Have You Met Billy Silver?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The Latest Novella From Extreme Horror Author Daniel Volpe

Billy Silver, a low-life, self-downtrodden junkie, needs some cash to get his next fix. After getting kicked out of his own band, Shit Fist, losing his girlfriend, and left with no other options, he decides to sell his flesh to the ink of a needle at a newly opening tattoo shop.The mysterious artist, Talia, tattoos a cryptic design he’s never seen. Shortly after getting inked, compulsions burn underneath his skin. His need to satisfy a newly arisen addiction to self-mutilation begins a descent into darker places than his miserable life never dared go. Eventually, violence against himself is no longer enough to satisfy his cravings. The urge to commit the grotesque brings his brutal tendencies to others… To strangers, to acquaintances, to his prostitute ex-girlfriend…When Billy finds out his band replaced him, with a new vocalist singing his lyrics on stage, Billy’s desires reach their peak, and Talia, behind the fire of his rage, bears witness to all.

Synopsis / Amazon Product Description

I don’t know if I would have found this book if I wasn’t in the Splatterpunk FB group, and it certainly helped that the author is there, too. But, I must say, those guys DO know their horror, and have damn fine taste, so… it would have been mentioned. Either way, now I need to make sure you never wonder the same thing – you need to check out Daniel Volpe’s latest story ‘Billy Silver‘!

The story is dark, it’s gritty, and I kinda wanted to wash my hands when it was over. It’s the perfect backdrop for the characters you’re about to meet. You feel the loneliness, the abandonment, the despair… Hell, you almost feel the needle go into your arm! Perfect time to add a trigger warning, wouldn’t ya say? There is some intense addiction horror here, so blahbidy blahbidy trigger warning.

We interrupt this review with breaking news… I just learned that I’m not allowed to use Addiction Horror as a category. I like to make sure I save my drafts every couple minutes, and the latest draft would not save. “You are not allowed to assign those perimeters”… WTF? I back tracked and tested, and it’s those two words next to each other. Well. Alright. Apologies to Mark Mathews, I guess. This is weird, I used the term with Aron Beauregard recently with no trouble. This must be a new thing. I must research! (I can still say ‘fuck’, so I won’t go into panic mode just yet.) (and p.s., I love how this post’s tags read like ‘101 Reasons To Read This Book!’ ) Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming –

Where were we? So, after a particularly shitty night, Billy wakes up and those all too familiar feelings start crawling in… he needs to score, and soon. This time his hustle is… selling his skin! Lol, no! Not like that! He goes to a new tattoo shop that is about to open, and he is going to let an artist work on him so she can refresh her skills before the shop opens for business. (I’d do for a hundred bucks.) He can feel a difference in his body almost immediately. He’s essentially traded one addiction for another, but this new desire isn’t like any drug he’s ever done before. He doesn’t want the high. He wants pain. When he finally gets home and gives into the urges that overtake him, self-mutilation doesn’t even come close to describing the things he’s doing! He just fucking brutalizes his self, (loves it), but the violence and depravity can’t satiate the dark urges. He needs more – so he goes out and gets it!!

It’s 🎉 time for another warning! Yay! Some animal violence is hinted at in here, but it’s not bad. I don’t think it’s much to worry about, but blahbidy blahbidy trigger warning.

This is a great book, it’s different – no cookie cutter, or assembly line horror here. I love it! I’m excited to go pick up SCARED OF THE DARK, and BITS OF BONE. All three books are available on KU, so you can read for free if you’re a subscriber.

You can scoop up Billy Silver, and all of Daniel Volpe’s books on Amazon, and don’t forget to review them all on Goodreads, (and wherever else you post your reviews!)

Connect with Daniel Volpe via social media – Facebook @Daniel J. Volpe, and Instagram @dj_volpe_author

2020 may have been a dumpster fire of a year in every other aspect, but we’ve definitely gotten some great books to read! Extreme Horror has finally gotten some recognition. Books by new EH authors are flying off the shelves, and our favorite EH authors continue to disturb and terrify us in exciting new ways. I’m proud to be a member of this community, in good company with some truly outstanding people!

What book has made a definite impression on you this year? Talk to me! Post your answers, and whatever else you’d like, in the comments. Until next time – stay healthy, happy, and horrifying 👹

P, L & N 💕

sg

Twisted Sideways

by Allisha McAdoo

*Warning* This story may contain graphic materials that not everyone finds suitable.

