Mort is back with a brand-new review. This week, he reviews PRICE SLASHERS, a collection of stories from Chisto Healy, Erica Summers, and Michael R. Collins!
Enjoy!
Three authors came together with a concept for this book that got me curious:
Each should write a story with the same starting point–a bloody woman comes out of the supermarket–and take it anywhere they wanted to go from there. The only thing they had to include is a bisexual element. The end product could be best described as, well, the INXS of the year.
If you are frowning right now, I don’t blame you. I just got out of bed in the middle of the night to write this review, because “MYSTIFY ME” was on a loop in my head since this thought has sprung into my brain. For those who might not know, INXS was an Australian band that was huge in the 80s and 90s, until the lead singer died from sexual asphyxiation.
The thing that made them so special, in my opinion, was their diversity. Their music brought together many different styles and influences, even though they were commonly referred to as a rock band. But they had elements of pop, blues and maybe even a little bit of jazz, if you listened carefully enough.
And this book brings together three very different voices who took three very different directions with this basic idea. While it is a horror book, there are elements that make it feel (at times) like there are touches of thriller, police procedural, bizarro and extreme.
So, let’s get this out of the way, because there are bound to be opinions raised about this: Is this book woke? And I’ll be damned if I know, because I keep my nose out of the drama and bullshit, so I am not 100% clear on the full definition of the word.
Here’s the thing: My firm belief is that people can be real assholes regardless of sex, race, religion, politics, sexual preference, height, weight, wealth or personal taste. Despite what we see on social media daily, I also believe that people have the right to not only be different than I am, but to have different opinions.
Life is difficult enough as it is, so allow others the same freedom you expect and judge them on merit. I do not have a dog in this fight, so I simply don’t care.
Back to the book. I am going to give my criticism first, before I point out the good stuff.
I did not really connect with one of the three stories. It was not a bad story by any means, it was just a little beyond my personal taste. Also, in one of the stories the bisexual angle felt a little forced. What I mean by that is that it didn’t contribute anything to the story itself and it would have made no difference to the end result whether it was included or not.
But…I really liked this book. The ideas were well executed and at least one of the stories should appeal to most of the horror readers. And, as the one author stated, maybe it will introduce someone to a new writer they would not have normally read.
Healy: I have to read more by this author, especially if he likes writing about serial killers.
Collins: What a wild imagination and creativity he must have; I don’t think I will ever be able to see the world as he does.
Summers: I don’t say this a lot, but I was introduced to a condition I’ve never heard of before, and this story made me curious.
Recommended to horror fans who like versatility and good storytelling.
4 Stars.
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