Pisces51 > Recent Status Updates

Read the first story by Edward Lee (which included his first draft). Really liked it and it was very interesting to me the nature and extent of his modifications for the final published horror work. I was not aware of this collaborative project by Ketchum and Lee.

WELCOME TO CLIFTON, TX by Eric Butler was contributed by an author who is unfamiliar to me. That is no surprise because I am still experiencing new-to-me contributors to the hardcore extreme horror scene. That said, this guy is a gem, a diamond in the rough. He can certainly churn out chilling scenes drenched in graphic gore. His well written prose is hauntingly poetic and his villain comically original. 4 Stars.

YOOFO by Christine Morgan is initially an hysterically funny tale about a pair of rednecks who go on a hike to reach an infamous make out site. This tiring little odyssey to sight see town couples make out on Homecoming Night morphs into an entirely different experience. Their overriding desire to see some (breasts) on girls outside the family is oddly enough achieved in an explosive colorful finale. Rated 3 Stars.

OBAMA LOVER by WJW is about one black man's bloodlust to answer injustices he witnesses against minority victims with extreme prejudice. The story is unravelled in a clipped cadence which works to focus the reader's attention on his heinous sadistic acts. It is crystal clear that he is a sadistic serial murderer. Hmmm...This fan of White's didn't like that It felt like a social justice rant. 3 Stumbling Stars.

GENITAL GRINDER 2.5 by Ryan Harding was LOL funny occasionally with the redneck conversation between our two buddies. They were bartering the proceeds of a stolen lottery ticket to meet and more than greet a favorite porn queen. Specializing in anal adventures of course. Story was well written but despite a welcome plot twist, extreme sexual torture expertise extolled by Harding, just okay. Rated 3 Stars.

Toad Juice by Patrick McDonough is the story of a dog's experiences as seen through the eyes and other senses of the canine in question. This horror story did not resonate with me on any level. There are less polite ways to express that sentiment but I will take the high road. I think the canine protagonist may be influenced by a toxin with hallucinogenic properties. Rated 1 Star.

A Header Tale by Edward Lee (only the Godfather of Extreme Horror). Nothing else really needs to be said on this horror short. Who BUT Lee can write a tale in flawless dialect and never slip "out of character" even once? A grieving sister is visited by a teenage local whose only purpose is to offer condolences. There is a plot twist coming and we know it involves a "Header". Rated 5 Stars all day long.

EACH OF US SINNERS by Lucas Milliron was definitely different and effortlessly extreme. The storyline had me swallowing Zofran for nausea and asking WTF? The plurality of the plot appeared like the chalk line at a crime scene. This dark desperate deal with the Devil and one's hillbilly cousins hidden in the closet is both sinister and surprisingly sad. Rated 2.5 Stars rounded down to 2 Stars.

Cherrified by Bridgett Nelson is a highly original and very satisfying story of the supernatural. The title may suggest the part of the main character's female anatomy that becomes weaponized to deliver a painful death to the sexual predators who stole her innocence. I liked it. It also reminded me of Coven ,my favorite serial installment of AHS . Rated 4 Stars.

Sweat Pea by Kristopher Rufty is the cautionary tale of a guy who gets caught fooling around with his wife's best friend (wife napping in the backseat of the car at the time). Honestly, fellows, do you know a single guy you know who would be that stupid? Oh, all right I do know at least a couple. Rufty takes this tired trope, turns it upside down and wrong side out. Rated 4 Stars.

The Moonshining was the first story and it was about two cousins who Grandpa had ordered to spend the winter inside the moonshine shack. A big snowstorm was blowing in and the old man wanted the boys to make sure no harm came to the rickety old shed that was the source of their livelihood. Strand is best known for his talent in churning out comedy. This horror short was hysterical start to finish. 5 Stars.

Wrath is in his own element with this one , and I would venture that he had fun writing it. You know what they say, right? "Write what you know". The storyline is more interesting as it progresses. I would anticipate more thrills and action as the plot tightens. I can't guess the ending. I believe I will be surprised. WJW is not challenging himself with this one, but one might argue that it isn't necessary for him.

The field of principle players expands as the book begins to pull you in with skill and confidence. The awakening of Athena to her darkest desires becomes a catalyst for an MMA Tournament you are unlikely to forget for awhile. The confident narcissistic sociopath named Tyrell commands your undivided attention as he destroys the woefully unprepared competition blocking his path to Athena. Get prepared for Wrath!

The background of this novel is MMA and also the lifestyle choice of bondage with Master/Submissive connotations. I love the UFC and sexual preferences that adults make with each other are not something I care about nor do I feel that it is any of my business. In this first person POV of Athena her character is just unlikable. Naturally that is only my opinion. She is presented as a self-serving narcissist.

