Title | : | Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror |
Author | : | |
Rating | : | |
ISBN | : | 1949491013 |
ISBN-10 | : | 9781949491012 |
Language | : | English |
Format Type | : | Paperback |
Number of Pages | : | 346 |
Publication | : | First published January 14, 2019 |
This is the ’50s where ghost shows still travel the back roads of the south, and rockabilly has a hold on the nation’s youth; where lucky hearts tell the tale, and maybe that fella in the Shriners’ fez ain’t so square after all. Where exist noir detectives of the supernatural, tattoo artists of another kind, Hollywood fix-it men, and a punk kid with grasshopper arms under his chain-studded jacket and an icy stare on his face.
This is the ’50s of Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror. This is your ticket to the dark side of American kitsch . . . the fun and frightful side!
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Table of Contents:
“Introduction” by Eric J. Guignard
“The Golden Girls of Fall” by Seanan McGuire
“Sea Lords of the Columbia” by Weston Ochse
“Tremble” by Kasey Lansdale and Joe R. Lansdale
“The Demon of the Track” by Gary Phillips
“Outlawed Ink” by Jason Starr
“We Might Be Giants” by Nancy Holder
“Universal Monster” by Duane Swierczynski
“Draggers” by David J. Schow
“The Starlite Drive-In” by John M. Floyd
“Dr. Morbismo’s InsaniTERRORium Horror Show” by Lisa Morton
“Hot Babe” by Bill Pronzini
“The Prom Tree” by Yvonne Navarro
“I’m with the Band” by Steve Perry
“Mystery Train: An Arcane Investigation” by Max Allan Collins and Matthew V. Clemens
“Lab Experiment Turf War” by Jeff Strand
“The She-Creature” by Amelia Beamer
“Fish out of Water” by Will Viharo
“I Was a Teenage Shroom Fiend” by Brian Hodge
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Praise:
“A fitting tribute to the 1950s with this 18-story compendium of hot rods, rock ’n’ roll, and creature features come to life.” —Publishers Weekly
Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror Reviews
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I missed the Fifties. Born in the mid-Sixties I barely (and I do mean barely) remember the Moon Shot. However I grew up on a steady diet of "creature features" from that earlier decade, mostly from American International Pictures. (I should have had AIP tattooed on a bicep.) So I relished Pop the Clutch, an anthology featuring a lot of monsters, hot rods, and switchblade wielding JD's. I freely admit I purchased this book to get my hands on the Kasey and Joe Lansdale collaboration, but I found all these stories to be entertaining. Obligatory name dropping commences: in addition to the Lansdales, this collection features tales by Jason Starr, Steve Perry, Nancy Holder, Seanan McGuire, Yvonne Navarro, Duane Swierczynski, David J Schow, Bill Pronzini, and Max Allan Collins. There is a great amount of fun to be had in revisiting the (fictionalized) Fifties found here, Constant Reader-be there or be square.
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I was lucky enough to get to read an advanced reader copy. Pop The Clutch sets a high bar for 2019 and short story anthologies.
It’s rare that an anthology of this size is so consistently great, but Pop The Clutch delivers. The concept is brilliant: horror stories based on the 50s, or idealized 50s, hotrod, b-movie, greaser culture. Cue the Cramps for the Big Beat from Badsville. From the table of contents I recognized so many favorites I knew I was in for a treat, but the thing that surprised me was how much I liked all the other stories as well. And now I’ll have to check out more from those authors I haven’t previously read. A great read from cover to cover. -
I really enjoyed this one. It’s something a bit different from the norm. I am a fan of the fifties. Love the music, liked the clothes and styles and often say if I could have turned eighteen at the start of any decade, that would probably be the one I picked. Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror has a little bit of everything from the era. There are mad scientists, links to the monster movies that became so popular and pretty much began the genre, some sci fi alienesque type tales, tentacle monsters, swamp monsters and lots more, all wrapped up among, drag races, slicked back hair, leather jackets and nods to the music we know and love.
My personal favourites from the collection were:
Lab Experiment Turf War by Jeff Strand
The She-Creature by Amelia Beamer
Fish Out of Water by Will Viharo
I Was a Teenage Shroom Fiend by Brian Hodge
Dr. Morbismos Insaniterorium Horror Show by Lisa Morton
Sealords of the Columbia by Weston Ochse
Mystery Train: An Arcane Investigation by Max Allan Collins and Matthew V. Clements
Apart from Strand and Morton, the rest of these authors are new to me. While I have heard Hodge and Osche, I hadn’t read their work, and the others are names I didn’t know but they all seem to have impressive backgrounds. I’ll be checking some of them out now.
There is also some great artwork for the book for each story. A great read for anyone with an interest in the 50s. -
Loved this varied collection of 50s icon themes. As someone who grew up in the era of admiring hot rods, going to drive-ins, and spending Saturday mornings in an old theater watching movies like I Was A Teenage Werewolf, how could I not? Eric is a great author and, as editor of this anthology, knew exactly what to choose.
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What an awesome, fun kick-a@@ book, all new short stories that are set around the wild and weird side of the 1950s! Rock & Roll and racing hot rods and one of the best line-up of authors I’ve ever seen in one place. Max Allan Collins (ROAD TO PURGATORY!) and Matthew V. Clemens bring a supernatural investigator who thinks he’s dead to track down a rock-singling werewolf. And Weston Ochse (SEAL TEAM 666) has two Korean War veterans off to rescue a pair of mermaids taken to sex slavery by the Finnish Brotherhood. Steve Perry (ALIENS; CONAN; STAR WARS tie-ins) is in this, and Nancy Holder (BUFFY and SMALLVILLE tie-ins) and tons others. I think the best stories were “Tremble” by Kasey Lansdale and Joe R. Lansdale and “The Demon of the Track” by Gary Phillips and “Dr. Morbismo’s InsaniTERRORium Horror Show” by Lisa Morton and “Draggers” by David J. Schow. But all the stories were good in diffrent ways. Best of the best!
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Great tribute to the fun side (“kitsche”) side of the 1950s! Great stories all the way throughout. Different takes on music scene, hot rod racing, monsters, creature movies, post-war culture, just cool all around. Art work by Steve Chanks is amazing! Adds an even higher level of caliber to the book. Favorite stories are Seanan McGuire’s The Golden Girls of Fall, Gary Phillips’s The Demon of the Track, and Bill Pronzini’s Hot Babe (and others).
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Eric J. Guignard brings us Pop the Clutch, a high octane anthology chock full of fast cars, greasers and movie monsters. Guignard has assembled 18 stories by some truly talented authors. This is such a fun collection. We’ve got movie monsters, rockabilly stars, drag races and so much more. Each story brings to life the classic feel of the 50s and mixes in a unique brand of weird horror magic. While there isn’t much in the way of truly scary material, you’re guaranteed to love this rockin’ anthology. Out of the 18 included stories, I liked half of them and absolutely loved the other half. There was not a single story here that just didn’t do it for me. Narrowing down this selection was not an easy task, but I’ve highlighted my top three stories.
Before I get into the top three, I have to say a few words about the illustrations. Each story is illustrated with an ink drawing by artist Steve Chanks. These illustrations really brought home the anthology. I truly believe the tone wouldn’t have been as successful as it was if not for Chanks’ work. Plus, they just look bad-ass. Check out his website,
http://stevechanks.com/
My Top Three
I’m with the Band- Steve Perry: The abusive lead singer of a greaser rock band meets a shocking end in this quick, but devious story. Told from the perspective of Cecil, the underappreciated roadie, Perry’s story is wonderfully clever.
Mystery Train: An Arcane Investigation- Max Allan Collins & Matthew V. Clemens: When the inexplicable occurs deep within the Florida Everglades, we are introduced to a mysterious team of investigators who take the case. The premise and setup behind this story are intriguing, and beg to be further explored. Collins and Clemens leave you wanting more of this strange team of supernatural investigators.
I Was a Teenage Shroom Fiend- Brian Hodge: Hodge takes us to the end of an era, where we meet Maddox, the last greaser in a town full of hippies. In an attempt to break into a new drug dealing market, Maddox discovers a very rare mushroom growing in an unusual place. When he gives out the shrooms across town, the unbelievable happens. Hodge captures the fading glory of the 50s through the lense of the last clinger-on to the lifestyle. The cherry on top is Hodge’s nod in his closing paragraphs to Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Honorable Mentions
Outlawed Ink- Jason Starr: Ray is the outcast of his family, mostly because he’s not an amoral psychopath. Then the death of his father reunites him with his long-estranged brother. The two decide to get tattoos at a special tattoo parlor, and things take a peculiar turn.
The Starlite Drive-In- John M. Floyd: A small town sheriff is investigating a series of grisly murders. His investigation leads him to the old abandoned Starlite Drive-In. Obviously, things get weird. Floyd’s story reads like a love letter to classic creature features.
Dr. Morbismo’s InsaniTERRORium Horror Show- Lisa Morton: Welcome to Dr. Moribismo’s Morbismo’s InsaniTERRORium Horror Show, where you’ll see all manner of things supernatural and spooky! But, of course it’s all just a show… right? Morton crafts a fun, thematic tale with an emotional climax and an unexpected ending.
Though I’ve picked a few favorites, this entire collection deserves accolades. There’s not a single dud to be found here. Guignard has expertly chosen and arranged these tales to be varied and keep things fresh. It’s clear that every author included poured pure passion into writing their stories. Hopefully, they had as much fun writing them as I did reading them. -
You can't go wrong with a book that rips off the candy coating of the 1950's and rubs a bunch of dirt on it. While some of the stories in this anthology sorta fizzle out, they are all a blast to read. There are enough gems in here to make up for the not so good ones.
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-->I received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review.<--
A horror collection that promises in its introduction to bring you to the dark side of the 50s, in contrast to the idealized perfect time of America that it's often thought of. Well, it does just that... and also throws in goofy, zany, and just generally fun over the top everything for good measure.
Not to worry though, there is plenty of horror still, it just clearly embraces the silliness of the era. Most of the stories all have great characters, and often I found I enjoyed them on their own, even without the horror elements thrown in. Is there a greater compliment from a horror junkie? Doubt it. I believe "Outlawed Ink" is the best example here, a gay man goes along with his estranged brother to his father's funeral whom they both despise. His inner dialogue thinking about his situation, and lifestyle in were so interesting, and then as the story moves along and it's nearly at the end I thought to myself, isn't this a horror story? Then, of course, it reminded me so, quite violently.
There are more great character moments, mostly dealing with people not fitting into a world that so clearly tells you what you must be. From a girl believing she's a communist because she doesn't want the 'American Way of Life' that is being forced on her to many stories dealing with minorities and their horrible treatment in the times. But now that the serious stuff has been paid its due... time for the craziness!
Multiple stories deal with the old black and white B monster movies quite lovingly. The drag racing and greasers are in full display in many of them. Rockabilly music, all the cool lingo, it's all here. A story features mermaids, that when people look at them they become instantly aroused. Yep.
A fish man experiment roams around trying to fit in, two competing mad scientists creations duke it out in a turf war, a cheerleading squad made up of a vampire and all kinds of other "monsters" ... It was just a lot of fun and I didn't want it to end.
Every story even has a cool picture drawn for them, and a line picked out and bolded. It gives the effect of introducing them all as little B movies of their own, and I thought that was a nice touch.
This is just a well written, and well done, well everything in fact collection. I read a lot of these things, this was excellent. It felt authentic and it was clear to see the work and attention put into it. Fun from beginning to end, and worth it for all horror fans, whether you are into the 50s theme or not, cause these are just good stories period. -
I was not expecting to find another cheer squad story by Seanan McGuire opening an anthology, but “The Golden Girls of Fall” delivers. “Universal Monster” by Duane Swierczynski is a fun story about a haunted film, one of my weaknesses, clad in atomic age bakelite. “The Starlite Drive-In” by John M. Floyd is a love letter to pulpy B-movie horror flicks. “Dr. Morbismo's InsaniTERRORium Horror Show” by Lisa Morton is a delightful YA inspirational ghost story chock full of stage magic and spook show chicanery. “Lab Experiment Turf War” by Jeff Strand grabs all the 50s teen tropes and hangs a ghastly lampshade made of human skin on them. “The Prom Tree” by Yvonne Navarro is a slice of life story evocatively placed in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Loved the setting and characters, but would have loved a bit more wonder.
One of my favorites of the book is “Tremble” by Joe R. Lansdale and Kasey Lansdale, which delivers stunning character development and inhabits the intense passions that flare during high school. -
Superb collection of stories about the rockin’ rockabilly era! Great execution and an amazing roster of bestselling authors. Absolutely loved this book.
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One of those rare books that falls directly at the intersection of most of my interests.
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“The Golden Girls of Fall” by Seanan McGuire