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The Night Stockers
The employees of the Freshway grocery store aren’t too happy about having to do an overnight shift, but they’re about to be even unhappier. Their rival store, Devil’s Food, is about to lay siege upon them with extreme prejudice. This is no ordinary grocery chain. Devil’s Food is run by a cult of murderous Satanists committed to killing the competition—literally.
Armed with hatchets, knives, maces and motorcycles, they enter the store and start picking off their victims in the most ghastly and depraved ways possible. The Freshway’s only chance of survival is to fight, and this leads to a bloody battle royal of crazed cashiers, knife-wielding demo ladies, brutal butchers, and teenage clerks determined to make their favorite death metal albums come true.
The Night Stockers is a gory horror comedy by Splatterpunk Award-winning authors Kristopher Triana and Ryan Harding, the men who brought you Full Brutal and Genital Grinder. Filled with bone-crushing carnage and the heaviest metal, this one promises customer satisfaction.
Armed with hatchets, knives, maces and motorcycles, they enter the store and start picking off their victims in the most ghastly and depraved ways possible. The Freshway’s only chance of survival is to fight, and this leads to a bloody battle royal of crazed cashiers, knife-wielding demo ladies, brutal butchers, and teenage clerks determined to make their favorite death metal albums come true.
The Night Stockers is a gory horror comedy by Splatterpunk Award-winning authors Kristopher Triana and Ryan Harding, the men who brought you Full Brutal and Genital Grinder. Filled with bone-crushing carnage and the heaviest metal, this one promises customer satisfaction.
299 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 26, 2021
About the author
Kristopher Triana
68 books2,270 followersKristopher Triana is the author of Gone to See the River Man, Full Brutal, They All Died Screaming, Shepherd of the Black Sheep, Toxic Love, and more.
His fiction has appeared in countless magazines and anthologies and has been translated into multiple languages, drawing praise from Publisher's Weekly, Cemetery Dance, Rue Morgue, Scream, The Ginger Nuts of Horror and others.
Full Brutal won the Splatterpunk Award for Best Horror Novel of 2019, and Triana won the award again in 2022 for The Night Stockers, which he cowrote with Ryan Harding.
He lives in Connecticut.
His fiction has appeared in countless magazines and anthologies and has been translated into multiple languages, drawing praise from Publisher's Weekly, Cemetery Dance, Rue Morgue, Scream, The Ginger Nuts of Horror and others.
Full Brutal won the Splatterpunk Award for Best Horror Novel of 2019, and Triana won the award again in 2022 for The Night Stockers, which he cowrote with Ryan Harding.
He lives in Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 249 reviews
January 4, 2022
The employees of the Freshway grocery store are having to work overnight. Their rival, Devil's Food, is ready to put Freshway out of business, permanently. Armed with knives, hatchets, pipes, and the power of satan they cross the street to start the killing. The body count by the registers are piling up. Blood floods the aisles. There are heads spinning on the rotisserie rack. Who will win this epic battle to be the number one grocery store?
I loved this book. It is so relatable. I worked in a grocery store for awhile and I would have loved to have killed some of my supervisors off. However I probably would be in the walk in cooler with a 12 pack of coke and Doritos. Highly recommend!
I loved this book. It is so relatable. I worked in a grocery store for awhile and I would have loved to have killed some of my supervisors off. However I probably would be in the walk in cooler with a 12 pack of coke and Doritos. Highly recommend!
March 29, 2021
Kristopher Triana and Ryan Harding prove that not all horror is created equal. NIGHT STOCKERS gets double the gore, explicit sex, and graphic violence BUT as a counterweight, Triana & Harding heap on the character development--making this a dangerous reading experience. I'll explain:
Splatterpunk or Extreme Horror tends to lean into the shocking depictions of violence as the driving force to win over readers. I think there's an audience for that, but it's small. I believe most horror fiction fans show up for a meaningful story and to invest in the characters. This is what makes horror impactful. If there's no opportunity to give a shit about any of the characters, essentially, the entertainment value rests on some pretty thin margins. Horror fans do dabble in the extreme stuff sometimes and I think the success of that experience resides in substance and character. And like I mentioned, there's an audience without expectations like that, but it's small.
All of that being said, Triana and Harding clearly set out to give their audience heaping doses of everything. This book is first and foremost hysterical. I laughed out loud dozens of times. There are tons of pop culture references perfectly placed within the dialog and the story that could only come from two authors who are deeply immersed in that world. Everything from the music, video games, television, movies, slang, and even fashion trends. The authenticity factor is spot-on.
The plot is pretty simple. There are these rival grocery stores in a small town. FRESHWAY and DEVIL'S FOOD. FRESHWAY is your typical, independently owned franchise with your average workplace drama and DEVIL'S FOOD is a cartoonish depiction of a satanic-inspired grocery store. Everyone who works at DEVIL'S FOOD is part of an intense satanic cult--it's hilarious, except when it's not. Triana & Harding know when to put their foot on the gas and when to pump the brakes. There are times when the DEVIL'S FOOD crew are making inverted crosses out of soda cans for a display which reads like a Simpons episode and other times when they're doing a ritualistic sacrifce in vivid, graphic detail. Funny/Not funny. Realistic/Satire and the books straddles that line the whole time.
Over at FRESHWAY, we get to meet a full cast of characters with great exposition, backstory and engaging dialog. This is where it got dangerous for me because I felt myself investing. I'm a *very* emotional reader and I knew I was reading an extreme horror book with two experts at the helm. I got real fucking nervous. What were they going to do to these people? I soon found out.
On a night when the entire FRESHWAY crew is asked to work an overnight shift, DEVIL'S FOOD plans an attack.
This story gets totally bananas. Like full-tilt. I skipped two scenes actually and readers will know exactly which ones they are as they encounter them but just as a head's up, I'll cryptically just say one scene "went there". I didn't think it would and it did and I just didn't want to read the details. And the other scene was the "Pearl Jammers". We can talk about that later.
Oh, I skimmed a part with some horny young boys too.