Ember Oaks is not your typical asylum and these are not your typical stories. Within these walls are deep dark secrets that give the entire building it’s depth. Each patient tells their chilling and terrifying stories about how they ended up at Ember Oaks. These stories will have your mind twisted sideways as they keep you up at night.

I love asylum stories, but there aren’t many out there that are worth picking up. And I’ve picked up a lot of ’em. A lot. That makes the really good ones stand out even more though, and I’m happy that I can add TWISTED SIDEWAYS to that invisible list in my head!

I was excited right from rip when I realized it’s a collection of short stories, encased in one. The author, Allisha McAdoo, walks us through Ember Oaks, and introduces us to some of the asylum’s more interesting residents. We learn their stories, and find out how they came to permanently reside in this seventh circle of Hell. (But it has nice curtains!)

These curtains really do make my special place in Hell look more special.

Some of these stories are sick! They’re ALL twisted. And TWISTED SIDEWAYS is definitely worth reading. Grab a copy, you won’t be disappointed. Plus it’s hot off the presses, you can brag that you read it before all your friends! (pssst…hey… it’s free today – grab your copy today!) If you miss the sale, the book is available on KU – bonus points! +5 additional bonus points ‘cuz I love saying McAdoo! 😜

Connect With Allisha McAdoo on Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, and @AllishaMcadoo on Twitter.

P, L & N💋

~sg

Bad Appetites

by Jon Athan

WARNING: This book contains scenes of graphic violence and disturbing themes. This book also contains scenes discussing depression and suicide. Please enjoy at your own discretion.

Cindy Moore, a morbidly obese woman, has struggled to lose weight for years. Hours of exercise and a meticulous diet has only led to disappointment and depression. Her life drastically changes when she discovers a ‘miracle’ diet pill that allows her to lose weight without dieting or exercising. The pills, however, come with disturbing side-effects, including dangerous changes to her body, mind, and appetite…

Jon Athan brings you a grotesque body horror novel that targets social stigmas, unethical businesses, and psychological terror. If a pill could change your life while hurting the people around you, would you take it?

Review from January 2017

I gotta tell ya… I was pleasantly surprised at Jon Athan‘s new body horror novel 🙂 No, it’s not that I expected anything bad, but I thought I knew exactly where the story was going to go, and stay, until the last page. I was wrong. Sure – you can’t have a book like this without going there at all, but this isn’t a story based upon eating up mankind. Give it a go – it has a little something ‘new’ for us, and I think that Jon Athan is going to become a better known name among our circles this year!

Peace, Love & Necrophillia ♥
~sg

The Abuse of Ashley Collins

by Jon Athan

WARNING: This book contains scenes of graphic violence, including violence towards children. This book is about abuse—verbal, physical, and emotional. This book does not feature any explicit sex scenes, but it does discuss sexual abuse. This book is not intended for those easily offended or appalled.

Ashley Collins, a sixteen-year-old girl, has severe behavior issues. She regularly fights with her parents, Logan and Jane. When the fights become personal and physical, Logan and Jane decide to take matters into their own hands. They chain their daughter in the basement and abuse her in an attempt to rescue her from her bad behavior… while delving into their own deviance and depravity.

This is a story of family and abuse. This is a story of violence and discipline. This is the abuse of Ashley Collins.

Jon Athan brings you an uncompromising vision of human horror. Can the cycle of abuse be broken?

My original review was posted 3/22/17 HERE. It’s really looonnngggg. Idk why, but it’s still showing up with the old theme and formatting. Since everything is being revamped I thought I’d start this in case the archived review doesn’t conform. Check it out HERE and let me know what you think!

LIKE Jon Athan on Facebook, Goodreads & @Jonny_Athan on Twitter. 

P, L & N 

~sg

Rotten Apples

by Jon Athan

WARNING: This book contains scenes of graphic violence and disturbing themes. Many of these scenes involve violence committed by and against minors. This book is not intended for those easily offended or appalled. Please enjoy at your own discretion.

On his thirteenth birthday, Jacob White discovers his older brother, Kevin, is a violent serial killer. Kevin doesn’t want to hurt Jacob, though. Kevin wants to teach Jacob about the world—from his twisted perspective. He wants to mold his little brother into a serial killer so that they can kill together. However, as his brother goes on a murder spree, Jacob finds himself wrestling with his conscience… Can one rotten apple spoil the whole barrel?

Jon Athan, the author of A Family of Violence and The Abuse of Ashley Collins, brings you a provocative horror story of family, adolescence, and violence. Could you keep your brother’s secret?

Brothers Who Slay Together, Stay Together!

I just read this for the second time – it’s sooooo good!
I am enjoying Jon Athan’s more realistic ‘human horror stories’ even better than the fun & sadistic extreme horror that made me find him in the beginning.
It’s not very common to get emotional while reading extreme horror, but this author seems to get me every time.
I highly recommend Rotten Apples.

You all know that I have been fan-girling on my blog since… what, 2015, or 2016(?), but, you also know it’s for damn good reasons. He somehow keeps getting better, and his stories shine a light on real human horrors, helping to bring attention to subjects that matter, but people want to ignore. Stories based on real cases, like Into The Wolves Den, and The Groomer.
Please Check him out so we can talk about these books, and share fangirling moments… Until next time…

LIKE Jon Athan on Facebook, Goodreads & @Jonny_Athan on Twitter.

P, L & N 💋

~sg

This is the way the world ends – not with a bang but with a virus.

Mass Hysteria from #MichiganMadman Michael Patrick Hicks grabs 4 of 5 stars 

Stargazing turns into a battle for survival after a freak, alien meteor shower causes everyone, and everything in Falls Breath to go bat-shit crazy (O.o)

I’m usually not much of a sci-fi fan, but this was a fast, furious, and fun read right from page one!

Check out more of my reviews

THE ABUSE OF ASHLEY COLLINS by Jon Athan

I don’t  know why I ever chose to torture myself and willingly read A CHILD CALLED IT,  but Dave Pelzer broke something inside me – I haven’t been right since.  Knowing that, you’d think I’d have learned a lesson, (yeah, I know… I’m audibly laughing right now, too).  Nope. Years after ‘ACCI’ I decided that I wanted to read THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, and I let Jack Ketchum walk right in and start poking at the wound that David Pelzer left with a big, pointy stick.  I think it was the masochist in me who invited Mendal W. Johnson to drop by and sucker-punch my PTSD in the back of the head.  As far as the ‘Let’s Go Play At The Adams‘ fiction/non-fiction debate’ goes – I’m sticking with IT’S FICTION, but I’m sure all the atrocities have been committed, many times, and on many different Barbaras. 
Like LGPATA, THE ABUSE OF ASHLEY COLLINS is not a true story – but it very well could be. Watching the decreasing sanity, and the elevating brutality of Ashley’s parents demonstrates just how fast situations can escalate. One little poke at the wrong moment, and all control is lost – you can’t come back from certain things.

       

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION. It is disturbing, and hard to read at times, but the author is not exploiting issues to gain shock value for a horror story. Jon Athan comes at the story from every possible angle, from every p.o.v., and sheds light on problems that most families would keep hidden in the dark. Let me misquote one of my favorite movies before you start reading…

WARNING: This book contains scenes of graphic violence, including violence towards children. This book is about abuse—verbal, physical, and emotional. This book does not feature any explicit sex scenes, but it does discuss sexual abuse. This book is not intended for those easily offended or appalled.

Ashley Collins, a sixteen-year-old girl, has severe behavior issues. She regularly fights with her parents, Logan and Jane. When the fights become personal and physical, Logan and Jane decide to take matters into their own hands. They chain their daughter in the basement and abuse her in an attempt to rescue her from her bad behavior… while delving into their own deviance and depravity.

This is a story of family and abuse. This is a story of violence and discipline. This is the abuse of Ashley Collins.

Jon Athan, author of A Family of Violence, brings you an uncompromising vision of human horror. Can the cycle of abuse be broken?

 

Find The Abuse of Ashley Collins on Goodreads, Amazon, and it’s available through the KU program.

Connect with the author via Twitter – @Jonny_Athan, Facebook,  through the official Jon Athan Website, or his author pages on Goodreads, BookLikes, LibraryThing  & Amazon. You can email him directly at: info@jon-athan.com, or head on over to the West Coast and start stalking him the old fashioned way!

 

Coming Soon from Jon Athan –  An uncompromising new vision of human horror.
Pre-order your copy now – $2.99 Publication Date:  April 7th, 2017

Mason’s Television

Mason Williams is not a normal 13-year-old teenager. He regularly gets in trouble at school. He doesn’t mind getting beaten by his father. He enjoys extremely violent movies. He talks to his television—and his television talks back. With the advice from his television, Mason begins committing violent crimes against his peers in order to achieve infamy…

WARNING: This book contains scenes of graphic violence, disturbing themes, and some sexual references. Most of these scenes involve violence committed by and against minors. This book is not intended for those easily offended or appalled. Please enjoy at your own discretion.

 

*´¯`*.¸¸.*´¯`* Dear Author *´¯`*.¸¸.*´¯`*

Jon Athan,
You knocked another one out of the park!!
I want to touch on a few things from your author notes, and Dear Reader section. I’m adding a ‘SPOILER ALERT’ in case people who haven’t read the story yet don’t scroll through this and see something they shouldn’t 🙂  On my blog is will look like…  Read the rest of this entry →

GENITAL GRINDER by Ryan Harding

Think you’re hardcore? Think again.
I thought I was HARDER than hardcore, and… I didn’t handle this as easily as I believed I would. (That’s evident by the amount of time that passed between my first reading and this post!)

My showers are never hot enough any more.
The backs of my eyeballs itch.
I think I caught something, a VVD¹.

“Enjoy the tour, friends. Enjoy the gang-bang. You may need psych drugs afterwards, you may need an air-sick bag and a steam shower, but I feel confident that you will be provocatively moved by this book.”
~ Edward Lee, from his introduction

The Stories –

Bottom Feeder:
Hitting the bar right before last call isn’t the most opportune time to pick up a super-model. The best this guy could snag tonight was a blonde with a very slow metabolism. Her slow metabolism might have been a contributing factor to what happened at about 3:36 am, but that’s not even close to being the worst part of the night.

Damaged Goods:
Von & Greg can’t believe their luck when they come across their favorite porn star look-alike on the side of the road. The little part about her already being dead was not of any concern to these guys. There are a couple of moments when you might think one brother is sicker than the other, but let me assure you – that’s not the truth.
Yeah… this is the first of the gag-inducing stories, but if you have a weak stomach you probably wouldn’t be interested in this book or checking out this review!

Sharing Needles:
‘The Slave Killer’ claimed the lives of between four [confirmed] and eighteen [unconfirmed] women before disappearing. Twenty-five years later, the murders have started again. Is ‘The Bartok Butcher’ mimicking the brutal killings, or has ‘The Slave Killer’ returned to finish what he started?
There’s a hidden journal with ALL of the answers written inside, but will the right person find it before it’s too late? It depends on who you’re rooting for. In the end, I’m sure that the right person walked away.

Genital Grinder: A Snuff Act in 5 Acts:
Von & Greg are together again, and this time it’s not just for a bit of necrophiliac debauchery. No sir. This time is for fun & profit. The boys are going to lay the Urban Legend to rest and produce the world’s first sanctioned snuff film – ‘Genital Grinder’.
They’ve acquired THE Geisha Hammond, (the mouth-fuckable news anchor who’s lived through the previous stories), and the REAL Lolita Ream, (the look-alike having been used for the above mentioned necrophiliac debauchery in DAMAGED GOODS). These two women will be the stars of Von & Greg’s first film.
WARNING: It’s not just all about the blood, and the gore. This one almost made me puke.
Seriously.

Development:
A lot of people don’t realize that when you take your film in to be developed – the person who is developing it actually sees your photos. There are others who do realize, but just don’t care.
Alex is one of the faceless individuals that develops film, and believe me when I tell you that he is looking at the photos. He has even started printing off extra copies for his own personal collection.
When he recognizes some missing girls in a set of photos, he decides to pay the customer a visit – and it’s not because he’s a good Samaritan.

Emissary:
The ‘Taste Of Death’ videos are labeled as ‘shockumentaries‘, and advertise real deaths caught on tape. Clips of accidents, murders, and animal attacks are collected and pieced together to form 90 minute videos.
‘Taste Of Death 9: Grave Matters’ is about to be released, and Gabriel could hardly wait. He’d watched each of the first eight videos at least three times. When he thinks he recognizes the ‘shotgun to the face’ guy standing on a street corner, alive and with 100% of his skull, he feels totally betrayed. After a bit of research, and some amature investigation, Gabriel is sure he has figured out what is going on.
Then he sees ‘TOD9’ and realizes just how wrong he is.

Genital Grinder II: Dis-Membered:
We get to finish off this thrill ride with a little bit more of Von & Greg’s nauseating shenanigans! These two are bound & determined to become millionaires, and since their little snuff film didn’t pan out quite right – it’s back to the drawing board. They decide to dive headfirst into the oh-so lucrative business of penis-napping, but without a lick of common sense between them… well, becoming millionaires STILL may not be as easy as they thought.

Let me wrap this up by throwing in a few final thoughts –
Up until now, the only other work I’ve read by Ryan Harding was in Sixty-Five Stirrup Iron Road, so I don’t have a lot of back material to go on, (but, we know that Sixty-Five Stirrup Iron Road DID have some fun & nauseating moments for me). I think that Genital Grinder wins the trophy for being the most difficult book I’ve ever read. Reading it this second time (to help write the review) wasn’t any easier. BUT – underneath the buckets of blood, vomit, and bodily fluids, these are really great stories. If you don’t think you have the stomach to even attempt the worst, then start off by reading the shorts without Von & Greg. Start with DEVELOPMENT, and SHARING NEEDLES – they’re outstanding stories, and well worth the price of the book.
I love how certain characters, (like news anchor Geisha Hammond), are referenced in almost every story, along with the other little nods & winks (the Gaping Anus video being my favorite tie-in >.< ) that bond them all together.

Have you already read GG? Leave me some comments! Let me know your thoughts on the book and/or the author – good or bad. I’m very curious to hear other opinions.

¹ virtual venereal disease

GENITAL GRINDER on Amazon
Ryan Harding on Amazon
GENITAL GRINDER on Goodreads
Ryan Harding on Goodreads
Ryan Harding on Deadite Press

SADIE THE SADIST by Zané Sachs

Dedicated to all the good, hardworking people in supermarkets and other service industries.

“My gaze falls on the machetes lined up on the magnet strip, immaculate and shiny after soaking in the chlorine solution I use for cleaning. I’ve been reading up online: Chlorine can remove visual evidence of blood, but to completely destroy hemoglobin, so it can’t be detected by forensics, you need a cleaning agent like hydrogen peroxide. Peroxy, the stuff that squirts out of the power hose I use to mop this concrete floor. I’m the last one out at night, so that job falls on me.”
― Zané Sachs, Sadie the Sadist: X-tremely Black Humor/Horror

Synopsis
Like most of us, Sadie feels undervalued and frustrated. Employed by a supermarket, she plots to murder coworkers—or lure them into the employee bathroom for a quickie. Sick of being treated like a robot, she taps into a powerful (and deranged) alter-ego and transforms into Sadie the Sadist.
READER BEWARE: This book contains graphic violence, psycho/sexual incidents, and Sadie’s favorite recipes. X-tremely Black Humor.

Sadie is my new hero, and every time I get that little psychotic itch at work – (or anywhere), I can live vicariously through her!
I love dark humor, and Sadie is a genius. (I literally snorted within the first few pages – she reads a sign posted at her work, and her internal dialog caught me off guard!)
Suzanne read this before I did, and in her words… “Sadie is the female Peter – you’ll love her!” (I know exactly who Suzanne means, but in case you’re new here… Peter is my favorite literary serial killer – Peter Jenkins, from Matt Shaw‘s HAPPY EVER AFTER series.)
She’ll kill ’em, or fuck ’em… depends on her mood, (she is equally creative in both activities). If she’s feeling especially froggy – she’ll do BOTH!
The book includes recipes that sound delicious, and I’m going to sneak a few in to my secret recipe box – including Sadie’s Cooking Tips! (You should be productive while waiting for the dish to cook. You could vacuum. Or, masturbate.)
If you honestly enjoy the same books that I do, then Sadie the Sadist is one that you cannot miss. I was sad when I finished, but I learned that there is a Sadie prequel in the works, and Zané is writing novel of psychological suspense called Jayne Just Watches. Jayne believes that she is dead, and she happens to be Sadie’s neighbor.
Yay!!
One more thing… don’t miss the author’s blog! There is too much awesome to tell you about, so just follow the links below to check it all out for yourself! I got my stalking ahem – fangirling in earlier – Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Goodreads, AuthorGraph… you can connect via ZaneSachs.com.

From the Author ~

Perhaps, one day soon, the perfect novel will be written by artificial intelligence. Until then, Zané offers you her flawed perspective and hopes you find it entertaining.

For Sadie’s deadly recipes, guest inQuistions, and useful tips on topics like the Pros and Cons of killing your boss, please visit Zané’s blog, Zané Sachs-Going Down, at ZaneSachs.com

Contact Zané Sachs ~

Email: ZaneSachs@gmail.com

Facebook: Zané Sachs, Author

Twitter: @ZaneSachs

COMING SOON –
Sadie’s Guide to Catching Killers – (A Sadie Novella)
(Prequel to Sadie the Sadist)

The story will explore how Sadie becomes the girl we know and love. And it will include helpful advice like:
10 Signs Someone is a Low-Life Liar

You can get SADIE THE SADIST from Amazon –