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Gristle & Bone: 10th Anniversary Edition
Short and novella-length dark fiction from the twisted imagination of Duncan Ralston.
BABY TEETH
After doctors tell her she can't be pregnant, Candace learns that not every child is a gift.
BEWARE OF DOG
Disgraced soldier Dean Vogel returns to his hometown and confronts the bullies, and a horrifying event, from his past.
VIRAL
A reporter uncovers what really happened to the latest internet sensation, a troubled girl who disappeared on camera.
ARTIFACT (#37)
Gonzo pornographers learn a brutal lesson following a tragedy they inadvertently caused when life imitated "art."
//END USER
Anti-social conspiracy theorist Mason Adler’s life is turned upside-down when he begins receiving eerily personal and prophetic spam that could be heralding the Apocalypse.
FAT OF THE LAND
A couple discovers the secret of a tourist town's prosperity may lie in its sinfully delicious cuisine.
SCAVENGERS
When successful restaurant owners Jim and Leanne Taymor confess to a grisly series of small town murders, their neighbor learns the gruesome truth that led them to kill. In Knee High, Nebraska, someone–or something–has been stalking household pets in the dead of night… but would they rather be hunting us?
BABY TEETH
After doctors tell her she can't be pregnant, Candace learns that not every child is a gift.
BEWARE OF DOG
Disgraced soldier Dean Vogel returns to his hometown and confronts the bullies, and a horrifying event, from his past.
VIRAL
A reporter uncovers what really happened to the latest internet sensation, a troubled girl who disappeared on camera.
ARTIFACT (#37)
Gonzo pornographers learn a brutal lesson following a tragedy they inadvertently caused when life imitated "art."
//END USER
Anti-social conspiracy theorist Mason Adler’s life is turned upside-down when he begins receiving eerily personal and prophetic spam that could be heralding the Apocalypse.
FAT OF THE LAND
A couple discovers the secret of a tourist town's prosperity may lie in its sinfully delicious cuisine.
SCAVENGERS
When successful restaurant owners Jim and Leanne Taymor confess to a grisly series of small town murders, their neighbor learns the gruesome truth that led them to kill. In Knee High, Nebraska, someone–or something–has been stalking household pets in the dead of night… but would they rather be hunting us?
303 pages, Paperback
First published December 20, 2013
130 people are currently reading
1403 people want to read
About the author
Duncan Ralston
82 books2,048 followers**CVLT: Lonely Motel Book 3 out now!!!**
**Sequel to the hit novel PUZZLE HOUSE coming Winter 2026**
Author of the cult smash-hit Woom and Ghostland and more than 15 other books that aren't the cult smash-hit Woom or Ghostland. His debut collection was blurbed positively by the legendary Jack Ketchum. His vampire novel, Pedo Island Bloodbath, was nominated for a 2024 Splatterpunk Award for Best Novel. His horror-thriller Ghostland will soon be a board game from Crystal Lake Publishing.
For 10 FREE dark fiction short stories/novellas including the prequel to GHOSTLAND, "The Moving House," signed copies of Woom, bookplates and merch, please visit www.duncanralston.com.
Photo © Josh Silver 2015
**Sequel to the hit novel PUZZLE HOUSE coming Winter 2026**
Author of the cult smash-hit Woom and Ghostland and more than 15 other books that aren't the cult smash-hit Woom or Ghostland. His debut collection was blurbed positively by the legendary Jack Ketchum. His vampire novel, Pedo Island Bloodbath, was nominated for a 2024 Splatterpunk Award for Best Novel. His horror-thriller Ghostland will soon be a board game from Crystal Lake Publishing.
For 10 FREE dark fiction short stories/novellas including the prequel to GHOSTLAND, "The Moving House," signed copies of Woom, bookplates and merch, please visit www.duncanralston.com.
Photo © Josh Silver 2015
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July 30, 2020Oh good, a review from the author! I bet it will be refreshingly honest...
This book took me about a year to write. Most of the time I loved it, hated it the rest. There were times I wanted to bash my head into a wall and forget I ever thought about writing a short story collection. What started as "I'm just going to write a few short stories to take a break from my novel," grew into a nasty, raving, 100,000-word beast.
Many of these stories got away from me, and I believe (I hope) that made them better. They grew up strange, wild creatures I barely recognize. The novella, Scavengers, was meant to be a short story, approx. 20 - 30 pages in length, and ended up a little over 85. Baby Teeth was initially about a "phantom pregnancy" and became something much more twisted. //END USER began as a story about what would happen if you replied to all the spam in your inbox and became apocalyptic--the end of all users.
It got out of my hands, is what I'm saying. It got LOOSE.
I hope that makes it a better book. I'll leave that for you to decide.
If it frightens you, if it tickles you in the dark, that, at least, was my intent. There's plenty of darkness in here, but you won't have to look hard to find the light. Some stories end hopefully, others... not so much. Life doesn't always have a happy ending.
Love it or hate it, thanks for reading! Without you, it's just words on a page.
This book took me about a year to write. Most of the time I loved it, hated it the rest. There were times I wanted to bash my head into a wall and forget I ever thought about writing a short story collection. What started as "I'm just going to write a few short stories to take a break from my novel," grew into a nasty, raving, 100,000-word beast.
Many of these stories got away from me, and I believe (I hope) that made them better. They grew up strange, wild creatures I barely recognize. The novella, Scavengers, was meant to be a short story, approx. 20 - 30 pages in length, and ended up a little over 85. Baby Teeth was initially about a "phantom pregnancy" and became something much more twisted. //END USER began as a story about what would happen if you replied to all the spam in your inbox and became apocalyptic--the end of all users.
It got out of my hands, is what I'm saying. It got LOOSE.
I hope that makes it a better book. I'll leave that for you to decide.
If it frightens you, if it tickles you in the dark, that, at least, was my intent. There's plenty of darkness in here, but you won't have to look hard to find the light. Some stories end hopefully, others... not so much. Life doesn't always have a happy ending.
Love it or hate it, thanks for reading! Without you, it's just words on a page.
January 11, 2021
Do you like to walk on the wide side? Do you like a little bit of extreme mixed with your horror?
Well if you like to "walk on the wild side" then you will find it here within these pages! Author, Duncan Ralston has done it again with seven short stories that will make your eyebrows climb up into your forehead and stay frozen there for most of the book!
Favorite stories were: Baby Teeth, Viral, Artifact #37, Fat of the Land, and Scavengers!
There is lots of "Gristle and Bone" that is for sure within this book mixed with blood, gore, and anything else that you can imagine that goes along with the title of the book!
Word of warning: The story Fat of the Land was a rough read so make sure you do not eat while reading it as you might end up with a queasy stomach. Matter of fact, I think I would not eat before reading it either! :)
Giving this book four grisly stars!
Well if you like to "walk on the wild side" then you will find it here within these pages! Author, Duncan Ralston has done it again with seven short stories that will make your eyebrows climb up into your forehead and stay frozen there for most of the book!
Favorite stories were: Baby Teeth, Viral, Artifact #37, Fat of the Land, and Scavengers!
There is lots of "Gristle and Bone" that is for sure within this book mixed with blood, gore, and anything else that you can imagine that goes along with the title of the book!
Word of warning: The story Fat of the Land was a rough read so make sure you do not eat while reading it as you might end up with a queasy stomach. Matter of fact, I think I would not eat before reading it either! :)
Giving this book four grisly stars!
August 25, 2021
Great Horror Collection
I just finished reading this short story collection by Duncan Ralston and I’m kicking myself for not having read any of his stuff before this, something I’ll be remedying. If you haven’t checked out his books yet, you should definitely pick one up. I especially enjoyed his stories Scavengers and Baby Teeth. 👍
I just finished reading this short story collection by Duncan Ralston and I’m kicking myself for not having read any of his stuff before this, something I’ll be remedying. If you haven’t checked out his books yet, you should definitely pick one up. I especially enjoyed his stories Scavengers and Baby Teeth. 👍
July 17, 2015
A copy of Gristle and Bone was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author Duncan Ralston in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Shadow Work Publishing / CreateSpace.
I have never read anything by Duncan Ralston before. I always find that short story collections are a great way to introduce yourself to someone new. They give you a bit of variety of the writing style of the author. You can see very quickly where they intend to take their writing, and ultimately whether you see anything you are going to like. All of those factors made Gristle and Bone an attractive review proposition.
These are my thoughts on the seven stories included in the collection.
BABY TEETH
Candace McMurray and her husband Joel have just found out they cannot have children. This causes them to drift apart as this sort of situation often does. It’s heart breaking for both of them and neither knows how to deal with it.
One night, while sleeping Candace suffers a bite that looks like it could have been caused by a baby?
The next day, while working at home and trying not to think about the bite, she hears noises upstairs. Something has trashed a bedroom. It looks like it’s hiding in the attic. Candace goes to investigate. She should have called someone else to look.
An excellent way to start a collection of short horror stories and an excellent introduction to the writing style of Mr Ralston as I had hoped.
What starts as a heart breaking tale of something that happens to millions of people all over the world quickly turns into something horrific and brutal and sickening.
Totally unexpected. Totally frightening. Totally gross.
★★★★★ For general.
★★★★★ For horror / terror.
BEWARE OF THE DOG
Dean Vogel has returned to his home town of Dark Pines after being disgracefully discharged from the army. A condition of his discharge is he must live with his parents and he must go to the local shrink who he knows from his past as “Uncle Tim”.
Can they together unlock the secrets of Dean’s past to discover why he is the way he is? Is this all connected to the childhood bullies, one of which Dean left horribly disfigured.
What’s the story with his childhood crush, Catherine? She may hold more answers to the questions than Dean Knows.
Duncan Ralston can certainly write. The ease with which you fall into the characters in this story proves that. To have you feeling as if you know everything about someone in a short space of time is no easy feat.
A negative for me in this one is it took a while to build to the horror / terror element of the story, but when it got there it came out of absolutely nowhere.
Great killer twist. Just dragged a bit to get there for me. I would have liked more detail on the horror side of things.
★★★ For General.
★★ For horror / terror.
VIRAL
Tara Wells is a reporter. She has the mundane job of writing the music column. She spots a video clip of a girl that has gone missing. The video has gone viral due to the fact that the girl in the video appears to disappear before the viewer’s eyes.
Many people think it is fake including Tara’s boss but none the less the girl has gone missing for real. Tara eventually talks her boss into letting her investigate it for the paper. When Tara searches the girl’s house for clues, she discovers more than she probably wanted.
This is really good. A story of something bizarre that seems to happen but no one can believe it due to the technology of today allowing people to stage elaborate hoaxes for fun. Something in Tara convinces her that what she is witnessing is true and drives her to investigate it for herself.
This leaves you wondering the whole way through. I must admit to thinking it was all going to be some bizarre joke played by kids but it turns out to be much much more.
Again perfect pacing keeps you glued to this story. I felt on edge almost the entire time waiting with baited breath to find out what was going on.
★★★★ For general.
★★★ For horror / terror.
ARTIFACT (#37)
Brothers Ian and Kevin run a very lucrative porn business with two of their friends, called Filthy Lessons. They basically fool people into believing they pick random girls up, “teach them a lesson” in the back of their van, and dump them back out on the street. All of the girls are in fact paid “talent” and know exactly what is happening. Ian then picks them up where they were dropped off and leaves them home safely.
Apart from #37, Amber. She didn’t want to play and was dumped out of the van early. Ian didn’t get to pick her up. Instead she was picked up by a psycho, raped and murdered.
They have now picked up Zara. She is #201. Something doesn’t seem right though. Her eyes keep changing colour. It’s as if she is possessed.
Really liked this one. Not going to give anything away on the story but it’s grittier. There is blood and guts, gorey descriptions of murder and mutilation, and to top it all off, touches of the supernatural and horror elements. This certainly was a delectable tale of terror.
★★★★★ For general.
★★★★ For horror / terror.
// END USER
Mason gets woken early one morning when he gets an email. The email is from himself. He knows it can’t be real and someone must have hacked his account and be messing with him. When he is on the way to work the train is delayed by someone jumping in front of a train.
When mason gets to work the emails continue, including one with a video attached. A video of the alleged jumper although it doesn’t look like an accident.
Mason continues to get bombarded with emails and videos. When he leaves work early and goes home, things take a bizarre twist and threaten not just Mason but the entire world.
This is freaky. This genuinely scared me. I doubt what happens in this story is possible but hey, technology is a wonderful scary thing. I consider myself a bit of a tech head and this type of scenario is what nightmares are made of.
One man battling something that no one would believe, struggling to believe it himself and figure out a way to save himself and ultimately the world. This story had so much potential to be much longer. I would love to see it expanded.
★★★★★ For general.
★★★★★ For horror / terror.
FAT OF THE LAND
David and June have gone to Monte Verde to attend a friend’s wedding. When they ask the hotel receptionist for advice on a good restaurant, she directs them to Ambrosia.
When they get there for their meal they are impressed by the general ambience and even more impressed by the delicious food. On the way back to the hotel however, David becomes very ill, throwing up everywhere in the car.
The dramas continue the next day at the wedding when one of the grooms fails to turn up. June returns to Ambrosia to take some professional pictures of the restaurant. What she discovers there is both astounding and equally horrific. Will the missing groom turn up or has he already left for dinner?
Duncan Ralston is a story teller, of that there is no doubt. I always say one of the hardest things about short stories is to have the ability to suck your reader in from the first sentence. He does that very easily with this story. It has a certain atmosphere about it. You just know something horrific is going to happen. When it does, I can’t say it was totally a surprise to me but its delivery was perfect. I mean this as a compliment but the final scenes were almost like something from a Scooby Doo movie. Everything would have been fine if it hadn’t been for those pesky kids.
★★★★★ For general.
★★★★ For horror / terror.
SCAVENGERS
Jim and Leanne own a restaurant in the small town of Knee High. When Jim empties the trash in the dumpster every night he has to battle through all kinds of scavengers desperate for a scrap of something he is throwing out.
One night he witnesses a human form crawling down the wall, head first, heading for the dumpster. He recognises the lady but not the form she is currently in. Putting aside his fear he decides he must kill this beast before she kills him or anyone else. When he discovers there are more of these “lurkers” he must come up with a plan to kill them all together.
In an unlikely alliance he enlists the help of his wife Leanne to try and rid Knee High of the scavenger scourge.
This is what it’s all about. This is why I read horror / dark fiction. This takes us back to the good old days of horror in the ‘80’s. It’s good versus an ancient evil that lurks in every town that none of the residents know about. This stinks of Laymon at his best.
This is how you tell a horror story or a story of terror and keep your audience hooked from the first paragraph to the very last. Bravo Mr Ralston. The best story in the book.
★★★★★ For general.
★★★★★ For horror / terror.
So there you have it. My take on Gristle and Bone. All in all this is a very good collection. The surprise for me was really the horror or terror as it might be called. Each story is very different in its make up with styles that are nothing like each other but at the same time the level of horror / terror is high.
The terror element is scary for varying reasons. It’s not make you jump out of your seat terror. It’s slow build up terror. Terror that seeps under your skin and scares you without you even realising that you are scared until you finish reading.
Duncan Ralston has certainly proved to me he can write. Even though this is a short story collection, a few of the stories are quite long which I for one was delighted to see. Too often I come across a collection that has ten stories in it and it’s done by one hundred pages. You get your money’s worth with this one.
He has a knack of absorbing you in the story very quickly. You feel at ease with what you are reading after only a couple of pages and the rest just flows very easily across the pages.
To summarise: A collection of stories that will have you glued to them form the first words. They will scare you for different reasons. They will turn your stomach. They will make you wonder “where the hell did that come from”. Most of all they will give you a few hours of enjoyable story telling. An art that isn’t easy to do.
Overall general rating:
★★★★.5 Almost perfect.
Overall horror / terror rating:
★★★★ Terror in so many different ways.
I have never read anything by Duncan Ralston before. I always find that short story collections are a great way to introduce yourself to someone new. They give you a bit of variety of the writing style of the author. You can see very quickly where they intend to take their writing, and ultimately whether you see anything you are going to like. All of those factors made Gristle and Bone an attractive review proposition.
These are my thoughts on the seven stories included in the collection.
BABY TEETH
Candace McMurray and her husband Joel have just found out they cannot have children. This causes them to drift apart as this sort of situation often does. It’s heart breaking for both of them and neither knows how to deal with it.
One night, while sleeping Candace suffers a bite that looks like it could have been caused by a baby?
The next day, while working at home and trying not to think about the bite, she hears noises upstairs. Something has trashed a bedroom. It looks like it’s hiding in the attic. Candace goes to investigate. She should have called someone else to look.
An excellent way to start a collection of short horror stories and an excellent introduction to the writing style of Mr Ralston as I had hoped.
What starts as a heart breaking tale of something that happens to millions of people all over the world quickly turns into something horrific and brutal and sickening.
Totally unexpected. Totally frightening. Totally gross.
★★★★★ For general.
★★★★★ For horror / terror.
BEWARE OF THE DOG
Dean Vogel has returned to his home town of Dark Pines after being disgracefully discharged from the army. A condition of his discharge is he must live with his parents and he must go to the local shrink who he knows from his past as “Uncle Tim”.
Can they together unlock the secrets of Dean’s past to discover why he is the way he is? Is this all connected to the childhood bullies, one of which Dean left horribly disfigured.
What’s the story with his childhood crush, Catherine? She may hold more answers to the questions than Dean Knows.
Duncan Ralston can certainly write. The ease with which you fall into the characters in this story proves that. To have you feeling as if you know everything about someone in a short space of time is no easy feat.
A negative for me in this one is it took a while to build to the horror / terror element of the story, but when it got there it came out of absolutely nowhere.
Great killer twist. Just dragged a bit to get there for me. I would have liked more detail on the horror side of things.
★★★ For General.
★★ For horror / terror.
VIRAL
Tara Wells is a reporter. She has the mundane job of writing the music column. She spots a video clip of a girl that has gone missing. The video has gone viral due to the fact that the girl in the video appears to disappear before the viewer’s eyes.
Many people think it is fake including Tara’s boss but none the less the girl has gone missing for real. Tara eventually talks her boss into letting her investigate it for the paper. When Tara searches the girl’s house for clues, she discovers more than she probably wanted.
This is really good. A story of something bizarre that seems to happen but no one can believe it due to the technology of today allowing people to stage elaborate hoaxes for fun. Something in Tara convinces her that what she is witnessing is true and drives her to investigate it for herself.
This leaves you wondering the whole way through. I must admit to thinking it was all going to be some bizarre joke played by kids but it turns out to be much much more.
Again perfect pacing keeps you glued to this story. I felt on edge almost the entire time waiting with baited breath to find out what was going on.
★★★★ For general.
★★★ For horror / terror.
ARTIFACT (#37)
Brothers Ian and Kevin run a very lucrative porn business with two of their friends, called Filthy Lessons. They basically fool people into believing they pick random girls up, “teach them a lesson” in the back of their van, and dump them back out on the street. All of the girls are in fact paid “talent” and know exactly what is happening. Ian then picks them up where they were dropped off and leaves them home safely.
Apart from #37, Amber. She didn’t want to play and was dumped out of the van early. Ian didn’t get to pick her up. Instead she was picked up by a psycho, raped and murdered.
They have now picked up Zara. She is #201. Something doesn’t seem right though. Her eyes keep changing colour. It’s as if she is possessed.
Really liked this one. Not going to give anything away on the story but it’s grittier. There is blood and guts, gorey descriptions of murder and mutilation, and to top it all off, touches of the supernatural and horror elements. This certainly was a delectable tale of terror.
★★★★★ For general.
★★★★ For horror / terror.
// END USER
Mason gets woken early one morning when he gets an email. The email is from himself. He knows it can’t be real and someone must have hacked his account and be messing with him. When he is on the way to work the train is delayed by someone jumping in front of a train.
When mason gets to work the emails continue, including one with a video attached. A video of the alleged jumper although it doesn’t look like an accident.
Mason continues to get bombarded with emails and videos. When he leaves work early and goes home, things take a bizarre twist and threaten not just Mason but the entire world.
This is freaky. This genuinely scared me. I doubt what happens in this story is possible but hey, technology is a wonderful scary thing. I consider myself a bit of a tech head and this type of scenario is what nightmares are made of.
One man battling something that no one would believe, struggling to believe it himself and figure out a way to save himself and ultimately the world. This story had so much potential to be much longer. I would love to see it expanded.
★★★★★ For general.
★★★★★ For horror / terror.
FAT OF THE LAND
David and June have gone to Monte Verde to attend a friend’s wedding. When they ask the hotel receptionist for advice on a good restaurant, she directs them to Ambrosia.
When they get there for their meal they are impressed by the general ambience and even more impressed by the delicious food. On the way back to the hotel however, David becomes very ill, throwing up everywhere in the car.
The dramas continue the next day at the wedding when one of the grooms fails to turn up. June returns to Ambrosia to take some professional pictures of the restaurant. What she discovers there is both astounding and equally horrific. Will the missing groom turn up or has he already left for dinner?
Duncan Ralston is a story teller, of that there is no doubt. I always say one of the hardest things about short stories is to have the ability to suck your reader in from the first sentence. He does that very easily with this story. It has a certain atmosphere about it. You just know something horrific is going to happen. When it does, I can’t say it was totally a surprise to me but its delivery was perfect. I mean this as a compliment but the final scenes were almost like something from a Scooby Doo movie. Everything would have been fine if it hadn’t been for those pesky kids.
★★★★★ For general.
★★★★ For horror / terror.
SCAVENGERS
Jim and Leanne own a restaurant in the small town of Knee High. When Jim empties the trash in the dumpster every night he has to battle through all kinds of scavengers desperate for a scrap of something he is throwing out.
One night he witnesses a human form crawling down the wall, head first, heading for the dumpster. He recognises the lady but not the form she is currently in. Putting aside his fear he decides he must kill this beast before she kills him or anyone else. When he discovers there are more of these “lurkers” he must come up with a plan to kill them all together.
In an unlikely alliance he enlists the help of his wife Leanne to try and rid Knee High of the scavenger scourge.
This is what it’s all about. This is why I read horror / dark fiction. This takes us back to the good old days of horror in the ‘80’s. It’s good versus an ancient evil that lurks in every town that none of the residents know about. This stinks of Laymon at his best.
This is how you tell a horror story or a story of terror and keep your audience hooked from the first paragraph to the very last. Bravo Mr Ralston. The best story in the book.
★★★★★ For general.
★★★★★ For horror / terror.
So there you have it. My take on Gristle and Bone. All in all this is a very good collection. The surprise for me was really the horror or terror as it might be called. Each story is very different in its make up with styles that are nothing like each other but at the same time the level of horror / terror is high.
The terror element is scary for varying reasons. It’s not make you jump out of your seat terror. It’s slow build up terror. Terror that seeps under your skin and scares you without you even realising that you are scared until you finish reading.
Duncan Ralston has certainly proved to me he can write. Even though this is a short story collection, a few of the stories are quite long which I for one was delighted to see. Too often I come across a collection that has ten stories in it and it’s done by one hundred pages. You get your money’s worth with this one.
He has a knack of absorbing you in the story very quickly. You feel at ease with what you are reading after only a couple of pages and the rest just flows very easily across the pages.
To summarise: A collection of stories that will have you glued to them form the first words. They will scare you for different reasons. They will turn your stomach. They will make you wonder “where the hell did that come from”. Most of all they will give you a few hours of enjoyable story telling. An art that isn’t easy to do.
Overall general rating:
★★★★.5 Almost perfect.
Overall horror / terror rating:
★★★★ Terror in so many different ways.
August 29, 2015
ARC for review.
This collection grew on me as it went along, so if you don't love the first few stories, stick with it....there's some great stuff to be had here.
The standouts for me: "Scavangers" - a neighbor/friend recounts the rather quick descent of his workaday friends into murderers.
"Fat of the Land" - what appears to be a standard horror story becomes something....more.
This collection grew on me as it went along, so if you don't love the first few stories, stick with it....there's some great stuff to be had here.
The standouts for me: "Scavangers" - a neighbor/friend recounts the rather quick descent of his workaday friends into murderers.
"Fat of the Land" - what appears to be a standard horror story becomes something....more.
June 28, 2015
Duncan Ralston has put together a collection of his short stories that are shocking, disturbing and disgusting. Truly enjoyable. There are seven unique stories found in this book, each one will push your mind further into the depths of his deranged mind.
What I enjoyed most about Gristle & Bone was that each stood on its own merits. In my mind the short story is an art, the author has a length constraint, they must pull you into their world, while at the same time leaving you satisfied that the story was complete, without anything else needing to be told. Duncan Ralston fulfilled this completely.
As with a collection of shorts, some are better than others. He had the perfect start with “Baby Teeth”, this story shocked me, left my jaw on the floor, wondering “What the h-e double hockey sticks is wrong with this guy? He’s sick!” I just had to read more.
My personal favorite (and every horror lover will find their own) was “Beware of Dog”. I found that this one had a bit more substance to it and I did not see that ending coming.
If you are looking for something new and different in the horror genre, Gristle & Bone will shock you.
4 Stars
What I enjoyed most about Gristle & Bone was that each stood on its own merits. In my mind the short story is an art, the author has a length constraint, they must pull you into their world, while at the same time leaving you satisfied that the story was complete, without anything else needing to be told. Duncan Ralston fulfilled this completely.
As with a collection of shorts, some are better than others. He had the perfect start with “Baby Teeth”, this story shocked me, left my jaw on the floor, wondering “What the h-e double hockey sticks is wrong with this guy? He’s sick!” I just had to read more.
My personal favorite (and every horror lover will find their own) was “Beware of Dog”. I found that this one had a bit more substance to it and I did not see that ending coming.
If you are looking for something new and different in the horror genre, Gristle & Bone will shock you.
4 Stars
December 18, 2015
Wide range of horror in this great collection
BABY TEETH-absolutely creepy goodness
BEWARE OF DOG-tragic story with crazy cool twists
VIRAL-excellent story, stuck in my head for days!
ARTIFACT (# 37)-unique plot, great characters, excellent twists
// END USER-interesting, entertaining & weird!
FAT OF THE LAND-great example of wonderful storytelling
SCAVENGERS-how well do you know your neighbors?
Highly recommended to all fans of modern horror!
BABY TEETH-absolutely creepy goodness
BEWARE OF DOG-tragic story with crazy cool twists
VIRAL-excellent story, stuck in my head for days!
ARTIFACT (# 37)-unique plot, great characters, excellent twists
// END USER-interesting, entertaining & weird!
FAT OF THE LAND-great example of wonderful storytelling
SCAVENGERS-how well do you know your neighbors?
Highly recommended to all fans of modern horror!
July 9, 2016
If you’re an avid reader of horror who regularly ingests and searches for the next big thing, there is no doubt that you should add Ralston's short story collection, "Gristle & Bone," to the top of your TBR list. The short stories presented here are by far some of the best I've read all year.
Thank you again, Dawn Cano for the superb recommendation. I'm a 'D-Man' fanboy for life.
Thank you again, Dawn Cano for the superb recommendation. I'm a 'D-Man' fanboy for life.
August 18, 2015
***Disclaimer: I received a free copy in exchange for a review.***
Gristle & Bone is a collection of horror/supernatural short stories by Duncan Ralston. I haven’t read as much in the genre as I’d like so I was eager to dive into this one. And I was glad I did; this one kept me reading for quite a while. While some of the plots aren’t new, the twists they take are what keep you going.
Baby Teeth: Candace and Joel are having trouble conceiving a child, which affects their marriage. One day Candace begins hearing strange noises around the house- including the patter of little feet.
Beware of the Dog: Dean is dishonorably discharged from the Army and returns to his hometown for both some mandated psychiatric evaluation and closure from a traumatic incident in his childhood that affected not only himself, but one other person. The key to it all may lie in the hands of someone else.
Viral: Tara is a journalist working on a story of a girl who went missing, literally right in front of everyone while recording a video on her computer. Tara feels a kinship to the girl, but their connection ends up being more than she ever expected.
Artifact (#37): Ian & Kevin, along with some friends, run a booming reality porn business involving picking up ‘girls’ on the street and ‘teaching them a lesson’. It’s all part of the act, all fun and games, until one woman gets raped and brutally murdered by a serial killer. Although innocent of any involvement the event still haunts them, and sometimes the past has a way of coming back full circle.
//End User: Mason- conspiracy theorist and office drone- suddenly starts receiving strange emails on his computer, emails which seem to come from himself. Not only are they eerily prescient they also know all his secrets and inner demons. Who’s sending him all these strange emails? The answer lies in right in front of him.
Fat of the Land: David & June travel abroad to attend the gay wedding of two friends. While staying at high end hotel they’re directed to Ambrosia- an exclusive, invitation-only restaurant that specializes in exotic cuisine. The ambience and food are amazing, but what’s the secret of their success?
Scavengers: Jim & Leanne own a small town restaurant, and have a problem with scavengers rifling through the dumpsters every night. Jim witnesses something… strange… literally crawling down the wall to get to the trash. Realizing the danger is bigger than he suspected, Jim & Leanne need to find a way to kill these creatures before it’s too late.
The main thing about Ralston’s writing is that he’s great with narrative fiction; he gets you invested in the characters so you’ll care about what happens to them- a key element in horror stories, especially shorts like these. Only thing is he spends too much time on them, which leaves little room for a resolution or definitive ending which left some stories feeling incomplete. There’s subplots and layers woven into the stories, which are good, but end up taking away from the story. A couple of these end with having more problems and leaving more questions than they solved and answered, which was unsatisfying.
Gristle & Bone is a very entertaining, clever, imaginative, well crafted collection of horror and supernatural tales that’ll definitely keep you reading. Duncan Ralston is a fine writer, and one you should make room for on your shelf.
Gristle & Bone is a collection of horror/supernatural short stories by Duncan Ralston. I haven’t read as much in the genre as I’d like so I was eager to dive into this one. And I was glad I did; this one kept me reading for quite a while. While some of the plots aren’t new, the twists they take are what keep you going.
Baby Teeth: Candace and Joel are having trouble conceiving a child, which affects their marriage. One day Candace begins hearing strange noises around the house- including the patter of little feet.
Beware of the Dog: Dean is dishonorably discharged from the Army and returns to his hometown for both some mandated psychiatric evaluation and closure from a traumatic incident in his childhood that affected not only himself, but one other person. The key to it all may lie in the hands of someone else.
Viral: Tara is a journalist working on a story of a girl who went missing, literally right in front of everyone while recording a video on her computer. Tara feels a kinship to the girl, but their connection ends up being more than she ever expected.
Artifact (#37): Ian & Kevin, along with some friends, run a booming reality porn business involving picking up ‘girls’ on the street and ‘teaching them a lesson’. It’s all part of the act, all fun and games, until one woman gets raped and brutally murdered by a serial killer. Although innocent of any involvement the event still haunts them, and sometimes the past has a way of coming back full circle.
//End User: Mason- conspiracy theorist and office drone- suddenly starts receiving strange emails on his computer, emails which seem to come from himself. Not only are they eerily prescient they also know all his secrets and inner demons. Who’s sending him all these strange emails? The answer lies in right in front of him.
Fat of the Land: David & June travel abroad to attend the gay wedding of two friends. While staying at high end hotel they’re directed to Ambrosia- an exclusive, invitation-only restaurant that specializes in exotic cuisine. The ambience and food are amazing, but what’s the secret of their success?
Scavengers: Jim & Leanne own a small town restaurant, and have a problem with scavengers rifling through the dumpsters every night. Jim witnesses something… strange… literally crawling down the wall to get to the trash. Realizing the danger is bigger than he suspected, Jim & Leanne need to find a way to kill these creatures before it’s too late.
The main thing about Ralston’s writing is that he’s great with narrative fiction; he gets you invested in the characters so you’ll care about what happens to them- a key element in horror stories, especially shorts like these. Only thing is he spends too much time on them, which leaves little room for a resolution or definitive ending which left some stories feeling incomplete. There’s subplots and layers woven into the stories, which are good, but end up taking away from the story. A couple of these end with having more problems and leaving more questions than they solved and answered, which was unsatisfying.
Gristle & Bone is a very entertaining, clever, imaginative, well crafted collection of horror and supernatural tales that’ll definitely keep you reading. Duncan Ralston is a fine writer, and one you should make room for on your shelf.
August 29, 2016
I cannot praise this book highly enough.
Each short story pulled me into Duncan Ralston's world a little bit further, and his world is a scary place to be. Not in the gross out and gory way that I'm usually going on about, but on a psychological level that is terrifying.
Check out my full review on BBB
Each short story pulled me into Duncan Ralston's world a little bit further, and his world is a scary place to be. Not in the gross out and gory way that I'm usually going on about, but on a psychological level that is terrifying.
Check out my full review on BBB
February 6, 2015
Let me start off by stating the fact that I don't read much horror. It was the cover that attracted me at first. Then, I liked the idea that it was a bunch of short stories. So I bought it. I wasn't let down. From the first story, I was hooked... or bitten... whichever you choose. And each following story got better. If you get squeamish easily, then I wouldn't suggest it. But if you love a good scare, and well written horror, then you can't go wrong with this book.
January 1, 2017
Ralston presents readers with a mega lineup of bloody goodness ... that will still have them begging for more. Rarely do readers find a horror collection where every story is a 5-star! This collection of gruesomeness is definitely 5 stars all the way!
January 1, 2021
A beautiful set of short stories (ok, if beautiful includes cannibalism, sentient computers and human/animal hybrids). Still, the prose is lyrical and at least one of the stories moved me to tears. Definitely a worthwhile read.
December 20, 2014
Nothing amateurish about Ralston. His stories and style flow as well as anyone in the genre. Guy's the real deal.
March 13, 2017
Duncan Ralston is Start Raving Rad!!
Hot Damn, I just continue to be impressed by this author, reigning from up above.
In Canada.
After reading his jaw dropping, extremely intricate, highly engaging and darkly humorous novella Woom ( back to back, it warrants it, demands it ) which also happens to be one of my top reads for 2016, I debated on what of his to read next and decided on this, because it's 7 short stories.
Over 360 (or approx 275 depending on if you're going by Goodreads or Amazon...) pages total!
Oh so filling, sooo girthy. I wanted to sample more from him, all across his imaginative, polished, and sharply cracked spectrum before diving into a full novel.
And he didn't just bring it, he took it. It's gone...
YEP, takes that cake aaand as long as he didn't make it himself, I reckon I'll have seconds... and thirds. I'm a glutton.
With an insightful and charming introduction by Chris Hall, that fantastic reviewer over at DLS reviews. Hmmm I wonder what the DLS stands for...
I can't even think up a semi clever pun for that one.
I included Kindle page counts for each BUT they are rough count page cuts, I counted them myself so, huge margins of error.
My abacus may need an alignment.
Baby Teeth ~ 12
Candace and Joel find out she is unable to conceive, which sends her down a depressing downward/wayward spiral. She wants so bad to be a mom, craves it. Now, no more desire for sex AND she takes up old lady hobbies. Overall, just adopting a real lackadaisical phoning it in approach to life until....well, something gets her number and forces a proactive pep in her monotonous step.
It's easy to see why this one is the shortest of the bunch but DAMMITT, I wanted more, more of Candace in the throes of her fruitless woes and how she copes.
I oddly could relate to her. Well, not the barren part....all those bits and pieces have worked, a bit too well.
Beware of Dog ~ 55
Dean has had some anger issues. In his mid 30's and back living at home since he was dishonorably discharged from the Armed Forces following an aggressive/turned violent/turned awol episode. He's ordered to take some therapy, thankfully it's with long time family friend, Dr. Timothy Baswell. He sees no real use for it, other than getting it over with but to his surprise 'Uncle Tim' helps him have a breakthrough. It all stems from his early years, trio of despicable bullies, and a puppy dog love crush. Yea, being back in his hometown, and running into all his old friends and foes is the beast thing that could have happened to our Dean to come to terms with his rabid demons.
Alot going on in this one and you really have no idea it's true direction but you'll enjoy the 'seemingly' aimless venture and holy hell what an ending!!!!
Viral ~ 40
Tara is a kind of emotionally crippled, no notable relationships with anyone. She's very guarded and closed off. Works the music column at the Toronto Herald, she's unfulfilled and longs for meatier material to sink her journalistic teeth into. Seeing a video online that has gone viral about a depressed and despondent teenage girl, who remarkable, unbelievably....just up and disappears during her candid webcam outpouring. There is no way that was a camera trick, Tara resonates with that girl....she IS that girl. After some slick convincing to her boss, she heads out into the field to correspond with the girls family, and friend. She senses a real story here, one that may get her off the tuneless music beat, and she maaay even find herself in the process.
Sad and poignant, such an amazing story. Oh the drama of it all.
I think there is an urban legend about this, the sad bullied teen, just....disappearing.
They already feel so invisible on the outside, who would even notice, right....
GOD, this one really got me, pulled my heartstrings taut, and taunt!
Artifact (#37) ~ 26
A manly group of entrepreneurs....connoisseurs of sleaze, if you will. What's a group of very able bodied men to do for a gainful living when they have no real bankable skills. Well, procure a nice sized van and reinvent themselves as cyber porn peddlers. Christening their little dirty jiz biz, The Filthy Lessons Crew, they joyride them streets. With stage names like Mad Bastard and Meat, it's like the smuttiest of reality shows and their paid female counterparts play their part whole whorily. And it was quite lucrative before the internet porn craze really took off. They are now celebrating their 200th video but one early 'actress' is more memorable than the rest, she unfortunately fell victim to an atrocious crime of circumstance while in their charge. It was completely unrelated to them but they were still held accountable in the public eye, they've always held themselves accountable too. Her memory continues to haunt them. You can't help but kind of like these lewd and crude trashy guys. Dispiriting and foreboding with a heavy dose of off color bawdy.
//End User ~ 29
Mason, conspiracy theorist blogger and loner, wakes up one morning to a strange email. It's not so much what it says, it's the fact that it's to and from himself. Has he been pranked, spammed, hacked, is 'the man' watching?? They keep coming and seem to know a little bit too much, even things that haven't happened yet...
Through the course of the day, he goes through many emotions trying to understand what's going on. He's tinker tottering on the edge, has his long standing paranoia finally driven him to schizophrenia....
Who holds the real power, what is the end game here?
This was quite the little pulse pounding cyber thriller. You don't know what the hell is going on and can't wait to find out! Loved the Arnie, They Live, and Marathon Man references.
Fat of the Land ~ 56
Delectably delicious and disturbingly....grody. Just ew, grody...
June and David, happily unmarried couple in Monte Verde California for a wedding.
June comes from money and has a very unpretentious aura about her, turns her nose up at snotty rich entitlements. David does not come from money yet tries to adapt a pretentious entitled aura about him. In an innocent naive way though, she finds it endearing and kind of dorky. Such a cute couple.
June does often hear the nagging voice of unreason from her not so dearly departed bigoted mother though, antagonizing her, trying to keep her toting that birth rite grandiose line.
Getting a recommendation from the hotel desk clerk about an upscale, referred reservation only restaurant called Ambrosia, they head out for what promises to be a romantic and eclectic fine dining experience. Should have stuck with McD's drive thru.
This one made me soooo hungry, Duncan's excellent mouth watering descriptions of food, OMG, I had to take a break and make me something savory. UNTIL, he pulled back that tainted false curtain, then my savory treat came back up, from whence it went down.
Bravo for that bit of aversion therapy ~ bulimia style.
This one gets crazy with a hell of a lot going on from a missing groom, an odd whaaat denominational church, old world prejudices, a strange mythic script, and underground caverns. Flat out loved all the couple's bantering framework and that slow burn ~ where the hell is this going ~ build up.
Scavengers ~ 97
Jim and Leanne were restaurant owners late in life, tired of their normal daily grind business like jobs in the small town of Knee High. They are successful and serve delicious food that brings 'em in from all over. Very nice, honest, and reliable couple. Well, some things come to light ~ ooor to the dark ~ that drive Jim a bit batty, he doesn't like anything going on in his restaurant's back alley. A little investigating and he uncovers more than just the random, harmless scavenger. Their lives snowball into blackmail, bartering, conspiracy theories and espionage.
Neighbor, long time friend and accountant for the couple tells their tale, in written form, to best of his secondhand (fill in the gaps) ability.
How interesting, what a unique approach to storytelling.
This is creepy crawly and will make you think twice, do a double take when you hear something rustling out back by your garbage bins. Could it be.....
This one was a novella, almost a 100 pages, perfect little mystery with an excellent hair-raising, freakish factor going for it. Again, loved that POV style!
And there you have it, 7 diverse, fantastic, and unique stories.
You'll laugh, you'll cry. You'll binge, you'll purge. Very very easy to get lost in these stories.
Awesome title too; Gristle and Bone. Because a lot of characters find themselves stuck rut in the middle of a gnawed off sinewy tough spot and a rock hard endo aaand exo place.
So hard to believe that this was his first published work! He's a natural.
And quite...unnatural. Yea, he is finely tuned and calibrated to precision, more than capable of wooing us with his spitfire charm, yet he is also slightly unhinged. All the best ones are!!!
So much depth, none of these stories were an A to B kind of tale. They are all over the goddamn alphabet!! Foreign alphabets too, I'd wager.
Lots of layers I notice in ALL his stories, Woom and all those interconnecting tales as well, he's like a ginormous bulbous onion, but not one of them sweet vidalia onions.
No, ain't no sweet in them bitter eye burning layers. Plenty of sour though and a touch of ripe but oh so savory sauteed with a side of liver and a bottle of red.
Viral and //End User I pictured as episodes of that fantastic Black Mirror show. Perfect perfect fit.
A younger Hilary Swank circa 'Boys Don't Cry' would be a shoe-in for Viral and I imagined a scruffy Elijah Wood in //End User. He pulls off that deer in the headlights paranoid look very well.
Artifact (#37) would fit the tone of that show too, I got a couple old boyfriends who would be dead ringer excellent as the brothers.
Yea, Duncan needs to get in contact with that Charlie Brooker chap, dinner and a lot of drinks, they could hammer and nail it all out. :D
"...the one which reminds us we all walk a tightrope between sanity and madness, a rope that is both slippery and barbed. The odds are not stacked in our favor."
Helpful tip: for optimal ~and stable~ enjoyment, it's best to craft yourself in the art of tap, and tip toe, when strutting across a tightly woven yet jagged and edgy Ralston branded tightrope.
Happy and safe reading to all.
Ralston has a permanent home on my Kindle that's for sure!!
What next from him, there are quite a few tasty choices. Savages, about a flooded town in a haunted lake and a grieving brother searching for answers or maybe I'll soak up more short stories in Sweat and Blood. Guess I'll just have to flip a coin.
Hot Damn, I just continue to be impressed by this author, reigning from up above.
In Canada.
After reading his jaw dropping, extremely intricate, highly engaging and darkly humorous novella Woom ( back to back, it warrants it, demands it ) which also happens to be one of my top reads for 2016, I debated on what of his to read next and decided on this, because it's 7 short stories.
Over 360 (or approx 275 depending on if you're going by Goodreads or Amazon...) pages total!
Oh so filling, sooo girthy. I wanted to sample more from him, all across his imaginative, polished, and sharply cracked spectrum before diving into a full novel.
And he didn't just bring it, he took it. It's gone...
YEP, takes that cake aaand as long as he didn't make it himself, I reckon I'll have seconds... and thirds. I'm a glutton.
With an insightful and charming introduction by Chris Hall, that fantastic reviewer over at DLS reviews. Hmmm I wonder what the DLS stands for...
I can't even think up a semi clever pun for that one.
I included Kindle page counts for each BUT they are rough count page cuts, I counted them myself so, huge margins of error.
My abacus may need an alignment.
Baby Teeth ~ 12
Candace and Joel find out she is unable to conceive, which sends her down a depressing downward/wayward spiral. She wants so bad to be a mom, craves it. Now, no more desire for sex AND she takes up old lady hobbies. Overall, just adopting a real lackadaisical phoning it in approach to life until....well, something gets her number and forces a proactive pep in her monotonous step.
It's easy to see why this one is the shortest of the bunch but DAMMITT, I wanted more, more of Candace in the throes of her fruitless woes and how she copes.
I oddly could relate to her. Well, not the barren part....all those bits and pieces have worked, a bit too well.
Beware of Dog ~ 55
Dean has had some anger issues. In his mid 30's and back living at home since he was dishonorably discharged from the Armed Forces following an aggressive/turned violent/turned awol episode. He's ordered to take some therapy, thankfully it's with long time family friend, Dr. Timothy Baswell. He sees no real use for it, other than getting it over with but to his surprise 'Uncle Tim' helps him have a breakthrough. It all stems from his early years, trio of despicable bullies, and a puppy dog love crush. Yea, being back in his hometown, and running into all his old friends and foes is the beast thing that could have happened to our Dean to come to terms with his rabid demons.
Alot going on in this one and you really have no idea it's true direction but you'll enjoy the 'seemingly' aimless venture and holy hell what an ending!!!!
Viral ~ 40
Tara is a kind of emotionally crippled, no notable relationships with anyone. She's very guarded and closed off. Works the music column at the Toronto Herald, she's unfulfilled and longs for meatier material to sink her journalistic teeth into. Seeing a video online that has gone viral about a depressed and despondent teenage girl, who remarkable, unbelievably....just up and disappears during her candid webcam outpouring. There is no way that was a camera trick, Tara resonates with that girl....she IS that girl. After some slick convincing to her boss, she heads out into the field to correspond with the girls family, and friend. She senses a real story here, one that may get her off the tuneless music beat, and she maaay even find herself in the process.
Sad and poignant, such an amazing story. Oh the drama of it all.
I think there is an urban legend about this, the sad bullied teen, just....disappearing.
They already feel so invisible on the outside, who would even notice, right....
GOD, this one really got me, pulled my heartstrings taut, and taunt!
Artifact (#37) ~ 26
A manly group of entrepreneurs....connoisseurs of sleaze, if you will. What's a group of very able bodied men to do for a gainful living when they have no real bankable skills. Well, procure a nice sized van and reinvent themselves as cyber porn peddlers. Christening their little dirty jiz biz, The Filthy Lessons Crew, they joyride them streets. With stage names like Mad Bastard and Meat, it's like the smuttiest of reality shows and their paid female counterparts play their part whole whorily. And it was quite lucrative before the internet porn craze really took off. They are now celebrating their 200th video but one early 'actress' is more memorable than the rest, she unfortunately fell victim to an atrocious crime of circumstance while in their charge. It was completely unrelated to them but they were still held accountable in the public eye, they've always held themselves accountable too. Her memory continues to haunt them. You can't help but kind of like these lewd and crude trashy guys. Dispiriting and foreboding with a heavy dose of off color bawdy.
//End User ~ 29
Mason, conspiracy theorist blogger and loner, wakes up one morning to a strange email. It's not so much what it says, it's the fact that it's to and from himself. Has he been pranked, spammed, hacked, is 'the man' watching?? They keep coming and seem to know a little bit too much, even things that haven't happened yet...
Through the course of the day, he goes through many emotions trying to understand what's going on. He's tinker tottering on the edge, has his long standing paranoia finally driven him to schizophrenia....
Who holds the real power, what is the end game here?
This was quite the little pulse pounding cyber thriller. You don't know what the hell is going on and can't wait to find out! Loved the Arnie, They Live, and Marathon Man references.
Fat of the Land ~ 56
Delectably delicious and disturbingly....grody. Just ew, grody...
June and David, happily unmarried couple in Monte Verde California for a wedding.
June comes from money and has a very unpretentious aura about her, turns her nose up at snotty rich entitlements. David does not come from money yet tries to adapt a pretentious entitled aura about him. In an innocent naive way though, she finds it endearing and kind of dorky. Such a cute couple.
June does often hear the nagging voice of unreason from her not so dearly departed bigoted mother though, antagonizing her, trying to keep her toting that birth rite grandiose line.
Getting a recommendation from the hotel desk clerk about an upscale, referred reservation only restaurant called Ambrosia, they head out for what promises to be a romantic and eclectic fine dining experience. Should have stuck with McD's drive thru.
This one made me soooo hungry, Duncan's excellent mouth watering descriptions of food, OMG, I had to take a break and make me something savory. UNTIL, he pulled back that tainted false curtain, then my savory treat came back up, from whence it went down.
Bravo for that bit of aversion therapy ~ bulimia style.
This one gets crazy with a hell of a lot going on from a missing groom, an odd whaaat denominational church, old world prejudices, a strange mythic script, and underground caverns. Flat out loved all the couple's bantering framework and that slow burn ~ where the hell is this going ~ build up.
Scavengers ~ 97
Jim and Leanne were restaurant owners late in life, tired of their normal daily grind business like jobs in the small town of Knee High. They are successful and serve delicious food that brings 'em in from all over. Very nice, honest, and reliable couple. Well, some things come to light ~ ooor to the dark ~ that drive Jim a bit batty, he doesn't like anything going on in his restaurant's back alley. A little investigating and he uncovers more than just the random, harmless scavenger. Their lives snowball into blackmail, bartering, conspiracy theories and espionage.
Neighbor, long time friend and accountant for the couple tells their tale, in written form, to best of his secondhand (fill in the gaps) ability.
How interesting, what a unique approach to storytelling.
This is creepy crawly and will make you think twice, do a double take when you hear something rustling out back by your garbage bins. Could it be.....
This one was a novella, almost a 100 pages, perfect little mystery with an excellent hair-raising, freakish factor going for it. Again, loved that POV style!
And there you have it, 7 diverse, fantastic, and unique stories.
You'll laugh, you'll cry. You'll binge, you'll purge. Very very easy to get lost in these stories.
Awesome title too; Gristle and Bone. Because a lot of characters find themselves stuck rut in the middle of a gnawed off sinewy tough spot and a rock hard endo aaand exo place.
So hard to believe that this was his first published work! He's a natural.
And quite...unnatural. Yea, he is finely tuned and calibrated to precision, more than capable of wooing us with his spitfire charm, yet he is also slightly unhinged. All the best ones are!!!
So much depth, none of these stories were an A to B kind of tale. They are all over the goddamn alphabet!! Foreign alphabets too, I'd wager.
Lots of layers I notice in ALL his stories, Woom and all those interconnecting tales as well, he's like a ginormous bulbous onion, but not one of them sweet vidalia onions.
No, ain't no sweet in them bitter eye burning layers. Plenty of sour though and a touch of ripe but oh so savory sauteed with a side of liver and a bottle of red.
Viral and //End User I pictured as episodes of that fantastic Black Mirror show. Perfect perfect fit.
A younger Hilary Swank circa 'Boys Don't Cry' would be a shoe-in for Viral and I imagined a scruffy Elijah Wood in //End User. He pulls off that deer in the headlights paranoid look very well.
Artifact (#37) would fit the tone of that show too, I got a couple old boyfriends who would be dead ringer excellent as the brothers.
Yea, Duncan needs to get in contact with that Charlie Brooker chap, dinner and a lot of drinks, they could hammer and nail it all out. :D
"...the one which reminds us we all walk a tightrope between sanity and madness, a rope that is both slippery and barbed. The odds are not stacked in our favor."
Helpful tip: for optimal ~and stable~ enjoyment, it's best to craft yourself in the art of tap, and tip toe, when strutting across a tightly woven yet jagged and edgy Ralston branded tightrope.
Happy and safe reading to all.
Ralston has a permanent home on my Kindle that's for sure!!
What next from him, there are quite a few tasty choices. Savages, about a flooded town in a haunted lake and a grieving brother searching for answers or maybe I'll soak up more short stories in Sweat and Blood. Guess I'll just have to flip a coin.
June 28, 2015
Gristle and Bone is a well written collection of stories, bugling with original ideas. Lurking within the pages you’ll find familiar horror ghouls such as cannibals, ghosts and shape shifters, alongside some not so familiar; each with a modern twist to their story. A caustic wit runs through the narrative with its voice anchored squarely in the here and now. Phrases are delivered with abrasion, conjuring up the idea in my mind that Ralston’s prose is somewhat akin to King doing Palahniuk.
Like the works of King, the characters here are well developed and one of the author’s strengths is his ability to write believable and natural dialogue. In the final story Scavengers, a novella length tale, the narrative is written in first person from one of the characters. Through his words we are able to understand more about the character that is speaking to us than is actually told, and the prose smoothly breezes along as a conversation would.
The opener, Baby Teeth, is the shortest tale but a perfect way to start. A modern day setting leads into a scene of suspense which quickly turns into a stomach churner that even made this hardened soul feel queasy. It ends with a very clever twist, one that had me and my friends talking over (no spoilers found here).
It’s this twist that sets up the book and highlights a theme throughout that really makes Gristle & Bone an intriguing read: you never know where the true horror’s going to come from.
Each story has a great way of blindsiding you, leading you down one path and then coming at you from a completely different angle of attack. It’s a trick that works well and one that I failed to second guess at any point.
With the aforementioned Scavengers, Ralston is able to do this trick a few times throughout the story, as you sway from one side of the fight to the next, wondering exactly who is the most vile. But none of this sets you up for the ending, which was just superb, leaving you with a lingering thought as any good book should.
Highly recommended, this is the place to check out modern horror.
Like the works of King, the characters here are well developed and one of the author’s strengths is his ability to write believable and natural dialogue. In the final story Scavengers, a novella length tale, the narrative is written in first person from one of the characters. Through his words we are able to understand more about the character that is speaking to us than is actually told, and the prose smoothly breezes along as a conversation would.
The opener, Baby Teeth, is the shortest tale but a perfect way to start. A modern day setting leads into a scene of suspense which quickly turns into a stomach churner that even made this hardened soul feel queasy. It ends with a very clever twist, one that had me and my friends talking over (no spoilers found here).
It’s this twist that sets up the book and highlights a theme throughout that really makes Gristle & Bone an intriguing read: you never know where the true horror’s going to come from.
Each story has a great way of blindsiding you, leading you down one path and then coming at you from a completely different angle of attack. It’s a trick that works well and one that I failed to second guess at any point.
With the aforementioned Scavengers, Ralston is able to do this trick a few times throughout the story, as you sway from one side of the fight to the next, wondering exactly who is the most vile. But none of this sets you up for the ending, which was just superb, leaving you with a lingering thought as any good book should.
Highly recommended, this is the place to check out modern horror.
July 27, 2015
With seven short horror stories, Gristle and Bone offers a little something for everyone; creatures, shifters, disappearances, ghosts, the Apocalypse, cannibals and frugaltarians round out this collections. For every story in here, I really enjoyed Duncan’s build of suspense, pacing and characters. I was very impressed with all of the different types of horror included from subtle to downright terrifying and gory. I also loved some of the twists that I never saw coming.
My absolute favorite story of the bunch was the last one, Scavengers, which is novella-length. So, you’re probably thinking ‘what’s so scary about frugaltarians?’ Well, they are not what they seem at all. This story had me from the beginning, when a neighbor is recounting restaurant owner’s Jim and Leann’s dealings with scavengers from their dumpster and why it turned into murder. There was a lot of suspense building, characters that I got a good feel for and more weirdness that I could imagine with the frugaltarians; and not to mention a twist at the very end.
Another favorite for me was Beware of Dog. Veteran, Dean returns to his home town and under the care of a psychologist, he is told to come to terms and apologize for an event with a classmate from his past. This story didn’t have the typical horror feel, but there was plenty of suspense and violence. Most of the story deals with the typical and mundane overcoming of the past and confronting a bully. However, Dean’s issue with dogs doesn’t become clear until he finally takes the advice of his doctor and confronts his past tormentor. This one was unsuspected and atypical, but I loved it.
Overall, a great short story collection for someone who wants to check out a new author.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
My absolute favorite story of the bunch was the last one, Scavengers, which is novella-length. So, you’re probably thinking ‘what’s so scary about frugaltarians?’ Well, they are not what they seem at all. This story had me from the beginning, when a neighbor is recounting restaurant owner’s Jim and Leann’s dealings with scavengers from their dumpster and why it turned into murder. There was a lot of suspense building, characters that I got a good feel for and more weirdness that I could imagine with the frugaltarians; and not to mention a twist at the very end.
Another favorite for me was Beware of Dog. Veteran, Dean returns to his home town and under the care of a psychologist, he is told to come to terms and apologize for an event with a classmate from his past. This story didn’t have the typical horror feel, but there was plenty of suspense and violence. Most of the story deals with the typical and mundane overcoming of the past and confronting a bully. However, Dean’s issue with dogs doesn’t become clear until he finally takes the advice of his doctor and confronts his past tormentor. This one was unsuspected and atypical, but I loved it.
Overall, a great short story collection for someone who wants to check out a new author.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
March 16, 2015
Monster exist, I'm afraid. And you'll find them here in Duncan Ralston's terrifying collection of strange and unusual stories. Gristle & Bone draws upon the same fear that pulls our eyes to the nearly shut closet, the same fear that brings our attention the cawing raven perched on a fence post. The same fear that transforms into a persistent thought that something indeed in hiding under the bed. Yes, Gristle & Bone will lead you into a world of unrestrained imagination. Of sight and sound. Of shadow and superstition. At the summit and my favorite from the collection, Artifact #37. A tantalizing tale of porn gone wrong. Just below Artifact, Baby Teeth. Another chilling exploration piece filled with excellent symbolism regarding pregnancy and struggles with infertility. Further along, Beware of Dog shines above the others, Ralston masterfully crafts beautifully haunted characters, I enjoyed the small town charm mixed with the shady past. Fat of the Land was next. An interesting tale that discussed ethnocentric issues. End User// and Viral are fun, if not disturbing, adventures into the strange technological world we now live. And below the cliff hangs Ralston's gem, Scavenger, a twisted story of suspense that will leave you with a wanton desire for more. But unfortunately, all good story's must come to an end.
I give Gristle & Bone 4.5 out of 5. For original horror. Attention to characterization and detail to environment. And best of all, for interweaving social and cultural anxieties into the stories themselves. I for one am looking forward to more work by this brilliant up and coming voice in the horror genre.
I give Gristle & Bone 4.5 out of 5. For original horror. Attention to characterization and detail to environment. And best of all, for interweaving social and cultural anxieties into the stories themselves. I for one am looking forward to more work by this brilliant up and coming voice in the horror genre.
October 12, 2015
Disclaimer: Duncan Ralston is published by the Forsaken imprint of Booktrope, the same publisher which released my debut novella, No Rest for the Wicked.
I’m going to say something that shouldn’t be taken lightly – I was impressed by this book. It has all of the hallmarks of a classic collection of horror stories, but with a delightfully modern twist – technology is at its most sinister here, and not only did it give me the heebie jeebies, but also it inspired a short story idea that I’m going to develop myself.
Ralston is a fellow writer on my imprint at Booktrope, and it’s books like this that make me realise just how much talent there is around me – it’s a safe bet that if you put it to the test with members of the public, people would struggle to identify the difference between Ralston, King or Barker, based on the quality of the writing alone. The styles might give it away though, and Duncan certainly has his own unique style, like the secret ingredient that holds his stories together.
I won’t go into the story lines of each of the stories, but what I can tell you is that you can expect seven of them, with the final story in the collection covering almost a third of the pages and serving effectively as a novella. That worked pretty well, because it kept me interested as a reader and it meant that the final story was like a main meal, after six, gory appetisers.
I’m going to say something that shouldn’t be taken lightly – I was impressed by this book. It has all of the hallmarks of a classic collection of horror stories, but with a delightfully modern twist – technology is at its most sinister here, and not only did it give me the heebie jeebies, but also it inspired a short story idea that I’m going to develop myself.
Ralston is a fellow writer on my imprint at Booktrope, and it’s books like this that make me realise just how much talent there is around me – it’s a safe bet that if you put it to the test with members of the public, people would struggle to identify the difference between Ralston, King or Barker, based on the quality of the writing alone. The styles might give it away though, and Duncan certainly has his own unique style, like the secret ingredient that holds his stories together.
I won’t go into the story lines of each of the stories, but what I can tell you is that you can expect seven of them, with the final story in the collection covering almost a third of the pages and serving effectively as a novella. That worked pretty well, because it kept me interested as a reader and it meant that the final story was like a main meal, after six, gory appetisers.
May 6, 2017
Disclaimer: Duncan Ralston is published by the Forsaken imprint of Booktrope, the same publisher which released my debut novella, No Rest for the Wicked.
I’m going to say something that shouldn’t be taken lightly – I was impressed by this book. It has all of the hallmarks of a classic collection of horror stories, but with a delightfully modern twist – technology is at its most sinister here, and not only did it give me the heebie jeebies, but also it inspired a short story idea that I’m going to develop myself.
Ralston is a fellow writer on my imprint at Booktrope, and it’s books like this that make me realise just how much talent there is around me – it’s a safe bet that if you put it to the test with members of the public, people would struggle to identify the difference between Ralston, King or Barker, based on the quality of the writing alone. The styles might give it away though, and Duncan certainly has his own unique style, like the secret ingredient that holds his stories together.
I won’t go into the story lines of each of the stories, but what I can tell you is that you can expect seven of them, with the final story in the collection covering almost a third of the pages and serving effectively as a novella. That worked pretty well, because it kept me interested as a reader and it meant that the final story was like a main meal, after six, gory appetisers.
I’m going to say something that shouldn’t be taken lightly – I was impressed by this book. It has all of the hallmarks of a classic collection of horror stories, but with a delightfully modern twist – technology is at its most sinister here, and not only did it give me the heebie jeebies, but also it inspired a short story idea that I’m going to develop myself.
Ralston is a fellow writer on my imprint at Booktrope, and it’s books like this that make me realise just how much talent there is around me – it’s a safe bet that if you put it to the test with members of the public, people would struggle to identify the difference between Ralston, King or Barker, based on the quality of the writing alone. The styles might give it away though, and Duncan certainly has his own unique style, like the secret ingredient that holds his stories together.
I won’t go into the story lines of each of the stories, but what I can tell you is that you can expect seven of them, with the final story in the collection covering almost a third of the pages and serving effectively as a novella. That worked pretty well, because it kept me interested as a reader and it meant that the final story was like a main meal, after six, gory appetisers.
October 16, 2014
Delightfully frightening stories to get your adrenaline pumping!
Duncan Ralston has written a blood tingling collection of horror stories. Gristle & Bone consists of seven frightening tales: Baby Teeth, Fat Of The Land, Beware Of Dog, //End User, Viral, Artifact (#37), and Scavengers. It's sure to please most readers of this genre as the stories range from blood and gore to mind-blowing suspense that leave some of the details to the imagination. All of them will have you sitting on the edge of your seat. Baby Teeth was hard-core. I was feeling queasy and light-headed towards the end but couldn't stop reading. //End User was the style of horror I'm normally captivated by and I did not want the story to end. The flaming sword thing looked kind of final, but I would love to see the author bring this back in the form of a sequel. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys being scared out of their wits!
Duncan Ralston has written a blood tingling collection of horror stories. Gristle & Bone consists of seven frightening tales: Baby Teeth, Fat Of The Land, Beware Of Dog, //End User, Viral, Artifact (#37), and Scavengers. It's sure to please most readers of this genre as the stories range from blood and gore to mind-blowing suspense that leave some of the details to the imagination. All of them will have you sitting on the edge of your seat. Baby Teeth was hard-core. I was feeling queasy and light-headed towards the end but couldn't stop reading. //End User was the style of horror I'm normally captivated by and I did not want the story to end. The flaming sword thing looked kind of final, but I would love to see the author bring this back in the form of a sequel. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys being scared out of their wits!
December 3, 2014
A remarkable book. First he shocks you, then surprises, then disturbs you. Every story hits you differently. Each has a different psychological affect. As each unfolds smoothly, thoughts of a pleasant story to come suddenly change to shock/horror as the stories twist and turn. I enjoyed each and every one of the stories, my absolute favourite was BEWARE OF DOG as it had all the ingredients you could wish for in a story, the way the protagonist's mind worked was particularly realistic and had me right there inside his head, with his fears and worries, past trauma, longings and challenges. Grisly, mentally disturbing, psychologically macabre stories, definitely not for the squeamish and very cleverly put together, each very different from the others.
March 20, 2015
An excellent..."body" of work.
Normally I get ebooks because they're promoted on Facebook or Twitter (especially if they're free). "Gristle & Bone" popped up in my Amazon recommendations and I thought, "That looks good."
I was NOT disappointed.
This was my first encounter with Duncan Ralston's work, but I very much doubt it will be my last. I won't spoil the stories for you, but the topics run the gamut from cannibalism to lycanthropy to neighbors who aren't what they seem. The characters are solid and believable, and the stories just suck you in. (I haven't been so annoyed to have my reading interrupted in quite a while.)
Read. This. Collection. It's disturbing and gory and horrible in all the RIGHT ways.
Normally I get ebooks because they're promoted on Facebook or Twitter (especially if they're free). "Gristle & Bone" popped up in my Amazon recommendations and I thought, "That looks good."
I was NOT disappointed.
This was my first encounter with Duncan Ralston's work, but I very much doubt it will be my last. I won't spoil the stories for you, but the topics run the gamut from cannibalism to lycanthropy to neighbors who aren't what they seem. The characters are solid and believable, and the stories just suck you in. (I haven't been so annoyed to have my reading interrupted in quite a while.)
Read. This. Collection. It's disturbing and gory and horrible in all the RIGHT ways.
July 17, 2015
This was a book of shorts that I was gifted by the author. As a horror newbie I was glad to see it wasn't all blood and guts, but more thinking horror. IS that a thing? Either way I really loved this book. There was one story I wasn't a fan of, but the enjoyment I got from the rest totally makes up for that one.
Also, I love that Mr. Ralston peppered the stories with pop culture references. Because anytime I come across elevensies in a book; I am a happy reader.
Also, I love that Mr. Ralston peppered the stories with pop culture references. Because anytime I come across elevensies in a book; I am a happy reader.
December 18, 2015
I don't vibe with the author and his collection of abnormalities...
His prose comes across as sophomoric gibberish...
As a narrator he has a tin ear and near zero writing chops...
Hint: in order to write, you need be absent stifling anxiety...
And this volume reeks of fear in the worst possible way and way...
Wrap me up, I am all watery coffin...
Stand away and a ways from me, I want to burn and burn...
A Chris Roberts Review
His prose comes across as sophomoric gibberish...
As a narrator he has a tin ear and near zero writing chops...
Hint: in order to write, you need be absent stifling anxiety...
And this volume reeks of fear in the worst possible way and way...
Wrap me up, I am all watery coffin...
Stand away and a ways from me, I want to burn and burn...
A Chris Roberts Review
January 17, 2015
Ralston brings a real diverse mix of stories and all deliver in one way or another. From the short Baby Teeth, which has a superb ending through to the longer tales of Scavengers, all entertain. The latter in particular showcases Ralston's ability of being the narrator who becomes your buddy telling you a story over a beer, thoroughly entertaining throughout
September 13, 2017
In a macabre mash-up of dark suspense, gut-wrenching gore, and sardonic social commentary, the stories of Gristle & Bone leave you wanting more... and feeling a little guilty for it. Some of the stories take on classic horror tropes, such as cannibals, suspicious neighbors, and urbanites in the country, and breathe a dark new energy into them. The narratives keep you guessing. A new Clive Barker?
September 23, 2017
Gristle & Bone: A Collection of Dark Fiction including Werewolves, Conspiracy Theories, Monsters, Cannibals and Vengeful Ghosts is the title of this collection by Duncan Ralston as it appears on its Amazon page. This title attracts more attention than the cover title Gristle and Bones but no matter which one you pick the idea is that you will be reading some unusual stuff. All seven stories are a bit twisted and out there. If you are a fan of this genre, welcome. If you are easily offended by dark stuff, run away.
With a collection like this, I like to look at the book before diving into content. I looked first at the section "Thank You." I was interested in who influenced the author. Fans of Ken Preston and extreme horror author Matt Shaw are referenced. This might give a reader an idea of what to expect. Then there is an introduction by Chris Hall. It is an excellent introduction all by itself and sets up reader expectations. It is so good that I felt it occasionally oversold the referenced story. Nevertheless, it is worth reading and by itself is entertaining writing. And then, there are the stories.
BABY TEETH Candace Murray wanted a baby. She didn't believe the doctors who told her she couldn't have one. When she had thought she was pregnant a doctor had called it a "hysterical pregnancy," it was all in her mind. But Candace had experiences with more physical reality than what was only in her mind. Welcome home.
BEWARE OF DOG He had run away from the Army while serving in Afghanistan. Under the care of Dr. Baswell, he was trying to find his way back. Dean didn't run away from things because he was scared. He was only afraid of the way he would react. He had dealt with bullies both in high school and the Army. It did not turn out well for them. Now he was back home and thought to make amends with Patrick, an enemy bully from his high school days who Dean had marked with a facial scar during a fight. Patrick didn't want to accept amends; he wanted vengeance. Patrick had even named his dog Dean so he could remember Dean's "abuse." But, per the title, beware of the dog.
VIRAL Tara Maxwell believed that the girl on the video had been asking for help just before she disappeared. Millions had watched Daria Walker disappear (the title). Tara thought this was a story which would boost her journalistic career. She had to check it out more closely. But the investigation would bring out some of Tara's own ghost memories. This was even more so when she visited the site of Daria's disappearance. As she sat at Daria's computer, Tara felt compelled to type out her own confession about failing to help a suicidal university friend. Confession brings rewards.
ARTIFACT (#37) This might be a reality show gone wrong. The artifacts were "guests." But artifact #37 was broken. No one wanted to remember #37. But she remembered them. The lesson from this story is "Don't play with Ouija boards."
//END USER In a collection of dark stories this title immediately raises eyebrows. Mason woke up to his phone delivering messages about what would happen in the coming days. That was bad. Then the messages referenced some of the things he had been thinking about. That was worse. Then his phone sent links to his office computer. He and his colleagues on the shared network were treated to video clips of his youth. This was the worst, or so Mason thought. He had to confront the AI entity attempting to control him with terms more favorable to humans. But what does one do when there is nothing left to learn? An answer is in this story.
FAT OF THE LAND This is a tale of old tradition defending itself against new tradition brought by immigrants. In the middle of these two groups, we have David and June. Members of neither of the two groups, they are just in Monte Verde to attend the wedding. While there they will explore the wonders of a recommended restaurant, the "Ambrosia." It is monstrously good.
SCAVENGERS Humans most of the time, they turned into something else at night. In the evenings, they scavenged; mostly they dined on small pets but with just a slight stretch of the imagination the meals might expand to include children and, later, adults. Jim Taymor had seen them outside his restaurant, had poisoned one of them to death. When another of the scavenger tribe tried to bribe restaurateurs Jim and Leanne, Jim told Leanne everything and the couple decided to find and kill the threat rather than submit to blackmail. Unable to live with the guilt from their success, they confessed first to the story's narrator, then to the police. But there is one big surprise and a few consequences left in this story that appears concluded.
The seven stories are followed by a preview of another novel. I didn't want to spoil my overall satisfaction with this novel so didn't read the preview. Scavengers is the more complex story in this novel. The character of the narrator is important even though the narrator is mostly unidentified; the development of the narrator character is superb. The language used in Artifact #37 and Fat of the Land warrant a warning to the squeamish or those easily offended by graphic language. All of the stories are good and will lead the reader mind down twisted paths. Because of Scavengers, I give this collection a five-star rating on Amazon.
With a collection like this, I like to look at the book before diving into content. I looked first at the section "Thank You." I was interested in who influenced the author. Fans of Ken Preston and extreme horror author Matt Shaw are referenced. This might give a reader an idea of what to expect. Then there is an introduction by Chris Hall. It is an excellent introduction all by itself and sets up reader expectations. It is so good that I felt it occasionally oversold the referenced story. Nevertheless, it is worth reading and by itself is entertaining writing. And then, there are the stories.
BABY TEETH Candace Murray wanted a baby. She didn't believe the doctors who told her she couldn't have one. When she had thought she was pregnant a doctor had called it a "hysterical pregnancy," it was all in her mind. But Candace had experiences with more physical reality than what was only in her mind. Welcome home.
BEWARE OF DOG He had run away from the Army while serving in Afghanistan. Under the care of Dr. Baswell, he was trying to find his way back. Dean didn't run away from things because he was scared. He was only afraid of the way he would react. He had dealt with bullies both in high school and the Army. It did not turn out well for them. Now he was back home and thought to make amends with Patrick, an enemy bully from his high school days who Dean had marked with a facial scar during a fight. Patrick didn't want to accept amends; he wanted vengeance. Patrick had even named his dog Dean so he could remember Dean's "abuse." But, per the title, beware of the dog.
VIRAL Tara Maxwell believed that the girl on the video had been asking for help just before she disappeared. Millions had watched Daria Walker disappear (the title). Tara thought this was a story which would boost her journalistic career. She had to check it out more closely. But the investigation would bring out some of Tara's own ghost memories. This was even more so when she visited the site of Daria's disappearance. As she sat at Daria's computer, Tara felt compelled to type out her own confession about failing to help a suicidal university friend. Confession brings rewards.
ARTIFACT (#37) This might be a reality show gone wrong. The artifacts were "guests." But artifact #37 was broken. No one wanted to remember #37. But she remembered them. The lesson from this story is "Don't play with Ouija boards."
//END USER In a collection of dark stories this title immediately raises eyebrows. Mason woke up to his phone delivering messages about what would happen in the coming days. That was bad. Then the messages referenced some of the things he had been thinking about. That was worse. Then his phone sent links to his office computer. He and his colleagues on the shared network were treated to video clips of his youth. This was the worst, or so Mason thought. He had to confront the AI entity attempting to control him with terms more favorable to humans. But what does one do when there is nothing left to learn? An answer is in this story.
FAT OF THE LAND This is a tale of old tradition defending itself against new tradition brought by immigrants. In the middle of these two groups, we have David and June. Members of neither of the two groups, they are just in Monte Verde to attend the wedding. While there they will explore the wonders of a recommended restaurant, the "Ambrosia." It is monstrously good.
SCAVENGERS Humans most of the time, they turned into something else at night. In the evenings, they scavenged; mostly they dined on small pets but with just a slight stretch of the imagination the meals might expand to include children and, later, adults. Jim Taymor had seen them outside his restaurant, had poisoned one of them to death. When another of the scavenger tribe tried to bribe restaurateurs Jim and Leanne, Jim told Leanne everything and the couple decided to find and kill the threat rather than submit to blackmail. Unable to live with the guilt from their success, they confessed first to the story's narrator, then to the police. But there is one big surprise and a few consequences left in this story that appears concluded.
The seven stories are followed by a preview of another novel. I didn't want to spoil my overall satisfaction with this novel so didn't read the preview. Scavengers is the more complex story in this novel. The character of the narrator is important even though the narrator is mostly unidentified; the development of the narrator character is superb. The language used in Artifact #37 and Fat of the Land warrant a warning to the squeamish or those easily offended by graphic language. All of the stories are good and will lead the reader mind down twisted paths. Because of Scavengers, I give this collection a five-star rating on Amazon.
October 13, 2015
I'm no reviewer. I really enjoyed this book of novella sized short stories. I love the fact that they are written with an obvious affection for the written word and don't splash gore for the sake of it. I'm going to get more by this fella
November 17, 2015
Following on from the awesome Sweat & Blood, is Gristle & Bone. Seven awesome tales of terror. Each so different, yet so damn good, i absolutely would struggle to pick a favourite. Duncan Ralston is a gifted writer with the knack of creating some truly twisted tales.
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