Dark Lords of the Trailer Park

by Lee Anderson

This is the first collection of short stories by Lee Anderson. It provides a brutal yet kaleidoscopic view of modern American life as experienced through its most extreme outsiders. The stories in Dark Lords of the Trailer Park offer an unsettling but engagingly poetic interpretation of what it means to be human.

Here we have a chronicle of vanquished loners, rebellious souls, and feverish lovers, all driven by an unblinking vision of a morally depleted world. Anderson’s characters are charged by a bruised grace, enabling them to find redemption in the most unlikely of places.

170 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 19, 2020

About the author

Lee Anderson is an American novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His literary work is deeply shaped by the stark social, cultural, and economic contrasts between his early life in Florida and his later experiences in New York City. Anderson's writing spans a wide array of genres, including the abstract, fantastic, lurid, absurd, and even the horrific. In 2020, he realized his lifelong ambition of founding his own publishing company, Palm Circle Press.

Since the early 1990s, Anderson has been a prolific contributor to both small literary magazines and major commercial presses. His work has appeared in "The New Times – Broward/Palm Beach," "Broadkill Review," "Remington Review," "Citron Review," "Fictional Café," "Fiction International," and "The Miami Herald." A collection of his more popular short stories was published in 2023 under the title "Dark Lords of the Trailer Park."

Anderson's novel "What Happened at Sisters Creek" (2023) made an indelible mark on the horror genre, while his acclaimed dark fantasy series, "The Lost Books of Jyn, Book One: The Atrocity Bells" (2021) and "Book Two: The Apocalypse Wedding" (2024), has been hailed as "an enduring work of literature" and "a testament to the world of imagination."

His plays "Supper's Ready" (2002) and "Little America" (2005) were both successfully staged off-Broadway in New York City.

Reviews

[Heather Wilde · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece, pure and simple. I’m not really much of a short story reader and only picked up this collection because I was intrigued by the title. Though this book is only about 100 pages, I was doubtful as to whether or not I would ever actually finish. Instead I read the stories, one after the other, in one sitting. Every story ends with a mind-blowing “wow” sentence, so I had to keep going. There is some incredible writing here. This book should be studied in universities. The characters, every one of them, are completely unforgettable. Certain scenes are forever burned into my brain. Cannot recommend this collection enough, though I would warn sensitive readers to stay away. A lot of the subject material is a bit unblinking and harsh. (Not a book to be filed anywhere near the YA section.) However, for those with a tough mind for the experimental and daring, and a literary heart for something different, this is a MUST-READ.

[Ted Guevara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Lee Anderson is a skilled short fiction writer. His sentences are precise and ever-evolving. Not one thought is repeated, holding the reader’s attention for the next witty passage. In “Gorgeous Grady,” a letter to a wrestler’s fans is somehow transformed into a short-short story. “Hole,” the first installment, is captivating, energetic, and romantic. And viciously dark—all in less than 10 pages.

[Daniel Damiano · Rating 5 out of 5]

A diverse, sometimes per-verse, always unique, funny and intense buffet of short stories. Definitely worth the read - and re-read.

[Colin Devonshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all anthologies there as some stories you like more than others. I found that the deeper went through the tales, the more I liked them. Highly recommended if you enjoy 'different' yarns!

[Alysha Voigt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written collection of short stories, and I mean short. Some are only 2 pages long. Based on the title, I was expecting every story to take place in a trailer park (or at least, every story to feature a character who is somehow connected to a trailer park) but that’s just the title of one of the stories.

All stories are about human nature and most of them illustrate the oddities and pitfalls of our relationships. Many are dark (one even comes with an author’s warning), and most of them leave you wanting more. You get the briefest of glimpses into offbeat predicaments, and then they’re gone forever, often without a satisfying conclusion. It’s like overhearing snippets of strangers’ conversations on the subway and having them disembark too soon. I enjoyed being a fly on the wall while it lasted, but all these loose threads will stick with me for a while.

I received a complimentary copy from the author via Voracious Readers Only.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from VRO and this is my voluntary honest review.
Some of the off the wall crazy stories! Brutal! Harsh! Gruesome! Tough! Intense! Unique! Most are riddled with unnecessary (cuss) words. If your not faint of heart you probably won't want to miss this one.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While each story in this collection of short stories is unique, they all shared the same characteristic: a visceral glimpse into the human condition, each with characters that truly interested me. Though many were extreme characters, they were also quite believable, and I felt that they could be any of the many people you might pass on the street, such was the depiction of their internal lives here.

Lee Anderson is a talented writer: for example, though one story consists of only two pages and is a conversation between two people via short text messages, it manages to bring to life their whole world and the relationship between them. Indeed, relationships are a returning theme in this collection: the undeniable truth that they are often imperfect, or the fleeting yet lingering nature of them. I particularly enjoyed the exploration of the characters' relationship with themselves - though they all came from different backgrounds, many of them were struggling to get out or away from their current circumstances. In other words, they were all in some way stuck in their own metaphorical trailer park.

Huge thanks to the author and Voracious Readers Only for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this ensemble of short stories! They kept me riveted from one story to the next. I highly recommend adding this book to your summer reads!

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great read, well written and the author is great at getting the stories across with great detail. Very enjoyable and will definitely be reading more by this author

[Raghav · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lee Anderson’s Darl Lords of the Trailer Park is a slice-of-life short story collection packed with eclectic tales across genres featuring a range of eccentric characters. As is the case with such collections, some of the stories stand out, while others seem to get lost in oblivion.

While I enjoyed reading the book, one aspect that bothers me is that none of the characters or stories are memorable. They provide a hint of entertainment while reading, no doubt about that, but they also fail to have a lasting impact.

The short stories that I particularly liked are Hole, 11 Lonely Intellectuals, Machu Picchu 99, Dark Lords of the Trailer Park, Party Boy, Downward-Facing Dog, Billy from Mars, and Real Estate.

Furthermore, I appreciate the diversity reflected in the collection, as each story is remarkably different and thus brings a freshness to the reading experience.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book of short stories!!

So this book was a great read, other than being pet peeved at the use of a thousand unneeded hyphens!! Every story was great, but why are so many things hyphenated?! I'd recommend this book to anyone, after a good solid edit.

[Sunbirdhawk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am thankful to have received a free copy from the author through voracious readers. The collection is dark and entertaining. To me it seemed more like a journal of story ideas or prompts rather than crafted short stories. The author often cuts the action right before the horror would begin. More like a movie censor than a Lovecraftian technique. I would recommend the free sample if you want light horror style entertainment, give it a try. I left the same review on amazon by the way, but it was about a week before voracious readers asked me to.