Only an hour before the finish line but had to tap out due to an early wake up call. It is impossible to summarize my impressions at this juncture since there have been countless noteworthy occurrences and too many revelations to address in the brevity and confines of a Status Update. AB really impressed me with this surreal storyline about what happens to us after our death. Will love writing a review! Fascinating.

AB effortlessly engages the reader with his uncanny command of whip-smart shocking descriptive prose. The storyline pulled me in and kept my mind hijacked throughout the repetitious ripping apart of the sympathetic protagonist. He was manipulated in bouts of chilling carnage, violated visages from his musings of parents. Why see the gunman and victims from the work cubicle massacre? Together, contemplating where,why.

Just getting started on this intriguing tale and am at this point blind to the endgame. But having said that, I was pulled into the storyline so seamlessly that I initially failed to notice that I was already vested and thinking "What the Hell" is going on here? AB consistently exhibits that "You are there" dynamic I love. I purchased this selection because the Cover Art was so "Out There" and Title so enigmatic.

Kaine delivers a chilling, compelling cautionary tale with Sugar Baby . Sarah, a financially struggling college student, is the epitome of youth, beauty, and scintillating sex appeal. She is empathetic, pure of heart, and carries a fully functional moral compass. Temptation knocks and she fights her righteous conscience until it taps out. The line she crosses leads down a corridor of evil to the gates of Hell.

Arioch by Timothy King did not disappoint. Charlie picks up his Rideshare customer from the ramshackle Hole in the Wall Bar and registers the odor of gunpowder on his rumpled rider's clothes. King hits his stride with stories of unbridled hatred and revenge. What would a civilized Accountant do to avenge the death of his family by a drunk driver?
A helluva lot it would seem if Satan is puppeteer.

Finished The Life and Times of Edward Callahan (James Kaine) and the story was both articulate and addictive. It evoked emotions, played the reader like a piano prodigy. Then the story flipped the script to reveal a smiling Satan at the keyboard. Truly impressed!!! If remaining stories are a fraction this fantastic will start savoring Kaine's killer writing style as well as that of Timothy King.

Just began reading this combustible collaboration by Kaine and King. The backdrop of Charlie and Rideshare is a simply brilliant springboard for a host of stories of unimagined horror and depravity. I am genuinely excited already by the Prologue and the catalyst for calamity and carnage that the very first story could deliver.

Should be able to finish tomorrow night. The two parallel plotlines have now converged. The two young couples are now in the thrall of the greedy "Gordy" and being used to collect information from the Beast House illegally at night (photos, sounds and sights etc). Abe and Jack find that even hardened marines with firepower may have grossly underestimated the horrors underlying Beast House.

The End eluded me tonight. Time flies when one is absorbed in the story of the "End of Days". Plan to finish tomorrow morning. Hopefully. Tonight reminded me of a cardinal rule reading Triana: Don't allow yourself to get fond of any of the characters.

Wow! Finally made some progress. This is at its most basic level an Old West epic of Good vs. Evil. I have gotten "lost" in it every time I resume reading. Triana is up to the task of creating characters that are flawed yet valiant crusaders for ridding their home, if not the world, of a contagion so malevalent that it would destroy innocence and cover the land with a blanket of blackness and everlasting evil.

Dual plotlines continue with the two new couples and Tyler searching for her former love, Dan at the Beast House. Laymon atypically adept with writing erotic and romantic prose in this novel. The second plotline with "Gory" (Goreman) who has his greedy heart set on a Bestseller with movie writes on the Beast House trudges forward. The reader learns what is happening or did happen to the parties involved.

This second installment captured my attention from the start. It is really well crafted to follow both plotlines which naturally will converge later. Just about a third of the way through but I am impressed and engaged. It is a rough week coming up but hope to finish this Buddy Read by end of week. Here's to hoping. Very good so far in my opinion!

Barely into the beginning of this terrifying second installment of Laymon's chronicles of The Beast House . Pulled me into the story line immediately. This past week has been a blur of obligations. Beginning tonight all my time will be spent juggling my two highly anticipated Buddy Reads and hoping to make some meaningful contributions to the Discussion Boards!

The first fifth of the book has been fascinating and sort of reads itself. I love anything Triana writes but I am fond of a good Splatterpunk Western periodically. This one impresses me as exceptionally exciting with "Koyotes" (half man and all vicious carnivorous carnage arising from the half that is wolfen). There is a lot to absorb in these early pages and I am more drawn to the storyline than expected.