Triage

by Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Richard Laymon

Three masters of horror unite in this collection of interconnected novellas that each start with someone walking into a workplace with a gun, launching an odyssey into a nightmarish world of fear and madness. Original.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Anthologies, Short Stories, Splatterpunk, Thriller, Collections

310 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1990

About the author

Dallas William Mayr, better known by his pen name Jack Ketchum, was an American horror fiction author. He was the recipient of four Bram Stoker Awards and three further nominations. His novels included Off Season, Offspring, and Red, which were adapted to film. In 2011, Ketchum received the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award for outstanding contribution to the horror genre.

A onetime actor, teacher, literary agent, lumber salesman, and soda jerk, Ketchum credited his childhood love of Elvis Presley, dinosaurs, and horror for getting him through his formative years. He began making up stories at a young age and explained that he spent much time in his room, or in the woods near his house, down by the brook: "[m]y interests [were] books, comics, movies, rock 'n roll, show tunes, TV, dinosaurs [...] pretty much any activity that didn't demand too much socializing, or where I could easily walk away from socializing." He would make up stories using his plastic soldiers, knights, and dinosaurs as the characters.

Later, in his teen years, Ketchum was befriended by Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, who became his mentor.

Ketchum worked many different jobs before completing his first novel (1980's controversial Off Season), including acting as agent for novelist Henry Miller at Scott Meredith Literary Agency.

His decision to eventually concentrate on novel writing was partly fueled by a preference for work that offered stability and longevity.

Ketchum died of cancer on January 24, 2018, in New York City at the age of 71.

Reviews

[°°°·.°·..·°¯°·._.· ʜᴇʟᴇɴ Ροζουλί Εωσφόρος ·._.·°¯°·.·° .·°°° ★·.·´¯`·.·★ Ⓥⓔⓡⓝⓤⓢ Ⓟⓞⓡⓣⓘⓣⓞⓡ Ⓐⓡⓒⓐⓝⓤⓢ Ταμετούρο Αμ · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Laymon,Lee,Ketchum)

Αρρώστια φρίκης και σοκ. Γράφουν με κοινή αφετηρία ενα σκηνικό τρόμου όπου ένας οπλισμένος παρανοϊκός αρχίζει να σκοτώνει αδιακρίτως όσους βρίσκονται μπροστά του σε κάποιον εργασιακό χώρο,αφού πρώτα έχει τηλεφωνήσει και ψάχνει μια συγκεκριμένη γυναίκα.

Απο το μοτίβο ξεφεύγει κατα πολύ ο αγαπημένος μου Ketchum. Αυτός κάνει το "ξεσκαρτάρισμα"αφιερωμένο στον Charles Buckowski!

Laymon: (διαβάζω για πρώτη φορά)
Η ιστορία ξεκινάει όπως αναφέρεται στην αρχή. Μόλις ο μακελάρης εισβάλει στο γραφείο και αρχίσει η αιματοχυσία και οι σοκαριστικές σκηνές βίας και τρόμου,το σαλεμένο του μυαλό επινοεί φρικτές παγίδες με σκοπό να κάνει το ξεσκαρτάρισμα, να πάρει τη ρεβάνς, να πνίξει στο αίμα και τον πόνο πολλούς αθώους που έτυχε να βρεθούν μπροστά του για να ικανοποιήσει την αρρωστημένη του εμμονή η οποία τον βασανίζει απο τα εφηβικά χρονια.
Αριστουργηματικά ο συγγραφέας δημιουργεί τέτοια κλειστοφοβική και αγωνιώδη ατμόσφαιρα που σε παρασύρει σε ρυθμούς ταχυκαρδίας.

Lee: (διαβάζω για πρώτη φορά)
Κοινή αφετηρία με την πρώτη ιστορία. Μόνο που τώρα περνάμε σε άλλο επίπεδο χωροχρόνου. Υπεργαλαξιακό. Φανταστική η πλοκή και η εξέλιξη. Σίγουρα η καλύτερη απο τις τρεις ιστορίες του βιβλίου.
Μεταφερόμαστε στο σωτήριον έτος 2202. Έχουμε τη Χριστιανική Ομοσπονδία ως παγκόσμιο θρησκευτικό-πολιτικό σύστημα. Η Ομοσπονδία έχει κάνει κατάληψη του βορείου ημισφαιρίου της γης και σε συνάρτηση με την τρομερή εξέλιξη επιστήμης και τεχνολογίας βρισκόμαστε σε ενα σκάφος -εξερευνητική πλατφόρμα- 150 ατόμων, 300μ μήκος και 20 φάρδος, που κινείται με ταχύτητα κάτι λιγότερο απο την ταχύτητα του φωτός. Η ισχύ του παρέχεται απο πυρηνικούς αντιδραστήρες ψυχρής σύντηξης. Βρίσκεται σε αποστολή, κάπου 65 δισεκατομμύρια χιλιόμετρα πέρα απο τον αφήλιο του Πλούτωνα.
Το ξεσκαρτάρισμα πρέπει να γίνει ανάμεσα στην Χριστιανική Ομοσπονδία και κάποιες άλλες τρομοκρατικές δυνάμεις όπως Δρούζοι,Χαδινίτες,Οργάνωση Κόκκινης Κίνας, Τετάρτη διεθνή, αλλά τον όλεθρο και τον πανικό έχει σπείρει η Ερυθρά Σέχτα. Η Σέχτα της σεξουαλικής κτηνωδίας και της βλασφημίας.

