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Fallout From Our Asphalt Hell
Author/poet/journalist Gabriel Hart compresses twenty pieces of his most irreverent 'world-burning' fiction spanning 2015-2020, including the previously unpublished novelette-length American nightmare Skattertown.
"Gabriel Hart is hands down one of the most energetic writers out there. In fact, I’m hard-pressed to name one besides Hunter S. Thompson off the top of my head that could crank out line after line of insightful, muscular, serpentine prose and make it look so easy. And Hart’s energy isn’t only apparent because he’s a musician, a journalist, a fiction writer, and a poet whose seemingly tireless productivity is tough to keep up, but because the words he lays down—no matter the form or genre—are highly charged and consistently propulsive. Always. Without fail. I have yet to read a paragraph or stanza or sentence of his that I haven’t reread multiple times simply out of reverence for the skill on display."
— William R. Soldan, author of In Just the Right Light
"Gabriel Hart is hands down one of the most energetic writers out there. In fact, I’m hard-pressed to name one besides Hunter S. Thompson off the top of my head that could crank out line after line of insightful, muscular, serpentine prose and make it look so easy. And Hart’s energy isn’t only apparent because he’s a musician, a journalist, a fiction writer, and a poet whose seemingly tireless productivity is tough to keep up, but because the words he lays down—no matter the form or genre—are highly charged and consistently propulsive. Always. Without fail. I have yet to read a paragraph or stanza or sentence of his that I haven’t reread multiple times simply out of reverence for the skill on display."
— William R. Soldan, author of In Just the Right Light
Paperback
Published August 30, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 27, 2022
4 Stars
Review at THE MORT REPORT:
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/bla...
This is my introduction to Gabriel Hart: twenty horror short stories called FALLOUT FROM OUR ASPHALT HELL.
It is a quick read – the stories are not very long and you can breeze through some during tea breaks at work, clocking in at 178 pages for Kindle.
The one thing that absolutely shines is the diversity of the stories – thematically they are cover so many different subjects. From satanic panic to the end of the world scenarios, from war heroes to transgender struggles, from animals to humans to aliens – and mostly scratching the surface of humanity and our ever-changing cultures which doesn’t always involve in the right way. Through it all there is always just a hint of humor.
The stand-out story in this collection has to be DEAR DIANA RANSWELL (MOM) – this one ticked all the boxes for my tastes and I loved everything about the story, pace and ending.
My criticism:
These stories were written over a period of time and sometimes it showed. The author has definitely grown and gotten better through the years, but it shows in some of the stories. I felt just a little unbalanced by the quality of writing varying between some stories.
The other thing I want to mention – for both the author and the reader – is to skip the introduction. An author telling you about all the inspirations etc. before the stories are read is not a good idea. The reader still has to decide whether they like the stories or not – if they are interested in finding out more, then it is a really good option to have…afterward. So, readers, by all means, skip it until you’re done, then go back to it if you want.
Review at THE MORT REPORT:
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/bla...
This is my introduction to Gabriel Hart: twenty horror short stories called FALLOUT FROM OUR ASPHALT HELL.
It is a quick read – the stories are not very long and you can breeze through some during tea breaks at work, clocking in at 178 pages for Kindle.
The one thing that absolutely shines is the diversity of the stories – thematically they are cover so many different subjects. From satanic panic to the end of the world scenarios, from war heroes to transgender struggles, from animals to humans to aliens – and mostly scratching the surface of humanity and our ever-changing cultures which doesn’t always involve in the right way. Through it all there is always just a hint of humor.
The stand-out story in this collection has to be DEAR DIANA RANSWELL (MOM) – this one ticked all the boxes for my tastes and I loved everything about the story, pace and ending.
My criticism:
These stories were written over a period of time and sometimes it showed. The author has definitely grown and gotten better through the years, but it shows in some of the stories. I felt just a little unbalanced by the quality of writing varying between some stories.
The other thing I want to mention – for both the author and the reader – is to skip the introduction. An author telling you about all the inspirations etc. before the stories are read is not a good idea. The reader still has to decide whether they like the stories or not – if they are interested in finding out more, then it is a really good option to have…afterward. So, readers, by all means, skip it until you’re done, then go back to it if you want.
