Let's Get F**ked Up and Die

by Elton Skelter

From the author of 'Life Support' and 'F**k You, Mary Sue' comes a brand new collection of 13 queer horror stories. From body horror, supernatural, to sci-fi and psychological, there's something here for everyone. Featuring a mix of brand new, unread stories and reprints from some of Horror's most gruesome anthologies.

 

ChuckleF**ker

Enough Rope to Hang 'Em

X is for XXX_Partyboi69

Fad

Flatliner Notes (lyrics)

Not a Competition

Elliot's Body

Our Door is Always Open

Glasgow Grin

Why We Can't Have Nice Things

All Eyes On Me

Cost of Living 

Wetwork

 

Join the ride, grab a copy, and Let's Get F**ked Up and Die

149 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 19, 2023

Reviews

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this little collection, so much so that I've already purchased 2 other titles by this author. There's a good variety of types of horror as well as of tone but all the stories are pretty solid. There's also a piece that's song lyrics (?) and that pleased my cold dead cringey millennial heart greatly. This book is also unapologetically and unquestionably queer which is always a nice plus.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This one’s a doozy.”

So begins “Fad,” the fourth story in this collection. In another book, I might have rolled my eyes opening a story like that.

In Elton Skelter’s Let’s Get Fucked Up and Die, however, every story probably should have opened that way.

A “collection of doozies” is an apt way to describe this book in a single phrase. Blood, guts, ichor, bizarre diseases, inhuman creatures (and inhuman humans), sex robots, and all manner of bodily fluids—this collection is a cornucopia of X-rated insanity. Graphic sex and gore abound. Skelter pulls precisely zero punches when it comes to his uniquely twisted visions of horror.

Given that description, you might think this is poorly-written smut. It isn’t. Skelter’s writing is wildly creative and darkly comic. His prose mirrors his characters: grasping, furious, queer, desperate, funny, and often driven by an entirely singular internal logic. I’ve never quite read anything like it, and I can’t wait to read more.

Personal standouts:

“ChuckleFucker”: This story begins the collection with a bang (literally). A young man contracts a strange (possibly sentient) STD after an anonymous one-night stand. It says a lot that the rest of the collection is able to live up to the opener’s level of energy.

“X is for XXX_Partyboi69”: A man becomes obsessed when he finds his high school crush on a cam site. Things escalate rapidly and bloodily as the “gay for pay” camboy tests his limits. This one plays like a baby between the movies 8MM (1999) and Cam (2018).

“Why We Can’t Have Nice Things”: An engineer tests the limits of his new sexbot, discovering some, let’s say, unexpected functionality. It’s funny, weird, and sad—like a violent, queer take on Her (2013).

“All Eyes On Me”: If I have one critique of this collection, it’s that some of the flash/shorter pieces don’t quite live up to the insanity of the longer stories. Not this one. A gruesomely funny portrait of ocular metamorphosis. It’s like reading the personal diary of Micolash from Bloodborne.

I’ve given this collection 5-stars, but honestly I do not know how to accurately rate it. It's not my usual brand of horror, and your mileage will likely vary depending on your stomach for the content. If what I’ve described sounds revolting to you, it’ll probably be a personal 1/5. If it sounds up your alley, then it'll be 10/5. So let's meet in the middle. I can’t imagine another collection delivering the goods as well as this one.

I highly-recommended Let’s Get Fucked Up and Die if it sounds like your thing. But be warned: This one’s a doozy.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

In every man hides a monster - welcome to the human race!

Come meet Elton Skelter, a master storyteller in the male Queer Horror genre of sadistic adventure who, in 'Let's Get F**ked up and Die' has quite possibly produced the best anthology of short macabre tales that I have ever read. Bravo, Mr Skelter, well done that man!

Dark, disturbing, diverse, gruesome and downright grisly, yet all quite simply, royally entertaining.

Lots of fantastic horror stories given a gay twist, ranging from 'meating' corporate cannibals, searching for trust in lustful relationships, right through to the making of death cult snuff movies for the rich and the powerful. Every story was cleverly constructed and was given lots of thought and attention to cover a wide variety of possible situations, but all successfully managed to deliver something just that little bit different.

Personal favourites were 'Fad' and 'The Cost of Living,' though one or two of the others did come a very close second.

Looking forward to my next dose of hellish Skelter already, I'm surely guaranteed not to be disappointed.

Highly recommended for the 'open-minded' horror nut in search of something more unusual, but maybe not for the squeamish or easily offended.

Rating: 4.8 stars of pure brilliance.

Btw, Elton - Loved the joke found on the very first lines of the very first story. Very clever...and funny!

[Jeremy Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elton Skelter is sure to give you nightmares.

Elton Skelter is quickly becoming an auto buy author for me. Their writing is so disgustingly dark and dynamic. Let's Get F**ked Up and Die is no different so readers are absolutely going to to love this. These stories are not for the faint of heart but they are so different than other stories out there right now. This is queer horror done AMAZINGLY!

What follows are my immediate reactions and thoughts to each story in this collection!


Chucklefucker
- WHAT A THRILLING START! My mouth was hanging to the floor when I started read this story and I didn't pick up my jaw even after I finished this story. This isn't for the faint of heart and I can't wait to see what other horrors await!
Enough Rope to Hang 'em
- This is a rollercoaster of emotions like no other. I would kill for this to be a full fledged story! I think there is so much potential here for the characters and for a fun twist!
X is for XXX_partyboi69
- This reminded me of the book "The Sluts" and fans of that story are going to love this one too! There are plenty of twists that I never saw coming and the end made was fun!
Fad
- Nope, nope, nopity - absolutely not. This one DESTROYED ME! 🤮🤮
Flatliner Notes (lyrics)
- This was different but in a really creative and beautiful way. Still messed up though!
Not a Competition
- This was disturbingly relatable and now I feel like I need to go seek psychiatric help (beyond that I already have). But no really this was creepy in an obsessive way.
Elliot's Body
- I'm absolutely sensing some great themes in this collection. Sex, destruction, mutilation, and more! What more could you ask for!
Our Door is Always Open
- WHAT?! Okay if what I think just happened, happened then this was so beyond screwed up. This is wild.
Glasgow Grin
- Well I can safely say I never want to go clubbing again and neither will you.
Why We Can't Have Nice Things
- Black Mirror move over, queer Sci Fi Horror claimed me through this story.
All Eyes on Me
- This is full of the all the major ick factors you can expect from terrifying body horror. We
Cost of Living
- My heart won't be recovering from this anytime soon. Like literally this is going to give me nightmares. Pure and simple.
- Perfect for Fresh on Hulu!
Wetwork
- This connects to another story in this collection and this was a masterpiece!!

This collection is going to disturb you, this will cause nightmares, and you are absolutely going to love it! It will take you on thrill ride after thrill ride and you won't be able to put this down until you read the last page.

[Christopher O'Halloran · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Captive audiences deserve the best of shows."
Once more, Skelter makes captives of us all. Painting the page with a raw, unflinching miasma of sexuality and gore, we sit, transfixed by the train-wreck of lives that tumble from his head.

Holes in bodies—natural and otherwise; the manipulation of love ones (or lusted ones, at the very least); tragedies big and small; dismemberments and strangulations.

Make no mistake, this is a collection that earns every content warning.

My personal favourites were:

"ChuckleFucker" — A unique take on those pesky, lingering effects of a one-night stand and the funny feelings they leave us with.

"X is for XXX_Partyboi69" — A sobering look at the lengths we'll go to for a little attention and a few bucks.

"Why We Can’t Have Nice Things" — The desperation to be seen, understood, and loved the way we've been longing for, even at the hands of a manufactured being. The cleverness on display will have you giggling throughout. "Note to self: activate ass eating functionality on the new model."

"Wetwork" — Finding a purpose in life: taking it from others at the behest of a shadowy employer.

Desperation and a deep, unsatisfied longing tie these stories together. There's not a flat note in the bunch. All thirteen stories succeed at dredging the soul, so I highly recommend this collection for those looking to be affected. Just be sure to scan those content warnings beforehand if you utilize them!

[Shrike · Rating 5 out of 5]

That's it, Elton Skelter is my favorite queer splatterpunk / body horror author.

This collection is weird. It is gross. It is dark. It is gay. Each story is vastly different from the next, yet the splatterpunk elements bind them all together. This selection of short stories works very well as a collection.

While one story in particular tugged at my feelings, it's not going to keep me up at night. Personally, I consider that the best kind of horror... subversive, darkly fascinating, but not so upsetting it throws my whole day off.

I did notice some editing issues, mainly minor spelling errors. There is one reference to Marsha P. Johnson as "Marcia P. Brady" which could have been intentional...but I'm not really sure what the purpose would be. I still highly recommend this book and don't think these issues are worth dropping it a star.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this collection for free. I'm writing this review of my own accord.

[Aiden Messer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was awesome! Weird, disgusting, dark, gruesome, funny, there's something for everyone! There's a wide variety of themes and characters in this story, all treated in interesting and intriguing ways.

[kase]

Page 65 short story refers to Marsha P Brady and I’m not sure if that was intentional or not because that is not the name of the person who threw the brick at Stonewall…

And I feel like this isn’t really great LGBTQIA+ representation, it was all gay men? Seemingly cis ones at that.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I don’t know if it’s just my copy but there are SO MANY formatting errors. I started highlighting them and had to stop after like 30 because it was taking me out of trying to read.

[Brian Bowyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

An outstanding collection. I enjoyed all these stories, but my favorites were "Why We Can’t Have Nice Things," "Wetwork," and "Cost of Living." I've become a huge fan of Skelter's writing. Highly recommended!

[Gyalten Lekden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is designed to unsettle you. It is gross and graphic and sexual and, maybe most important, it is a mirror. At least, that is the idea behind a lot of this style of fiction, it uses extreme and graphic imagery and ideas to make the reader confront something about themselves. And, mostly, I think this collection works in that regard. Going through all the stories, there is a clear thread that pulls them all together, and that is loneliness. Whether it is a loneliness of never measuring up to others, a loneliness that comes from grief and loss, a loneliness of feeling disconnected from everyone around you, or some other flavor, every story is trying to grapple with this emotional void. Regardless of what type of loneliness being explored, though, all the stories seem to come from a rather pessimistic and nihilistic place, and the answer is seemingly always harm: harming others, harming yourself, or both. Arguably, this shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, considering the title of the collection. But it did make the stories start to feel repetitive, even though they are wildly different. There is everything from splatterpunk-adjacent body horror to one story I would almost categorize as gothic, and everything in-between. I was genuinely impressed by the range of genres, but they did all circle around this nihilistic response to an ever-present loneliness, which muted the differences somewhat.

I feel like Skelter’s talent really shines in a few of the longer stories, which allow for more of an arc than some of the shorter ones. The stories are still dark and disturbing but everything feels like it fits together, and to me they are more disturbing than some of the more gratuitous entries. When we have the chance to get under the character’s skin, even just a little, Skelter’s ability to disturb and confront feels much more powerful. Some of the shortest stories feel like little more than an opportunity to be graphic and gratuitous just for the sake of it, a splash of color that ultimately doesn’t feel too fulfilling. That isn’t to say these are bad, they just feel less substantial than the others. In a collection like this, though, it is nice to have stories like that, almost like vile, disgusting palate cleansers between courses.

I appreciate that, sometimes, art is designed solely to disgust and offend, that itself is both an aesthetic and political statement, and queer and outsider art can often embrace this ideology to great effect. That being said, with a whole collection that is about violent and pessimistic responses to loneliness, it is difficult for there to be a shock factor from one story to another. I do think the collection would be better served by a different sequencing of the stories. The two final stories are both relatively longer, and while graphic and disturbing they are so in ways that are more than just exploiting gross-out or disturbing imagery. Moving one of these to the front of the collection would change the entire reading experience, I think. (Even just moving the last story to be maybe second in the collection would shift the entire experience, I think).

All of that said, while not every story in this collection was a hit for me, and while it felt like many were circling the same themes with more or less the same driving ethos of violence as the only response to despair, the collection has a good variety in the types of shock and horror it employs. There were enough thought-provoking, gut-punching stories here to counterbalance the few that I felt were maybe more slight, more than enough so that I definitely recommend this collection. It is graphic and doesn’t pull any of its punches, so obviously content warnings abound. It definitely isn’t for everyone. But for those who are willing to look in this filthy mirro,r there is definitely something surprising they will find staring back.

(Rounded up from 3.5)

I want to thank the author and BookSirens, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Brett Mitchell Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed every single story. It opened with a punch and kept up the pace the whole way through! It is oftentimes vile in the best way but there is a tangible sense of emotion and heart lingering in the stories- speaking if gay trauma and queer existence in a new and exciting way. This collection is queer as hell and I'm here for it!

[Petri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC for this book from BookSirens for free.

Like with most short story collections there was again some stories that I really liked, some were just okay and couple that I didn't really care for. Cost of Living was my favorite from the collection and it also become one of my favorite short stories I've read this year. I did find it kind of predictable, but it didn't take away from the gruesome brutal ending that was so effective I had to take a moment to collect myself.

Other notable mentions of stories I liked were Not a Competition, Why We Can't Have Nice Things and Enough Rope to Hang 'Em. I wasn't a huge fan of Flatliner Notes (lyrics) or Elliot's Body.

Overall this had lot of good writing and horror, but I do wish this had more queer presentation that wasn't in just the form of cis men.

I will also be checking out the author's other work in the future.

[J R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was grotesque, gory, ominous and incredibly queer and I loved every single second of it. My favorite was the one with the s bot, as well as XXX. Thanks for the arc.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[N.J. Gallegos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A queer delight. Each story was amazing and Skelter also has a few that read almost like poetry (which I have a hard time with) but I devoured these. This collection has it all: cannibalism, professor-student taboos, weight loss tips that work (they just might kill you), and some smutty goodness. I'll be reading more of Skelter's stuff, no doubt!

[Ren Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short stories of varying but mostly great quality, including some fabulously gross body horror. Will be looking for more by this author.

[Cherry Nox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freakin loved this book. It was Freakin hilarious and just a piece of art.

Skelter is one of my fav EHW. Can’t wait to read more from you my dude. :D

My favourite ones are Fad, X is for XXX_Partyboi69, ChuckleFucker... I still stand by what I said Skelter. Seriously fuck you, I fuckin hate you. XD Like this book is giving me more Questions than Answers and still stand by the title should e "Lets Get Fucked Up And Question Everything I Just Read". o.O