Shock Totem 3: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted by K. Allen Wood

Shock Totem 3: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted Reviews

• 
  Cate Gardner

  Outstanding as always. Standout stories were Drift by Amanda C Davis, A Birth in the Year of the Miracle Plague by Jeremy Kelly, Wanting It by Aaron Polson and Eye, You by Joseph Morgado. And Mercedes M Yardley once again provided a poignant non-fiction piece.
• 
  Gef

  There is always something in an issue of Shock Totem that enthralls me, and for two issues now Mercedes M. Yardley has been the deliverer. Her trips down memory lane have twice led me along a path where something with very sharp teeth greeted me at the end. I don't always go for nonfiction, especially when I'm on the hunt for short stories--which ST provides with great proficiency--but if Mercedes is writing it, then count me in.
  
  Okay, on to the fiction.
  
  With this third issue of ST, they managed to pack even more stories in its pages than the two previous editions. Things kick off with a nasty little road story from Tim Lieder called "Bop Kabala and Communist Jazz." It's an unsettling little tale with a wheel man a self-styled preacher--of sorts--and a pretty little hitchhiker. From there, things got pretty grim. John Haggerty's "The Meat Forest" is a prison break story set in a Russian landscape that is about as unforgiving as any inmate's nightmare. The characters try to traverse a forest that requires them to always move, never stop, or else they will wind up like the rest of the poor souls who stopped along the way and became just another piece of the Meat Forest.
  
  "Drift" by Amanda C. Davis is another standout story, a child's fear of the snow outside. "The snow is made of bugs," said Caden: that's how the story starts, and by god, the creepiness just ramps up and up as the mother tries to console her child and ease her own paranoia. Aaron Polson's "Wanting It" is another one that does a good job of squeezing every bit of atmosphere out of a story idea, with two friends and their obsession with ghosts and local legends, and wanting them just a little too much. I also liked the funhouse mirror that was Joseph Green's "Stitched," though I thought the title was a little on the nose.
  
  I don't really have to press on in my praise for ST, do I? If you've read any of them, you ought know already, and if you haven't then you're missing out. There's thirteen stories, two interviews, Mercedes' essay, and more. There's bound to be something you horror fans enjoy.
• 
  Bandit

  Another solidly entertaining and enjoyable read from Shock Totem. This one if the fattest so far in sheer volume, although lot of it is padding, many more reviews and a very long interview with a person from a band. I read it all, but given preference, I would certainly prefer just the stories. Music to me is the sort of thing to listen to, not to read about. And frankly, it seems out of place in a publication going for twisted macabre tales. It was actually shocking to read a negative review of a book in a review section, usually it's all praise and adulation, so that was refreshing. Here's the strangest thing of it all to me...in the preface the creator of Shock Totem states that Koontz is his favorite author. How on earth someone who has Koontz as a favorite author consistently puts out such terrific collections of genuinely good, emotionally complex and nuanced, sociorelevant fiction is a mystery. That's like getting delicious gourmet meals consistently served up by a man who's favorite cuisine is McDonalds. Anyway, good reading, not the best Shock Totem, not as good as second volume for example, but good. Recommended.
• 
  Richard Thomas

  Fantastic collection. Especially loved "The Meat Forest" and "Drift." If you like dark fiction, pick this up.
• 
  Donald Armfield

  I have the whole collection of Shock Totem buried in my kindle want to-reads. I'm glad I opened another one of these books. I found another book added to my shelves. Digging Up Donald (Yeah that's my name) by Steven Pirie. I will probably be reading that real soon. Bloodstained & Blue Suede Shoes I found to be an interesting research piece and Ruth by the Sea by the flash fiction winner of 2010. Was great. Below are others I enjoyed with a small review.
  Drift by Amanda C. Davis
  "The snow has eyes" another reason I hate snow. A little boys cry for help during the beginning of winter. Beware! Awesome tale of disappearance.
  
  John Skipp's "Worm Central Tonite!" A story from a worms perspective on how he and his fellow creepy crawling friends feast on the dead. Skipp definitely puts the nail in the coffin.
  
  "Duval Street" by Mackenzie Larsen
  A tour of the bleached white teeth. Hollywood's finest homes. What could possibly go wrong? Great Read!
  
  "Mr. Many Faces" by S. Clayton Rhodes. A man loves his alcohol more than his family. A very awesome twist that will leave you wowed.
• 
  Tom

  Another super collection of stories from writers to watch. Once again I found myself totally absorbed in the stories..
  I look forward to reading the next issue. Shock Totem continues to rank up there with Cemetery Dance magazine and Dark Discoveries as the places to go to read great new horror and fiction.
• 
  Michelle

  3.5
  
  I'm very picky about horror fiction and there were a couple of stories I really liked in this issue but also a few that didn't quite resonate with me.
  I look forward to seeing what is in the next issue.
• 
  David

  Even better than Volume 2! The byline for Shock Totem is: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted. What you get is a collection of stories (and more) that don't fall into the standard horror mix. These are tales that Vincent Price might regale you with, or Lovecraft would nod at with approval. If you're looking for guys with chainsaws running around, you're in the wrong place.
  
