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Genital Grinder
Genital Grinder collects the most sought after and most extreme fiction from the diamond in the puke – Ryan Harding.
Contents:
Introduction: Enjoy the Gang Rape by Edward Lee
Bottom Feeder
Damaged Goods
Sharing Needles
Genital Grinder: A Snuff Film in 5 Acts
Development
Emissary
Genital Grinder II: Dis-Membered
First Indications
Aftermath: About the Stories
Contents:
Introduction: Enjoy the Gang Rape by Edward Lee
Bottom Feeder
Damaged Goods
Sharing Needles
Genital Grinder: A Snuff Film in 5 Acts
Development
Emissary
Genital Grinder II: Dis-Membered
First Indications
Aftermath: About the Stories
168 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2012
57 people are currently reading
1681 people want to read
About the author
Ryan Harding
37 books171 followersRyan Harding is the four-time Splatterpunk Award-winning author of books like Transcendental Mutilation, Genital Grinder, and collaborations with Jason Taverner (Reincursion, Reincarnage), Kristopher Triana (The Night Stockers), Lucas Mangum (Pandemonium), and Edward Lee (Header 3). He wrote the novella The Profile for the all Me Hoop anthology, and wrote guest scenes in Jonathan Butcher's Your Loved Ones Will Die First and Matt Shaw's The Devil's Guests. His short stories have appeared in the anthologies Y'All Ain't Right: Southern Extreme Horror Brewtality, The Big Book of Blasphemy, The New Flesh: A Literary Tribute to David Cronenberg, Splatterpunk Forever, Past Indiscretions, Masters of Horror, Battered Broken Bodies, Into Painfreak, DOA 3, and The Year's Best Hardcore Horror Vol. 3. His work has also been published in German, Italian, and Polish. Upcoming projects include a collaboration with Bryan Smith and the 3rd Agent Orange book with Jason Taverner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
August 29, 2022
This was never written. You are not reading this sentence. None of the following ever happened.
It’s after the end of the world . . . don’t you know that yet?
Anything that is said to have happened after December 31, 1999 is an illusion; a stubborn reflection from smoke and mirrors in the midst of a vast cosmic emptiness.
It’s after the end of the world . . . don’t you know that yet?
Anything that is said to have happened after December 31, 1999 is an illusion; a stubborn reflection from smoke and mirrors in the midst of a vast cosmic emptiness.
May 29, 2012
This was my first foray into the extreme horror genre as far as books go. I am familiar with other authors in the genre, like Edward Lee, but for whatever reason I have never sat down and read any of their work. I came across this particular book because the publisher, Deadite Press, has been reprinting a lot of Brian Keene’s work. I have been impressed by the quality of their books, and have heard nothing but great things about Genital Grinder itself.
This collection of seven stories range in length and sickness, but as twisted as they are they are very well written. Six of the seven are some of the craziest and goriest stories I’ve ever read. Harding does a great job of taking the disturbing depravity and utilizing it in an equally funny and entertaining story.
The highlights for me are Damaged Goods, Genital Grinder: A Snuff Film in Five Acts, and Genital Grinder 2: Dis-Membered. These three stories follow the adventures of Von and Greg, two very sick individuals who get themselves in some hilarious situations that you might feel disturbed to be enjoying. There is nothing sacred in these three stories, from murder to cannibalism; from rape to necrophilia, these stories have it all.
I don’t want to go into detail about all of the stories, but truly they are all exceptional and entertaining. I was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the writing in all these stories. There are maybe a couple that soar above the rest, but there isn’t a bad one in the bunch. If you really pay attention while reading this collection you will notice the small connections between them. I found it really enjoyable seeing how they all kind of fit together.
Even though I have almost no experience with the extreme horror genre I would still recommend this book to anyone that is into it. Ryan Harding really pushes the boundaries of disgusting, but he does it expertly. I personally was surprised to find that the great writing almost over shadowed the grotesqueness.
This collection of seven stories range in length and sickness, but as twisted as they are they are very well written. Six of the seven are some of the craziest and goriest stories I’ve ever read. Harding does a great job of taking the disturbing depravity and utilizing it in an equally funny and entertaining story.
The highlights for me are Damaged Goods, Genital Grinder: A Snuff Film in Five Acts, and Genital Grinder 2: Dis-Membered. These three stories follow the adventures of Von and Greg, two very sick individuals who get themselves in some hilarious situations that you might feel disturbed to be enjoying. There is nothing sacred in these three stories, from murder to cannibalism; from rape to necrophilia, these stories have it all.
I don’t want to go into detail about all of the stories, but truly they are all exceptional and entertaining. I was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the writing in all these stories. There are maybe a couple that soar above the rest, but there isn’t a bad one in the bunch. If you really pay attention while reading this collection you will notice the small connections between them. I found it really enjoyable seeing how they all kind of fit together.
Even though I have almost no experience with the extreme horror genre I would still recommend this book to anyone that is into it. Ryan Harding really pushes the boundaries of disgusting, but he does it expertly. I personally was surprised to find that the great writing almost over shadowed the grotesqueness.
May 4, 2021
You want the sickest of the sick? You want to feel sick while you read sick stories that might eventually make you BE sick?
Then strap in, because Ryan Harding is NOT fucking around.
Opening up with a comparatively tame entry into this pus-filled stoma-hole of a collection, Harding quickly ramps up the vileness by introducing us to his two resident degenerates, Von and Greg. These two continue to pop their horrible faces (and other parts) into this slew of vaguely connected tales, and their degenerate creativity seems to know no bounds.
If you haven't a strong stomach, you'll want to give this one a miss. If you want likable characters or subtext, you'll also want to skip it. If you don't like feeling dirty while you read a story, just move along. However - if you want the nastiest, stinkiest, most extreme (and sometimes hilarious) horror available, get involved! You won't regret it.
