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Talia #0
Billy Silver
Billy Silver, a low-life, self-downtrodden junkie, needs some cash to get his next fix. After getting kicked out of his own band, losing his girlfriend, and left with no other options, he decides to sell his flesh to the ink of a needle at a newly opening tattoo shop.
The mysterious artist, Talia, tattoos a cryptic design he’s never seen.
Shortly after getting inked, compulsions burn underneath his skin. His need to satisfy a newly arisen addiction to self-mutilation begins a descent into darker places than his miserable life never dared go.
Eventually, violence against himself is no longer enough to satisfy his cravings. The urge to commit the grotesque brings his brutal tendencies to others… To strangers, to acquaintances, to his prostitute ex-girlfriend…
When Billy finds out his band replaced him, with a new vocalist singing his lyrics on stage, Billy’s desires reach their peak, and Talia, behind the fire of his rage, bears witness to all.
The mysterious artist, Talia, tattoos a cryptic design he’s never seen.
Shortly after getting inked, compulsions burn underneath his skin. His need to satisfy a newly arisen addiction to self-mutilation begins a descent into darker places than his miserable life never dared go.
Eventually, violence against himself is no longer enough to satisfy his cravings. The urge to commit the grotesque brings his brutal tendencies to others… To strangers, to acquaintances, to his prostitute ex-girlfriend…
When Billy finds out his band replaced him, with a new vocalist singing his lyrics on stage, Billy’s desires reach their peak, and Talia, behind the fire of his rage, bears witness to all.
143 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 17, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews
March 18, 2021
*Originally reviewed at IndieMuse
* https://www.myindiemuse.com/author/mo...
BILLY SILVER by Daniel Volpe surprised me – in a good way.
It’s a story about a junkie – Billy Silver – who is a despicable human being. Really, there is no other term which would fit.
How bad can one man be?
Well, he’s worse than those who doodle in the margins or tears pages out of library books.
He’s worse than those who go to bed without brushing his teeth or taking a daily shower during summer.
He’s worse than those ig’nant idjits who thinks they are better than everybody else and can judge others who are not the same as them.
He’s worse than the low life bullies who target the weak and frail.
Billy Silver is an abusive heroin addict who is willing to lie, cheat and steal his way through life, as long as he can have his next fix and make things easier for himself.
Until the day he loses his band and girlfriend. He sees an opportunity to make some money by selling a piece of his skin to be tattooed by someone who needed practice.
When he wakes up, he seems to be cured of his addiction and things seem to improve, but the urges to self-mutilate and do violence to others take over…
My thoughts:
I went into this thinking it will be an uber-violent splatterpunk story, but Volpe actually focused more on the main character. By the time bad things start to happen to him, the reader absolutely hates him and feel just about zero sympathy. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy, you sarcastically think to yourself.
But there are still victims and, while you cheer for the curse to end Billy in the worst possible way, you also feel for the ones he targets toward the end of the story.
Lessons to learn at the end of this one:
1 – Social distancing, people…come on, man, it should be a thing.
2 – Don’t smoke in a crowded room, not even in a mosh pit.
3 – Don’t give your band the name ‘Shit Fist’ and expect the lead singer to show up sober.
I am impressed by this story and I want to read more by this author!
* https://www.myindiemuse.com/author/mo...
BILLY SILVER by Daniel Volpe surprised me – in a good way.
It’s a story about a junkie – Billy Silver – who is a despicable human being. Really, there is no other term which would fit.
How bad can one man be?
Well, he’s worse than those who doodle in the margins or tears pages out of library books.
He’s worse than those who go to bed without brushing his teeth or taking a daily shower during summer.
He’s worse than those ig’nant idjits who thinks they are better than everybody else and can judge others who are not the same as them.
He’s worse than the low life bullies who target the weak and frail.
Billy Silver is an abusive heroin addict who is willing to lie, cheat and steal his way through life, as long as he can have his next fix and make things easier for himself.
Until the day he loses his band and girlfriend. He sees an opportunity to make some money by selling a piece of his skin to be tattooed by someone who needed practice.
