Sucking Chest Wound: And Other Horrors

by Daniel J Volpe

Genres: Horror

328 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2024

Reviews

[Kiera ☠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a very solid array of short stories in this collection and there were a handful which I did really enjoy however, there was also a handful I couldn't get into. Now to be fair, this might just be because my literary tastes are changing away from extreme horror in recent months but this is of no fault of the author. On the contrary, Volpe is my favourite extreme horror author. Talia, Plastic Monsters and Left to You/For the Better are all perfection.

Overall, I'm still happy I read this and enjoyed the experience as a whole while reading it but writing this review weeks later, none of the stories really stood out to me.

[Zoe Panstingl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die Geschichten sind wirklich verschiedenster purer Horror. Ich fand die Geschichten alle aber sehr cool, einige waren sehr ekelhaft, da musste ich mich wirklich bemühen nicht zu kotzen. Was mich aber gewundert hat, fast alle dieser Geschichten haben mit Sex zu tun, also sei es Vergewaltigungen, Sex wo einer stirbt oder wo etwas schreckliches währenddessen passiert. Also ich warne schon mal vor, falls ihr das Buch lesen wollt, die Sex-Szenen sind wirklich sehr detailliert beschrieben. Sonst fand ich das Buch sehr toll, sehr coole Geschichten, aber auf jeden Fall auf der heftigen Seite und nicht unbedingt etwas für schwache Nerven.

[Splatter Axe Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of 11 short horror stories that are certain to make even the most rabid reader cringe. Stories that'll make you think twice about eating food from a disgusting cart on a fair ground, no matter how good it smells. Might make you think again before you try messing with the old couple moving across the country for some kicks because not everything is what it seems to be. Or because some sick demented a-hole enjoys slopping up the nastiest things he can find in a porto-potty.

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of brutal stories include everything from serial killers to creatures that love to get revenge. This book also includes the infamous gross out story called Strawberry Shortcake 🍰 These stories were so great, I love how Daniel can write in such range of different kind of stories. These will definitely satisfy any type of horror you are looking for!

[Carrie Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝑴𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏'𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒏. 𝑬𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆, 𝒂 𝒈𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒑𝒖𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒑 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒑 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅.

SUCKING CHEST WOUND is a collection of 11 short stories, each with an illustration, that I purchased in hardback direct from the author. There is not a story in this collection less than five stars.

"Sucking Chest Wound" is the story of Andy, killer of women, who makes a dumb mistake. With the police on his tail, he injures himself in his haste to escape captivity. When young JJ and his friends stumble upon the wounded man, Andy thinks he can appeal to the kid's good nature. That would be another mistake.

"Fair Food" If you frequent fairs, stay away from the meat on a stick cart. Steven surely wishes he had. There isn't enough Febreze in the world to fix what happens when he gets home.

"Going South" Larry and Helen are leaving New York for the South. When they encounter a trio of denizens after getting lost, they reluctantly allow them to lead the way. Things don't go as expected.

"Die, Hive Scum" Skeever is a thief, but when he steals from criminal mastermind Sardom Senk, his avarice may mean the end.

"Strawberry Shortcake" is seeing print for the first time! This story is absolutely disgusting and worthy of its win in a Gross-Out contest. I did a full review when I grabbed the e-copy from the Godless site.

Also included are these stories:
"The Cut of Your Jib"
"Green Bleeds Red"
"...Of Dough and Cinnamon"
"The Dead Never Die"
"Just a Friend"
"Lost Girl, Found Dog"

This author is always pushing the boundaries of horror, and if you're new to his work, I hope you'll treat yourself to this stunning collection. Available now in paperback or in limited edition hardback from the author's site.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
All of these stories packed into one book were so interesting!
I think the last 2 stories of the book were my favorite ones.
The stories are brutal, intense, and some just plain wild 💀
Absolutely recommend reading this one! I enjoyed it so much all the way through. Amazing work from the author!
🖤10/10🖤

[Cody Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

SHORT WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK READS.

Finally I got done reading Sucking Chest Wound by Daniel Volpe. Been reading this one on and off for the past month. This one also included probably the most disgusting story I've ever read called Strawberry Shortcake, and also we get an appearance from Talia. Every single story was fantastic, DJV delivers truly in every story in this fantastic collection. I was lucky enough to been able to order and get the limited edition hardcover (which is the one in the pic) Absolutely love this one and the cover is sick! Great stories, enjoyable reads, disgusting reads too. Just a fantastic collection for DJV. 5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ worth every second.

[Ashley Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty wide variety of stories, all very well writen; not all up my alley though.

[Kate Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wide variety of short stories that were not all quite up my ally, however those who have read this book know which ones keep me up at night. I was a little disappointed in the first few because they gave the vibe of a a stereotypical 2 star sciencefiction murder flic from the 90s. Although after getting through the first few, I enjoyed the majority of the second half of stories. One of which being Strawberry Shortcake. Don't let that title fool you whatsoever. Overall pretty well written and not bad considering Im not a fan of short stories.


Gore: 4/10

[Robbie Slow-Bled-Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75/5

Few collections keep my attention throughout. Fewer still nearly make me tap out due to content. Over the course of several short stories limits are obliterated, buttons are smashed, and all sorts of bodily fluids spilled.

The only reason I cannot give it a full five stars is because it truly isn’t for everyone. This book is for those who want to push their limits with some of most brutal stories put to print. This ain’t your dad’s Stephen King. It falls more into the Jack Ketchum style of extreme/splatterpunk horror.

[Kareem · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was alot of fun! some good gory ones in here and some downright nasty ones lol! the revenge stories are the best in my opinion. the only one i wish was longer and more fleshed out was ‘Die Hive Scum.’ i havent really seen much sci-fi in splatterpunk in my own readings, but i thought it was a cool concept and wouldve loved to see this as a novella or something with a bit more to it- gave me some Warhammer vibes.

[Amanda Gibbons · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read! It's got 11 wonderfully messed up stories, including "Strawberry Shortcake," which is sooooo nasty 🤮. In my opinion, it's right up there with Zola 🧀. This book gave me Tales From The Crypt vibes, and I want more ❤️. This was my first book from Daniel J. Volpe, and I will definitely be reading more.

[David Small · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of stories is awesome. Eleven fast-paced grotesqueries that read like a season of Tales from the Crypt, complete with illustrations. Sucking Chest Wound has everything from coming of age to revenge, body-horror to sci-fi, possession to supernatural. Highly recommended.

[Brandon Perras-Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m usually not a fan of anthologies, but this was a wild ride! I love the variety of horror sub-genres represented- body horror, serial killers, sci-fi, etc. There is a lot of complexity in crafting a solid short and Dan does it with ease.

[Thomas Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

11 short stories in this gruesome and vile anthology. A few of my favorites are sucking chest wound and of dough and cinnamon. Strawberry shortcake was absolutely vile and stomach churning.

[Dana Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

So bloody entertaining!