Ketchum: ( αγαπημένος πλέον)
Δίνει τη δική του μοναδική και ανεπανάληπτη τροπή και πλοκή στην ιστορια. Πολύ ρεαλιστική, μίζερη, άθλια, αρρωστημένη, ανθρώπινη, συγκινητική. Κάπου εδω νομίζω ο Ketchum γράφει ωδή προς τον Charles Buckowski. Το ξεσκαρτάρισμα του είναι καθαρά και μόνο προσωπικό. Παρακμιακό, θλιβερό, καυστικό κοινωνικά, με κυνικό χιούμορ και πόνο απο άνθρωπο προς άνθρωπο.

Καλή ανάγνωση !!
Πολλούς ασπασμούς!

[Plagued by Visions · Rating 3 out of 5]

Triage by Richard Laymon—A surprisingly taut and fun thriller, and maybe the best Laymon I’ve read yet. It of course has all the Laymonesque qualities that have made previous works of his I’ve read a chore, but they really work in this shorter format. The story delivers the cruel and taboo violence he’s known for and the questionable choices that make him such a delight to read—often at his expense. High octane and very brainless fun. Laymon’s writing simply flows here, smooth like butter. 4⭐️

In the Year of Our Lord: 2202 by Edward Lee—Starting this was an utter bore. I was not expecting a sci-fi story, and Lee’s infatuation with bizarro details and disgustingly crass personalities really wears thin for me. However, the more I read, the more I got into the story and characters, and if I can say anything in favor of Lee, it’s that he really makes the effort to warm you up to his humor and oddball personality as a writer, and it helped that the story really picks up towards the last third. Twists and oddities were sufficient to make this not as terrible as I initially thought it would be, but not great by any means given its unevenness and grating aspects. 2.5⭐️

Sheep Meadow Story by Jack Ketchum—I can’t believe I liked the Laymon more than the Ketchum! It’s nothing deeply offensive or dull. It was quite alright, actually. I just don’t know if there’s much else to say. It’s written in the Ketchum style and deals with Ketchum things, but it seems a bit phoned-in, and I find that, sadly, although not as uneven as Lee’s, It is by far the least memorable and impactful. 3⭐️

It averages out to a solid 3-star read overall. Not terrible by any means, but as mixed a bag as it could possibly be. Still, the meeting of these late-stage Leisure Horror titans was a delight to witness, and the way that you can just glean the exchange of ideas and the utter fun these three must have had composing this makes it absolutely worth it. RIP to Laymon and Ketchum. Mr. Lee, take care of yourself ffs!!!

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a neat project bringing together three big names in splatterpunk in one volume. Each author has a novella around a common theme, although Ketchum's is stretching that theme a bit. The common motif is that someone walks into an office, calls out a woman working there, and then starts opening up with a shotgun. Laymon's (3 stars) is a pretty classic horror story; the targeted woman gets away, but then makes some dubious decisions and fateful errors.

Lee's story (2 stars) is rather novel, but pretty meh. Lee's story, "In the Year of Our Lord: 2202," takes place primarily on a space ship in the outer solar system, and the assailant goes after a woman (after shooting her co-workers) but she takes him down. It is an interesting piece of world building for sure. The US is a theocracy now, ruled by the Pope, with the Senate replaced by Cardinals, etc. The Pope ordered this secret mission out to some strange space anomaly... This is the longest story by far and while I love Ed Lee, this is not his best.

Ketchum's story (4 stars) is a lot of fun. Instead of opening motif employed by the two other authors, Ketchum's starts with a dream of a shooting; the lead blowing away his ex-wife. Then, we proceed to explore the lead's life, which reminded me of Taxi Driver and it is set in NYC. The lead, Stroup, works for a publishing house, basically writing rejection letters so the potential authors can send in another one, along with a few hundred bucks. His life is falling apart, his work sucks, and then his ex-wife sends him a court summons for some money he owes her...

All in all, a fun collection, but I was expecting something more. While there was some steamy sex of course, all three stories were pretty tame. The back cover pic of the three authors is priceless, however. 3 stars!

[Warren Fournier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three novellas by big classic names, this collaboration was the brainchild of Richard Laymon, who also wrote the titular entry. The idea was for the three of them to each write a tale that begins with a man walking into a workplace with a gun. This collection has been out of print for a while, but I'm a fan of these authors, so I thought it was worth a purchase. Was it? Here are my quick thoughts about each story.

TRIAGE--The most traditional kind of plot you'd expect from the premise--but in typical Laymon fashion. The main character spends almost the whole of the narrative in her bra and panties, or naked. It starts off as a tense active shooter thriller, and has some fine moments of humor, but then just gets plain rapey. Not my thing. And even if it was my thing, there's just too many dumb plot contrivances and character decisions, without which there wouldn't have been much of a story. How can anyone write themselves into such a corner during so simple a story? Laymon manages it. I can't say what the contrivances are without spoilers, but if you read this, you too will be wanting to toss the book across the room. But don't. Copies these days are expensive. 2/5

IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD: 2202--Ed Lee's take was a unique one. He goes completely off the rails, literally taking Laymon's basic premise into outer space. In fact, this is Lee's only space opera experiment of which I am aware. Two decades after it was originally presented here, this story has been republished on its own, and is available as part of the "Epic Ed Lee" collection if you don't want to buy a vintage copy of "Triage". Fans of Lee's splatterpunk fare will find this novella a curiosity. It's like a murder mystery on a holy-roller version of the starship Enterprise. He actually is a competent science fiction writer, with some sophisticated world-building and an aptitude for technical mumbo-jumbo. If you are one of those purists who analyze hard sci-fi for the realism of the science, don't do that here. As a physician, I inadvertently noticed glitches in his medical jargon. During a physical, our heroine is told that her blood results were normal, which is quite interesting considering that one of the tests was for the prostate. But knowing Ed Lee, this may have been part of the joke. I suspect many readers expecting extreme horrors might find this one a little slow and potentially dull, since Lee saves most of the gross carnage candy for the last twenty pages or so. The uninitiated may also find his foul-mouthed supporting cast and quirky sense of nerd humor takes some getting used to. The main problem for me, just like with Laymon's story, is there are seriously flawed narrative choices. There's a deadly saboteur on a ship full of security soldiers, yet nobody is guarding anything or posted where they should be. A valuable psychic is placed in deep hypnosis to scout out their all-important destination, and is left alone and unmonitored in a highly vulnerable state for no reason other than for plot convience. Nobody suspects the crew members who are the obvious perps. And for all the high tech on board, security cameras don't seem to be a thing. If everyone wasn't so damn incompetent, there would be no tension. I HATE that, and for this reason, the score gets knocked down considerably. And yeah, it gets rapey too. Still, for the chutzpah of trying something different, the effective juvenile comedy, surprising sociopolitical commentary, and sheer entertainment value, this one earns a 3/5.

SHEEP MEADOW STORY--Finally, we have Jack Ketchum, who delivers the shortest and most innovative spin on Laymon's idea. It's a hard-boiled, darkly comic satire about a lonely middle-aged drunk. He is a manuscript reader for a publishing agency who is driven mad by aspiring writers sending in submissions like "The Haunted Abortion Clinic," "Carlos, the Farting Cat," and "Toilet," perhaps anticipating that, in the micro-publishing game, such titles could be available on Kindle right alongside Sasquatch erotica and "Amityville Bukkake" (also with a contribution by Ed Lee, BTW). But this is not your typical Ketchum horror vehicle. This is laugh-out-loud hilarious. I don't know if you'll find it as funny as I did, but it was my kind of humor. Easily a 4/5.

SCORE: So we average out to a middling 3/5. Kind of surprising considering how much I enjoyed this overall. But the numbers are what they are. I think fans of these authors will agree that these stories are not their best work, but together, I thought they were a hell of a lot of fun.

WORD OF THE DAY: Dolorous

SUGGESTED MUSICAL PAIRING: "16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought-Six" by Tom Waits

[Daniel Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let the feather ruffling...commence!

I tend to avoid reading reviews on here before I get a book. I like to compare opinions later when it's all done. With TRIAGE, I'm going to go against the consensus and ask...WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?

TRIAGE is a collection of three novellas (although, I argue that point straight off the bat) by the masters of splatter: Richard Laymon, Ed Lee and Jack Ketchum, which share the initial starting point of a person entering a place of work and shooting the place up. As a huge fan of all three, I was greatly looking forward to this, expecting a blood-soaked three way of a trio of fantastic writers trying to up the ante on each other. Was this the case? Let's take a look at the three pieces individually...

First up, Laymon's TRIAGE. Sharon has a dull office job for a legal firm and out of the blue receives a threatening phonecall. Seconds later, the caller is living up to his promise and enters the office with a shot gun. What follows is a cat and mouse tale (not tail, despite the animal analogy) as the stalker hunts Sharon through the largely quiet building.

I love Richard's work. Love it love it love it. He was the writer that made me a writer, and I expected a great and nasty story, especially with the assumed competition between each author here.

Yes, for the average reader, we have a despicable story. But for the seasoned Laymon reader, he doesn't push himself. The story never gets out of third gear, and we've seen all this before. The characters are as 2D as American Idol contestants and instantly forgettable.

There's also a few eye rolling moments:

"There's a madman after me with a shotgun! Let's call the police and get out of here!"

"No need. I have a gun!"

"Great stuff. Even though he killed everyone and I'm in my underwear, let's go get him!"

Hmm.

This was far from a perfect short novella, but in its favour the story has a blistering pace (I finished it in one sitting) and is tight as my Friday night pulling pants. I didn't dislike the piece, but being an avid Laymon reader, it failed to meet his standards. Even though Richard is my favourite of the three writers, this was the weakest, most uninspired story. It read like a watered down version of the beginning of ENDLESS NIGHT.

Edward Lee is perhaps the lesser known when compared to his companions here. I've only started reading his books this year, with SLITHER and THE GOLEM under my belt. Damn good reads, damn fine writer. I expected him to be the young upstart here, struggling to compete with the wider read competition.

