The Nightly Disease by Max Booth III

(pb; 2016: Darkfuse edition)

From the back cover

"Sleep is just a myth created by mattress salesmen.

"Isaac, a night auditor of a hotel somewhere in the surreal void of Texas, is sick and tired of his guests. When he clocks in at night, he’s hoping for a nice, quiet eight hours of Netflix-bingeing and occasional masturbation. What he doesn’t want to do is fetch anybody extra towels or dive face-first into somebody’s clogged toilet. And he sure as hell doesn’t want to get involved in some trippy owl conspiracy or dispose of any dead bodies. But hey…that’s life in the hotel business.

"Welcome to The Nightly Disease. Please enjoy your stay."

Review

Disease is a headlong-into-an-often-hilarious nightmare of customer service, predatory owls, unsavory characters and gory f**k-ups that straddles horror, speculative fiction, neo-noir, comedy and other genres with distinctive aplomb. Obviously, this is not a book for those seeking a happy-go-lucky read, or those who are easily queasy. Nightly is one of the best books I have read this year.

The Mind is a Razorblade by Max Booth III

 

(pb; 2014)

 

From the back cover:

 

"Drowning, he wakes besides two corpses. His memory has been wiped clean. He doesn't know his name, what he's doing here, who these people are or even why one of them is a cop. Nor can he explain his strange telekinetic abilities.

 

"Questions plague his mind like hellfire, questions that begin a journey leading into the rot of downtown America, a journey that will not end until every one of his questions have been answered, despite who has to die in the process. Even if those who have all the answers aren't human."

 

 

Review:

 

Mind is an excellent, heady genre blender of a novel, bringing together quirky humor, science fiction, horror and pulp-noir. Some of its twisty elements and revelations, taken singly, are familiar, but Booth's pulp-to-the-marrow, fast-paced and character-relatable writing makes this surprisingly warm-toned word stew come off as a fresh, often laugh-out-loud read that's worth owning. Get this, already.

 

 

Black by Max Booth III

(pb; 2013: novella)

From the back cover:

"Black: A Novella A horrific Western tale of a gunfighter cursed with unwanted immortality. It's one thing to make a deal with the Devil; it's another when the deal is made for you."


Review:

Black is a horror-and-action gory, stripped-to-its-genre-core, thoroughly entertaining and perversely humorous sixty-three page Western with a sympathetic (if violent) protagonist. Excellent read, worth owning.

Toxicity, by Max Booth III

(pb; 2014)


From the back cover:

"When Maddox Kane is released from prison after serving a ten year stretch, he has one thing on his mind: reconnecting with his daughter.

"Problem is, his ex-wife and her new junkie husband have other plans, and it's going to cost Maddox a small fortune to buy his share of custody.  His daughter, on the other hand, has other priorities to attend to - such as coming up with enough cash to skip town before the cops find a certain body decomposing in the woods."


Review:

Toxicity is an addictive, tightly penned Quentin-Tarantino-film-crossed-with-chemical-eff'd-upness read: violent, quirky, darkly hilarious, icky and character-driven, a work that is often terrible in its scenarios and simultaneously hilarious, with a few characters who - despite their failings and shadiness - are worth rooting for. 

This is a great novel, if you're not easily squicked out - one worth owning.

Long Distance Drunks: A Tribute to Charles Bukowski, edited by Max Booth III

(pb; 2014: story and poetry anthology)


Overall review:

Long Distance Drunks is an excellent, appropriately toned and executed collection that pays homage to its titular inspiration.  Every story and poem in this twenty-two piece anthology has something to recommend it.  This book is worth owning, especially if you're a fan of Bukowski's work and legacy.


Standout stories:

1.)  "The Killers" - Eli Wilde:  Two lovers - a mechanic and his boss's daughter - break out of their horrible and monotonous wasteland existences.  Bleak, compelling.


2.)   "Heavenly Cure For a Dripping C*ck" - T. Fox Dunham:  Bodily fluids, raw emotions and explicit sex highlight this tale about a "cursed" bum seeking physical healing.  Especially good read.


3.)   "A Scarecrow Unlabeled" - William Barker:  Vivid poem about Bukowski's writing - and a small part of his legacy.


4.)   "Shackjob" - Brett Williams:  A drunk-bum writer (Chuck Becker) rambles between bars, women and crash pads.  This work has a charming, effectively vagrant feel to it.  One of my favorite pieces in this collection.


5.)   "Drowning Butterfly" - Gabino Inglesias:  Effectively-Bukowski-esque piece about a struggling wandering author whose encounter with an eerie beach woman proves to be tender, dark and beautiful.  One of my favorite pieces in this collection.


6.)   "Zero" - S. MacLeod: An ex-junkie hooker comes up with a flawed pan to improve her circumstances.  Memorable finish to this one.


7.)   "Without Face" - Michael Bailey:  Time-fractured, hallucinatory tale about a man (Saul Pravat) dealing with the bloody fallout of indulging in a mystery drug.  Interesting work.


8.)   "Behind the Bar" - Will Viharo:  Raunchy, sometimes poetic and often hilarious dialogue highlights this story about a movie star (Mick - as in Mickey Rourke) and a famous author (Chuck - as in Charles Bukowski, whom Mick played in the 1987 film Barfly).  These two characters drink, fight and philosophize a bit.  One of my favorite pieces in this anthology.


9.)   "The Other Kind of Workshop" - Jacob Haddon:  This poem colorfully - in Bukowski-esque style - describes writers' realities.  Good poem, no wasted words in it and it flows well.


10.)   "Turk and Taylor" - Tom Pitts:  Excellent and sometimes creepy piece about a junkie trying to find the best place to fix.  Memorable work.


11.)   "Herniated Roots" - Richard Thomas:  An affair takes on dark, mysterious and perversely life-affirming aspects.


12.)   "Bukowski" - Justin Hyde:  Especially good, word-spare versework about its titular character.