When he wakes up, he seems to be cured of his addiction and things seem to improve, but the urges to self-mutilate and do violence to others take over…
My thoughts:
I went into this thinking it will be an uber-violent splatterpunk story, but Volpe actually focused more on the main character. By the time bad things start to happen to him, the reader absolutely hates him and feel just about zero sympathy. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy, you sarcastically think to yourself.
But there are still victims and, while you cheer for the curse to end Billy in the worst possible way, you also feel for the ones he targets toward the end of the story.
Lessons to learn at the end of this one:
1 – Social distancing, people…come on, man, it should be a thing.
2 – Don’t smoke in a crowded room, not even in a mosh pit.
3 – Don’t give your band the name ‘Shit Fist’ and expect the lead singer to show up sober.
I am impressed by this story and I want to read more by this author!
February 21, 2026
I originally read A Gift Of Death from Daniel Volpe, which was a really great story, so wasn't sure what to make of this, somewhat more, grounded tale. Simply put, it was just so gritty and raw. I love books where the story is kept simple, but done well, and this was a prime example of that. Billy Silver is a very troubled person, addicted to sex, abuse, drugs, and everything bad in life. Having dealt with addicts, I felt for him, but loathed his actions. You wanted to feel bad for him as the story progressed, but he just kept committing increasingly ugly acts, so you're really left in a state of uncertainty. I also really thought the use of Talia was brilliant, using her sparingly, but always in an important, influential way. Ending with room for her story to blossom made me automatically decide that I will be reading Talia next. I really look forward to seeing more of this interesting, sinister character, which I hope brings some closure to certain plot points in Billy Silver.
March 9, 2021
Billy Silver, a singer and lead guitarist in a band who just happens to be a woman-beating, waste-of-space junkie ends of being kicked out of the band and starts really struggling for money..
His girlfriend ends up turning to prostitution to feed her heroin addiction and Billy comes across a tattooist who pays the first 5 customers to tattoo them (seemingly for practice) but after the tattoos he gets he becomes completely uncontrollable - self-harming and seeking vengeance on his whore girlfriend and old bandmates.
There wasn't a character in this whole book that I liked, they were all horrible people; it's written very well, it's a tense page-turner and I was always curious to what was going to happen next.
His girlfriend ends up turning to prostitution to feed her heroin addiction and Billy comes across a tattooist who pays the first 5 customers to tattoo them (seemingly for practice) but after the tattoos he gets he becomes completely uncontrollable - self-harming and seeking vengeance on his whore girlfriend and old bandmates.
There wasn't a character in this whole book that I liked, they were all horrible people; it's written very well, it's a tense page-turner and I was always curious to what was going to happen next.
July 13, 2021
Wow!! Wow!! Wow!!
That was disgusting and extremely brutal!!
A great book for extreme horror and splatterpunk’s fan!!
Bravo Daniel J. Volpe!!
I can’t wait to read Talia!!
I know, there are a lot of exclamation marks ! But I just finished the book, I’m still under influence!!!😄 I’m kidding 🤣
That was disgusting and extremely brutal!!
A great book for extreme horror and splatterpunk’s fan!!
Bravo Daniel J. Volpe!!
I can’t wait to read Talia!!
I know, there are a lot of exclamation marks ! But I just finished the book, I’m still under influence!!!😄 I’m kidding 🤣
September 1, 2021
Audio 4 Stars
Story - 2 Stars???
I love horror, suspense and a bit of gore but this went above and beyond of YUCK! I need to stay away from the extreme stuff.
Story - 2 Stars???
I love horror, suspense and a bit of gore but this went above and beyond of YUCK! I need to stay away from the extreme stuff.
February 4, 2021
"He could think about killing and corpse rape later."
Billy Silver is not a nice guy. As a matter of fact, he is outright despicable. And this is before his transformation. Heroin addict, alcoholic, misanthropic Billy is broke. He discovers a place where he can get paid to get a tattoo. Little does he know that his brand new ink will bring on a new addiction. One that makes him yearn for blood and brutality . Things get really, really messy from here. If you are craving some violent and graphically extreme literature, look no further. Before Billy finds you.
