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Cellars
An ancient evil deep beneath New York City turns subway stations into bloody altars for ritual sacrifice. Monsters made of blood arise from drains, an invisible hellhound devours human flesh, feral children stalk the shadowy streets and make murder a terrifying game. Occult investigator Carl Lanyard risks his life, his love, and his sanity as he battles the unspeakable forces of darkness. A modern classic by a master of the macabre in a new revised edition.
262 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
16 people are currently reading
736 people want to read
About the author
John Shirley
322 books465 followersJohn Shirley won the Bram Stoker Award for his story collection Black Butterflies, and is the author of numerous novels, including the best-seller DEMONS, the cyberpunk classics CITY COME A-WALKIN', ECLIPSE, and BLACK GLASS, and his newest novels STORMLAND and A SORCERER OF ATLANTIS.
He is also a screenwriter, having written for television and movies; he was co-screenwriter of THE CROW. He has been several Year's Best anthologies including Prime Books' THE YEAR'S BEST DARK FANTASY AND HORROR anthology, and his nwest story collection is IN EXTREMIS: THE MOST EXTREME SHORT STORIES OF JOHN SHIRLEY. His novel BIOSHOCK: RAPTURE telling the story of the creation and undoing of Rapture, from the hit videogame BIOSHOCK is out from TOR books; his Halo novel, HALO: BROKEN CIRCLE is coming out from Pocket Books.
His most recent novels are STORMLAND and (forthcoming) AXLE BUST CREEK. His new story collection is THE FEVERISH STARS. STORMLAND and other John Shirley novels are available as audiobooks.
He is also a lyricist, having written lyrics for 18 songs recorded by the Blue Oyster Cult (especially on their albums Heaven Forbidden and Curse of the Hidden Mirror), and his own recordings.
John Shirley has written only one nonfiction book, GURDJIEFF: AN INTRODUCTION TO HIS LIFE AND IDEAS, published by Penguin/Jeremy Tarcher.
John Shirley story collections include BLACK BUTTERFLIES, IN EXTREMIS, REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WEIRD STORIES, and LIVING SHADOWS.
source: Amazon
He is also a screenwriter, having written for television and movies; he was co-screenwriter of THE CROW. He has been several Year's Best anthologies including Prime Books' THE YEAR'S BEST DARK FANTASY AND HORROR anthology, and his nwest story collection is IN EXTREMIS: THE MOST EXTREME SHORT STORIES OF JOHN SHIRLEY. His novel BIOSHOCK: RAPTURE telling the story of the creation and undoing of Rapture, from the hit videogame BIOSHOCK is out from TOR books; his Halo novel, HALO: BROKEN CIRCLE is coming out from Pocket Books.
His most recent novels are STORMLAND and (forthcoming) AXLE BUST CREEK. His new story collection is THE FEVERISH STARS. STORMLAND and other John Shirley novels are available as audiobooks.
He is also a lyricist, having written lyrics for 18 songs recorded by the Blue Oyster Cult (especially on their albums Heaven Forbidden and Curse of the Hidden Mirror), and his own recordings.
John Shirley has written only one nonfiction book, GURDJIEFF: AN INTRODUCTION TO HIS LIFE AND IDEAS, published by Penguin/Jeremy Tarcher.
John Shirley story collections include BLACK BUTTERFLIES, IN EXTREMIS, REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WEIRD STORIES, and LIVING SHADOWS.
source: Amazon
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 20, 2024
My 2006 edition of this classic has a great introduction by Edward Lee, stating how much this book inspired his own works; after reading it I understand! Shirley did not attempt some 'mainstream' horror here, he went far off the grid into hardcore territory. Lee also states that Shirley pushed the boundaries and opened the door for the horror genre to really become what it could be, or at least the subgenre known today as 'extreme'. Cellars contains some truly gruesome scenes for sure, but what sets it apart concerns the fairly sophisticated plot, the vivid imagery and the just plain 'in your face' narration as events unfold.
Our protagonist, Carl Lanyard, writes for a rag that focuses upon the supernatural, but his voice there serves as the sceptic. While from the West Coast, Carl starts the novel in NYC, where he had been attempting to get and interview with Madelaine, an avowed psychic, and while they did strike up a relationship, no dice on the formal interview. While waiting at JFK for his plane home, some cops pick him up and take him to a subway; there he finds a police inspector and a brutally butchered body of a young woman. It seems the head cop, Gribner, knows about Carl from his column, and asks for some help on solving the case. Obviously, some sort of ritual took place around the dead woman, and she was not the first. Carl wants nothing to do with it, but he calls his boss in San Francisco and he offers him 150 grand to help out, and get the scoop for the rag. Well, Carl takes it...
I really do not want to focus on the plot here other than stating the obvious-- some cult or something is killing people underground, employing the same rituals. The cops find no clues and are stumped. Carl really has no idea either, except he recognizes some of the runes involved as a Persian god. Meanwhile, Madelaine, an aspiring actress, invites Carl to a dinner/celebration for one Joey Minder, a producer, one she hopes will give her a big role in an upcoming play. Pretty quickly, we know Joeys the antagonist and things start to get very interesting...
I really liked this and loved the depiction of NYC before the bankers et.al. gentrified the piss out of it. Shirley gives you the Lower East Side gritty, mean and dirty. Good stuff, and so far, my favorite by Shirley by a long shot. 4.5 hardcore stars!
Our protagonist, Carl Lanyard, writes for a rag that focuses upon the supernatural, but his voice there serves as the sceptic. While from the West Coast, Carl starts the novel in NYC, where he had been attempting to get and interview with Madelaine, an avowed psychic, and while they did strike up a relationship, no dice on the formal interview. While waiting at JFK for his plane home, some cops pick him up and take him to a subway; there he finds a police inspector and a brutally butchered body of a young woman. It seems the head cop, Gribner, knows about Carl from his column, and asks for some help on solving the case. Obviously, some sort of ritual took place around the dead woman, and she was not the first. Carl wants nothing to do with it, but he calls his boss in San Francisco and he offers him 150 grand to help out, and get the scoop for the rag. Well, Carl takes it...
I really do not want to focus on the plot here other than stating the obvious-- some cult or something is killing people underground, employing the same rituals. The cops find no clues and are stumped. Carl really has no idea either, except he recognizes some of the runes involved as a Persian god. Meanwhile, Madelaine, an aspiring actress, invites Carl to a dinner/celebration for one Joey Minder, a producer, one she hopes will give her a big role in an upcoming play. Pretty quickly, we know Joeys the antagonist and things start to get very interesting...
I really liked this and loved the depiction of NYC before the bankers et.al. gentrified the piss out of it. Shirley gives you the Lower East Side gritty, mean and dirty. Good stuff, and so far, my favorite by Shirley by a long shot. 4.5 hardcore stars!
November 21, 2016
Hey, AMC? Are you looking for a new series to go with The Walking Dead? Do you want to set it in Eighties New York when sex clubs were everywhere, there was hot and cold running cocaine, rats lived inside all the walls, and nothing was scarier than your building's basement? Then Cellars is for you. A disillusioned psychic reporter, a beautiful woman with a sexy secret, a weird god named The Head Below, and faucets disgorging transparent monsters that drag people through drains — this one's got everything.
Want to read
April 14, 2019This hardcover is copy 40 of 250 produced and is signed buy:
John Shirley
Artist Camille Alquier
Cody Goodfellow (introduction).
John Shirley
Artist Camille Alquier
Cody Goodfellow (introduction).
July 9, 2021
DNF. Super dull, dry and overly descriptive. I just can't.
As a fan of Shirley's wildly inventive short fiction, this was a surprising disappointment.
As a fan of Shirley's wildly inventive short fiction, this was a surprising disappointment.
March 27, 2009
Cellars by John Shirley
Like many people I believed that the psychosexual extreme horror that Clive Barker introduced the mainstream with the books of blood came out of nowhere. The discovering of the works of John Shirley (shamefully I have to admit my first Shirley book was his nano-tech monster novel Crawlers) taught me that there was at least one novel that beaten Barker to the punch.
Released in 1981 John Shirley’s novel Cellars is his most traditional extreme horror novel. Reading the new revised edition that was released in 2006 from Infrapress has shown me what an influence this work had. Perhaps not directly on Barker but the splatterpunks like Laymon, Skipp, Spector and of course Edward Lee who wrote the introduction for this new edition.
Set in New York the city is character - a trick Shirley is known for having done more literarily in his Cyberpunk classic City Come-a-Walkin. Something is under the city trading the lives of persons found slashed and marked with occult symbols for power. Long before American Psycho Shirley explores the limits that the yuppies and power elite of New York will go to expand their power and influence.
Along the way you get satanic cults, romance, gore, suspense and one of the most bizarre horror novels of the early 80’s. A must read for fans of extreme horror that still has it’s bite after 27 years!
Like many people I believed that the psychosexual extreme horror that Clive Barker introduced the mainstream with the books of blood came out of nowhere. The discovering of the works of John Shirley (shamefully I have to admit my first Shirley book was his nano-tech monster novel Crawlers) taught me that there was at least one novel that beaten Barker to the punch.
Released in 1981 John Shirley’s novel Cellars is his most traditional extreme horror novel. Reading the new revised edition that was released in 2006 from Infrapress has shown me what an influence this work had. Perhaps not directly on Barker but the splatterpunks like Laymon, Skipp, Spector and of course Edward Lee who wrote the introduction for this new edition.
Set in New York the city is character - a trick Shirley is known for having done more literarily in his Cyberpunk classic City Come-a-Walkin. Something is under the city trading the lives of persons found slashed and marked with occult symbols for power. Long before American Psycho Shirley explores the limits that the yuppies and power elite of New York will go to expand their power and influence.
Along the way you get satanic cults, romance, gore, suspense and one of the most bizarre horror novels of the early 80’s. A must read for fans of extreme horror that still has it’s bite after 27 years!
September 8, 2023
I’m all about fucked-up cults whose grisly ritual murders are performed in the bowels of the filthy NYC subway system, but the fact that the evil in this book tended to manifest as either Clifford the Big Red Dog or the creature from The Blob made it hard to take it all that seriously. The plot was a bit hackneyed at times too. Overall, though, not a bad read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2020
I had a taste for a gritty urban horror novel from the 80's, and this fits the bill perfectly.
There's graffiti everywhere, lots of crime, burned-out buildings, sex clubs, prostitutes and lots of drugs. Lots of 80's drugs -- cocaine snorted through hundred dollar bills, quaaludes, occasional heroin. Shirley is quite good at describing the filth: "...posters overlapping and muting one another the length of the block, between doors; the trash cans stood, bent and blackened like giant cigarette butts in ashtray groups near the bent NO PARKING traffic sign."
It definitely feels like a book of it's time and makes me wish I'd read it in a smelly, yellowed paperback instead of an e-reader.
Shirley sums up the 80's:
"The world seemed to be falling apart. There was a feverishly rising crime rate. There was inflation. There was the pathetic debauchery of the bored rich. Soaring drug-addiction statistics. Neoconservative fanaticism. The government turning the country over to big business. Mounting national tensions."
Except for crime, it sounds exactly like today...
Chapter 11 has a particularly powerful evocation of the busy New York subway and all the hostility that can come with that.
There's a few really scary scenes which impressed me for how they were built up to and structured. There's also several "unsettling" moments where we aren't sure if we're witnessing something connected with the supernatural, or if it's just another day in a blighted city.
This is a fun read, but certainly there are better horror novels out there. There were several points at which my attention lagged, the beginning and end are fine but there's some points throughout where stuff happens, but which mostly seems to draw the plot out.
Another complaint, with possible spoiler:
I did find it a bit unbelievable that some of the characters would suddenly join a murderous cult and start carving people up on the word from some cultist that they'll suddenly find success in life. Who would believe them? And who would/could go through with such horrific acts? But this is part of Shirley's social commentary as well. As he states in the 2006 edition: "The novel is about the atmosphere prevailing at the time - one that seems to be coming back, now, stronger than ever - which constantly reinforced the idea that anything was permissible if it made you a success, if it made you rich, powerful, famous."