Then strap in, because Ryan Harding is NOT fucking around.
Opening up with a comparatively tame entry into this pus-filled stoma-hole of a collection, Harding quickly ramps up the vileness by introducing us to his two resident degenerates, Von and Greg. These two continue to pop their horrible faces (and other parts) into this slew of vaguely connected tales, and their degenerate creativity seems to know no bounds.
If you haven't a strong stomach, you'll want to give this one a miss. If you want likable characters or subtext, you'll also want to skip it. If you don't like feeling dirty while you read a story, just move along. However - if you want the nastiest, stinkiest, most extreme (and sometimes hilarious) horror available, get involved! You won't regret it.
October 6, 2022
I wish I could say I disliked this book because it was too disturbing for me and that it left me traumatized—but, alas, this is not the case. This was intermittently fun, but mostly it was just dreadfully boring. The opening note from Edward Lee (whose own books have allegedly become masturbation fodder for criminals, according to him) said that this book was basically going to traumatize me. Y’all know that I’m the kind of reader who loves extreme horror and gets excited at the prospect of reading something with a mile-long trigger list.
Sadly, this is not it. The most frightening thing about this book is how dull it is. The writing is so cold and clinical I found myself having to skim several times. The characters–who barely register as characters–were all one-note and never came alive. Harding holds us at arm’s length and never examines the darkness behind the fucked up speciments we follow in this story. It’s like “hey, here are some sick fucks who like to do fucked up shit! Ignore the lack of characterization and enjoy the urethra trauma, and maggot ejaculation! Here’s a tug of war scene with guts—laugh!” I’m like, oookay?
There are some pretty gnarly gore scenes (the Genital Grinder sections with Von and Gregg were my favorite parts), but the rest of the book was written with the blasé enthusiasm of a grocery list. Some of these short stories just felt like randomly selected excerpts from larger narratives (Bottom Feeder, Damaged Goods); others just felt like highly compressed novellas with all the meat stripped off the bone (Sharing Needles, Development). There’s also barely any intrigue; the stories end so abruptly, which puts a sudden halt in the momentum of the overall reading experience.
Although the book never fades to black, I wasn’t a fan of how the gore scenes in the latter portion of the book were presented as recounted events from the past. It was honestly like reading the Wikipedia summary of a true crime case. The second genital grinder story really saved it for me. It felt the most like an actual storyline, and had some darkly hilarious moments while also featuring a good amount of personality. It was bloody and hilarious–I wish that story itself was the entire book. In short, I expected much more from a book that doubled as a drinking game for each time the words GAPING ANUS were mentioned.
Sadly, this is not it. The most frightening thing about this book is how dull it is. The writing is so cold and clinical I found myself having to skim several times. The characters–who barely register as characters–were all one-note and never came alive. Harding holds us at arm’s length and never examines the darkness behind the fucked up speciments we follow in this story. It’s like “hey, here are some sick fucks who like to do fucked up shit! Ignore the lack of characterization and enjoy the urethra trauma, and maggot ejaculation! Here’s a tug of war scene with guts—laugh!” I’m like, oookay?
There are some pretty gnarly gore scenes (the Genital Grinder sections with Von and Gregg were my favorite parts), but the rest of the book was written with the blasé enthusiasm of a grocery list. Some of these short stories just felt like randomly selected excerpts from larger narratives (Bottom Feeder, Damaged Goods); others just felt like highly compressed novellas with all the meat stripped off the bone (Sharing Needles, Development). There’s also barely any intrigue; the stories end so abruptly, which puts a sudden halt in the momentum of the overall reading experience.
Although the book never fades to black, I wasn’t a fan of how the gore scenes in the latter portion of the book were presented as recounted events from the past. It was honestly like reading the Wikipedia summary of a true crime case. The second genital grinder story really saved it for me. It felt the most like an actual storyline, and had some darkly hilarious moments while also featuring a good amount of personality. It was bloody and hilarious–I wish that story itself was the entire book. In short, I expected much more from a book that doubled as a drinking game for each time the words GAPING ANUS were mentioned.
June 13, 2022
These stories are vile, stomach turning and disturbing. Ryan Harding isn't kiding around. If you're into this stuff definitely venture into the twisted minds and lives of Von and Greg two main characters you see pop up throughout these stories.
September 30, 2017
This was my very first taste of splatterpunk and it was a doozie. The title and cover both grabbed me instantly and I thought, "Well, this oughta be interesting..."
Some stories are stronger than others, there's a very dark sense humor that bubbles up like stomach acid and pretty much some of the sickest shit I've read can be found right here. Harding's style seems cutting edge to me, maybe it's in the delivery. It's matter of fact but there is substance and soul there--doesnt always happen in this genre.
Some stories are stronger than others, there's a very dark sense humor that bubbles up like stomach acid and pretty much some of the sickest shit I've read can be found right here. Harding's style seems cutting edge to me, maybe it's in the delivery. It's matter of fact but there is substance and soul there--doesnt always happen in this genre.
October 23, 2020
Gross, vile, and utterly hilarious. Ryan Harding is a top-tier extreme horror writer. There are many imitators but none reach either the sheer vulgarity or the masterful prose of Genital Grinder.
April 25, 2023
Fun collection of massively gross out stories. Didn’t really know what I was getting into with this book and having read it maybe still don’t, but certainly enjoyed it. Love the lay out of the book and the way the stories work. Will read more of his stuff. Development was my favourite but loved all the stuff with Von and Greg as well.
September 10, 2014
If you're reading a book that has a forward by Edward Lee odds are you should either run screaming or settle into a comfy chair and prepare to get your freak on. If a book is endorsed by Edward Lee it has to be good right?
Ryan Harding is quite a talented writer. He's able to present a story that revolves around some pretty sick subjects. If you have a weak stomach or dislike splatter punk then why are you even here?
The fact is that there is more to Harding than the typical gorefest that Genital Grinder is. He is a decent storyteller that pits a reassuring arm around your shoulder and then shows you just how sick some folks can be.
Each story is well paced and yes even disturbing. There is a common thread linking all of these stories together and once you see what it is you'll see that Genital Grinder is more than just a book of stories.
Genital Grinder is a welcome addition to the genre so if you're brave enough check it out.
Ryan Harding is quite a talented writer. He's able to present a story that revolves around some pretty sick subjects. If you have a weak stomach or dislike splatter punk then why are you even here?
The fact is that there is more to Harding than the typical gorefest that Genital Grinder is. He is a decent storyteller that pits a reassuring arm around your shoulder and then shows you just how sick some folks can be.
Each story is well paced and yes even disturbing. There is a common thread linking all of these stories together and once you see what it is you'll see that Genital Grinder is more than just a book of stories.
Genital Grinder is a welcome addition to the genre so if you're brave enough check it out.
November 4, 2023
I know! I know! What took me so long?? I have no excuses, and I have kicked myself for the last few weeks after reading this for leaving it so long to read this book! Especially after being told so many times just how awesome it is and how much I would love it! Well, all I can say is….you were all……absolutely correct! I loved it!! It's gone immediately onto my shelf of favourite extreme horror books! Brilliantly depraved and fucked up….extreme ingenuity at its best! 🖤🔪
There are a few different stories in here and they are all connected and interwoven with pure twisty genius! I'll write a few words for each, but my absolute fave thing about this book and the stories within are 100% Greg and Von! Sick, twisted little fuckers that they are, I adore them! Like Laurel and Hardy but insanely debauched and hilarious!
DAMAGED GOODS…. Greg and Von come across a body on the way home one night, but whose body is it? It couldnt possibly be porn star and anal Queen, Sarah Pensie, could it? They take the body home to investigate further, feeling like theyve hit the fucked-up fetish jackpot!!
Gross! Gross!! Grosser!!!
SHARING NEEDLES…. It all started with a box of magazines in the attic. The thrill of reading them becomes the thrill of acting them out in reality. Told in journal entries and present day, you get inside the mind of the killer, and it's not a nice place to be. Watching the story unfold on the TV news, and discovering you may well know the killer, means a confrontation is due, a confrontation with a twist or two…
Dark, disturbing, and clever.
GENITAL GRINDER: A SNUFF FILM IN FIVE ACTS…. This is, of course, the title story, and we are once again back with Greg and Von. This time they definitely have Lolita Ream in their possession, and they are going to devour every moment and every bit of her. On film. In the first legit snuff film ever made, with the 'help' of a few others. They want to make it the very best, so go above and beyond with the gut churning, debauched and inventive scenes. You know you're in for an entertaining, darkly funny time, when these two are around. And the ending….hilarious!!
DEVELOPMENT…. Alex is a senior with a crush on Katy. He works in a camera shop, developing peoples photos, and he gets to see some interesting sights!! Sights he likes to keep in his Binders, and sights he likes to investigate further. It starts off as a bit of fun, a hobby, but quickly turns into something much more sinister.
Dark and disturbing.
EMISSARY…. Gabriel works at the local video store, with Renee and Carrie, two hot girls he struggles not to fantasise about whilst working. But he's shy. One of his guilty pleasures happens to be snuff movies, particularly the Taste of Death movies. But, are they all they are hyped up to be, really? As he delves further into the company, he discovers some familiar faces, and some very strange goings on.
Dark with an imaginative twist.
GENITAL GRINDER II: DIS-MEMBERED…. Firstly, I was so fucking excited when I realised there was another Genital Grinder and Greg and Von were back! I fucking love these two reprobates! 😂
Greg and Von are hanging out at the Electra Complex, a sleazy strip joint. They enter a specialist room called The Vacuum, (named for reasons which will become clear 😉), and go to work on one of the members inside. They come away with a grisly prize, and subsequently lose it, and their chance of becoming extremely rich! A case of mistaken identity leads to utterly crazy, blood soaked chaos. We are also introduced to the lovely Sammy, or Dr Butcher as he's also known, and for good reason! Dear Lord Sammy!!!! 😲😂 And just what has Sammy got hidden in the attic? A tasty treat for the guys that's for sure!! And that ending!! 😂
I WANT MORE GREG AND VON!!!! 🖤
FINAL INDICATIONS…. We all remember where we were at the turn of the year 2000, waiting to see if it really was the end of the world, if, when those clocks hit midnight everything would reset itself, including the world and everything on it!? Well, of course, nothing happened and we are all still here to prove it! Disappointing? Somewhat. But not as disappointed as our MC was, maybe. That is until he met Ursula, who seemed just as uninspired by it all as himself, until, with the help of some friends, Ursula unveils the Golem Phenomenon to him. Becoming the art, bringing the art to life, and to death.
A darkly trippy little number.
Obviously, my fave stories were the Genital Grinder stories, but the whole thing was gruesome genius. I absolutely loved all the little easter eggs in every story, connecting the characters, towns and storylines perfectly. Harding has a chilling way of writing that really gets under your skin and into your brain. It also etches the most horrific and abhorrent images onto your retinas. Darkly humorous, grossly hilarious, cleverly written, addictive and insanely immersive in all its guts and glory. This is one of those books that you'll find yourself randomly thinking about for years to come.
There are a few different stories in here and they are all connected and interwoven with pure twisty genius! I'll write a few words for each, but my absolute fave thing about this book and the stories within are 100% Greg and Von! Sick, twisted little fuckers that they are, I adore them! Like Laurel and Hardy but insanely debauched and hilarious!
DAMAGED GOODS…. Greg and Von come across a body on the way home one night, but whose body is it? It couldnt possibly be porn star and anal Queen, Sarah Pensie, could it? They take the body home to investigate further, feeling like theyve hit the fucked-up fetish jackpot!!
Gross! Gross!! Grosser!!!
SHARING NEEDLES…. It all started with a box of magazines in the attic. The thrill of reading them becomes the thrill of acting them out in reality. Told in journal entries and present day, you get inside the mind of the killer, and it's not a nice place to be. Watching the story unfold on the TV news, and discovering you may well know the killer, means a confrontation is due, a confrontation with a twist or two…
Dark, disturbing, and clever.
GENITAL GRINDER: A SNUFF FILM IN FIVE ACTS…. This is, of course, the title story, and we are once again back with Greg and Von. This time they definitely have Lolita Ream in their possession, and they are going to devour every moment and every bit of her. On film. In the first legit snuff film ever made, with the 'help' of a few others. They want to make it the very best, so go above and beyond with the gut churning, debauched and inventive scenes. You know you're in for an entertaining, darkly funny time, when these two are around. And the ending….hilarious!!
DEVELOPMENT…. Alex is a senior with a crush on Katy. He works in a camera shop, developing peoples photos, and he gets to see some interesting sights!! Sights he likes to keep in his Binders, and sights he likes to investigate further. It starts off as a bit of fun, a hobby, but quickly turns into something much more sinister.
Dark and disturbing.
EMISSARY…. Gabriel works at the local video store, with Renee and Carrie, two hot girls he struggles not to fantasise about whilst working. But he's shy. One of his guilty pleasures happens to be snuff movies, particularly the Taste of Death movies. But, are they all they are hyped up to be, really? As he delves further into the company, he discovers some familiar faces, and some very strange goings on.
Dark with an imaginative twist.
GENITAL GRINDER II: DIS-MEMBERED…. Firstly, I was so fucking excited when I realised there was another Genital Grinder and Greg and Von were back! I fucking love these two reprobates! 😂
Greg and Von are hanging out at the Electra Complex, a sleazy strip joint. They enter a specialist room called The Vacuum, (named for reasons which will become clear 😉), and go to work on one of the members inside. They come away with a grisly prize, and subsequently lose it, and their chance of becoming extremely rich! A case of mistaken identity leads to utterly crazy, blood soaked chaos. We are also introduced to the lovely Sammy, or Dr Butcher as he's also known, and for good reason! Dear Lord Sammy!!!! 😲😂 And just what has Sammy got hidden in the attic? A tasty treat for the guys that's for sure!! And that ending!! 😂
I WANT MORE GREG AND VON!!!! 🖤
FINAL INDICATIONS…. We all remember where we were at the turn of the year 2000, waiting to see if it really was the end of the world, if, when those clocks hit midnight everything would reset itself, including the world and everything on it!? Well, of course, nothing happened and we are all still here to prove it! Disappointing? Somewhat. But not as disappointed as our MC was, maybe. That is until he met Ursula, who seemed just as uninspired by it all as himself, until, with the help of some friends, Ursula unveils the Golem Phenomenon to him. Becoming the art, bringing the art to life, and to death.
A darkly trippy little number.
Obviously, my fave stories were the Genital Grinder stories, but the whole thing was gruesome genius. I absolutely loved all the little easter eggs in every story, connecting the characters, towns and storylines perfectly. Harding has a chilling way of writing that really gets under your skin and into your brain. It also etches the most horrific and abhorrent images onto your retinas. Darkly humorous, grossly hilarious, cleverly written, addictive and insanely immersive in all its guts and glory. This is one of those books that you'll find yourself randomly thinking about for years to come.
June 20, 2012
This book of short stories will punch you in the face, bloody your nose, then make you swallow the blood and puke.
June 25, 2013
It thrives in the wilds of nether regions
Looking for a place to grow its lesions.
In your cells do they multiply and grow.
Eating away the flesh below.
Sometime they burrow,
in the furrow of your hair.
Maybe you can spot them in your underwear.
The moist condition causes them to flourish and sow.
You can feel them thriving, itching to go.
They like to travel from friend to foe.
Lay in your bed,
Rest on your pillow.
by Nikki
Wild foreword from Edward Lee about grossness.
2 1/2 stars~Bottom Feeder was decent. Mainly about fat chicks and how they roll (hee-hee). Hopefully, one never dies while on top.
3 stars~Damaged Goods was nasty
3 stars~Sharing Needles had a cool ending
3 stars~G Grinder- Real Ed Lee Gross out shit
2 stars-Development- Not for me
3 stars-G Grinder 2. a continuation of previous grossness.
2 stars- Final Indications-not for me
Even though the foreword from Lee pretty much said Harding isn't writing gross for the sake of being gross, I'd have to say that didn't ring true. Eating penises and licking diseased crotches is not a fun or spectacular thing. In essence, it is gross.
That being said, it was still good (for lack of a better word).
Looking for a place to grow its lesions.
In your cells do they multiply and grow.
Eating away the flesh below.
Sometime they burrow,
in the furrow of your hair.
Maybe you can spot them in your underwear.
The moist condition causes them to flourish and sow.
You can feel them thriving, itching to go.
They like to travel from friend to foe.
Lay in your bed,
Rest on your pillow.
by Nikki
Wild foreword from Edward Lee about grossness.
2 1/2 stars~Bottom Feeder was decent. Mainly about fat chicks and how they roll (hee-hee). Hopefully, one never dies while on top.
3 stars~Damaged Goods was nasty
3 stars~Sharing Needles had a cool ending
3 stars~G Grinder- Real Ed Lee Gross out shit
2 stars-Development- Not for me
3 stars-G Grinder 2. a continuation of previous grossness.
2 stars- Final Indications-not for me
Even though the foreword from Lee pretty much said Harding isn't writing gross for the sake of being gross, I'd have to say that didn't ring true. Eating penises and licking diseased crotches is not a fun or spectacular thing. In essence, it is gross.
That being said, it was still good (for lack of a better word).
July 25, 2021
This is, of course, a very gory book. Besides the obvious gore, let's get into why this book should be skipped and possibly burned. I'm not even bothered by the grotesque things that happened in this book. I'm more bothered that the book is filled with misogyny and rape. The female characters are treated like sacks to be thrown around and treated like filth. They're called whores and sluts for existing. Now, when an author dives into the mind of a serial killer, psycho, or rapist, the character will have depraved thoughts about the victims or whoever, but for the author to have every main character have the same misogynist thoughts is over the top for me. This collection seemed more of a "let's see all the sick things that can be done to a woman" than anything else. There's also quite a bit of homophobia which is bothersome. There were a few derogatory remarks about being gay or homo. I'll probably never read anything by Ryan Harding again. I have better things to read than this woman hating crap.
April 2, 2022
I had heard of Ryan Harding and I was insanely excited to find out that he was the ringer for CALL ME HOOP. I had to find out what all the hubbub was about. Then I contacted him for Godless Angels and my palms were sweaty because well, he’s more well known and I’m… me. He was kind and I breathed a sigh of relief that I wasn’t blocked.
When I received a message from him about his newest book (due out later this year), I fainted and brought myself back just to faint again. He suggested I start with GENITAL GRINDER and that’s what this review is. A long winded, fangirl vomiting lead up to that. Don’t judge me!
The point of the long intro is because I was expecting something insane, disturbing, and gore filled. I wasn’t disappointed. BUT! There is more than surface level with Harding’s work and that is what is special about this. Let’s look at each story individually and then you decide if you can live without this book in your life. (Spoiler: You can’t.)
Damaged Goods - is the introduction of two of the most deranged but hilarious characters I have read. Von and Greg like to have sex… and sometimes, it doesn’t go as planned.
Sharing Needles - Sometimes more than eye color is in the ol’ family genes. A bit of blood, blackmail, and a whole lot of whiplash is in this shorty.
Genital Grinder: A Snuff Film in Five Acts - probably one of the funniest, most disturbing works I have ever read. Just… holy shit. Also, the maggots. Fucking hell.
Development - sometimes pictures are worth more than a thousand words. Like, a lot more.
Emissary - a video store clerk sees things others don’t. Then takes action.
Genital Grinder II: Dis-Memberment - Possibly the second funniest, most disturbing works read to date. Enter Sammy, the third in this insane story of debauchery. I REALLY hope there is more from these three because, yes. When a blackmail attempt goes awry, shenanigans ensue.
Final Indications - what do you do when art becomes reality? You kill people! Duh.
Look, I can talk about these stories for hours (ask Ryan, I bombarded him with commentary for a while.) These stories are brutal, bile inducing pieces of awesome! There are Easter eggs galore if you are into that kind of thing (which, I very much am) as well as social commentary and interweaving themes.
I kinda liked it. ;)
10/5 I can’t wait to read TRANSCENDENTAL MUTILATION
October 12, 2017
This was far better than the "let's see how gross and extreme I can be!" i was expecting based on all the marketing material. Instead the introduction by Edward Lee is very much on point when he indicates Harding can write and write well.
In this collection of inter-related tales, Harding plumbs the depths of human depravity while also somehow managing to keep things light - at least in any tale that relates to Von and his sidekick Greg. But it is actually two of his more serious tales, Development and Emissary which really pack a punch while displaying some serious potential for Harding as a horror and bizzaro writer.
Worth a look for fans of Edward Lee and Wrath James White.
3.5 Unfortunate One Night Stands for Genital Grinder.
In this collection of inter-related tales, Harding plumbs the depths of human depravity while also somehow managing to keep things light - at least in any tale that relates to Von and his sidekick Greg. But it is actually two of his more serious tales, Development and Emissary which really pack a punch while displaying some serious potential for Harding as a horror and bizzaro writer.
Worth a look for fans of Edward Lee and Wrath James White.
3.5 Unfortunate One Night Stands for Genital Grinder.
March 30, 2015
Think you’re hardcore? Think again.
I thought I was HARDER than hardcore, and… I didn’t handle this as easily as I believed I would. (That’s evident by the amount of time that passed between my first reading and this post!)
My showers are never hot enough any more.
The backs of my eyeballs itch.
I think I caught something, a VVD¹.
Due to Extreme Content Warning, the full review is posted on BBB ~ come join the discussion!
¹ virtual venereal disease
I thought I was HARDER than hardcore, and… I didn’t handle this as easily as I believed I would. (That’s evident by the amount of time that passed between my first reading and this post!)
My showers are never hot enough any more.
The backs of my eyeballs itch.
I think I caught something, a VVD¹.
Due to Extreme Content Warning, the full review is posted on BBB ~ come join the discussion!
¹ virtual venereal disease
May 15, 2012
Ryan Harding's GENITAL GRINDER is deplorable and that is exactly why you should read it. Harding is able to write extreme horror in a way that many, even most can't, he is able to do it with story. In a genre too easily engrossed in being extreme for the sake of being extreme, Harding employs solid storytelling. The result is a book you can't put down but often have to close your eyes to read.
The books is a series of short stories however the stories all have a thread that runs through them connecting them in one way or another. Part of the fun of reading this is figuring out how they couple together. The characters in GENITAL GRINDER are also very memorable in a keystone cops kind of way. Lovably sinister the two bumble their way through several of the stories in ways that make you laugh else you will cry.
Talking too much about this book would get spoilerish. Suffice to say it is not for those with weak constitutions. That beings said it is perfect for those who wish to test their constitutions. Read it to feel alive!
This book was reviewed as part of my podcast Books, Beer and Bullshit. The podcast can be found at http://booksbeerbullshit.podbean.com
This book is reviewed in Episode 2.
The books is a series of short stories however the stories all have a thread that runs through them connecting them in one way or another. Part of the fun of reading this is figuring out how they couple together. The characters in GENITAL GRINDER are also very memorable in a keystone cops kind of way. Lovably sinister the two bumble their way through several of the stories in ways that make you laugh else you will cry.
Talking too much about this book would get spoilerish. Suffice to say it is not for those with weak constitutions. That beings said it is perfect for those who wish to test their constitutions. Read it to feel alive!
This book was reviewed as part of my podcast Books, Beer and Bullshit. The podcast can be found at http://booksbeerbullshit.podbean.com
This book is reviewed in Episode 2.
November 18, 2012
Terrible book. And not in a good way.
I am into gory, macabre books. A friend on Facebook put me in contact with a friend of hers who she thought like the same thing as I do. My new friend, in passing, mentionned this book, and said it was gone of the worst books she had read - in a good way.
I thought it was too boring. A few funny bits, but only a few. I think the author was relying on explicit sex scenes to shock. If he was using sex to shock, then he is about thirty years too late. If this had been released before the advent of VHS video, DVD and the internet (which all owe a huge debt of gratitude to the porn industry, especially VHS video), then it might have had a shock value. The only shock value for me, after the colostomy bags and maternity sheets (where I did go, "OOOOOH!), was that I wasted six hours of my life on utter cabbage. This has nothing on Shaun Hutson. Take the sex bit out of it, and it is has nothing. Greg's letter to the porn star was good. :-)
Too many authors and film writers stick sex in stories where they do not belong. There are enough websites, for any fantasy you could have, if I want that stuff.
Ah! Shaun, where are you?
This was so boring. If that is an example of extreme horror, he has no idea what horror is.
I am into gory, macabre books. A friend on Facebook put me in contact with a friend of hers who she thought like the same thing as I do. My new friend, in passing, mentionned this book, and said it was gone of the worst books she had read - in a good way.
I thought it was too boring. A few funny bits, but only a few. I think the author was relying on explicit sex scenes to shock. If he was using sex to shock, then he is about thirty years too late. If this had been released before the advent of VHS video, DVD and the internet (which all owe a huge debt of gratitude to the porn industry, especially VHS video), then it might have had a shock value. The only shock value for me, after the colostomy bags and maternity sheets (where I did go, "OOOOOH!), was that I wasted six hours of my life on utter cabbage. This has nothing on Shaun Hutson. Take the sex bit out of it, and it is has nothing. Greg's letter to the porn star was good. :-)
Too many authors and film writers stick sex in stories where they do not belong. There are enough websites, for any fantasy you could have, if I want that stuff.
Ah! Shaun, where are you?
This was so boring. If that is an example of extreme horror, he has no idea what horror is.
October 24, 2013
A bloody, gruesome, disgusting, vomit-inducing gore-fest with plenty of murder, incest, rape, and torture to make any hardcore horror lover squirm. Every type of fluid the human body can expunge wets these pages. Things like maggots being placed into a disease-ridden porn star to a penis being severed and cauterized to a guy torturing and having sex with his sister are all described in graphic detail. For fans of Extreme Horror and Bizarro.
July 6, 2019
I’ve reviewed some extreme horror before, but today is when the kid gloves come off for a bare-knuckle throwdown. Before you dive into Ryan Harding’s short story compilation, make sure you haven’t eaten for the past twelve hours and there’s plenty of hot water, because you’re going to need a long shower after this literary torture session. Edward Lee wrote the introduction, and he has nothing but praise for both author and text.
Let that sink in for a moment. Edward "I Write Books About Bestiality-Practicing, Inbred, Scat-Loving Hillbillies" Lee throws his doe eyes at Harding the way my dog does when he wants a treat for going outside and crapping in the yard like a good boy. I can excuse my dog on the basis I like to call 'because he's a dog'. Lee's excuse? I'm not going there. One encounter with The Pig was about fifty too many for me, thankyouverymuch.
Horror is filled with books that make you think, “Man, they couldn't put that on screen if they tried!” Then you realize Lee’s Header was filmed in 2006, A Serbian Film crossed the ocean in 2010, and Tom Six has been paid to write and direct three, three, movies since 2009 with the sole selling point being an ever-increasing number of peoples' mouths sewn to other people’s anuses. Surely we have, by now, reached not just the bottom of the barrel, but the bottom of the goddamn septic tank, right? Genital Grinder is 168 pages of Ryan Harding proving we were not even close.
"Genital Grinder" isn’t one novel, but rather a collection of short stories sharing a loose affiliation with one another by virtue of taking place in the same town and featuring several of the same characters, and you will not want to attempt it unless you have a cast-iron stomach. I cannot stress this enough: if any of the previous books I've reviewed were difficult for you to navigate, give this one a pass.
There...there are an awful lot of you still reading this. Are you sure you want--
What's that?
You are?
Sigh.
Oooookay, then. (FML...)
Harding is a splatterpunk’s splatterpunk, unafraid to throw every bodily fluid imaginable and then some right in your face, but if you dig below all the blood and puke, there’s competent writing and a feverishly diseased imagination awaiting. The stories all deal with different subject matters, each being its own self-contained nightmare. The book’s title comes from two of the most revolting pieces within, ‘Genital Grinder: A Snuff Film in 5 Acts’ and ‘Genital Grinder II: Dis-Membered’. No hyperbole, the first ‘Genital Grinder’ story with Von and Greg is the only thing I’ve ever read in my life that damn near made my stomach scream in terror and escape my abdomen by way of my esophagus. The second, while disturbing, is played much more for laughs, as is ‘Damaged Goods’ (which also features the idiotic duo perpetrating the most deplorable 'get rich quick' scheme imaginable). Other stories include ‘Bottom Feeder’ where a guy visiting a bar at last call goes home with the wrong gal, ‘Development’ where a kid working the local film department finds himself printing off an unimaginable series of photographs, ‘Emissary’ which is a love(?) letter to those shockumentaries like "Faces of Death" and "Banned In America", and ‘Sharing Needles’ which sees either the return of a serial killer from two decades earlier or the rise of a copycat who knows everything the original would have and then some.
None of this would work if Harding wasn’t such a competent storyteller, and it’s tempting to claim this is the first case of a writer using his gift for evil I’ve ever come across. What makes it so impressive is hard to put into words, but if I may digress into Dungeons & Dragons terms: if Edward Lee is Chaotic Evil (brutalizing the reader for sheer shock value) and Wrath James White is Lawful Evil (brutalizing the reader for the sake of making him ponder something important), then Ryan Harding is Neutral Evil (brutalizing the reader due to the demands of the story). Harding’s a slave to narrative here--he will capitulate to any demand it makes of him, a fact which renders his type of writing the most horrifying of all, in my opinion.
Most disturbing scene:
Screw you for making me remember.
It happens in ‘Genital Grinder: A Snuff Act in 5 Acts’. Von and Greg have kidnapped beautiful local news anchor Geisha Hammond and porn actress Lolita Ream with plans to create the first honest-to-gawd legit snuff film released for public consumption. Hammond has the most legitimate reason imaginable for why she’s not ready for her close-up, but as far as the two would-be gore-nographers are concerned, it’s no excuse to waste a perfectly good tub of bath water. I’m not saying any more because I paid ten bucks for my lunch earlier today, and as generous as you all are, I'd prefer not to get reacquainted with it.
Besides, it'll make you hate me even more to stumble across it yourselves with no warning the same way I did. And that thought makes me smile.
Damn it, Harding's rubbing off on me, and I hate all of you for it.
Let that sink in for a moment. Edward "I Write Books About Bestiality-Practicing, Inbred, Scat-Loving Hillbillies" Lee throws his doe eyes at Harding the way my dog does when he wants a treat for going outside and crapping in the yard like a good boy. I can excuse my dog on the basis I like to call 'because he's a dog'. Lee's excuse? I'm not going there. One encounter with The Pig was about fifty too many for me, thankyouverymuch.
Horror is filled with books that make you think, “Man, they couldn't put that on screen if they tried!” Then you realize Lee’s Header was filmed in 2006, A Serbian Film crossed the ocean in 2010, and Tom Six has been paid to write and direct three, three, movies since 2009 with the sole selling point being an ever-increasing number of peoples' mouths sewn to other people’s anuses. Surely we have, by now, reached not just the bottom of the barrel, but the bottom of the goddamn septic tank, right? Genital Grinder is 168 pages of Ryan Harding proving we were not even close.
"Genital Grinder" isn’t one novel, but rather a collection of short stories sharing a loose affiliation with one another by virtue of taking place in the same town and featuring several of the same characters, and you will not want to attempt it unless you have a cast-iron stomach. I cannot stress this enough: if any of the previous books I've reviewed were difficult for you to navigate, give this one a pass.
There...there are an awful lot of you still reading this. Are you sure you want--
What's that?
You are?
Sigh.
Oooookay, then. (FML...)
Harding is a splatterpunk’s splatterpunk, unafraid to throw every bodily fluid imaginable and then some right in your face, but if you dig below all the blood and puke, there’s competent writing and a feverishly diseased imagination awaiting. The stories all deal with different subject matters, each being its own self-contained nightmare. The book’s title comes from two of the most revolting pieces within, ‘Genital Grinder: A Snuff Film in 5 Acts’ and ‘Genital Grinder II: Dis-Membered’. No hyperbole, the first ‘Genital Grinder’ story with Von and Greg is the only thing I’ve ever read in my life that damn near made my stomach scream in terror and escape my abdomen by way of my esophagus. The second, while disturbing, is played much more for laughs, as is ‘Damaged Goods’ (which also features the idiotic duo perpetrating the most deplorable 'get rich quick' scheme imaginable). Other stories include ‘Bottom Feeder’ where a guy visiting a bar at last call goes home with the wrong gal, ‘Development’ where a kid working the local film department finds himself printing off an unimaginable series of photographs, ‘Emissary’ which is a love(?) letter to those shockumentaries like "Faces of Death" and "Banned In America", and ‘Sharing Needles’ which sees either the return of a serial killer from two decades earlier or the rise of a copycat who knows everything the original would have and then some.
None of this would work if Harding wasn’t such a competent storyteller, and it’s tempting to claim this is the first case of a writer using his gift for evil I’ve ever come across. What makes it so impressive is hard to put into words, but if I may digress into Dungeons & Dragons terms: if Edward Lee is Chaotic Evil (brutalizing the reader for sheer shock value) and Wrath James White is Lawful Evil (brutalizing the reader for the sake of making him ponder something important), then Ryan Harding is Neutral Evil (brutalizing the reader due to the demands of the story). Harding’s a slave to narrative here--he will capitulate to any demand it makes of him, a fact which renders his type of writing the most horrifying of all, in my opinion.
Most disturbing scene:
Screw you for making me remember.
It happens in ‘Genital Grinder: A Snuff Act in 5 Acts’. Von and Greg have kidnapped beautiful local news anchor Geisha Hammond and porn actress Lolita Ream with plans to create the first honest-to-gawd legit snuff film released for public consumption. Hammond has the most legitimate reason imaginable for why she’s not ready for her close-up, but as far as the two would-be gore-nographers are concerned, it’s no excuse to waste a perfectly good tub of bath water. I’m not saying any more because I paid ten bucks for my lunch earlier today, and as generous as you all are, I'd prefer not to get reacquainted with it.
Besides, it'll make you hate me even more to stumble across it yourselves with no warning the same way I did. And that thought makes me smile.
Damn it, Harding's rubbing off on me, and I hate all of you for it.
December 6, 2023
Horrendous. Nauseating. Excellent example of extreme horror.
March 17, 2021
How can I live in a world with an author like this and fans like these?
How can I live with myself, having read 3/4 of this book?
What is wrong with the human race?
This is immoral and purely exploitative, like Edward Lee. In fact, I see no difference at all from Lee's work, in style or substance. The most disturbing part of the book is this line from Lee's introduction: "I’ve always tried to respond to all fan contacts (every now and then, however, you get an obvious clunker, like the ex-con who wrote to tell me The Bighead’s most violent scenes provided him with superb masturbation fodder; or the woman who wanted to know if I’d like to see pictures of her cutting herself—these, yes, are such clunkers. It is advisable for an author never to reply to these red flags)."
Truly horrifying.
Fans of "splatter" say that the subgenre isn't for anyone with a "weak stomach." I'd say it's not for anyone, period.
Being humane is important.
How can I live with myself, having read 3/4 of this book?
What is wrong with the human race?
This is immoral and purely exploitative, like Edward Lee. In fact, I see no difference at all from Lee's work, in style or substance. The most disturbing part of the book is this line from Lee's introduction: "I’ve always tried to respond to all fan contacts (every now and then, however, you get an obvious clunker, like the ex-con who wrote to tell me The Bighead’s most violent scenes provided him with superb masturbation fodder; or the woman who wanted to know if I’d like to see pictures of her cutting herself—these, yes, are such clunkers. It is advisable for an author never to reply to these red flags)."
Truly horrifying.
Fans of "splatter" say that the subgenre isn't for anyone with a "weak stomach." I'd say it's not for anyone, period.
Being humane is important.
goldfinch-in-juice
March 12, 2017Book's nothing but an excuse to post a Carcass track ::
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd7iC...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd7iC...
June 26, 2021
Okay ... so this isn't a book for everybody. If you don't like gore, or bodily functions, or depraved activities, or torture, stay well away.
But if you have a taste for extreme horror, waddle right on in. But only if you have a sense of humour. Because this book is side-splittingly funny.
Contrary to popular belief, it is very, very difficult to write this sort of material well. Any idiot can slap down descriptions of blood and guts repeatedly and bore the reader stupid. It takes real skill to use just the right words, in the right sequence, with the right timing, to stimulate both loud laughter and cringing revulsion at one and the same time. The dial of "WHAT just happened!?" has to be turned to a very precise position indeed to hit the mark.
This book is funny - hysterically funny - simply because it consistently hits that mark and hits its gross, splattery target perfectly dead centre every time. Any further and it would be absurd; any less and it would just be nasty and unpleasant. This is art. It may not be art you'd want your granny to read, but it is art nevertheless.
And I will never again in my life look at a curly straw without shuddering as long as I live.
But if you have a taste for extreme horror, waddle right on in. But only if you have a sense of humour. Because this book is side-splittingly funny.
Contrary to popular belief, it is very, very difficult to write this sort of material well. Any idiot can slap down descriptions of blood and guts repeatedly and bore the reader stupid. It takes real skill to use just the right words, in the right sequence, with the right timing, to stimulate both loud laughter and cringing revulsion at one and the same time. The dial of "WHAT just happened!?" has to be turned to a very precise position indeed to hit the mark.
This book is funny - hysterically funny - simply because it consistently hits that mark and hits its gross, splattery target perfectly dead centre every time. Any further and it would be absurd; any less and it would just be nasty and unpleasant. This is art. It may not be art you'd want your granny to read, but it is art nevertheless.
And I will never again in my life look at a curly straw without shuddering as long as I live.
April 30, 2024
Im not entitely sure why i read this
July 1, 2012
Genital Grinder is an EXTREMELY, OUTRAGEOUS, SICK and TWISTED collection of short stories, but it's more than that. The book read almost like a novel, with most of the stories telling the tale of Greg and Von and their crazy-ass adventures. When I wasn't ready to vomit, I was cracking up. Literally, laughing out loud. But this collection isn't all about grossing you out (although that is a large part of it) because there is an entertaining story to follow, as each long-short (some novella length) continues the characters adventures. And the writing is superb. This isnt just gross out crap thrown down on a page, it's written really well and if you look beyond the craziness, there is a really good and fun story to follow.
Not all the tales are over the top nasty, there are a few that are "normal horror" if you will, but be prepared for the nastiest shit you've ever read.
Not all the tales are over the top nasty, there are a few that are "normal horror" if you will, but be prepared for the nastiest shit you've ever read.
March 4, 2018
A difficult one to rate.
I feel like I want to give the first half of the book four stars, and the second half two. I can't say I've ever been quite so divided on a rating. I suppose the fair thing is to settle in the middle.
The first half is brilliant, disturbing and completely depraved. The stories tie together in unique and fun ways. The second half while disturbing at times, felt a bit unfocused. Almost like an idea not quite fully flushed out yet.
I feel like I want to give the first half of the book four stars, and the second half two. I can't say I've ever been quite so divided on a rating. I suppose the fair thing is to settle in the middle.
The first half is brilliant, disturbing and completely depraved. The stories tie together in unique and fun ways. The second half while disturbing at times, felt a bit unfocused. Almost like an idea not quite fully flushed out yet.
April 7, 2023
Brutal.
Had this on my TBR forever and finally got around to read it. I just wished the stories were longer. Von, Greg and Sammy - I just needed more of them TBH.
Genital Grinder has 7 stories (a few are connected with the same characters) and an introduction by Edward Lee.
Had this on my TBR forever and finally got around to read it. I just wished the stories were longer. Von, Greg and Sammy - I just needed more of them TBH.
Genital Grinder has 7 stories (a few are connected with the same characters) and an introduction by Edward Lee.
April 26, 2014
Loved Von and Greg....they made the book!
October 9, 2021
You didn’t have to write a whole book just to say you hate women, just say you hate women.
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