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Hammer Wives
Fish-eyed mutants, oceans of insects, and flesh-eating women with hammers for heads. Like a real world Kilgore Trout, cult author Carlton Mellick III has been pumping out dozens of the weirdest, trashiest, most imaginative books you've probably never heard of... even though you definitely should. "Hammer Wives" collects six of his most popular novelettes and short stories, including:
SIMPLE MACHINES
A man discovers that his body is actually a machine run by dozens of miniature clones of himself.
RED WORLD
A recovering junky must save his 8-year-old brother from a life of prostitution in a surreal version of New York City... a place where street kids mutate into fish-like creatures, the homeless stilt-walk through oceans of insects, and the only colors left visible to the human eye are shades of red.
HAMMER WIVES
A young man inherits ten eternally youthful wives from an estranged uncle he never knew he had... which wouldn't have been such a bad thing if they didn't have giant hammers for heads or a tendency of bludgeoning people to death for fun, food, or sexual pleasure.
LEMON KNIVES 'N' COCKROACHES
Cockroach-like children survive the zombie apocalypse by hiding between the walls of on old school building.
WAR PIG
In a steam-powered underworld, a bloodthirsty pig-man boxer will sacrifice everything to prevent his son from following in his footsteps.
THE MAN WITH THE STYROFOAM BRAIN
The recently departed reflect on the stupid reasons why they sold their souls to the devil.
SIMPLE MACHINES
A man discovers that his body is actually a machine run by dozens of miniature clones of himself.
RED WORLD
A recovering junky must save his 8-year-old brother from a life of prostitution in a surreal version of New York City... a place where street kids mutate into fish-like creatures, the homeless stilt-walk through oceans of insects, and the only colors left visible to the human eye are shades of red.
HAMMER WIVES
A young man inherits ten eternally youthful wives from an estranged uncle he never knew he had... which wouldn't have been such a bad thing if they didn't have giant hammers for heads or a tendency of bludgeoning people to death for fun, food, or sexual pleasure.
LEMON KNIVES 'N' COCKROACHES
Cockroach-like children survive the zombie apocalypse by hiding between the walls of on old school building.
WAR PIG
In a steam-powered underworld, a bloodthirsty pig-man boxer will sacrifice everything to prevent his son from following in his footsteps.
THE MAN WITH THE STYROFOAM BRAIN
The recently departed reflect on the stupid reasons why they sold their souls to the devil.
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
11 people are currently reading
252 people want to read
About the author
Carlton Mellick III
119 books2,179 followersCarlton Mellick III (July 2, 1977, Phoenix, Arizona) is an American author currently residing in Portland, Oregon. He calls his style of writing "avant-punk," and is currently one of the leading authors in the recent 'Bizarro' movement in underground literature[citation needed] with Steve Aylett, Chris Genoa and D. Harlan Wilson.
Mellick's work has been described as a combination of trashy schlock sci-fi/horror and postmodern literary art. His novels explore surreal versions of earth in contemporary society and imagined futures, commonly focusing on social absurdities and satire.
Carlton Mellick III started writing at the age of ten and completed twelve novels by the age of eighteen. Only one of these early novels, "Electric Jesus Corpse", ever made it to print.
He is best known for his first novel Satan Burger and its sequel Punk Land. Satan Burger was translated into Russian and published by Ultra Culture in 2005. It was part of a four book series called Brave New World, which also featured Virtual Light by William Gibson, City Come A Walkin by John Shirley, and Tea from an Empty Cup by Pat Cadigan.
In the late 90's, he formed a collective for offbeat authors which included D. Harlan Wilson, Kevin L. Donihe, Vincent Sakowski, among others, and the publishing company Eraserhead Press. This scene evolved into the Bizarro fiction movement in 2005.
In addition to writing, Mellick is an artist and musician.
Mellick's work has been described as a combination of trashy schlock sci-fi/horror and postmodern literary art. His novels explore surreal versions of earth in contemporary society and imagined futures, commonly focusing on social absurdities and satire.
Carlton Mellick III started writing at the age of ten and completed twelve novels by the age of eighteen. Only one of these early novels, "Electric Jesus Corpse", ever made it to print.
He is best known for his first novel Satan Burger and its sequel Punk Land. Satan Burger was translated into Russian and published by Ultra Culture in 2005. It was part of a four book series called Brave New World, which also featured Virtual Light by William Gibson, City Come A Walkin by John Shirley, and Tea from an Empty Cup by Pat Cadigan.
In the late 90's, he formed a collective for offbeat authors which included D. Harlan Wilson, Kevin L. Donihe, Vincent Sakowski, among others, and the publishing company Eraserhead Press. This scene evolved into the Bizarro fiction movement in 2005.
In addition to writing, Mellick is an artist and musician.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 17, 2019
-Si los trabajos de este autor son unos de los mayores exponentes del bizarro, por fin he comprendido qué es dicho subgénero.-
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Esposas martillo (edición original: Hammer Wives, 2013), con ilustraciones de Isabella Londoño, es una recopilación de seis relatos con solo uno inédito (el resto fueron publicados previamente en distintas antologías) y que nos mostrarán nuestros habitantes interiores, supervivientes muy particulares del apocalipsis zombi y gladiadores con el ADN alterado mediante sueros, entre otros.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Esposas martillo (edición original: Hammer Wives, 2013), con ilustraciones de Isabella Londoño, es una recopilación de seis relatos con solo uno inédito (el resto fueron publicados previamente en distintas antologías) y que nos mostrarán nuestros habitantes interiores, supervivientes muy particulares del apocalipsis zombi y gladiadores con el ADN alterado mediante sueros, entre otros.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
January 31, 2019
Me enamoré de Mellick en 2017, cuando Orciny Press publicó la traducción de “La casa de las arenas movedizas” y ya no hubo vuelta atrás. Desde entonces, intento cazar todo lo que de él se traduce. “Esposas martillo” es una recopilación que incluye siete relatos anteriormente publicados por el autor en diferentes antologías. Esta edición es la versión editada en Colombia por Ediciones Vestigio con traducción de Diego Cepeda y Daniel Zorrilla e ilustraciones a cargo de Isabella Londoño.
Los relatos incluidos en el libro son perfectos para hacerse una primera idea del espectro amplio que domina Mellick y como subvierte los géneros y los clichés de estos y los lleva al terreno del Bizarro. Encontramos interpretaciones personales y vueltas de tuerca de la “metamorfosis” de Kafka, de “El club de la lucha” de Palahniuk, del género de casas de terror gótico, de zombis, el cine catastrofista, el steampunk o de las posesiones demoniacas, que resultan nuevas y frescas. Mellick desatado y sin freno. Visceral y gráfico. No apto para los estómagos más delicados, pero siempre con una calidad y una capacidad narrativa fuera de toda duda. Un torrente de imaginación desbordante, original y delirante indispensable para refrescar la literatura y combatir los cientos (o miles) de propuestas grises y uniformes que se publican cada año.
Relatos como “Cerdo de guerra”, “Cuchillos de limón y cucarachas”, “Mundo rojo” o “Esposas martillos” son esenciales para entender de qué va esto del Bizarro y asimilar que es un género al que no le falta nada de calidad.
Por el bien de todos nosotros, espero que editoriales como Vestigio y Orciny Press continúen, durante muchos años, ofreciéndonos recopilaciones de este calibre (y calado).
PD: el trabajo gráfico de Isabella encaja de maravilla con el imaginario de Mellick y lo complementa con mucho acierto. Una pareja de baile perfecta.
Los relatos incluidos en el libro son perfectos para hacerse una primera idea del espectro amplio que domina Mellick y como subvierte los géneros y los clichés de estos y los lleva al terreno del Bizarro. Encontramos interpretaciones personales y vueltas de tuerca de la “metamorfosis” de Kafka, de “El club de la lucha” de Palahniuk, del género de casas de terror gótico, de zombis, el cine catastrofista, el steampunk o de las posesiones demoniacas, que resultan nuevas y frescas. Mellick desatado y sin freno. Visceral y gráfico. No apto para los estómagos más delicados, pero siempre con una calidad y una capacidad narrativa fuera de toda duda. Un torrente de imaginación desbordante, original y delirante indispensable para refrescar la literatura y combatir los cientos (o miles) de propuestas grises y uniformes que se publican cada año.
Relatos como “Cerdo de guerra”, “Cuchillos de limón y cucarachas”, “Mundo rojo” o “Esposas martillos” son esenciales para entender de qué va esto del Bizarro y asimilar que es un género al que no le falta nada de calidad.
Por el bien de todos nosotros, espero que editoriales como Vestigio y Orciny Press continúen, durante muchos años, ofreciéndonos recopilaciones de este calibre (y calado).
PD: el trabajo gráfico de Isabella encaja de maravilla con el imaginario de Mellick y lo complementa con mucho acierto. Una pareja de baile perfecta.
March 20, 2019
Una excepcional colección de seis relatos con notas del autor escritos en diferentes épocas y con diferentes finalidades, la mayoría previamente publicados en diversas antologías norteamericanas, que permiten a los lectores en castellano introducirse en el abundante universo literario de Carlton Mellick III y, por extensión, de la propia corriente bizarra. Crítica completa: https://libros-prohibidos.com/carlton...
September 8, 2021
Simple machines 3*
Red world 5* (worth buying the book just for this story.)
Hammer wives 4*
Lemon knives and cockroaches 3.5*
War pig 4.5*
Man with the styrofoam brain 3*
Red world 5* (worth buying the book just for this story.)
Hammer wives 4*
Lemon knives and cockroaches 3.5*
War pig 4.5*
Man with the styrofoam brain 3*
September 13, 2024
Otro buen libro de Carlton Merrick ,un autor al que le he ido cogiendo cariño. Sumergirse en alguna de sus obras es saber que te vas a encontrar argumentos disparatados donde violencia, humor, sexo y locura se juntan en ese género especial llamado bizarro.
Este libro no es una excepción y Merrick nos presenta un compilado de relatos donde la originalidad de sus extrañas historias sigue sorprendiéndome. Los relatos que destacaría son:
«Máquinas simples» (*****): Fenomenal relato kafkiano donde un joven oficinista descubre que su organismo está lleno de puertas, ventanas y clones humanos en miniatura que operan desde el interior de su cuerpo.
Conocerá a una chica a quien parece le está ocurriendo lo mismo. Muy divertido.
«Esposas martillo»(****): Jacob, protagonista de la historia, recibe la llamada de un pariente lejano, dispuesto a cederle todo lo que posee. El anciano reside en una tétrica mansión laberíntica en la convive con varias mujeres con cabeza de martillo. Locurón total del que no sabes por donde vas a salir. Me recordó incluso a su novela "Matrioshca" que es incluso mejor.
«Cerdo de guerra»(****): En un futuro dístopico, una organización se dedica a mutar humanos mezclándolos con animales y convirtiéndolos en monstruos. El padre del protagonista, un cerdo gigante, está ante su último combate y no quiere el mismo futuro para su hijo.
«El hombre del cerebro de icopor»(****): varios personajes se encuentran enjaulados en el infierno (ubicado en el estómago de un ogro gigante) y compiten por ver cuál de sus razones es más estúpida para haber acabado allí vendiendo su alma. Desternillante.
Una colección muy completa para hacerse una idea de la inventiva de la narrativa de Carlton Mellick III.
Este libro no es una excepción y Merrick nos presenta un compilado de relatos donde la originalidad de sus extrañas historias sigue sorprendiéndome. Los relatos que destacaría son:
«Máquinas simples» (*****): Fenomenal relato kafkiano donde un joven oficinista descubre que su organismo está lleno de puertas, ventanas y clones humanos en miniatura que operan desde el interior de su cuerpo.
Conocerá a una chica a quien parece le está ocurriendo lo mismo. Muy divertido.
