Release Date - 2014
Genre - Horror
Format - E-Book (review copy)
Rating (out of 5):
I love how reading a book in it's entirety leaves a feeling of accomplishment. This is a feeling you never get watching a movie or television show. However, people just don't seem to have the time in this day and age to sit down and just read a book. Hell, I started reading this short (just 43 pages) back in August while my wife was in the hospital. Anyway, earlier this year author Terry M. West released the anthology What Price Gory? that features the short story Cecil and Bubba Meet a Succubus. The story was a fun, southern tale about slack-jawed friends Cecil and Bubba who have a curse put on them and unknowingly awaken a succubus while helping out a paranormal investigator. This was a pair that was destined to have their own series and thank God for Terry M. West for following that up with their next mis-adventure in Cecil and Bubba Meet the Thang.
This story picks up the next day after the events that take place in Cecil and Bubba Meet a Succubus. Cecil is working the night shift at his Dad's garage and it is Halloween night. Not long after his shift starts his Dad comes in and breaks his heart by revealing he thinks Cecil is a failure and will never run the garage once he passes. Not long after that Bubba shows up with Hattie Mae. Hattie Mae was the succubus they had fought the night before but when Cecil burnt the house down it freed her making her human. She just got a job at the strip club Bubba works at and Bubba offered to let her stay with them in their trailer until she can get on her feet. While they are discussing this two FBI agents come into the garage with car problems. Cecil agrees to look at it but is warned not to open the back of the van. They leave to go have a few drinks when something takes over Cecil and forces him inside the fan where he finds a metal coffin. He opens it and finds the limp corpse of an alien. The being from another world then reaches out from the coffin and grabs Cecil's head where he shows Cecil everything. The being is the destroyer of worlds and kills entire planets at a time before crash landing on Earth over a hundred years ago. He then releases himself from Cecil and escapes. Bubba enters and beast attacks him but Bubba spills soda on it which burns it and in turn saves his life. Before Bubba and Cecil are able to comprehend what is going on the two FBI agents come back and think the two are hiding the alien's corpse. A stand off ensues where one agent shoots the other with plans of selling the alien for millions of dollars. He then makes the two go looking for the beast before Hattie Mae hits the agent with the car and the beast nabs him to use as a pawn in a way to get to the three unlucky bastards. However, Hattie Mae still has some demon juice flowing through her veins and is able to stop it before it is too late.
When I read a book, regardless of length, I have to like the characters. I have read so many books and comics in my short life where the characters are lame as fuck and you can't find anyway to associate with them as a reader. However, I never have that problem when I read a West story. His characters are always real and easy to find qualities you find in yourself. With that being said, Cecil and Bubba are two characters that I absolutely love and can see traits in each of them that I also share. They are both bumbling idiots with a heart of gold that continue to find themselves up shit creek wearing white bibs. The story for this short is very strong and reminds me a lot of the alien encounter flicks from the 80s. We get the classic X-Files alien but instead of it innocently poking farts out of asses it kills anything and everything. The story is able to pull out some comedy and quick whit while giving us a a pretty dark and gruesome back drop for it all to take place in. Finally, this story is easy to read and wonderfully written. I have read stories before that I had to re-read pages because I had no idea what the fuck was going on. However, West is a slick author and his words run smoothly across the page making this one easy and fun read. Overall, Cecil and Bubba Meet the Thang is an amazing piece of horror literature that begs to be read and expanded upon. We need more Cecil and Bubba in our lives! Check this one out because you will not be disappointed.
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