Billy Silver is not a nice guy. As a matter of fact, he is outright despicable. And this is before his transformation. Heroin addict, alcoholic, misanthropic Billy is broke. He discovers a place where he can get paid to get a tattoo. Little does he know that his brand new ink will bring on a new addiction. One that makes him yearn for blood and brutality . Things get really, really messy from here. If you are craving some violent and graphically extreme literature, look no further. Before Billy finds you.
January 7, 2022
Wow!! I had read great reviews about this book, and how awesome Daniel Volpe (the author) is......they were all spot on!! This was brutal, and a gore fest from beginning to end, and I loved it!! Daniel has the kind of story telling which just flows, but is a complete mind f**k at the same time. I know a lot of my Good reads friends have read this, and are all fans of Daniel Volpe.......well Mr Volpe, you can add another fan to the list! It’s not for everyone as it’s very extreme, brutal, and sick, but ‘hell, give me more!’.
February 7, 2021
I’ll get everything set up. In fact, I have the perfect design for you.
March 21, 2021
This book is the first thing I’ve read by Daniel and what fun it was. The gritty realism of scumbag street-life infused with dreamy demonic and gore-caked consequences of choices. Choices made by the human ant farm of nobodies bound by their demons and drowning in the rancid cesspool that is the gutter. Because, typically, once you choose the streets, there’s no turning back.
Most of the main characters in the book were sinister, heartless, and downtrodden for different reasons. No one had it easy, or made it easy on anyone else. There is the feeling of a daunting constant struggle in this book that is all too relatable, for one reason or another. I enjoyed the descriptions and horrific detail provided in this fast read that keeps a great pace. The story has very little fat and keeps the reader engaged until the end. I can see why the book has received its share of praise and believe that the sky is the limit for Daniel.
Most of the main characters in the book were sinister, heartless, and downtrodden for different reasons. No one had it easy, or made it easy on anyone else. There is the feeling of a daunting constant struggle in this book that is all too relatable, for one reason or another. I enjoyed the descriptions and horrific detail provided in this fast read that keeps a great pace. The story has very little fat and keeps the reader engaged until the end. I can see why the book has received its share of praise and believe that the sky is the limit for Daniel.
February 9, 2021
Hell yeah Billy Silver was one hell of a ride. I really enjoyed this book. This book was funny, violent and just kicked ass. I enjoyed the characters even though Billy Silver is a junkie asshole lol. I don't think there is much I can say about this book that hasn't been said by other reviews. If you haven't read it check it out. Horns up for Billy Silver and Shit Fist 👊👊👊
November 16, 2021
Beware strangers offering free tattoos!
Billy Silver gives new meaning to a life spinning out of control. Not that he doesn’t deserve it. He is the antihero’s, antihero, with no social redeeming qualities.
Enter the bleak world of Billy Silver, an unforgettable gore fest you won’t soon forget. Although based in the seamy, sordid world of addicts and rock star wannabes, Daniel Volpe throws in a mystical tattoo artist named Talia to spice things up. Talia’s appearance ramps up the violence to brutal levels, so be prepared.
I was knocked out by Billy Silver, from its grim beginning right to its combustible ending. If you’re a gore hound this is a must read.
Billy Silver gives new meaning to a life spinning out of control. Not that he doesn’t deserve it. He is the antihero’s, antihero, with no social redeeming qualities.
Enter the bleak world of Billy Silver, an unforgettable gore fest you won’t soon forget. Although based in the seamy, sordid world of addicts and rock star wannabes, Daniel Volpe throws in a mystical tattoo artist named Talia to spice things up. Talia’s appearance ramps up the violence to brutal levels, so be prepared.
I was knocked out by Billy Silver, from its grim beginning right to its combustible ending. If you’re a gore hound this is a must read.
January 29, 2021
A compelling and extremely gruesome splatterpunk REQUIEM FOR A DREAM with a massive pinch of occult, perhaps cosmic (certainly Karmic) horror. Excellent book from a sharp author.
February 6, 2021
A quick, fun read.
That was a great, quick read. Brutal and gory. It made every single one of my tattoos ache!! I read it in one sitting, brilliant. This is my first book by this author but I will definitely be looking for more.
That was a great, quick read. Brutal and gory. It made every single one of my tattoos ache!! I read it in one sitting, brilliant. This is my first book by this author but I will definitely be looking for more.
December 21, 2022
This book was totally awesome....packed full of what I love to read... So much gore,violence,torture and very brutal....extreme horror at it's very best,Daniel J.Volpe holds nothing back in this excellent book...it is not for the faint hearted or for those who are easily offended...read this book with caution and be aware it is brutal and shocking from start to finish.
February 20, 2021
Bloody!!
That was a fun fast read.I loved Billy and all the gory happenings that took place..No big twists or over the top angst just straight to the point grungy and bloody.
That was a fun fast read.I loved Billy and all the gory happenings that took place..No big twists or over the top angst just straight to the point grungy and bloody.
December 2, 2020
This story starts with a punch, and doesn't take its hand off your throat until the end. Billy Silver, druggie, needs cash so he gets paid for a tat artist to practice on him. What he doesn't know is that there is something sinister about her and her ink. Billy gets urges to hurt himself, and eventually others. There's also some gross stuff in there. Basic bodily functions can be gross and funny at the same time. One thing I wished was that we would have found out a tad bit more about the demon. The story is still excellent... I'm glad that it's open for a sequel. Maybe it will have some of the answers I wanted
February 15, 2021
Whew! If your into effed up horror, then this one is for you! Really great, fun read. It didn’t let up from the beginning of the first page to end of the last page! Looking forward to reading more from this author.
November 22, 2020
Hooked me from the first sentence and shocked me with the last.
Loved it.
Recommend for sure. Warnings be damned, live a little- just read it.
Loved it.
Recommend for sure. Warnings be damned, live a little- just read it.
February 28, 2021
Savage!!
December 17, 2020
This story is dark, it’s gritty, and I kinda wanted to wash my hands when it was over. It’s the perfect backdrop for the characters you’re about to meet. You feel the loneliness, the abandonment, the despair… Hell, you almost feel the needle go into your arm!
After a particularly shitty night, Billy wakes up and those all too familiar feelings start crawling in… he needs to score, and soon. This time his hustle is… selling his skin! Lol, no! Not like that! He goes to a new tattoo shop that is about to open, and he is going to let an artist work on him so she can refresh her skills before the shop opens for business. (I’d do for a hundred bucks and a Klondike bar!) He can feel a difference in his body almost immediately. He’s essentially traded one addiction for another, but this new desire isn’t like any drug he’s ever done before. He doesn’t want the high. He wants pain. When he finally gets home and gives into the urges that overtake him, self-mutilation doesn’t even come close to describing the things he’s doing! He just fucking brutalizes his self, (loves it), but the violence and depravity inflicted on his self can’t satiate the dark urges. He needs more – so he goes out and gets it!!
Unedited, NSFW review posted here.
https://bit.ly/2KySgpy
After a particularly shitty night, Billy wakes up and those all too familiar feelings start crawling in… he needs to score, and soon. This time his hustle is… selling his skin! Lol, no! Not like that! He goes to a new tattoo shop that is about to open, and he is going to let an artist work on him so she can refresh her skills before the shop opens for business. (I’d do for a hundred bucks and a Klondike bar!) He can feel a difference in his body almost immediately. He’s essentially traded one addiction for another, but this new desire isn’t like any drug he’s ever done before. He doesn’t want the high. He wants pain. When he finally gets home and gives into the urges that overtake him, self-mutilation doesn’t even come close to describing the things he’s doing! He just fucking brutalizes his self, (loves it), but the violence and depravity inflicted on his self can’t satiate the dark urges. He needs more – so he goes out and gets it!!
Unedited, NSFW review posted here.
https://bit.ly/2KySgpy
May 7, 2021
‘Splatterpunk on steroids’
This book starts with deeply shocking, disturbing, extremely horrific acts and just ramps up even further as it goes on. Any rays of hope, sweetness and light for our main protagonists? - absolutely none - just expect a rough, rough ride from start to finish. But still a great little story.
Billy is a vile, ultra- violent, repugnant, guitar-playing scumbag who enjoys spending most of his days drinking, shooting- up and performing all manner of sexual acts on his junkie loser girlfriend, Jeannie - and she best watch it if she don’t measure up! You picking up any triggers?
Then, one day when funds are low and things are reaching rock bottom Billy notices a new tattoo shop offering him money for trialing their new designs. What an opportunity, things just may be looking up. Little does Billy know, his life is about to be changed forever.
A good little extreme horror story which shock’s with it’s deliberately written, but cleverly constructed, totally OTT gob-smacking, jaw- dropping, vivid, disturbing narrative. Do not eat before reading - you have been warned!
Now, as for our Talia...well, that is a completely different story - cannot wait!
Rating: 4.1 Silver stars of the turbo-charged, ultra extreme, graphic horror variety.
This book starts with deeply shocking, disturbing, extremely horrific acts and just ramps up even further as it goes on. Any rays of hope, sweetness and light for our main protagonists? - absolutely none - just expect a rough, rough ride from start to finish. But still a great little story.
Billy is a vile, ultra- violent, repugnant, guitar-playing scumbag who enjoys spending most of his days drinking, shooting- up and performing all manner of sexual acts on his junkie loser girlfriend, Jeannie - and she best watch it if she don’t measure up! You picking up any triggers?
Then, one day when funds are low and things are reaching rock bottom Billy notices a new tattoo shop offering him money for trialing their new designs. What an opportunity, things just may be looking up. Little does Billy know, his life is about to be changed forever.
A good little extreme horror story which shock’s with it’s deliberately written, but cleverly constructed, totally OTT gob-smacking, jaw- dropping, vivid, disturbing narrative. Do not eat before reading - you have been warned!
Now, as for our Talia...well, that is a completely different story - cannot wait!
Rating: 4.1 Silver stars of the turbo-charged, ultra extreme, graphic horror variety.
March 21, 2021
This may be the first book I've ever read where I felt that the main character was completely reprehensible, irredeemable, or any number of words that could be used to describe a horrible waste of a human being. This dude is fucking revolting. Now that I'm talking about it, I realize how much I was moved by this little book. Even though these terrible things were happening, I looked forward to going back into the story every day. I was thinking about the characters and wanting to know what was going to happen to them, who would survive (if any), and what would be left of them if they did make it out alive. Overall, I see this as a great morality tale, one that illustrates the importance of how we as human beings treat one another. I think it's a modern, extreme horror fable that reminds us how evil actions have a ripple effect and create more evil actions. Violence begets violence, hate begets hate, etc, and, what we give is what we get. Or, maybe it's just a fucked-up story about fucked-up people, but not to me. So, if you've got the stomach for it, maybe walk in Billy's shoes for a while, but be warned, they're nasty and you might not be the same afterwards.
May 22, 2026
BILLY SILVER [2020] By Daniel J. Volpe
My Review 4.0 Stars
The original publication date was November 17, 2020, and I purchased a kindle edition last year October 22, 2023. The cover sports an endorsement by the legendary Edward Lee:
“This is a unique story that should ruffle the corridors of new extremism in American fiction”
Strangely no kindle edition exists but for the one pictured above, sold by Amazon.
“Billy Silver” is a short read with a print length of 145 pages. I read it over a couple of nights. Billy is our main character and first-person narrator, limited. His girlfriend Jeanie has but a small part in the book and yet it is a significant one. Talia appears in only a supporting role, but she is the catalyst for all of the action that occurs in the narrative from the time Billy walks into the Tattoo Parlor and encounters Talia, the dark and sinister emissary from Hell.
It is time to tell the truth and shame the Devil. I would have rated this short work of horror four stars for just the appearance of Talia in the storyline.
The character of Billy Silver is an assault on the reader’s senses and a case of a bag of garbage still breathing the air and taking up space on the Earth’s surface. The reader is provided an ample snapshot of what makes Billy tick, namely dope, pummeling his live-in girlfriend Jeannie for imaginary infractions, and sexually exploiting her with his sadistic agenda of sexual humiliation and stomach-churning acts of physical violence and debasement.
Billy is an alcoholic and connives to ingest enough alcohol to bring down an African elephant. He is the singer and most important member in his band colorfully named “Shit Fist”. The other band members have cautioned him to avoid drinking on the nights the band is engaged to play. But Billy goes ahead in his mindless drunken state and manages to commit his last faux pas with his buddies in the band. Our Billy wakes up at home alone and feeling like death warmed over and starts shouting orders to Jeanie. Oops! Jeanie has fled the coop, and he is alone. He vaguely remembers banging her up pretty bad but does not care, just logs the thought and calculates ahead.
Our “always thinking” Billy recalls that the new Tattoo Shop in town is paying out $100 to volunteers for a tattoo, something about the tattoo artist needing to brush up a little on her skill set before opening the doors to paying customers.
Thus Billy, needing the money and mentally counting down when he needed the heroin to avoid withdrawal, marches (more like lurches) into Talia’s shop. His initial glimpse of her made him feel like he was at attention. Well, part of him was for certain, and making his manhood less conspicuous added some humor to his meeting with the stunning raven-haired emissary from Hell. Talia proclaims she will take care of him and may have just the perfect tattoo.
The brief marketing blurb actually tells the potential reader more than I have in the notes above (“Shortly after getting inked, compulsions burn under his skin…”.
The takeaway of this tale of horror is perhaps that Billy deserved some payback for his unconscionable, deplorable, and sickening behavior toward others, his pathetic girlfriend Jeanie to name just one. The tattoo he gets from Talia will extract all of the vengeance that is required of this piece of filth named Billy. Just read and enjoy the ride. Volpe flexes his narrative skills to provide a truly base, stomach churning, violent, and horrific cautionary tale about agreeing to a tattoo I have ever read. Billy did not read anything he signed, and he is collecting his just rewards for his basic sloth and deliberate evil toward others. This would include Jeanie and his former friends in the band whose reputations he destroyed in real time. I am not sure the Devil did not add some interest to his contract.
I truly enjoyed the ending which featured a new guy entering the shop to take advantage of the money for getting inked. Initially the reader thinks he is a nice guy, but in the next sentence or two you know what kind of evil hides behind his chubby good guy personae. Fade to black as Talia gathers her tattoo gear.
Even if I could not keep down my supper (just kidding) I still see this one as 4 Stars. It was Volpe spewing blood, gore, and deviance in all directions like a pro. I love the character of Talia, and her appearance and machinations made the book stand out for me. Loved the ending.
VOLPE IS ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED AUTHORS IN THE SUB-GENRE OF EXTREME HORROR/SPLATTERPUNK WRITING TODAY
My Review 4.0 Stars
The original publication date was November 17, 2020, and I purchased a kindle edition last year October 22, 2023. The cover sports an endorsement by the legendary Edward Lee:
“This is a unique story that should ruffle the corridors of new extremism in American fiction”
Strangely no kindle edition exists but for the one pictured above, sold by Amazon.
“Billy Silver” is a short read with a print length of 145 pages. I read it over a couple of nights. Billy is our main character and first-person narrator, limited. His girlfriend Jeanie has but a small part in the book and yet it is a significant one. Talia appears in only a supporting role, but she is the catalyst for all of the action that occurs in the narrative from the time Billy walks into the Tattoo Parlor and encounters Talia, the dark and sinister emissary from Hell.
It is time to tell the truth and shame the Devil. I would have rated this short work of horror four stars for just the appearance of Talia in the storyline.
The character of Billy Silver is an assault on the reader’s senses and a case of a bag of garbage still breathing the air and taking up space on the Earth’s surface. The reader is provided an ample snapshot of what makes Billy tick, namely dope, pummeling his live-in girlfriend Jeannie for imaginary infractions, and sexually exploiting her with his sadistic agenda of sexual humiliation and stomach-churning acts of physical violence and debasement.
Billy is an alcoholic and connives to ingest enough alcohol to bring down an African elephant. He is the singer and most important member in his band colorfully named “Shit Fist”. The other band members have cautioned him to avoid drinking on the nights the band is engaged to play. But Billy goes ahead in his mindless drunken state and manages to commit his last faux pas with his buddies in the band. Our Billy wakes up at home alone and feeling like death warmed over and starts shouting orders to Jeanie. Oops! Jeanie has fled the coop, and he is alone. He vaguely remembers banging her up pretty bad but does not care, just logs the thought and calculates ahead.
Our “always thinking” Billy recalls that the new Tattoo Shop in town is paying out $100 to volunteers for a tattoo, something about the tattoo artist needing to brush up a little on her skill set before opening the doors to paying customers.
Thus Billy, needing the money and mentally counting down when he needed the heroin to avoid withdrawal, marches (more like lurches) into Talia’s shop. His initial glimpse of her made him feel like he was at attention. Well, part of him was for certain, and making his manhood less conspicuous added some humor to his meeting with the stunning raven-haired emissary from Hell. Talia proclaims she will take care of him and may have just the perfect tattoo.
The brief marketing blurb actually tells the potential reader more than I have in the notes above (“Shortly after getting inked, compulsions burn under his skin…”.
The takeaway of this tale of horror is perhaps that Billy deserved some payback for his unconscionable, deplorable, and sickening behavior toward others, his pathetic girlfriend Jeanie to name just one. The tattoo he gets from Talia will extract all of the vengeance that is required of this piece of filth named Billy. Just read and enjoy the ride. Volpe flexes his narrative skills to provide a truly base, stomach churning, violent, and horrific cautionary tale about agreeing to a tattoo I have ever read. Billy did not read anything he signed, and he is collecting his just rewards for his basic sloth and deliberate evil toward others. This would include Jeanie and his former friends in the band whose reputations he destroyed in real time. I am not sure the Devil did not add some interest to his contract.
I truly enjoyed the ending which featured a new guy entering the shop to take advantage of the money for getting inked. Initially the reader thinks he is a nice guy, but in the next sentence or two you know what kind of evil hides behind his chubby good guy personae. Fade to black as Talia gathers her tattoo gear.
Even if I could not keep down my supper (just kidding) I still see this one as 4 Stars. It was Volpe spewing blood, gore, and deviance in all directions like a pro. I love the character of Talia, and her appearance and machinations made the book stand out for me. Loved the ending.
VOLPE IS ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED AUTHORS IN THE SUB-GENRE OF EXTREME HORROR/SPLATTERPUNK WRITING TODAY
February 19, 2021
Billy Silver is raw, gritty, dirty and a little too damned real. Author Daniel Volpe gets a lot of milage out of a pretty short book. Billy Silver punches you from page one, beats you to the canvas and keep pounding you until you're... done. The story so real, the characters so vivid. I've never lived a life as depraved as Billy's and yet I'm left feeling like maybe I have for just a few moments.
I don't think I've ever read a book so good that featured a protagonist that's so deplorable. To call the titular character, Billy Silver, an anti-hero would be giving him far too much credit. Yet, in a Walter White way, he hooks you early and you feel for him. Even when you shouldn't.
The prose is lean. There very little to find fault with. If I had one tiny criticism, its that one particular female character's conclusion could have been played out a bit more? That'll only maybe make sense to anyone who has already read it.
This little book came out of nowhere. All of a sudden I saw a lot of people talking about it and saying great things. The buzz was not hype. Billy Silver is the real deal. You have to read it to experience it. Just make sure your head is in a good place before you start.
I don't think I've ever read a book so good that featured a protagonist that's so deplorable. To call the titular character, Billy Silver, an anti-hero would be giving him far too much credit. Yet, in a Walter White way, he hooks you early and you feel for him. Even when you shouldn't.
The prose is lean. There very little to find fault with. If I had one tiny criticism, its that one particular female character's conclusion could have been played out a bit more? That'll only maybe make sense to anyone who has already read it.
This little book came out of nowhere. All of a sudden I saw a lot of people talking about it and saying great things. The buzz was not hype. Billy Silver is the real deal. You have to read it to experience it. Just make sure your head is in a good place before you start.
May 30, 2021
Wow... what's to like about Billy Silver? What an arsehole. Different story when it comes to the author Daniel Volpe. Gritty, real - oh too real, I could feel and see some of those scenes. Great book. Very raw. Very Violent. This book is unashamedly in your face, brutal and a punch in the gut. Definitely worth a read.
April 24, 2021
First book of Daniel Volpe's that I read and it was definitely a rollercoaster of a ride. I really disliked Billy Silver the character from the beginning but the story I loved! Sometimes people do crazy things for a little money when they are down on their luck. And when you are an full-blown addict, it can be really hard to stay on top of your game. This is the scenario Billy Silver found himself in and everything continued to spiral out of control in his life; up until he makes his final decision on how to get out of this mess of a life he made for himself.
5 out 5 Guitars
🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
#BillySilver #DanielVolpe
5 out 5 Guitars
🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
#BillySilver #DanielVolpe
January 24, 2021
This book by Daniel J. Volpe was completely out of my wheel house and I feel like I need to take a shower after reading it. Dark, twisted, grotesque and flat out brutal. You are on edge the entire time. Volpe writes brilliantly! The attention to detail was incredible to the point where sometimes I almost couldn’t stomach it yet I was compelled to read more. I really enjoyed the story of “Billy Silver” and interested in what’s to come next! Enjoyed might not be the right word...I’m mortified. Graphic horror fans: this is the book for you!
March 4, 2021
I'm rounding up to 5 for the ick factor. If you are a fan of extreme over-the-top horror, this book needs to be on your to-read list. Be warned Volpe doesn't pull any punches.
Overall the story flows well, with a couple of scenes that felt a bit like filler, but by the end, it all comes together. If you enjoy terrible people having terrible things done to them, Billy Silver is a must-read.
Overall the story flows well, with a couple of scenes that felt a bit like filler, but by the end, it all comes together. If you enjoy terrible people having terrible things done to them, Billy Silver is a must-read.
November 5, 2022
Another great read by Volpe. Yet to read anything by him I haven’t loved. Didn’t realize going in this had Talia in it which I appreciated.
Only reason this lost a point - without spoiling anything - is because I wish the compulsion was only self motivated for Billy but none the less I still consumed this book in one sitting.
Only reason this lost a point - without spoiling anything - is because I wish the compulsion was only self motivated for Billy but none the less I still consumed this book in one sitting.
May 10, 2021
My whole day today has been filled with nothing but reading Splatterpunk. I finished one book I started and dove head first into 3 more. This nice little gem ending my night. Going out with a bang!
Billy Silver, for me, he is a fucking douche bag! I really disliked him but the story of Billy Silver is freaking awesome. The story is real, his problems are real, his life is shit in all the ways life can be shitty. What better way to solve all life's shitty problems than with some bad ass ink by a steaming hot woman.....Talia. But sometimes even ink can't solve all your shitty problems. Man, this little gem has it all.....blood, guts, sex, drugs, violence, a bad ass dog and a fucking cat.
Immediately after I finished this I went and bought Talia on my kindle. I mean who in their right fucking mind wouldn't. I really need to go to bed but I really don't want this ride to end sooooo......I can stay up a couple more hours reading right? If I am tired tomorrow and my eyes are dry I can just rub some blood in them, Blood is the best lube. Talia here I come.
Happy Reading and Splatter On.....
Billy Silver, for me, he is a fucking douche bag! I really disliked him but the story of Billy Silver is freaking awesome. The story is real, his problems are real, his life is shit in all the ways life can be shitty. What better way to solve all life's shitty problems than with some bad ass ink by a steaming hot woman.....Talia. But sometimes even ink can't solve all your shitty problems. Man, this little gem has it all.....blood, guts, sex, drugs, violence, a bad ass dog and a fucking cat.
Immediately after I finished this I went and bought Talia on my kindle. I mean who in their right fucking mind wouldn't. I really need to go to bed but I really don't want this ride to end sooooo......I can stay up a couple more hours reading right? If I am tired tomorrow and my eyes are dry I can just rub some blood in them, Blood is the best lube. Talia here I come.
Happy Reading and Splatter On.....
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