His story, IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD: 2202, starts of almost exactly like Richard's...even the character names. The scene - aboard a spacecraft in our distant future - fades in throughout the first few scenes. It made this reader groan. Sci Fi Star Trek bullshit. I hate it. Truly. Passionately. Is this it? Lee had to compete and this was his spin? TRIAGE IN SPACE?

2202 takes up about 70% of the book, and dare I say it, this is the stand out. This is the novella you are going to buy this book for. Lee sets his story in space and not for novelty value. It needs the spacecraft, the crew, the isolation. Lee has crafted here a neat little story that challenges on political and religious grounds within a twisting, breakneck thriller. I quickly shrugged off my I H8 SF hat and let the story take me. If I can love this, I don't see what problem the other readers had with it. Some couldn't even finish it? WTF? Was there too many twists and turns and gripping scenes or something? Jeez.

Oh, and without spoiling it, check out the brief cameo by one of horrors biggest names.

Finally, Jack Ketchum brings us to a close with SHEEP MEADOW STORY.

Let's get some preconceptions out of the way. This is not a novella (more a short story), nor is this horror. Plus, Jack cheats his way out of the initial starting point scene, but thankfully makes this imperative to the story's climax.

Stroup is an arsehole (basically) that works for a literary agency (ah, so that's why he's an arsehole... Great way to impress the representation there, Dan). He drinks. He smokes. He fucks a lot (A LOT!). He's having what one would call, a bad day. Driven to the edge, Stroup is forced into an extreme situation, but every cloud has a silver lining...

This is not horror and might leave a few questions as to why the man who wrote Off Season might get away with such a non-visceral piece. Who knows, but this doesn't mean that this isn't good. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The piece was written with pitch-black humour and the character of Stroup is very, very entertaining (readers should remember the scene with baseball on TV in a bar. If like me, you would LOVE to do something like that!). So, this isn't horror/thriller, but I didn't care. It made a nice change and was good to see a different side to Jack, who even has a self-referencing dig in this story.

Three kings of splatter, yet being very reserved, trying new things and surprising this reader. Fast as a rattler and bloody good fun, I read this over a couple of days. Hat off to the my winner Mr Edward Lee for the best of the three. It's rekindled my interest in the author. Now, to peruse Book Depository for my next Lee fix...

[Adam Light · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Edward Lee, and I must say it was a good story, but not exactly what I expected. The Laymon was what upped this from a 3 star to a 4 star. The Ketchum was maybe the weakest story I have read by him. Overall, not bad, just not as good as I expected it to be. My advice is if you read this, be prepared for a horrendous, graphic graphic graphic story by Laymon. No stretch there, but this one has some of his most brutal scenes I've read in a book in quite some time. I wasn't bothered by it, but I am sure many would be, if not already familiar with his work. I love Ketchum and I will definitely give Lee another chance, but I have a feeling this one wasn't a good introduction to his work.

[Anton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rating is based solely on the Edward Lee novella, In the Year of Our Lord 2202, which is the only story I had any interest in reading based on a friend's recommendation (Triage also includes two much shorter works by Jack Ketchum and Richard Layamon). I'm glad I knew nothing about it going in, so I won't spoil anything for any prospective readers other than to say Lee briskly unloads a fully-wrought sci-fi universe that delivers a few solid punches to religious conservatism and its relation to power. This is an addition to the main attraction: a horror story on a spaceship. The story is layered, as are its characters: at first turned off by the main heroine, an ardent and unquestioning Christian, I was surprised to find myself quickly sympathizing with her as the narrative developed.

I glanced at the other stories in Triage but didn't bother: In the Year of Our Lord was more than worth the price of admission (it takes up two thirds of the collection, being about 200 pages long).

It left me wishing there were more horror stories on spaceships.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat concept, one idea, three authors, three versions. Laymon offered a very typically laymonesque 100 pages of wham bam thank you damsel in distress with a great ending to boot. Lee's story was the longest and my least favorite, most likely because I'm not a scifi fan. While the story does showcase his versatility as an author (in fact it doesn't even read like a Lee story, it's shockingly tame and reserved for him, till the end where the sex and gore come in) and has a very interesting original story and a great punchline, it was just too star treky for my taste. Ketchum's story is the shortest and the best written. Actually something of a character study of an angry middle aged man struggling through tough breaks in an indifferent world. Very fun book, very quick (one evening) read. 3.5 solid stars. Recommended.

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ανθολογία τριών ιστοριών από αυτούς τους τρεις εξαιρετικούς συγγραφείς τρόμου, με μια κάπως κοινή αφετηρία, αν και ξέφυγαν κάπως, ο Λέιμον όχι και τόσο, αλλά ο Λι σίγουρα... Αλλά καθόλου μα καθόλου δεν με πείραξε!

1) Ρίτσαρντ Λέιμον - Ξεσκαρτάρισμα. Αυτό είναι που λέμε κλειστοφοβικό θρίλερ με πολύ σασπένς, αλλά επίσης είναι αυτό που λέμε ολίγον τι άρρωστο και κάπως νοσηρό. Απίστευτα καλογραμμένη ιστορία, μόλις η πρώτη που διαβάζω απ'αυτόν τον συγγραφέα (έχω και το Παλούκι στη Καρδιά στα αδιάβαστα), πολύ δυνατή ατμοσφαιρική ιστορία με πολλές σκηνές βίας, πολύ καλός ρυθμός, αρκετά δυνατοί χαρακτήρες για μια σύντομη ιστορία 70 σελίδων, φυσικά δεν παίρνει άριστα αλλά πολύ το 'φχαριστήθηκα. 8.5/10.

2) Έντουαρντ Λι - Σωτήριον Έτος 2202. Με διαφορά η καλύτερη ιστορία του βιβλίου, η μεγαλύτερη σε μέγεθος και η πιο "γεμάτη". Επιστημονική φαντασία με πολλά στοιχεία τρόμου, ή τρόμος με πολλά στοιχεία επιστημονικής φαντασίας, το μόνο σίγουρο είναι ότι ήταν άκρως απολαυστική ιστορία. Είχε πολύ πράμα, τι θρησκευτικοπολιτικοκοινωνικές αναλύσεις, τι προχωρημένη τεχνολογία, τι συνωμοσίες, τι περιπέτεια, τι σεξ, τι απόλυτο τρόμο, τα πάντα! Και με ένα τέλος άκρως ιντριγκαδόρικο και δυνατό. Με τόσες ιδέες θα μπορούσε να γραφεί ένας έπος 500-600 σελίδων και βάλε. Ο γνωστός καλός Λι που γνώρισα στο Οι γυναίκες με τα μαύρα. Εντάξει, έχει κάποιες εμμονές με το σεξ, τις ακραίες σκηνές... ακραίου τρόμου, οι ιστορίες του έχουν κάποια "αρρώστια" και πολλά παλπ στοιχεία (καθόλου κακό αυτό!), αλλά ο τρόπος που τα περιγράφει όλα και οι καταπληκτικές και ιντριγκαδόρικες ιδέες που έχει, σε παρασύρουν. 9/10.

3) Τζακ Κέτσαμ - Στο λιβάδι των προβάτων. Η πιο αδύναμη ιστορία κατ'εμέ, αν τη συγκρίνει κανείς με τις άλλες δυο, αλλά και πάλι δεν μπορώ να πω ότι δεν μου άρεσε. Μια χαρά ιστορία ήταν σε γενικές γραμμές, καλογραμμένη και αρκετά ενδιαφέρουσα, με λίγο κυνικό χιούμορ, αλλά με αρκετά λιγότερη δράση και φαντασία σε σχέση με τις άλλες δυο... 8/10.

Άρα γενικός μέσος όρος: 8.5/10.

[Daniel Drago · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent anthology by three of my favorite authors. I love how Laymon's story is so simple and is pure action. Lee's futuristic science fiction plot draws the reader in. Even though it is the longest it is a fast paced story that had me on the edge of my seat. Ketchum's story is very simple and as usual his language just flows of the paper. An overall excellent book that showcases three different horror styles.

[Misty Marie Harms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three short stories by masters of horror, Ketchum, Laymon, and Lee.

Stories Are:
Triage
In The Year of Our Lord: 2202
Sheep Meadow Story

[Kit★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. This book was set for the name challenge in the Bookworm Buddies group. I've also never read any of these three authors before.

Finished the first story Triage by Richard Laymon, and I liked it well enough. It was a pretty straightforward story, not too complicated. I liked how the action happened right away, there was no time to think. It was brutal, though not overly so. Not to me anyway, though others may get pretty squeamish. Compared to what you see in horror movies like Saw, etc, yea. It was average, filthy and gross xD I liked the main character well enough. She did make some TSTL choices, and paid for em badly, but I really, really liked how it ended. I liked the author's style, it was very easy to get into the story, and it kept my interest the whole way through. I'm definitely interested in trying his work again.
The second story In the Year of Our Lord: 2202 by Edward Lee was a whole different creature from the first tale. At first, it started off damn near exactly as the first had, but all futuristic and sci-fi-ish instead of a present day office. So I was like, what's the deal? But it soon went its own way, and to me it was a little confusing. Mostly in the way that most sci-fi confuses me when they start talking about technical names of all their doodads and stuff about time and space and all that. Though the plot itself and the characters confused me a wee bit at times too. I found it oddly interesting though, and was eager to go on, find out what was happening, where the plot was going. I even got somewhat invested in the 'good guys', Sharon, Tom, and Brigid. I do have to say that for awhile there, a good chunk of the story, I found myself wondering if this was some weird sci-fi erotica instead of a horror story. It had a preoccupation with female anatomy and sex. Although not in a disgusting way like the first story! Maybe that's usual for this author? No idea. All the slow-churning build-up had me going, and this story was the longest of the three, so by the time the end came, I was into it, and actually found myself wanting to know more of this Federation and the Red Sect and everything. Like if there were other stories set in this world I wouldn't mind checking em out. But then the end. It wasn't bad, but it made me laugh. Like... really!? The whole Cthulu thing... I have not read Lovecraft yet, though I have read a few short works inspired by his mythos. So to me it was like a funny tip of the hat to Lovecraft instead of the terrifying reveal it might've been. Maybe once I'm acquainted with the whole original Cthulu stuff and all that, I'll understand. An odd story, but not bad. Might look into what else the author has to offer.
On to Sheep Meadow Story by Jack Ketchum. It was a quick story. It wasn't anything like the other two, but was still interesting. I didn't really know what to expect, what was going to happen. The main character wasn't exactly likable, and yet I was interested in him anyway. I could picture the setting well, and felt like I got to know the character despite the short length of the story. It wasn't really a horror story at all though, so I'm keen to try him again, but something better/scarier than this little short.
All in all, it was an interesting collection, and I'm glad I tried it.

[Elke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A stranger walks into a place of business...and starts shooting.
Only one beginning, but three very different stories...

Richard Laymon: Triage
Definitely the best of the three stories. Though it has some logical flaws (why don't they call the police?!), it is a hell of a story, fast-paced, straight and gory. 4 Stars

Edward Lee: In the Year of Our Lord: 2202
Unfortunately, this was the longest and weakest of the three stories. A kind of lovecraftian sci-fi/horror hodgepodge, I found the story too long, with too many side shows, instead of focusing on one main plot and following it straight forward. Sorry, but this is not my kind of horror. 1 Star

Jack Ketchum as Jerzy Livingston: Sheep Meadow Story
Though this is a comparatively tame story by the author, I liked reading it and was surprised by the 'funny' ending. 3 Stars

[Trevor Oakley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three stories. Three authors. One premise: a guy walks into a place and starts shooting.

I picked this up for the Ketchum story and was disappointed it was the last, shortest piece of the three. Well, last-but-not-least applies here and Jack brings the goods...the horrible, horrible goods. The Laymon story is pretty brutal but something kept forcing me to continue reading. I felt like I needed a shower or something once finished. I didn't make it through the Edward Lee story. Just wasn't in the mood for the sci-fi flavor.

[William M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow is this a good collection of tales. While initially, all three are connected by the same setup, they quickly branch off into their own world, especially Edward Lee's story where he throws us into the future on a ship travelling in space. I was surprised at how different this was from other works by Lee, but it still had his abundant helpings of gore and sex. Some of the concepts Mr. Lee reveals are pretty amazing and I could tell he was very inspired writing it. Highly recommended for newbies since you get a taste of each author's style. Great stuff all around.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each of the three stories started with the same premise and the three authors expanded beyond that. Of the three, I enjoyed the Laymon one the most. Very graphic but a tense page turner of a story. The Lee one was the most developed and took up the majority of the book. Much more in the Sci-Fi genre. The Ketchum one was my least favorite and barely used the original premise. Overall worth checking out.

[Alex McConnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you’d have told me I’d be giving a two star review to a collection of three linked novellas by three of the best horror writers ever, I’d have called bs on you. Except I am. Here’s why.
The fact the three are linked is minimal at best, simply the opening premise being an active shooter in a workplace. Yet one of the stories is a dream sequence on that open, which is a straight cop out made for easy transition.
Laymons “Triage” is typical Laymon, some revenge fantasy shit with rape and misogyny as the basis. His writing is fast paced as ever, but the story feels pointless and culminates in a somewhat ridiculous conclusion.
Lee’s “In The Year Of Our Lord…” is likely the best of the three, starting strong and having story space to build a good narrative. The novella itself is sci-fi horror and well written. Right until you realize he was making it up as he went and the end kinda falls apart. Violently and pointlessly. Points for some inventive killing tools though.
Ketchum’s (as Jerzey Livingston) Sheep Meadow Story is literally the main character whining and behaving like an asshole for roughly fifty pages of unnecessary everything before a split second of fun then more whining.
Triage felt completely thrown together and rushed which is very unfortunate considering the work all three of these horror icons have proved themselves capable of. Certainly should have been better.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Three different authors, one basic premise. Two terrible endings. One decent story in the bunch.

"Triage" by Richard Laymon

It's odd that this story launched the idea for this collection, since it's the weakest and least creative of the group. The "plot" consists of a naked dude with a shotgun chasing a half-naked girl through an empty office building. It's the sort of thing Laymon has written countless times before, set apart only by the jaw-dropping stupidity of its nonsensical twist ending.

"In the Year of Our Lord: 2022" by Edward Lee

The first 2/3 of this novella really gripped me with its sci-fi intrigue, technobabble, and bizarre world-building centered on the notion that Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition eventually becomes the dominant political force in North America and Europe, resulting in an oppressive theocracy that forces people to attend mass, take medication to reduce their sex drives, avoid using obscene language, etc. It makes for an interesting setting, but one that ultimately feels unnecessary to the plot, especially since so few of the characters seem take their religious principles seriously. But the real problem with this novella is that Edward Lee goes out of his way to wrap things up in the least satisfying way possible. It's like watching someone painstakingly set up an array of dominoes only to have the rug suddenly jerked out from underneath. And all in the service of a one-word punchline that won't make sense to anyone not familiar with the writings of H.P. Lovecraft.

"Sheep Meadow Story" by Jack Ketchum

This is the shortest of the three stories, and the best purely by default. It's basically a dark comedy featuring a despicable character Ketchum used to write about for men's magazines (And I don't mean MAXIM or GQ). It's forgettable but well-written enough to be amusing.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a wicked story. Interesting, great read.
Really reminded me of the writing of Ryu Murakami. I feel that they are really similar authors. So good.

There's a reference to American Psycho in this book!

It was an okay collection. Always love a Ketchum novel.

3.1/5

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The weakest story of the three was the Laymon but this one was still a thrilling and entertaining read. I think the Jack Ketchum story had the best writing of all three. I've liked what I've read from him so I need to check out more of his books. The best story was by the one author I hadn't read nor heard of: Edward Lee. A very good story with a twist ending (sort of a double twist) and I saw neither coming. I found the book to have an interesting premise and had fun reading it.

[David Tabacco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Triage is an interesting concept of 3 different authors featured in a semi-collaborative writing scenario and is ultimately satisfying.

Laymon's story will really only appeal to Laymon die-hards. Others will likely find it to be a letdown. It's just a pretty weak story overall and reads like a watered-down version of his typically bread and butter content. Laymon's writing only works when he gets character development right and this story was too focused on the plot, which honestly was very simplistic and uninteresting.

Edward Lee's story was much more complex and he went down the science fiction/theology route. There were some nice references to City Infernal and HP Lovecraft as well. I enjoyed the story, although i'm surprised he didn't just expand this content into a full length. There was clearly enough content and story to do so.

Ketchum's story was the shortest and incredibly clever. It was the most loosely related to the opening sequence concept, but the most masterful writing of the three. There was a Stephen king quality to the writing. After finishing this book, I want to revisit more of Ketchum's work.

I'm a huge fan of all three of these writers, but I'd rate Ketchum's as the best, Lee's in second and Laymon's last.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise is the reason I picked up this book. It struck me as an interesting way to begin a story and I wanted to see how these three accomplished horror writers approached it. The Richard Laymon story was my least favorite. It was just standard horror slasher fare – nothing exceptional. The Edward Lee story was probably my favorite. It could fall under many genres but is primarily science fiction with elements of horror and action thriller. I was completely drawn into it and was pleasantly surprised by the Lovecraftian revelation at the end. It was very well thought out and executed. The final story by Jack Ketchum was also excellent. I initially thought the beginning of the story was a cheat that barely adhered to the premise of the collection but it eventually worked itself out and became a thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing read. There is a clever twist at the end that makes it a worthwhile.

[Reanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Of the 3 reworked stories, I think that was the premise of this book...3 authors rework the same story, I liked the first one best. The latter two just left me with a scrunched up face, wondering what in the hell had I just read. I think it's time to dive into something else for a bit, outside of the horror genre.

[Evans Light · Rating 3 out of 5]

only read the Laymon story. It was okay if a fun and gruesome sort of way, but not required reading. I want to read the Ketchum tale in this someday, though. The Edward Lee story didn't spark my interest for some reason.

[Casey]

An excellent romp - three similar yet very different stories... Loved them all separately for the writer's sake and as a whole because, well, they were three splatterpunk, gorefest, sci-fi originals...

[Stephen Hargrove · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laymon and Ketchum did not disappoint. Edward Lee was the surprise. He made the book.

[Iopipistrello · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing and funny!!!!read it!!!if you have a weird taste like me!!!

[Vance Knox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Triage © 2001 by Richard Laymon
In the Year of Our Lord 2202 © 2001 by Edward Lee
Sheep Meadow Story © 2001 by Dallas Mayr (AKA Jack Ketchum, AKA Jerzy Livingston)
Review © 2008 by Lee Pletzers
This book is 3 novellas based on one idea.
The idea: a mystery person comes into a place, hell bent on killing someone who has no idea why they’re being targeted or who the killer is. Richard Laymon’s story: Triage starts us off and it is a rip-roar of a story. It starts off with a bang and never lets go. It is a super fast read and has some surprises in it. This is Laymon going hell for leather and ripping your eyeballs out. It is 90+ pages and I finished it in one sitting.
Laymon’s story keeps the premise of the killer chasing Sharon, an office worker. She gets a phone call. The caller says: “I’m going to get you.” “I’m going to get you now, Sharon.” He hangs up the phone.
Next second a man walks in carrying a pump action shotgun, he asks for Sharon.
The receptionist points her out. He says, “Thank you.” And he blows her brains out. All this on page 3.
I would love to tell you about this fantastic story but letting even a little bit out will dull the read. I can say that you will be smiling at the end of it.
This story is a kicker as well worth the price of the book alone. The twist is a kicker as well, although a little blunt. Other reviewers claim this is Laymon’s weakest story to date. They are wrong.
I wish I could say the same for Edward Lee’s story: In the year of our Lord 2202. It starts off the same, a girl getting a call from someone wanting to kill her and that person enters the area a moment later.
Apart from that, the rest of the novella is an SF story in the vein of a mystery. This Sharon is a nun, or somehow in the nunnery and she is a virgin. A big point is made about this. Lee also goes on and on and on filling pages with unneeded padding.
I still have no idea why the guy in the beginning tried to kill Sharon. The rest of the story is quite neat if you like mysteries. The story is about a spaceship on a secret mission. Apparently no one knows about this mission thinking it is just a standard run. (The future Lee painted is awesome. Damn awesome. Buy the book just for this vision of the future.)
The guy who tried to kill Sharon is killed and soon revealed to be from a secret sect called ‘Red Sect’; a group that tortures and kills without reason. Sharon becomes fascinated with learning more about this group and their god, and she tries to learn all she can, but the information is blocked or deleted. The only source of info she has is in the soldier who killed the guy. But why would a ‘Red Sect’ member be on board? Because it is not the usual run-of-the-mill trip. This is revealed when the ship stops and all but a few keys personnel are ordered off.
What’s the secret mission? Why, Man has finally found the location of Heaven. And it’s time they paid a visit.
Saying more would almost destroy the wonderful ending. The third novella in this is book is: Sheep meadow story by Jack Ketchum (writing as Jerzy Livingston). It starts off the same, only the main character’s name is Carla, not Sharon. And I may be wrong, but I think Jack just added this scene to conform to the book’s main theme, ‘cause the story goes way out of whack with the rest of the book.
Jack though, is a pretty good writer and I polished off his story in a couple of hours. It is only 43 pages long. This story is about a guy who works for an agency as a reader and he gets 10% of the price writers pay to have their work evaluated. He is not happy. Lost his wife, lives off booze and cigarettes, has no direction in life, early fifties and dreams of being a writer. (Loved the Maxwell Perkins mention. Nice one.)
Stroup is going through the motions of life. He has a favourite bar, a couple of girlfriends (one who dumps him for another guy), a friend he doesn’t like who tells constant jokes and a bar tender he’d like to shag but that ain’t ever going to happen. Then his ex calls and demands he pay her the money he owes. He tells her to fuck off and she sends him a summons to appear in court. On top of that he loses his job. He’s not fired – he’s ‘Downsized’. Still, it’s not all bad. He does have a .38 revolver with a full chamber…and he knows where his ex-wife is enjoying the sunny day…
All in all, this tiny anthology of 310 pages is a fast read. I feel only Laymon stayed true to the theme and in doing so, he created one of his best stories I’ve read since Island. I wish Edward Lee’s story was horror more than mystery as he is pretty good with the blood and guts genre. And Jack Ketchum…I’ve said all I can say. I like his writing in this story, and it’s the first bit of his writing that I’ve read.
Three different novellas, all based on one premise. Sounds like a themed book to me, but it isn’t and that is mentioned on the back cover and in the introduction by Matt Johnson. For some reason I thought they were all themed, but apart from a killer and a girl, they have little to no resemblance to each other. Still, this is a good book to pass four afternoons enjoying.

[Mikepottz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 3 authors all with the same premise. A stranger with a gun. 1. A man rings a law office and said, "I'm gonna get you Sharon". Then appears with a shot gun. Then splatters heads apart. Sharon is on the run in an empty office building with the crazed madman. She doesn't know who the fuck is. The gunman piles up the dead bodies, all naked, blood driping. The gunman walks the corridors, strumming the gun like a guitar stark naked. Sharon gets a bullet in the kneecap Ouch. She is now bound by a belt to the corpses. Raped and left for dead but running over feet in a car is therapeutic. Pretty lame from laymon. 2. Sharon picked up comms and a man said," I'm gonna get you. Then he came with a milliwave pistol and blasts heads, gunk erupting, streaming blood ejecting from temples. The lively smell of BBQed meat permeates the air. Sharon is fucked. More death. A secret sect had nuked the vatican city, the pope was a world leader. Flying through space at 3 billion miles per hour. This had an eerie Jason X vibe going on with the isolated feel in the spaceship. Now they have found Heaven, God ran off, demons taken over. Not a great one from Edward Lee. The last one was far better but how this old guy was able to bang young women. Definitely a fantasy for these 3 authors.

[Marios · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
Το πρώτο διήγημα του Ριτσαρντ Λέιμον ηταν αυτό που περίμενα από ένα τέτοιο βιβλίο! Ωμό, βίαιο, αηδιαστικό. Αν και το τέλος κάπως μη-ρεαλιστικό (ποιός σκατά κάνει όλα αυτά και συνεχίζει να μένει και να εργάζεται στην ίδια περιοχή) μου άρεσε. Η εκδίκηση είναι πάντα απο τα πράγματα που με κερδίζουν. 4/5

Το δεύτερο διήγημα του Έντουαρντ Λι αρχίζει όπως το πρώτο πάνω κάτω αλλά αλλάζει η τροπή στην συνέχεια. Η αλήθεια είναι οτι δεν περίμενα πολλές από τις ανατροπές, παρ´ολα αυτα λίγες με εντυπωσίασαν και είπα «damn ok». Ενα απο αυτά ήταν το τέλος. Ποιός περίμενε οτι απο τον Θεο θα πάμε στο γαμημένο Κθούλου; Δεν με τρέλανε παρόλα αυτα αλλα ήταν τίμιο!
3/5

Τριτο και τελευταιο του Τζακ Κετσαμ. Δεν αρχίζει με τον ίδιο τρόπο όπως τα άλλα και με μπερδεύει αρκετά η όλη ιστορία να πω την αληθεια. Αρκετά αδιάφορο και δεν καταλαβαίνω τι γινεται. Ίσως δεν το πιάνω εγώ προσωπικά, ίσως σε άλλους να αρέσει αλλά πάλι καλά ηταν μονο 20 σελίδες!
1.5/5