Greetings, dingle berries!
I’m back and feeling motivated as Hell this week to tear the assholes out of some online hacks, so get ready for a little bloodshed! Get ready for some serious mayhem and a body count to match the carnage of Jonestown!
. . . .No, not really, folks.
Honestly, the past few weeks of online short fiction have been impressive ones, and I’ve really been enjoying myself with all the great stories that have popped up, especially from a few favorite veterans of mine who’ve been making the online scene for a few years now and a story from a writer who’s been making the publishing scene for over 30 years.
Alrighty, let’s do some reviewing.
Patient by Mark Joseph Kiewlak, published by A Twist of Noir
I’m a Mark Joseph Kiewalak fan. Yeah, I know a reviewer is supposed to be objective and not admit they like the fiction of the writer they’re reviewing, but you know what, go fuck yourself. In my opinion, Kiewalak writes hard-boiled fiction the way it’s meant to be written; raw, minimalist, and unsentimental. I especially enjoy Kiewalak’s A Twist of Noir work. With his newest story, “Patient,” his unnamed narrator has been hired by an old perv named Dr. Henderson who needs help recovering his wayward—and apparently kidnapped— daughter, Mindy, from another sick twist of a doctor named Kevin. As to be expected from a Kiewalak story, the writing is workman-like and efficient; zero language is wasted, and he keeps the tension level boiling until you reach the final sentence. “Patient” is a fast-paced, well written piece with a solid payoff.
3 stars
Survival Instincts by Sandra Seamans, published by Pulp Pusher
I’m also a fan of Sandra Seamans. True, I slammed a story of Ms. Seamans in a previous column, but for the most part I find her work to be extraordinary. “Survival Instincts” is one of Ms. Seamans most chilling, blood-curdling efforts to date. The piece focuses on a 12-year-old girl named Penny, who is the sole survivor of a motel robbery/murder spree by hiding in out in a make shift panic room, and she then wreaks havoc on the psychopathic assholes. This story made me a little sick to my stomach as I read it, but not in that, eeewww this shit is gross kind of way, but in that all too brutal realism kind of way that Seamans has such a knack for. Easily my favorite flash piece this year; highly recommended.
4 stars
One Night Near Hangtown by James Reasoner, published by Beat to a Pulp
What can I say about James Reasoner? The man’s legendarily prolific in multiple genres and one of the few writers of westerns whom I actually read. It’s a true rarity for him write a short story, and luckily he turned over his newest piece to the good folks at Beat to a Pulp. “One Night Near Hangtown” is the story of real-life B-grade western star, Buck Jones, and legendary B-grade horror star, Bela Lugosi. In the story, creepy old Bela is being stalked by a rabid group of fans who’re convinced that the man who made Dracula famous can transform them into vampires. Bela comes to Buck looking for a getaway to Buck’s cabin in the central California town of Hangtown. Buck agrees to take Bela up to the cabin for some R-n-R, and on the way there, Bela’s sportscar breaks down and our two travelers have to hike the rest of the way to Buck’s cabin. Halfway through the hike they encounter a strange, otherworldly Mexican.
I had a really great time with this story. It’s a fun, fast-paced read filled with wiry humor and old Hollywood yore. Fans of Craig McDonald’s Hector Lassiter novels should have a blast with this piece, or anyone who enjoys solid, first-rate storytelling. I loved this story; highly recommended.
4 stars
Every one a gem. ‘Survival Instincts’ is a very scary piece of work.