Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #216322 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 310 pages

From Publishers Weekly
A whacko walking into a workplace after first making a threatening phone call ("I'm gonna get you") serves as the premise for each of the three novellas in this grisly anthology. Fans of the late Richard Laymon will revel in his characteristic mix of horror and sadism in the title story, in which a shotgun-toting psycho wreaks havoc in a law office. A secretary named Sharon flees, gains help from a stranger and returns to the office, where she discovers a heap of bodies, the killer beneath. The killer pops out, shoots Sharon's rescuer, sexually assaults her and escapes the police but not her ultimate revenge. Just another day in the office. In Edward Lee's "In the Year of Our Lord: 2202," his heroine, also named Sharon, lives in a Christianized future world. When the threatening message comes, she reacts quickly enough to call in the securitechs, who blast the intruder away, along with the story, which abruptly shifts into another theme. After an explanation of how things got so religious, with outbursts of four-star profanity by the less godly characters and gobs of SF babble by the sardonic author, the plot plows along to a predictable ending. Jack Ketchum's "Sheep Meadow Story," the best and the shortest of the three contributions, opens with the by-now-familiar bloody scenario, but it proves to be the dream of a disgruntled editor paid to critique and encourage the work of talentless would-be authors. The story is a funny riff on literary ambition, while the inevitable gunplay surprises hero and reader alike.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Duck and Cover!
Triage gathers three of the leading lights of horror fiction, Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, and the late Richard Laymon, under one cover for a hellacious trio of novellas all spun off of the same premise: A man walks into a place of business with a gun, and starts shooting....

Richard Laymon leads off with the title story, "Triage". He takes the most straightforward approach to the subject matter, with a grim tale of Sharon, a woman trapped in an office building with the madman who just killed all of her co-workers. Laymon hammers the reader with all manner of grotesque, twisted doings, so faint-hearted readers might want to give this a pass. The more daring reader will find Triage to be a fast-paced walk on the dark side; Laymon makes his heroine too real for this to be chalked up as mere exploitation. I actually had a few moments where I was afraid to find out what was going to happen to poor Sharon next....Now how many books have YOU read lately that got a reaction that visceral out of you..? Laymon was one hell of a writer, and I'm sorry I didn't discover him until after his untimely death. He left a great legacy behind, though....

Edward Lee's story also stars a heroine named Sharon, but his take on the subject couldn't be more different. "In The Year Of Our Lord: 2202" takes place in outer space, aboard a ship bound for a top-secret destination. Lee quickly gets away from the book's theme, and spins his story off in a totally different direction, effortlessly combining theology, sci-fi, and horror into a gripping, fast-paced tale. I'm generally not much of a Sci-Fi fan, so for Lee's story to grab me the way it did is really a neat trick. I was absolutely floored by the ending. This is a must-read.

Last, but not least, is "Sheep Meadow Story", by Jack Ketchum. It's the shortest story, and although I liked it a lot, I thought it was the weakest one due to it's far-fetched ending. It's a more down-to-Earth story than it's companion pieces, but it manages to be funny, creepy, and touching all at once. Ketchum is clearly a VERY talented storyteller.

The book is part of a limited-edition of 1500, signed by Ketchum & Lee, and Editor Matt Johnson. (Richard Laymon passed away before publication.) As you would expect from the always dependable publisher, Cemetery Dance, the book is just gorgeous. The only problem is this: Stories of this caliber deserve to be seen by more people than this limited-edition could possibly reach. In a perfect world, these three Authors would be topping the best-seller list....

Fine Horror
A woman sits alone at her desk, waiting for her shift to end, when her telephone rings. She hears a man whisper the words: "I'm coming to get you!" Seconds later, a man enters her work palce, holding on to a gun.

This is how the three stories of Triage begin. But what follows this differs greatly from one story to the next. The three masters of independent horror - Lee, Ketchum and the late Richard Laymon - each tell their own take based on this scenario.

Laymon's tale is dark and disturbing; the story becomes a race for survival as the killer chases after the heroine as she tries to find a place to hide in the building where she works. Lee's take, although fun and different, is a bit over the top and a little too long. He decided to bring his story to the year 2220 and sets in a a spaceship that just happens to be on a Godly misison.

The real reason to get this book is for Ketchum's take, which is called 'Sheep Meadow Story'. It takes the reader through a very realistic nightmare, where a down-on-his-luck man tries to make sense out of his disturbed existence. This story alone is well worth the price of the book. Another great story from an amazing, underrated writer.

This book is a great one for any horror fans. It has it all! I was greatly pleased by it and I know this is one book which I'll want to read again and again.

2 out of 3 aint bad
I only just recently found out that this book was released in paperback addition and that night I ran out and got it. I wasnt disappointed at all. Well, maybe just a tad disappointed.

I didnt really enjoy the Edward Lee story. It was too long (the longest story of the three)and it was about themes that I dont care to read about (Christianity and Science Fiction) two themes that Im not really into.

The other two stories by Richard Laymon and Jack Ketchum are superb and exactly what I expected. Laymons story "Triage" was the best only because Im a die hard Laymon fan and love anything he puts out. It has all the classic elements of a Laymon story. Extreme violence, rape, and of course revenge.

Ketchums story although different was good too. It is about a guy who is pretty much down and out in every way than finally gets the recognition he's wanted but in a Very different way than what you think is going to happen.

Overall if you like suspense and horror from 3 of the best out there than pick up this book. It is worth the price.