Clickers Forever: A Tribute to J.F. Gonzalez

by Brian Keene, J.F. Gonzalez, Jonathan Maberry

Few Millennium-era horror authors left as big an imprint on the genre as J.F. Gonzalez. CLICKERS FOREVER: A TRIBUTE TO J.F. GONZALEZ celebrates his rich legacy, featuring some of horror’s biggest names alongside tomorrow’s stars in a massive career-spanning tribute. Featuring stories set in Gonzalez’s literary worlds of CLICKERS, SURVIVOR, PRIMITIVE, and RESTORE FROM BACK-UP; examinations of his creative process and the lasting impact of his seminal works; personal tributes and anecdotes from those who knew him best; and much more. A must-have for fans of J.F. Gonzalez and horror fiction.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Anthologies

440 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2018

About the author

BRIAN KEENE writes novels, comic books, short fiction, and occasional journalism for money. He is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. His 2003 novel, The Rising, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later film) with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as Doctor Who, Hellboy, Masters of the Universe, and Superman.

Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.

Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.

Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.

The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there is any interest at all in discovering what J. F. Gonzalez is all about then this book is for you, no holds barred. It is no secret that J. F. Gonzalez was a close friend of Brian Keene, and Mr. Keene, no matter what your thoughts are about the man, should not sway your need to acquire this book. He has done an admirable job concocting a mélange of tribute and fiction to enlighten the reader to Mr. Gonzalez’s impact on the writing world.

The first thing to be noticed is the beautifully created package especially the great oversized wraparound dust jacket created by Dave Kendall, this is augmented by loving interior illustrations by Hanna Gonzalez. There are multiple pages of signature sheets containing the signatures of all the contributors. More importantly are the over four hundred and fifty pages of examinations of his creative process and the lasting impact of his seminal works, personal tributes and anecdotes from those who knew him best

And then there is the fiction ranging from the top tier of authors to lesser known contributors presenting tales of not only the clickers, but other fictional creations of Mr. Gonzalez.

This is a massive collection for fans of horror fiction lovingly produced in a leather bound book that will be the pride of any readers of collectors bookshelf.

Contents:

013 - Introduction – Brian Keene
021 - "Captivity" – J.F. Gonzalez
041 - "That Goddamn Grin" – Robert Ford
047 - "Vanilla Sunshine" – Jonathan Janz
069 - "Books with Bite" – Jonathan Maberry
085 - "Back from the Dead" – Mike Lombardo
093 - "Bangers and Mash" – Matt Hayward
109 - "Garage Clicker" – John Urbancik
121 - "On the Contributions of J.F. Gonzalez to Horror Literature" – Mary SanGiovanni
129 - "My Own Personal Jesus" – Wayne Allen Sallee
155 - "Algorithms of the Heart" – Mike Oliveri
169 - "Moist Air" – Adam Cesare
177 - "On Clickers II" – J.F. Gonzalez
183 - "Clickers vs. Mandibles: The Tale of an Unwritten Saga" – Jeff Strand
195 - "Ten Secrets to Survival Clickers Don’t Want You to Know (They Really Hate Number Six)" – Jeff Burk
207 - "A Birthday Party for Jenny Too Good" – Gord Rollo
221 - "Belief "– Lesley Conner
227 - "Shooting Schedule" – J.F. Gonzalez
233 - "WWJD: Collaborating with J.F. Gonzalez" – Wrath James White
241 - "Only One Way to Write the End of the Individual: J. F. Gonzalez’s The Corporation" – Nick Mamatas
249 - "Gracias, hermano: a letter to a man I never met" – Gabino Iglesias
253 - "Deep into That Dark One Peering" – Stephen Kozeniewski
267 - "At the Corner of Flanders and Phillipsport" – Michael T. Huyck Jr.
281 - "Surfing Is My Life: Fear and Loathing on the Northern California Coast" – Gene O’Neill
295 - "The Folly of the Dead, or, I’m Pretty Sure My Buddy Is A Serial Killer" – Geoff Cooper
307 - "he Survival of Horror: A Tribute to J.F. Gonzalez’s Survivor" – Matt Serafini
313 - "For You, Anything" – Wesley Southard
325 - "WonderClaws™ Are On the Menu" – Monica J. O’Rourke
349 - "Throwing Books" – Dave Thomas
353 - "Clickbusters" – Amber Fallon
363 - "Night Run" – Kristopher Rufty
379 - "A Bad Influence" – Robert Swartwood
385 - "Grab" – Jay Wilburn
397 - "Ku Klux Clickers" – Wile E. Young
409 - "My Own Private L.A. Gangsta" – Weston Ochse
415 - "Jesus and the Splatterpunks: An Oral History" – David J. Schow, John Skipp, (with Brian Keene)
425 - Bleeding Through" – Charles R. Rutledge
439 - "Mabel’s Recipes" – J.F. Gonzalez
445 - "To the Bitter End" – Kyle Lybeck
453 - "Complications Of" – Kelli Owen

Signed by 40 contributors on 5 signature sheet pages.

Cover art by Dave Kendall
Interior Illustrations by Hanna Gonalez
Signature Sheet Art by Chris Enterline
Black Voltage Book 80

This is numbered 14 of 175 copies printed of the signed numbered limited edition.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a large anthology that Brian Keene assembled in tribute to his friend, author J.F. Gonzalez, who died of cancer in 2014. There are several essays on Gonzalez and his legacy as well as a good number of stories, many of them featuring Clickers, perhaps his best-known literary creation. The trade paperback edition has a very nice cover but suffers from typography problems and very poor copy editing; for example, Ireland appears to be in the Pacific Ocean on page 95, and the author's name is misspelled on the first page of the final essay. Though I read several of his works, Gonzalez was never one of my favorite writers, but I met him once and found him to be a very nice and intelligent man; this labor-of-love has a nice mix of entertaining stories and reminiscences that portray him well. I particularly liked the stories by Gene O'Neill, Monica J. O'Rourke, and Wile E. Young, which has the best title, Ku Klux Clickers. The closing essay by Kelli Owen is quite poignant, too.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

CLICKERS FOREVER: A Tribute to J.F. Gonzalez, edited by Brian Keene, is a gorgeous S/L edition anthology from Thunderstorm Books. This is in the Black Voltage Series, Book 80. Within are stories and memories from many different authors that knew, or were influenced by, J.F. Gonzalez.

In addition to the stories themselves, the artwork (cover and interior) are a pure work of art.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting tribute collection (and recollection) of one of dark fictions most loved and respected authors.

I have some catching up to do with J. F.’s work, but I have enjoyed everything that I have read from him so far and have nothing but respect for him as an author, historian and mentor. You can feel the emotion within the essays about his life and get a deep sense that he was really a good person that loved the genre he worked in and enjoyed every minute he spent passing along his love to others.

[Russell Holbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful, absolutely brilliant, and I highly recommend it! I am very, very sad that I never got to meet J.F. Gonzalez, who seems to me to have been an extraordinary person. I am grateful to Brian Keene for curating this amazing work and to every author and individual who contributed to it.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

JF Gonzalez's Survivor was one of three books that turned me onto the more brutal and nasty side of horror fiction. He was a fantastic author who could tackle any sub genre of horror and do it well. This is a must have for anyone that was a fan of his.

[Becky Spratford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review on blog and in 5/15/18 issue of Booklist Magazine: http://raforall.blogspot.com/2018/05/...

[Ken Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful tribute. A combination of stories that fit into the mythos of JF's books. And a lot of remembrances that are sure to move you. Can't recommend this book enough.

[Jesse Rohrer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. As stated in the title, it's a tribute anthology (a mixture of stories, essays, and remembrances), and it really succeeds on that level. It's obvious that everyone who contributed to it loved and respected Jesus, and it made me wish that I knew him. The way his friends speak of him remind me of how Jack Ketchum is remembered, although of course they were very different men and writers. Makes me wish I had discovered Jesus sooner. Better late than never, right?

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good tribute anthology to J.F. Gonzalez and his works. I'm not too familiar with the work of J.F. Gonzalez, having only read Shapeshifter (and enjoyed it). I have Survivor and The Beloved but haven't tackled either one yet. Now, after reading Clickers Forever, I'm inspired to check out the Clickers books too. Sounds like they could be a lot of fun.

Speaking of fun, J.F. sounded like a great guy. This collection is filled with short fiction set in the worlds created by Gonzalez (mostly the Clickers universe, but also a couple others) and non-fiction pieces (anecdotes and remembrances about the man himself) from friends and colleagues. I enjoyed most of the entries in this collection, especially the crossovers, but my particular favorites were Deep Into That Dark One Peering by Stephen Kozeniewski (fiction) and Complications Of... by Kelli Owen (non-fiction). Overall, a very good collection.

My primary complaint about this book is the very poor copy editing. I have the Deadite Press trade paperback edition and it is filled with errors. Too many to count. I'm referring to numerous counts of misspellings, missing punctuation, grammar errors, paragraphs ending in mid-sentence (page 71), and more. There are even a couple of instances where a

paragraph is restarted in the middle of a sentence as I illustrate here. Even author Kelli Owen's name is misspelled (as Keli) on the title page for her piece (page 424). This was very distracting each time it was encountered, not to mention unprofessional. A couple of mistakes here or there could be forgiven but that was not the case here. Very sloppy on the part of Deadite Press in my opinion. Makes the book seem less of the labor of love it was supposed to be.

[Shana Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very well done!

This book was an amazing memorial to a legend! Filled with not just clicker stories but also get stories about Jesus himself!

[Thomas Hobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

RIP JF Gonzalez I have read a few few of your books Clickers series and survivor. I own a couple more I haven't read yet. But from what I have read you were a great writer and to read some of the tributes dedicated to you...the heartfelt stories was heartbreaking.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

CLICK-CLICK, CLICK-CLICK

No, that’s not the sound of a deadly crustacean lurking nearby. It’s just me, typing my thoughts so furiously that I can’t be bothered to formulate another long-winded, flowery review. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy this book. On the contrary, it means that I loved it so much, I just want to blurt my thoughts with these bullet points:

• So far, I’d only read the first book in the CLICKERS series. When I received this anthology, I worried that maybe I should wait to read it until I’d read the others. I decided not to wait, and it still worked for me.
• I loved the mix of writing found in this book. There’s a nice balance of stories, along with tribute pieces. I enjoyed that the stories are set at different points in the CLICKERS series, and some of them are set in the worlds of other novels by J.F. Gonzalez.
• There was something I enjoyed about every piece of writing in this book, and with so much variety, I found it tough to select favorites, so I’m refraining from doing my usual “Top 5” bit in this review. Another great thing—I’ve discovered more new-to-me authors after reading this one.
• I’m sorry that I’m late to discover Gonzalez’s work, but on the flip side, how exciting is it that I still get to read many of his books for the first time? I’m especially looking forward to the fact that there will be more, previously unpublished work to come. I could really feel the love of his friends and fellow writers, and I’m sorry I’ll never have a chance to meet the man.
• Most books provide an escape from reality, but there are some that do the job better than others. CLICKERS unexpectedly did this for me, and it was the same with CLICKERS FOREVER. I had a busy week while reading this and just couldn’t wait to dive back into the pages every night.
• While there are heavy doses of humor and horror within these pages, there’s naturally a lot of heart that went into it. I didn’t expect this book to wreck me, but it did. (Especially that last piece by Kelli Owen.) This is another book to file under “Books I Want to Hug”.

If it’s not clear already, I loved this book. In the future, expect to hear much more from me regarding the CLICKERS universe and additional work from J.F. Gonzalez. It’s time to make more room on my bookshelves.

[John R. Dailey Jr. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A CLICKER TRIBUTE WITH NO CLICK IT IS....

Hello, this whole thing was a huge disappointment. I was hoping for CLICKER TALES and that is most definitely not what this book is. It's more like all the authors share their experiences with Mr. Gonzalez. Liked some of his stories, but didn't know the man. Thanks.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could definitely have been better. There are 5 or 6 really good stories but I found others to be pretty weak, too short or just have a few clickers thrown in to an otherwise pointless story. I would have also preferred if it was weighed more towards fiction. While I’m interested in J.F. Gonzalez, I found several of the stories about him to be pretty dull reading. I had really looked forward to this one but it’s taken me an age to get through it. I love the Clickers series but I wouldn’t recommend this book.

[Dan Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful tribute for a wonderful person!

Traveling around in the worlds of J.F. Gonzalez with all these authors helped me see what others saw in him. A bunch of great stories in this book along with some pure, raw emotion. A great experience all around!

[Chris Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

[Faynzeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

a whole ton of incredible authors writing stories in the clickers universe? absolutely awesome

[Miktam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have used some extra proofreading.