Tim Eagle’s Walking Free reintroduces us to Sue, sometime after the events of Vasectomus, as she’s about to participate in a peculiar ceremony, presumably something isolated to the town of Stevats. We find her wearing a mask as she takes her turn to publicly share her stories of Sabre. Sue joins in a ritual with other residents who gather together near a bonfire to share these often unflattering and purgative tales that wouldn’t be appropriate at a funeral. Sue’s life before Sabre appears to be one of success and upward mobility, with a bright future ahead of her until she decides that she’s missing only one thing, a family. Unfortunately for Sue, Sabre wasn’t the best choice with that future in mind. We discover that she knew of Sabre’s machinations and that she was pulling strings to get what she wanted long before the events of Vasectomus took place. And though she’s a widow now, is it possible she might just have the family she was searching for, despite Sabre’s protestations? This middle story of the Vasectomus trilogy wasn’t quite as peculiar and captivating as the first installment, but the ending certainly provides a snapshot containing a healthy dose of bizarre and unsettling family.
You can pick up Walking Free and the other two volumes of the Vasectomus Trilogy by going to http://www.godless.com or by downloading the Godless app on your mobile device. The link is below:
In Vasectomus, Tim Eagle invites us to spend some time with Sabre and his wife. They’re an unhappy couple fueled by acrimony and bitterness. The primary source of spite between the two is Sue’s unrelenting insistence that she and Sabre have children and Sabre’s unflinching contempt for the whole concept. A peculiar encounter with the old woman next door interrupts the couple’s most recent argument, and from there, Vasectomus leads us along a strange path blending bizarro and body horror. Eagle gives us a story of secrets, lack of communication, and backstabbing that befits the most absurdly over-the-top soap opera marriages. That is, assuming those soap operas are written by the likes of David Lynch or David Cronenberg. In the first of three tales, Vasectomus introduces us to the strange town of Stevats and the residents living there. Eagle manages to entice readers to return, against all better judgment, by sharing with us a place that thankfully can only exist in the feverish imagination of its author.
You can pick up Vasectomus as well as the two sequel stories by going to http://www.godless.com or by downloading the Godless app to your mobile device of choice. The link is below:
There was no doubt that Ryan Harding would bring the first Fucking Scumbags Burn In Hell season to one Hell of a conclusion. But the way Harding expertly ties it all together, bringing us around full circle, defies even the most liberal expectations. The story of Agent John Kessler, celebrity FBI profiler, is a fascinating and convoluted one. The Profile isn’t solely a story about Kessler, though. It’s the tale of an insidious serial murderer we’ll refer to as The Usurper. Of course, it’s also a story about Sonny Hooper. It would hardly be the Hoopiverse without Hoop making an appearance. I can’t say anything more. As much as I’d love to dive into this and provide a more detailed description of the things I loved about this installment–and there is an awful lot–I have to keep my mouth shut because I don’t want to ruin the fun for anyone else. I will say that the conclusion of this story is one Hell of a captivating, edge-of-the-seat sequence that will leave the reader breathless and dizzy–desperate for more. Thankfully, we have season two to look forward to, and the paperback collecting the whole of season one–including an additional bit of icing on the cake from Drew Stepek himself and an introduction from the always spectacular Rayne Havok. It’s worth mentioning, of course, that Harding didn’t create this in isolation. None of these phenomenal authors contributing to the Hoopiverse did so without the guidance and tutelage of the maestro, Drew Stepek. As outstanding members of the orchestra, they each brought their own flair and their distinct characters to the page, telling us the stories they developed. Like Hooper himself, Drew worked behind the scenes to help everyone bring the individual scumbags to their fitting conclusions, setting the stage for everything that was to come. I suppose, in the end, we should all just call him Hoop.
This final volume of the first season was released as part of the AntiChristmas event at http://www.godless.com and you can pick it up for yourself by going to the website or by downloading the app to your mobile device of choice. The link is below:
Donna just started her job as a waitress at Pimento Patch only to find out the restaurant would be shutting its doors for good.
Along with a skeleton crew of slackers, she accepted the offer of full pay to work overnight cleaning the place up in preparation for the looming vacancy. Unfortunately, this particular Pimento Patch restaurant has a dark history, and a sinister presence has something in store for the five crew members on staff that night.
Prepare for the breadstick massacre, because When You’re Here, You’re Fatalities!
Inspired by my love of Italian Giallo films of the 70s and 80s, as a slasher-ish story taking place in a fictional version of an Olive Garden would almost have to, I think you’re in for a not-so-delicious treat when you check out this new story. Released as part of the Godless AntiChristmas event for December of 2021, you’ll be able to find the link below:
I don’t know that I’d recommend participating in the #DeadSealChallenge, but I’m sure you won’t end up like Gary or Lee. You certainly won’t end up like Johnny Ciao–the self-professed mukbang king. You know what, come to think of it. I think you’ll probably be fine. Never mind the fact that Food Network’s Andrew Zimmern wouldn’t touch kiviak; he’s never been fond of fermented meats. How did we get from fermented meat to the different piece of meat #DeadSealChallenge opens with? It’s a long story. Well, it’s not that long of a story, but it’s a fun short story that you’ll need to read for yourself if you want to figure out how we find our way from the discovery of fermented birds stuffed into a dead seal carcass to a rotting penis on the chopping block. There might be some light necrophilia involved in the process of getting there, but you didn’t hear that from me. Nikki Noir and S. C. Mendes are a match made in hell, or maybe Greenland? Is Greenland that dissimilar from hell? It’s unnerving how real the characters feel as they embark on the most ludicrous get-rich-quick scheme I’ve ever witnessed. It’s unfortunate for Gary and Lee that the story’s descent into madness and body horror is so damn entertaining because it makes it hard to feel bad for them when you’re enjoying it so much as it unfolds.
You can read this for yourself by going to http://www.godless.com or by downloading the Godless app to your mobile device of choice. The link is below:
Wayne expected a normal evening of hockey, announcing the penalties and the scores just like any other day at the arena. When he started feeling ill, he thought it might just be a cold, until he saw the tiny figure he’d coughed up. Unfortunately, for Wayne, that little person is only the first of many. As the announcer’s body is pushed past its limits, and what starts off a curious–albeit revolting–spectacle for the fans becomes a nightmare of body horror as an unstoppable surge of humanoid figures continues to erupt into the arena. Ludens blends body horror and science fiction in an entertainingly vile fashion with Sudden Death. Sadly, death doesn’t arrive suddenly enough for our poor, besieged protagonist, as his suffering continues beyond what anyone should experience.
Sudden Death was released as a Godless exclusive short at http://www.godless.com and you can pick it up for yourself by going to the website or by downloading the Godless app to your mobile device. The link is below:
Nat Whiston weaves us a tale of friendship, betrayal, lost love, witchcraft, and supernatural horror in her short but potent debut, What’s Eating You. As the author draws you through the expertly crafted twists and turns, you’ll only discover where the story’s headed when she leads you right up to the precipice, and you find yourself gazing into the depths of Hell itself. The moral of the story: Don’t betray a witch–and certainly don’t do it twice. But, if you insist on betraying her, make damn sure you understand the objectives she has in mind. There’s no way to say anything more without giving it all away, so you’ll just have to read this one for yourself. I trust that you’ll find yourself just as eager to see what the author has in store for us in the future.
This story was released on http://www.godless.com as part of the AntiChristmas event for December of 2021. You can pick it up for yourself by going to the website or downloading the Godless app. The link is below:
Amy is a spoiled, entitled, petty, and manipulative monster of a woman. It seems only fitting that she’d find her way into the Hoopiverse with Dani Brown’s The Scratching Post. Arguably the worst quality Amy displays is her solipsism. Her inability to recognize other people as independent, separate beings with perspectives that aren’t her own, manifests in a sort of delusionally cynical outlook and a lack of object permanence. For Amy, other people are only ever motivated by the same things that motivate her. That viewpoint might be less pronounced if she didn’t also surround herself with vapid, terrible people who only serve to reinforce the way she sees things. Thus, if everyone is motivated by the same things, it’s altogether too easy for Amy to see others as nothing more than playthings to be used for her perverse amusement. For years, Amy got away with being a god-awful person, catered to by her mourning parents and pandered to by her social circle, but then Hoop moves in next door. As Amy’s carefully constructed world of gaslighting and self-deception crumbles around her, there’s no way a reader won’t take pleasure in the revolting and nefariously appropriate comeuppance she experiences. Dani Brown brings her deliciously wicked and vile imagination to the table in bringing to life what has to be one of the most disgusting miasmas a reader can imagine. You’d be hard-pressed not to smell hints of the corruption wafting from the screen as you read the descriptions she provides. Like the other installments in the Hoopiverse, we get to witness Hooper forcing empathy onto the monstrous people he sets his sights on. While it isn’t true empathy, being subjected to the experiences of those they’ve hurt, it’s a befitting analog that serves the purpose of showing these hideous men and women the harm they’ve caused in the only way they’ll understand, when it’s hurting them. You’ve got to hit the sociopath where it hurts, and Hooper’s got the skills that pay the bills.
You can pick up The Scratching Post as well as the previous installments in the Fucking Scumbags series by going to http://www.godless.com or by downloading the Godless app to your mobile device. The first season of tales is soon to be collected in a single paperback release if you prefer to wait for a physical book to love and caress with your nasty fingertips, but I recommend picking these up in the meantime. The link is below:
While My Christmas Story by Rayne Havok is not a new story from her, it’s new to me, and it was a perfect tale for her to make available on Godless for the Antichristmas event this December. Lydia’s spending her first Christmas night alone, but her husband is still there…in spirit…in a sense. We’ll go with, “in a sense.” It was bad enough that Henry had gotten her a blender for Christmas this year, but that’s the least of his transgressions…and Lydia is not the forgiving sort. As she decorates her tree with the ornaments Henry provided, it does seem like Lydia is finally getting into the spirit of the holidays, and we can’t help but feel happy for her. While the holiday might have started as a bit of a disappointment, she found a way to make it festive just the same. If you’re familiar with Rayne Havok’s work, you damn well know what to expect…so I’m not going to spell it out for you here. If you’re not familiar with her writing, you’re in for an enchanting, heartwarming tale of Christmas cheer.
This title was released on http://www.godless.com as part of the Antichristmas event for December of 2021. You can pick it up for yourself by going to the website or by downloading the app to your mobile device of choice. The link is below:
When Jonathan Maberry assembles an anthology, a discerning reader should expect a certain degree of excellence from the final product; that is doubly so when that anthology includes material from authors like Christopher Golden, Weston Ochse, Brian Keene, Scott Sigler, and Maberry himself. Aliens: Bug Hunt is certainly no exception. Pitched by Maberry to the decision-makers handling the literary universe that’s evolved from Ridley Scott’s Alien universe as a series of vignettes, deep-diving into the lives and experiences of the men and women of the Colonial Marines, it’s a magnificent thing to behold. The collection is kicked off with Paul Kupperberg’s Chance Encounter. He takes us to a far-off planet where low gravity provides a lattice for massive trees to spear the sky and equally impressive jellyfish-like creatures to float amid the highest branches. Unfortunately, for the expedition on-site to collect samples, there’s another lifeform preying on those Floaters and happy to prey on any other lifeforms making themselves available. Like many of these stories, this one focuses on greed and selfishness, and the disastrous consequences when we allow those traits to guide our actions, much as James Cameron’s Aliens did. Reaper by Dan Abnett introduces us to a world where the corporation’s attempt to grow and harvest grain awakens a swarming colony of organisms with no objective but to consume all available organic material before returning to hibernation, awaiting new growth and new food for the swarm. Rachel Caine’s Broken introduces us to Bishop, detailing his first minutes of awakened existence and the fateful mission that ultimately brings him into the company of Apone and crew. Reclamation introduces us to Hicks, long before the events of Aliens, as Yvonne Navarro shares the story of his marriage and his desperate struggle to understand what happened to his wife on a mission that stole her from him five years earlier. Christopher Golden’s Blowback takes us into the life of Dietrich, quite some time before her fateful mission to LV-426. We witness first-hand the turmoil of romance within the Colonial Marines as death can come from any direction, at any time. Numerous familiar faces populate this story, from Apone and Hicks to Hudson and Vasquez. Exterminators by Matt Forbeck provides us with another glimpse into Dietrich’s life as she and Frost make their way to a bar on an out-of-the-way colony, only to discover that R&R is not in the cards for them. Ray Garton’s No Good Deed takes us to LV-426 before the events of Aliens, as a bounty hunter and her sarcastic android chase two escaped prisoners to a colony under siege by xenomorphs. But it may turn out that the aliens aren’t necessarily the most dangerous creatures on the planet. A most peculiar and horrifying encounter with a different sort of alien sucks us into Zero To Hero by Weston Ochse. As a cowardly Colonial Marine discovers untapped reservoirs of heroism, he discovers that he might have been better off staying home and playing video games. David Farland’s Dark Mother shares the final hours of Burke’s life after he failed to get Ripley and Newt impregnated as hosts during the events of Aliens. Episode 22 by Larry Correia details the history of the M41A pulse rifle in a fictional documentary format that is strangely captivating. Keith R. A. DeCandido provides us with a glimpse into the hazardous life of an embedded journalist in Deep Background, as a group of Colonial Marines investigates a potential attempt by Weyland-Yutani to cultivate and study the xenomorphs on another planet, with another unsuspecting group of civilians. Brian Keene’s Empty Nest takes us to another xenomorph infestation and provides us with a glimpse of just how far a mother will go to be a mother. Darkness Falls introduces us to a retired Colonial Marine, desperate to find peace and security in a colony where she expected never to see xenomorphs again. Heather Graham’s is the only story where we get to witness the adaptations of the xenomorph depending on the organism they’re using for a host, and it’s a horrifying outcome. Hugs To Die For by Mike Resnick and Marina J. Lostetter showcases a fine example of corporate hubris, as a small group of Colonial Marines receives a tour of a facility where xenomorph blood is being harvested for industrial use. Maberry’s own Deep Black returns us to the prison colony from Alien 3, long after the events from the movie. A three-man team arrives on the planet, learning that all has not been as quiet as expected. Distressed by James A. Moore introduces us to what is the most horrifying and indescribable alien lifeform of this collection, dragging us along on a surreal, disorienting battle against something virtually impossible to fight. Scott Sigler’s Dangerous Prey takes us into the alien minds of xenomorphs themselves, and the experience is altogether more captivating than one might expect, becoming part of the hive. Spite by Tim Lebbon takes a squad of Colonial Marines into conflict with a species of alien with a scorched earth methodology. The narrators for these stories were superb in almost all respects, most notably James Anderson Foster, Priya Ayyar, Suzanne Elise, Michael David Axtell, and Grover Gardner. Those were just my personal favorites of the narrators involved, but there wasn’t a single one who didn’t thoroughly immerse the listener.
Domus Necrophagous 