that made me think of "Fahrenheit 451", and even "All Quiet on the Western Front". This is in-your-face Mellick, but with a lot of heart.
Mellick's already well loved by readers interested in taboo and the bizarre. I only wish I could press this into the hands of readers who might be taken aback by the title, but who would be hooked once they opened the cover. He's famous for Satan Burger, and other visceral works - but if you were going to try Carlton Mellick for the first time, I'd recommend one of his more accessible cross-genre books, like this one, or some of the stories published and mentioned in the Years Best Fantasy and Horror. My only complaint was wishing the story was longer. I didn't want it to end. =)
Probably my favorite Mellick story so far. It has all of Carlton's famous edginess, but it also combines a subversive, almost poetic undercurrent about the ravages of patriotic lies and war that made me think of "Fahrenheit 451", and even "All Quiet on the Western Front". This is in-your-face Mellick, but with a lot of heart.
Mellick's already well loved by readers interested in taboo and the bizarre. I only wish I could press this into the hands of readers who might be taken aback by the title, but who would be hooked once they opened the cover. He's famous for Satan Burger, and other visceral works - but if you were going to try Carlton Mellick for the first time, I'd recommend one of his more accessible cross-genre books, like this one, or some of the stories published and mentioned in the Years Best Fantasy and Horror. My only complaint was wishing the story was longer. I didn't want it to end. =)
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