December 16, 2022
Often you read authors on the indie lit scene and are blown away by their talents. More rarely, you’ll read an author and know in your weary bones they were born to write. Their talent seemingly too bright, too fierce, too strong to be held down within the confines of any one community or genre.
Gabriel Hart is one of those rare authors. He has proven time and time again there isn’t a single genre he can’t mold into his own stylings. Song lyrics. Non-fiction. Poetry. Journalism. Crime. Transgressive. He’s done it all and he’s done it all extremely well.
October 29th Hart’s short prose collection Fallout from Our Asphalt Hell (Close to the Bone) is a twenty-piece collection of literary pulp spanning Hart’s output from 2015-2021. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a review copy and it is exactly what I expected from Hart. Lyrical, unsettling, beautifully ugly, iridescent, scathing and non-conformist. Fallout from Our Asphalt Hell is true outsider fiction that weaves itself in and out of genres with ease and subtlety.
The stories are LAYERED. It is the kind of prose that undoubtedly deserves to be studied over time and over multiple readings such is the depth and the intricate melding of story, theme, character and word.
Gabriel Hart is one of those rare authors. He has proven time and time again there isn’t a single genre he can’t mold into his own stylings. Song lyrics. Non-fiction. Poetry. Journalism. Crime. Transgressive. He’s done it all and he’s done it all extremely well.
October 29th Hart’s short prose collection Fallout from Our Asphalt Hell (Close to the Bone) is a twenty-piece collection of literary pulp spanning Hart’s output from 2015-2021. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a review copy and it is exactly what I expected from Hart. Lyrical, unsettling, beautifully ugly, iridescent, scathing and non-conformist. Fallout from Our Asphalt Hell is true outsider fiction that weaves itself in and out of genres with ease and subtlety.
The stories are LAYERED. It is the kind of prose that undoubtedly deserves to be studied over time and over multiple readings such is the depth and the intricate melding of story, theme, character and word.
October 31, 2021
***𝑹𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑾***
𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤? 𝐈𝐟 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞❓
This is the first time am reading 20 different generes of short stories in one book. Gabriel hart I appreciate your arduous work in bringing out these Stories to us. I cling with this book until I finished.
I thank @cttb_fiction
For the book tour and gave us the chance to review this wonderful collection of stories.
𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫, 𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐫, 𝐝𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐧, 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫, 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐩 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
Dear Diana Ranswell (mom) is a letter to mom from daughter about the trip with her boyfriend who was the menace to her and unforseen circumstances unfold.
Straight to the bone is a teeny weeny and daunting murder story which makes our heart lumbering.
Wrath child's Atrophy is a grief story of Davey who was misunderstood as inspirited with some evil force and later his friends come to know why he was wrath.
Closed for take out was about the local gun culture which was written in pandemic time. Artificial midnight is a revenge crime thriller.
In Black pit blues, there was a super wolves in the town. Wino's shadow features on Amy winehouse fan mirroring her idol. Carter Campbell so called cc was beautifully portrayed.Skattertown is a noir horror story which will be a daunting one and bottom up is about the drunk and drive.
The plot of the book is engaging and keeps the reader hooked to know what genre next. Each story moves with pace that is comfortable and author takes his time to set premise of the book. The incidents are described in detail and that is something that works in favor of the book with all genres of short stories. Character depictions are awesome which helps us to connect with them.
Wish to read more works of gabreil hart ..... Thank you publisher for sending ebook arc🤗🤗😀😀
All the stories are top notch. Overall, I recommend you all to read this book which gives an awesome experience reading different genres in single book.
🅱🅾🅾🅺 🆂🅲🅾🆁🅴🆂 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /❺ 🅵🅾🆁 🅼🅴. 🤗
𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 @pavi.reads 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕.
𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤? 𝐈𝐟 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞❓
This is the first time am reading 20 different generes of short stories in one book. Gabriel hart I appreciate your arduous work in bringing out these Stories to us. I cling with this book until I finished.
I thank @cttb_fiction
For the book tour and gave us the chance to review this wonderful collection of stories.
𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫, 𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐫, 𝐝𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐧, 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫, 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐩 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
Dear Diana Ranswell (mom) is a letter to mom from daughter about the trip with her boyfriend who was the menace to her and unforseen circumstances unfold.
Straight to the bone is a teeny weeny and daunting murder story which makes our heart lumbering.
Wrath child's Atrophy is a grief story of Davey who was misunderstood as inspirited with some evil force and later his friends come to know why he was wrath.
Closed for take out was about the local gun culture which was written in pandemic time. Artificial midnight is a revenge crime thriller.
In Black pit blues, there was a super wolves in the town. Wino's shadow features on Amy winehouse fan mirroring her idol. Carter Campbell so called cc was beautifully portrayed.Skattertown is a noir horror story which will be a daunting one and bottom up is about the drunk and drive.
The plot of the book is engaging and keeps the reader hooked to know what genre next. Each story moves with pace that is comfortable and author takes his time to set premise of the book. The incidents are described in detail and that is something that works in favor of the book with all genres of short stories. Character depictions are awesome which helps us to connect with them.
Wish to read more works of gabreil hart ..... Thank you publisher for sending ebook arc🤗🤗😀😀
All the stories are top notch. Overall, I recommend you all to read this book which gives an awesome experience reading different genres in single book.
🅱🅾🅾🅺 🆂🅲🅾🆁🅴🆂 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /❺ 🅵🅾🆁 🅼🅴. 🤗
𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 @pavi.reads 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕.
December 2, 2021
GENRE CONTRAPTIONS AT THE VIDEO STORE
First of all, let me say that Gabriel Hart’s Fallout From Our Asphalt Hell is a fun, quick read. It consists of twenty short pieces that are pretty consistently vivid, entertaining, and widely varying. Reading the book, I felt as though I were in my old hometown video store in the 90s, Village Video, looking through the shelves for a flick to rent on a Saturday night. There is something pleasantly schlocky and outré about Hart’s offerings; we are in a world where the horizon is composed of magnificent trash, death is always in the neighborhood, and you can almost see the foul droplets of alcohol-sweat on the temples of the desperate characters, as well as the periodic glitching of the old videocassettes we insert and eject as we go from story to story.
Hart has written a number of books, including a twin set of novellas entitled Virgins in Reverse and The Intrusion. In that book, the main characters are beset with alcohol and psychosis, and there is a strong Cronenberg vibe to the way he handles the portrayal of the doomed romantic relationships, parasitic and soul-draining. Hart excels at psychotronic nightmares, outlaw mind-states soaked in alcohol, drugs, often sick humor, and distinctly American cultural detritus of the post-rock-and-roll variety. This is continued and fragmented in Fallout From Our Asphalt Hell.
The twenty stories in the book vary in length, some merely a few pages long to other self-described “novelettes.” Hart begins the collection with an introduction giving detail and context for the creation of the pieces, where they came from, and where they were finally published. (It is interesting to read this introduction as a guidebook to where in the world of indie lit things are “happening,” what publications, editors, modes, genres set the Geiger counter of coolness clicking furiously…)
A collection should present a multiplicity and a unity at the same time. There should be stylistic and thematic differences between the constituent elements but a feeling at the end that there was a singular vision, theme or sensibility that came through. The singular vision that I got from all these cross-sections and slices was that of someone who is operating within the chipped, beaten parameters of genre in order to forge their own new genre. Neo-pulp writing, pulp writing for a digital age, seems to be the terrain of writers wanting to engage with the market while not betraying their own sense of style. Hart writes crime, sci-fi, horror genre contraptions but imbues them with literacy and originality and emotion, the quest for the passages of artistic flair in the trashy late-night anthology on channel z.
Highlights for me include “The Space Between Two and Three” and “Artificial Midnight,” two of the more substantial stories in the collection. The first is a kind of heartfelt sci-fi treatment of the afterlife, positing that when someone dies, something of them is not permitted to leave, enmeshed in a net of energy put out by their online social media presence. The shrines we construct to the dead, in an updated tech form, keep them anchored in place. Jaxon is mourning his friend Skye and using an experimental drug called UPLYFT he has an encounter with her ghost? spirit? soul? who explains this mechanism of the afterlife to him, how it is akin to “a doctor refusing to cut your umbilical cord, just staring at you while you scream.” Typographically the dialogue between the two characters is represented in a very unique, otherworldly way that puts the reader in that twilight zone.
“Artificial Midnight,” I can’t describe without giving away crucial aspects of the plot and structure. It’s an extremely well-done piece of suspense fiction that I’d put up against anything by Stephen King in his best Night Shift/Skeleton Crew mode (some of my favorite King). The short story form suited this tale in a very satisfying way as it set in motion a tense, brutal countdown. I could see the mind-movie of “Artificial Midnight” so clearly in my head that I could make out the graininess of the film-stock, the grunts and wheezes of the gravediggers.
Short stories are famously hard to execute well; they’re an art form all their own that require their own economy and sense of pacing. Not all of these stories hit with me, as some seemed to be sprints, too slight and unfocused in comparison with the concentration and “dream integrity” of the other longer 5Ks. Virgins in Reverse and The Intrusion, with its prose excursions and deep characterizations, gives some strong clues as to what a future sustained literary novel from Hart would be like, as it was effectively like a novel. This collection of stories gives clues as to where the fiendish, fevered imagination might go next, what shocking cards are left in the deck.
First of all, let me say that Gabriel Hart’s Fallout From Our Asphalt Hell is a fun, quick read. It consists of twenty short pieces that are pretty consistently vivid, entertaining, and widely varying. Reading the book, I felt as though I were in my old hometown video store in the 90s, Village Video, looking through the shelves for a flick to rent on a Saturday night. There is something pleasantly schlocky and outré about Hart’s offerings; we are in a world where the horizon is composed of magnificent trash, death is always in the neighborhood, and you can almost see the foul droplets of alcohol-sweat on the temples of the desperate characters, as well as the periodic glitching of the old videocassettes we insert and eject as we go from story to story.
Hart has written a number of books, including a twin set of novellas entitled Virgins in Reverse and The Intrusion. In that book, the main characters are beset with alcohol and psychosis, and there is a strong Cronenberg vibe to the way he handles the portrayal of the doomed romantic relationships, parasitic and soul-draining. Hart excels at psychotronic nightmares, outlaw mind-states soaked in alcohol, drugs, often sick humor, and distinctly American cultural detritus of the post-rock-and-roll variety. This is continued and fragmented in Fallout From Our Asphalt Hell.
The twenty stories in the book vary in length, some merely a few pages long to other self-described “novelettes.” Hart begins the collection with an introduction giving detail and context for the creation of the pieces, where they came from, and where they were finally published. (It is interesting to read this introduction as a guidebook to where in the world of indie lit things are “happening,” what publications, editors, modes, genres set the Geiger counter of coolness clicking furiously…)
A collection should present a multiplicity and a unity at the same time. There should be stylistic and thematic differences between the constituent elements but a feeling at the end that there was a singular vision, theme or sensibility that came through. The singular vision that I got from all these cross-sections and slices was that of someone who is operating within the chipped, beaten parameters of genre in order to forge their own new genre. Neo-pulp writing, pulp writing for a digital age, seems to be the terrain of writers wanting to engage with the market while not betraying their own sense of style. Hart writes crime, sci-fi, horror genre contraptions but imbues them with literacy and originality and emotion, the quest for the passages of artistic flair in the trashy late-night anthology on channel z.
Highlights for me include “The Space Between Two and Three” and “Artificial Midnight,” two of the more substantial stories in the collection. The first is a kind of heartfelt sci-fi treatment of the afterlife, positing that when someone dies, something of them is not permitted to leave, enmeshed in a net of energy put out by their online social media presence. The shrines we construct to the dead, in an updated tech form, keep them anchored in place. Jaxon is mourning his friend Skye and using an experimental drug called UPLYFT he has an encounter with her ghost? spirit? soul? who explains this mechanism of the afterlife to him, how it is akin to “a doctor refusing to cut your umbilical cord, just staring at you while you scream.” Typographically the dialogue between the two characters is represented in a very unique, otherworldly way that puts the reader in that twilight zone.
“Artificial Midnight,” I can’t describe without giving away crucial aspects of the plot and structure. It’s an extremely well-done piece of suspense fiction that I’d put up against anything by Stephen King in his best Night Shift/Skeleton Crew mode (some of my favorite King). The short story form suited this tale in a very satisfying way as it set in motion a tense, brutal countdown. I could see the mind-movie of “Artificial Midnight” so clearly in my head that I could make out the graininess of the film-stock, the grunts and wheezes of the gravediggers.
Short stories are famously hard to execute well; they’re an art form all their own that require their own economy and sense of pacing. Not all of these stories hit with me, as some seemed to be sprints, too slight and unfocused in comparison with the concentration and “dream integrity” of the other longer 5Ks. Virgins in Reverse and The Intrusion, with its prose excursions and deep characterizations, gives some strong clues as to what a future sustained literary novel from Hart would be like, as it was effectively like a novel. This collection of stories gives clues as to where the fiendish, fevered imagination might go next, what shocking cards are left in the deck.
January 11, 2022
Gabriel Hart runs the gamut of 21st Century themes and topics in this 20 story collection serving up realistic near-future scenarios for where we might find ourselves in the days and years to come. Sexual identity, prescription drug use, Covid, guns, climate change, obsession with celebrity and much more are explored throughout the pages of this collection.
Hart manages to satirise these topics without becoming withering, without turning things into farce and holds true to his intelligent use of tone while not being afraid to experiment with literary conventions. "The Space Between Two and Three" is the prime example of this and was my favourite of the collection. Touching, real and experimental in scope.
"The Gutter Runs" is by contrast pure entertainment as hair-punk-metal band find themselves in all sorts of trouble when trying to live up to their bad boy image. "Dear Diana Ramswell (Mom)" works the dark angles in a similarly entertaining vein before "Wrath Child's Atrophy" brings the surreal and suspenseful.
"Wino's Shadow" looks at how some idolise celebrity in the 21st Century looking to imitate as a form of worship with heartbreaking consequences. "Kept Change" looks to the future of commerce and sexual identity as the only remaining form of rebellion and how companies look to profit from it.
This is a varied and wise collection from one of my must read authors and I can't wait for his next collection of poems due out in the coming months.
Hart manages to satirise these topics without becoming withering, without turning things into farce and holds true to his intelligent use of tone while not being afraid to experiment with literary conventions. "The Space Between Two and Three" is the prime example of this and was my favourite of the collection. Touching, real and experimental in scope.
"The Gutter Runs" is by contrast pure entertainment as hair-punk-metal band find themselves in all sorts of trouble when trying to live up to their bad boy image. "Dear Diana Ramswell (Mom)" works the dark angles in a similarly entertaining vein before "Wrath Child's Atrophy" brings the surreal and suspenseful.
"Wino's Shadow" looks at how some idolise celebrity in the 21st Century looking to imitate as a form of worship with heartbreaking consequences. "Kept Change" looks to the future of commerce and sexual identity as the only remaining form of rebellion and how companies look to profit from it.
This is a varied and wise collection from one of my must read authors and I can't wait for his next collection of poems due out in the coming months.
October 31, 2021
I received ebook arc on this book from the publisher. In return for my honest thoughts and my review. After reading this book Gabriel Hart books will be definitely reads for me. Now this book has twenty short stories. Now all of them are amazing. Heck some threw me off a little bit. In a good way. I do have some favorites. Here is couple of my favorites The Distant Prince, Bottoms Up, Spun Pendulum. I don’t want to list all of them. Have to check out this book. But definitely will be rereading my favorites again. Each short story from the author’s notes there are personal stories behind some. So you must read the introduction. I highly recommend this book. I did feel reading a new short story I was watching something that would be on the twilight zone. Thank you to the publisher and author for this amazing book.
October 29, 2021
This is my first introduction to the author as well as my first short story collection. How did it go? Pretty damn good. I loved the creativity in the stories as well as the mix of thriller, horror, noir fiction, dark comedy and just all around weird. In the introduction the author gives a bit of insight and back ground into some of his stories and the personal touch really made me enjoy them so much more. Every story brought something new and different and somehow managed to be relatable on some level. I wish I could rate them all but I would run out of room so I will just say that some of my faves were “Spun Pendulum” “The Gutter Runs Internally” Wino’s Shadow” and “Dear Diana Ranswell (mom)” to name a few. I’d say my first short story experience was a hit and you don’t need a lot of words to get a lot of meaning and I was definitely a fan of the writing!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews