Always Listen to Her Hurt by Kenzie Jennings (collected works)
I've always enjoyed short stories, not only reading them but writing them. I feel like if you can pack a punch into a short story or novella, with no fluff like bloated 800 page books, and really take your reader on a journey, then you are a master storyteller.
Kenzie's collection brings us a dozen tales all previously released (none of which I'd read before now) and for the most part, are nicely told and kept me engaged throughout. There were a couple that I felt were so-so, but overall stories that packed that punch and had you reaching the last page before you realized it. Some were more in your face, while others remained more subtle and made you pay attention to what really happened in the end.
Overall, I felt the collection was a worthwhile endeavor, and a good introduction to Kenzie's writing for those that haven't dove in previously. I'd give this one a B.
Die, You Bastard! Die! by Jan Kozlowski
A grown woman who is trying to keep her life going in the right direction as an ambulance medic, is pulled back into the hellish landscape that once bestowed her broken childhood. When her abusive father is admitted to the hospital, she brings herself back to town to possibly bury the hatchet, and move on from all the pain she endured. Her father though, is about as receptive as a car radio in the middle of the wilderness, and wants nothing more than to hurt his daughter once again. Can Claire find some semblance of finality, or will hell visit her once again?
At its essence, this is a revenge story. The issue is, I'm not really one for graphic depictions of incestuous abuse and violent rape. I get it folks, this is a Deadite book. It "pushes boundaries", and I've both read a ton and (many moons ago) copy-edited a bunch of Deadite/Eraserhead/Fungasm/Lazy Fascist/Bizarro books, so I'm not immune to their nature, nor their ridiculous amount of copy-editing errors I won't harp on, surmise to say this one was par for the course. This novella though, it really just wasn't for me. I don't know who it's for, but this went to a place that was borderline ridiculous, and too sick for the sake of shock value over a well put together book. I'd give this one a D- in my book.
Long-Form Religious Porn by Laura Lee Bahr
Madeline Hunter is trying to make a name for herself in the movie business. She takes on the burden of both a writer and director for a gruesome double-murder of the past. The only things that stand in her way are the Vampire nation that controls Hollywood, and an intricate mystery of what happened when Dominique killed her fiance and his boyfriend in a bizarre sex game that only the Hollywood elite would find a typical event on any day that ends in 'y'. Can she pull all of the pieces together to finish her movie, or will she dive so deep that she comes back two fangs longer?
This one, was definitely a weird story to get through. At multiple times throughout, I found myself either pushing really hard to plow through pages because they were engaging, only too quickly finding myself with a wandering mind because the story had become overworked and dull. Vampires, the Hollywood elite, bizarre threesome sex games, this story definitely wasn't your normal fair. I'd give it a C.
Written by Kyle Lybeck
I've always enjoyed short stories, not only reading them but writing them. I feel like if you can pack a punch into a short story or novella, with no fluff like bloated 800 page books, and really take your reader on a journey, then you are a master storyteller.
Kenzie's collection brings us a dozen tales all previously released (none of which I'd read before now) and for the most part, are nicely told and kept me engaged throughout. There were a couple that I felt were so-so, but overall stories that packed that punch and had you reaching the last page before you realized it. Some were more in your face, while others remained more subtle and made you pay attention to what really happened in the end.
Overall, I felt the collection was a worthwhile endeavor, and a good introduction to Kenzie's writing for those that haven't dove in previously. I'd give this one a B.
Die, You Bastard! Die! by Jan Kozlowski
A grown woman who is trying to keep her life going in the right direction as an ambulance medic, is pulled back into the hellish landscape that once bestowed her broken childhood. When her abusive father is admitted to the hospital, she brings herself back to town to possibly bury the hatchet, and move on from all the pain she endured. Her father though, is about as receptive as a car radio in the middle of the wilderness, and wants nothing more than to hurt his daughter once again. Can Claire find some semblance of finality, or will hell visit her once again?
At its essence, this is a revenge story. The issue is, I'm not really one for graphic depictions of incestuous abuse and violent rape. I get it folks, this is a Deadite book. It "pushes boundaries", and I've both read a ton and (many moons ago) copy-edited a bunch of Deadite/Eraserhead/Fungasm/Lazy Fascist/Bizarro books, so I'm not immune to their nature, nor their ridiculous amount of copy-editing errors I won't harp on, surmise to say this one was par for the course. This novella though, it really just wasn't for me. I don't know who it's for, but this went to a place that was borderline ridiculous, and too sick for the sake of shock value over a well put together book. I'd give this one a D- in my book.
Long-Form Religious Porn by Laura Lee Bahr
Madeline Hunter is trying to make a name for herself in the movie business. She takes on the burden of both a writer and director for a gruesome double-murder of the past. The only things that stand in her way are the Vampire nation that controls Hollywood, and an intricate mystery of what happened when Dominique killed her fiance and his boyfriend in a bizarre sex game that only the Hollywood elite would find a typical event on any day that ends in 'y'. Can she pull all of the pieces together to finish her movie, or will she dive so deep that she comes back two fangs longer?
This one, was definitely a weird story to get through. At multiple times throughout, I found myself either pushing really hard to plow through pages because they were engaging, only too quickly finding myself with a wandering mind because the story had become overworked and dull. Vampires, the Hollywood elite, bizarre threesome sex games, this story definitely wasn't your normal fair. I'd give it a C.
Written by Kyle Lybeck
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