Goblins on the Other Side

by Carlton Mellick III

For almost 20 years, Carlton Mellick III has been writing some of the strangest and most compelling novels the bizarro fiction genre has to offer. Described as one of the top 40 science-fiction writers under the age of 40 by The Guardian and "one of the most original novelists working today" by extreme horror legend Edward Lee, Mellick returns with a dark children's fantasy story in the vein of Labyrinth and Where the Wild Things Are.

Genres: Bizarro Fiction, Horror, Novella, Fantasy

146 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2022

About the author

Carlton Mellick III (July 2, 1977, Phoenix, Arizona) is an American author currently residing in Portland, Oregon. He calls his style of writing "avant-punk," and is currently one of the leading authors in the recent 'Bizarro' movement in underground literature[citation needed] with Steve Aylett, Chris Genoa and D. Harlan Wilson.

Mellick's work has been described as a combination of trashy schlock sci-fi/horror and postmodern literary art. His novels explore surreal versions of earth in contemporary society and imagined futures, commonly focusing on social absurdities and satire.

Carlton Mellick III started writing at the age of ten and completed twelve novels by the age of eighteen. Only one of these early novels, "Electric Jesus Corpse", ever made it to print.

He is best known for his first novel Satan Burger and its sequel Punk Land. Satan Burger was translated into Russian and published by Ultra Culture in 2005. It was part of a four book series called Brave New World, which also featured Virtual Light by William Gibson, City Come A Walkin by John Shirley, and Tea from an Empty Cup by Pat Cadigan.

In the late 90's, he formed a collective for offbeat authors which included D. Harlan Wilson, Kevin L. Donihe, Vincent Sakowski, among others, and the publishing company Eraserhead Press. This scene evolved into the Bizarro fiction movement in 2005.

In addition to writing, Mellick is an artist and musician.

Reviews

[Danger]

Love the setting for this and the central conflict. And as religious satire, I think it really works well. Just wish it was a little longer and we were able to dig into some machinations of Heaven a bit more. It seemed like such a rich and mysterious place.

[L.S. Popovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A memorable read. CM3 seems fond of depicting twisted afterlife scenarios, as in his Boy with a Chainsaw Heart and Ugly Heaven. He may be another atheist borrowing heavily from Christian imagery, but he has a unique imagination which is always striking, managing to revitalize tired tropes with elegant imagery and superb storytelling. This is one of his least grotesque books, with that whimsical Goosebumps vibe you will also find in Bad Box. He writes children characters convincingly, and their actions often lead to heartwarming and heartbreaking moments (see Sweet Story for the prime example). You won't have to rinse your mind out after reading this, but it will likely stick with you for a while. His books often raise more questions than they answer, but the consistent perspective and page-turner pace have a similar effect on me to s-f short stories. The purpose of a short story or novella of this kind is to posit a chain of events and to play them out in an entertaining way. Loose ends will dangle and unexplained phenomena will always occur.

Goblins and a fantastical treehouse amid an afterlife town accessible to the living support the setting of this engaging one-sitting read.

[Matthew Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yo… no way am I first to review again . . . so much room for activities!

I loved the way this read similar to Mousetrap (my #1 fave) and also really enjoyed the kid characters.

Spoiler

Wasn’t the biggest fan of the end section with Big John and the fire-jumping but overall it’s a solid book I’d read again someday.

[Dana’s Swamp Monster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been meaning to read a Carlton Mellick ever since “The Haunted Vagina” started making the rounds on my Facebook book clubs (every 4 months or so it’ll crop up as a funny reminder).

I was pretty confident I’d love this book, and I was right. 5 Stars, amazing, couldn’t get enough! The setting was fabulous, Nora was a right little madam, and the book was the perfect length. Everything was described in just the right amount of detail, without waffling on.

I’ve immediately started reading The Ultra Fuckers and I’m fearing for my bank account right now .. I buy most of my books from charity shops, but these are definitely worth buying new!! (Somehow I can’t imagine seeing these books in my local British Heart Foundation).

I’m so excited to read more - I think I just found my new favourite genre 😈👹

[Shevek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Creo que es el primer libro de Mellick al que doy menos de 3 estrellas. El autor pone el foco en una versión retorcida del funcionamiento del cielo religioso, al cual se puede acceder en vida a hacer visitas. Nuestra protagonista es una niña descreída y pasota que va a visitar a su abuela y conoce los entresijos del funcionamiento del cielo, dándose cuenta de que, si sigue comportándose igual, acabará allí ejerciendo una especie de papel equilibrador. No hay nada especialmente bien resuelto aquí. Ni la creación de mundo/entorno es demasiado llamativa, ni los personajes ni la trama se desarrollan de una forma sugerente o llamativa. Un libro muy plano e incluso blanco para ser de este autor.

[Ollie-Lee Regan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In heaven you should only think positive thoughts. Nora is a nine year old girl who is being forced to visit her grandmother in heaven. She doesn't see the the point and is not given a clear understanding of why she has to dress like a goblin when you go outside.
Not my favorite story by Carlton Mellick III, it felt like a bizarro story for children, which he did state at the beginning of the book that he had this idea when he was a kid.

[Tara Losacano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastical, bizarre story by CM3! I loved our character Nora, she was a pessimistic little girl that just didn't give a shit about others but she knew how to enjoy herself and all that matters, right? I never could guess which direction this tale was headed, per usual for Mellick, and I really enjoyed it! 4/5 heavenly skulls 💀

[Ninja · Rating 3 out of 5]

About a girl whose family pop off to heaven with her for a visit to a dead relative, and their young daughter breaks the rules and ends up in some strife with some other inhabitants of heaven. This one got more interesting as it went along, and drew some interesting conclusions on the afterlife and good and evil, but overall was fairly average.

[B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this book are horrific (from a bookworm perspective) but in all honesty, overall this book was neat (though if you're looking for a redemption arc, you won't find that here). Gotta love bizarro fiction - and Mellick continues to be the best.

[Jazzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down. Great read.

[Samaire Wynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good, if a little short.

[Dean Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this to my girlfriend, she enjoyed it too.

[marcus ghee · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice quick lil sci-fi story

[Ashley Dougherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was really digging the heaven vibe but the whole goblin thing really overtook it all and made it weird. Would have liked more heaven stuff. Or maybe a book that looks at hell. Ended very abruptly.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part of bizarre fiction, It is an interesting twist on visiting the afterlife. 

[Creola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it so much. 😍

[Plus Size Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is gonna make you think. Invite your friends, specifically the conspiracy theorist and religious debaters and do a book club over some tacos and tequila.

Ten-year-old Nora is a pessimist. She's an unhappy camper and could give a rat's ass about visiting her dead grandma in heaven. Her mom is a total bitch that lies vs being real with her kids and fails to pass on seriously important info in regard to the dangers that lurk in the shadows of the heavenly kingdom.

Carlton does an amazing job presenting us with an alternate view of the afterlife, the meaning of life, and the capitalist mindset.

There are so many twists and turns and theories that flooded my mind while reading this. Without spoiling it I will say this...

Nora is told to save herself she must find inner happiness... Her happiness sounds like Chucky's laughter after he just slaughtered another rando.

Trigger Warnings: Dead Children, Religious Debate

[✮ osanna aoki ✮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in just a few hours. It’s a short, fun novella full of satire that takes us through nine year old Nora’s heavenly adventure.

The first book I ever read by CM3 was Apeshit (which I loved), so with this one being my second, I was fairly surprised at how quickly his writing and ideas had shift gears. I enjoyed it! This time around, there wasn’t any gore or murderous rampages, but rather a bizarre version of heaven that consists of a witchy, deep-toned setting, mean yet dead children known as goblins, and a pair of undead kids who help Nora fight off her attackers.

I don’t have anything negative to say, except that I wish it was a little longer. Otherwise, this is a nice book to breeze through.