Stuff That

by Adam Millard

Ted Barker has been running Barker's Taxidermy Emporium (We stuff things so you can stare at their dead eyes forever!) for decades. Business is booming, thanks to the busy London roads and the stupidity of cats, but when Don Paparella, a local gangster, arrives at the shop, everything changes. The proprietor is gunned down in cold blood, and with seemingly no witnesses, Don Paparella and his lackeys go on with their plot to run London. But the taxidermy saw it all, and now Buffalo Bill, Vladimir the Unicycling Rat, Jemima/Jessica the two-headed duck, Hooter the racist owl, Gerry the baby giraffe, and Fairfax the posh fox, are out for blood. With the help of a pair of 1980s buddy-cops, Ricks and Murtow, the taxidermy will stop at nothing to avenge their creator. Dead animals never pelt so good...

Genres: Horror

238 pages, Paperback

Published February 16, 2024

About the author

Adam Millard is the author of twenty novels, twelve novellas, and more than two hundred short stories, which can be found in various collections and anthologies. Probably best known for his post-apocalyptic fiction, Adam also writes fantasy/horror for children and Bizarro fiction for several publishers. His work has recently been translated for the German market.

Reviews

[Mort · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best description I can give for this story:
It's as if Guy Richie got drunk while binge watching the LETHAL WEAPON movies and decided to write his version of TOY STORY for adults.

This story offers so much - if you are willing to go into it in the right frame of mind. It's silly, stupid, sarcastic, offensive and really, really funny - just some mindless entertainment to get you laughing.

Yes, we have the two cops, Ricks and Murtow, there's a mention of Bruce Wallis and Arnie Schwarzenfinger, the bar called The Swan with Three Tits, Buffalo Bill, fake Mafioso with funny nicknames, braille pornography, a racist owl, a Russian rat, a two-headed duck, and a baby giraffe and, of course, the taxidermist who kicks off events.

If that doesn't get you interested, this is probably not your kind of book.
Not as good as LARRY, but it gets five stars for entertainment value.

[George Billions · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a Roald Dahl book explicitly for grown-ups

I've got this vague childhood memory of a non-specific uncle telling me about a movie called Abalone, which I couldn't watch because I was too young. It was about a fisherman who catches an abalone to feed to his dead brother, who may or may not come back to life after the meal. It was such a weird and tantalizing bit of story that I immediately wanted to know more. I've tried for years to find this movie, because I still really need to know what happened, but I'm not sure it actually exists. This doesn't have much to do with Stuff That, except that the opening, in which a woman is trying to sell a still-living cat to a taxidermist, triggered my memory of Abalone. The very first pages dropped me into a bizarre world that I needed to see more of, even if just to figure out what the hell was going on. The story itself is almost a standard revenge plot, except there's nothing standard about the delivery. I got a heavy Roald-Dahl-for-grown-ups feeling from Millard's writing and characters, which only added to the fun and enjoyment of reading the book. I'm going to have to check out more of his work.

[Dez Nemec · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bunch of taxidermied animals go on a rampage to avenge their "father" after he is murdered by a bunch of wannabe mafiosos. Completely absurd and fun.

[Margaret McCulloch-Keeble · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard book to review as there are bits I really enjoyed-they are very funny indeed. There are bits that are in outrageously poor, poor taste- and by and large they didn't worry me too much. There were bits though (where it sort of breaks the fourth wall) that I found strangely juvenile somehow. So, hit and miss from me. My absolute favourite was 'a nose so big it made Barbara Streisand look like Lord Voldemort'........

[Scott Hensley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, the author takes a unique approach to the story

[Andrew Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a hilarious quick, fun read. I loved the authors sense of humor and homage to lots of 80s culture and movie lore. This was my first Adam Millard bug but definitely not my last

[Ashley Hana · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 38%

I really loved Larry, making me think this would be funny as well. I like the concept, but that's about it. It's done nothing but annoy me, even though I really wanted to love this one.