INSIDE THE WORKS
A 3-Way Collection of Hardcore Horror Featuring Tom
Picirilli, Gerard Daniel Houarner and Edward Lee
Necro Publications P.O. Box 540298 Orlando FL 32854-0298
207 pgs. $12.95 (tp)
Tom Picirilli opens the collection with five sharp, shocking tales beginning
with an asylum of sexual experimentation where little deaths lead to big
deaths. Picirillli's section closes with a pair of connected tales that tells
us what's "Inside the Works," an artist's colony of a deviant sort.
A more delicate touch than what is found in much of Gerard Houarner's previous
work is showcased in his novella "Truth and Consequences in the Heart of
Destruction." The hardcore element resides in the story -- as a strange
birth is heralded and an angel becomes an assassin -- but it's observed more
from the corner of the eye rather than straight on.
Edward Lee's devolved contribution to the collection is a nasty exploration of
a pornographer's misfortunate life. It's the late-70s, and Leonard -- a wannabe
serious filmmaker -- needs to pay a debt to a Mafia boss by making bestiality
flicks, but events go uncommonly wrong. "Pig" also marks the first
time this reviewer has read a hardcore crime story that mutated into a hardcore
dark fantasy, complete with a demon.
All the well-crafted tales in this collection pack the familiar Necro
Publications whammy. Pick your favorite from the bunch. Be careful, they all
cut deep. -- Don Kinney |