Kill Ball

by Carlton Mellick III

In a city where all humans live inside of plastic bubbles, exotic dancers are being murdered in the rubbery streets by a mysterious stalker known only as Kill Ball.

Genres: Bizarro Fiction, Horror, Fiction, Science Fiction, Adult

124 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Carlton Mellick III (July 2, 1977, Phoenix, Arizona) is an American author currently residing in Portland, Oregon. He calls his style of writing "avant-punk," and is currently one of the leading authors in the recent 'Bizarro' movement in underground literature[citation needed] with Steve Aylett, Chris Genoa and D. Harlan Wilson.

Mellick's work has been described as a combination of trashy schlock sci-fi/horror and postmodern literary art. His novels explore surreal versions of earth in contemporary society and imagined futures, commonly focusing on social absurdities and satire.

Carlton Mellick III started writing at the age of ten and completed twelve novels by the age of eighteen. Only one of these early novels, "Electric Jesus Corpse", ever made it to print.

He is best known for his first novel Satan Burger and its sequel Punk Land. Satan Burger was translated into Russian and published by Ultra Culture in 2005. It was part of a four book series called Brave New World, which also featured Virtual Light by William Gibson, City Come A Walkin by John Shirley, and Tea from an Empty Cup by Pat Cadigan.

In the late 90's, he formed a collective for offbeat authors which included D. Harlan Wilson, Kevin L. Donihe, Vincent Sakowski, among others, and the publishing company Eraserhead Press. This scene evolved into the Bizarro fiction movement in 2005.

In addition to writing, Mellick is an artist and musician.

Reviews

[Kevin Strange · Rating 5 out of 5]

For an author with 40+ books in print, one might guess that Carlton Mellick III might be running out of things to say in his fiction. And while a lot of his books aren’t exactly making profound statements about the human condition, they are always weird, always heart-felt and typically do leave the reader with a few things to chew on after they’ve closed the book.

Kill Ball shows a true bizarro veteran’s ability to take just about any premise, and create characters and a plot around them that are both engaging and honest. When Kill Ball begins, we meet a young boy who wants to touch his ailing mother so badly, he crawls inside of her protective plastic bubble, only to see her melt before his eyes. Fast forward a decade, and everyone on earth lives inside mobile plastic bubbles lest they meet the same melty fate.

That’s the setup. That’s the world Carlton creates for us, and does so effortlessly. Within 15 pages, you’re immersed in bubble world not questioning for a second the ridiculous idea that an entire planet of people would bounce around inside plastic bubbles. That’s easy to do when reading a Mellick book, because he approaches these nonsense premises with absolute sincerity.

What follows is a classic Italian horror tale of a leather clad killer ball chasing down and murdering strippers. It gets really weird and takes several turns that you will not see coming. It’s a solid book with a crazy premise that works on every level. If this guy is still hitting homeruns at 40+ books, imagine what he’ll be writing when he gets close to triple digits? I, for one, can’t wait.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t like anyone in the book, but I loved the book. It made me happy.

[Jeremy Maddux · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one's pretty silly, even for Carlton's standards. He's written way better (Quicksand House, Hungry Bug, Apeshit), but there is one thing that made this book worth buying: the comic at the end with Carlton and Dean Koontz's Double Decapitation Kick and a flesh eating tank, for good measure.

[Scott Unfried · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carlton Mellick III introduces his book as a parody of 1970’s Italian thrillers (giallo) infused with Bubble Boy wackiness, paraphrasing here. He has an enviable ability to take far out, ridiculous concepts and think them out logically, or in a way that seems logical. For instance, Carlton has the scientific awareness to mention the problem of friction burns when sliding at high speeds in a rubbery ball. I wish I had this sonofabitch’s knack for coming up with this stuff, especially at the frequency he does.

In some ways, parts of this make me think of films like Running Man (1987) and The Stuff (1985) with a dash of The Blob more than the 1970’s Italian thrillers. Either way, it only took me four days to read this book although one of those days was months ago when I got the free Kindle sample, then I finished the rest in three days upon purchasing the book.

If you like any of the references I mentioned then you will probably like, if not love, this book. This book is also incredibly romantic without being drippy and super sentimental. This was my first Mellick III book, only having read the short story “Candy Coated” before. I’m definitely ready for more.

[Jorge Palacios]

wow this book was really fun. It went by super fast, super entertaining, the characters were interesting and the action was so insane and ridiculous, it was amazing. I'm a big fan of Carlton's work and this is definitely one of my favorites I've read of his. The Kill Ball is quite the character by itself, a giant metal ball just crushing through everything. The last few chapters will leave your mouth hanging agape with all the twists and turns and revelations that go on, and the ending is incredibly satisfying. Kudos to Carlton for making a story about people inside giant hamster balls feel unique and interesting.

[jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

honestly, all of my mellick reviews are more or less the same thing: his world building skills are second-to-none, he pays close attention to the diversity of his cast without making it feel like an afterschool special, and all of his characters seem to pop right out at you, even tiny, irrelevant background characters. i love his books, i love his girls. i love him. there you go.

[Emma Alice Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giallo In Hamster Balls

This insanely enjoyable giallo tribute features the best murderer since Dario Argento's black-gloved hand: the Kill Ball. Never let it be said that CM3 is predictable. Just like in any good giallo, there's no way you could possibly see the end coming.

[Leila Anani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kill ball is CM3's homage to giallo films, set in a dystopian future where a virus has forced people to exist in giant plastic hamster balls. Colin, our slightly unhinged hero eight-ball is obsessed with exotic dancer siren. A killer is on the loose - a black leather clad ball, knifing exotic dancer's balls and exposing them to the melting virus. Colin has to save his beloved siren, convince her he's not the killer and make her fall in love with him.

I loved this. It's a fascinating exploration of human isolation and exceptionally relevant in today's climate. It's suitably bonkers, exciting and just plain weird, yet it's tightly plotted and I have to say pretty tame for Mellick, giving you room to appreciate the satire rather than squirming at the shock factor. It's not too misogynistic as some of his books can be, and Colin isn't too much of an asshole.

The imagination on this is as ever staggering and its superbly visual. Huge thumbs up.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I've read some pretty stupid books in my life but the plot of Kill Ball ranks pretty high up on the list as one of the stupidest. A society of humans encased in bubbles? A leather clad ball hell bent on murdering strippers? An ex-human pool ball player intent on saving his love interest from the killer ball? Yeah, seriously, it's that stupid.

And yet, somehow, it works. I don't know how he does it but somehow Carlton Mellick makes such a dumb and idiotic story actually make some semblance of sense and makes it enjoyable to boot. I know I gave CMIII some pretty negative marks in my recent review of Sea of the Patchwork Cats (and I still think they were deserved), however, he has seemed to mature (is that even possible in the bizarro genre?) enough to write a story that, while weird and totally off the wall, is still original enough and well written enough to actually be a decent story.

[Sharli Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Carlton's work so I am biased, but this was a cool concept and story. Just wish it was longer!

[Ellie Potts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twist

I've thought I had it all figured out and he put a twist in the story. Great reading. On to another story. I'm addicted.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not getting boring with his book. When you think you figured it out something strange comes your way and bites you in the ass

[Nehal Drago · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was okish...

[Harris · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5. It was an interesting idea at the beginning, but I barely held on to caring much about the plot.

[Rain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very silly but I loved it

[LaTonya Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Bad

The story wasn't had at all, but I was expecting more of an explosive ending. It was very underwhelming .

[Kelsi - Slime and Slashers · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 rounded down for GR - fun and ridiculous! Funny / unique homage to giallo movies!

[Rubi Dillard · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a fun read that is totally bizarre check this book out. I've yet to find a Carlton Mellick iii book I haven't enjoyed, this book like all of his others doesn't take itself seriously it goes with its own flow and is just entertaining as hell.

[Sharon Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Kill Ball' is the story of a lonely guy, Colin, who accidentally caused his mother's death when he was a kid. All he's ever wanted was to be held, but the increasingly isolated world he lives in has made this desire impossible. He becomes obsessed with a stripper he believes he has a special connection with. A killer is stalking the streets and seems to have his sights set on Colin's girl. Oh yeah, and everyone rolls around in giant hamster balls. How could I have missed that out?

There are probably a few plot holes that could be picked here, but the insanity level is so high that if you're actually going to attempt to pick holes in the logic your brain is liable to melt out of your ears. Don't say I didn't warn you! Anyway, for me this was one of those books that I just couldn't put down. It was a cool idea that panned out very well and springs a few surprises, one of which made me laugh out loud. I was hooked from start to finish, and I loved the sense of humour and the general weirdness of it all. The combination of mystery thriller and strange romance with science fiction elements and dystopian setting melded into a uniquely satisfying story and one I won’t soon forget. Mellick is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.

This really is a must read for anyone who is sick to death of predictable plots. It’s definitely weird, but it’s also one of the best books I’ve read in ages. Highly recommended.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice, light afternoon read that kept my attention from the first page throughout. Has some decent humor injected with a nice little allegorical message concerning the basic need for human interaction. That's one thing I like about Carlton Mellick; his work may be far fetched at times, rightfully so, but you will usually find a pretty meaningful story hidden within. "Kill Ball" is no exception.

[DJMikeG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious, bizarre, absurd, brilliantly written bizarro fiction by the master Mellick. Like everything I've read by him, this was great. His imagination is amazing.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A noir in a ball, having a ball! Spherical human evolution. This book is a hell of a roller coaster!

[Joshua Friesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nope I didn't really like this one.