Shivers edited by Richard Chizmar

(pb; 2002: horror anthology)

Overall review:

Good horror anthology, worth owning. There's not a stinker in the bunch, though Kelly Laymon's "Throwing Caution to the Wind," while providing the anthology with an element of whimsical diversity, doesn't belong in this collection.


Standout stories:

1.) "Fodder" - Brian Keene & Tim Lebbon: American soldiers fight a more horrific and brutal enemy than they expected. Good, entertaining story, with a funny and ominous ending.

2.) "Whisper, When You Drown - Tom Piccirilli: Unsettling, clever tale about a storm, the restless dead and seduction.


3.) "Hermanos De El Noche" - Bentley Little: A man (Brock) sets out to rescue his wife (Marnie) from the mad, nude vampires who kidnapped her. Nasty, sexual and violent work, this.


4.) "Walking with the Ghosts of Pier 13" - Brian Freeman: Melancholic, mood-effective tale that recalls the feel of America in the days immediately following 9/11 (without the jingoistic bullsh*t that usally accompanies it).


5.) "265 and Heaven - Douglas Clegg: Excellent story about a tenement apartment whose filth-encrusted interior hides a deeper, more enduring and infinitely grimmer element.


6.) "The Sailor Home from the Sea" - John Pelan: In a pub, an ex-sailor gives voice to a familiar, yet intriguing personal tale about an angry woman and an avenging sea.


7.) "Always Traveling, Never Arriving" - Robert Morrish: The true nature of carnivals and how they're perceived by outsiders ("townies") is explored in entertaining and twisty fashion.


8.) "That Extra Mile" - David Niall Wilson & Brian A. Hopkins: A long distancee runner (Scott Danning) gets visions of roadside serial murders that appear to have real world consequences. Distinctive, fresh work.


9.) "The Green Face" - Al Sarrantonio: Concise, gripping work about a man (Lanois), whose dreams of strange killings compel him to necessary action.


10.) "Tender Tigers - Nancy A. Collins: Character- and action-interesting story about a monster-hunting vampire (Sonja Blue) tries to rescue a human family from an ogre who's taken over their family.

(Sonja Blue also appears in a multi-book series, starting with Sunglasses After Dark, also available in Kindle form.)


11.) "Portrait of a Sociopath" - Edward Lee: Short, sharp and occasionally gleefully sick (but believable) story, with an effective twist.


12.) "The Other Man" - Ray Garton: An extramarital affair takes on morbid and terrifying dimensions for a cuckolded husband. Excellent, distinctive read.


13.) "The Sympathy Society" - Graham Masterton: Haunting, wow-worthy story about a grieving suicidal widower who joins a cult-like support group to help him find a semblance of peace.

Goon, by Edward Lee & John Pelan

(pb; 1996)

Review:

The story: Captain Phillip Straker, a member of the Violent Crimes Police Unit, and Melinda Pierce, a reporter posing as a ringrat (a wrestling groupie), are tracking a prolific serial killer who has sex with, and partially devours his (or her) victims. The crimes seem to be tied to one particular suspect -- the titular, mysterious, always-masked Goon, a wrestler in the DSWC (Deep South Wrestling Conference) who easily could be making more money in big-time wrestling, the WWF or WCW. As Straker and Pierce get closer to closing the case, however, new clues emerge that suggest there's more going on than initially meets the eye.

This gross-out of a novella is a hoot to read. It's less a horror story than an unrepentantly sexual tract, not written to titillate but to amuse, with its tasteless over-the-top X-rated debaucheries (many of their descriptions uttered by some disgusting and wildly verbose characters). Writing-wise, it reads like the bastard child of Robert Devereaux's Santa Steps Out and Lucifer Fulci's Siki City (both of which were published after Goon was published). The comparison to Devereaux's Santa stems from the well-edited, fast-dashing storyline; the comparison to Fulci's Siki City stems from Lee and Pelan's gleeful, unrestrained sidetracks into lurid carnality.

Lee and Pelan maintain an addictive balance between these disparate elements, set in the surreal, low-brow world of small-time, regional conference wrestling. They then top it off with some tasty twists, the biggest one not unexpected, but solid, followed by a few smaller, inspired ones.

Highly recommended, this, if you have a strong stomach and a nasty sense of humor (in regards to sex-mocking smut). Like much of Lee's work, this would make a great B-movie.