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Different Skins
How can I describe the emotions that this book invokes? Let's try a bit of telepathy and see if that works. Picture a razor blade (remember this is virtual, I don't recommend trying this with a real one!)...none of your fancy, new-fangled safety blades, oh, no....picture a good old fashioned, stainless steel razorblade. Now raise it up to your eye level and look at it very closely. See how shiny it is, how very, very sharp it is......now stick out your tongue and slowly, very slowly imagine running the sharp edge of the blade down that fleshy surface. Two novellas make up the bulk of this book, topped and tailed by an excellent introduction from Tim Lebbon and author notes on the stories. In Even The Dead Die, we travel to London to meet Mike Angelo. Forget everything you have heard about the cosmopolitan, splendor of the city. Here McMahon brings his own experience as a former inhabitant to show us its darker side. This is a story full of despair and depravity which successfully counteracts the deification of London. All that is fairly mild however when compared with the second story, In The Skin. A last minute business trip takes a father away from his family for a few days. When he returns things have changed, including his infant son. It's a brilliant portrayal of paranoia, schizophrenia and downright confusion which concludes with the most visceral scene I have read in a long time. This is the razorblade licking moment I mentioned previously, don't say I didn't warn you. Two outstanding stories which focus on the darker side of human nature and which, like all the best horror, address some of the most personal issues. Any fathers out there, anyone who has experienced loss, anyone in a difficult relationship will relate to these stories but everyone else can just enjoy them as master classes in dark emotional fiction. Highly recommended. -- The Black Abyss
- GenresHorror
120 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2009
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89 people want to read
About the author
Gary McMahon
54 books108 followersGary McMahon lives, works and writes in West Yorkshire but posseses a New York state of mind. He shares his life with a wife, a son, and the nagging stories that won’t give him any peace until he writes them.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 9, 2009
Different Skins collects two novellas, "Even the Dead Die" and the shorter "In the Skin", both by Gary McMahon. They share certain themes - death, identity, skin, gender relations - but are otherwise separate. The marvellous cover is by Vincent Chong.
In "Even the Dead Die" Mike Angelo (his parents must have had a sense of humour) moves through a London that he despises, soon discovering that there's a worse London beneath. It's a story of death, rape, murder, prostitution and sexual slavery. Structurally, there are similarities with things like Neverwhere or The Matrix, but in tone it's closer to the movies of Clive Barker. I won't say anything more about Mike's discoveries; I don't want to spoil the novella for anyone; but as you might expect they are shocking, horrifying and gruesomely entertaining.
This novella was bit of a tough read, even allowing for the gruelling subject matter, because it was marred by mistakes and patches of clunky, awkward writing. Some sentences looked good on the surface but didn't stand up to scrutiny, while other sentences were overloaded with redundant words. For example see p. 40: "This was becoming repetitive, but despite all the information (he) was imparting, he was going nowhere near the answer to the only question that really mattered." It's not exactly wrong, but it's not exactly elegant either.
Some sentences don't quite slot together. For example, there was "a lengthy silence on the line, which was soon filled by the sound of Aunt Hilda crying" (p. 21) (was the silence lengthy or soon filled?), and "I needed air, even if it was the polluted miasma that hangs above London like a cloud of radioactive leakage" (p. 24) (if it's a cloud above London will he be breathing it?). After a revelatory chat, his "mind was drowning in all this sensory information" (p. 52) - presumably the chat was accompanied by a laser show! Some sentences are unintentionally funny: "A man so small he must have been a midget" (p. 20).
The opening line is already infamous: "London is an open wound ... through which oozes the rancid puss of society." And no, this isn't a story about zombie cats. I'd guess the old lady with the hot body is supposed to be disconcertingly erotic rather than "discerningly erotic" (p. 54), though both could well apply, and when a baddie gets his just desserts I think the process probably involves being pulled apart rather than telling lies ("quickly dissembling him" (p. 67).
There's also a pile of smaller errors like "coats that where heaped" (p. 12), "homemade chiv" (for shiv) (p. 14), "to testify that to the fact", "bah mitzvah" (p. 36), "Morrisey" (p. 36), "discernable" (p. 37), etc. The impression is unfortunately of a story that didn't go through a proper editorial process. I did begin to wonder if an uncorrected version of the text had been accidentally sent to the printers (a mistake I made myself recently). The book was produced during a period of very serious illness for the publisher, so allowances should be made for that.
Still, despite its flaws, this story has many strong moments, lots of good ideas, and (as Tim Lebbon notes in his introduction) is written with exceptional passion. If the production is poor, the story being told is more than good enough to compensate and make this a very worthwhile and memorable read.
"In the Skin", though, was better in every way. Dan goes on a business trip to New York, leaving behind his wife Adi and young son Max. Upon his return, his wife seems jumpy and his son seems unusually bulky. What has happened to them in his absence? And who's that crawling around in the garden?
As with "Even the Dead Die", the story is powerful and frightening. There is still the occasional mistake (how could he have watched both planes crash live on 9/11, and how does his laptop's operating system run once the entire hard drive has been wiped?) but the language is leaner, direct and much less wordy - and hence more impactful. The writing is just plain better. The author's notes at the back of the book suggest "In the Skin" was written much more recently than the story that shares its covers (circa 2008, compared to 2002 for at least the first two parts of "Even the Dead Die"), so maybe that explains the differences between them.
Either way, this was a very enjoyable book, and if my experience of the same author's Rain Dogs is anything to go by, within a month or two I'll have forgotten the occasional mistakes and be rhapsodizing about the bits I loved, something I'm reluctant to do here because readers should get to experience them first-hand. For all my moaning, there are lots of very good bits in this very entertaining book.
In "Even the Dead Die" Mike Angelo (his parents must have had a sense of humour) moves through a London that he despises, soon discovering that there's a worse London beneath. It's a story of death, rape, murder, prostitution and sexual slavery. Structurally, there are similarities with things like Neverwhere or The Matrix, but in tone it's closer to the movies of Clive Barker. I won't say anything more about Mike's discoveries; I don't want to spoil the novella for anyone; but as you might expect they are shocking, horrifying and gruesomely entertaining.
This novella was bit of a tough read, even allowing for the gruelling subject matter, because it was marred by mistakes and patches of clunky, awkward writing. Some sentences looked good on the surface but didn't stand up to scrutiny, while other sentences were overloaded with redundant words. For example see p. 40: "This was becoming repetitive, but despite all the information (he) was imparting, he was going nowhere near the answer to the only question that really mattered." It's not exactly wrong, but it's not exactly elegant either.
Some sentences don't quite slot together. For example, there was "a lengthy silence on the line, which was soon filled by the sound of Aunt Hilda crying" (p. 21) (was the silence lengthy or soon filled?), and "I needed air, even if it was the polluted miasma that hangs above London like a cloud of radioactive leakage" (p. 24) (if it's a cloud above London will he be breathing it?). After a revelatory chat, his "mind was drowning in all this sensory information" (p. 52) - presumably the chat was accompanied by a laser show! Some sentences are unintentionally funny: "A man so small he must have been a midget" (p. 20).
The opening line is already infamous: "London is an open wound ... through which oozes the rancid puss of society." And no, this isn't a story about zombie cats. I'd guess the old lady with the hot body is supposed to be disconcertingly erotic rather than "discerningly erotic" (p. 54), though both could well apply, and when a baddie gets his just desserts I think the process probably involves being pulled apart rather than telling lies ("quickly dissembling him" (p. 67).
There's also a pile of smaller errors like "coats that where heaped" (p. 12), "homemade chiv" (for shiv) (p. 14), "to testify that to the fact", "bah mitzvah" (p. 36), "Morrisey" (p. 36), "discernable" (p. 37), etc. The impression is unfortunately of a story that didn't go through a proper editorial process. I did begin to wonder if an uncorrected version of the text had been accidentally sent to the printers (a mistake I made myself recently). The book was produced during a period of very serious illness for the publisher, so allowances should be made for that.
Still, despite its flaws, this story has many strong moments, lots of good ideas, and (as Tim Lebbon notes in his introduction) is written with exceptional passion. If the production is poor, the story being told is more than good enough to compensate and make this a very worthwhile and memorable read.
"In the Skin", though, was better in every way. Dan goes on a business trip to New York, leaving behind his wife Adi and young son Max. Upon his return, his wife seems jumpy and his son seems unusually bulky. What has happened to them in his absence? And who's that crawling around in the garden?
As with "Even the Dead Die", the story is powerful and frightening. There is still the occasional mistake (how could he have watched both planes crash live on 9/11, and how does his laptop's operating system run once the entire hard drive has been wiped?) but the language is leaner, direct and much less wordy - and hence more impactful. The writing is just plain better. The author's notes at the back of the book suggest "In the Skin" was written much more recently than the story that shares its covers (circa 2008, compared to 2002 for at least the first two parts of "Even the Dead Die"), so maybe that explains the differences between them.
Either way, this was a very enjoyable book, and if my experience of the same author's Rain Dogs is anything to go by, within a month or two I'll have forgotten the occasional mistakes and be rhapsodizing about the bits I loved, something I'm reluctant to do here because readers should get to experience them first-hand. For all my moaning, there are lots of very good bits in this very entertaining book.
October 22, 2009
Even The Dead Die
“Sometimes, just sometimes, dead is better”. Mike Angelo is a lost soul trapped in a London he despises and a rage that almost seems to consume him. One day, he spots the man who raped - and effectively ended the life of - his sister, Tony Harris. But Harris has been dead for a long time. So begins Mike’s journey into the deepest pits of despair and London itself, with only Sheena - a friendly tattooist who isn’t all she says she is - as a guide and companion. Full of superb observations and a wonderful turn of phrase (the whirling dervish a highlight for me) - and some remarkable passages of evocative, troubling, poignant writing - this is bleak and nasty but ultimately quite hopeful and I hope we get to see more of Mike Angelo, as the last few lines seem to promise. Excellent stuff (and I loved the Kerouac pieces).
In The Skin
Dan’s life is in turmoil, his wife is recovering from an attack and the whole of the family home is in turmoil. Called away to New York on business, his life becomes ever more fractured and then, when he returns home, neither his wife - nor, especially, his young son - seems to be the same. This is a terrifyingly bleak novella, about paranoia and identity and schizophrenia, of modern life and fatherhood that literally had my heart thudding as I raced through the final few pages. As a father, I never want to read anything that makes me feel like this again; as a reader, I’m aware that I’ve just read something truly momentous. This is a superbly told tale that I would highly recommend to those with a strong enough stomach.
“Sometimes, just sometimes, dead is better”. Mike Angelo is a lost soul trapped in a London he despises and a rage that almost seems to consume him. One day, he spots the man who raped - and effectively ended the life of - his sister, Tony Harris. But Harris has been dead for a long time. So begins Mike’s journey into the deepest pits of despair and London itself, with only Sheena - a friendly tattooist who isn’t all she says she is - as a guide and companion. Full of superb observations and a wonderful turn of phrase (the whirling dervish a highlight for me) - and some remarkable passages of evocative, troubling, poignant writing - this is bleak and nasty but ultimately quite hopeful and I hope we get to see more of Mike Angelo, as the last few lines seem to promise. Excellent stuff (and I loved the Kerouac pieces).
In The Skin
Dan’s life is in turmoil, his wife is recovering from an attack and the whole of the family home is in turmoil. Called away to New York on business, his life becomes ever more fractured and then, when he returns home, neither his wife - nor, especially, his young son - seems to be the same. This is a terrifyingly bleak novella, about paranoia and identity and schizophrenia, of modern life and fatherhood that literally had my heart thudding as I raced through the final few pages. As a father, I never want to read anything that makes me feel like this again; as a reader, I’m aware that I’ve just read something truly momentous. This is a superbly told tale that I would highly recommend to those with a strong enough stomach.
January 9, 2021
Indeed, I don’t think I have experienced such a self-rending tour-de-force as a book’s finale in empathy with any protagonist during my long history of reading fiction. You can only experience it for yourself.
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
December 9, 2009
"Different Skins" is a collection of two novellas: "Even The Dead Die" and "In The Skin". Both of these horror stories are very dark, with imagery which is disturbing, compelling, and outlandish. However, they are also rooted in the everyday with believeable characters and cleverly rendered situations, which, together with the quality of the prose, elevates these above a lot of horror fiction I've read. And the cover art by Vincent Chong is superb - simple, but effective.
I won't go into plot details as they are best discovered by the reader, but for my money these two novellas are amongst Gary's strongest work. For anyone interested in modern horror that comes from within, rather than via external monsters, these are essential reading.
I won't go into plot details as they are best discovered by the reader, but for my money these two novellas are amongst Gary's strongest work. For anyone interested in modern horror that comes from within, rather than via external monsters, these are essential reading.
Want to read
October 25, 2009Just ordered from publisher. Looking forward to this one.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews