Feverish Fiction Vol. #1 edited by Sophia Faun

(pb; 2012: horror microstory anthology. Published by Hyperpyrexia Press.)

Overall review

This is a solid, gory B-movie story collection. Most of the forty-two entries published here have something to recommend them. (In an anthology this size, there are bound to be a few tales that are less wonderful than others.) Worth checking out, this.


Standout stories

1. “Devil’s Commisary” – Michael Faun: A demon cockroach attempts to elevate his staus through especially treacherous means. Fans of late Sixties rock ‘n’ roll may appreciate this story.


2. “The Avid Collector” – Michael Bergamotte: The employee of a wealthy family recounts the horrible tale of the family’s deviant son.


3. “Destiny of Lobster Boy” – Michael Faun: Short, sharp microtale about odious appetites and fast revenge, revolving around canries and a grotesque, wealthy man.


4. “Through the Lens of Insanity” – Michael Faun: A questionable monacle inspires alarm and murder ─ are the visions it reveals real? Fun, supernatural crime work.


5. “Destiny” – Michael Bergamotte: Memorable, excellent piece about a totalitarian government, a strange stone and a supposed criminal.


6. “The Sodomite of Seville” – Michael Faun: During the Spanish Inquistion, demonic doings disrupt the religious-toned purge. Excellent, blasphemous and worth remembering.


7. “The Dread at Scarfolk Cove” – Michael Bergamotte: Atmospheric, solid Lovecraftian microstory about a missing boy, a desperate father and an eerie seaside village.


8. “Trent Must Vent” – Michael Faun: Darkly funny piece about a man’s “therapy sessions” and his Autophagic therapist (of sorts).


9. “Elixir” – Greg Cole: Youthful rejuvenation takes a messy, stinking turn. Fun microwork.


10. “The Annual Olfactophilian Award” – Michael Faun: Laugh-out-loud, perverted read about panty-lovers.


11. “Possession” – M.T. Mathieson: The supernatural and the criminal are merged int his one. Fun stuff.


12. “The Killing Frequenzy” – Michael Faun: In 1968, a bullied student completes his odd, musical revenge. Especially entertaining entry in this collection.

Neon Golgotha by Michael Faun

(eBook/Print; 2017: novelette)

From the back cover

"Welcome to Hotel Neon Golgotha! A first-of-its kind “home away from home!” In these five freestanding life-stories, each taking place in New York City, we get to meet Laurent, Joel, Flynn, Amanda, & Barbara, whose deplorable circumstances has driven them to a hotel named Neon Golgotha. Each room in the hotel is perfectly designed for its guest's eccentric traits, and is sure to satisfy their outlandish inclinations... Murder! Incest! Sexual sadism! Mutilation! Lavish in decor, Hotel Neon Golgotha offers spectacular live shows (though not for the faint of heart!), tailor-made personal experience packages, and much more. Make your overnight stay perfect – from the welcome Champagne flute, to a visit to our Roman spa, and why not a trip down memory lane?"


Review

Neon is an entertaining, vivid sex-, violence- and drug-fueled short work. This hotel-hub novella is not for the squeamish. Its forty-eight pages, in heady fashion, detail the horrific deaths and subsequent Hells of various characters as they arrive at the Hotel Neon Golgotha. Readers who are expecting a typical characters-meet-up-and-figure-a-way-out trope should be warned that Faun does not incorporate that storyline here. It is Neon Golgotha that brings things together, not its guests.

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 #5 (April 2017) edited by Michael Faun

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

Overall review

The fifth limited-run 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. It is worth owning, if you are an adult fan of small press magazines and bordering-on-bizarre sex works.

Stories, other works

“Orlock’s Mirror” – Adam Millard: A Nosferatu-esque showman welcomes a fresh guest to his home. Fun, reader-as-said-guest story.

“Blood Fetishist” – Lee Clark Zumpe: Bloodplay graces another versework – solid poem, some especially good word pairings.

“Aleena the Pitiful She-Devil – Part One” – Lucas Mangum: Action-impelled, exciting tale about a barbarian warrior [Aleena] fighting a horde of graveyard creatures.

“Cosmic Auto-Trauma” – S.C. Burke: Stream-of-consciousness apocalypse work.

“Beauties in Black” – K.A. Opperman: Solid, rhyming BDSM poem.

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.

#

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 #3 (February 2017) edited by Michael Faun

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

Overall review

The third, limited-run issue of Feverish Fiction is maintains the same high quality of the magazine's first two issues. Once again, there are BDSM-themed pin-ups and science fiction/horror-centric artwork, in addition to the B-flick entertaining writing. It is worth owning, if you are an adult fan of small press magazines and horror, science fiction and sex microfiction.

Stories, other works

1.)  "Mistress Daemona" - K.A. Opperman: Solid, if familiar-scenario BDSM versework about a Domme.


2.)  "Serial Serendipity" - Patrick Winters: Love the title. A serial killer, stalking his new victim, gets a surprise -- fun, well-written microtale.


3.)  "Saturday Night Cinema Club" - S.C. Burke: Nightmarish, hallucinatory take on movie theaters, with a commentary on society thrown into the horrific, viscous clusterfrak.


4.)  "The Black Light Glyphs" - Manchester Moore: Multi-section piece about a boy who may have disturbing, deadly predilections.


5.)  "The Old Spying Game" - James McLachlan: A fledgling supervillain's plan of global domination hits a snag when he gets an unexpected visitor. Good, genre-veracious parody of a 1960s spy thriller.

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.

Gillian's Marsh by Michael Faun

(eBook/print; 2015, 2017: novella)

From the back cover

"Gillian's Marsh 1866

"The treacherous wetlands where a young woman, Louella Lee, ends up after escaping the horrors of her puritanical home in the town of Gillianswick.

"Collapsing in the black woods near the marsh, she is found by Red, a loner woodsman, and their rendezvous sets a nightmarish wheel into motion.

"Whilst their unorthodox relationship blossoms, stakes are burning in Gillianswick after a series of strange disappearances.

"Convinced that the town is in the grip of black magic and deviltry, overzealous Cyrus Reiterman initiates a merciless witch-hunt that eventually draws him to the betraying bog, where baleful forces await."


Review

This tale of witchcraft, lust, familial betrayal and violence, a malevolent tree and other horrors is a burn-through  and superb read, one that is worth owning if you are not squeamish and like your gory thrills raw with a nasty attitude.

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.

Drugula by Michael Faun

(pb; 2016: novella)

Review:

Inspired by Electric Wizard's stoner-doom-guitar-sludge songs "Satanic Rites of Drugula" and "Crypt of Drugula", this atmospheric and super-short story follows the titular character as he deals with angry villagers and plans a briefly splatteriffic get-together. There is not a lot of depth, character development or plot, and the opiate-, sex- and weed-suffused tale is a fun, loose, word-spare and fast-moving read, one worth owning if the above description appeals to you.

Cannibal Island by Michael Faun

(pb; 2014: novella)

From the back cover:

"In the 1920s, a British expedition sets out to investigate a crater caused by a meteorite on an uninhabited island in the Zanzibar archipelago -- a four-week-long journey by boat that culminates in a nightmare. But when they finally arrive at the island, no nightmare could compare to what they discover."


Review:

This entertaining, fast-moving homage to men's adventure magazines and cannibal films is a short and to-the-point read, one worth owning. Characters are well-sketched (familiar caricatured meat puppets who are funny, sometimes in a horrible ways), the sense of calamity ever-present and the gore (while intermittent) effective and vivid enough to pay proper respects to the genres which Faun clearly is smitten with. Fun, brief work, this -- worth your time and cash.

#

At the time of this writing, Faun has posted several exuberant Facebook posts pertaining to his current authorial endeavor: a sequel to Cannibal Island. When more information is available, I will update this review.

Black Heart Metal Monster by Michael Faun

(pb; 2013: horror novella)

Storyline: When Throatbutcher, the lead singer of the black metal band Obscura Mortis, dies in an onstage accident, the remaining members of the band -- bassist Ateranimus, guitarist Nex and "batterist" (drummer) Skinreaper, as well as their manager, Tabitha -- commemorate his passing with a Satanic ritual. What they may (or may not know) is that while the surviving band members record their post-ritual record, a David Cronenberg-esque nightmare has begun inserting itself into their -- our -- world.


Review:

This black metal-immersive short horror work is an entertaining romp of ick, creeping horror (for the characters) and humor. Black metal aficionados may spot some real world events and elements in Monster, which further injects believability and impressive focus into this worth-owning novella.