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Extremes #1
Extremes
What lengths would you go to in order to achieve what you want in life? To fit in and be accepted, to escape a dangerous situation, to attain success, or to attain freedom?
When faced with extraordinary circumstances of horrifying proportions what actions are you going to take?
When it comes to all of the above, and more, there are no limits to what people will do. Desperate individuals will resort to desperate measures.
Assembled together for the very first time are several of Jim Goforth’s most extreme horror stories to date, though not merely extreme in terms of content and themes. These tales delve into the great pains taken when souls are confronted with situations that require a severe response, plumbing the depths of depravity, perversion, brutality, horror, and fear.
Horrific events can unfold when people are prepared, or forced, to go to extremes.
When faced with extraordinary circumstances of horrifying proportions what actions are you going to take?
When it comes to all of the above, and more, there are no limits to what people will do. Desperate individuals will resort to desperate measures.
Assembled together for the very first time are several of Jim Goforth’s most extreme horror stories to date, though not merely extreme in terms of content and themes. These tales delve into the great pains taken when souls are confronted with situations that require a severe response, plumbing the depths of depravity, perversion, brutality, horror, and fear.
Horrific events can unfold when people are prepared, or forced, to go to extremes.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2018
20 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Jim Goforth
72 books191 followersJim Goforth is a horror author currently based in Albury, Australia. Happily married with two kids and a cat, he has been writing tales of horror since the early nineties.
After years of detouring into working with the worldwide extreme metal community and writing reviews for hundreds of bands across the globe with Black Belle Music he returned to his biggest writing love with first book Plebs published by J. Ellington Ashton Press. Along with Plebs, he is the author of a collection of short stories/novellas With Tooth and Claw, extreme metal undead opus Undead Fleshcrave: The Zombie Trigger, Riders: Plebs 2-Book One and Two, The Sleep, Carnival of Chaos, and Festival of the Flesh, co-author of collaborative novel Feral Hearts, and editor for the Rejected For Content anthology series (taking over the reins after volume one Splattergore. He also has stories in both Splattergore and Volume 2: Aberrant Menagerie).
He has also appeared in Matt Shaw’s Masters of Horror, Tales From the Lake Vol. 2, Axes of Evil, Terror Train, Autumn Burning: Dreadtime Stories For the Wicked Soul, Floppy Shoes Apocalypse, Teeming Terrors, Ghosts: An Anthology of Horror From the Beyond, Suburban Secrets: A Neighborhood of Nightmares, Doorway To Death: An Anthology From the Other Side, Easter Eggs and Bunny Boilers, MvF: Death Personified, Drowning in Gore, Trashed, Full Moon Slaughter, Moon Books Horror Anthology 2016, Dual Depravity (co-author), VS: US vs UK Horror, Bah! Humbug: An Anthology of Christmas Horror Stories, and several others including numerous anthologies in Project 26 from J. Ellington Ashton Press.
He is currently at work on Plebs 3, and a handful of other novels.
After years of detouring into working with the worldwide extreme metal community and writing reviews for hundreds of bands across the globe with Black Belle Music he returned to his biggest writing love with first book Plebs published by J. Ellington Ashton Press. Along with Plebs, he is the author of a collection of short stories/novellas With Tooth and Claw, extreme metal undead opus Undead Fleshcrave: The Zombie Trigger, Riders: Plebs 2-Book One and Two, The Sleep, Carnival of Chaos, and Festival of the Flesh, co-author of collaborative novel Feral Hearts, and editor for the Rejected For Content anthology series (taking over the reins after volume one Splattergore. He also has stories in both Splattergore and Volume 2: Aberrant Menagerie).
He has also appeared in Matt Shaw’s Masters of Horror, Tales From the Lake Vol. 2, Axes of Evil, Terror Train, Autumn Burning: Dreadtime Stories For the Wicked Soul, Floppy Shoes Apocalypse, Teeming Terrors, Ghosts: An Anthology of Horror From the Beyond, Suburban Secrets: A Neighborhood of Nightmares, Doorway To Death: An Anthology From the Other Side, Easter Eggs and Bunny Boilers, MvF: Death Personified, Drowning in Gore, Trashed, Full Moon Slaughter, Moon Books Horror Anthology 2016, Dual Depravity (co-author), VS: US vs UK Horror, Bah! Humbug: An Anthology of Christmas Horror Stories, and several others including numerous anthologies in Project 26 from J. Ellington Ashton Press.
He is currently at work on Plebs 3, and a handful of other novels.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 4, 2020
Escalating Extremes...
The book Extremes by Jim Goforth rather surprised me! I am actually not one for many short story anthologies unless it is a compilation of different authors. However, I felt that Jim knocked this one out of the park!
I felt that the book’s short stories began tame and grew with intensity as the end of the novel loomed ever closer. There were some stories that I felt were entertaining, but not amazing. Nonetheless, I had three stories that really sold this book for me!
My favorite short stories in this compilation were definitely When a Bunny Snaps, Mental Elf, and House of the Goat Monster. I felt that these three were the most brutal of the entries. Although, I really enjoyed all of the entries. Many of the others really captured the way it feels to be an outcast, and then get revenge. I always appreciate a fantastic revenge story!
The first two short stories I really enjoyed take place at the same establishment called Fantasy Dress. A sort of risqué restaurant/bar, not strip club. The two stories are at the same establishment, but take place on separate holidays. Also, they stand alone although the previous entry is mentioned.
When a Bunny Snaps is about a girl with the real name Bunny, and Easter is her day to make the big bucks at Fantasy Dress. When Bunny just wants a little peace and quiet when she takes a break a patron decides to make an unsettling move on Bunny. What follows is the bloody carnage Bunny causes, and the calamity she leaves behind.
Mental Elf, also takes place at Fantasy Dress, only this time it is Christmas Eve, and a new girl Merry plays the part of an Elf to make some cash from patrons. When some zealous wackos from a religious assembly invade Fantasy Dress, and decide to dole out punishment for the atrocities they feel are being exploited they bite off more than they can chew. What no one knows is Merry has her own little secret she carries, and she isn’t about to let them take her without a major fight.
I felt the most disturbing story, yet also amazing, was House of the Goat Monster. Kathryn becomes stranded on her way back to town in an unknown area after selling her father’s estate. What ensues is very extreme. She stumbles on a little girl crying in the woods named Bethany, and is beaconed to help the other children at “the goat monster’s house”. As Bethany takes her to the supposed monster’s home Kathryn is in for the most morbid, brutal, and disgusting ride of her life. Kathryn must join forces with another captor, teenager Olivia, in order to survive, save the little boy Tommy, and escape the goat monster’s terrors. The question is will they be able to overpower the monster in time to be saved from the tortures that await? Will they be able to get out alive?
Upon first finishing Extremes by Jim Goforth I felt I was going to rate it lower than I ended up in the end. I let this one sit a while, thought on it, and digested the material before coming to a final conclusion. All in all, this was one of the best short story compilations I have read to date, and I cannot wait to read More Extremes and Greater Extremes! Along with other works that Jim has contributed in such as VS. and Rejected for Content.
I give Extremes by Jim Goforth four stars out of five stars. Jim certainly delivers, and I felt that the placement of the stories was perfection. He also writes very well which is a major plus! Some of the extreme content is alluded to, and a lot plays out in your mind. Which some may find not as horrific or as in your face as others, but the mind is a curious thing and can create even more horrific imagery when it is not fully spoon fed to you. I felt like this aspect set him apart in many ways. However, don’t get me wrong there is very much extreme content! I only said some was alluded, and I drew my own pictures in my mind. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the wonderful world of Splatterpunk/ Extreme Horror, and wants to sample some matrial from another fantastic author.
The book Extremes by Jim Goforth rather surprised me! I am actually not one for many short story anthologies unless it is a compilation of different authors. However, I felt that Jim knocked this one out of the park!
I felt that the book’s short stories began tame and grew with intensity as the end of the novel loomed ever closer. There were some stories that I felt were entertaining, but not amazing. Nonetheless, I had three stories that really sold this book for me!
My favorite short stories in this compilation were definitely When a Bunny Snaps, Mental Elf, and House of the Goat Monster. I felt that these three were the most brutal of the entries. Although, I really enjoyed all of the entries. Many of the others really captured the way it feels to be an outcast, and then get revenge. I always appreciate a fantastic revenge story!
The first two short stories I really enjoyed take place at the same establishment called Fantasy Dress. A sort of risqué restaurant/bar, not strip club. The two stories are at the same establishment, but take place on separate holidays. Also, they stand alone although the previous entry is mentioned.
When a Bunny Snaps is about a girl with the real name Bunny, and Easter is her day to make the big bucks at Fantasy Dress. When Bunny just wants a little peace and quiet when she takes a break a patron decides to make an unsettling move on Bunny. What follows is the bloody carnage Bunny causes, and the calamity she leaves behind.
Mental Elf, also takes place at Fantasy Dress, only this time it is Christmas Eve, and a new girl Merry plays the part of an Elf to make some cash from patrons. When some zealous wackos from a religious assembly invade Fantasy Dress, and decide to dole out punishment for the atrocities they feel are being exploited they bite off more than they can chew. What no one knows is Merry has her own little secret she carries, and she isn’t about to let them take her without a major fight.
I felt the most disturbing story, yet also amazing, was House of the Goat Monster. Kathryn becomes stranded on her way back to town in an unknown area after selling her father’s estate. What ensues is very extreme. She stumbles on a little girl crying in the woods named Bethany, and is beaconed to help the other children at “the goat monster’s house”. As Bethany takes her to the supposed monster’s home Kathryn is in for the most morbid, brutal, and disgusting ride of her life. Kathryn must join forces with another captor, teenager Olivia, in order to survive, save the little boy Tommy, and escape the goat monster’s terrors. The question is will they be able to overpower the monster in time to be saved from the tortures that await? Will they be able to get out alive?
Upon first finishing Extremes by Jim Goforth I felt I was going to rate it lower than I ended up in the end. I let this one sit a while, thought on it, and digested the material before coming to a final conclusion. All in all, this was one of the best short story compilations I have read to date, and I cannot wait to read More Extremes and Greater Extremes! Along with other works that Jim has contributed in such as VS. and Rejected for Content.
I give Extremes by Jim Goforth four stars out of five stars. Jim certainly delivers, and I felt that the placement of the stories was perfection. He also writes very well which is a major plus! Some of the extreme content is alluded to, and a lot plays out in your mind. Which some may find not as horrific or as in your face as others, but the mind is a curious thing and can create even more horrific imagery when it is not fully spoon fed to you. I felt like this aspect set him apart in many ways. However, don’t get me wrong there is very much extreme content! I only said some was alluded, and I drew my own pictures in my mind. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the wonderful world of Splatterpunk/ Extreme Horror, and wants to sample some matrial from another fantastic author.
May 12, 2018
For those of you who are already Goforth fans, there is no need to comment on the title. This author, already known for his excellent writing skills and ability to draw readers deep into his stories, does not know one word ... "boundaries." Readers must be ready to take a punch in the throat when reading Goforth's tales. (Don't worry - you'll love the shock - and fear.) Even when readers are prepared, he has a way of reaching in and getting to them. That's what he does - writing without apologies or limits. I found this collection particularly chilling - through the bone to the marrow. And as always, I will be thinking about these characters and their tales, carrying them with me, long after the Kindle has been closed and I am trying to sleep ... with the lights on. Again.
August 10, 2019
This book is not for those with weak stomachs, the stories are filled with blood and violence.
It was a hard choice, all the stories are great, but my Top 3 Stories are.... There Goes The Neighborhood, When Bunny Snaps, and Mental Elf.
If you like extreme horror you should definitely check this book out.
Keep an eye out for my upcoming review of More Extremes, the next collection of short stories in the Extremes trilogy.
It was a hard choice, all the stories are great, but my Top 3 Stories are.... There Goes The Neighborhood, When Bunny Snaps, and Mental Elf.
If you like extreme horror you should definitely check this book out.
Keep an eye out for my upcoming review of More Extremes, the next collection of short stories in the Extremes trilogy.
September 17, 2018
If Extremes were a candy bar, the commercial for it would say “It is chuck full of nuts.”Many great stories and memorable characters fill these pages, not to mention extreme horror elements (as the name implies). It’s horror that doesn’t hold back, doesn’t flinch. If you like it intense, don’t faint at the sight of blood, sex, and violence, not many can hold a candle to Jim Goforth.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews