Trigger Warning

This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances by Eric LaRocca, Narrated by Andre Santana, Natalie Naudus, Michael Crouch, & Steven Crossley

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It seems appropriate that the first title I’m reviewing in June of 2024 is a title by a recently prolific and extremely talented LGBTQ+ author. This Skin Was Once Mine: and Other Disturbances is a collection of four unconnected stories that nevertheless work well together because of the common themes of relationships, secrets, and revelations that emerge as the tales are told. The title, also the title of the first of the stories, is emblematic of Eric LaRocca’s work, substantially longer than one expects a title to be, but so thoroughly captivating that it’s impossible to ignore.

In the titular tale, we are introduced to Jillian Finch, who returns to her childhood home following her father’s death, only to discover that many of the things she thought she knew about her family and her former life are not quite how she recalls them. As hideous secrets are revealed to us, her traumatized psychology shifts her focus to things that are seemingly trivial by comparison. As she reflexively ignores the horrible things she endured and survived, we witness the residual effects of childhood trauma and the devastating ripples they have.

The next story in this collection, Seedling, also deals with grief and mourning, as a son returns home to an emotionally distant father when his mother passes away. He discovers the wounds we carry with us, passed down from generation to generation, as hurt is revisited. And even as he and his father come to understand one another better than they ever have, it seems that the seeds germinating early in life have grown into cancerous wounds that might be impossible to heal.

All the Parts of You That Won’t Easily Burn introduces Enoch Leadbetter as he attempts to find the perfect knife to satisfy his husband’s needs for an upcoming dinner party. Instead, he finds a secret and shameful obsession that consumes him, as he loses touch with who and what he was with startling consequences.

In the final story, Prickle, we meet two elderly gentlemen as they come together for the first time in a long while. Worried that time may be limited, they play a cruel, sadistic game they once enjoyed. But as the challenges grow increasingly perverse, we’re forced to witness a shocking loss of humanity and decency.

Each of these stories is spectacularly well-written and deeply immersive, which is truly the most insidious aspect of LaRocca’s storytelling. They remain with you long after you’ve stepped away, and you’re forced to move forward, knowing that there’s no sense in worrying about the innocence you lost along the way. Like the snake shedding its skin, there’s no reason to look back or to think, “This skin was once mine.”

The narrations provided by Natalie Naudus, Andre Santana Michael Crouch, and Steven Crossley were spot-on. The perfect narrator was selected for each story, in my opinion. They made the tales feel more authentic and poignant. I don’t know how long it took to choose who would narrate the individual stories, but if it was a drawn-out process, it was worth every second of deliberation.

https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/this-skin-was-once-mine-and-other-disturbances/755321

https://www.audible.com/pd/This-Skin-Was-Once-Mine-Audiobook/B0CVJDMZK9?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

Killer RV by E. H. Obey

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Killer RV is not the first book to tackle the subject matter at the core of this story, but it’s also not the worst. What would you do if you were diagnosed with terminal cancer and had only months to live? If you have at least a momentary urge to suggest that you might hunt down and torture and/or kill sex offenders–first of all, you’re not alone, but secondly, this book is for you. I suppose you’ve guessed what this one’s about.

Delilah is a bored housewife/music producer who happens to notice a new RV parked in her neighborhood, and she decides she wants to be a friendly neighbor. This is how she meets Peggy and also how her life takes a turn she couldn’t have anticipated. Peggy is dying, and she has a bucket list she wants to fulfill before the cancer takes her down…but we don’t learn what the items on that list happen to be until a little further into the story. Initially, it’s mostly focused on Delilah–her marriage and her burgeoning friendship with the mercurial Peggy. It isn’t until after Chekhov’s epilepsy makes an appearance, that Delilah becomes an integral component in Peggy’s mission. You’ll understand why I say that if you read the book.

Once things start going down the violent path, they never really stop until the book concludes. We’re introduced to a world where sexual predators of all stripes lurk wherever one chooses to look…and it’s a veritable buffet of monsters just waiting to be tossed into the bucket.

I have a certain sentimental connection with this story, in that a significant portion of it takes place in South Dakota, where I spent most of my life…and most of that portion of the narrative is in the Black Hills and Badlands region that I called home for most of my 45 years. The seemingly neverending path that I-90 carves across the state, through Wyoming, and into Montana is one I’m intimately familiar with–so I could visualize a lot of the surroundings into which the characters were placed.

It’s a short read and well-paced…so you don’t have much excuse to avoid it.

Flesh Communion and Other Stories By Holly Rae Garcia

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Holly Rae Garcia includes such a variety of stories within this collection that there’s no doubt any discerning reader will find something to enjoy–many somethings, more than likely. From short poems and flash fiction to novelette-length tales, Flesh Communion and Other Stories is suitable for any attention span. Regardless of length or subject matter, the author will captivate you and dare you to turn away…knowing there’s no chance you’ll do any such thing.

The collection contains truly fascinating tales of revenge, relationships, and reminiscence…sometimes on their own and sometimes blurred together. There are cryptids of various kinds–including one I’m sure you’d never conceived of in your wildest fever dreams–lurking within these pages. The titular “Flesh Communion” delves into a dark and horrific conception of what was happening in Waco, TX during the Branch Davidian stand-off, and who are we to question the veracity of this fictional survivor’s account? One story that resonated with me more than the others focuses on a particularly sympathetic photographer pushed beyond her limits by an altogether too plausible family demanding portraits.

You’re making a mistake if you don’t give this collection your attention. It’s one hell of a ride, but one you will no doubt consider more than worth the price of admission.

The Ecstasy of Agony By Wrath James White

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Brutality, poetry, sex, and wry humor are swirled together in a dizzying cacophony of horror in a way that could only come from Wrath James White. As much fun as it is to run a marathon, by delving into his longer-form fiction, there’s something truly delightful about accompanying the man on a sprint–or a series of sprints, as is the case in The Ecstasy of Agony.

I’d previously had the pleasure of reading a couple of the stories in the anthologies where they’d first been published, and the even greater pleasure of hearing him recite a couple of the poems that he’s included in this collection, but there was so much more in store. From a fitness routine adopted to survive a zombie apocalypse, to a violent video game that feels all-too-real, to the tale of a man who uses his penis as a weapon, this collection has a little bit of everything. If you’re familiar with White’s work, you really should have some idea what to expect.

It’s not all violence and gore, though. There are strangely touching and somber tones within the cacophony, including a sad reflection on how “dead or in prison” can turn out and how a monster can experience a change of heart. That isn’t to say there’s any shortage of violence, gore, sex, and body horror all throughout…because it just wouldn’t be Wrath James White without it.

A masterful collection by a masterful writer, but trigger warnings are in order–this is not for the overly sensitive reader.

Transcendental Mutilation by Ryan Harding

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It’s worth taking time to meditate upon Ryan Harding’s Transcendental Mutilation. The author is an absolute master of body horror. He builds from an unsettling tone with the carefully selected words he uses to build the nightmares he’s crafted for the reader’s exploration…nudging you along until you find yourself trapped in the phantasmagoric prison from which the only way out is through.

While the influences of Clive Barker and David Cronenberg are infused throughout, Harding takes the reader on a journey only his feverish imagination could birth. Fans of his previous work will be pleased to see references to familiar characters, organizations, and concepts sprinkled throughout the stories contained within this collection. But Harding isn’t content to rest upon his laurels and retread the same ground, he boldly ventures off the beaten path and veers away from anything comfortable and familiar, to bring us an offering suitable to the monstrous deity lurking beneath some forgotten, abandoned town…and within the author’s mind.

There’s a lesson in some of these tales–one that a great many people could stand to learn–that is to behave in a civilized manner and treat people with respect and empathy, or risk finding a truly hellish reward awaiting you…perhaps sooner than you expect.

Revenge porn, shipwrecks, the dangers associated with new technology (and the abuse thereof), and tantalizing–terrifying–glimpses through the thin shroud that separates our world from a place far more chaotic and monstrous are only some of the things you’ll find scattered throughout these pages…but I assure you there’s nothing that will disappoint.

A Bouquet Of Viscera by Bridgett Nelson

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The bouquet Bridgett Nelson presents us with is indeed as visceral as the title implies. Eight stories unfold like the petals of carnivorous flowers, a cruel beauty on display no matter where you happen to look. It’s no wonder this collection was the 2023 Splatterpunk Award winning single-author collection, nor is it any surprise that “Jinx” was the winning short story. Both the collection itself and that particular story have a certain feel about them that seeps under the skin of the reader and makes us feel discomfort that only arises from exposure to something heartbreaking and…well…visceral.

There’s something here for everyone, assuming you enjoy your horror to feel intensely personal. Even when there’s a sea monster involved, it’s difficult to distance yourself enough to remember that it’s fiction you’re reading and that no one was harmed in the making of this book…though the same can hardly be said about the reading of it. If it doesn’t hurt, you’re hardly human. These are stories meant to hurt you and leave behind scars that remind you of the all-too-real abuses that pepper these pages. These may not be real victims, but the things that happen to them are far too often quite real.

I found it was best to read each story with a period of digestion between, allowing myself to really think about what I’d read and how it made me feel. This collection, though only eight stories, is a marathon…not a sprint…and it’s a marathon through a gauntlet that will leave the reader forever impacted.

https://a.co/d/i2tr59C

Horseplay

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You might want to dive into depravity with my extreme horror digital short, Horseplay, available exclusively through http://www.godless.com for only $0.50 by following the link below.

This story has since been included in my short story collection, May Cause Unexplained Ocular Bleeding, but you can get your hands on this delicious awfulness as a taste of what you’ll find.

A distributor of the vilest pornographic material available receives a tape that may be more than worth the price he paid to get it in his hands. What begins as documentation of one horrific pornographic act becomes something far more disturbing…but also far more interesting and valuable.

The link to this title on Godless is below:

Horseplay by Nikolas P. Robinson

You Will Be Consumed

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What you’ll find in the pages of You Will Be Consumed is a cosmic horror, splatterpunk extravaganza that blends unsettling set pieces with dark humor. The novella was released on May 15th of 2021 through Madness Heart Press. It’s meant to introduce readers to the world of The Hungering Void, a connected sequence of novels, novellas, and short stories showcasing my fictional portrayal of our world going to hell in a very real sense. This novella serves as the first glimpse for many into the nature of gods and demons in what will be a larger fictional environment.

While investigating a series of peculiar and unsettling deaths in Denver, two deeply flawed detectives learn there might be no salvation for any of us.

What have readers had to say? I’m glad you asked. Check this out.

You Will Be Consumed by Nikolas P. Robinson

You Will Be Consumed is also available in audiobook format with narration provided by Jenna Green.

https://www.audible.com/pd/B096L9SNNW/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-261267&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_261267_rh_us

May Cause Unexplained Ocular Bleeding

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May Cause Unexplained Ocular Bleeding is my newest collection of short fiction, released on August 20th, 2021 (on Godless August 18th). Almost exclusively focused on extreme horror and splatterpunk, with a bit of bizarro and nihilism thrown in for flavor, this collection contains ten stories, including the Godless Horrors hit, Horseplay.

From the gruesome, unfiltered imagination of Nikolas P. Robinson comes a collection of ten stories ranging from the brutal and bleak to the bizarre and surreal. In these pages, you’ll witness a drunk driver experiencing consequences worse than anything he could have imagined. You’ll see what happens when a beloved pet is accidentally sacrificed, opening the gates of Hell. And that is only the beginning. It gets worse from there.

You don’t have to take my word for it. Here are what better writers than I have had to say about it:

“Nikolas P. Robinson might possibly be the Neil Gaiman of extreme horror.” – Carver Pike, Splatterpunk Award nominated author of The Slaughter Box

“Imagine attending a party where—depending on which room you enter—you might get the best lay of your life, witness something unspeakable that might scar you for life, or get physically beaten within an inch of your life. That’s what reading this story collection feels like—though not necessarily in that order.” – Adrian Ludens, author of Bottled Spirits and Cobwebs

Here’s what other readers have had to say.

The title is available in digital formats through http://www.godless.com for a full $1 cheaper than you’ll find the digital title on Amazon. Just check out the following link:

May Cause Unexplained Ocular Bleeding by Nikolas P. Robinson

Scanlines by Todd Keisling

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Three teenage boys wanted nothing more than to watch a downloaded video of a porn star, but what they received was a lifetime of torture and loss when the video they obtained was of a politician’s public suicide. An urban legend becomes manifest as these boys and other kids from school attempt to achieve some manner of understanding, some way to grasp what they’ve seen and what they’re continuing to see.
Scanlines is a desolate horror story, grim and dark in a way a lot of narratives only barely approach. There’s nostalgia embedded in the chilly tale, there’s a lot of heart in there as well, but–more than any of that–there’s a whole lot of pain and terror. This is not an easy book to read, but it is easily one of the best things I’ve read in a long time.
Imagine Traces of Death mingled with The Ring, and you’ll have a rough idea of what you’ll be getting yourself into when you dive into this all too real story. Is it a supernatural adversary operating behind the awful, horrifying events of Scanlines? Is this a story of shared or mass psychosis? Are we reading a book about a ghost haunting the fateful final moments of a desperate man caught on tape, or is this a commentary on suicide contagion? I guess that’s really up to you. I like to think it’s a little bit of everything, those possible driving factors not being mutually exclusive.
I’m a little bit older than the boys from Scanlines, but I can relate to them altogether too well. It was the late 1980s and early 1990s. I was around ten or 11 years old when I snagged the first three Faces of Death movies from a local video store during one of the weekends I spent with my father. That was part of our routine on Friday evenings after he picked me up. We would head almost immediately to the video store and I would select around five VHS tapes from the Horror section (or the Action or Sci-Fi/Fantasy sections…but Horror was my favorite), sometimes I’d go with personal favorites, but most of the time I was just picking things I hadn’t seen yet. My goal, if there was one, was to gradually make my way through every horror flick on those shelves.
I was a kid and I didn’t know any better–there wasn’t internet available for research or any of that–so I was naive enough to believe the things in Faces of Death were real. It wasn’t until a little bit later, when I rented Traces of Death, that I saw the difference.
I’m plenty familiar with the public suicide that inspired the basis behind Scanlines, it was included in the first Traces of Death VHS. It played on a screen behind Neurosis as they performed during one of the concerts I’d attended as a teenager. It was on all of the websites dedicated to the dark and macabre when I first started venturing into those spaces in the mid-to-late 90s. Reading Keisling’s novella and the introduction provided by the publisher, Max Booth III, I know I’ve found some kindred spirits in a sense. None of us appear to have been traumatized in the way Robby, Danny, Jordan, and the others were…but I suspect, in some sense, we’ve all been haunted by the things we insisted we had to see.
I can’t recommend this book for everyone, because it’s absolutely not a book everyone will be able to read and enjoy. If an unambiguous and unfiltered discussion of suicide is something that might be a trigger for you, you might want to stay away. If you think you can handle it, you have to read this book!
I applaud Todd Keisling for baring his soul and purging himself on the page the way he clearly did with this book. He deserves every bit of love and appreciation this book has garnered within the horror community.

Scanlines