| Title | : | Infernal Ink Magazine (vol. 3 issue 1 for January 2014) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 120 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2014 |
Infernal Ink Magazine is a different sort of a literary magazine. We are focused on publishing extremely dark fiction and poetry, of all genres, but we favor pieces with erotic, sexual, or humorous aspects.
In this issue we have our interview with writer, former prison guard, and Amazon Goddess of Doom Saranna DeWylde, along with Dave Lipscomb’s column “The DaveL’s Music” and his new are column “Demonic Visions”. See sights here that you will not see anywhere else.
Also we have fiction and poetry from Anton Cancre, Robert Lowell Russell, Bosley Gravel, Robert Leuthold, Giovanni Valentino, Peter Gilbert, Shaun Avery, Christopher Hivner, Roger Leatherwood, Michael C. Schutz-Ryan, Robin Wyatt Dunn, and Rob Bliss.
This magazine contains adult content and themes and is not meant for readers under eighteen years of age.
Infernal Ink Magazine (vol. 3 issue 1 for January 2014) Reviews
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2.5 Stars
I've had this a while and finally got around to reading it. This wasn't terrible, but wasn't quite my usual read. Most of this is short stories, but it also includes poetry, some art, an interview and even record reviews.
Some of the stories were that really artsy type of dark horror that is very graphic but at the same time well written with big words, simliar to Clive Barker for instance. Some of the stories are just disgusting, and other's confused me. But I think a lot of this is my personal preference rather than any failing on the author's part, as I think most of these authors accomplished their goals. The erotic part didn't really do it for me because the gore served as too much of a turn off.
I'm not a poetry guy, but the poems were dark horror and not bad for what they were.
The interview, art and reviews were competently done and enjoyable.
If you are a fan of really dark, extreme horror and erotica, you'd probably enjoy this one. If gore isn't your thing, skip it. -
Disclaimer: This magazine came to me through a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.
Infernal Ink is a horror fiction and poetry magazine aimed at ages 18+. As such, it contains sex, violence, sexualized violence (Trigger Warning for rape) and crude language. As of the 01/2014 issue, it is accepting advertisements for suitable businesses.
The cover (which might make this a poor choice to read in public) is by Dave Lipscomb, who also contributes “Demonic Visions”, a selection of his black and white pieces; and “The DaveL’s Music” which reviews albums, in this case, Motorhead’s latest.
There are several gruesome poems; all are modern poetry, so I cannot speak to their quality.
“Amazon Goddess of Doom” is an interview with Saranna DeWylde, who writes both horror and erotica, and helpfully gives us a look at the difference. Her nickname turns out to come from her day job as a prison guard.
All the fiction is very short.
“The Devil’s in the Details” by Robert Lowell Russell: A woman can have a new lease on life if she convinces someone else to go to Hell for her. Quick and twisty, with no innocence to be found.
“Going Viral (Pop Culture Apocalypse)” by Bosley Gravel: After the zombie plague, late-night television looks a little different, though just as cut-throat. Funny if you like your jokes gross.
“A Kiss to Die For” by Giovanni Valentino: Two guys in a bar compete over an attractive woman. Fairly predictable, but a nice last line.
“The Pope’s Dildo” by Peter Gilbert: The title object is stolen, and it’s up to the Vatican’s top agent to retrieve it. Very juvenile.
“The Ripsaw Floor” by Shaun Avery: A one-hit wonder meets the woman who inspired that song at his school reunion. I liked the female lead in this one.
“Flow the Junction” by Roger Leatherwood. A gross-out tale about a woman with constant menstrual flow and her objectification. Very unpleasant.
“Xenophobia” by Michael C. Shutz-Ryan: New neighbors next door present new opportunities for a lonely man who talks to his Buddha statue. Another fairly predictable story.
“Fey” by Robin Wyatt Dunn: A relationship with an otherworldly creature. Dreamlike and hard to follow.
“Add Me” by Rob Bliss: A small twon stalker may have bitten off more than he can chew–or maybe this is what he wanted all along. A bit longer of a story, so it has an actual build-up to the reveals.
All of these could use some polishing, but I most liked the Gravel and Avery stories. There are some spellchecker typos, and a couple cases of what might be that or odd vocabulary choices. Hydra M. Star might need to take a firmer hand as editor.
Mildly recommended to fans of the horror/erotica conjunction; everyone else can safely skip. -
Infernal Ink features a medley of dark art for readers over 18-years of age. No lovey-dovey poetry and a couple of the stories made me gag when lurid details caught me off guard.
Obviously, with a female editor, there's a well-rounded view of women that will always be seen in every issue. Vol. 3, issue 1 has some female zombies and a murder victim countered by strong women who aren't afraid to take what they want, especially when supernatural power gives them the ability. Gays are also treated like normal f'ck'ng people too, if you can call any of the fictional people in this publication normal. It's probably safer to say that this magazine is intended for people who've never worn the normal label.
I received a free copy of this volume in exchange for a review. To be honest, I don't read many magazines/eZines for two reasons: the number of ads and because too many publications feel redundant after reading a couple issues. This volume of Infernal Ink has more art than ads and I'm contemplating purchasing/subscribing to see if Infernal Ink breaks that redundancy-mold.
