The Mad and the Macabre, by Jeff Strand and Michael McBride

I like the concept of this nifty book: Two novella-length pieces of fiction, bound together in an affordable paperback edition. It beats the pants off of a forty or fifty dollar novella in my book. Regardless of how nicely-made the thing may be.

Now on to the stories:

First up is Jeff Strand's Kutter. Now, I have to be honest here. Painfully so. I read some of Strand's early books. Or I should say that I tried to. I was unimpressed. I thought that the humor was way too obvious. That the author was trying way too hard with it. I know that a lot of people--most in the community, I think--really liked those books. I found that they were not for me. I know Jeff from the boards and I know he's a nice guy, so I didn't make a big deal out of it. I simply decided that his fiction was not for me. So I passed on books like Pressure and Dweller, even though trustworthy readers recommended them to me.

Now, after reading Kutter, I think I need to go back and find copies of those books. And other Jeff Strand titles.

I found Kutter to be a beautifully written story. There is humor, yes, but I felt that it was much more subdued and felt more natural within the story.


Kutter is the tale of a sick serial killer named Charlie. Charlie is a guy that gets his kicks by torturing innocent women. But the thing is, he's kind of likable. We don't condone his actions, but we feel his frustration and insecurity. The poor guy just need something to make his life normal again. And he finds it in a lost, injured Boston Retriever that he names "Kutter".

Strand does a fantastic job of establishing his character and the voice never waivers. Even while he gradually changes from a human monster into something resembling a regular guy. We like it that Charlie is acting like a sane person with a social life.

I love stories where I have no idea where the writer is taking his plot. Such is the case with Kutter. I was guessing the entire time, and Strand takes his tale to its logical conclusion. One that works for the reader as well as for Charlie.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jeff Strand's Kutter, and I think you will to.

And now for another shameful admission: I've never read a Michael McBride story before reading his Mad and Macabre novella, Remains. No excuse, as I've had one of his books here for a long time. I'll be reading more of him in the near future.

Despite the gruesome nature of Jeff Strand's Kutter, it's a light, almost frothy piece. McBride's Remains, on the other hand, is tense and deadly serious.

Remains deals with a group of investigators who are trying to find clues behind the disappearance of people in the mountains of Colorado. The original group were searching for evidence of the existence of God. What they find is shocking enough to shatter the very foundation of the Earth's belief system.

Remains is ambitious, and intelligent. The tone reminded me of something by Richard Matheson, in its matter-of-fact approach to the investigations. The story works as a piece of suspense fiction, a techno-thriller, a horror yarn, and it's also a science fiction story at heart. McBride's prose is precise and spare. This story could easily have been stretched into a full length novel, but McBride wisely keeps it tight. I think the brief page count adds to its effectiveness.


The Mad and the Macabre is a wonderful pair of novellas, and for the price you can't go wrong. The wildly contrasting tone of the stories make reading the book a lot of fun. Very highly recommended.