  I don't think I've mentioned this before but the cover art always sucks me in. This issue, featuring a house of surreal, menacing architecture is no exception.
  
  This issue opens with "Bop Kabala and Communist Jazz". It was the only story that I didn't enjoy so I'm glad that it was first. I can't offer a reason other than to say it didn't grab me.
  
  "The Meat Forest" was next and it was great! The story takes place in a gulag in the Siberian wilderness surrounded by a forest. While the camp described by John Haggerty was bad enough, it was the forest where the real horror began. If I say anything more, I'll spoil it.
  
  The first interview was next. This one was with author D. Harlan Wilson. I enjoy the interviews as they give you a peek inside the author's mind. Later, there's an interview with Count Lyle of the band Ghoultown. There's also many reviews of books, movies, and music. The subject of Mercedes Yardley's "Abominations" column in this issue is mines. The fact that it's titled "Voracious Black" should give you a clue.
  
  "Worm Central Tonite!" was yummy goodness from John Skipp. "Day Job" imagines how the day-to-day grind of watching over humans can wear on an angel. "Wanting It" is a solid ghost story.
  
  "Eye, You" is a rare second person tale that mixes social media narcissism with a dash of Lovecraftian flavored madness. "Stitched" begs the question, "Who gets to decide what is normal?" I'm not sure what was going on in "Duval Street", but I liked it.
  
  "A Birth in the Year of the Miracle Plague" offers a glimpse into the life of children in a zombie apocalypse. It was my third favorite story in the issue.
  
  Stories involving children who see monsters only to have their parents disbelieve them (until it's too late) is a common theme in horror. This issue has two stories that fit that theme: "Drift" and "Mr. Many Faces". The former involves snow, and it reminded me of that Robot Chicken episode where snowflakes are falling from the sky and screaming because they can't move once they hit the ground. They're just stacked on top of each other. Only this story is more sinister. "Mr. Many Faces" starts off with the proverbial daughter complaining there's a monster in her closet. But author S. Clayton Rhodes twists everything around and breaks out of what could've been a cliche. It wound up being my favorite story in the collection.
  
  I look forward to what K. Allen Wood and company have in store for volume 4.
• 
  Alexis Hunter

  After reading Shock Totem 4, I had high expectations for Shock Totem 3. And yes, I seem to be working my way backwards! My expectations were completely justified and Shock Totem 3, for me, provided yet another set of wonderfully crafted stories under yet another gorgeous cover.
  
  Midway through Shock Totem 3, I read "Drift" by Amanda C. Davis. This story captured me with its very natural, very realistic portrayal of a child. The descriptions brought to mind images of my own little brother and so when tragedy struck (as it always does), it was doubly painful. Amanda managed to take what seemed like a normal winter day and just bury me in her imagination, wonderful wording and originality.
  
  "A Birth in the Year of the Miracle Plague" by Jeremy Kelly also fascinated me. It had such a subtle and original take on a well-known fantasy subject (I don't wish to spoil it, so I will not say more) and strong, meaningful characters.
  
  All in all, I found nothing to displease me and my tastes in Shock Totem issue 3. I look forward to reading #2 next!
• 
  Steve Bouchard

  So this was my second trip into Shock Totem land, and just as great as the first (er, my first, which was the fifth one, that is)...
  
  I found myself liking stories I don't usually care for. Like John Haggerty's "The Meat Forest" with its cast of nasty characters, or especially the gruesome "Worm Central Tonight!" by John Skipp. That one starts: "So I'm burrowing into this dead guy's eyeball..." and just gets better from there. Yeah, probably wasn't the best choice to read while eating supper, but it was a great read, anyway.
  
  This volume seems to be a study in negative protagonists. You know, those charcaters you just shouldn't like, or whose decisions fall short of redeeming. But the Shock Totem team has brouight a great bunch of stories that make you wonder why you shouldn't like them, and you get why they do the things they do. For the most part. A couple of the stories didn't quite click for me, but it was all still well worth it.
  
  Yeah, "Worm Central..." that's gonna stay with me for a while.
  
• 
  Chris Riley

  Shock Totem never fails to entertain. I loved every story in this issue.
• 
  Andre

  As with all short story collections, some great, some ok and some simply a waste of time. Overall I did enjoy reading these stories though, and I have to say. There is some high quality here.