But skipping/skimming doesn't change my opinion of this book in the least. Triana & Harding offer up what they wanted and I decide what I partake in, it's that simple. I don't judge the entire book off the scenes I thought were over-the-top because for some people, those will be their favorite scenes-that's what THEY show up for.
Also noteworthy: This is a horror book for those who have worked in retail. I listened to a podcast where the authors were interviewed by John Wayne Comunale and both of them worked in grocery stores/retail so they brought that knowledge/experience to the page and it works really well. I worked in retail/customer service for a long time and my daughter works in a grocery store so the setting and all the language is super familiar to me-amping up that authenticity yet again.
This is Splatterpunk firing on all cylinders. A strong contender to win some awards in its genre. It accomplished everything the authors intended for it to do and then some. Totally stuck the landing for me. I had an amazing time reading this book. I'm pissed about some of the choices the authors made, but again--it's because I'm an emotional reader and I guess authors are told to kill their darlings, so...*pout* Oh well. I loved the suspense, the humor, the characters and the technicolor/cinematic action. Well done.
Splatterpunk or Extreme Horror tends to lean into the shocking depictions of violence as the driving force to win over readers. I think there's an audience for that, but it's small. I believe most horror fiction fans show up for a meaningful story and to invest in the characters. This is what makes horror impactful. If there's no opportunity to give a shit about any of the characters, essentially, the entertainment value rests on some pretty thin margins. Horror fans do dabble in the extreme stuff sometimes and I think the success of that experience resides in substance and character. And like I mentioned, there's an audience without expectations like that, but it's small.
All of that being said, Triana and Harding clearly set out to give their audience heaping doses of everything. This book is first and foremost hysterical. I laughed out loud dozens of times. There are tons of pop culture references perfectly placed within the dialog and the story that could only come from two authors who are deeply immersed in that world. Everything from the music, video games, television, movies, slang, and even fashion trends. The authenticity factor is spot-on.
The plot is pretty simple. There are these rival grocery stores in a small town. FRESHWAY and DEVIL'S FOOD. FRESHWAY is your typical, independently owned franchise with your average workplace drama and DEVIL'S FOOD is a cartoonish depiction of a satanic-inspired grocery store. Everyone who works at DEVIL'S FOOD is part of an intense satanic cult--it's hilarious, except when it's not. Triana & Harding know when to put their foot on the gas and when to pump the brakes. There are times when the DEVIL'S FOOD crew are making inverted crosses out of soda cans for a display which reads like a Simpons episode and other times when they're doing a ritualistic sacrifce in vivid, graphic detail. Funny/Not funny. Realistic/Satire and the books straddles that line the whole time.
Over at FRESHWAY, we get to meet a full cast of characters with great exposition, backstory and engaging dialog. This is where it got dangerous for me because I felt myself investing. I'm a *very* emotional reader and I knew I was reading an extreme horror book with two experts at the helm. I got real fucking nervous. What were they going to do to these people? I soon found out.
On a night when the entire FRESHWAY crew is asked to work an overnight shift, DEVIL'S FOOD plans an attack.
This story gets totally bananas. Like full-tilt. I skipped two scenes actually and readers will know exactly which ones they are as they encounter them but just as a head's up, I'll cryptically just say one scene "went there". I didn't think it would and it did and I just didn't want to read the details. And the other scene was the "Pearl Jammers". We can talk about that later.
Oh, I skimmed a part with some horny young boys too.
But skipping/skimming doesn't change my opinion of this book in the least. Triana & Harding offer up what they wanted and I decide what I partake in, it's that simple. I don't judge the entire book off the scenes I thought were over-the-top because for some people, those will be their favorite scenes-that's what THEY show up for.
Also noteworthy: This is a horror book for those who have worked in retail. I listened to a podcast where the authors were interviewed by John Wayne Comunale and both of them worked in grocery stores/retail so they brought that knowledge/experience to the page and it works really well. I worked in retail/customer service for a long time and my daughter works in a grocery store so the setting and all the language is super familiar to me-amping up that authenticity yet again.
This is Splatterpunk firing on all cylinders. A strong contender to win some awards in its genre. It accomplished everything the authors intended for it to do and then some. Totally stuck the landing for me. I had an amazing time reading this book. I'm pissed about some of the choices the authors made, but again--it's because I'm an emotional reader and I guess authors are told to kill their darlings, so...*pout* Oh well. I loved the suspense, the humor, the characters and the technicolor/cinematic action. Well done.
January 31, 2023
✦ absolutely ridiculous premise. this focuses on two rival grocery stores, Freshway and Devil's food. while Freshway is a mostly typical grocery store, Devil's food is run by satanists that are literally willing to kill their competition. chaos and murder ensues.
"we’ve slashed prices — now we’re slashing souls."
✦ pretty entertaining splatterpunk read overall. mayhem, gore, death metal, bloody orgies, heads spinning on rotisserie racks, pop culture references, satan worshipping, dark humour. what's not to like.
"we’ve slashed prices — now we’re slashing souls."
✦ pretty entertaining splatterpunk read overall. mayhem, gore, death metal, bloody orgies, heads spinning on rotisserie racks, pop culture references, satan worshipping, dark humour. what's not to like.
April 22, 2023
Everything was going to plan, the Freshway crew behaving just as he’d predicted, as if this were all some cheap horror novel he and a friend were writing just for shits and giggles.
The year is 1992 and Desmond Payne has big plans – the satanist Devil’s Food store manager will grab the opportunity and take down all the staff of the neighboring grocery store Freshway during their upcoming nightshift. You see, if there’s anything that Desmond hates more than falling behind the competition, it’s his former employer Todd over at Freshway. He also really wants to impress his regional manager Alaric.
The ambush is over the top brutal and gory, packed with death metal and comedy gold, but not without resistance. Will Desmond and his team be able to kill their way to the very top?
“Say you love Satan!” she said. “And tell me I’m pretty!”
The Satanists’ depictions were so exaggerated and confirm every single stereotype in the book that it cracked me up all the time, but the fight scenes were plenty disgusting too. It really looks like Triana and Harding had amazing fun writing this.
As for me, two splatter books in a row was enough, I’m going back to weird fiction for now!
The year is 1992 and Desmond Payne has big plans – the satanist Devil’s Food store manager will grab the opportunity and take down all the staff of the neighboring grocery store Freshway during their upcoming nightshift. You see, if there’s anything that Desmond hates more than falling behind the competition, it’s his former employer Todd over at Freshway. He also really wants to impress his regional manager Alaric.
The ambush is over the top brutal and gory, packed with death metal and comedy gold, but not without resistance. Will Desmond and his team be able to kill their way to the very top?
“Say you love Satan!” she said. “And tell me I’m pretty!”
The Satanists’ depictions were so exaggerated and confirm every single stereotype in the book that it cracked me up all the time, but the fight scenes were plenty disgusting too. It really looks like Triana and Harding had amazing fun writing this.
As for me, two splatter books in a row was enough, I’m going back to weird fiction for now!
October 16, 2022
As we come to closing time, Kris and I once again wish to thank you for your patronage. If any of you want to grab a mop and pitch in on the clean-up effort, though, we wouldn’t say no. As you can see, we’re a little short-staffed after our night shift.
June 23, 2025
I sat on this for a bit before deciding to write my review. I needed to gather my thoughts. So when I read Kristopher Triana’s introduction where he compared this to Toxic Love, which I adored, I got really excited. And I went through the entire story, as painful as the last third of it was. And my honest opinion was that it overstayed its welcome a great deal. This could have been near perfect at half the length, which I believe most good splatterpunk stories thrive at. Stick to the war between the two stores and the rich, diverse employees of each and nothing else. It had such a strong beginning, but just overcomplicated itself. The vulgarities and violence were all fine, and the premise was very simple, which also worked in the book’s favor. But it brought in way too many side characters/victims, which were basically useless in the grand scheme of things and the plot felt like it got away from the authors. The constant references to old bands and grew very tired, which I believe that I also felt with Ryan Harding’s Pandemonium, too. And the near three hundred page runtime was almost unbearable, making me consider DNFing it several times. I guess my overall take is that this should have been scaled back and just focused more on what was already in the story, rather than just making it a big, boring, long-winded spectacle. It doesn’t matter what the genre or even subgenre of any book is…simpler is usually better.
July 21, 2023
The characters are brilliant, some likeable, and some despicable.
It's incredibly bloody and gory.
I got "Assault On Precinct 13" vibes from it. It was fun!
If you're a fan of extreme horror, you'll love this one.
It's incredibly bloody and gory.
I got "Assault On Precinct 13" vibes from it. It was fun!
If you're a fan of extreme horror, you'll love this one.
March 26, 2021
“It’s just a grocery store, Todd. It’s just a fuckin’ grocery store.”
I've been looking forward to this one since it was announced, and I say you should believe the hype. This is a gory smorgasbord of extreme violence, mayhem, and scathing criticism of 21st century capitalism. Went in for Triana's sick mind paired up with Harding's, came out the other side of a fantastic metaphor for the refusal of the American workforce to treat its workers like people during a time of natural (or infernal) disaster.
I've been looking forward to this one since it was announced, and I say you should believe the hype. This is a gory smorgasbord of extreme violence, mayhem, and scathing criticism of 21st century capitalism. Went in for Triana's sick mind paired up with Harding's, came out the other side of a fantastic metaphor for the refusal of the American workforce to treat its workers like people during a time of natural (or infernal) disaster.
May 31, 2022
Story 5/5
Narration 5/5
What an intense bloodbath!!
I loved it!
This book is so over the top gory and deviant it’s hilarious.
It reminded me of the movie KILL BILL, but on acid, or whatever drugs that make people do insane stuff.
I highly recommend it!
Narration 5/5
What an intense bloodbath!!
I loved it!
This book is so over the top gory and deviant it’s hilarious.
It reminded me of the movie KILL BILL, but on acid, or whatever drugs that make people do insane stuff.
I highly recommend it!
March 27, 2021
When two of the biggest names in Splatterpunk and Extreme horror join forces to deliver a death metal infused bloodbath, you know you’re in for something memorable.
The Freshway grocery store has some new competition. A rival store has just opened and has slowly taken this long-running markets business. Devil’s Food is a new chain of stores with a not-so-subtle secret. They are run by a group of Satan worshippers!
The new store manager at Devil’s Food is looking to make a big impression at his new job and, when he gets wind of a mandatory night shift being run at the Freshway, inspiration strikes. What better way to impress your new dark overlords than with a wholesale massacre? When he leads a select group of his most devout and debauched believers, armed to the teeth, to murder their competitors in the most diabolical ways possible, a lot of blood will be spilt and only one store will be left standing once the night is through.
Anyone who has worked in a grocery store before (or really any kind of retail job) will find this such a relatable (and cathartic) reading experience. The book is filled with petty managers, unreasonable customers and obnoxious colleagues that will be sadly familiar to a lot of readers but, rest assured, Triana and Harding have creatively gruesome and satisfying ends in store for each and every one of them! You’d think they’d run out of supermarket themed deaths to commit to paper but every turn of the page proves there is no limit to the ways rampaging Satanists can dispatch their victims with box cutters, pallet trucks and rotisserie ovens.
Being set in the early 90s, the book is littered with fun nods to the period, which will no doubt appeal to those who grew up during this time. Music (death metal in particular) plays a huge role and it was pleasantly nostalgic to recognise so many of these references. It adds an extra layer of fun to a book that is already an absolute blast.
The Night Stockers may not be either authors' strongest work (my votes would go for The Thirteenth Koyote and Genital Grinder respectively) but it says a lot about each authors talent that such a statement can be made about a book this good. What I especially enjoyed is how the authors subverted expectations in regards to the characters. When you feel like one person is maybe being set up as the hero of the piece, they are killed off suddenly and unexpectedly, when someone else is given traits that usually signify someone will be the first to go, they make it through to the final page. You will constantly be surprised by how these characters react to the events of the book and it makes the story all the more exciting and unpredictable.
The Night Stockers is a blackly funny satire with a blistering pace and enough endlessly inventive blood and gore to satisfy even the most demanding hardcore horror junkie.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/category/...
I also promote indie horror via Twitter and Instagram - @RickReadsHorror
The Freshway grocery store has some new competition. A rival store has just opened and has slowly taken this long-running markets business. Devil’s Food is a new chain of stores with a not-so-subtle secret. They are run by a group of Satan worshippers!
The new store manager at Devil’s Food is looking to make a big impression at his new job and, when he gets wind of a mandatory night shift being run at the Freshway, inspiration strikes. What better way to impress your new dark overlords than with a wholesale massacre? When he leads a select group of his most devout and debauched believers, armed to the teeth, to murder their competitors in the most diabolical ways possible, a lot of blood will be spilt and only one store will be left standing once the night is through.
Anyone who has worked in a grocery store before (or really any kind of retail job) will find this such a relatable (and cathartic) reading experience. The book is filled with petty managers, unreasonable customers and obnoxious colleagues that will be sadly familiar to a lot of readers but, rest assured, Triana and Harding have creatively gruesome and satisfying ends in store for each and every one of them! You’d think they’d run out of supermarket themed deaths to commit to paper but every turn of the page proves there is no limit to the ways rampaging Satanists can dispatch their victims with box cutters, pallet trucks and rotisserie ovens.
Being set in the early 90s, the book is littered with fun nods to the period, which will no doubt appeal to those who grew up during this time. Music (death metal in particular) plays a huge role and it was pleasantly nostalgic to recognise so many of these references. It adds an extra layer of fun to a book that is already an absolute blast.
The Night Stockers may not be either authors' strongest work (my votes would go for The Thirteenth Koyote and Genital Grinder respectively) but it says a lot about each authors talent that such a statement can be made about a book this good. What I especially enjoyed is how the authors subverted expectations in regards to the characters. When you feel like one person is maybe being set up as the hero of the piece, they are killed off suddenly and unexpectedly, when someone else is given traits that usually signify someone will be the first to go, they make it through to the final page. You will constantly be surprised by how these characters react to the events of the book and it makes the story all the more exciting and unpredictable.
The Night Stockers is a blackly funny satire with a blistering pace and enough endlessly inventive blood and gore to satisfy even the most demanding hardcore horror junkie.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/category/...
I also promote indie horror via Twitter and Instagram - @RickReadsHorror
April 24, 2022
The Night Stockers' by authors Kristopher Triana and Ryan Harding is a take no prisoners, dark horror storyline with extreme violence and graphics of the most macabre. The book begins with a group unhappy (late teen - 20 something year old) employees working at the Freshway grocery store who have just been informed they must work the overnight shift - or risk losing their jobs - stocking the shelves and sprucing the store in the hopes of staying competitive with their arch nemesis - Devil's Food groceries. The Devil's Food misfits decide they are going to wreak havoc on The Freshway gang with extreme prejudice, unhinged brutality, and utmost degradation. What ensues is a nonstop frenzy of the most fanatical and profuse nature. With unparalleled graphic, gruesome attacks by the psychopathic animals, who lived for the day they can untether their base instincts and let them take control. Rapes, eviscerations, sexual deviance, decapitations, etcetera, etcetera.... Devil's Food employees want blood, guts and pain. The nonstop profanity, degradation of the females, and brain matter splatter eventually lost its shock value. Only then was I able to redirect my focus to the characters interactions - instead of their innards.
Narrator Chuck Bruge delivers a monumental performance as solo narrator of one intense and unrelenting (10+hrs.) horror- fest. Kudos.
Narrator Chuck Bruge delivers a monumental performance as solo narrator of one intense and unrelenting (10+hrs.) horror- fest. Kudos.
August 8, 2024
HAHAHA. This book was crazy, fun, and freaking outrageous!
That introduction by Triana promised carnage, and that's exactly what I got. Every chapter was filled with death, blood, guts, and visceral splatter.
This is splatterpunk at its finest. The kills were creative, hysterical, and side-splitting. There was one scene with this Fenton guy where I literally clutched my stomach from laughing too hard because of how priceless it was. Not sure if I was supposed to be disgusted, but I was more entertained than repulsed. And that's perfectly okay.
I loved it. I just love it. For a day, I felt like I was surrounded by all the evil things in the world. Bloody amazing book.
That introduction by Triana promised carnage, and that's exactly what I got. Every chapter was filled with death, blood, guts, and visceral splatter.
This is splatterpunk at its finest. The kills were creative, hysterical, and side-splitting. There was one scene with this Fenton guy where I literally clutched my stomach from laughing too hard because of how priceless it was. Not sure if I was supposed to be disgusted, but I was more entertained than repulsed. And that's perfectly okay.
I loved it. I just love it. For a day, I felt like I was surrounded by all the evil things in the world. Bloody amazing book.
September 16, 2023
So, I knew early on that this wasn’t going to be a book I would recommend just based on how horny it was (opening line of chapter one is, “Mila had a great set of tits”), but a lot of the reviews state how fun this was, how it’s a gory horror comedy. Also, in the introduction, Triana said that he doesn’t consider this an extreme horror book because the tone is more comedic- darkly comedic, but based on all that, I thought it would be a fun gorey read while I waited on a few library holds.
This is very solidly extreme horror, so if you like that, you’ll like this. I’ll include a few spoilers below, but yeah, very much not for me.
SPOILERS AHEAD
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This features a child being raped to death, and a pregnant woman’s baby being torn from her stomach and then killed. This is very solidly extreme horror, with all the normal extreme horror things.
This is very solidly extreme horror, so if you like that, you’ll like this. I’ll include a few spoilers below, but yeah, very much not for me.
SPOILERS AHEAD
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This features a child being raped to death, and a pregnant woman’s baby being torn from her stomach and then killed. This is very solidly extreme horror, with all the normal extreme horror things.
March 27, 2021
This book was so much crazy fun, I couldn't put it down! From the awesome slice of brutalness that was the opening chapter, through to the more and more brutal build up to a deliciously bloody end! I loved all the music and film references! There are so many awesome and inventive messed up kills that this seriously needs to be made into a movie!!!! I need to see that shit! 😁 In my opinion, if a book can make you grimace out loud, it's well worth reading, and in this case, it had me grimacing and roaring with laughter at the same time, so it's a definite winner!!! 🤘😍🤘
March 28, 2021
Yes! Amazing, Epic read! Definitely one of my favorites so far this year!
August 7, 2021
I read Full Brutal a while back so not my first rodeo with Triana, and this was my first book by Harding; together, they are masters of mayhem for sure! What would it take to make Edward Lee squirm? Evidently this novel, and that is really saying something. TNS is splatterpunk writ large, underpinned by a gloriously dark humor that had me giggling throughout.
Let me start off saying this was not a complexly plotted work; in fact, the plot is quite simple: Freshway, a supermarket in a small town somewhere, now faces new competition-- Devil's Food. In fact, Devil's Food is exactly what the name implies-- a story 'owned' by Satan and his minions. While Freshway struggles with the competition (and a true asshole of a manager named Todd), the new manager of Devil's Food, with some goading by his upper management to be more aggressive, comes up with an idea to really finish off Freshway, and I mean for good. One day, or night rather, Todd the asshole boss at Freshway 'induces' several employees to work a night shift cleaning the store; once the manager of Devil's Food finds out, he decides that storming the place with some friends and sacrificing the employees for Satan sounds like a great idea...
There are several features of this that make it really stand out. First, it is set in 1992 and the authors had a lot of fun with 80s and early 90s references (music, TV, movies, etc.). Second, they really nailed what working in a grocery store was like then (and still now I suppose). I worked in produce at a grocery store in the early 90s in Denver and the authors must have had some experience as well given the jargon employed here. Third, this is truly a splatterpunk masterpiece laced with extremely gory action sequences that may just take your breath away. We are not talking buckets of blood, but rather tankers of blood. All kinds of 'foo' here and some extremely novel ones at that. The authors must of had a blast writing this!
So picking this up you know you are not going to get puppies and rainbows, but the dark humor amid the gore really pushes this one along. Expect rude 'sex', expect lots of blood, expect some crazy action, and expect experiencing what it is like to work in retail with a real asshole as a manager. If this does not win some awards, I will be shocked. 5 stars!!
Let me start off saying this was not a complexly plotted work; in fact, the plot is quite simple: Freshway, a supermarket in a small town somewhere, now faces new competition-- Devil's Food. In fact, Devil's Food is exactly what the name implies-- a story 'owned' by Satan and his minions. While Freshway struggles with the competition (and a true asshole of a manager named Todd), the new manager of Devil's Food, with some goading by his upper management to be more aggressive, comes up with an idea to really finish off Freshway, and I mean for good. One day, or night rather, Todd the asshole boss at Freshway 'induces' several employees to work a night shift cleaning the store; once the manager of Devil's Food finds out, he decides that storming the place with some friends and sacrificing the employees for Satan sounds like a great idea...
There are several features of this that make it really stand out. First, it is set in 1992 and the authors had a lot of fun with 80s and early 90s references (music, TV, movies, etc.). Second, they really nailed what working in a grocery store was like then (and still now I suppose). I worked in produce at a grocery store in the early 90s in Denver and the authors must have had some experience as well given the jargon employed here. Third, this is truly a splatterpunk masterpiece laced with extremely gory action sequences that may just take your breath away. We are not talking buckets of blood, but rather tankers of blood. All kinds of 'foo' here and some extremely novel ones at that. The authors must of had a blast writing this!
So picking this up you know you are not going to get puppies and rainbows, but the dark humor amid the gore really pushes this one along. Expect rude 'sex', expect lots of blood, expect some crazy action, and expect experiencing what it is like to work in retail with a real asshole as a manager. If this does not win some awards, I will be shocked. 5 stars!!
April 8, 2021
This book kicked ass and was a fun filled bloodbath. This book is a masterpiece of splatter punk horror\comedy cuz I laughed a lot throughout this book. Night stickers was such an awesome original story. Talk about killing your competition lol. I would recommend this to anyone that likes extreme horror this is one of the coolest crazy and fun books I've read in awhile definitely will get a physical copy of this one to go on the shelf.
May 9, 2026
THE NIGHT STOCKERS [2021] by Kristopher Triana & Ryan Harding
My Review Five Stars
Attention shoppers! ... Filled with bone-crushing carnage and the heaviest metal, this one promises customer satisfaction. (Amazon)
This novel was the result of a collaboration between award-winning horror authors Kristopher Triana and Ryan Harding. The book was initially published in 2021 by The Evil Cookie Publishing and Bad Dream Books. In 2022 Triana and Harding won the 2022 Splatterpunk Award for Best Horror Novel . Bad Dream Books released a Kindle Edition in 2024 which is the version I read.
In May this year, five years after its initial publication, it was nominated for Group Read of the Month on Splatterpunk Horror Book Club. This was a special voting opportunity for members to nominate novels which had been nominees or won the coveted Splatterpunk Award for Best Horror Novel . The Moderator’s “novel” idea was inspirational and exciting in my opinion. I was pleased when The Night Stockers was chosen by popular vote as a winner.
I am chagrined to admit that this novel had been gathering proverbial dust on my Unread Bookshelf for a long time. That is somewhat unusual in that Triana is among my top five favorite horror authors. I have been a die-hard fan since I read his most popular book to date Going to See the River Man . The co-author Ryan Harding has also been honored with awards and has been unofficially dubbed The unsung master of hardcore horror… I loved Transcendental Mutilation which showcased his tremendous talent. It won the Splatterpunk Award as a collection while also including two Award Winning tales.
The legendary Edward Lee was quoted as saying that "Joining Ryan Harding with Kristopher Triana as a writing team is like smacking two pieces of uranium together…” That is aptly described in my opinion. Their combined talent created a Horror/Comedy Splatterpunk masterpiece. It has been called a “gory, comedic splatterpunk horror novel” and I would add that it is a brilliant work of black humor, exotic devil worshippers, and delivers an original plot with unparalleled violence and creative gore.
In broad strokes, The Night Stockers (a clever play on words) is about two grocery chains, both with stores in competing close proximities. There is “Freshway” a typical grocery store and the nearby “Devil’s Food” staffed with Satanists who are an arm of a larger demonic operation. There is a rivalry on the side of the Satanic Cult which erupts into an armed cadre of bloodthirsty Devil worshipers storming the unsuspecting store. Freshway employees are pulling an all-night cleanup at the store which was mandated by their heartless manager. So let us break this novel down to its most descriptive components with no spoilers.
The Night Stockers is a gourmet dish of the most satisfying Splatterpunk I have had the privilege to experience. Its components consist of extreme violence (the creativity vested in writing the kill scenes was impossibly perfect from this dynamic duo), dark humor (I have never laughed out loud so frequently keeping company with any other horror comedy), and ‘90’s death metal/retail setting. Both Kris and Ryan were previously employed in retail sales when young men and caricaturized the characters in the novel but wrote the narrative from a true experience perspective. In effect it amounts to a social commentary on the dehumanizing nature of retail work.
90’s death metal is integral to the plot, and readers are treated to a basic education relative to the death metal/horror culture of the 1980’s – 1990’s. Both Triana and Harding possess an encyclopedic knowledge and undying appreciation for death metal and the dawn of Splatterpunk . Each chapter title in The Night Stockers is derived from a death metal song in tribute. Death metal (extreme subgenre of heavy metal) is known for its dark and morbid themes. Fans will enjoy Kris and Ryan’s background stories about their introduction and subsequent submersion into the death metal culture of the 80’s – 90’s.
The storyline snagged me like a Largemouth Bass on a treble hook in a moss-covered farm pond. The visage of visceral violence paired with penetrating, perverse humor remained constant and enthralling from the first page to the final sentence. A couple of the writing style techniques I especially enjoyed were multiperspectivity and abrupt scene changes (mini cliffhangers). The reader was immersed in the chaos with a window into the innermost thoughts of victims, protagonists of the grocery store, and also the Satanist cult members. Abrupt scene changes were deftly manipulated and left the reader hanging with an evil Devil’s Food villain closing in on a sympathetic Freshway employee.
Character development was very good in this chilling comedy and included main characters in both the opposing camps. This enhanced my enjoyment as a reader. It is worth mentioning that Triana is characteristically not oppositional to main characters and/or sympathetic protagonists meeting horrible fates. It is wise not to form attachments in his works of horror. The visage of visceral violence paired with penetrating, perverse humor remains constant and enthralling from the first page to the final sentence.
A REAL WINNER IN ALL WAYS FROM TRIANA-HARDING
January 1, 2022
It's Clerks meets Assault On Precinct 13.
It's Intruder meets The Warriors.
It's Dawn of the Dead meets Rosemary's Baby.
It's none of those things because it's altogether too original to be classified that easily.
I'm talking about The Night Stockers by Triana and Harding, a true masterpiece of absurdity and gore.
Freshway is struggling now that Devil's Food has opened up across the road, stealing customers as well as some of the staff. In a desperate, albeit transparently futile, attempt to combat the erosion of the bottom line, Todd demands that most of this Freshway staff work an unexpected overnight shift for deep cleaning and stocking. A miserable night is soon to become altogether worse as the Freshway staff learns that competition between grocery stores can not only be fierce, it can be deadly.
It stands to reason something like that would have to happen when the Devil's Food chain is owned and operated by Satan. Fueled by a desire to live up to the expectation of his dark lord--and his petty impulse to seek vengeance against the Freshway manager who helped drive him to the dark embrace of Devil's Food--Desmond decides he and his staff will be destroying the competition. Of course, even with Satan on his side, Desmond and his crew of miscreants might have a bit more on their plate than he could anticipate.
Equal parts an homage to death metal of the late 80s and early 90s and the early days of splatterpunk horror, the authors create a world that feels entirely real so that they can do the most unreal and unspeakable things to the people populating that world. Drawing from their own experiences working in retail during that period as well as their lasting appreciation for the music that finds itself repeatedly referenced throughout the narrative, Triana and Harding successfully bring the world of Freshway to life--for the express purpose of converting it into a funhouse of death and dismemberment.
Filled to the brim with graphic sex and violence, often in tandem, The Night Stockers becomes a barrage of viscera and perverse humor that remains constant from the first to the final page.
It's Intruder meets The Warriors.
It's Dawn of the Dead meets Rosemary's Baby.
It's none of those things because it's altogether too original to be classified that easily.
I'm talking about The Night Stockers by Triana and Harding, a true masterpiece of absurdity and gore.
Freshway is struggling now that Devil's Food has opened up across the road, stealing customers as well as some of the staff. In a desperate, albeit transparently futile, attempt to combat the erosion of the bottom line, Todd demands that most of this Freshway staff work an unexpected overnight shift for deep cleaning and stocking. A miserable night is soon to become altogether worse as the Freshway staff learns that competition between grocery stores can not only be fierce, it can be deadly.
It stands to reason something like that would have to happen when the Devil's Food chain is owned and operated by Satan. Fueled by a desire to live up to the expectation of his dark lord--and his petty impulse to seek vengeance against the Freshway manager who helped drive him to the dark embrace of Devil's Food--Desmond decides he and his staff will be destroying the competition. Of course, even with Satan on his side, Desmond and his crew of miscreants might have a bit more on their plate than he could anticipate.
Equal parts an homage to death metal of the late 80s and early 90s and the early days of splatterpunk horror, the authors create a world that feels entirely real so that they can do the most unreal and unspeakable things to the people populating that world. Drawing from their own experiences working in retail during that period as well as their lasting appreciation for the music that finds itself repeatedly referenced throughout the narrative, Triana and Harding successfully bring the world of Freshway to life--for the express purpose of converting it into a funhouse of death and dismemberment.
Filled to the brim with graphic sex and violence, often in tandem, The Night Stockers becomes a barrage of viscera and perverse humor that remains constant from the first to the final page.
August 25, 2021
Have you ever picked up a book immediately because a friend mentioned some small part of it that grabbed your attention?
This was that book for me. Matt Redmon said and I quote “ it’s really fucked up and it’s worse than dead inside to me” and he wasn’t wrong. The part he was referring to was really fucked up.
Night stockers by Kristopher Triana and Ryan Harding is a splatterpunk horror book about a night in a retail nightmare. I’ve worked in a grocery store and it’s a literal nightmare! Don’t even get me started on the bathroom stories. I absolutely hated when it was my turn to clean them.
It was extremely gruesome but we couldn’t expect anything less from these two authors. Lots of parts had me wanting to vomit but there was also a lot of humor in it too. I highlighted soooo many lines in this one but this was my favorite line 👇🏻
“we have our own core values. Serving our community isn’t one of them, and neither is putting up with the unreasonable complaints of diseased cunts like you. Our core values are to make money, take care of our store’s family, crush our competition, and please our owner.”
This was that book for me. Matt Redmon said and I quote “ it’s really fucked up and it’s worse than dead inside to me” and he wasn’t wrong. The part he was referring to was really fucked up.
Night stockers by Kristopher Triana and Ryan Harding is a splatterpunk horror book about a night in a retail nightmare. I’ve worked in a grocery store and it’s a literal nightmare! Don’t even get me started on the bathroom stories. I absolutely hated when it was my turn to clean them.
It was extremely gruesome but we couldn’t expect anything less from these two authors. Lots of parts had me wanting to vomit but there was also a lot of humor in it too. I highlighted soooo many lines in this one but this was my favorite line 👇🏻
“we have our own core values. Serving our community isn’t one of them, and neither is putting up with the unreasonable complaints of diseased cunts like you. Our core values are to make money, take care of our store’s family, crush our competition, and please our owner.”
December 1, 2021
Two great authors writing a splatterpunk novel. This is about a Satanic grocery store. There are a lot of characters in this book. The gore is ramped up to 11 in this novel. The Last half of the book is a gorefest. I loved how the writing just flowed.
March 29, 2021
Splatterpunk fun from start to finish.
November 10, 2023
A wild, batshit crazy book, that cranks the violence to 100
April 17, 2021
Just...freaking....insane!
July 30, 2023
"Devil's Food aims to be the most powerful grocery chain in the world. We've slashed prices - now we're slashing souls."
If you love your horror extra gritty, I suggest you join the crew of Freshway for a nightshift straight from Hell!! What an absolute fucked up, splatter filled ride!! This one is gore from beginning to end and I loved it!
If you love your horror extra gritty, I suggest you join the crew of Freshway for a nightshift straight from Hell!! What an absolute fucked up, splatter filled ride!! This one is gore from beginning to end and I loved it!
April 10, 2021
Two competitive grocery stores, Freshway and Devils’s Food, vie for commitment and excellence in customer service. Freshway: a known business of the community prides itself as a stable pillar of success. Devil’s Food: a newly established supermarket that services the Dark Lord and will stop at nothing to crush the competition...literally.
The Night Stockers is written by Splatterpunk award winners Kristopher Triana & Ryan Harding, a collaboration that is a match made in Hell. Written with a heavy dose of vile depravity, these authors are dedicated to give the reader a gore soaked adventure into the service industry. Having the plot centered around an everyday familiar location brings some realism to the over-the-top savagery bestowed on the unexpected. From the Bakery Department to the Meat Counter to the Frozen Food aisles, no area is safe from the inflictions of weaponry such as box cutters, cardboard balers and frozen turkeys. Not since the biblical conventional themes of good vs evil has there been such an onslaught of carnage warfare.
In addition, the book is encompassed by a soundtrack of Death and Doom Metal. Bands such as Obituary, Malevolent Creation, Immolation and Venom accompany the gruesome blood shed. This interactive quality of writing nails the “take it for what it is” dark atmosphere of Triana & Harding. Warning...this book is rated SP for ear splitting metal and full frontal brutality.
Horror Bookworm tips for shopping at The Devil’s Food grocery store: Always check for expiration dates before purchasing. Browse the sale items for bargain buys. If you hear “clean up on aisle 666” over the store’s intercom immediately push your cart towards the front end for a speedy checkout. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 / 5
The Night Stockers is written by Splatterpunk award winners Kristopher Triana & Ryan Harding, a collaboration that is a match made in Hell. Written with a heavy dose of vile depravity, these authors are dedicated to give the reader a gore soaked adventure into the service industry. Having the plot centered around an everyday familiar location brings some realism to the over-the-top savagery bestowed on the unexpected. From the Bakery Department to the Meat Counter to the Frozen Food aisles, no area is safe from the inflictions of weaponry such as box cutters, cardboard balers and frozen turkeys. Not since the biblical conventional themes of good vs evil has there been such an onslaught of carnage warfare.
In addition, the book is encompassed by a soundtrack of Death and Doom Metal. Bands such as Obituary, Malevolent Creation, Immolation and Venom accompany the gruesome blood shed. This interactive quality of writing nails the “take it for what it is” dark atmosphere of Triana & Harding. Warning...this book is rated SP for ear splitting metal and full frontal brutality.
Horror Bookworm tips for shopping at The Devil’s Food grocery store: Always check for expiration dates before purchasing. Browse the sale items for bargain buys. If you hear “clean up on aisle 666” over the store’s intercom immediately push your cart towards the front end for a speedy checkout. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 / 5
November 15, 2022
WOW. Non-stop carnage from front to back. This blew my mind. I set out to read something original in plot and this is definitely different. Hard pressed to find something more original than this.
Two competing grocery chains, one ran by Satan worshipers. Things get bloody when the two meet head on during an overnight shift. This was filled with back to back graphic and depraved scenes of horrific violence so if that not your thing, don’t pick this up. However if you’re like me, you’ll be annoyed that you have a job & responsibilities taking you away from reading more.
Get this book.
Two competing grocery chains, one ran by Satan worshipers. Things get bloody when the two meet head on during an overnight shift. This was filled with back to back graphic and depraved scenes of horrific violence so if that not your thing, don’t pick this up. However if you’re like me, you’ll be annoyed that you have a job & responsibilities taking you away from reading more.
Get this book.
March 28, 2021
Review coming soon! WOW! Best of 2021/All Time book here! ☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
March 27, 2021
Triana and Harding Kill the Competition!
First off I would like to say a very special thank you to Drew Stepek, owner of Godless Horrors, for letting me have the privilege of being a part of The Godless Hype Horde. I also would like to thank K Trap Jones of The Evil Cookie Publishing, my fellow Hype Horde companions, and of course Mr. Triana and Mr. Harding for a freaking amazing killer ride. Visit http://www.godless.com today to get your copy of The Night Stockers by Kristopher Triana and Ryan Harding!
The Night Stockers is a brilliant, unique, and perfectly executed maddening melee maelstrom of a Splatterpunk novel! The plot is woven in a fine manner with so much ‘90s culture thrown in it is a blast. Triana and Harding collaborated amazingly, and in my opinion knocked this out of the park!
The Night Stockers is a story about two competing grocery stores near one another. As Devil’s Food moves into town they start to encroach on Freshway’s sales. The year is 1992. The manager at Freshway , Todd, is a piece of work. He decides that he is going to make all employees work a night shift to completely overhaul and clean the store like a grand opening. He says he wants his store in this condition every day. Many of the workers really don’t want to, or don’t have the means to work this night shift. However, Todd tells them they either work it or hit the road. Many will soon regret not walking away after this night.
Devil’s Food is ran by former assistant manager of Freshway, Desmond. As you may gather from the store’s name they are not so kosher. This store is full of a bunch of death metal head, orgy, and Satan worshiping freaks. As the ultimate gift to their dark lord Desmond decides they are literally going to take out the competition, and storm Freshway.
As the onslaught of Freshway begins it is a never ending madness of blood, gore, and dark humor. Triana and Harding keep you redlined for the rest of the book, and they do not take their foot off the pedal! Who will come out on top? Who will live to see another day? Who will be left for cleanup on aisle 666?
The Night Stockers is an engrossing read! I really could not put this down, and I blazed through the pages. The characters are so well written, and I grew attached to some and loathed others. It was a waiting game if pins and needles to see if my favored choices would live or die. I did not have this one figured out at ALL! My blood was pumping, and it was an intense fun ride. Not to mention the great dark humor thrown in. The ending was pure satisfaction, and I cannot complain.
Overall, I have to give The Night Stockers by Kristopher Triana and Ryan Harding five bloody stars out of five stars! I think my thoughts already have spoke on my decision. I loved every minute, I couldn’t put it down, and I was satisfied at the end. I didn’t feel left hanging or wanting more. However, I wouldn’t mind more, and in fact I have more of both Triana’s and Harding’s works that I own to read. I look forward to that immensely! Until next time, my friends.
First off I would like to say a very special thank you to Drew Stepek, owner of Godless Horrors, for letting me have the privilege of being a part of The Godless Hype Horde. I also would like to thank K Trap Jones of The Evil Cookie Publishing, my fellow Hype Horde companions, and of course Mr. Triana and Mr. Harding for a freaking amazing killer ride. Visit http://www.godless.com today to get your copy of The Night Stockers by Kristopher Triana and Ryan Harding!
The Night Stockers is a brilliant, unique, and perfectly executed maddening melee maelstrom of a Splatterpunk novel! The plot is woven in a fine manner with so much ‘90s culture thrown in it is a blast. Triana and Harding collaborated amazingly, and in my opinion knocked this out of the park!
The Night Stockers is a story about two competing grocery stores near one another. As Devil’s Food moves into town they start to encroach on Freshway’s sales. The year is 1992. The manager at Freshway , Todd, is a piece of work. He decides that he is going to make all employees work a night shift to completely overhaul and clean the store like a grand opening. He says he wants his store in this condition every day. Many of the workers really don’t want to, or don’t have the means to work this night shift. However, Todd tells them they either work it or hit the road. Many will soon regret not walking away after this night.
Devil’s Food is ran by former assistant manager of Freshway, Desmond. As you may gather from the store’s name they are not so kosher. This store is full of a bunch of death metal head, orgy, and Satan worshiping freaks. As the ultimate gift to their dark lord Desmond decides they are literally going to take out the competition, and storm Freshway.
As the onslaught of Freshway begins it is a never ending madness of blood, gore, and dark humor. Triana and Harding keep you redlined for the rest of the book, and they do not take their foot off the pedal! Who will come out on top? Who will live to see another day? Who will be left for cleanup on aisle 666?
The Night Stockers is an engrossing read! I really could not put this down, and I blazed through the pages. The characters are so well written, and I grew attached to some and loathed others. It was a waiting game if pins and needles to see if my favored choices would live or die. I did not have this one figured out at ALL! My blood was pumping, and it was an intense fun ride. Not to mention the great dark humor thrown in. The ending was pure satisfaction, and I cannot complain.
Overall, I have to give The Night Stockers by Kristopher Triana and Ryan Harding five bloody stars out of five stars! I think my thoughts already have spoke on my decision. I loved every minute, I couldn’t put it down, and I was satisfied at the end. I didn’t feel left hanging or wanting more. However, I wouldn’t mind more, and in fact I have more of both Triana’s and Harding’s works that I own to read. I look forward to that immensely! Until next time, my friends.
January 20, 2023
I liked it! Very gory and I love metal so it's even better. But don't expect the biggest plot, it's really like a slasher. Not much story but tons of brutality.
Several Easter eggs, metal songs, horror movies reference and very creative. + 1 star
Grunge and Death Metal are equal in my heart, sorry but Pearl Jam is awesome.
Several Easter eggs, metal songs, horror movies reference and very creative. + 1 star
Grunge and Death Metal are equal in my heart, sorry but Pearl Jam is awesome.
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