The Coliseum by Patrick Lestewka

by Patrick Lestewka

Deep in the Canadian back country a new experiment in extreme penal punishment is underway. Although officially known as the Innuvik Penitentiary, it's more widely known The Coliseum. On October 15th, 1993, the first twenty prisoners were unleashed. These were the worst of the worst. Brutal criminals, psychopaths, lunatics, call them what you will. Today there is a batch of new fish. Harlan Rudduck, called The Beast, and boy is he, physically and mentally. A brutal and ruthless killer sentenced to battle the other beasts haunting the inside of a prison Hell wouldn't even want. Albert Rose, a simple and meek man who buries himself in his work. Then one day he loses his job and then finds out an awful secret about his wife. Now he's about to find out what happens when you kill the wrong man. Jackson Cantrell, a brilliant and charismatic man. Good qualities unless you're also a complete psychopath working for the Lord. It began with convincing his brother to jab his own eyes out with a fork to "see the light." And now, after sending 487 of his followers to meet their maker, Cantrell's manic faith is about to be tested as he and his fellow inmates are unshackled and released into The Coliseum. How long will they survive? What became of the original 20 prisoners? And what the hell is breeding in the deep, dark recesses of... THE COLISEUM!

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Horror Thriller, Splatterpunk, Novella

Paperback

First published March 25, 2011

Reviews

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

"You feed me and I feed you and that’s what makes the world go round . . ."

The Coliseum. Man oh man. There are so few words. Luckily the interwebs are full of tons of pictures! Let me begin by recommending this charming little tale of prison life be read directly before a huge meal . . .



No, not really. In fact, I don’t recommend reading this at all. There’s a very exclusive section of society who would find this book enjoyable. They are known as Trudi and Mitchell.

Welcome to The Coliseum - the newest type of supermax prison. With the death penalty off the table, a group of lobbyists get approval for a former hockey arena to be . . . . renovated in order to keep the worst of the worst type of humans off the streets. Once you enter the Coliseum, it’s every man for himself. The guards are on the outside, the food is dropped from the sky. The only bright side is the neverending loop of that wonderful Huey Lewis and the News tune “Hip to be Square” . . .



This is the story of what happens when Albert, a man who probably shouldn’t have bought himself that present . . .



offs the wrong guy who was banging his wife. It’s also about Jackson, the charming religious zealot who Jim Jones’d his followers . . .



And last, but certainly not least, it’s about Harlan . . .



a fella who wasn’t ever quite the same after his run-in with “Groundskeeper Willie” as a child. (Sidenote to anyone who gives a poop: Harlan will go down as one of my fave characters this year.)

Speaking of poop . . .



There’s a lot of poop in this story. And entrails. So many entrails. As I stated right from the jump, this one isn’t for everybody. Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut, if you are of sound mind and rock-solid stomach, you should go for it. Ain’t nothing like discovering one of my favorite authors had an even darker persona than the one I’ve already experienced . . .



Many thanks once again to Trudi. Without her review I wouldn’t even know this book (or pen-name) existed. Wait, what you got there, Trudi????



Whew! Just some more Kool-Aid? I’d loooooooooooove another cup.

[Trudi · Rating 4 out of 5]

SWEET UNHOLY JEBUS!!!!



I'm a self-identified horror addict and veteran of the genre. It takes A LOT to rattle my cage. This book? It is an unholy abomination - a dark, seething morass of gore and human depravity. It is not a fun read. But if you are so minded, it is a keenly compelling and profoundly disturbing one.

And now a word about this book's parentage. What unhinged mind gave birth to such a darkling monster?

There's this Canadian author Craig Davidson. You may have heard of him. He is a wonderful literary writer who has been nominated for prestigious awards, and one of his short stories has even been adapted into a critically acclaimed film. But Davidson has a dark side you see -- an alter ego that hijacks his more literary proclivities and pushes his writing into macabre and horrific territory.

Meet Nick Cutter, one of the most exciting things to happen to horror in the last decade. And he's CANADIAN. So just when you think we're all nice and polite and spend our days drinking Tim Horton's coffee and playing hockey, think again.

About being Richard Bachman (Stephen King's too short-lived alter ego) King quotes the late Donald Westlake referring to his very own alter ego Richard Stark: "I write Westlake stories on sunny days. When it rains. I'm Stark." For Davidson, I like to imagine the same rule applies. Sunny days he writes as Craig -- when it rains, Cutter takes over the writing room and anything goes. Anything.

But here's the twist (are you still with me?): before there was Cutter, there was this guy Patrick Lestewka -- and let's be clear here -- he makes Nick Cutter look like Mister Rogers. In fact, I think when Davidson realized he had this sub-id consciousness living inside of him -- this psycho "other" -- it scared the living shit out of him so much that he created Nick Cutter TO KILL Lestewka in an act of self-preservation. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn't? It doesn't bear pondering.

Lestewka had to die. Unlike the late, gone too soon Bachman, we will NOT mourn his passing. Instead we will breathe a sigh of relief, for it is a terrible, grotesque landscape in which he maneuvered, where he beckons us to come play, where the light never shines, where all hope is gone, and cruelty is the only currency.

Back in 2014, I shared a Q&A with Nick Cutter on my blog. I didn't know about Lestewka then, and now really wish I had because I would have loved to have gotten Cutter's take on the guy -- maybe even a confession of murder of the pseudonym! Ah well, there's always next time.

[Brandon Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite, but definitely messed up if that’s what you’re in the mood for. A short, but horrifically violent and depraved extreme horror.

TW’s for violent rape (both child and adult), sexual violence, body horror, blood+gore, torture, homophobia, hate crimes, excrement

[Ms. Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can you imagine being locked up and with no guards, no rules, and a limited food supply. You can't? Well, you don't need to imagine it because this Patrick fella does a mighty fine job of showing you just how bad it can be. This read was raw and relentless in its pursuit to scare you or just plain gross you out. At times I found body fluids coming out a certain way to be far-fetched, but then again I've never seen it done in real life. The writing was really good and I hope this author isn't a one trick pony. It would be really fantastic if there was a sequel. Sharpen your teeth and be ready to bite down on this fleshy read. Recommended for Blood, Feces, and Gore fans.

[Leevora · Rating 4 out of 5]

***** WARNING ******

Before you read this you must:

1. Have an open mind
2. Absolutely love the genre of horrific gore
3. Abolish all your morals through out the duration of this story
4. Have an incredible open mind
5. HAVE A UNWAVERING, INCREDIBLE OPEN MIND

LOL

So I wasn't a huge fan of The Preserve. Although it was an entertaining read and it was really well written, none of the characters captured my attention. I just didn't care for any of them. Now this story my heart went out to Albert. I wanted to jump in this story and protect him. I'm always a cheerleader for the under dog. But even though I understand why he did what he did, it was still wrong but I still wanted to protect him. Anyway...

This story is the definition of gore. And some of the victims... I don't know.... Just beware reading this. LOL.

You know when I find an author I like, I love to stalk them on Facebook to see when their next story is coming out, or beg them to bring a character back from the dead or have the next female interest look like me (haha... It's worth a try) but I'm kind of afraid to stalk Mr. Lestewka. He has that creative mind that freaks me out. (O.o ) Seriously... I'm entertained but I'm completely freaked out!
Like... 90% of the things that took place in this story... I would never have thought of. And I'm thinking, how in the hell did he even think of something like that? Like I said freaky but entertaining!!!

[Jeff French · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a little digging, very little actually, I learned that Patrick Lestewka and Nick Cutter, who wrote The Troop, are one in the same. I liked The Troop a lot. While it could be disgustingly gory at times, there was a sense of fun about the novel as well. With The Coliseum, all of the fun has been sucked out. You are left with a book that has relentless, hardcore violence, characters without any redeeming qualities, and lots of gore, described in exquisite detail. Lestewka revels in describing scenes of torture and perversion, so much so, that it makes it hard to get through certain parts. I'm a pretty jaded reader, but some of these passages were so over the top violent, I found myself rushing to get through them. I have to give the book 4 stars because if the author's intent was to create a read that would be on everyone's list of most vile and depraved novels, Lestewka has succeeded in spades.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm gonna do something different here and let the great George Takei sum up my thoughts on this book.

Take it away George:



Seriously though, The Coliseum sure was one hell of an eye opening book...or should I say eye popping, eye losing, eye disappearing book, since Lestweka has a weird fascination with describing, in intimate detail, the actions and descriptions of various acts of de-eyeballing his characters? That and the countless narration on castration and other forms of genital mutilation.

I guess what it really comes down is the fact that this is really not a great work of literature. If you've read the splatter punk genre before, then it's clearly obvious books like this are written as pure entertainment, or, at the very least, shock value. Like Tim Curran and Edward Lee before him, Lestweka writes in a way that makes the reader feel kind of disgusted with themselves for reading something of this nature...but at the same time, also leaves the reader with sense of fascination at just how base our instincts are in our desires to actually read some of the messed up shit that takes place here.

And messed up it truly is. I don't want to give away a whole lot of details, but let's just say that aside from the few things I mentioned before, there are a whole slew of things that make you question if (a)Lestewka is in fact a mentally deranged individual masquerading as an author, or (b) an extremely twisted author with a sick talent in describing the mentally deranged. I seriously hope it's the later because the vividness and creativeness of his violence is something that would be a total red-flag on a psych report. I mean, didn't people get locked up for penning this kind of stuff only a few decades ago?

In all honesty though, The Coliseum gets marks for what it manages to convey, and that's some wince-inducing, stomach-churning, gag-reflexing moments. It's no wonder Lestweka and Lee did do a collaboration since the 2 share a very particular set of skills that cater to a particular set of readers. I'm not the biggest fan of this sub-genre, but I can appreciate it for what it stands for...and hey, I have seen the ultimate in all splatter-punk films Dead Alive so I'm not exactly a novice in this area.

After all this, I think what really gets me though, and leaves me shaking my head, is the fact that Lestewka is none other than Craig Davidson, the Canadian author of literary works like Sarah Court and Cataract City. Unlike some authors who write under thinly veiled pseudonyms, the Lestweka personality of Davidson is almost completely unrecognizable. I never would have known the 2 were one and the same, that's how freakin' different the 2 are. Then again, Lestweka was eventually killed off in place of Nick Cutter, who, in my opinion is a much better horror author. Ha! And I thought Canadians were supposed to be friendly and light heartened.

[Sanitys Cky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haha wow - what an awesome goretastic ride that was!

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute chaos. Disgusting, filthy, violent, action packed, fucked up, sick and topped off with a truly bizarre finally. I loved it.

[Niall Cavanagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wild piece of work that is certainly an acquired taste. The violence in the novel somehow transcends gore - we need a new word to describe what this is. The splatter is interesting enough but I just flat out adore Cutter's writing. The very first page - a conversation between two imprisoned mafia capos - could be found in any classic James Ellroy novel. It's that good and Cutter really hooks you with that typical high quality prose/dialogue/characters. It's almost charming that a writer this good decides to muck it up with a degenerate story like this one.

As for the story itself there's not much else to know other than it's basically Escape from New York in a Yukon prison. Lots of horrific (and hilarious) insanity occurs. I loved that the ending felt like a sociological statement even if Cutter didn't intend it to be that way. I would recommend reading The Coliseum before The Preserve - it works as a prequel of sorts and is more of a fun lark compared to the masterpiece of The Preserve. No harm in reading them in reverse order but it's like eating an amazing main course before a good appetizer. All of it taste good but the order enhances things!

[Tyler Sturgill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so unbelievably absurd. As vile and disgusting as it is, I found myself laughing out loud many times do to just how over the top it was. Just when you think it can't get more ridiculous, oh boy it does. Like who thought of this? It is a short read, which is probably for the best. If you enjoy stories involving prison, gore, bodily fluids, extreme violence, and Huey Lewis, this book is right up your alley. Maybe I'm just sick in the head! Maybe you are too! Not as sick as the guy that wrote this though :)

[bookserpent · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hmm I can't decide on my favorite part: the meaningless violence with hardly any semblance of story, or the usage of a character's hermaphroditism (and it is true hermaphroditism, not anything like a real-life intersex condition) for cheap shock horror.

Just kidding! I fucking hated all of it.

[Tish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not for the faint of heart! An excruciatingly grotesque page turner.

[TK · Rating 1 out of 5]

Relies really heavily on the trope of trans* and gender-non-conforming folks as mentally ill psychotic killers

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved The Preserve by Lestewka (or Cutter or Davidson depending on the type of book) and I have really been looking forward to reading some other books by this guy. Or at least under this name in this genre of horror I guess. I picked this one up for my brother and borrowed it shortly after he was done. In some regards I was really pleased with this and could see shadow of where The Preserve came from, but all in all this didn't do that much for me.

This is a really short book, about 130 pages or so, but Lestewka manages to fit a staggering amount of violence into this. It's a splatterpunk book and therefore I'm expecting a hefty dose of brutality and in that regard I wasn't disappointed. In the slightest. There were a couple of passages in here, especially Charlie's little backstory, had my jaw open they were so explicit. They were almost too explicit. I'm not one to shy away from violence in my books, and in some cases (like horror and splatterpunk) I practically crave it, but in this book some parts of it had me wincing and cringing they were so brutal. Now trust me here, that is a good thing in a book like this. But unfortunately nothing is really done with any of it. We learn all of these horrific things about these terrible people and then they pretty much just die within a page or two, and they die pretty easily considering. There's a gang war in this book, this grimly savage book, and the whole thing lasts about two pages if that. I would expect a gang fight involving these characters to be the most brutal aspect of everything I've read and yet it's the most tame. I get the sense this book was knocked out over a couple days to vent some anger and that's that. Just cram some gross shit into it and then string it together as loosely as you can.

There's a twist ending on this that makes zero sense. I don't even think any sense was attempted. It's just, out of the blue, monsters. And there's no where to really go with them because somehow there are no characters left. It's like an ending was needed and it needed to be weird and violent and so, viola, monsters from the womb of a hermaphroditic serial killer living in a basement. It's a weird one, I'll give em that.

Despite the rushed nature of the book and the horrible violence depicted therein, there are some genuinely well written passages in here that let us know this was written by a guy with a lot more going on then this gorefest. There are some great passages, some brief yet effective insights into the few characters it warrants, and the depictions of human deconstruction are perversely graphic and well detailed.

I like my splatterpunk horror to be as brutal and bloody as possible and in that regard I wasn't disappointed with this. But there could have been more heft to it. It could easily have been longer, probably much longer. There could have been some attempts at a message of the penal system or of the horrors inside each of us. There could of at least been some attempt as explanation with the monsters and the thing in the basement. It's a book filled with hate and violence and backwards ideas and viewpoints, but I wanted it to be longer. To be more fleshed out. To be an actual novel, a story or narrative. Instead I got my gore-fix, but not much else. It's a loosely threaded story that feels extremely padded and even more rushed. Wish some more was put into this one, especially since The Preserve was the surprise hit favorite of my reading last year. Maybe there'll be a sequel to this one or something. Or at least Lestewka may put out another action stuffed blood bath splatterpunk horror novel soon. Either way, I'll keep my eyes peeled.

[Steve Stred · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s interesting to write a review of a novella, written by a single author, but having to compare that author with two other authors. In this case, it’s unique, because all three of these authors are the same person.

‘The Coliseum’ is a 2011, extreme-horror release by Patrick Lestewka, aka Nick Cutter, aka Craig Davidson. Davidson had a number of extreme releases under the Lestewka pseudonym between 2000 and 2011 and rumor even has it that there is a release under the Lestewka moniker that Davidson himself deemed “too extreme” and vowed to never let it see the light of day. Under the Cutter banner, Davidson has released a number of more “commercial extreme horror” novels. Think ‘The Troop’ and ‘The Deep.’ And as himself, he has released some highly successful books that range from insightful memoir to supernatural, coming-of-age.

I’d previously read ‘The Preserve’ under the Lestewka banner and was intrigued by the synopsis of ‘The Coliseum.’ Open a prison in Northern Canada where anything goes and the prisoners are left to fend for themselves.

What I liked: What is advertised is exactly what you get. A bunch of the worst-of-the-worst criminals in Canadian history get selected to be shipped to this revolutionary type of prison and left to their own devices. Food is dropped in daily, but it’s survival of the fittest and quickly rival factions are formed.

I enjoyed the way Lestewka decided to minimize the ‘ethical’ aspect of it and just state that the prison was pushed ahead and opened. That is the beauty of fiction at times, you can bend and shape the real life narrative to suit the story needed to be told.

The groups are interesting and the main players are all the worst of the worst. You never truly get to latch on with a specific person though, as you know nobody is making it out of this place in one piece.

I was also intrigued with the ‘biggest baddest’ character that was hunkered in the basement. While this played on the familiar trope of “there’s always a bigger threat coming,” it worked well to create an unease that no matter what happened on the main level wouldn’t ultimately matter if the thing in the basement decided to make themselves known.

What I didn’t like: I mean, I knew what I was signing up for, but this often was just extreme for extreme sake and a number of the gruesome deaths became repetitive. The story itself is set up specifically just to try and kill people as extremely as possible, but a tiny, small, smidgeon of character depth would have been fantastic.

Why you should buy this: There’s obviously a section of the horror world that gravitates towards the extreme aspect, so for them, this was tailor-made. If you’re wanting a bit more character depth and resolution, you will not find any.

If you’re looking for a fun, quick read about a converted hockey arena that now houses the horrible, look no further.

[Jerri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Craig Davidson is a Canadian author who has published work under both his own name and the pen names Patrick Lestewka and Nick Cutter. I recently read The Troop (Cutter) and loved it. I saw a glowing review on this story and was immediately interested. It automatically sparked thoughts of The Running Man and Escape From New York. The author, as expected, writes extremely well. There is a lot of graphic violence but one should expect as much from a story based on an extreme prison without rules. While quite visual, I didn't find it disturbing.

I cannot criticize Lestewka's writing. He is quite descriptive and creates very vivid images. I liked the background on the select criminals and how the prison came into existence. The prose was precise and powerful in few words. I really love that. So here are my three problems...…

1) While there were a lot of graphic scenes, there was not enough actual story. Yes there was some background story which was written well. Once the prisoners are thrown in the Coliseum there really wasn't anything but fight scenes. That was unsatisfying for me. Here is a good author - give me some substance.

2) In most movies and books with this theme there is at least one character the reader roots for. We wanted Ben Richards to survive and get medicine for his ill daughter. We wanted Snake to succeed and get his presidential pardon. In The Coliseum there is no one to pin your hopes on. Every criminal there deserves to die. With the exception of one (maybe), each deserves to die in a brutal manner such as they killed. There is not one good guy, a victim of circumstance or prejudice. Without a character to cheer for, the reader is simply reading graphic violence for the sake of it.

3) The ending. This "twist". I detested it. I hated the ending of one of my favorite books, IT. If you have read IT then you know what I am talking about. I backed up to read it a second time to see if I missed something. I didn't. I probably would have given the story three stars (story offset by the evident talent) if not for the ending.

This is a very short story, easy to breeze through in a couple of hours. For that reason, I am loathe to mention any specifics about it. What I can say is that the first thing I did when I got up this morning was to return the e-book to Amazon for credit. I have some Davidson on my bookshelves and Cutter's Little Heaven in my e-reader that I look forward to reading. I won't be reading anything else under Lestewka probably.

[Katie Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay so this book comes w a major trigger warning for basically everything ever and it's no joke that to read this you have to have an iron stomach and an open mind

i fell in love with nick cutter's writing when i read the troop and the deep so when i realised that patrick lestewka was another psuedonym for him i had to give this a read. only 138 pages, it took like an hour, hour and half to read and my god what this man can fit into 138 pages is beyond belief. some of the most unholy, depraved things i've ever read, and from a man who can't paint a picture with his words like nobody's business. also, the teeth scene? full body chills like i can't describe

if you're into extreme, really rather horrendous gore this is the book for you (and admittedly me). only giving this 3.5 stars because the ending just really kinda threw me off? not in a bad way but in a way that you can't really throw us a curveball with only 10 pages left lmao

[Dave Kirschner · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as extreme, gross out horror Lestewka/Cutter/Davidson is in a class of his own. If that's something you're into this is an outer to watch.

That being said this was a bit gratuitous, it's one thing for monsters and violence, but the thorough torture and abuse was kind of a lot.

Spoiler, the weird "horrors that defy definition" that like to pop up in this book, I would say to greatest effect in Little Heaven as Nick Cutter but also notably in The Preserve, and they're as usual the best part.

I'm torn between wanting to see more of these things, or enjoying the terror where I don't know what they're doing or where they came from either, helping me sympathize with usually pretty unlikeable characters

[Serenity · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I loved the gore in this book, it was just an ok read. I would give the gore factor 5 stars. My main issue was the people still being alive when there was no possibility for them to be. I'm all for creatures that could never be a reality, but when a human is still living after everything major inside of them has been destroyed... Eh. Not so much.

*Triggers of Child and adult rape. Not a lot, but a couple.*

[Jimmy Homan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shockingly violent, disgusting, mean-spirited, and nihilistic. This is just chapter after chapter of pain, suffering, depravity and over-the-top violence. Pure filth in literary form. It's only 131 pages long, but will require a long shower afterwards. Recommended for fans of extreme horror. You will not enjoy your stay.

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horrific

Please don’t read if you have triggers. This book is brutal. The story line was okay. A prison for the worst offenders. No rules, just chaos. As you can imagine, horrible things happen. The ending was a bit ridiculous and I don’t think it followed with the rest of the story.
Very graphic and brutal.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Genuinely boring and worthy of eye-rolling. It reads like a 13 year old boy who plays too much Call of Duty and loves gore a little too much. Absolutely zero interesting plot points, just a bunch of macho idiot characters who get off on violence.

[E The Creepy Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really need more from this story. Overall, it was awesome and very interesting and I would love to see this concept expanded on, even if that’s probably not going to happen. I read it all in one sitting. Very glad I got my hands on a copy of this.

[James Barrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visceral. Gory. Horrific. Imaginative. Entertaining.
Not for the faint of heart.
Not for the weak of stomach.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great original story. This book is hardcore and filled with disturbing content.

[Cole Freshkorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just….disgusting.

[Dave · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actively unpleasant, not worth reading. Edgy and violent but not in a good way.
If I could give it zero stars I would, this book was not for me.

[Loretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

😳😳😳😳😳

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this purely for the shock factor. Success. What a fucked up disgusting book. 5 stars hands down!