Trailer Park Noir by Ray Garton

 

(pb; 2022)

 

From the back cover

"Welcome to Riverside Mobile Home Park, where there is plenty of shade but no escape from the heat.

"Marcus Reznick watched the love of his life blow her brains out and then dove to the bottom of a bottle of vodka. Now he’s living in Riverside Mobile Home Park and trying to pull his life together ... until a powerful temptation comes his way. Steve Regent is an internet pornographer who has moved to Riverside Mobile Home Park to work on a new website, Trailer Park Girls. He is looking for beautiful women ... but instead, he finds something very ugly.

"Sherry Manning is a drug addict living in the trailer park with her boyfriend, Andy Winchell, who is a dealer. When a friend of a friend ODs in their trailer and turns out to be the son of a powerful politician, the truth about his death is covered up in the media. But Sherry and Andy know that truth ... and she fears what might be done to silence them.

"Anna Dunfy is trying to make ends meet by doing temp jobs and stripping at night to support her mentally handicapped daughter, Kendra ... an astonishingly beautiful girl with a woman’s body, a child’s mind, and a dangerous urge to do something naughty.

"It is a run‑down little trailer park in northern California, but it could be anywhere in the United States. It is unassuming, unremarkable, and looks like a million other trailer parks. But do not let the sleepy appearance fool you. It is a nest of dark secrets, boiling lusts and murder waiting to happen."

 

 

Review

Trailer is an excellent, immediately immersive and tightly edited neo-noir with well-developed characters worth caring about and/or hissing at, a palpable-build-toward-tragedy-and-bloody-violence pace, and constant, vivid descriptions of locations, motives and especially near-X-rated sexuality. In short, it has all the makings of a top-notch Garton book. (Trailer, in its own weird, great way, put me in the mindset of William Friedkin’s 2011 film Killer Joe.)

The only thing that prevents me from listing Trailer as one of my favorite reads of 2025 (and of Garton’s work) is the near-third act transformation of one of its key characters, who goes from being a decent character wrestling with his personal devils and tragedies to an unrepentant exploiter/blackmailer. It feels forced (even with all that character’s baggage and stuff that’s going on); this hard turn into pitch-black darkness stands out all the more in Trailer because of everything else that works in this otherwise stunning-in-its-execution tale. Worth owning, despite that minor character-shift nit.

The Folks by Ray Garton

 

(hb; 2001: novella. Published by Cemetery Dance Publications.)

From the inside flap

“Welcome to Pinecrest, an isolated mountain village halfway up rural Mt. Crag. . . a place of natural beauty and solitude. . . a place where village life has remained unchanged for decades. . . but also a place where dead bodies have a strange way of showing up every couple of years. . . ravaged, mutilated bodies.”

 

Review

Told from the point of view of polite, non-religious twenty-one-year-old Andy Sayers, whose fire-scarred face scares many of his fellow Pinecrest residents, Folks details what happens when a mysterious benefactor offers Sayers a scholarship to the nearby College of Hand of God, and he’s seduced at a Halloween party by a mysterious, wealthy Amanda Bollinger whose familial, vine-covered house is hidden within neighboring Mt. Crag, hotbed of unyielding Christianity (and the aforementioned college).

Folks’s hybrid horror tropes and set-up may likely be familiar to those longtime genre readers but that’s a moot in point in this Old School 1980s, 130-page novella, given Garton’s excellent, tightly edited play-with-cliches writing, quick-but-effective characterization, and equally effective pacing. For Garton fans, the author’s fondness for well-written (brief in Folks) sex scenes and effective/cringe-worthy ickiness may further sell the tale to them. This is a great, hourlong read, with a finish that brings to mind the ending of King Diamond’s Conspiracy (1989) album. Folks is worth owning if the above description appeals to you.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child by Joseph Locke (a.k.a. Ray Garton)

 

(pb; 1989: movie tie-in novel. Sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.)

Review

Freddy Krueger has found a clever loophole through which to return to torment Alice Johnson (from Elm Street 4) and her friends, one that’s initially a mystery before it becomes horrifying reality.

As with the fourth Nightmare script-based book (which Locke/Garton also wrote), he mostly follows the screenplay but expands on the characters’ backstories and actions, resets some of the action (e.g., one of the early sequences in the book involves Alice taking a bath instead of the movie version’s shower), gets grislier with some of the nightmares (especially Dan Jordan’s), etc.

