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Pulp Ink
PULP INK is the bizarre, chaotic side of crime fiction. From an ass-kicking surfer on acid to an idiot savant hitboy, these tales are dark, funny, action-packed and told with all the gleeful insanity of a Tarantino flick. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll roll into the fetal position and beg for mercy. So sit back. Pour yourself a cup of joe, crack a beer, tie off – whatever you need to get comfortable – and get ready for a dose after dose of pulp action.With stories GuthrieReed Farrel ColemanGary PhillipsHilary Davidson Matthew C. FunkPaul D. BrazillAJ HayesMichael J. SolenderRichard GodwinNaomi JohnsonJimmy CallawaySandra SeamansPatti AbbottJodi MacArthurDavid CranmerChris F. HolmJason DukeEric BeetnerIan AyrisKate HorsleyMatt LavinJim HarringtonNigel BirdChris Rhatigan“Pulp Ink may explore familiar revenge, lust, greed, murder, betrayal and downright stupidity, but it does so unflinchingly and in its own indomitable style… This is one of the best collections of short fiction you will ever see. Grab it Pulp Ink is ready to thrill, chill and entertain in ways you never thought possible.” -- Julie Morrigan, author of the short story collection GONE BAD and the novel CONVICTIONS"The writers of PULP INK were raised on Tarantino, but then went and rebelled on him like all good children do at some point. Here's the future of pulp fiction, a slice of the good stuff from those surviving the brutal sandbox of modern crime fiction and emerging, scraped and bruised, to turn around and spit in its eye." -- Anthony Neil Smith, author of HOGDOGGIN’ and YELLOW MEDICINE"Tongue-piercings. Foot-fetishists. Murderous cinephiles. This gritty, grimy, giddy collection is as pulpy as they come, transcending the Tarantino reference material and stepping into its own. All because of a stable of home-run crime writers who know just what the hell they're doing." -- Chuck Wendig, author of DOUBLE DEAD and BLACKBIRDS
- GenresShort StoriesCrime
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 2011
13 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Nigel Bird
52 books75 followersNigel Bird is the author of the Rat Pack series, The Shallows, the Southsiders series, In Loco Parentis, Smoke, Mr Suit and Dirty Old Town as well as a number of other novels, novellas and collections.
His work has appeared in a number of prestigious magazines and collections, including 2 editions of The Best Of British Crime,The Reader, Crimespree and Needle.
He is currently an editorial consultant for the publisher All Due Respect books.
He lives on the East Coast of Scotland in Dunbar (Sunny Dunny) with his wife and three children.
As well as writing fiction, he has been a teacher for thirty years and has worked in a number of mainstream and special schools.
His work has appeared in a number of prestigious magazines and collections, including 2 editions of The Best Of British Crime,The Reader, Crimespree and Needle.
He is currently an editorial consultant for the publisher All Due Respect books.
He lives on the East Coast of Scotland in Dunbar (Sunny Dunny) with his wife and three children.
As well as writing fiction, he has been a teacher for thirty years and has worked in a number of mainstream and special schools.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 7, 2013
All you have to do is look at the list of writers here and you KNOW that every single word is going to be solid gold! I can't recall the last time I saw so much INCREDIBLY AMAZING talent in one place!
Read Reed Farrel Coleman's REQUIEM FOR A SPIDER... killer ending!! I definitely have to read more about PI Moe Prager... Reed has a real gem here!
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I am reading the second story right now... Jodi MacArthur's JACK RABBIT SLIM'S CELLAR THE $5 MIL HAK... I love how Jodi builds the suspense here... hard to put down. Shasta Star is a girl after my own heart! That last line is the perfect ending to a five-star tale -
"We had a demon door to open and a circus to catch."
**************************************************
Read Reed Farrel Coleman's REQUIEM FOR A SPIDER... killer ending!! I definitely have to read more about PI Moe Prager... Reed has a real gem here!
*************************************************
I am reading the second story right now... Jodi MacArthur's JACK RABBIT SLIM'S CELLAR THE $5 MIL HAK... I love how Jodi builds the suspense here... hard to put down. Shasta Star is a girl after my own heart! That last line is the perfect ending to a five-star tale -
"We had a demon door to open and a circus to catch."
**************************************************
November 27, 2011
It may be that the anthology format will be the best one for e-publishing. At least with the newer generation of pulp writers, this seems to be the best introduction to their works. I found this collection to be a quick and deadly read, perfect for my Sony e-Reader. Editors Bird and Rhatigan are to be commended for putting together a selection which is of superior quality.
The editors of Pulp Ink had a great idea: take little snippets of dialogue from Pulp Fiction the movie, send them to a host of writers working the same groove and ask them to write short stories based on the ideas. The result is this tome, a book with an edge every thousand words. I'm no Tarantino scholar (are there any?), but I do feel the vibe of his 90's classic funneled through these stories.
