Terrace VI: Forbidden Fruit

Purgatorio #2

by Robert Bose, Sarah L. Johnson, Mike Thorn

Welcome to the Sixth Terrace of Dante’s tower of Purgatory, serving up sins of gluttony in an eternal banquet. On this carefully curated menu you’ll find children stuffing themselves to death, a forgotten saviour gorging on cheeseburgers between bareknuckle rounds on the roadhouse circuit, wealthy socialites revel in an orgiastic alien feast, and the end of days as seen through an apocalyptic carnival of indulgence. Excessive consumption also manifests in darker hungers, for cruelty, for distraction, or possession. A pair of grifters bent on having it all chase a Scottish leprechaun across the English countryside, a newly deceased addict vies for the attention of Heavenly Higher Ups, degenerate poker players gamble with unforeseen currency, and when an old lady swallows a fly, it’s just the beginning…

Featuring nine stories of grotesque appetite and glorious excess from a gory gaggle of creators, they say too much of anything is poison, yet these condemned swallow each piece of forbidden fruit while reaching for the next, never to be sated. They can’t help themselves. Can you?

Stories and art by: Mike Thorn (Darkest Hours, Shelter for the Damned), Robin van Eck (Rough), Eddie Generous (Camp Summit, What Lurks Beneath, Behemoth Rising), Julie Hiner (Final Track), Konn Lavery (Mental Damnation Series, Rutherford Manor Series), Cam Hayden (Futility, Red Flag), Sarah L. Johnson (Suicide Stitch, Infractus) and Robert Bose (Fishing with the Devil).

286 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 7, 2021

About the author

Robert Bose grew up on a farm in southern Alberta spending every free moment reading Fritz Leiber, Karl Edward Wagner, Michael Shea, Brian Lumley and whatever pulp and dark fiction he could get his dirty hands on. He's the editor of a variety of books and anthologies for The Seventh Terrace and Coffin Hop Press, and the author of myriad short stories including the fiendish collection Fishing with the Devil, Terrace VII: Wall of Fire, and Terrace VI: Forbidden Fruit. When not writing, editing, publishing and running unfathomable long ultramarathons, he spends his time pestering his troublesome children, and working as a software architect for a small economic forecasting software company.

Reviews

[Taija Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super gross. Loved it. 5 Twisted Belching Stars.

To set the stage for what’s going to be a super long review, (no idea if there’s any validity to this) I heard a legend years ago that suggested the author Chuck Palahniuk had once done a reading in a local bookstore and he’d handed out bacon-scented air fresheners to the attendees before reading a truly repulsive passage that, combined with the bacon stimulus, had listeners literally barfing on the carpet, resulting in a ban for life from said store (and new carpeting). And I thought to myself, wow, that right there is the absolute pinnacle of achievement as a writer if you can evoke such a visceral reaction from a reader. Life goals! Folks, this anthology tops even that, because you will not need any bacon-scented air freshener to feel your body’s visceral reaction to the word-pictures herein.

If you have a sensitive stomach, pop a gravol before you dig in, but don’t let anything stop you from consuming your fill—this anthology is all about gluttony, after all. A collection of 9 short stories, the anthology is set in the frame of a parody “crowdfunder” for a diabolical cookbook, which has gone sideways. It’s a hilarious framing choice that ties all the stories together within the world of Dante’s Tower of Purgatory (this book is set on Terrace VI, following Wall of Fire set on Terrace VII—so if you’re new to the anthologies, imagine an apartment building and each floor of the building is represented as one of the seven deadly sins and given its own anthology, more or less).

Vomitus Bacchanalius by Mike Thorn – Reminiscent of the great sci-fi classic “To Serve Man” (The Twilight Zone, 1959) this one has a totally gross and disturbing (in the best possible way) plot surrounding a vomitorium and a vomit-inducing yet orgasmically delicious “lagno” (which I’m interpreting to be like lasagna and yes that does make it grosser). I definitely barfed in my mouth a little…when someone barfed in the MC’s mouth. Brilliant writing and worldbuilding. You’ll be immersed, disturbed, and nauseated.

The Accidental Dominatrix by Sarah Johnson – MC Ashley is left with ex’s evil hell cat, posts an ad while drunk for pet care, and someone shows up in a gimp suit. Weirdness ensues. Top-shelf deadpan humour with a hearty helping of desperate, hollow yearning. Spectacular prose style and voice.

Naked Samantha by Eddie Generous – A deranged poker game; everyone who dies deserves to. Quite satisfying, actually. A crisp and intriguing writing style that lends to a unique voice.

Fat Apocalypse by Robin Van Eck – A modern take on a dystopia that’s all too realistic… I don’t want to spoil it, but I really enjoyed this one. Rich, vivid details and imagery, along with a great sense of setting.

Cheeseburger Philosophy by Robert Bose – A noir-style roadhouse with a biblical twist. Such a strong voice. Sharp dialogue and mesmerizing characters. You’ll want to drink this story like a smooth Corsair Triple Smoke bourbon.

Gluttony by Cam Hayden – Comic strip (or graphic story?) of an insatiable old granny. Enjoyed the addition of art in the book!

Death Shot by Konn Lavery – A coke binge, a high stakes letter, and a chat with a cute girl in purgatory. A compelling look at addiction, rationalization, and rock bottom with an otherworldly twist.

Tuny by Julie Hiner – A young girl with body image issues massively miscalculates the quantity of food she can reasonably consume on Thanksgiving to disastrous and horrifying results. Phenomenal level of sensory detail that will leave you absolutely reeling.

Gravesend by Sarah Johnson and Robert Bose – Trace and Solomon are back! A librarian is tricked by a playboy leprechaun grifter and hires Trace and Solomon to get back at him. Adventure ensues. A perfect ending to wrap up the anthology with recurring characters I loved in the first one. Killer writing.

The Epicureanomicon – That’s right, you actually get the promised “crowdfunded” cookbook. Each author contributed a recipe based on their story. You may not have the supplies on hand to actually try them all, but some you could (plus, there are a lot of vegans around these days). Such a fun idea!

In conclusion to this super long review…if you like things in the general vein of Chuck Palahniuk (Invisible Monsters, Lullaby) or Clive Barker (Cold Heart Canyon), You. Will. Be. So. Satisfied. This is definitely the kind of anthology that’s ultra-weird, dark, twisted, and wonderful—not your typical watered-down mass-consumer collection—so you have to have a particular taste for the uncensored underbelly of indie horror, and if you have that taste, this is for you. Check out this awesome anthology for some truly stomach-churning, gluttonous delights, along with The Seventh Terrace’s many other top-quality offerings.

[Dawn Hebert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since the first one was a collection of short stories, I kinda knew what I was getting Into with this one. And I will say, that it was definitely better then I anticipated. I don't read a lot of short stories, it's just not my cup of tea, but I did get enjoyment out of this one. I found it a little easier to follow and a little less Chaotic then the first. I enjoyed some of the stories more then others, like one does with short stories. I also feel like this particular collection, went a little more hand in hand with the tower, or sin, of gluttony. It took me a WAY longer to read then planned, but RL decided it didn't like my plans of trying to finish this book in a timely manner.

I particularly enjoyed that they were trying to make a cook book, and you could follow the publication in-between the stories. Only to actually get the book and the end.