I'm trying something new here. Inspired by Heath Lowrance's melting pot of recommendations, I decided to try and review short stories here. Three titles a post and only the tightest, most read-worthy stuff you can find on zee internets. I figured it's a form I enjoy and I write myself so since I'm not perfectionist enough to run my own webzine, I thought of this idea to help get the word out on these terrific works of short fiction. If it's a lost art to the writers, it's because it's a lost art to the readers too. Let's make short stories popular again, you guys.
I had hit the little girl pretty hard, knocking her out, and maybe breaking something, messing her nose up for sure, but for me, it was worth it.
Joe R. Lansdale - BULLETS & FIRE: This kicked me in the ass super hard. What a great story. Nameless narrator is looking for a way into a criminal gang, so they put him to the test. You gotta be careful though when recruit people. It's dangerous not knowing who you do business with. Lansdale signs a killer story, set in a world where the spiritual realm failed. Everything is calculated in concrete results, blood shed, body count, money stacks and power gained. It's dark, gritty, violent and funny in all the wrong ways. I'm often critical of stories who feature too many guns, but this is done properly. Bullets shower over the pages. It's freakin' FREE ON THE KINDLE STORE, TODAY. Please do yourself a favor and download this bad boy and propel it to its rightful place on the charts. #1 that is.
The President had taken to eating breakfast at his desk in the Oval Office so he could get to work sooner. So much to do. Korea was giving him an ulcer, and fucking MacArthur was giving him hermorrhoids.
Emerson LaSalle - HARRY TRUMAN VERSUS THE ALIENS: Really, Emerson LaSalle doesn't need any introduction. He is to pulp fiction what Babe Ruth was to baseball. He changed the way the game is played. Long unavailable and pouted by the publishing industry, a few courageous souls are using the eBooks to introduce him to a new generation of readers. This is a great story to do so. LaSalle really brings his A Game here. You will find his traditional fast paced action, quirky sense of humor and out-of-place political partisanship all in the same short story. Set a few years after the Roswell incident, the aliens have decided to start invading the Earth, but they have chosen the wrong place to start and the wrong president to fuck with. Harry Truman is old school. He's a man of action. If you want to familiarize yourself with the concept of pulp (which can be pretty abstract to the non-initiates) this is a great place to start with. It's only .99 cents and your money will probably fund research to dig out new LaSalle stories
"People don't always do what's right, son, but you and me get the privilege of making our own choice, and we have to make good choices. That's what makes a person good, is the choices you make."
Kyle Minor - THE TRUTH AND ALL ITS UGLY: This is a beautiful, unique little piece. I had heard of Kyle Minor many times before, so I decided to pick this one up to try the waters. This story will evoke many names to you, William Faulnker and Cormac McCarthy only to name those, but Minor's style has its own music. Its own beauty. It's set in a rich tradition and yet it has its own voice. It's the story of fatherhood and its difficulties. Being a father is a very noble title indeed, but the title doesn't change the person. That's what Minor explores here. His stance on language is the star of the show here. I could hear a chanting southern accent while reading and this doesn't happen often.This story has a sense of pace and fluidity without sacrificing anything. He kept me enthralled for a few pages, but I can easily see Minor keeping me interested for works of epic lengths. It's a little costlier, but if you're looking for strong new literary voices, it's an investment. Expect Kyle Minor to make a lot of noise in the future.