I will warn any potential reader that most of these tales are from the dark side. There's not to many people in them to be admired. So if you are looking for stirring stories of inspiration, look elsewhere. If you are looking for demons of the inner mind, you'll find plenty in this collection. Typical is "Zed's Dead, Baby" written by Eric Beetner. It's from the point-of-view of a loan shark enforcer who reminisces over the sound of broken bones when he'd found a reluctant payee.
Reed Coleman's "Requiem for Spider" leads the pack. It's the story of a Jewish gangster named Moe who's hired by his boyhood Italian friend Spider to help broker a deal with Russian Jewish mobsters. Spider wants his old friend to supply back-up because he's of the same persuasion. But as Moe tries to explain to his buddy:
“Oy, Spider,” I said. “These guys aren't Jews the way you know Jews. They pretty much grew up godless, without religion like you know it. I may be as lapsed a Jew as there is, but I’m the chief rabbi of Jerusalem compared to them."
Of course the meeting doesn't quite turn out as everyone planned.
"Jack Rabbit Slim's Cellar" by Jodi MacArthur is one of the few stories that ties in directly with the movie. It seems that while Uma Thurman and John Travolta were dancing up stairs at the 50's theme restaurant, somebody was being interrogated in the basement. I did learn a lot about the history of bubble gum from this story.
"Padre" by A J Hayes is one tale which will stick with you for a long time. A renegade priest is meets with a Russian gangster who holds a precious cargo. I highly recommend this one, but to tell more would ruin the conclusion. Easily the one story which would make a great Drive-In movie.
"Creation of Ice" by Sandra Seamans heads out to the rural part of America. A viscous woman finds herself tied to a chair after killing an old man. It's told from her POV as she tries to figure a way out of her mess. Good ending, which did surprise me.
Alan Guthrie's "Your Mother Should Know" is another story which remains in the rural part of the USA. It's also told from the POV of the main character, a ripe young woman with a very religious mother. Her father had died years ago from a lighting blast, which momma had attributed to the wrath of God. Lighting does strike twice in this one, with deadly results.
"You Never Can Tell" by Matthew Funk continues into the hinterlands. A young man named Junior with a wife and kid are hunting down the men he believed murdered his sadistic father. But the real killer may be closer than he could imagine.
"A Whole Lotta Rosie" by Nigel Bird, had me confused. A rough and tumble women in New Zealand shears sheep and arm-wrestles on the side. I'm not sure about what else happens. It's still a great story.
"The Lady And The Gimp: A Peter Ord Investigation", by Paul Brazill, is amusing in a twisted sort of way. A private detective is hired to find a missing woman who may be living in a caravan (mobile home for us yanks; the story takes place in the UK). A burial neatly captures the mood of the story:
“There comes a time in every young man’s life,” he said, his long arms stretched wide, “when he knows that he will never be The Fonz. Shortly after that realization it becomes clear that he won’t even be Richie Cunningham. And, so, then, he has to make a choice. Will he be Ralph Malph or Potsie Weber?"
"A Night at the Royale" by Chris Holm is a very tight little tale that takes place in Amsterdam. Three American hipster tourists make the mistake of getting noisy at a retrospective showing of Foxy Brown, Death Race 2000, and Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS. But the idle man sitting in front is there to enjoy the movies and is in no mood to deal with loud chumps. One for those of us who've had to endure audience participation one time to many.
"Clouds in a Bunker" by David Cranmer is the saddest story here. An old man with an advanced case of senility has locked himself in a backyard fallout shelter with his wheelchair-bound wife. The police and his daughter are trying to talk him out, but he's lost the ability to identify objects directly. What he's planned is far worse than anyone imagines.
"The Wife of Gregory Bell" by Patricia Abbot would fit into a book of supernatural stories. You're never quite sure if the effects of the lead character's thefts are real or a product of his own imagination. Another side of the gentleman thief so beloved in European fiction.
"If Love is a Red Dress – Hang Me in Rags" by Michael Solender is a prison confession. It's one of the shorter works in here, but still effective.
"A Corpse by Any Other Name" by Naomi Johnson is another hilarious tale. Two boobs are hired by a Mr. Big in the hinterland to take out one Frank Murray. But they get the wrong Frank Murray and now Mr. Big has a problem on his hands. They decide to dispose of the unwanted body in a cemetery, but things go from bad to worse.
In "Surf Rider", by Ian Ayris, a couple of Brits decide to steal a valuable surf board from a homeless surfer. The surfer hasn't been right in the head for years (too many drugs), but the board is the one thing he holds dear. And he'll defend it to the death.
"The Slicers’ Serenade of Steel" by Gary Phillips is another supernatural themed story. A small time thug is trying to run from a hit man with the power of death. Just when you think it's over the story turns into a martial arts duel straight out of a 70's Shaw Brothers movie. This one would make a good anime subject. "The October 17 Economic Development Committee Meeting" by Chris Rhatigan has a vengeful reporter taking out a bunch of corporate types with a gun. But what saves it from being another revenge number is the final confrontation with the one older reporter the assailant did admire. I see in the bio that "Chris Rhatigan made it out of the newspaper industry alive". Not too surprised.
"Threshold Woman" by Richard Godwin, sings with sensuality. A gangster is in love with the sister of his boss. His boss is a dangerous man. Much tension results.
"Redlining" by Jim Harrington is dark humor with from the Joe Lansdale school. A hold-up man is talked into taking along a relative by his sister. But his new sidekick is an incompetent oaf who may get them both arrested. And the hold-up man needs the money for medical treatment. Time is running out for both of them. "Jungle Boogie by Kate Horsley is another tale of deception and theft, but with erotic overtones. A man is duped into stealing a statue of the Jaguar god from a museum. However, the gods of the jungle are not known to deal with sacrilege lightly.
How someone could tell a sweet story like "The Little Piggy", when it involves a foot fetish, is beyond me. But Hilary Davidson manages to do it and for that I am impressed. Did I mention it also involves gangsters? More fetish material emerges from "Comanche", by Jason Duke. It's a viscous tale of a mobster who likes to abuse his wife. His wife has another plan, involving the mobster's fortune, and a boyfriend her husband doesn't know about.
More gangsters become involved in "Misirlou" by Jimmy Callaway. A Greek restaurateur known as "Cheeseburger" is murdered by persons unknown. The numbers runner he worked for brings in "Funk" to find the culprit and sends him off with two of his men. In an amusing scene, Funk tells the other gunsels they are playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons and "another adventure in an open-ended campaign".
"The Only One Who Could Ever Reach Me" by Matt Lavin is particularly viscous. A keeper in a secret prison takes a liking to a prisoner just before the torturer comes to do his business. Another one for "The Road to Hell Paved" category.
All stories of exceptional quality which will keep you turning to the next page. If nothing else, Pulp Ink demonstrates the high caliber of writers working in the new "pulp" field.
The editors of Pulp Ink had a great idea: take little snippets of dialogue from Pulp Fiction the movie, send them to a host of writers working the same groove and ask them to write short stories based on the ideas. The result is this tome, a book with an edge every thousand words. I'm no Tarantino scholar (are there any?), but I do feel the vibe of his 90's classic funneled through these stories.
I will warn any potential reader that most of these tales are from the dark side. There's not to many people in them to be admired. So if you are looking for stirring stories of inspiration, look elsewhere. If you are looking for demons of the inner mind, you'll find plenty in this collection. Typical is "Zed's Dead, Baby" written by Eric Beetner. It's from the point-of-view of a loan shark enforcer who reminisces over the sound of broken bones when he'd found a reluctant payee.
Reed Coleman's "Requiem for Spider" leads the pack. It's the story of a Jewish gangster named Moe who's hired by his boyhood Italian friend Spider to help broker a deal with Russian Jewish mobsters. Spider wants his old friend to supply back-up because he's of the same persuasion. But as Moe tries to explain to his buddy:
“Oy, Spider,” I said. “These guys aren't Jews the way you know Jews. They pretty much grew up godless, without religion like you know it. I may be as lapsed a Jew as there is, but I’m the chief rabbi of Jerusalem compared to them."
Of course the meeting doesn't quite turn out as everyone planned.
"Jack Rabbit Slim's Cellar" by Jodi MacArthur is one of the few stories that ties in directly with the movie. It seems that while Uma Thurman and John Travolta were dancing up stairs at the 50's theme restaurant, somebody was being interrogated in the basement. I did learn a lot about the history of bubble gum from this story.
"Padre" by A J Hayes is one tale which will stick with you for a long time. A renegade priest is meets with a Russian gangster who holds a precious cargo. I highly recommend this one, but to tell more would ruin the conclusion. Easily the one story which would make a great Drive-In movie.
"Creation of Ice" by Sandra Seamans heads out to the rural part of America. A viscous woman finds herself tied to a chair after killing an old man. It's told from her POV as she tries to figure a way out of her mess. Good ending, which did surprise me.
Alan Guthrie's "Your Mother Should Know" is another story which remains in the rural part of the USA. It's also told from the POV of the main character, a ripe young woman with a very religious mother. Her father had died years ago from a lighting blast, which momma had attributed to the wrath of God. Lighting does strike twice in this one, with deadly results.
"You Never Can Tell" by Matthew Funk continues into the hinterlands. A young man named Junior with a wife and kid are hunting down the men he believed murdered his sadistic father. But the real killer may be closer than he could imagine.
"A Whole Lotta Rosie" by Nigel Bird, had me confused. A rough and tumble women in New Zealand shears sheep and arm-wrestles on the side. I'm not sure about what else happens. It's still a great story.
"The Lady And The Gimp: A Peter Ord Investigation", by Paul Brazill, is amusing in a twisted sort of way. A private detective is hired to find a missing woman who may be living in a caravan (mobile home for us yanks; the story takes place in the UK). A burial neatly captures the mood of the story:
“There comes a time in every young man’s life,” he said, his long arms stretched wide, “when he knows that he will never be The Fonz. Shortly after that realization it becomes clear that he won’t even be Richie Cunningham. And, so, then, he has to make a choice. Will he be Ralph Malph or Potsie Weber?"
"A Night at the Royale" by Chris Holm is a very tight little tale that takes place in Amsterdam. Three American hipster tourists make the mistake of getting noisy at a retrospective showing of Foxy Brown, Death Race 2000, and Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS. But the idle man sitting in front is there to enjoy the movies and is in no mood to deal with loud chumps. One for those of us who've had to endure audience participation one time to many.
"Clouds in a Bunker" by David Cranmer is the saddest story here. An old man with an advanced case of senility has locked himself in a backyard fallout shelter with his wheelchair-bound wife. The police and his daughter are trying to talk him out, but he's lost the ability to identify objects directly. What he's planned is far worse than anyone imagines.
"The Wife of Gregory Bell" by Patricia Abbot would fit into a book of supernatural stories. You're never quite sure if the effects of the lead character's thefts are real or a product of his own imagination. Another side of the gentleman thief so beloved in European fiction.
"If Love is a Red Dress – Hang Me in Rags" by Michael Solender is a prison confession. It's one of the shorter works in here, but still effective.
"A Corpse by Any Other Name" by Naomi Johnson is another hilarious tale. Two boobs are hired by a Mr. Big in the hinterland to take out one Frank Murray. But they get the wrong Frank Murray and now Mr. Big has a problem on his hands. They decide to dispose of the unwanted body in a cemetery, but things go from bad to worse.
In "Surf Rider", by Ian Ayris, a couple of Brits decide to steal a valuable surf board from a homeless surfer. The surfer hasn't been right in the head for years (too many drugs), but the board is the one thing he holds dear. And he'll defend it to the death.
"The Slicers’ Serenade of Steel" by Gary Phillips is another supernatural themed story. A small time thug is trying to run from a hit man with the power of death. Just when you think it's over the story turns into a martial arts duel straight out of a 70's Shaw Brothers movie. This one would make a good anime subject. "The October 17 Economic Development Committee Meeting" by Chris Rhatigan has a vengeful reporter taking out a bunch of corporate types with a gun. But what saves it from being another revenge number is the final confrontation with the one older reporter the assailant did admire. I see in the bio that "Chris Rhatigan made it out of the newspaper industry alive". Not too surprised.
"Threshold Woman" by Richard Godwin, sings with sensuality. A gangster is in love with the sister of his boss. His boss is a dangerous man. Much tension results.
"Redlining" by Jim Harrington is dark humor with from the Joe Lansdale school. A hold-up man is talked into taking along a relative by his sister. But his new sidekick is an incompetent oaf who may get them both arrested. And the hold-up man needs the money for medical treatment. Time is running out for both of them. "Jungle Boogie by Kate Horsley is another tale of deception and theft, but with erotic overtones. A man is duped into stealing a statue of the Jaguar god from a museum. However, the gods of the jungle are not known to deal with sacrilege lightly.
How someone could tell a sweet story like "The Little Piggy", when it involves a foot fetish, is beyond me. But Hilary Davidson manages to do it and for that I am impressed. Did I mention it also involves gangsters? More fetish material emerges from "Comanche", by Jason Duke. It's a viscous tale of a mobster who likes to abuse his wife. His wife has another plan, involving the mobster's fortune, and a boyfriend her husband doesn't know about.
More gangsters become involved in "Misirlou" by Jimmy Callaway. A Greek restaurateur known as "Cheeseburger" is murdered by persons unknown. The numbers runner he worked for brings in "Funk" to find the culprit and sends him off with two of his men. In an amusing scene, Funk tells the other gunsels they are playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons and "another adventure in an open-ended campaign".
"The Only One Who Could Ever Reach Me" by Matt Lavin is particularly viscous. A keeper in a secret prison takes a liking to a prisoner just before the torturer comes to do his business. Another one for "The Road to Hell Paved" category.
All stories of exceptional quality which will keep you turning to the next page. If nothing else, Pulp Ink demonstrates the high caliber of writers working in the new "pulp" field.
June 12, 2012
PULP INK is probably the short story bargain of the year so far, if you consider sheer volume of stories as well as the quality of those stories. It's jam-packed, and every entry is AT LEAST very good. More than three-fourths are downright brilliant.
But you know, it was bound to be great, wasn't it? Look at the editors: Nigel Bird and Chris Rhatigan. Two fellas who know a thing or two about what makes good stories work, yeah?
The connecting theme to PULP INK has something to do with the film "Pulp Fiction"--there are allusions to the movie here and there, and several story titles are tied directly to it. But you get the sense that PULP INK quickly outgrew its inspiration. These are all writers who aren't going to be constrained by the likes of Tarantino, man. Don't get me wrong; I like "Pulp Fiction" as well as anyone does, but if you wanna compare Tarantino's vision with the visions conjured by the writers in this anthology, well... Tarantino is left in the dust.
I was ready to do a little bit on each story in this collection that impressed me, but honestly, man, it was damn near every one of them. You've got Reed Farrell Coleman. Hilary Davidson. Allan Guthrie. Patricia Abbott, Paul D. Brazill. You've got Kate Horsley and Jimmy Calloway and David Cranmer. Matthew C. Funk. Honestly, it's pointless for me to list each writer in PULP INK who turns in a killer story, because what it comes down to is a sort of "who's who" of immense genre talents.
It doesn't matter if you don't dig Tarantino. If you want the low-down on what noir/dark fiction/hard-boiled writers are shaking things up these days, PULP INK is the collection to get.
But you know, it was bound to be great, wasn't it? Look at the editors: Nigel Bird and Chris Rhatigan. Two fellas who know a thing or two about what makes good stories work, yeah?
The connecting theme to PULP INK has something to do with the film "Pulp Fiction"--there are allusions to the movie here and there, and several story titles are tied directly to it. But you get the sense that PULP INK quickly outgrew its inspiration. These are all writers who aren't going to be constrained by the likes of Tarantino, man. Don't get me wrong; I like "Pulp Fiction" as well as anyone does, but if you wanna compare Tarantino's vision with the visions conjured by the writers in this anthology, well... Tarantino is left in the dust.
I was ready to do a little bit on each story in this collection that impressed me, but honestly, man, it was damn near every one of them. You've got Reed Farrell Coleman. Hilary Davidson. Allan Guthrie. Patricia Abbott, Paul D. Brazill. You've got Kate Horsley and Jimmy Calloway and David Cranmer. Matthew C. Funk. Honestly, it's pointless for me to list each writer in PULP INK who turns in a killer story, because what it comes down to is a sort of "who's who" of immense genre talents.
It doesn't matter if you don't dig Tarantino. If you want the low-down on what noir/dark fiction/hard-boiled writers are shaking things up these days, PULP INK is the collection to get.
September 16, 2011
I first picked up this collection after hearing so many good things about it and you know what? They are all true. Anthologies can be hit and miss, especially ones that "specialise" in a genre - not so with Pulp Ink.
I won't go through all the stories but suffice to say that every author brought something different to the table - revenge, sex, hitmen, greed and money. Some of the stories were told from differing POV - the criminal, the hired gun, the victim...
Certainly a collection that deserves its time in your collection.
I won't go through all the stories but suffice to say that every author brought something different to the table - revenge, sex, hitmen, greed and money. Some of the stories were told from differing POV - the criminal, the hired gun, the victim...
Certainly a collection that deserves its time in your collection.
May 15, 2012
A fun conceit -- filling in all the background noise of what's happening between the lines of the PULP FICTION soundtrack. Terrific efforts all around, some of surprising gruesomeness and hilarity, too. Too many good stories to choose just one, but among my faves the ones by MacArthur, Beetner, Brazill, Ayris, Rhatigan and Horsley. But no clunkers -- for a slightly gimmicky conceit to kick things off, the writers have picked up the threads and run far.
July 3, 2012
Some of them were brilliant and they seem to have ended way too soon, while others seemed like they were trying to spoof the genre or at least came across that way, and if they were spoofing it was done poorly. But worth the read.
January 12, 2021
Best short stories
Very similar.to Thuglit series and I really enjoy reading the short stories that have that street life vibe and grittiness to them
Very similar.to Thuglit series and I really enjoy reading the short stories that have that street life vibe and grittiness to them
November 3, 2014
It was obvious to me by the time I had read the first three or four stories of this anthology that I had a problem. Writing an effective review of Pulp Ink would be like trying to clean the Humber Bridge with a toothbrush. Why? Quite simple because each story is like a sparking gem in the mud that is the e-book market. This anthology shone so brightly to me that I felt I had to wear shades when reading it. The editors deserve great credit for putting together such a fine collection. This is up there with the best of them and possibly my most enjoyable read this year.
Anyone who regularly reads my reviews knows that I am not a critic. I write positive reviews. I know what I like and I read what I enjoy. However, I am having to rein myself in from gushing like a school girl in the presence of a boy band. This anthology is THAT good. I very early on decided that I would say a little something about each of the stories. I felt that I owed it to the authors of this collection to say at least at little something about each of these excellent stories. So here it is:
Requiem for Spider by Reed Farrel Coleman
A hugely enjoyable hard boiled tale with humour entwined within its very soul. Poetic.
Jack Rabbit Slim's Cellar The $5 Mil Hak by Jodi MacArthur
McArthur's character Shasta Star is both fascinating and playful. Witty from the start, wise cracking and multi-layered. A great setting and a fantastic ending. Sublime.
Padre by AJ Hayes
You could lose yourself in the midnight black worlds AJ creates. This tale screamed across my synapses in cinematic high definition. A story of justice done told only the way AJ can.
The Creation of Ice by Sandra Seamans
You are plunging straight into the desperate end game as a cold hearted killer tries to charm her way out of the clutches of the law.
Zed's Dead, Baby by Eric Beetner
A debt collector cuts a bloody swathe in his attempt to find Zed. Beetner pulls no punches in this bloody tale with a surprising ending.
Your Mother Should Know by Allan Guthrie
A tale of god fearing folk & childhood innocence with that dark cloud of menace hanging over it that only Guthrie can conjure.
You Never Can Tell by Matthew C. Funk
Brilliantly descriptive. Laced with delicious atmosphere, the air hangs heavy with menace and the threat of violence.
A Whole Lot of Rosie by Nigel Bird
Nigel takes a classic song by AC/DC and turns it into a fantastic atmospheric story with heart and soul.
The Lady & The Gimp: A Peter Ord Investigation by Paul D.Brazill
Another great story in another fantastic seedy setting. Stuffed to bursting with vintage Paul D. Brazill wit and humour. His PI Peter Ord never disappoints.
A Night at the Royale by Chris F. Holm
A story that is pregnant with an air of menace. However, you find yourself with no sympathy at all for Mr. Black's hapless victims. An outstanding and clever ending.
Clouds in a Bunker by David Cranmer
A sad little tale that injects humour into a difficult subject.
The Wife of Gregory Bell by Patricia Abbot
An excellent tale confirming that one shouldn't mess with karma.
If Love is a Red Dress - Hang Me in Rags by Michael J. Solender
Eloquently descriptive. The author does so much with so few words.
A corpse by Any Other Name by Naomi Johnson
A brilliant and hilarious short crime caper. Great characters. Steinbeck is smiling from the great beyond at the tribute.
Surf Rider by Ian Ayris
Solid gold from Ian. He takes us through the doors of perception and shows us the darkness within.
The Slicers' Serenade of Steel by Gary Philips
A story that started one way then went off at a fantastic action packed tangent. Great pace and wit throughout.
The October 17 Economic Development Committee Meeting by Chris Rhatigan
You can’t help but empathise with some of the views created by Chris’s character here! A brilliantly woven tale told at a fast tense pace.
Threshold Woman by Richard Godwin
A beautifully descriptive and erotic tale of our desire to quench forbidden thirsts.
Redlining by Jim Harrington
A little impatience leads to a dark deed and a gritty ending.
Jungle Boogie by Kate Horsley
A tale filled laden and heavy with the threat of impending doom.
This Little Piggy by Hilary Davidson
A cleverly told tale with a great twist.
Comanche by Jason Duke
Revenge served in a suitable fashion. Some great descriptive lines in this one.
Misirilou by Jimmy Callaway
A fun caper with great humour throughout & snappy dialogue
The Only One Who Could Ever Reach Me by Matt Lavin
A dark and UTTERLY compelling read
Anyone who regularly reads my reviews knows that I am not a critic. I write positive reviews. I know what I like and I read what I enjoy. However, I am having to rein myself in from gushing like a school girl in the presence of a boy band. This anthology is THAT good. I very early on decided that I would say a little something about each of the stories. I felt that I owed it to the authors of this collection to say at least at little something about each of these excellent stories. So here it is:
Requiem for Spider by Reed Farrel Coleman
A hugely enjoyable hard boiled tale with humour entwined within its very soul. Poetic.
Jack Rabbit Slim's Cellar The $5 Mil Hak by Jodi MacArthur
McArthur's character Shasta Star is both fascinating and playful. Witty from the start, wise cracking and multi-layered. A great setting and a fantastic ending. Sublime.
Padre by AJ Hayes
You could lose yourself in the midnight black worlds AJ creates. This tale screamed across my synapses in cinematic high definition. A story of justice done told only the way AJ can.
The Creation of Ice by Sandra Seamans
You are plunging straight into the desperate end game as a cold hearted killer tries to charm her way out of the clutches of the law.
Zed's Dead, Baby by Eric Beetner
A debt collector cuts a bloody swathe in his attempt to find Zed. Beetner pulls no punches in this bloody tale with a surprising ending.
Your Mother Should Know by Allan Guthrie
A tale of god fearing folk & childhood innocence with that dark cloud of menace hanging over it that only Guthrie can conjure.
You Never Can Tell by Matthew C. Funk
Brilliantly descriptive. Laced with delicious atmosphere, the air hangs heavy with menace and the threat of violence.
A Whole Lot of Rosie by Nigel Bird
Nigel takes a classic song by AC/DC and turns it into a fantastic atmospheric story with heart and soul.
The Lady & The Gimp: A Peter Ord Investigation by Paul D.Brazill
Another great story in another fantastic seedy setting. Stuffed to bursting with vintage Paul D. Brazill wit and humour. His PI Peter Ord never disappoints.
A Night at the Royale by Chris F. Holm
A story that is pregnant with an air of menace. However, you find yourself with no sympathy at all for Mr. Black's hapless victims. An outstanding and clever ending.
Clouds in a Bunker by David Cranmer
A sad little tale that injects humour into a difficult subject.
The Wife of Gregory Bell by Patricia Abbot
An excellent tale confirming that one shouldn't mess with karma.
If Love is a Red Dress - Hang Me in Rags by Michael J. Solender
Eloquently descriptive. The author does so much with so few words.
A corpse by Any Other Name by Naomi Johnson
A brilliant and hilarious short crime caper. Great characters. Steinbeck is smiling from the great beyond at the tribute.
Surf Rider by Ian Ayris
Solid gold from Ian. He takes us through the doors of perception and shows us the darkness within.
The Slicers' Serenade of Steel by Gary Philips
A story that started one way then went off at a fantastic action packed tangent. Great pace and wit throughout.
The October 17 Economic Development Committee Meeting by Chris Rhatigan
You can’t help but empathise with some of the views created by Chris’s character here! A brilliantly woven tale told at a fast tense pace.
Threshold Woman by Richard Godwin
A beautifully descriptive and erotic tale of our desire to quench forbidden thirsts.
Redlining by Jim Harrington
A little impatience leads to a dark deed and a gritty ending.
Jungle Boogie by Kate Horsley
A tale filled laden and heavy with the threat of impending doom.
This Little Piggy by Hilary Davidson
A cleverly told tale with a great twist.
Comanche by Jason Duke
Revenge served in a suitable fashion. Some great descriptive lines in this one.
Misirilou by Jimmy Callaway
A fun caper with great humour throughout & snappy dialogue
The Only One Who Could Ever Reach Me by Matt Lavin
A dark and UTTERLY compelling read
January 29, 2020
This is a collection of 24 short pulp fiction tales by various authors. As is usually the case in anthologies, I enjoyed some quite a bit; others, not so much. All were new-to-me authors, so I will look for more works by the few that I did enjoy. My favorites were:
"Requiem for Spider" by Reed Farrel Coleman
"Jack Rabbit Slim's Cellar The $5 Mil Hak" by Jodi MacArthur
"Zed's Dead, Baby" by Eric Beetner, and
"A Night at the Royale" by Chris F. Holm
"Requiem for Spider" by Reed Farrel Coleman
"Jack Rabbit Slim's Cellar The $5 Mil Hak" by Jodi MacArthur
"Zed's Dead, Baby" by Eric Beetner, and
"A Night at the Royale" by Chris F. Holm
Read
November 3, 2014Edited by Nigel Bird and Chris Rhatigan, Pulp Ink is a blistering collection of 24 deliciously dark tales, each inspired by a song from the Pulp Fiction movie soundtrack. Murder and madness, sex and seduction, revenge and redemption, Pulp Ink has a little bit of everything going on. A few of my favorites:
“Requiem For A Spider” finds Reed Farrel Coleman’s well-known and much loved character Moe Prager roped into acting as combination backup/security blanket for an old friend at a meeting with a potential business partner…in the Russian Mafia. Proving that no good deed goes unpunished and people aren’t always who they seem to be, things go seriously sideways.
With their infant son in tow, Junior and his wife, Nina, travel the country in Matthew C. Funk’s “You Can Never Tell” systematically tracking down – and eliminating – all the old associates of Junior’s father in order to determine which one betrayed and killed him. Always one to push a story places you’re not quite expecting it to go, Funk takes the age-old concept of revenge and redemption and gives it a startling twist.
“Clouds in a Bunker” by David Cranmer finds the Spauldings in sad shape. His wife in full-blown dementia, WWI Veteran Ian decides to take her, hole up in their bomb shelter, and go out on their own terms when his own diagnosis of dementia threatens to tear the couple apart. Not convinced the old man is capable of actually causing harm to himself or his wife – he keeps interrupting negotiations to check the teakettle for goodness sake – the police find the situation more annoying than threatening. Cranmer gives both the police and the reader quite the eye-opener.
“A Corpse by Any Other Name” by Naomi Johnson. “I was wrong to think that if I just gave you an opportunity, you two could pull off a simple job without turning it into a fucking Keystone Kops movie.” Wickedly dark humor abounds in this cautionary tale of how deadly a combination WhitePages.com, MapQuest, and two criminals with IQs on the wrong side of the Bell Curve can be.
“Zed’s Dead, Baby” by Eric Beetner. What’s a well intentioned enforcer to do when he’s sent out on a little tune-up job only to find everyone keeps telling him the target, Zed, is dead? Convinced Zed’s putting one over on everyone, including him, the intrepid enforcer commandeers the “dead” Zed’s car and begins cutting a path of destruction through his known associates in effort to prove it.
“A Night At The Royale” by Chris F. Holm. “They should have known better than to talk during a movie.” Wonderfully understated, this one brings to life a fantasy I’m sure more than a few have played out in their minds regarding annoying people in theaters, as “the man in black” uses his special skills to educate two obnoxious patrons on proper movie viewing etiquette.
You’ll also find outstanding entries from other crime fiction heavy hitters, including Allan Guthrie, Hilary Davidson, Paul D. Brazill, AJ Hayes, Richard Godwin, Patti Abbott, Jason Duke, Ian Ayris, Chris Rhatigan, Nigel Bird and many others.
“Requiem For A Spider” finds Reed Farrel Coleman’s well-known and much loved character Moe Prager roped into acting as combination backup/security blanket for an old friend at a meeting with a potential business partner…in the Russian Mafia. Proving that no good deed goes unpunished and people aren’t always who they seem to be, things go seriously sideways.
With their infant son in tow, Junior and his wife, Nina, travel the country in Matthew C. Funk’s “You Can Never Tell” systematically tracking down – and eliminating – all the old associates of Junior’s father in order to determine which one betrayed and killed him. Always one to push a story places you’re not quite expecting it to go, Funk takes the age-old concept of revenge and redemption and gives it a startling twist.
“Clouds in a Bunker” by David Cranmer finds the Spauldings in sad shape. His wife in full-blown dementia, WWI Veteran Ian decides to take her, hole up in their bomb shelter, and go out on their own terms when his own diagnosis of dementia threatens to tear the couple apart. Not convinced the old man is capable of actually causing harm to himself or his wife – he keeps interrupting negotiations to check the teakettle for goodness sake – the police find the situation more annoying than threatening. Cranmer gives both the police and the reader quite the eye-opener.
“A Corpse by Any Other Name” by Naomi Johnson. “I was wrong to think that if I just gave you an opportunity, you two could pull off a simple job without turning it into a fucking Keystone Kops movie.” Wickedly dark humor abounds in this cautionary tale of how deadly a combination WhitePages.com, MapQuest, and two criminals with IQs on the wrong side of the Bell Curve can be.
“Zed’s Dead, Baby” by Eric Beetner. What’s a well intentioned enforcer to do when he’s sent out on a little tune-up job only to find everyone keeps telling him the target, Zed, is dead? Convinced Zed’s putting one over on everyone, including him, the intrepid enforcer commandeers the “dead” Zed’s car and begins cutting a path of destruction through his known associates in effort to prove it.
“A Night At The Royale” by Chris F. Holm. “They should have known better than to talk during a movie.” Wonderfully understated, this one brings to life a fantasy I’m sure more than a few have played out in their minds regarding annoying people in theaters, as “the man in black” uses his special skills to educate two obnoxious patrons on proper movie viewing etiquette.
You’ll also find outstanding entries from other crime fiction heavy hitters, including Allan Guthrie, Hilary Davidson, Paul D. Brazill, AJ Hayes, Richard Godwin, Patti Abbott, Jason Duke, Ian Ayris, Chris Rhatigan, Nigel Bird and many others.
March 31, 2013
I found this book to be boring. The short stories started in what seems like the middle of what was going on, so it didn't make sense. For instance, in the second story; The $5 Mil Hak, it starts with the character strapped to a chair. I want to know, who is this guy? what did he do to end up being tied up? how does he know the people that tied him up. etc. It just felt like most of the stories were like this and they didn't feel complete. I got so bored with it, I only read 65%. I even struggled to get that far.
June 13, 2014
3.5 stars
I first picked up this collection after hearing so many good things about it and you know what? They are all true. Anthologies can be hit and miss, especially ones that "specialise" in a genre - not so with Pulp Ink.
I won't go through all the stories but suffice to say that every author brought something different to the table - revenge, sex, hitmen, greed and money. Some of the stories were told from differing POV - the criminal, the hired gun, the victim...
Certainly a collection that deserves its time in your collection.
I first picked up this collection after hearing so many good things about it and you know what? They are all true. Anthologies can be hit and miss, especially ones that "specialise" in a genre - not so with Pulp Ink.
I won't go through all the stories but suffice to say that every author brought something different to the table - revenge, sex, hitmen, greed and money. Some of the stories were told from differing POV - the criminal, the hired gun, the victim...
Certainly a collection that deserves its time in your collection.
November 3, 2014
Wow...I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Given that it's a who's who of underground crime fiction, the stories range from decent to really twisted and haunting. Kudos to David Cranmer, Hilary Davidson, Paul D. Brazill, Chris F. Holm and Matthew C. Funk for unforgettably stories and to Nigel Bird and Chris Rhatigan who edited it and put some great stories of their own. But that Cranmer story? Wow!
June 26, 2013
The hit ratio here was very high. Even the stories that I found to be a little wide of the mark were never less than intriguing. The ones that I enjoyed the most -- especially Naomi Johnson's -- pulled off the difficult feat of blending action and humor. However, each author here has his or her own voice, and it adds up to a very satisfying medley.
June 17, 2012
Some weird, some wonderful & others mediocre at best. All in I would recommend this collection of shorts to pass the commute to work of a morning although I would not urge anyone to fall over themselves to read either.
October 20, 2012
This book is packed with dynamite, short thought provoking stories with punches to the gut. This collection of stories is so damn good that I am compelled to read this book again, and maybe again, sort of every so often for the rest of my life. A classic collection of the collective consciousness.
August 9, 2015
Great hardboiled anthology. Almost every piece in this collection is a gem to read.
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