1) Nick Antosca - The Hangman's Ritual
This is a small Novella about a protagonist named Casper who after the death of his wife, takes a job as a security guard of sorts at a private prison set up like a hotel. Casper knows nothing about it, not even where it is, as he is brought into it daily blindfolded in the trunk of a car. The only reason he agrees to do it is because the rich man who owns the hotel jail is well invested in a life saving medication that is not on the market but works well enough to keep Casper's son alive from his debilitating seizure disorder. This is just the premise the book pulls you in from the start and I finished in two nights of reading. It is only about 150ish pages but he packs a serious punch in this short book. This is the only book I have read by Antosca but judging by it and a few shorts I have read by him, I can tell he is going to be someone I will be reading his back catalog and his future catalog. Dudes dope...
2) Dathan Auerbach - Penpal
This book is creepy as hell. There is no overt violence but the way it is written keeps you unsettled the whole time. The book is essentially about a kid who participated in a class penpal project that leaded to him having a stalker. His Mother who he was close with tried to keep it from him to protect him. The only problem is in the long run it make things worse and resulted in dragging others into the situation causing people to be hurt and killed. The book reminded me of a Michael Haneke film in a way as I sai dtheir is no real gore but these is a disturbing climatic scene and by the narrative you just know something fucked up is happening the whole time you're reading it. I like the way it was written and I think it could even be read by some mature young adults that are really into horror/psychological thriller type books. As far as I know this is Auerbach's only novel but I will definitely check out future stuff by him.
3) J.G. Ballard - High Rise
This book is about a high rise apartment building that was designed and developed mostly for upper class folks in England. Over all I interpreted it as a metaphor for society and a satire on what happens to those who have been pampered in our society when social order breaks down. The most powerful and richer people live at the top of the building while the lower caste are on the lower forms of the building. Many know to get out but some of the most civilized amongst degenerate into their most animal like instincts devolving into Neanderthal like beings. People are raped, murdered and eaten etc... Just think about if society breaks down completely and all of the materials of the uber rich that the majority of society strive for become completely worthless and all that matters is basic survival. What of the rich can no longer use those fancy things to control people any more wether it be through greed or power. Well JG Ballard's take on it is not pretty but it is thought provoking. JG Ballard is one of the greats and I am working my way through his bibliography. I haven't been let down yet...
4) Max Barry - Jennifer Government
This novel is a satire/thriller about the extremes of the free market. I would also classify it as a science fiction novel. It is set in a time when there is a complete corprate state to the point that you take the last name of the company you work for. Nike has planned an extreme campaign to sell sneakers that involve producing limited pairs and after you purchase them there will be attempts to assassinate you. The last person standing with the shoes wins a large cash prize. Needless to say the day the shoes are released the stampede to get the shoes goes wrong resulting in the death of 14 people including some young kids. During this era of time the government has been rendered weak and is merely a type of security force that is hired by the rich to investigate and solve crimes. While the NRA is the most powerful (and corrupt) security force in the world. Jennifer Government is an agent that used to work in corporate advertising but has since given all up to take down corporate criminals. A rich mans daughter was killed during the Nike debacle and hires Jennifer Government to solve the case. The book is about her past and her journey to bring the perpetrator to justice even the most senior executives at Nike. Its a fun book and apt satire. Read it.
5) Katherine Dunn - Geek Love
This is an incredible novel about a family that own a traveling carnival. The family has been bread by the carnival owners to be freaks of nature so they can develop their own shows in the carnival and raise revenue while it is faltering. There is so much more to this story. I truly recommend this book if you love creative fiction of any sorts. Its a heart wrenching, beautiful, disturbing, funny, gross, sweet, unsettling, satirical, odd, intelligent story and I doubt you will ever read anything else like it. I know it has gained to resurgent popularity since its 1980's release in hipster circles. Katherine Dunn hasn't written many novels but this is something that will go down as a classic for me...
6) Bret Easton Ellis - Less Than Zero
This book seems like the literary L.A. version of the movie KIDS to me. Disaffecting teenage youth of the upper class LA 80's. Everything a hipster now a days wants to be but actually the real thing. The book can get a little annoying at times but you still feel that Ellis lived this as well as wrote about it. Considering this was his first novel that he wrote while in college I have to give credit for its tightness. It doesn't start getting really interesting until the end but at the end it also makes sense as to why it puts you through so much upper class snooty torture earlier in the book. The movie still sucks and even though it had good actors in it. I still suggest reading the book. I like Easton Ellis but if you've never read him before I would start with American Psycho or Lunar Park.
7) Brian Evenson - Windeye
Brian Evenson is officially one of my favorite writers. Windeye is a book of creepy and beautiful short stories. All of these stories could be expanded into full books or they also feel complete as short stories. That is one of the things that makes a great short story to me as well. It could be expanded but it also feels complete. Read anything you can get your hands on by Brian Evenson.
8) Pearce Hansen - Street Raised
Oakland, 1984. Skinheads prowl the streets, a serial killer talks to god through the business end of a butcher knife, and mexican dope runners dump their chained enemies into the river alive. Navigating a blasted landscape of feral dogs, crooked cops, and violent criminals is Speedy, an ex-con come home to a litany of problems: Cops want his ass back in prison, his friends are being murdered by the local drug lords, and he still can't figure out if his ex girlfriend wants him or wants him dead. As the tension squeezes tighter and tighter, Speedy enlists the help of his homeless crackhead brother and his bouncer best friend on a suicide mission towards the one grimy light at the end of the tunnel: a big pile of drug money, just waiting to be stolen from the thugs that guard it. Speedy has raised, and he will take whatever he damn well pleases. For better or for worse he is what is he a savage motherfucker.
That paragraph is off the back of the book. I will also like to add that this is a savage motherfucking book. I read it in a couple of nights. Its radical!
9) Jack Ketchum - Off Season
This book is fucked man. Straight up old school horror. It totally goes there though dude. Shit would make King piss himself. Apparently the version I read was tamped down by his publisher as well. He claims to have thrown away the original uncensored version which I can't even begin to imagine how grosser it could have been. The story is basically a woman buys a house on the coast of rural Maine. Her sister, her boyfriend, and some other friends come up to visit at the new house. Unfortunately for them there is a family of feral humans that eat other humans lurking around and decide to have a feast when they see these new people arriving. Trust me it will go where you think it does plus more. I will read more Ketchum and I have a couple more of his books in my library. I will have to give a little time in between his books though.
10) Thomas Ligotti - My Work Is Not Yet Done
Ligotti writes mostly short horror. This book is one novella and two short stories attached. The novella is the most interesting part of this book. Guy goes to dead in job and gets pushed out by some shitty coworkers and a douchebag boss who steals his ideas. decides to take revenge and purchases a gun and decides to take the whole place with him. Only it doesn't quite go down like that. You will have to read the book to find out what happens. These are "tales of corporate horror" which means they are horror stories that surround businesses and corporations. Ligotti is a mysterious man but it doesn't really matter because his writing speaks for itself and thats all that matters. Dude is one of my favorite short story writers. His stories will stay with you and make a grown man scared of the dark. Trust me...
11) J. David Osborne - By The Time We Leave Here, We'll Be Friends
This is definitely my favorite book I have read so far this year. Set in a gulag deep in a siberian tundra. You meet the people who are trapped there and the goings on in the daily gulagish life. Some guards try to escape and use a unsuspecting prisoner as food for the long walk through the tundra. Things don't work out as plan which results in a amazing original ending. Thats the barest synopsis I can give. You just have to read it. Incredibly original and it made me an automatic fan or Osborne's writing. I will read his books and also continue to support his publishing company called Broken River Books. There is another Broken Rivers Book on down in this list. I suggest you support...
12) Andersen Prunty - Hi, I'm A Social Disease
Awesome short stories by Andersen Prunty. That is all. If you like horror shorts you should like this...Good Stuff...Read it.
13) Thomas Pychon - The Crying Of Lot 49
14) Matthew Stokoe - High Life
Oh man I had to take a shower after reading this book. This book is part of Dennis Cooper's Little House On The Bowery series. So you know its going to be a little fucked up. Dont get me wrong I am a huge fan of Cooper but if he is publishing or editing something you know its going to take a trangressive style to the next level. I read Stokoe's book Cows last year mainly because of its reputation. Don't get me wrong Cows was seriously gross but this book made more uncomfortable than Cows. I think its simply because of the fact that it is a more realistic plot and its written in a more traditional manner. It still contains ever taboo you could possibly think of. I felt real dirty after this one. Stokoe has one other book out. I will read it one day but probably not this year lol. 1 Stokoe book per year...Read it if you are up for a challenge.
15) Chuck Thompson - Better Off Without Em'
Being a progressive from the South I understand all too well the accurate stereotypes about many of the people being fat racist bible thumpers who are super defensive to criticism because they are so insecure in their own ignorance that their only reaction is to lash out. The unfortunate thing is that mentality has now permeated into the highest levels of power in this country. Chuck Thompson is from Seattle and he travels through the entire south in this book speaking to academics, business men, and regular old good ol boys to make his case for letting the south succeed. While I understand his premise and for the most part agree with it I just dont think it would happen as bloodlessly as he seems to think it will. It is a definitely though provoking book and will give you some good history about how entrenched this racist, religious, corporatist mentality is in the south and how it continue to thrive today. I recommend every southerner I know to read it if you can stand a little criticism that is...
