Dead Souls

by David G. Barnett

The name Dave Barnett ring a bell? It should -- he's the mastermind behind one of horror fiction's biggest success stories -- Necro Publications. You can thank Dave for publishing amazing extreme horror fiction from the genre's top talents including Edward Lee, Charlee Jacob, Joe Lansdale, Gerard Houarner, Tom Piccirilli, Mehitobel Wilson, and more. Now's it's his turn to put pen to paper. And trust us, it's not what you expect. This is NOT the extreme fiction you might find in one of Necro's publications. Barnett's fiction packs a punch, from terrifyingly haunting suspense to spine-tingling brutal violence. Aside from the knockout tale "Spin Cycle" which appeared in the bestselling anthology "Shivers," the rest of these tales are appearing here for the first time, and it's a major debut collection from what we consider to be one of the genre's best-kept secrets. Among the people you'll meetin Dead Souls • A grade-school genius who longs to teach his bullying classmates a few things about life• A picture-perfect family with a horrifying secret bubbling beneath the surface• A serial killer who finds his greatest enemy in the most unlikely of places• A small-town veterinarian who finds herself at war with an unstoppable killing machine• A zombie who learns the real definition of having a bad day• ...and many others... Barnett is a powerful, unforgettable new talent in writing. As Gerard Houarner says in his introduction, "I can tell you his vision is violent, but it is inevitable violence born out of suffering. Pain is a catalyst, often welcomed, sometimes a door to transcendence. Through suffering, characters outside the mainstream find out who, and what, they truly are. Discovery of self is linked to the discovery of violence in that self. There is attitude. Also a touch of science fiction, and magic. Dave is not without surprises." You haven't read him before. No one has. But this is a career that you're going to want to say you were there for from the very beginning. Here's your chance. Don't miss it.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2004

About the author

Dave Barnett lives on the outskirts of Orlando, FL with his goofy, rescue dog Dexter. During the day he works as a graphic designer for his Fat Cat Graphic Design company designing books for lots of small press publishers.

He’s also known as DJ L.D. and runs an industrial / EBM / synthpop / electro podcast at dancemachine5000.com.

He has managed to run Necro Publications since 1993, publishing some of the best names in modern horror: Edward Lee, Charlee Jacob, Gerard Houarner, Mehitobel Wilson, Jeffrey Thomas, Patrick Lestewka and dozens of others in various anthologies.
Dave has been published in a couple of the Shivers anthologies from Cemetery Dance Publications. He also has a story in the two-author chapbook The Baby along with Edward Lee. His collection, Dead Souls, came out from Shocklines Press in 2004 and at least a couple of people seemed to like it.
The Fallen: Book 1 is the first in what will hopefully be a long series books containing tales about angels and demons that will finally come together (fingers crossed) in one climatic battle for Heaven.

You can visit his official site at:

http://evilwriter.com

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barnett is something of a renaissance man, horror publisher, graphic artist (the cover art is his), DJ and, of course, an author. This collection was an interesting read. It started off with a several stories featuring kids (despite the fact that Barnett professes a strong dislike of children), so initial thoughts were...what is this? some sort of a really messed up and infinitely darker John Saul thing? But then some variety came in, though the general mood and style remained the same. More specifically Barnett goes for a hyper realistic psychological horror that is all natural or unnatural as the case might be, but basically the opposite of supernatural. There are the prerequisite gore and guts, but not overwhelmingly so and they don't drive the narratives, like some of the authors he publishes, for example the backwoods horror master, whose Creekers gets a shout out here with the last and possibly best story of the volume. The restraint, the sympathetic and humane perspective Barnett offers there really showcases his talent. This collection wasn't exactly my thing stylistically, though I can't seem to quite find the rights words to describe Barnett's particular sort of tough guy, sparse, punchy, extreme, visceral way of writing. It works and gets the job done and was a quick read and though I didn't love it, there was enough here to appreciate for a dark fiction fan.

[Brainycat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brainycat's 5 "B"s:
blood: 4
boobs: 1
bombs: 0
bondage: 4
blasphemy: 3
Bechdel Test: FAIL
Deggan's Rule: FAIL
Gay Bechdel Test: FAIL

Please note: I don't review to provide synopses, I review to share a purely visceral reaction to books and perhaps answer some of the questions I ask when I'm contemplating investing time and money into a book.

I finished the first two stories in this collection (21% of the book) and moved on. I really like a lot of what Necro has published, so when I saw the blurb explaining this is the guy who runs the publishing house I was excited to see what he's writing. Unfortunately, the writing didn't excite me.

The first story is written from the POV of a psychopathic killer, and is in the vein of the "I'm normal but everyone else is weird" device. This works best when the author draws out sympathy from the reader, so we are left wondering if we're harboring some sort of psychopathology. While I wanted to relate to the protagonist - a nerdy kid who got picked on in school, rather like myself - I just never felt like I related to him enough, nor did I feel engaged in what he was doing. Failing to connect to this kid meant that I never had to question my own delicate sensibilities, and thus the whole story fell flat.

The second story could have been interesting except I saw the ending from a mile away. I think the explanation for the relationships between the parents and their adopted son was explained too early which completely gave away the conclusion in the first few pages of the story. Finishing the story was just an exercise in moving my eyes across the page while the inevitable concluded itself.

Overall, I found the writing felt expository with a very even cadence. I like writing that mixes it up a little (ie, of a much higher caliber than my own writing) and the vocabulary was conversational but not especially evocative. Reading these stories hasn't dampened my enthusiasm for the Necro label, but it has reinforced my opinion that writers can be good authors or good editors, but not both.

[Miguel Bizarre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just brilliantly amazing!!! Loved every store with supreme darkness floating everywhere in this collection. Also the end of the book the author details how the stories originated which definitely fascinated me in it allowed me to learn more about the author. (No I am not stalking him lol) This is a incredible collection to induldge in!!! You won't regret it one damn bit...

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giving the finger to well established and long standing taboos, Barnett delivers a collection that is morally flexible and emotionally traumatizing. Yet, amazingly enough, underneath all the bloodshed and the piles of flesh lays genuine outrage; Outrage at what we allow and what others inflict. On the surface, it may seem that Barnett’s brutal delivery is nothing more than shock horror with a tinge of bitterness, but in between the lines and hidden behind the words is truth laced with compassion. Maybe, even forgiveness.

Now, rather than dissect each tale story-by-story and creating a possible sequel to the longest brief review in history or sum it all up in a two-paragraph chaotic cluster I decided to do something different – notes. That’s right, you read it. I’m simply going to type up the notes I took through out each story. That way, the stories keep their treasured mysteries, my fingers get a break, and your patience stays in tact. Read on and let me know if you dig it…

…But one more thing, my notes are usually never seen, so if I offend the author – my fault, and if I offend any of you, get over it! You should be used to me by now.

Bully
Aww, don’t you hate it when the gifted kids are ostrasized.
Holy crap, no he did not just have that kid do that!
That boy is the antichrist.
NASTY!
Get the f**k out of here, no he didn’t!
Man, Barnett needs to get to a hotline and quick!!
I wonder if Barnett’s neighbors are aware the man is unbalanced.
Damn, that story rocked the casba!

Everything…Will be just fine.
Wow! Who the hell thinks like this?!
Horrible and grotesque.
Poor kid never had a chance.
And I thought my family was bad.

Growth
Warm & hopeful.
Kind of like a Brothers Grimm story.
Harsh honesty but lifted with faith.

The Hill
Vietnamn story.
Okay, so let’s speed things up a bit.
So, Sci-fi, we meet again.
Wait, why did he go nuts and start shooting?

Tick-Tock
Freaky.
Is he a schizophrenic? Is he possessed? Is that a spirit? Who the hell is that??!!
Man, I feel like I missed something.
Ahh, understanding…we meet at last.

Libra
Pg. 122 – line 21, first word should read her, not here.
Weird, yet intriguing.
Have mercy! Poor dog.
Perspective distorts traditional antagonist/protagonist.
I like the balance idea.

Kill Me Again
A lot of “H” named characters.
Oh good…zombies.
Hmm…but it has heart. Who knew?
Smart. Me likey.

Spin-Cycle
This is why I don’t live in a trailer park.
Oh, that was harsh, even for you Mr. Barnett!
Repulsive, offensive, and hard-hitting. Not too shabby, Mr. Barnett.
Smelly atmosphere.
Unnerving.

A Better Man
Wow, that was poignant.
Finally, a man feels our pain!
Racism.
Reminds me of that story in the Twilight Zone movie.
Is Quantum Leap still on?
Ending was perfect.

And The Lake Shall Cry No More…
Ewww, that was a gross image no amount of bleach will ever get rid of.
Taut and tense pace.
Apparently, serendipity and fear where getting along famously at this point.
Barnett’s style of writing is actually kind of beautiful.
And now I feel kind of dirty.
Oh man, I hope this guy never stops writing, think of the kids.
Shudder

Also, Barnett gets an extra half point. Why, you ask? Rather than have the customary blurbs on the back cover, Barnett has quotes such as:

“There must be a vaccine for this kind of shit.”
“Dave Barnett is never allowed to speak to me again.”
“I need a bath.”
“It’s sad when God forgets about one of his children”

See? Hilarious! Add to those fabulous little endorsements, the introduction by Gerard Houarner (A man that frightens me almost as much Wrath James White), and what we have here is a book that promises entropy at its best!

My rating? I give it 5. Though his sight may be tainted, it reaches far and its depths are endless. Watch out people, here is an author I guarantee will rock your world. Buy it NOW!!!!


-As posted on Horror-Web.com

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, David Barnett must hate children. Most of the evil things that happen in his stories are because of or to children.

But damn, the man can write some creepy shit!! Nearly every story had me shuddering or gasping. They were all real quick reads; I finished the book in just a couple hours over a few days.

Highly recommended.