Locke/Garton’s writing is again lean, immediately involving, fast-moving, and entertaining within its surreal swirl structure of dream logic, returning characters and all-around solid writing. If the means of Krueger’s defeat seem paper-thin and almost laughable, it’s not Locke/Garton’s fault (blame the screenwriters and the producers who pushed them), an okay whatever (anti-)climax that is almost remedied by the emotional efficacy of Locke/Garton’s final, character-centric scene in the book.

Garton, whether he’s writing under his real name or Joseph Locke, is a consistently excellent and entertaining horror writer.

If you’re curious what was changed between this solid, mostly dreamtime sequel’s book and film versions, check the reviews on Amazon (there’s a nice person who thoroughly listed the differences).

Nightmare 5 was published later in 1989 with its prequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master in one volume, titled The Nightmares on Elm Street: Parts 4 & 5. It’s out of print, so if you can get it for a reasonable price (the current price hovers between $50 and $80 online), you might want to consider picking it up if you’re even slightly interested in it.

#

The counterpart film was released stateside on August 11, 1989. Stephen Hopkins directed the film, from a screenplay by Leslie Bohem, based on a story by her, Craig Spector, and John Skipp.

Robert Englund played Freddy Krueger. Lisa Wilcox reprised her role of Alice Johnson. Nicholas Mele, billed as Nick Mele, also returned as Dennis Johnson (“Johnson” in the last film), Alice’s father. Danny Hassel reprised his role of Dan Jordan, Alice’s boyfriend. Whit Hertford, billed as Whitby Hertford, played Jacob.

Kelly Jo Minter played Yvonne. Joe Seely played Mark. Erika Anderson played Greta Gibson. Beatrice Boepple played Amanda Krueger.

Valorie Armstrong played Mrs. Jordan, Dan’s mother. Burr DeBenning played Mr. Jordan.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master by Joseph Locke (a.k.a. Ray Garton)

 

(pb; 1989: movie tie-in novel. Prequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Master.)

From the back cover

“Freddy’s back, looking for some ‘soul’ food. And he won’t stop even when Kristen Parker─the last child of Freddy’s killers─takes a deep sleep that puts her six feet deep. Now the fiendish phantom is using other kids’ dreams to produce his victims─and to slaughter them in new and ingeniously gory ways.

“His blades are razor-sharp, and his bloodthirst can’t be stopped. Freddy Krueger is eternal.”

 

Review

Nightmare 4 is a worthwhile read for fans of the franchise who are looking for a well-written, if story-thin (blame the screenwriters and producers who rushed them) continuation of Freddy Krueger’s stalkings, with quite a few variations of how things happen. The ending is slightly tweaked but mostly the same (I’m guessing Locke/Garton worked from an earlier draft of the script). 

If you’re curious what was changed between this solid, mostly dreamtime sequel’s book and film versions, check the reviews on Amazon (there’s a nice person who thoroughly listed the differences). A few of the notable differences include: more waking-time interactions between some of the characters as well as more backstory for them, and Rick Johnson─prior to his kung fu nightmare demise─fights back against Krueger (he doesn’t in the movie). After Rick’s funeral, there’s a book-only scene with Dan, Debbie, and Mr. Bryson, their English teacher.

One of the things I liked about Nightmare 4 is how Krueger might be tied to Aristotle’s notions about positive/negative soul gates. I don’t remember if it’s in the film version, but it’s in Locke/Garton’s entertaining, fast-moving, and waste-no-words writing.

Nightmare 4 is a lean, ninety-eight-page read. It’s also out of print, so if you can get it for a reasonable price (the current price hovers between $50 and $80 online), you might want to consider picking it up if you’re even slightly interested in it.

Nightmare 4 was republished later in 1989 with its sequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, in one volume, titled The Nightmares on Elm Street: Parts 4 & 5.

Garton, whether he’s writing under his real name or Joseph Locke, is a consistently excellent and entertaining horror writer, one who’s worth your time.

#

The counterpart film was released stateside on August 9, 1988. Renny Harlin directed the film, from a screenplay by Brian Helgeland, Jim and Ken Wheat (both billed as Scott Pierce).

Robert Englund played Freddy Krueger. Tuesday Knight played Kristen Parker. Ken Sagoes played Kinkaid. Rodney Eastman played Joey. Lisa Wilcox played Alice Johnson. Brooke Theiss played Debbie. Andras Jones played Rick Johnson. Danny Hassel played Dan. Nicholas Mele played "Johnson," Alice and Rick's father.

Scream queen Linnea Quigley played “Soul in Freddy’s Chest.” An uncredited Renny Harlin played “Student in Classroom.” New Line producer Robert Shaye, billed as L.E. Moko, played “Lecturer.”

Warlock by Ray Garton

(pb; 1989: movie tie-in novel. Based on the screenplay by David Twohy, billed as D.T. Twohy.)

From the back cover

"Snatched by Satan himself from the fiery stake of a Salem witch-burning, a warlock lands right in the middle of a 20th-century Los Angeles. His age-old quest to bring about the reign of ultimate evil leaves a trail of blood and terror across America. Only one man can stop a witch hunter who has come from the past to stop the warlock and prevent the ultimate horror that will change the fate of the world."


Review

Warlock is a sexually explicit, (sometimes) darkly funny and gory B-movie novel that expands on David Twohy’s fast-moving barebones screenplay by adding a more perverse sexual element, altering key characters’ physiques and personalities and a savagery that is hinted at in the film version. It is entertaining and worth owning, if you are a fan of the film and do not mind barebones plotting.

#

The film version was released stateside on January 11, 1991. It was directed by Steve Miner by a screenplay by David Twohy, billed as D.T. Twohy.

Julian Sands played "Warlock". Lori Singer played Kassandra. Richard E. Grant played Giles Redferne. Kevin O'Brien played Chas.

Mary Woronov played "Channeler". Richard Kuss played "Mennonite". David Carpenter played "Pastor". Anna Levine played "Pastor's Wife".

Splatterpunk zine (issue 8) edited by Jack Bantry

(2017; horror/speculative fiction zine)


Overall review

If you are looking for a zine that lives up to its title, this might be a worthwhile purchase for you. The writing is raw and engaging, in a viscous, splatterific and dark-hearted way. Not only that, there are interviews with authors Ray Garton, David Agranoff and Sean Leonard.


Stories

1.)  "Reprising Her Role" -- Bracken MacLeod: A porno shoot goes awry, leading to revenge and death. Solid story, well-written.


2.)  "NSFW" -- Nathan Robinson: Vivid and gory scene showing office sex taken to new, ultraviolent levels. Visually, it recalls the spirit of David Cronenberg's 1975 film Shivers. Readers who want to know the cause and backstory of events being shown may be disappointed, since "NSFW" does not provide that satisfaction -- it reads like a good first-draft writing exercise.


3.) "Two Blocks Down, One Block Left" -- Ryan C. Thomas: Excellent, intriguing work about a skinless man who hangs out near school yards. This is my favorite story in this issue.


4.)  "Dermatobia Hominis" -- Gabino Inglesias: A young man's sins inspire a slow, terrible punishment. Good tale, entertaining.

Sex and Violence in Hollywood by Ray Garton

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The Loveliest Dead by Ray Garton

(pb; 2006)


From the back cover

"To most people it's just a large house, old and a bit run-down.  To the Kellar family it's a new start, a chance to wipe out the painful past and begin again.  But soon it will become a living nightmare.  The terrors begin before the Kellars have even finished unpacking.  They hear things, see things, shadowy glimpses into the impossible, things that are there - and then gone.

"Who are the mysterious children playing on the rusty, vine-covered swing set in the backyard?  Who is the figure sitting in the dark corner of the bedroom at night?  Who - or what - waits in the basement?  They are the dead and they cannot rest.  Horror stalks the halls of the Kellar house.  And the secrets of the past are reaching from beyond the grave to destroy the living."


Review:

Loveliest is a plot-familiar, good read with some truly creepy moments and consistently reader-hooking writing, with an ending that deftly avoids the usual expect-a-sequel bullsh*t.

Check this novel out.

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.

Bestial by Ray Garton

(pb; 2009: crossover sequel to Night Life and Ravenous)

From the back cover

"Something very strange is happening in the coastal California town of Big rock. Several residents have died in unexplained, particularly brutal ways, many torn apart in animal attacks. And there's always that eerie howling late at night. . .

"You might think there's a werewolf in town. But you'd be wrong. It's not just one werewolf, but the whole town that's gradually transforming. Bit by bit, as the infection spreads, the werewolves are becoming more and moe powerful. In fact, humans may soon be the minority, mere prey for their hungry neighbors. Is it too late for the humans to fight back? Did they ever have a chance from the start?"


Review

Bestial is an excellent follow-up to Night Life and Ravenous, one that is better than its predecessors.

Karen Moffett and Gavin Keoph, the investigators from Night Life, check out the disappearances and "animal attacks" in Big Rock, at the behest of best-selling horror researcher/author Martin Burgess (also a key character in Night Life).

When they get there, they quickly discover that Big Rock is a bad place to be, if you're not a werewolf.

Garton varies up the plot structure of Bestial, to its benefit: in abandoning the attack/rape/werewolf-out focus-structure of Ravenous (which was a set-up novel), and melding it with the investigative tone of Live Girls and Night Life, he's elevated this 'werewolves in Big Rock' offering to new cinematic, humorous and engrossing heights.

Garton's penchant for reads-like-real-life, open-ended finishes is once again in evidence in Bestial - I have little doubt that another werewolf sequel may find its way to publication soon.

Check this out.

Ravenous by Ray Garton

(pb; 2008: prequel to Bestial)

From the back cover

"A corpse gets up and walks out of the hospital morgue. Minutes later, a policeman is killed outside the same hospital... and partially eaten. Something deadly has come to the coastal California town of Big Rock - something that's leaving mangled and devoured bodies in its wake.

"Sheriff Arlin Hurley refursed to believe the wild talk of werewolves. Then a tuft of wolf's fur was found on one of the victims. But there's more than one werewolf on the prowl. It's quickly becoming an epidemic curse passed on not through blood but through sex. As the sheriff and his men set out to stop the spreading terror, they'll learn that many of the old werewolf legends are just myths. The reality is far worse."


Review

Ravenous is a solid, sprint-paced and entertaining moon, fur & fang work, chock full of Garton's trademark sex, blood and violence, shot through with a streak of macabre humor. The action in this novel is just as brutal as that of his vampire novels (Live Girls, Night Life), but the flesh-ripping is infinitely more savage this time out.

Enjoyable, late night, genre-true werewolf read.

Followed by Bestial.

Night Life by Ray Garton

(pb; 2005, 2007: sequel to Live Girls .Second book in the Davey Owens series.)

From the back cover

"Davey Owen is a man with a death sentence. Nearly twenty years and a lifetime ago, Davey battled a circle of vampires and survived. . . forever changed. many of the vampires were destroyed, but the ones who escaped who have been hunting Davey ever since. Now they've found him. The passing years have only intensified their thirst for revenge, and at last their prey is within sight. They will make sure that this time he does not escape. They will not rest until Davey pays for what he did to them. With his last drop of blood."


Review

Night Life is a blunt, sometimes fun and flawed sequel to Live Girls.

There are admirable flashes of wow-that's-brutal horroriffics and fast-paced plotting, but at key points his main characters - Davey and Casey - suffer from repeated Plot Convenient Stupid Moments (aka PCSM), which makes this a so-so read. (These PCSMs weren't particularly plot-twisty or complicated; if Garton wanted to place Davey and Casey in certain situations, a few sentences could've put them there, without the characters coming off as idiots.)

At best, this is made-for-cable C-movie read: not a waste of time, as long as you don't expect much from it.

Live Girls by Ray Garton

(pb; 1987, 2006: prequel to Night Life. First book in the Davey Owens series.)

From the back cover

"The garish neon lights of New York City's Time Square can be very seductive. And so can the promises of dark pleasures on the seedier side streets. To Davey Owen, the lure of a glowing sign advertising 'Live Girls' was too hard to resist. he was looking for a little entertainment. He found instead a nightmare in the form of a beautiful but strangely pale woman. A woman who offers him ecstasy - and eternal life - but takes in exchange his lifeblood."


Review

Live is a solid, entertaining, gory and sexually explicit vampire/horror work. Live Girls possesses a strong cinematic sensibility and an underlying sense of humor, with nods at classic vampire literature.

Good, fast-burn of a read, this. Am looking forward to reading its sequel, Night Life.

Shivers IV edited by Richard Chizmar

(pb; 2006: horror anthology - sequel anthology to Shivers III)

Overall review

Shivers IV is an uneven anthology, with a handful of decent tales and a few excellent ones. The other entries in this twenty-story anthology are generic. Save your money for more worthwhile books.


Review, story by story

1.) “Prohibited” – Kealan Patrick Burke: A smoker ignores a “No Smoking” sign at a bus stop and finds himself targeted for nightmarish, widespread persecution. Not only did it make me think of Stephen King's “Quitters, Inc.” (for its subject matter), but this also sports the feel of one of King's Night Shift-era tales. Fun and a bit over-the-top.


2.) “Last Exit for the Lost” – Tim Lebbon: Strange entry about a middle-aged alcoholic who receives three paintings in the mail. Interesting, quirky.


3.) “The Screamers at the Window” – T.M. Wright: A spiral-structured story about a writer (Daniel), his one-eyed terrier (Magnificence) and his perky spouse (Maureen). Colorful characters, but the story doesn't go anywhere.


4.) “The Man in the Palace Theater” – Ray Garton: A homeless man, staying in an abandoned movie theater, converses with cinematic iconic ghosts. Heartwarming, sad homage to classic (pre-1960s) films, with a weak ending.


5.) “Pumpkin Witch” – Tim Curran: An abused, pumpkin-happy wife dishes out grisly payback on her husband and his crone of a mother. This would make a wonderful giallo film (preferably directed by Dario Argento or Michele Soavi), given its long-on-Halloween-mood, short-on-logic structure. It is okay, if you read this with that mindset.


6.) “LZ-116: Das Fliegenschloss” – Stephen Mark Rainey: I have no idea what this story is about. While the writing (on a technical level) was decent, it bored me immediately.


7.) “Something to be Said for the Waiting” – Brian Freeman: Too-predictable, cliched story about a man who may have murdered his family. Mercifully, this story is brief.


8.) “Jack-Knife” – Gemma Files: Mostly gripping script-form take on Jack the Ripper. Runs too long, but it has some striking scenes (especially when Jack and Mary Kelly, one of his victims, interact).


9.) “The Spook” – Randy Chandler: Chilling, analogous offering about a soldier who finds himself in the middle of an unexpected war. One of the best stories in this collection, with a great ending.


10.) “Ever After” – John R. Little: Stunning, heartbreak of a tale. An unaging man finds himself at familiar crossroads. Excellent, this.


11.) “The Bittersweet Deafening Sound of Nothing At All” – Robert Morrish: Two investors check out an abandoned haunted SoCal business campus. Good story, predictable, but otherwise engaging.


12.) “Up in the Boneyard” – Keith Minnion: Brooklyn. A pilot (Anthony Spangler) confronts a hellish white-boned horror twenty-seven floors high, once in 1913 in an aeroplane, and later, in 1986, in a condo in the same spot. Off-beat, memorable work.


13.) “Mom and Dad At Home” – Ed Gorman: Economical, predictable entry about a boy, his stay-at-home mom, and his traveling salesman dad. Anybody who's seen the 1943 film Shadow of a Doubt will recognize the set-up right away. Despite that glaring predictability, this is an okay story, saved by Gorman's consistent sense of style.


14.) “Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot” – Bill Walker: Clever, appropriately-titled piece. A man discovers that the neighborhood bully of his childhood now works with him, more than twenty years later. The end-twist, effective as it could've been, doesn't work, though, because the author didn't foreshadow properly. Could've been good; is merely disingenuous.


15.) “In the Best Stories...” – Norman Prentiss: A man reads a questionable bedtime story to his nine-year old daughter. Author Prentiss seems to be trying for a subtler brand of horror – not boogeymen, but real life – and that's admirable. However, the story ultimately fails because the ending is too subtle, not developed enough.


16.) “Poetic Justice” – William F. Nolan: A teenage girl (Amber) talks her friend (Michelle) into murdering an “a**hole” classmate of theirs, Mike Rickard – then crazy complications ensue. This tale doesn't work because it feels rushed, largely because the three principles (Michelle, Amber, Mike) read like cardboard cut-out characters. This would be fine if this were a Grade-B slasher flick, but since it's not... Technically solid, but otherwise generic.

17.) “Dust” – Brian Keene: Post-9/11 piece about a woman grieving for her dead spouse. Different, worthwhile.


18.) “The Deer of St. Bart's” – Bev Vincent: Good story about what happens after a dean at a private school dies unexpectedly.


19.) “The Man in the Other Car” – Al Sarrantonio: A bizarre, semi-predictable, sort-of-makes-sense-but-doesn't denouement mars this could have been Twilight-Zone-worthy piece. Strange, at best.


20.) “Liturgical Music for Nihilists” – Brian Hodge: Lengthy tale about what happens when a man's corpse remains unspoiled, causing his friends to react in curious ways. Memories, messianic oddness, and dark family secrets form this work, which wasn't bad, wasn't great.

Shock Rock edited by Jeff Gelb

(pb; 1992: horror anthology)


Overall review:

Excellent short story anthology melding rock and horror, from the co-editor of the Flesh & Blood (noir) series. Alice Cooper’s "Foreword" is one of the best I’ve read in a long time: erudite and warm.


Review, story by story:

“You Know They Got a Hell of a Band” – Stephen King: A road-tripping husband and wife find themselves in small-town hell after taking a “shortcut” through Oregon. Solid, almost-classic King tale that runs a little long.


“Bob Dylan, Troy Jonson & the Speed Queen” – F. Paul Wilson: Jonson, a musician who can’t write his own music, time-travels back to 1964 to steal famous rock songs from their author-musicians before they write them. Complications, time line- and otherwise related ensue. Good tale, with a Twilight Zone-worthy end-twist.


“Odeed” – David J. Schow: Gasm, a hard rock band, plays longer than they’re supposed to (contractually-speaking). Will this destroy the band's career, or will it increase their already-incredible popularity? Schow’s prose is electric, exhilarating. This tale has an immediacy that grips the reader and doesn’t let go.


“Vargr Rule” – Nancy A. Collins: Well-written story about Varley, a charming slut, whose search for a one-night stand goes horribly (and fittingly) wrong.


“Blood Suede Shoes” – Ronald Kelly: Ruby, a plain-Jane bobby-soxer, catches a ride with Rockabilly Reb, a famous rock star. But Reb’s more than he seems to be, Ruby discovers... Solid tale, one that makes clever use of rock history.


“The Dead Beat Society” – Don D’ammassa: This reads like a late 80's heavy metal horror flick – fun, dumb and pot-friendly. Decent tale, though D’ammassa could’ve improved it by explaining how Mark Walton, a dead music geek, becomes a video/music ghost. D’ammassa eschews logic for atmosphere (which is serviceable, if perfunctory).


“Voodoo Child” – Graham Masterton: When Jimi Hendrix, dead for fifteen-plus years, reappears to his friend Charlie, Charlie sets out to discover why Jimi is so determined to return to his death site. Highly original, sad work – and one of the best entries in this anthology.


“Rites of Spring” – Paul Dale Anderson: Attendees at a Rites of Spring concert act accordingly, though more wildly than they expected. Good tale, up until the meant-to-be-symbolic-but-lame finish.


“Dedicated To The One I Loathe” – Michael Garrett: Quirky morbid-funny tale about two cops investigating some backwood murders, somehow linked to an oldies radio station. Good read, worth a chuckle.


“Requiem” – Brian Hodge: An aspiring folk singer and a club concert promoter check out the airplane crash site that killed the members of the 80's prog-rock band Grendel. An excellent morality tale about greed, bootleg recordings and earnest desire. One of the best entries in this collection.


“Heavy Metal” – R. Patrick Gates: Laugh-out-loud funny homage to Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Gates recreates, with hilarious accuracy, the hysterical tone-language and structure of Poe's famous tale. The ending’s not unexpected, but it works.


“Bunky” – Rex Miller: I have no idea what this story’s about. The hip-hyperactive slang of the narrator alienated me instantly.


“The Black ‘59” – Bill Mumy and Peter David: A guitar, possessed by the spirit of a dead malevolent rock star, finds new victims. Good story until the dumb finish.


“Groupies” – Richard Christian Matheson: By far one of the most sexual and disturbing works in the anthology. Memorable, sporting an innovative deconstructionist structure (in the first half) and a nasty end-twist, this tale stands out from the other entries in this collection.


“Reunion” – Michael Newton: So-so story about a reunion tour of a Grateful Dead-like band. It’s too illogical to be effective, with no set-up for its Psycho-like twist.


“Bootleg” – Mark Verheiden:
Videodrome meets Ghost World with a supernatural heavy metal element. Suitably bizarre and compelling, with a finish that doesn’t quite work.


“Weird Gig” – Ray Garton: A washed-up 70's band gets hired to play a financially-lucrative but otherwise troubling concert. Predictable but entertaining.


“Hide in Plain Sight” – John L. Byrne: A cocky club rock singer is seduced by a woman who may or may not be a werewolf. Sexually explicit, trashy fun with a clever end-twist.


“Addicted to Love” – Thomas Tessier: Enjoyable story about a lonely music snob who attempts to win the favor of a woman with great gams and execrable music taste. Sly, memorable conclusion.


“Flaming Telepaths” – John Shirley: A strange psychic war erupts between a televangelical group and a mysterious rock singer in a concert bar. Another solid entry, highlighted by Shirley’s intelligent, blunt humor.