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The Steel Breakfast Era: The Decadent Return of the Hi-Fi Queen and Her Embryonic Reptile Infection
THE STEEL BREAKFAST ERA by Carlton Mellick III (w/ tattoos by Pooch) A nightmarishly absurd story that is like Re-Animator meets Naked Lunch during the zombie apocalypse. The living dead conquered the Earth almost a century ago, leaving only small isolated communities of survivors spread across the shattered-earwig landscape. One such community has been locked away in a New York City high-rise. Breeding like cockroaches for many generations, their civilization has almost completely deteriorated into a mess of insane ones and those infested with parasites that mutate flesh into steel-string sculptures. There is nothing to live for, no chance for hope. Except for one man, not yet effected by the parasites, who finds hope after he creates a wife out of the human body parts that litter the hallways and gets rescued by a group of zombie-shredding warriors from Japan (where the citizens have evolved into anime-like mechazoid characters). This tattoo-illustrated avant-garde novel is cult author Carlton Mellick III at his darkest and most horrific. THE DECADENT RETURN OF THE HI-FI QUEEN AND HER EMBRYONIC REPTILE INFECTION by Simon Logan The Hi-Fi Queen is resurrected after almost being killed in an ambush by another gang and rises once more to claim back the territory that was once hers. Set in a world of constant gang warfare and corporate subterfuge, she must first re-brand herself then assemble a new crew to help her in her fight. Pirate radio broadcasters, graffiti artists, black-marketing men and skaters alike are all caught up in her quest for revenge, for not only must the gang be strong ... but it must have a proper marketing campaign to match. In HI-FI QUEEN, Logan takes us deeper into his world of industrial-style fiction, expanding upon the grounding set forth in his highly successful underground hit I-O and bringing it to another level with threads of dark, bleak humour.
172 pages, Paperback
First published December 11, 2003
6 people are currently reading
273 people want to read
About the author
Carlton Mellick III
119 books2,168 followersCarlton 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 3, 2016
Amazing, surreal Mellick.
November 19, 2010
This was one of the first bizarro books I read. If I was going to try to relate it to previous reads/genres I'd say the book was like a dystopian Alice in Wonderland. I loved the characters. The "saviors" in the text were so outlandish. The protagonist had been so reduced by his surroundings and his circumstance. I really felt isolated as I read the story, but in a good way.
I also really enjoyed what, for lack of a better term, I'd call paradox simile. Mellick has a real talent for mixing the technological with the natural, and mixing the grotesque with the beautiful. One particular scene featured the main character waking up to the sound of rain, very peaceful until you discover the source of the sound is a body nailed to the ceiling. The book really challenged my notion of quality fiction and the expectations I acquired as a result of reading traditional writing in college. Bizarro was a much needed break after dedicating a few years to my M.A. thesis. It was compelling and intellectually stimulating enough to keep me engaged, but light enough to keep me entertained and for me to consider it a fun read. This book sets the tone for the bizarro genre, a genre you'll likely keep coming back to and won't get easily burned out on like one might with dry classics of the nineteenth century. No offense to fans of nineteenth-century fiction. I've just had my fair share, that's all.
I also really enjoyed what, for lack of a better term, I'd call paradox simile. Mellick has a real talent for mixing the technological with the natural, and mixing the grotesque with the beautiful. One particular scene featured the main character waking up to the sound of rain, very peaceful until you discover the source of the sound is a body nailed to the ceiling. The book really challenged my notion of quality fiction and the expectations I acquired as a result of reading traditional writing in college. Bizarro was a much needed break after dedicating a few years to my M.A. thesis. It was compelling and intellectually stimulating enough to keep me engaged, but light enough to keep me entertained and for me to consider it a fun read. This book sets the tone for the bizarro genre, a genre you'll likely keep coming back to and won't get easily burned out on like one might with dry classics of the nineteenth century. No offense to fans of nineteenth-century fiction. I've just had my fair share, that's all.
October 22, 2011
first I will start with Simon Logan's The Decadent Return of The Hi-fi Queen. The visionary the author comes along strong, but to keep the reader interested he lost me. The queen returns and demands her crew to fight off the Felidae. Overall I give 2in a half stars.
Carlton Mellick bizarre mind takes us into a dark fantasy Where he creates his very own girlfriend. Turns out to be a sex fiend. They battle zombies to the end with a Bizarro ending. Overall some laughs and strange stuff you suspect from CMIII. 5 STARS!
Carlton Mellick bizarre mind takes us into a dark fantasy Where he creates his very own girlfriend. Turns out to be a sex fiend. They battle zombies to the end with a Bizarro ending. Overall some laughs and strange stuff you suspect from CMIII. 5 STARS!
October 3, 2012
Imagine "Tetsuo The Iron Man" as done by David Croneberg. This book is a freakishly beautiful and haunting tale of love and the importance of human contact in society. Hard to believe this is Carlton Mellick III's 6th book! This shows an author with an immense grasp of how to pull a reader into a world beyond their imagination. Just try not get emotional at the end!
December 24, 2018
Kind of Tetsuo the Iron Man meets Quarantine with bits of WTF sprinkled generously. Bizarro is definitely an acquired taste as there's often nonsensical weirdness at every turn. You just have to go with it and enjoy the ride.
January 24, 2013
This is by far one of the most poetic of his books,and also one of my favorites.
January 9, 2025
A Mellick Zombie Apocalypse?!? Yes, please! A great surreal take on a Frankensteinian love story with the setting of a world overrun by zombies with a little Tetsuo: The Iron Man sprinkled in as well.
September 26, 2013
Mellick’s introductions always seem to articulate the book’s intent; I mention this because after reading the intro to Steel Breakfast Era, I felt like the story was the perfect rendition of the influences and concepts the author cited. Mellick always provides plenty of vivid action in his work, but I felt like I was reading a graphic novel that didn’t need pictures, because the author explained what those pictures looked like in concise, fast-moving prose.
I bought this book solely because it’s supposed to highlight a variation of the author’s writing style, and I was treated to some beautiful, horrific “pictures.” Each chapter was a portrait. Zombies, sex, violence; all of these concepts are bluntly stated with frantic sentences that portray a lucid, dream-like setting. This is David Lynch’s interpretation of Anime. Mellick bombards the reader with ideas and mysteries that seem to mirror something incomplete, like the seemingly unfinished people who are built or modified by the technology-infused survivors of a dying world. The characters in this book are not “human” in the way we might understand or identify, but their intentions and desires are all-too real, and desperate. It’s this desperation, and a feeling of desolation, that keeps this story from becoming as cold and lifeless as the zombie menace.
Our protagonist wants what the majority of us want; love, or a sense of belonging. A sense of being complete. With masterfully fragmented sentences which describe a broken future, I felt like the entire composition fulfilled the promise in Mellick’s introduction. A cyberpunk splatterfest that fuses William Gibson with Shinya Tsukamoto, The Steel Breakfast Era is a feast for the eyes, at least until the tik-worms seize control…
I bought this book solely because it’s supposed to highlight a variation of the author’s writing style, and I was treated to some beautiful, horrific “pictures.” Each chapter was a portrait. Zombies, sex, violence; all of these concepts are bluntly stated with frantic sentences that portray a lucid, dream-like setting. This is David Lynch’s interpretation of Anime. Mellick bombards the reader with ideas and mysteries that seem to mirror something incomplete, like the seemingly unfinished people who are built or modified by the technology-infused survivors of a dying world. The characters in this book are not “human” in the way we might understand or identify, but their intentions and desires are all-too real, and desperate. It’s this desperation, and a feeling of desolation, that keeps this story from becoming as cold and lifeless as the zombie menace.
Our protagonist wants what the majority of us want; love, or a sense of belonging. A sense of being complete. With masterfully fragmented sentences which describe a broken future, I felt like the entire composition fulfilled the promise in Mellick’s introduction. A cyberpunk splatterfest that fuses William Gibson with Shinya Tsukamoto, The Steel Breakfast Era is a feast for the eyes, at least until the tik-worms seize control…
September 27, 2023
Here are a list of my notes with no explanation. There may be spoilers, but I will try to edit any that are important to the plot…
-Gross and gritty opening, reminds me of SAW’s bathroom
-Just reading this makes me feel slimy and grimy
-Tikworms - parasites turning humans into metal sculptures/machines
-Tikworms taking people out, zombies taking people out, and now a cult is taking people out using nail guns
-Indifference to the grey world the narrator lives in, just doesnt want to die alone
-Like Dr Frankenstein, narrator creates life with the help of the locals and a bucket
-Getting a little odd, milk carton opens to the basement, an 8 year old looking, but andient girl is the entrance to the narrators bedroom
-Sad & gross
-ADD ax scene when the warriors are fighting zombies, and a man begs for his ax as he is pinned down, but our lead is distracted by the weapons sharpness and the need to get the ax sharpened instead of passing it over to the warrior, leading to death
-Mechanical heroes arrive and gets offended when our lead’s girlfriend CYN kills and eats a guy
-zombie battles
-Doll feet
-Death, Dying, and the dead
-Transformation
-Awesome ending…spoilers….”Then we stare at the controls of the ship and pretend we know how to use them” (94).
I really like this book for it has a mix of a lot of other type of tales I like, Zombies, Shelly’s Frankenstein, and it just feels like a depressing, grey, skin suit. The only reason I dropped it down a point is because Im not a big fan of some other characters that come in midway, but without them the ending couldnt happen. Highly recommend.
-Gross and gritty opening, reminds me of SAW’s bathroom
-Just reading this makes me feel slimy and grimy
-Tikworms - parasites turning humans into metal sculptures/machines
-Tikworms taking people out, zombies taking people out, and now a cult is taking people out using nail guns
-Indifference to the grey world the narrator lives in, just doesnt want to die alone
-Like Dr Frankenstein, narrator creates life with the help of the locals and a bucket
-Getting a little odd, milk carton opens to the basement, an 8 year old looking, but andient girl is the entrance to the narrators bedroom
-Sad & gross
-ADD ax scene when the warriors are fighting zombies, and a man begs for his ax as he is pinned down, but our lead is distracted by the weapons sharpness and the need to get the ax sharpened instead of passing it over to the warrior, leading to death
-Mechanical heroes arrive and gets offended when our lead’s girlfriend CYN kills and eats a guy
-zombie battles
-Doll feet
-Death, Dying, and the dead
-Transformation
-Awesome ending…spoilers….”Then we stare at the controls of the ship and pretend we know how to use them” (94).
I really like this book for it has a mix of a lot of other type of tales I like, Zombies, Shelly’s Frankenstein, and it just feels like a depressing, grey, skin suit. The only reason I dropped it down a point is because Im not a big fan of some other characters that come in midway, but without them the ending couldnt happen. Highly recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2015
From the opening pages, I knew this was no typical zombie book. There is a refreshing and unique spin that was quite a bit more than I expected. The love story component is also something that carries you through a dark, fascinating tale.
It has been hundreds of years since the zombie outbreak and the few humans that are left are progressively less alive. The protagonist comes across a man building his own wife and with help from a few others begins to do so himself.
The thing I like best about Mellick's books is the way he paints a scene and pulls the reader in with oddly whimsical elements. This novella was no exception. In particular, the concept of the tik worms and their effects were fascinating.
It has been hundreds of years since the zombie outbreak and the few humans that are left are progressively less alive. The protagonist comes across a man building his own wife and with help from a few others begins to do so himself.
The thing I like best about Mellick's books is the way he paints a scene and pulls the reader in with oddly whimsical elements. This novella was no exception. In particular, the concept of the tik worms and their effects were fascinating.
January 24, 2021
Get rid of those babydoll-head feet. Avoid the tik-worms. Our main character is lonely and only wants to find someone to love. So get a bucket of body parts and DIY a wife. Feed her. She’s hungry and horny. The horde of zombies want in. The complex houses only the few humans whom all seem schizophrenic. Time to run. You’ll need help. A group of protectors whom are as weird and distinguished as the little girl you unzip to get to your room. This is a bizarre book with heart. An excellent ending awaits the reader- if you can survive that long.
June 26, 2019
Slowly collecting and reading all of CMKIII's books. This is a quick double novella read. Simon Logan provides us with one and I must admit an excellent read and I will now look into his other writings as well. The other half is to me the most dark/brutal of CMIII's books I have encountered and LOve it!!!
May 21, 2021
Extremely random and bizarre.
March 28, 2023
Okay, yawn.
August 22, 2023
This was my 18 book i've read by Mellick, and this has become my top 1. Beautiful, poetic, dark, surreal.
September 7, 2023
Cannot get enough of Carlton Mellick III right now.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews