Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror
Format - eBook
Rating (out of 5):
I have been reading like a mother fucker this year. I have always been able to make time to watch a horror movie or two no matter how busy I am. Horror movies have always been a huge part of my life and something I refuse to give up regardless of what is going on. Just ask my wife how dedicated I am. The last twelve months has saw me add reading to my daily schedule. I started out working my way through the works of Terry M. West along with some from Brian Keene. Both are outstanding authors and never let me down. Along the way I worked in the short McHumans from bizarro author Kevin Strange. I picked it up at Fright Night horror con a few years back. Kevin was away from the table but a friend sold it to me. I finally checked it out and was shocked by how fucking awesome it was and how much it was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft. I was hooked. When Strange announced Free Kevin Strange Day and put all his work up for free on Amazon I jumped at it. Shows how fucking cheap I am. The first one I took the time to read was Strange's newest, Texas Chainsaw Mantis.
The story begins with a married couple running for their lives through their home. The woman is missing her arm and the man is trying to calm her down and get them to safety. He takes her into their backyard and pushes her into their shed. He then warns her not to jump to conclusions when she sees what he has done in the shed and reassures her that he truly loves her. Once inside he moves a table to reveal a trap door and forces her down. Once inside she finds a chamber of horrors and discovers that her husband is a local serial killer who was using magick to kidnap his victims. Soon a giant mantis break through the door and kills them both but not before he can place a spell on himself using his precious life blood. We then jump 20 years and the world has been taken over by giant mantis creatures that were scientifically engineered. These mantis can talk and function just like people. They wiped out mankind and turned the world into their own. Now they live just like the humans did fighting, fucking, and political campaigns. We follow a young mantis who is married but his wife sets him up for rape and attempts to eat his head. He flees and finds himself in the serial killers basement and discovers that his soul has possessed a chainsaw. Dying, he agrees to let him help and the serial killer grafts the chainsaw on his head and sends him on a killing spree to rid the world of the mantis.
I really like what Strange brings to the table. His stories tend to be really fucking gory, overly sexual, and usually filled with Lovecraft references. McHumans was largely inspired by Lovecraft but still hit us with some disgusting sex and loads and loads of gore. Using words to disgust someone takes skill and talent. I knew Texas Chainsaw Mantis would be the same but I was not prepared for the shit show Strange wrote up. This one is well written and easy to read. Strange is quickly becoming my favorite writer due to his writing style. He doesn't over complicate things and makes the story easy and fun to read. The story for this one is really fucking fun. Strange does two things with this one. The first thing is he establishes a character that he could follow up with and give us a prequel story following him. That character is the Growler's Phantom. He only touched on him for a few pages establishing all the anarchy he created before the events in the book transpired. I really hope that Strange gives us a prequel following his story. The rest of the story is a solid mix of erotica and horror. Strange matches the erotica with the horror. The second something deemed sexy happens it is instantly followed up with some real scene of carnage. This was a great meshing that really kept the reader following along. Finally, this story has several characters that the reader will love. The first being the serial killer Growler Phantom that was so intriguing considering how he used ancient books and magick to capture his victims. The other is the mantis that the story follows, Matthew. He was a down to Earth character that the reader can really get behind. Overall, Texas Chainsaw Mantis is exactly what you would expect coming from the fucked up mind of Kevin Strange. The story is batshit crazy and full of sexual fluids and gore. If you like your horror sleazy and well written stories then this one is for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment