Okay, first off this won the Stoker award. No way is it that good. Second, a lot of people seem to bum out over it's explicit sick (as in unhealthy) sexuality and lack of ANY healthy relationships. That's just what Shirley is doing here, part of his morbid theme. I think you have to go there to get his point across in some of these stories. Third, people seem to turn off at Shirley's almost unrelieved grim world-view. I don't get this. He is just a little less pessimistic than Ligotti about the human condition and no one seems to cry about Ligotti being too grim. Shirley is a much different writer than Ligotti but his general outlook is still in the same camp. No way should you gig him for not being a good writer because of his outlook, and the quality of these stories dares you to look away but you simply can't and that says something.

I'll mention probably the one brilliant story in a collection of mostly very good stories: Cram. This story is 100% possible, maybe even probable. People, lots of them, really end up checking out like this or in similar ways (think of Falling Man). What better way to face the end times? This is actually a pretty optimistic outlook when you think about what really happens to thousands of people every day in the real world. The story is gut wrenchingly repulsive and we try to turn away from this sort of thing all the time (or at least REALLY thinking about what it means). Shirley shoves our face in it and says "look what happens every day, you need to think about this. What would you do?"

If anything stories like Cram are the real horror stories that give you the creeps because, unlike the genteel ghost story by M.R. James where in real life the spook is never going to jump out of the closet, this could really happen to you, a lot of you... ( )

If you see this review pop up in my status update over and over, it's because I'll be adding reviews for each story as I work my way through the book. Reviews are possibly, but not necessarily, in order.

I've never read anything by John Shirley before (at least that I can remember), but have heard many good things. Fingers crossed.

Now on with the individual story reviews:

***** Barbara

What a great short story! A woman gets kidnapped by amateur thugs hoping to force her to withdraw cash from an ATM. Things go not quite as planned. Reminiscent of Richard Laymon, with excellent writing to boot.

*** War and Peace

Two crooked cops, and one of them has a dead wife. Did he do it? Gritty and interesting, but doesn't really go anywhere.

*** You Hear What Buddy and Ray Did?

Lots of drugs, crime, and transexual hijynx in this all around mess of a situation. You'll be ready to shower and brush your teeth after this one. Not for the offendable, and not for everyone. Not sure this one was for me.

*** Answering Machine

A pretty experimental piece in that the entire story is supposed to be the written transcript of an answering machine message about - you guessed it - an all around mess of a situation.

**** The Rubber Smile

A man is working on his doctorate, studying the effects of horror films on audiences. The horror flick THE RUBBER SMILE seems to being having a profound effect on some...
I wasn't digging this story too much at first, but ended up enjoying it quite a bit.

*** The Footlite

You know that girl, the one who died from cum?

This is her story. Very similar vibe and pervasive transexual lifestyle setting as the "You Hear What Buddy and Ray Did?" story. Doesn't really go anywhere, pretty much strives to recreate the experience of sitting at the bar in a sleazy inner-city gay/transexual dive while having the drunk person beside you chew your ear off with nasty gossip about the people who hang out there. Does not increase my desire to do so one iota. Why is the author so enamored with this subset of people living tragic lives, bisexual/transexual junkies and hookers in particular? It is out of fascination, or is this his social circle?

**** Cram

A tight little Laymonesque story, less focused on alternative lifestyle sleaze and more focused on straight ahead real-life horror.

Two bicycle delivery boys are riding in the BART subway, that travels through a tunnel dug deep beneath the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay. Hey, they have earthquakes there...right?

Brilliant short story collection. Definitely gory and sexual, but I didn't expect any less from John Shirley. ( )

About: Collection of horror short stories

Pros: Lots of blood, gore and sex

Cons: One can only stand so much blood, gore and sex

Grade: B- ( )