I had been meaning to involve myself with something by Harrison Phillips for a good while. Well, I have now finally made the leap into the rotting sea of blood and bits of shredded viscera. Why oh why did I wait so long?

This book is made up of 4 novelettes, which is a word that never sits right to me when reviewing gore-laden horror; it sounds too nice. And these stories are certainly not nice. In fact this thing could not have been titled any better. You certainly know what you’re getting yourself into!

Throughout each tale we are treated to horrific acts, deplorable characters, lots of sex, and a few chuckle moments, too. Extreme horror has to have an ickle bit of a sense of humour, and these definitely do.

First up is B/ITCH, a title that only becomes apparent as the story unfolds. A girl simply craves for her man to pay her some sexy attention, so much so she ends up cheating on him. And she likes it. Unfortunately for her (and indeed her new lovers), the gore soon ensues.

FEEDER is a story to avoid reading whilst eating. Most blokes have a type, and this guy’s type is the somewhat larger lady. When he finds his perfect partner/soulmate he feels he needs to make her even larger. To the point where she can’t move. No one could ever love her like he does, and he makes sure they never do. Violence, death, and sex follow. This one was so outlandish, and was my favourite story here.

Suffering from locked-in syndrome is a frightening enough concept for anyone, so I was prepared for LOCKED IN to be a frightening read. When a man is injured in a car accident and suddenly becomes a burden to his wife, she does the very opposite of what a loving life-partner should do. As he lies motionless and uncommunicative in every way, yet sees and hears everything, she plans her way out of this relationship.

Abuse, and of course sex, follows as he witnesses his world falling apart. He certainly bottles enough hatred within his mind to take his revenge if he ever has the chance. Well, this is an extreme horror story, so you can probably guess that things don’t end well, for anyone.

The closing story is BOYFRIEND MATERIAL. When a fashion student begins her own homework project, she needs some donors. Well, victims would be a more appropriate term. She is making the ultimate fashion item; a real person who she can love forever. But this person is a mannequin. I won’t say any more here, but things stay pleasant and rosy for all involved. Ahem, no of course they don’t. This is no happy finale.

If you want to read something that brings on your ‘ewwww’ face, then makes you laugh, then look no further than this delightful little collection of filth.

Categories: book review

Tags: book review, death, gore, harrison phillips, horror, horror stories, short stories, violence