«Esposas martillo»(****): Jacob, protagonista de la historia, recibe la llamada de un pariente lejano, dispuesto a cederle todo lo que posee. El anciano reside en una tétrica mansión laberíntica en la convive con varias mujeres con cabeza de martillo. Locurón total del que no sabes por donde vas a salir. Me recordó incluso a su novela "Matrioshca" que es incluso mejor.
«Cerdo de guerra»(****): En un futuro dístopico, una organización se dedica a mutar humanos mezclándolos con animales y convirtiéndolos en monstruos. El padre del protagonista, un cerdo gigante, está ante su último combate y no quiere el mismo futuro para su hijo.
«El hombre del cerebro de icopor»(****): varios personajes se encuentran enjaulados en el infierno (ubicado en el estómago de un ogro gigante) y compiten por ver cuál de sus razones es más estúpida para haber acabado allí vendiendo su alma. Desternillante.
Una colección muy completa para hacerse una idea de la inventiva de la narrativa de Carlton Mellick III.
March 9, 2025
This is a book of short stories and I stopped reading after the title story.
October 25, 2022
Un libro de seis cuentos bizarros, donde la mayoría están ambientados en un mundo postapocalíptico, donde vemos desde humanos mutados combatiendo en jaulas para diversión, niños huérfanos intentando sobrevivir a un mundo ponzoñoso donde los adultos sólo toman ventaja de ti y por supuesto, el cuento que da título a la antología: esposas martillo súcubos, en una fantasía de dominación gótica que podría resultar rídicula de buenas a primeras pero que funciona al ser conciente de todos los tropos del género y subvertirlos.
November 5, 2014
My rampage through bizarro lit continues...
These read pretty well. If someone asked me where to start with bizarro, I might point them to the story "Hammer Wives." I think it's got pretty strong bizarro roots, but at the same time the setting and basic plot elements are familiar to anyone who reads horror or watches Scooby Doo. So while it's very weird, there's something to hold on to. "Red World" was pretty good too, and that would make a potentially great introduction to bizarro.
On the other hand, I don't know that anything makes a great introduction to bizarro. It's hard to explain, but the very thing that makes a good introduction to bizarro is a good introduction because it's less...bizarro. So maybe the way to go is get crazy right off and see how you feel about it.
The other thing I'd recommend, and this probably won't sit well with everyone, is that you read 3 bizarro books before you decide how you feel about the genre. I think it takes that long to get the feel. And although I say 3 whole books, a bizarro book generally takes a couple hours, max.
I say three books because that's 3-6 hours, and we're talking about a weird, very out-there genre. It's not like I'm saying you have to read all of Moby Dick to know if you like Melville. It's like I'm suggesting you have to at least know what the fuck the ocean is.
These read pretty well. If someone asked me where to start with bizarro, I might point them to the story "Hammer Wives." I think it's got pretty strong bizarro roots, but at the same time the setting and basic plot elements are familiar to anyone who reads horror or watches Scooby Doo. So while it's very weird, there's something to hold on to. "Red World" was pretty good too, and that would make a potentially great introduction to bizarro.
On the other hand, I don't know that anything makes a great introduction to bizarro. It's hard to explain, but the very thing that makes a good introduction to bizarro is a good introduction because it's less...bizarro. So maybe the way to go is get crazy right off and see how you feel about it.
The other thing I'd recommend, and this probably won't sit well with everyone, is that you read 3 bizarro books before you decide how you feel about the genre. I think it takes that long to get the feel. And although I say 3 whole books, a bizarro book generally takes a couple hours, max.
I say three books because that's 3-6 hours, and we're talking about a weird, very out-there genre. It's not like I'm saying you have to read all of Moby Dick to know if you like Melville. It's like I'm suggesting you have to at least know what the fuck the ocean is.
September 30, 2013
A tad disappointing to be completely honest. In the author’s notes CM3 claimed repeatedly that these are his most successful short stories. Either I don’t get it or I am not in the correct frame of mind because I found them to be just about average. The writing was clunky at times and the stories lacked the fantastical Bizarro oddities that I love. The only story that saved grace was the title story Hammer Wives a gothic horror story with creepy undertones. It is a shame that no one GR cares enough to upload the cover of this book because there is a pretty good illustration of what a hammer wife looks like. CM3 should have deleted the other five stories and just expanded this one into a novella and published it. 2 stars for "It Was OK".
April 24, 2015
I had a lot of fun with the stories in Hammer Wives, a short story collection from Carlton Mellick III. I did enjoy some more than others, with my favourite stories in this anthology being the titular Hammer Wives, War Pig and Red World. If you are into bizarro, or wanting to test its peculiar waters, then this is a good book to jump into. Mellick is a writer I really enjoy, and this was another top notch and enjoyable book from his large selection of titles. Now, onto more.
June 4, 2019
A brilliant collection of six bizarro tales highlighted by the titular story in which a man inherits ten wives who have hammers for heads. The stories are inventive, humorous, tense, and at times, moving. Other favorites include "Simple Machines," in which a man discovers little people living within him, and "Red World," in which brothers navigate a surreal landscape. "War Pig" deals with transformation of humans into animals and shows how far a father is willing to go to protect his son.
November 19, 2025
Another Carlton Mellick III gem! This is my first book of his short stories, they were all good but I think my favorite from this collection was War Pig. It was silly and ridiculous, the violence felt over the top and cartoonish, but in the end this was a touching father/son story with a happy ending.
January 28, 2022
Always fun.
You can never NOT have a great time with Melick's books. They are insane, bizarre and endlessly entertaining. I haven't found a single one yet I haven't completely enjoyed.
You can never NOT have a great time with Melick's books. They are insane, bizarre and endlessly entertaining. I haven't found a single one yet I haven't completely enjoyed.
September 17, 2019
Después de leerlo, la caja de herramientas cobra un nuevo sentido
March 8, 2022
Muy creativo y bastante interesante de leer !!..
April 8, 2023
I very much enjoyed the title story, but unfortunately the others kinda fell by the wayside.
July 2, 2021
Hammer Wives is an anthology of 6 surreal horror/sf stories by Bizarro veteran Carlton Mellick III.
The stand out is the titular story in which a man inherits the curse of the hammer wives (violent vampire babes with hammers for heads) from an estranged uncle. If you like Mellick's The Human Squirm you are truly going to adore this one. And I have to say Ed Mironiuk has hit the nail on the head again with the perfect cover art.
War Pig is also rather good, in which to avoid poverty, people inject themselves with a lycanthropy serum that turns them into animal hybrids. Then they are hired by greedy underworld bosses who stage fights to the death. A Pig boxer is desperate for his son to avoid his fate.
Lemon Knives 'N' Cockroaches and Red World are super freaky, dark and nihilistic visions of an insect riddled future.
The First and last stories (simple machines and the man with the Styrofoam brain) are much lighter, satirical pieces and seem at odds with the darker and more meaty tales in the middle.
While this is far from Mellick at his finest, Hammer Wives alone merits this one 4*
The stand out is the titular story in which a man inherits the curse of the hammer wives (violent vampire babes with hammers for heads) from an estranged uncle. If you like Mellick's The Human Squirm you are truly going to adore this one. And I have to say Ed Mironiuk has hit the nail on the head again with the perfect cover art.
War Pig is also rather good, in which to avoid poverty, people inject themselves with a lycanthropy serum that turns them into animal hybrids. Then they are hired by greedy underworld bosses who stage fights to the death. A Pig boxer is desperate for his son to avoid his fate.
Lemon Knives 'N' Cockroaches and Red World are super freaky, dark and nihilistic visions of an insect riddled future.
The First and last stories (simple machines and the man with the Styrofoam brain) are much lighter, satirical pieces and seem at odds with the darker and more meaty tales in the middle.
While this is far from Mellick at his finest, Hammer Wives alone merits this one 4*
March 17, 2020
my favourites:
Red world
War Pigs
Hammer Wives
Red world
War Pigs
Hammer Wives
March 17, 2020
Mi copia 
March 30, 2013
War Pig and Simple Machine were some of the best short stories I've read.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews