Kanye West - Reanimator

by Joshua Chaplinsky

Of Kanye West, who was my friend in college and after he dropped out, I can speak only with extreme sadness...

So begins this epic cautionary tale of ambition and hubris. A bizarre mix of Lovecraft and hip-hop history, Kanye West—Reanimator reimagines the classic story "Herbert West—Reanimator" with everyone's favorite petulant genius cast in the titular role. In it, Kanye West attempts to reanimate a moribund hip-hop scene, only to come to the conclusion that his music is so powerful, it should be used to reanimate the dead. And who better to reanimate than those two legendary titans gone before their time—Biggie and Tupac? Hilarity and carnage ensue.

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Lovecraftian, Humor, Music, Fiction, Bizarro Fiction

99 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Ross Lockhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything I know about Kanye West, I learned from Kanye West—Reanimator. Well, that and the guy on YouTube who rants about popular music and the illuminati.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun and messy

[Grant Wamack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kanye West-Reanimator is the debut novella by Joshua Chaplinksy who is known as the managing editor of Litreactor.

This slim book centers on Kanye West’s come up in the music industry and juxtaposes the story of the Reanimator with West’s widely successful music career. We follow West as he struggles to be recognized for both his production skills as well as his rapping. Somewhere along the way, he becomes obsessed with reanimating the dead via his potent music.

The story is told by a Lovecraftian narrator who poses as West’s friend throughout the book and co-conspirator in West’s efforts to re-animate the dead. The prose may be off-putting to those unfamiliar with Lovecraft’s work, but the rhythm should be easy to get used to.

Kanye stans with an open mind should enjoy the hell out of this book. I can see a few people getting a little mad because a few jabs are taken at Kanye. However, it’s done in good taste and it’s obvious the author knows Kanye’s musical path pretty well.

Kanye West Reanimator is quirky yet entertaining biography of Kanye filtered through a Lovecraftian lens. It’s a testament to Chaplinsky’s skills as a writer that he could take two different worlds (hip-hop and Lovecraft) and seamlessly stitch them together into a helluva entertaining book.

Shoutout to Dyer Wilk (art) and Matthew Revert (design) for the dope ass cover.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I can still see Kayne under the sinister fluorescent lights, a bloody footprint stamped across his face, as he leaned over the body of his friend and said, Auto-tune isn’t dead, motherf****r. You are."

YE formerly known as Kayne West is an interesting artist and I knew that they were going to capture his creativeness in this book. There is just something about him that screams I'm going to bring people back from the dead.

This was a weird and fascinating read. I’m not sure if anything stuck and I had to reread some paragraphs but it was still fun.

[Auntie Raye-Raye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I see you side-eyeing me about my rating! There's nothing wrong with this book. It's very clever and not in a eye rolling, sarcastic way. It's a ridiculous concept executed well. It's more that I'm not particularly into Kanye West or Lovecraftian style fiction.

Fans of both or either/or will really like it, I think. It was humorous in several parts, and I liked a couple quotes enough to add them to goodreads.

[Hydra Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is odd and wonderful...but you'll probably only like it if you find Kanye West entertaining. Note, I did not say you need to enjoy his music or even respect him. It'll probably work better for you if you don't.

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mash-ups are curious creatures. I would be hard pressed to call them anything but a novelty. We can blame Seth Grahame-Smith for the literary mash-up..or at least for its popularization due to the mystifying success of Pride and Prejudice with Zombies. I am still precariously on the fence with such endeavors. At best they are delightful diversions bringing out the best of the genres and authors they salute. At worse, they are one punch jokes.

Kanye West - Reanimator is somewhere in between. It is definitely funny and entertaining and it does an admirable job of blending H. P Lovecraft's style with the peculiarities of hip-hop. Yet even at its much less than a 100 pages length, it feels too long. The author had fun with this, using Lovecraft's serialized fiction, "Herbert West - Reanimator " and turning Mr. West into the rapper/beatmaster Kanye West as he uses the beat and the mixes to revive dead bodies. There is a lot of references to the need for fresh beats and quite a few musicians and rappers take a beating, so to speak, from Biggie to Paul McCartney. Maybe this is an acquired taste.

And I think i may have hit on the issue. I love Lovecraft and I am a bit of a music freak from rock to jazz to soul. But I honestly know little to nothing about hip-hop. I did really get into the earlier days with Run-DMC, Public Enemy and up to NWA but then I tapered off. There is clearly a number of in-jokes here .and I think too many of them went over my head. Plus I took points away whenever anyone mentioned Kim Kardashian.

So this is my recommendation. if you are into rap and Lovecraft both, this might be "Da Bomb". if not, it will be a risky endeavor. But again, let's give credit to the author for a noble attempt and some very funny turns of phrases. As for me, I am best off waiting for a classic rock version. Maybe...Leslie West -Reanimator?

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pure genius! Well articulated and impressively written. A perfect mashup of two things that should never come near one another, yet Chaplinsky does it perfectly. Essentially, this is the 6 Lovecraft Herbest West Reanimator tales rewritten with hip hop culture and Kanye in place of Dr. West, using "fresh" jams to animate the dead rather than his glowing green solution. I'm not a fan of Kanye West. At all. But I do dig me some Lovecraft, which I think is about all you need to enjoy this short book. That and a good sense of humor.

[Joey Lewandowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm of two minds here -- the premise alone should warrant 10 stars out of the possible 5.

However, I can't help but be bothered by the author's seeming hatred of Kanye West, or his need to make him look stupid. It doesn't make sense. Was that the whole point in writing this?

[Rachel Ritchhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean if you wanna be entertained its a yes. You're looking for the next great American novel probably not it.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gem of a quick read brilliantly combines the horror fantasy of H.P. Lovecraft, the real-life horrors to which Kanye West has subjected the world (including: 808s & Heartbreaks, his general existence and others) and a hilarious history of mainstream hip hop--Outkast fans beware. Chaplinsky will absolutely keep you in stitches the whole way through. Highly, highly recommended. #kanye2020

[Thomas Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had been on my TBR list for a while, thanks mainly to the intrigue of the synopsis and the amazing cover (illustrated by Dyer Wilk and designed by Matthew Revert, two of the very best in the business). But, having recently read Chaplinsky's debut short story collection, I knew I had to read it ASAP.

I'm as familiar with the writing of Lovecraft as I am with the music of Kanye West which, is to say, vague at best. I know many of the contemporary authors in the horror genre count Lovecraft as an influence but, given his style of writing and the language of the time, I could never get past the first few pages. However, with the aid of Chaplinsky's wonderful tone and tremendous ability, this was a much easier read than if I had simply read the original text.

Also, the use of Kanye West as the protagonist, while initially mind-boggling, makes perfect sense the longer I read. Thanks to rumour and his desire for privacy, he seems to have built a mystique around his life that only adds to his suitability as a character in such a bizarre story. Naturally (hopefully), the more extreme elements of the story are pure fiction (his smuggling of the dead and matricide), but much of the way he behaves throughout seems in keeping with his outrageous antics. But this melding of fact and fiction is not achieved by simply replacing Lovecraft's original protagonist's name with Kanye. Chaplinsky incorporates details of the contemporary hip hop scene with the original narrative to create something wholly new and wholly entertaining.

The bonus content is also a great addition to an already wonderful story. The foreword offers great insight into its creation, and the review of the musical adds more depth to the history of the Re-Animator story. But the original short story "Beyond The Wall of Sleep in Redhook, Brooklyn" is a real stand-out. I already knew Chaplinsky was a gifted short-story writer. This simply added further proof to the argument. If you enjoyed this book, go grab "Whispers in the Ear of a Dreaming Ape". It is full of marvellous stories in this vein.

[Dutchess · Rating 3 out of 5]

To the tune of Deltron 3030: “I want y'all to meet Kanye West—Reanimator.”

I finished reading Herbert West—Reanimator earlier this week in anticipation of this book, and I can safely say the retelling surpasses the original. Lovecraft's prose is ever present, as many lines are identical to his own story, while simply replacing a word or two. An example from the original story:

“He was, West nervously said, a congenial stranger whom we had met at some downtown bar of uncertain location.”

And compare it to the retelling:

“He was, Kanye nervously said, just a G from around the way we had met at a bar of uncertain location.”

I'm curious what Joshua's other stories are like, since the writing here isn't exactly representative of his own style. A fun read.

[Hayley (Strange & Unusual Book Club) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping this would be fun but most of this was dull. The author's attempt to capture Lovecraft's tone comes off dry and stuffy. It's grossly overwritten. Though the only reason to read this is for the jokes and none of them are very funny. Most of the book felt in bad taste. For example, a major plot point that involves getting Notorious B.I.G's ashes from his mother, spilling them, mixing them into paste and then trying to resurrect said paste. It's one thing to make fun of Kanye but to drag the names of the dead and their surviving family members into this parody seems disrespectful.

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could Kanye West’s beats be fresh enough to raise the dead? Author and editor of the famous online literary magazine “LitReactor” asks that very question in his latest novella “Kanye West-Reanimator.”

Melding the story of the outspoken and narcissistic rapper Kanye West with Lovecraft’s famous short “Herbert West: Reanimator,” author Joshua Chaplinsky created a subversive and hilarious gem in the realm of Lovecraftian horror.

Written in response to a writing prompt from the short-lived literary journal “Lazy Fascist Review,” “Kanye West – Reanimator” follows the presumption that Kanye West’s revolutionary hip-hop style might not only be able to reanimate the hip-hop genre, but also raise the dead.

It’s a hilarious idea conceived as inspiration from Lovecraft’s similar story about a fictional mad scientist named Herbert West who becomes obsessed with raising the dead. Typical of the Lovecraftian horror style, the story is told from the perspective of West’s assistant, who portrays the scientist as egotistical and unreasonable, yet also brilliant.

Chaplinsky’s immediate association with rapper Kanye West doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch when one considers the already narcissistic character in Lovecraft’s novella.

In fact, that’s what makes the story so hilarious. Kanye West’s character is accurately portrayed to anyone familiar with his infamous history, as the rapper is often depicted pontificating about his own genius and plan to reinvent hip-hop throughout the novella.

His grandiose vision is only further exacerbated by his insane obsession with the idea that if his beats were only fresh enough, he could raise the dead. His belief was cemented by his hysterically egocentric vision that his music transcended life and death.

The story continues as Kanye’s assistant recollects West’s obsession with reanimating Biggie and Tupac, in hopes of saving the hip-hop genre from over saturation and the mainstream pop styles of rappers like Outkast.

Kanye the reanimator becomes obsessed with remixing his beats over and over and injecting cords from his laptop into the veins of the dead. Every once in a while, his beats are fresh enough to spark signs of life into the corpses, but it’s an unfortunate life for the reanimated, as ghastly, zombie-like creatures. Kanye’s explanation for the corpses’ grotesque state is always the same — the beats weren’t fresh enough.

The story further goes on to recollect real instances in Kanye’s life, like his marriage to Kim Kardashian, which Chaplinsky hilariously refers to as “Kimya,” and even his controversial decision to utilize Auto-Tune in his music.

Inevitably, Kanye’s obsession with resurrecting the dead causes him to descend into madness, and the story depicts this theme well by showcasing real examples of Kanye’s most controversial actions, such as flying off the handle and dissing other celebrities. The novella ends ominously, with readers unsure of Kanye’s whereabouts. As a reader, I certainly hope there will be a part two.

Not only is the premise of this novella hilarious, but it is filled with side-splitting one-liners as well. For example, Kanye’s assistant repeatedly argues with him about why he shouldn’t name his debut album “Nocturnal Emissions.” Clever quips like these are abound throughout the story, making it a dangerous read in public if you don’t want to appear mad by laughing to yourself.

The story does follow the Lovecraftian horror model, however, eventually becoming a serious page-turner with climactic elements. However, like much of the horror pervading the modern literary world, Chaplinky’s latest novella does not take itself too seriously.

Unlike modern horror movies that seek to terrify viewers, most of the hipper, new horror books are tongue-in-cheek. Fringe genres like bizarro and splatterpunk dominate the underground horror literature realm. “Kanye West – Reanimator” is no different.

This novella is going to be funnier and more affecting for anyone familiar with Lovecraft’s canon, as it follows the Lovecraftian horror model to a tee. The story is even split up in exactly the same fashion as the story on which it is based, “Herbert West: Reanimator.”

Still, this is so much more than mere Lovecraftian fan fiction. This is the freshest, most innovative utilization of the Lovecraftian horror genre I have seen yet. Modern horror often comes off a bit hackish in its tendency to take itself too seriously. Many modern writers try too hard to emulate to author’s adverb-heavy writing style without really grasping his themes.

“Kanye West – Reanimator” is a refreshing take on the genre, however, with its fusion of modern elements into an arcane literary style. Prolific authors such as Chuck Palahniuk have even praised the book’s intriguing approach. The literary world might be on the verge of a new style of genre fusion.

First Lovecraft and hip-hop, what’s next? “Lord of the Rings” and ‘90s sitcoms? Who knows? All I know is that I absolutely recommend this read to fans of Lovecraft who don’t take themselves too seriously. It will absolutely have you beside yourself in stitches.

[Justin Fraxi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five stars for the cover, though.

[Aaron McQuiston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was browsing Amazon one day, looking through those $2 and $3 digital books, and as soon as I saw the cover of Kanye West - Reanimator by Joshua Chaplinsky, I knew that I had to buy it, regardless of price. I know that you are not supposed to judge a book by it’s cover, but the cover art by Dyer Wilk and design by Matthew Revert, a rendering of the famous movie poster for the Stuart Gordon movie adaptation of “Reanimator.”

The Lovecraft story, “Herbert West - Reanimator” is about a guy who in college starts experimenting with reanimating bodies. A story about obsession and chaos, it is a cautionary tale about making sure that you do not lose your path while trying to figure out a problem. Kanye West - Reanimator is Chaplinsky’s take on the story. He basically takes the text by H.P. Lovecraft and transposes Kanye West’s musical and social history into the original story. He uses the same idea as those used for “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” and “Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters” where it is not a rewriting of the story but a mashup, adding Kanye into Lovecraft’s story. I never knew how well these types of books worked, but in this case, with Chaplinsky at the helm, the end product is pure enjoyment. I loved the story and it feels like the threads run deep, sewing Kanye into this story, and there is not one time where it feels forced or gimmicky. I know that this is not going to win any awards, but it is fun, funny and definitely a great addition to my library.

The original story was written for a call for Lovecraft type stories. This was not the first story Chaplinsky wrote and submitted for this collection, the first being a story called “Beyond the Wall of Sleep in Redhook, Brooklyn,” which is included here. This story is more like an imitation of the style of a Lovecraft story, and it is not that interesting. It might be because it is tacked on the end of Kanye West - Reanimator and he knocks that one out of the park that this is kind of a letdown, but I was not ever engaged in the story. Also included is a short review of the Reanimator Musical, which is no longer playing anywhere. The review gives me a severe case of feeling left out. Maybe one day they will do a revival. Until then, I have this review.

The browsing for cheap ebooks on Amazon will probably never cease, but it will be a long time before I find another gem like Kanye West - Reanimator. I have recommended it to so many people that it is my go to book to add to those Twitter threads that start, “I’ve ran out of books to read. I need some recommendations.” I hope that a few of these people take me up on my suggestion. This is the best that mashup books probably will get.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

As you can tell from the title and the brilliant cover, this is a mashup of the H.P. Lovecraft short story Herbert West-Reanimator, further popularized by Stuart Gordon’s Re-animator movie. As you might imagine, this is pretty bizarre, but it is dutifully told in the same fashion as the original, from the point of view of Kanye’s best friend, our unnamed narrator.

Kanye is depicted hilariously – self obsessed and bathed in his own radiance. He is a diva ready to throw a fit at the drop of a hat who thinks the world revolves around him. Kanye’s original goal was to reanimate hip-hop music which he saw as having been destroyed by the likes of Hey Ya! from OutKast. Kanye’s music and talent proved so powerful that he discovered he could use it to reanimate the dead. As it turns out, the only way to check a track’s “freshness” is to see its effect when plugged directly into a corpse. The author consistently pokes fun at Kanye, from his toilet habits to his use of auto-tune vocals. It will definitely make you laugh. There is also the ambiguous relationship between Kanye and our narrator which is constantly hinted at and had me cracking up.

There are lots of jokes about the music industry and popular hip-hop artists both living and dead. One of the major accomplishments of Kanye’s insane musical experiments is bringing Biggie Smalls back to life. We experience many of Kanye’s life events from this skewed perspective: album recordings, the train-wreck marriage to Kim Kardashian that became the abomination known as Kimye, the birth of North West, and confrontations with rival musicians.

The language is a mixture of Lovecraft’s antiquated prose and modern hip-hop language, which provides a great contrast. It’s the kind of thing you expect with the mashup novels that have been in vogue, such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, etc., but the urban language mixed in takes this genre in a fun new direction.

What we are presented with is a very tongue in cheek and satirical look at Yeezus. If you think you would enjoy mocking Kanye West for extended periods with some laughs and a bit of horror thrown in, then this is for you. It’s a short read, refreshingly different, with plenty of laughs at Kanye’s expense. As a novella, it’s just the right length to keep it entertaining but not so long as to wear the concept out. As Kanye learns, there is a price to pay for genius and obsession.

[Lana Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine the rapturous joy which spread throughout my chest, into my beating heart--which truth be told, nearly stopped at the wondrous sight I beheld!--when I spied this book upon the electronic pages of Amazon. O! What a book! What an indescribable novel, filled with phantasmagorical phantasms retold in a modern setting which may be familiar with the youth of today. The book, narrated in true Lovecraftian style which may be obtuse to some purviewers of prose, held a ghastly array of delights and horrors both, too much for the mind to handle in one single sitting, lest it break and let loose the tides of insanity which always lurk upon the gloomy horizon. Reanimator, truly one of my most beloved of Lovecraft's prose and one of my most watched movies as well, retold with a new star... instead of Herbert West, our talented and clever author gives us Kanye West instead! Our protagonist--ever determined in his gruesome goals--seeks to reanimate the hip-hop music scene... and woe to our hero indeed. Through his trials and tribulations, this I can truly say for this splendorous story: I have never learned so much about Kanye West in my life, and this knowledge shall truly haunt my nightmares for ever.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only have a passing knowledge of both Kanye West and H.P. Lovecraft. Though it's fair to say I'm more interested in one (the creator of the Cthulhu mythos) than the other (Yeezy).

Nonetheless, a passing knowledge of both is all you need to enjoy this immensely satisfying recreation of Reanimator. Written in the style of the original, this book could actually serve as a pretty good bio of Kanye---you know, if he was some kind of mad scientist/rapper who beheaded people in hopes of using their corpses to prove how fresh his tracks were by reanimating them back to life.

In fact, I'm not convinced this isn't the actual biography.

[Timothy · Rating 1 out of 5]

That's a great cover, isn't it? Take the book off the shelf, admire it, and put it back.

Usually I reserve a one-star rating for something particularly atrocious, whereas this is just insignificant; I can't think of any reason to recommend wasting time on it. The titular premise is good, but nothing in the narrative successfully expands upon the joke. It's just excruciatingly unfunny and weirdly mean-spirited.

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I've seen in other reviews, this was a great premise but not executed very well. It's perfect to be a short story, or novella, like Lovecraft often wrote, but the author spent more time recapping what had just happened rather than writing the actual story. It did at times become somewhat mean-spirited. I did love Paul McCartney's appearance, that was very funny.

[David Bril · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a clever idea for a book. Taking the story of the Reanimator and swapping in Kanye West's musically career as the plot. Often times very funny, it does give a humours take on West's career. It does fall apart towards the end and has a bit of a lame ending. Still, it's an easy, light read that should be fun for Kanye fans and non fans alike.

[Brittnee · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter your opinions of Kanye I believe you will enjoy this book. I actually think it makes a pretty strong case for the rather striking personality changes Mr. West has exhibited throughout the years. Ah, if only he could revert back to his College Dropout days. Be still my heart.

[Bo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprising success.

Despite my disinterest in hip-hop and the popular music scene as a whole, this mash-up spoof works really well. Switching mad scientist for mad musician/ producer gives a delightfully absurd tinge to the macabre original that it heavily borrows from.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good fun read (especially for what I'm assuming is the somewhat rare-ish fan of both Lovecraft and Kanye).

[Drew]

Great modern send-up of the Lovecraft classic. I had my English class read both stories and they loved the Kanye version.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty funny, definitely captures the feel of Lovecraft.

[Tyler Robarge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kanye West- Reanimator is ridiculous but a really fun read.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars: a 5 star premise with a 3 star execution

The concept of Kanye West as a mad musician-scientist, especially with that excellent cover artwork, has a LOT of potential. Unfortunately, this book ultimately doesn't live up to that potential.

I haven't read the original Reanimator (at least not in a long time), but I got the feeling that the writer was trying to stick too close to the original rather than exploring the full opportunity presented by the premise. It felt more like they felt it sufficient to ctrl+replace Kanye's name and add a few references to Kanye's albums than really flex their creativity.

The other big letdown was the characterization of Kanye. He comes across as more goofy dumbass than mad genius in this. I mean, it's Kanye, so he's supposed to be bizarre, but he seemed too goofy to be the same guy who's supposedly reanimating corpses in the mad science lab below the studio.

Also, I felt that the inclusion of Donda West's death in the plot was a bit of a low blow, especially since Kanye kills her in this version. It felt a bit insensitive even in a purposely bizarre book that includes other wacky/gross-out/violent scenes like dumping Biggie Smalls' ashes in the toilet and Paul McCartney killing Jay-Z.

Still, the book was enjoyable enough, and I have to give the writer a ton of credit for the fun premise--to say nothing of the guts to publish it as an actual book! However, I still think this idea could have been done much better, and still has so much more potential.