Feverish Fiction issue #6 (May 2017) edited by Michael Faun

(2017; dark/horror/speculative fiction magazine. Published by Sleazy Viking Press.)

Overall review

The sixth and final issue of Feverish continues in the pulpy, speculative vein of its previous periodicals. Of course, there are the usual female pin-ups in various states of undress, whose themes often reflect the works of the authors. (Terry Bizarro’s six erotic and elemental-themed paintings are superb and eye-catching.) It is worth owning, if you are an adult fan of small press magazines and out-there sex works.

Stories, other works

“The Lich-Queen” – Scott Couturier: Sex-, death- and supernatural-themed versework. Solid read.

“Last House on Splattergore Avenue” – Alex S. Johnson: Atmospheric, fear-adrenalized, gory and hilarious tale about a high school senior’s walk home from school. Excellent, perverse.

“Aleena, the Pitiful She-Devil – Part Two” – Lucas Mangum: Aleena’s bloody, barbaric quest for vengeance continues. Fun read.

“Fire Sprite” – Ashley Dioses: Fire and sex amount to the same thing in this four-line poem. Entertaining and concise.

“Don’t Go in There” – John Wayne Comunale: Blood and a bar are dominate this microtale.

“Winter Baskets” – Zeb Carter: Macabre, tender story about dead babies being taken to a surprising place. Excellent, one of my favorite reads in this issue.

“To His Anything-But-Coy Mistress” – Frank Coffman: Lust-focused sonnet “with a couple triplets thrown in”.

“Absolution” – M.F. Wahl: A young girl, trapped in a basement, investigates her grim environs. Solid read.

Feverish Fiction issue #4 (March 2017) edited by Michael Faun

(2017; dark/horror/speculative fiction magazine. Published by Sleazy Viking Press.)

Overall review

Any magazine whose "Editor's Note" is made up of the lyrics to The Kinks' "Welcome to Sleazy Town" is bound to be interesting (in a good way).

Of course, it comes as not surprise that the fourth, limited-run issue of Feverish Fiction is just as entertaining as its previous issues. A few of the B-flick horror/science fiction stories did not grab me, but it was a matter of personal preference, not faulty writing.  

In addition, there is the usual (semi-)nude female pin-ups, whose themes run between Seventies schtick and Hammer Film Gothicity. One of the high points of this issue is Terry Bizarro's colorful, gory painting ("Unigore Forest"), a memorable piece of art.

This is worth purchasing, if you are an adult fan of small press magazines and horror, science fiction and sex microfiction.

Stories, other works

1.) "Amidst the Mangrove" (poem) -- Lee Clark Zumpe: Solid, chatty "island of strange horror"-themed versework.

2.)  "The Occult Gate of the Comic Book Writer" (story) - Jerry Williams: A comic book writer's work inspires Lovecraftian consequences. Fun, entertaining work that made me think of the 1994 John Carpenter film In the Mouth of Madness.

3.)  "Automaton Word Wounds" (story) -- S.C. Burke:Stream-of-consciousness prose poem about typing, gore and other cerebral matters.

4.)  "The Penis Goblins" (poem) -- Justin A. Mank: Okay limerick about dangerous creatures with lusty, bloody hobbies.

5.)  "Planet of the Volcano Spiders" (story) -- Alex S. Johnson: Quirky, funny and sexy tale about a woman whose possible gig as a literal sacrifice impels her to practical action. This is an excellent read, with a heroine worth rooting for.

6.)  "Statue Playmate" (story) -- Donald Armfield: A freaky brutal rape by a dwarf is not the worst thing that could happen, as one woman finds out.

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The sixth and final issue of Feverish Fiction is on sale now. If you are interested in buying a copy, best jump to it, because -- as noted above -- each issue is a limited-run work, and they sell out fast.

Feverish Fiction issue #2 (January 2017) edited by Michael Faun

(2017; dark/horror/speculative fiction magazine. Published by Sleazy Viking Press.)

Overall review:

The second, limited-run issue of Feverish Fiction is even better than the first. The magazine has expanded its works to include an oddball, chuckle-worthy cartoon (by Justin A. Mank), as well as several pin-ups (in various thematic states of undress). And, of course, there are B-movie-esque stories and a poem to further entertain its readers. It is worth owning, if you are an adult fan of small press magazines and bordering-on-bizarre horror and sex works.

Stories, other works:

1.) "Canvasses" - Lucas Mangum: The phrase "living art" becomes a media-strange reality in this short, sexualized work. Good read.


2.) "A Virgin Among the Frankenwitches" - Alex S. Johnson: A woman (Leelah) discovers that being pursued by would-be rapists and murderers is not the worst imaginable fate. This appears to be a fun, fairy tale-esque hybrid-homage to Jess Franco's cinematic works (or at least one of them).


3.) "In the Dungeon" - K.A. Opperman: Lust, skeletons and BDSM highlight this sensory-intense poem.


4.) "Story of Spaceship, 12 Little Men Probed Today" - Joe Dorris: Amusing news story about a strange 1955 occurrence centering around an alien attack.


5.) "Other Me" - C.M. Saunders: The appearance of a man's doppelgänger presages his dark, twisty end.


6.) "The Happiest Place On. . . Well You Know" - S. Nycole Laff: Satirical take on the shambling undead and Disneyland -- funny and hues-close-to-nightmare-reality story. This is my favorite work in this issue.

Feverish Fiction issue #1 (December 2016) edited by Michael Faun

(2016; dark/horror/speculative fiction magazine. Published by Sleazy Viking Press.)

Overall review:

This slim-volume magazine, thus far, is an excellent venue for dark and horror fiction works. Its microstories, poems and art are entertaining, humorous, not politically correct and, in some cases, bizarre. It is worth owning, as are the works of its owner/editor, Michael Faun.


Stories, other works:

1.)  "The Prized Bottle" - Justin A. Mank: A man (Leon Jenkins) make questionable choices when confronted by a strange little man in his late-hour kitchen. Fun, good tale.


2.)  "Amelia and the Coffin Plant" - Alex S. Johnson: Goth-, rock 'n' roll- and plant-themed horror piece about a woman (Amelia), her dead sister (Clara) and comforting seeds. Clever, swift-paced and excellent story.


3.)  "Seawitch's Grotto" - Ashley Dioses: A witch enthralls a poet, with dark-hearted results. Rhyming poetry is not my usual reading wont, but Dioses's entertaining visuals made me overlook that pet peeve. Good, worthwhile write.


4.)  "Mrs. Krampen" - Patrick Winters: A lust-impelled blackmail scheme backfires on two men (Carter, Brandon). Good, genre-fun read.


5.)  "Krampus" - K.A. Opperman: Thoughttful, visually rich rhyming poem. Well-written.


6.)  "Mama Lovebeast" - Konstantine Paradias: Solid, cinematic fairy tale-esque piece.