Product Description

This collection of horror stories will slap you in the face, kick you in the teeth and burn cigarette holes in your couch. These stories of pool halls, whiskey, junkies, and angel-tinged lunacy reach to the edge of human endurance and push all the harder. A detective wakes up in a shallow grave with a bullet hole in his chest and a taste for brains. A drug dealer tortures the privileged. A whorehouse keeps a strange "pet" and a man discovers the secret to all human passion. These seven stories, written by some of the best writers of modern fiction including Garry Kilworth, Ron Damien Malfi, Michael Boatman and Michael Hemmingson, will dull the pain of the hole that Hubert Selby jr.'s death left in your nasty bitter heart.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #791680 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 148 pages

Customer Reviews

Seven tales of tough guy terror
Dybbuk Press doesn't suffer from the Sophomore slump with its second anthology, Badass Horror. Following in the entertaining, if rather uneven, footsteps of its Freshman effort, Teddy Bear Cannibal Massacre, Badass is a solid collection of tales set in the noir side of nightmare. The best stories are Pool Sharks, featuring a game of pool that turns into a battle for survival, Hardboiled Stiff, wherein a zombified private detective solves his own murder, and All the Pretty Girls, about a very special wreck of a car hidden in the desert. Less effective, but still making for worthwhile reading, are the stories Moving Pictures, where a tough guy does battle with a tougher tattoo, and The Essences, about an insurance fraud investigator who finds the very essence of humanity, and wishes he hadn't. Badass isn't bad at all, it's quite good, in fact. Recommended.

Another solid anthology from Dybbuk Press
The second book from Tim Lieder's Dybbuk Press, the follow-up to the solid anthology edited by Lieder, Teddy Bear Cannibal Massacre, is another anthology of horror stories (more or less) edited by Michael Stone and Christopher J. Hall. Gerard Brennan starts off the volume with "Pool Sharks," a story where metaphor meets extreme violence when Northern Ireland meets the south in a game of pool to the death. Brennan's tale reeks of authenticity (I get the feeling he's spent a good deal of time in pool halls) and moves quickly, up until its ending, where it turns philosophical and trite and just about loses all the punch it brought in the beginning. Endings are notoriously hard, but this one was too soft.

Next up is Garry Kilworth's "The Stray," an is-it-or-isn't-it, what-am-I-supposed-to-be-thinking kind of tale about a fellow named Tom who hangs around a brothel. To say much more would give the point away, but it's kind of a one-joke piece anyway. Kilworth is a solid wordsmith, though, and doesn't waste time getting to the point. My main complaint is that it's not a horror tale (but, then, Teddy Bear Cannibal Massacre wasn't the epitome of truth in advertising, either).

Then, "Hardboiled Stiff" by Michael Hemmingson ups the title factor significantly. Hemmingson offers up a blend of the private-eye and zombie genres that works surprisingly well. Arthur Gideon awakens with two bullet holes in his chest, covered with dirt, no memory, and a inexplicable craving for fresh brains. We follow Gideon as he discovers how he got into this state, finding things out as he does. Hemmingson throws in some necrophilia for good measure (dead guys have needs, too!), but the effect is lessened by the fact that the whole thing reads like a first draft. (Editors, don't be afraid to do your jobs, even for someone so widely published.)

Next comes the highlight of the anthology, "All the Pretty Girls" by Ronald Damien Malfi. Some people worship cars, but monastery groundskeeper Pablo Santiago is taking things a little bit too far. Malfi really knows his craft, creating a protagonist who remains engaging no matter his actions, a gripping premise, and a good measure of suspense toward how it will all turn out. The conclusion is direct and fits all the pieces together, and though the here-we-go-again epilogue is cliche (it has become a standard of the horror genre), it actually imparts more needed information for the reader. Plus, he has a real ear for dialogue, giving each character a discernible speech pattern. "All the Pretty Girls" is like Mary Poppins: "practically perfect in every way."

But Davin Ireland's "The Essences" really gives it a run for it money. There's real storytelling brilliance here. The beginning is not only a grabber, but is also cleverly deceptive -- and I love surprises in fiction; they are so rare. A stakeout gone awry leads Paul Gemson onto the abandoned thirteenth floor of an office building, and to the Keeper of the Essences. The pure imagination involved in this story was stunning and it is not only readable but also brought back memories of old-time radio with its taut delivery. My only complaint is that it should have ended (as I thought) prior to the accompanying illustration, instead of (as I discovered the next day) on the following page. That last page does nothing for the tale itself and its meandering tone actually detracts from it.

(Speaking of the illustrations, there are eight that appear throughout the book by artist Federico Dallochio, and some are repeated on the book's final pages. Every story is illustrated -- except "The Stray," and for good reason -- and "Pool Sharks" and "All the Pretty Girls" each get two, if you include the cover. They don't all come off equally well, though; the monochromatic design of the book often makes the blacks too black and the whites too white, causing a loss of detail. They are successful as often as not, however, and are a good addition to the anthology.)

I first read Gord Rollo's work in an anthology called Tooth and Claw, Volume One that put humans "at the bottom of the food chain." Rollo's piece in that anthology, "Friends of a Forgotten Man," focused on an uncommon manner of revenge, as does his story here. "Moving Pictures" is the story of Ronnie, a protection-racket enforcer trying to redeem himself to his boss, extorting a free tattoo out of a small-businessman in the process. Don't people know you never anger a tattoo artist? Only bad can come of it. Rollo's talent lies in details, in his description of Ronnie's inner thoughts, and especially in the directness of the closing paragraph. "Moving Pictures" is a throwback to the pulps, and a damned good one.

If you know the name Michael Boatman, it's as likely from movies like Hamburger Hill or TV shows like Spin City as from reading books, though his short work has been widely anthologized and he has published two novels. His entry, "Bloodbath and Landsdale Towers," is a perfect closer; I can't imagine one having such a complete sense of finality as this one. Filled with purely despicable characters, the horror comes not from their deaths (which are actually welcome) but from their vile actions toward each other. Sex, drugs, and violence abound. The title is a nice (though misspelled) tribute to Joe R. Lansdale, since Boatman's characters are so obviously influenced by this master of attitude-horror. This thinly veiled inspiration makes it difficult to take the story on its own terms, but Boatman is at the very least an excellent mimic -- though I do wonder what he's like when he writes in his own voice.

Coming in at 145 pages, this is a slim volume, but a tightly packed one. The average story length is twenty pages, the ideal length for short fiction in my experience. Editors Michael Stone and Christopher J. Hall have done their book a service by picking only the very best to represent them, instead of padding out the length with less effective ones just to up the page count (and most likely the price). Kudos to Dybbuk Press for another fine volume of genre fiction; this and Teddy Bear Cannibal Massacre speak well for their future. Now, if we can only get a novel out of them ....

Very interesting...
This anthology of horror stories is not for those with weak stomachs. Therefore, if you are looking for a chill, but nothing hard core, go elsewhere. It seemed to me that no one was spared or granted any mercy within these pages. If you are still interested, this is what you will get:

Pool Sharks by Gerard Brennan is the first tale and is about just that...pool sharks. But in this game you win or die.

The Stray by Garry Kilworth is about a slow man that some ladies of night let hang around their place of business. Until, that is, a customer takes offense.

Hardboiled Still by Michael Hemmingson is the longest tale in the anthology. It is also the strangest. The way it is written, it reminds me of the old Dick Tracy comics. A private investigator wakes up one night to find out that he is a zombie.

All the Pretty Girls by Ronald Damien Malfi will appeal to you classic car lovers. The story revolves around a possessed 1962 Mercury Comet S-22 Coupe. (I sense you drooling already.)

Moving Pictures by Gord Rollo is my personal favorite. A new tattoo parlor is about to open in the area. When the enforcer appears to collect the protection money, the oriental man offers a free tattoo to buy time until he can get customers and make some money. But his tattoos are VERY special indeed.

The Essences by Davin Ireland refer to the emotions of people in the world. Each city has a Keeper (Watcher or Caretaker) who cares of the vials containing that city's essences.

Bloodbath at Landsdale Towers by Michael Boatman is my second fave. Two dark and menacing figures with interesting powers are out to get the names of all the dealers in the area. They also have the most interesting pet, a Death Puck with legs. You have to read it to believe it.

**** Each story is well done. However, the first story or two uses slang words that some people will not understand. Yet they will easily figure it out by the way the words are used. All of the stories are good, none below average. Those searching for talent in the horror field will be pleased with the choices made to create this anthology. I will be checking back to see which, if not all, of these authors make the big time. Excellent reading for stormy nights. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.