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Everything Has Teeth

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A city where people are turning gleefully insane. Inescapable blood-sucking bugs. A serial killer who may have discovered proof of alien life. A kinky proposal to "even out" an instance of infidelity. A man whose fingernails are growing at an out of control rate. Twisted new spins on the legends of John Henry and Humpty Dumpty. The all-time worst bathtub in which to bathe a child. The inconvenience of finding a dead Bigfoot in your yard.

These are only a few of the stories in Jeff Strand's deranged new collection, which includes the brand-new novelette "The Tipping Point," along with several other macabre tales written just for these bloody pages...

Table of contents:

"The Tipping Point"
"Nails"
"Stumps"
"John Henry, The Steel Drivin' Man"
"Fair Trade"
"Chiggers"
"Cry"
"The Fierce Stabbing and Subsequent Post-Death Vengeance of Scooter Brown"
"It's Bath Time!"
"Alien Face"
"Apocalypse of the Yard Gnome"
"Dead Bigfoot on the Lawn"
"Gross-Out: The Return"
"Deformed Son"
"The Origin of Slashy"
"Secret Message (Decoded)"
"The Sentient Cherry Cola That Tried to Destroy the World"
"The Eggman Falleth"
"The Story of My First Kiss"
"Dad (A True Story)"
"Bad Bratwurst"

219 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 19, 2017

172 people are currently reading
300 people want to read

About the author

Jeff Strand

229 books2,210 followers
Bram Stoker Award-winning author of a bunch of demented books, including PRESSURE, DWELLER, CLOWNS VS. SPIDERS, AUTUMN BLEEDS INTO WINTER, MY PRETTIES, the official novelization of ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES, and lots of others!

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5 stars
129 (33%)
4 stars
135 (35%)
3 stars
84 (21%)
2 stars
24 (6%)
1 star
10 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
Profile Image for Mort.
Author 3 books1,625 followers
October 20, 2020
Wow, this one was unexpected. I changed my mind a few times about the rating, which I'll explain toward the end of this review, but I think I can finally find peace with the 5.

It started off much darker than usual - with TIPPING POINT. Look, a good horror story should make you question what you would do in a similar situation. I'll be honest with you, insanity scares me, so other than crapping my pants, I wouldn't have known what to do if this happened to me.

Some stories were a bit weird, like CRY and APOCALYPSE OF THE YARD GNOME.

IT'S BATH TIME made me cringe - not an easy feat these days.

DEAD BIGFOOT ON THE LAWN and THE SENTIENT CHERRY COLA THAT TRIED TO DESTROY THE WORLD were hilarious and legendary, everything I expect from Strand.

And then...GROSS-OUT: THE RETURN must be the absolute grossest thing I have ever read, so much so that I was shocked to hear it only came in second. I can't even fathom where the story that won must have gone. I respect the imagination, but I know I couldn't come up with something even close to this.

But, it was the story DAD (A TRUE STORY), that really threw me.

*** I have no idea if Jeff Strand will ever read this review, especially since there has been more than twenty before, but I want to leave him a personal note, nonetheless:

Dear Mr. Strand,
I'm comfortable with the world knowing that my opinion of your writing is high enough to call you one of the funniest, most twisted authors in the world - I buy your books on name alone.

After reading DAD (A TRUE STORY), I was furious with you. You've always entertained me, so how the fuck do you dare to write something that touched me so deep inside my soul!? You shouldn't have that power...
But then I read your notes and discovered that it was, indeed, a true story - as the title suggested. I re-read it, and got choked up again.
I can admit when I am wrong, sir, and after careful consideration, this might be the best story you have ever written. The power lies in your honesty and, even though you tried to lighten the mood, it must have been extremely difficult to write.
I'm sure you made your father very proud.

ms
Profile Image for Karl.
3,258 reviews372 followers
November 3, 2017
Jeff Strand is a two-time finalist for the Bram Stoker Award and has been nominated four times for that award.. This the new Jeff Strand anthology of short stories titled “Everything Has Teeth” is a delight to read and the book contains eight stories published in this edition which have never previously seen print.

Jeff Strand has a unique world view that makes you wonder how he can vacillate so quickly between Horror, Humor, Gore and side splitting laughter while making his stories so completely readable.

If I had a complaint, and that should have been a BIG if, then that complaint would be, the short stories are just too short.

Contents:

007 - Introduction
009 -"The Tipping Point"
051 - "Nails"
061 - "Stumps"
067 - "John Henry, The Steel Drivin' Man"
077 - "Fair Trade"
085 - "Chiggers"
093 -"Cry"
099 - "The Fierce Stabbing and Subsequent Post-Death Vengeance of Scooter Brown"
107 - "It's Bath Time!"
117 - "Alien Face"
125 - "Apocalypse of the Yard Gnome"
131 - "Dead Bigfoot on the Lawn"
141 - "Gross-Out: The Return"
145 - "Deformed Son"
151 - "The Origin of Slashy"
161 - "Secret Message (Decoded)"
163 - "The Sentient Cherry Cola That Tried to Destroy the World"
175 - "The Eggman Falleth"
179 - "The Story of My First Kiss"
183 - "Dad (A True Story)"
187 - "Bad Bratwurst"
215 – “The Car”
221 – “The Loneliest Jackalope”
227 – “Inside The Boxes”
235 – “A Bit Of Christmas Mayham”
241 – “Scrumptious Bone Bread”
251 – “A Flawed Fantasy”
259 – “Tin Cans”
269 – Story Notes
279 - Credits


This hardcover is numbered 14 of 64 copies and is signed by Jeff Strand.
Profile Image for Zoeytron.
1,036 reviews898 followers
November 1, 2020
Bodies, bodies everywhere.  For those of you who love a good gore-fest, this is your opportunity to sample it in all its glory.  21 short stories, many raunchy in the extreme.  Sadly, I seem to have lost my taste for it.  The Tipping Point kept my attention.  Hopefully, things won't come to this.  The name of the restaurant, "Denton's", made me smile (no teeth showing, of course).  Just a small thing, but I liked it.  I've never liked those ubiquitous garden gnomes.  They have a sly look about them.
Profile Image for Crystal.
129 reviews27 followers
December 5, 2017
Collection of short horror stories. For the most part not immediately terrifying but they do stick with you and keep crossing your mind.
Profile Image for Richard.
1,062 reviews473 followers
May 21, 2020
After falling in love with Jeff Strand's work on a number of his novels and novellas, and really appreciating his witty, dauntless, irreverent charm, I should've known that his style would be perfectly suited for short stories. This collection happens to be pure Strand, all guns blazing and zero fucks given, which is everything that we want from the author. He hits the reader with stories about a conscious soft drink with a bone to pick, fingernails that grow at a dangerous rate, murderous bathtub drains, and middle school serial killers. As always with Strand, there's a great mix of horror, the profane, and jet-black comedy that is a style all his own, with some stories even totally breaking the fourth wall with complete awareness that they're stories. But then, he can turn it all around and write a tear-jerking autobiographical story about the death of his dad.

Although the majority of stories here are enjoyable, my favorites happened to be in the first half, including "Cry," a really original tale about an emotionless man who goes to extreme lengths to cry, including rubbing habanero peppers in his eyes, "The Tipping Point," about a date night taking a violent turn for the worst, "Fair Trade," where an adulterer must face the consequences, and both "John Henry, the Steel Drivin' Man" and "The Eggman Falleth," stories that tell the untold stories behind the John Henry folktale and the Humpty Dumpty poem.

Jeff Strand once again proves to be a natural-born storyteller in a class all his own, and his work is so consistently entertaining. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite writers and this collection further proves that he can tell a story about anything.
Profile Image for Steve Rogers.
9 reviews
April 11, 2017
It's Jeff Strand, is there really more of a description needed?

I guess there is. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder why you haven't had a German human bratwurst before. 10/10 bratwursts for this book.
Profile Image for Sandi.
27 reviews3 followers
March 29, 2017
Okay, so I don't read books of short stories because I don't like them...But that damn Jeff Strand just has a way of writing that keeps me reading no matter what it is. Admittedly I only got this book of short stories because I just saw it was a new title from Jeff. Once I realized what I had done it was too late, I was hooked. These are hilarious, disgusting, sometimes borderline dumb but amazing stories! So even if you're not a short stories fan, give this one a shot!
Profile Image for Mylene.
314 reviews1 follower
May 1, 2017
Less than 5 stars for Jeff Strand??? NEVER

OMG... Jeff Strand is the best! Like, literally!!!!
If you do not enjoy the things he writes then... you must be dead. I ALWAYS have an amazing time with his novels and his short stories. Creative imagination and a devious (loopy) mind, mixed with a sharp wit produces something you cannot find from other authors.

I could offer a play by play of each of the short stories, but I think suffice to say that if you are looking for a new author to fall in love with, choose to give Strand a try. If I had to compare him to film, I would say that he is equal or not better than a director named Fred Dekker. Dekker only made two movies in his career (what a terrible, terrible shame) but they were zingers. He is a cult hero that was able to seamlessly blend horror with humour (see Jeff Strand). He created Monster Squad (100 times better than The Goonies) and Night of the Creeps (think the original Fright Night but with lines you will never forget like "Thrill me", and "It's Miller time!").

Thanks, Jeff Strand. I look forward to your next novel/short story collection.
Profile Image for FictionFreak.
268 reviews7 followers
March 30, 2017
Slices of Strand

Jeff Strand's brain has exploded all over my kindle again. You should read this book if you like all of the different types of stories he writes. There is a little bit of everything. Gross, gory, funny, creepy, gross, silly, ridiculous, gory, cool, and finally uhhhhh.....? These are all adjectives I'd use to describe it (not necessarily in any particular order). I enjoyed it, some stories more than others, but that's anthologies. Definitely NOT for kids!
Profile Image for Noigeloverlord.
169 reviews10 followers
March 25, 2017
Each Story Sinks it's Teeth In!

Jeff Strand is the Master of writing Horror with a twist of humor that doesn't feel forced. Each tale takes you down a different path filled with weird laughter driven Horror, with the exception of Dad ( A true story ) a piece that hits home to all who have lost a parent. It stands apart from the rest of the stories but in a great way.
Profile Image for Trish Sumlak.
1 review
April 7, 2017
Jeff Strand writes horror with humor and never disappoints. This latest book was a must buy for me. I always look forward to his books.
Profile Image for Steven.
649 reviews55 followers
June 1, 2017
This was a fantastic short story book that I really sank my "attention" into :)
Profile Image for Chris Kenyon.
145 reviews2 followers
March 19, 2024
Although some of these short stories were just plain weird, there were a few gems hidden among the pages of this book. Jeff Strand’s humor worked in a couple of these stories but some of them just fell flat. All in all a good read and some really original concepts.
Profile Image for Gillian.
9 reviews
Read
April 7, 2017
I this was another good work from Jeff Strand, love his books. All the stories has some of grim ending, but they made you think. It's hard to rate a book and give away stuff, but the nails one..because.. yikes.
Profile Image for Steven.
226 reviews30 followers
October 18, 2022
I can't do it.

I just can't do it.

I cannot describe the sheer agony this one was. Normally I would give a quick capsule review of each story in this collection, but it doesn't deserve that. These aren't stories. They're first drafts written from the mind of a fifteen-year-old. When they're not cringey, they're boring. When they're not boring, they're nonsensical. When they're not nonsensical, the attempts at comedy are dragged out beyond breaking point.

None of the stories here were funny or scary or even horrific. Each of them reads like Strand had no idea where he was going. Characters do dumb or unrealistic things for no fucking salvageable reason. The only one that provoked a reaction out of me was one specifically designed for a gross-out competition. And if that's the best you can provoke out of me, you done fucked up!

Jeff Strand has always been a hit or miss writer for me. He seems to evoke that 80's pulp horror style in his fiction. But he always seems to fumble at the finish line. He never takes it hard enough, or graphic enough or wild enough. And now with Everything Has Teeth, he missed so hard, the ball went out the park, over the city, across the continent and out into the middle of the Pacific where it'll probably puncture a whale's testicles.
Profile Image for Ash.
181 reviews11 followers
July 20, 2020
I generally don't like short story collections/anthologies. I don't know why they just never seem to appeal to me very much. I think it's because there's normally a mix of terrible stories and good ones and I get fed up reading the bad ones.

This collection was pretty good the entire way through though! I've written little pieces for my favourite stories

The Tipping Point - reminded me a little bit of Brian Keene's The Darkness At The Edge Of Town. Boy and girl, out on a date, notice someone acting weird in the restaurant, subsequently leave the restaurant and chaos ensues, as everybody except them appear to be psychotic

Stumps - Man is immortal, people test it out, ends up as just a torso. Short, but too-the-point body horror.

Fair Trade - Man is caught having an affair on his wife, wife offers a fair trade and says she wants to sleep with her too. Of course, that doesn't go to plan...

Cry - No matter what happens too him, he can't cry. Well, that is until he rubs Habanero peppers in his eyes. Then he can cry...

The Sentient Cherry Cola That Tried To Destroy The World> - As the name implies, A can of cherry cola becomes sentient and takes over the world. It is as ridiculous as it sounds!!

The Eggman Falleth - The nursery rhyme 'Humpty Dumpty' reimagined. Probably one of my favourite strories in the book

I've read a few of Jeff's books now and still yet to find one I haven't enjoyed!!
Profile Image for Ami.
2,391 reviews14 followers
November 18, 2017
I absolutely laughed until I had tears running out of my eyes(no peppers involved). Wondering what that last phrase could possibly mean? Then go get this book and be prepared to either be offended by at least one of these short stories. Or put every everything except your senses of horror and humor aside. Both of which will be used to the fullest extent possible.

I highly recommend this collection even if some people will ponder my sanity😱😜 (again).

Readers beware there is bad language, sex (in weird and unusual ways and/or places) and crudity in some of these short stories.
Profile Image for Renato Rodriguez.
176 reviews6 followers
December 31, 2022
This a pretty bizarre collection of short stories. Some of them seem like they were written while the author was tripping on some acid, some of them are funny, and some of them are just plain weird and nonsensical (see story about a cherry cola coming to life, enough said) My favorite one was the first one: The Tipping point, in which society has gone mad and people are murdering each other for no apparent reason.
262 reviews5 followers
May 17, 2017
Original does not necessarily mean good...

Okay...so these were some very odd short stories, but not ones I would care to read again. In fact, I don't even know how some of them made it to press. It seemed like several of them just ended rather abruptly, without any resolution. Glad to be finished, and on to the next book (by a different author, of course) in my queue.
Profile Image for Darrell Grizzle.
Author 14 books78 followers
October 30, 2017
What could possibly go wrong? That seems to be the question Jeff Strand asks as he tortures his characters with situations that move from bad to worse, usually with a wicked and/or goofy sense of humor (although some of these stories are decidedly serious). Includes my favorite Strand story (so far), Alien Face. This collection is highly recommended for fans of the gleefully macabre.
93 reviews1 follower
January 19, 2020
WTF Did I Just Read?!

As always, Jeff Strand delivers a blend of stories that runs the gamut from sick and twisted all the way to heartwarming, with dashes of absolutely disgusting and gut-busting hilarity.

I promise you, you won't find another author quite like Jeff Strand no matter how hard you try.

Seriously, if you're not reading Jeff Strand... you should be!
Profile Image for Corrina Morse.
815 reviews124 followers
August 4, 2020
Awesome!

I am not a fan of short stories, so asked on a horror book group Im a member of for recommendations to change my mind. This was one of them and I have to say....I Bloody Loved It!! Fast paced, fun and grim. Each story grabbed me and kept me til the end. Thanks Jeff...I now believe in the power of a good short story again!! And I will always trim my fingernails!!
56 reviews1 follower
August 22, 2017
Goofy and entertaining

Just like the other short story collections by Jeff Strand, this one is gross and silly, I think most of these could be performed as skits on a sketch comedy show and be really funny.
Profile Image for Nollaig Kelly.
145 reviews3 followers
November 14, 2017
great short stories; most are just nuts full of gore and houmer and there is one very touching one about his father

really enjoyed reading them and as it's short stories if there is one you don't like there is one you will coming up
Profile Image for Purple Fezmonkey.
9 reviews4 followers
July 11, 2018
Really enjoyed this - darkly comic and also some really good, creepy imagery and ideas. Well written and entertaining.

Not a huge fan of the short story normally, but I am starting to feel that with the right authors my mind is slowly being changed.
11 reviews
August 5, 2018
Jeff Strand is one sick pup!

And I love it! This man writes some seriously sick, twisted but funny stuff. This collection runs the gamut, from timely apocalyptic tale to weird, to gross, to just out-of-this world bats**t crazy.
Profile Image for Frau Blücher.
107 reviews2 followers
August 4, 2019
Eine frisch angerichtete Sammlung von Kurzgeschichten aus der Feder des Meisters des komisch-absurden Schnetzelhorrors. Und für fast alle gilt: File under "Well, that escalated quickly".

Profile Image for Sheri White.
Author 1 book16 followers
April 1, 2017
I love Jeff's longer works, but these stories were fantastic. There were many times I was wondering WTF am I reading, while at the same time guiltily laughing.

Profile Image for Donna Fitzpatrick.
74 reviews
November 15, 2018
Great collection of short stories. Horror, humorous, weird, deranged. "Alien Face" will keep you thinking long after you've closed the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews

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