There's graffiti everywhere, lots of crime, burned-out buildings, sex clubs, prostitutes and lots of drugs. Lots of 80's drugs -- cocaine snorted through hundred dollar bills, quaaludes, occasional heroin. Shirley is quite good at describing the filth: "...posters overlapping and muting one another the length of the block, between doors; the trash cans stood, bent and blackened like giant cigarette butts in ashtray groups near the bent NO PARKING traffic sign."
It definitely feels like a book of it's time and makes me wish I'd read it in a smelly, yellowed paperback instead of an e-reader.
Shirley sums up the 80's:
"The world seemed to be falling apart. There was a feverishly rising crime rate. There was inflation. There was the pathetic debauchery of the bored rich. Soaring drug-addiction statistics. Neoconservative fanaticism. The government turning the country over to big business. Mounting national tensions."
Except for crime, it sounds exactly like today...
Chapter 11 has a particularly powerful evocation of the busy New York subway and all the hostility that can come with that.
There's a few really scary scenes which impressed me for how they were built up to and structured. There's also several "unsettling" moments where we aren't sure if we're witnessing something connected with the supernatural, or if it's just another day in a blighted city.
This is a fun read, but certainly there are better horror novels out there. There were several points at which my attention lagged, the beginning and end are fine but there's some points throughout where stuff happens, but which mostly seems to draw the plot out.
Another complaint, with possible spoiler:
I did find it a bit unbelievable that some of the characters would suddenly join a murderous cult and start carving people up on the word from some cultist that they'll suddenly find success in life. Who would believe them? And who would/could go through with such horrific acts? But this is part of Shirley's social commentary as well. As he states in the 2006 edition: "The novel is about the atmosphere prevailing at the time - one that seems to be coming back, now, stronger than ever - which constantly reinforced the idea that anything was permissible if it made you a success, if it made you rich, powerful, famous."
May 20, 2023
An overwritten, overly descriptive occult horror novel which shares many themes with the vastly superior Wetbones.
Easily the weakest Shirley book I have read. Apart from a few moments of brilliance, this was a bit of a slog. To those unfamiliar with Shirley's work I would recommend simply reading Wetbones instead.
Easily the weakest Shirley book I have read. Apart from a few moments of brilliance, this was a bit of a slog. To those unfamiliar with Shirley's work I would recommend simply reading Wetbones instead.
June 21, 2013
"Cellars" was a gritty, urban horror novel written back in the early 1980s when New York City still resembled the New York of "Taxi Driver," not the cheesy sitcom New York of "Friends" or "Seinfeld." It pre-dates Clive Barker by a number of years, and I'd put a bet down that Clive had read this before writing stories like "Midnight Meat Train" and "The Forbidden." The writing is admittedly on the pulpy side and the subject matter can be excessive, but it's just so gonzo that I can't not love it. There are murderous feral street kids, people getting sucked into floor drains, sacrificial cultists and a Cthulhu monster slowly growing deep in the sewers. It blends dark hard-boiled detective fiction with horror; I have a soft spot for hard-boiled and sci-fi / horror mash-ups. John Shirley did time as a punk rocker, a homeless person and a serious junkie (don't worry, he's clean now), so all of the street grittiness comes off as legit. They reissued this a few years back with some new edits and a really bad new cover. The version I read was the original early '80s paperback, which you can probably find for a few dollars at a used bookstore if you search hard enough. In terms of obscure '80s horror novels, this is by far one of the best.
October 17, 2014
This is one hardcore, visceral horror novel. A wonderful evocation of grimy early-'80s NYC, when the subways were still crawling with graffiti and tramps and prostitutes roamed the streets. It's very vividly written, and as a time capsule, it's fantastic; I made a point to read the original paperback edition because of the author's unfortunate practice of "updating" his books and adding contemporary references. (Tsk-tsk-tsk.)
This is an angry, brutal, misanthropic book, which is why most people will probably hate it. It includes graphic depictions of child violence. Women and children both. It takes a very dim view of humanity, but it's also a reaction to Reaganomics and the self-serving solipsism of the Me Generation. The Lovecraftian monsters in it are awesome -- especially the Blessed People. The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is because I felt the ending was a little rushed and unconvincing. Still, for anyone who likes high-octane, old-school horror, this is a must-read.
This is an angry, brutal, misanthropic book, which is why most people will probably hate it. It includes graphic depictions of child violence. Women and children both. It takes a very dim view of humanity, but it's also a reaction to Reaganomics and the self-serving solipsism of the Me Generation. The Lovecraftian monsters in it are awesome -- especially the Blessed People. The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is because I felt the ending was a little rushed and unconvincing. Still, for anyone who likes high-octane, old-school horror, this is a must-read.
April 20, 2020
First of all a shout out to Leon the paperback maniac for introducing me to John Shirley. This man is a brilliant writer. Cellars is an early example of extreme horror, so says expert Edward Lee. Shirley was ahead of his time even predating Stephen King's IT with red horror coming out of the drains. An ancient evil is residing under the subways of New York and it can't be stopped it won't be stopped. The prose is literal and compelling and you care about what happens, you need to see what happens.
Some of the deaths are unexpected and nasty and while the ending is a little misanthropic, there is hope.
If you read books and if you are on this site I'm sure you do, you MUST check out John Shirley!
Some of the deaths are unexpected and nasty and while the ending is a little misanthropic, there is hope.
If you read books and if you are on this site I'm sure you do, you MUST check out John Shirley!
October 9, 2015
This was the first thing I'd read by John Shirley, a name I have heard tossed around in horror circles for years. It was... good. Not quite great, but definitely pretty good for a 2 dollar thrift shop find. There are some little passages of fantastic writing and the whole thing seems like a drugged out fever dream. The book's strongest point is capturing the bleakness of early 80s NYC. Its a little "talky" for me in that early 80s way, were everything is over described and explained almost excessively. Still, the ending was great and bleak and nasty and I can see this as a solid forerunner to the "Splatterpunk" scene of the 80s. A paranoid, cocaine tinged book of madness.
May 3, 2019
Loved it! Maybe a little slow at the outset, but it gets better and better.
Has the 80's retro vibe (well, duh, it was written in the 80's), hints of the greed that fueled American Psycho, spiritual/supernatural/occult elements, a solid ending, and lots of bleak horror.
Feels like Serpent and the Rainbow meets Less Than Zero.
Interesting side note: I never read the introductions until after I read the book. I want to experience the book without someone telling me how to experience the book. But I sometimes read the intros afterwards. And I skimmed this intro and there's a lot of shade thrown at Stephen King. Well, maybe it's not shade if it's overt and direct. I really don't know what shade is, I guess. I don't know what the hell the animosity was all about. But I will say, there are a few passages in this book as well as the overall theme (something evil is lurking under the city and mutilating people) that made me think this book could very well have been some inspiration to King as he wrote IT. In fact, the very opening scene of IT plays out in very similar ways in Cellars. It's interesting to say the least. And I'm saying the least so I don't spoil anything for you.
Anyway, the edition I read is sold out. But the author's afterword indicates that there is an epilogue in the original that he omitted in this edition because he felt it diminished the book. But I'm curious to read it. The author seems all bunched up about it though so don't tell him that I'm curious about it. Between the intro and the afterward, there seem to be a lot of people with chips on their shoulders involved with Cellars. Jerad, the publisher, is as awesome as humans get, however.
Anyway, I highly recommend this book. Why not 5 stars, then Jeff? Well I am trying to reserve that 5th star for books that flow like music. The prose in this one is really good but not next level.
Has the 80's retro vibe (well, duh, it was written in the 80's), hints of the greed that fueled American Psycho, spiritual/supernatural/occult elements, a solid ending, and lots of bleak horror.
Feels like Serpent and the Rainbow meets Less Than Zero.
Interesting side note: I never read the introductions until after I read the book. I want to experience the book without someone telling me how to experience the book. But I sometimes read the intros afterwards. And I skimmed this intro and there's a lot of shade thrown at Stephen King. Well, maybe it's not shade if it's overt and direct. I really don't know what shade is, I guess. I don't know what the hell the animosity was all about. But I will say, there are a few passages in this book as well as the overall theme (something evil is lurking under the city and mutilating people) that made me think this book could very well have been some inspiration to King as he wrote IT. In fact, the very opening scene of IT plays out in very similar ways in Cellars. It's interesting to say the least. And I'm saying the least so I don't spoil anything for you.
Anyway, the edition I read is sold out. But the author's afterword indicates that there is an epilogue in the original that he omitted in this edition because he felt it diminished the book. But I'm curious to read it. The author seems all bunched up about it though so don't tell him that I'm curious about it. Between the intro and the afterward, there seem to be a lot of people with chips on their shoulders involved with Cellars. Jerad, the publisher, is as awesome as humans get, however.
Anyway, I highly recommend this book. Why not 5 stars, then Jeff? Well I am trying to reserve that 5th star for books that flow like music. The prose in this one is really good but not next level.
January 27, 2011
When I think of horror, I think of tension building to almost unsupportable levels, interspersed with terrifying events or imagery. This book, for me, had the imagery and that's about it. The only tension was "what horrible picture of torture and death will come next?" And before you get all excited, thinking that graphic depictions of torture and death are what you're after, Cellars only gives you the aftermath of the horror and death. So, you won't be "present" for the torture, only get an image of a skinned body lying on the floor, or a child holding a portion of a character's decapitated head. I just wanted it to end. And it did. Hooray...
May 30, 2021
Dirty, grimy, sleazy 80’s NYC. Love that whole vibe. Movies like Taxi Driver and The Warriors capture what I loved about that NYC vibe. This novel has the same feel of NYC. With something underneath the city in the subways that is tearing people apart. This was a good one.
July 20, 2022
Anytime you have something that uses the subway as a horror setting, you're gonna have a great time.
July 13, 2010
Almost gave it 4 but I guess I more just 'liked it' than 'really' liked it. A precursor to, as well as similar to Clive Barker's horror, but not as eloquent imo. It was a good read that kept me engaged but didn't especially stand out among other horror books. I thought his book Demons was better than this one. I do enjoy his writing, however and will read more of it.
March 30, 2009
Scary!!! Five Stars and Three Exclamation Marks.
October 10, 2019
While the quality is wide-ranging, the horror genre produces enough new literary material every year to keep readers entertained without having to rely on things published in previous decades. However, there are a handful of books out there that seem impervious to the passage of time. A few weeks ago I heard about John Shirley's Cellars, a novel originally published in 1982 and released again in 2006. The fact that the novel is still being talked about, coupled with an introduction on the 2006 edition by Edward Lee—one of my favorite authors—convinced me I had to check it out. I'm glad I did.
You can read Gabino's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read Gabino's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
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August 1, 2022Rarely do a bail on a book this close to the end (I had maybe 60 pages left), but a combination of losing steam on the narrative's part and distraction on mine made it impossible to get back into it.
March 28, 2023
Starts off slow, but soon builds into a nasty bit of grimy NYC splatterpunk. I'm not convinced the plot holds together that well, but the gory setpieces and the grimy atmosphere of Manhattan's sleazy high life and sleazy low life are colorful and entertaining.
June 3, 2018
This was difficult to finish but I hung in there. Was not really worth my time. Not a lot of monster action.
June 7, 2019
3.5/5 rounded up.
May 28, 2020
Absolutely bonkers. Vagina tentacles!!!
February 26, 2021
i enjoyed this gritty 80's cult horror.
Read
April 17, 2022DNF @ 83%
Read
May 26, 2023Pretty dull.
December 31, 2025
Simply bonkers. We’re not doing it like this anymore
October 10, 2015
I thought there was no way this book could live up to the introduction by Edward Lee, but it does. This is hardcore horror before the term existed, with a story that is still relevant 30+ years later. A classic.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews