Customer Reviews

Beat to a Pulp: Round 1

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A fantastic collection of stories, this book should have something for just about anyone who likes their fiction anywhere near the orbit of what is considered "pulp." We've got cowboys, pirates, criminals, lowlifes, aliens, and even ghosts. I'm not going to blow too much smoke and say every story blew me away -- there are a couple I'm not so sure I even liked -- but that is to be expected, because there are many, many bases being covered here. If I had to pick favorites, I'd go with James Reasoner's "Heliotrope" (kind of a war/ghost story), Patti Abbott's "Ghostscapes" (a straight-up ghost story with a lot of dark humor), Evan Lewis' "The Ghost Ship" (a pirate yarn; when the hell is someone going to wise up and put out an anthology of this guy's work?!), Nik Morton's "Spend it Now, Pay Later" (a scifi thing), and Jed Ayres' "Hoosier Daddy" (twisted and wrong).

This anthology is a treat for those who have a taste for the slightly bizarre, the nostalgic, and an extra shot of vodka in their pulp. The stories are professionally edited and pop off the page like a futuristic hologram of spaceships, monkeys, ray guns, cowboys, saucy women and tricks of the unexpected and the totally expected presented in unusual ways. Does it get any better than this? Could it get any better than this? No, I don't think so. David Cranmer and Elaine Ash pulled together an amazing team of people to put this book together, and it's pretty special. I am very happy with my purchase, even happier with my reading.

Okay, first things first: this collection is beautiful. From cover-art to page stock, the editors of BEAT TO A PULP have created a book worthy of some true object-lust, a loving homage to the pulps from whence it sprang.

And speaking of pulp, ROUND ONE boasts a stunning lineup, combining fresh voices with established artists from the worlds of new and old-school pulp both. Not content to simply play in the crime-fic sandbox, they've brought in horror yarns, sci-fi tales, Westerns and pirate stories -- a pulp for every palette. And at damn near 400 pages, the sticker price is a steal.

Highly recommended.

BEAT TO A PULP: ROUND ONE is a collection of short stories that come, in part, from the webzine of the same name. I say in part because Mr. Cranmer and Elaine Ash opened it up to submissions as well as culling stories from the zine. Each week since the zine started, a new story has appeared. All have one thing in common. Well told stories steeped in the old pulp tradition.

Originally intended for crime stories, they soon moved to stories from other genres. the only criteria is well written stories. Herein you will find, in addition to crime, tales of science fiction, pirate stories, westerns, horror, and some unclassifiable(The Unreal Jesse James by Chap O'Keefe). Writers such as James Reasoner, Ed Gorman, Robert J. Randisi, and Patti Abbott contribute, as well as others less well known(such as Mr. Cranmer under his Edward A. Grainger pseudonym). There's even an unpublished story from old time pulp scribe Paul S. Powers, THE STRANGE DEATH OF AMBROSE BIERCE, found by his granddaughter in his papers.

There's something for everyone here. If you like good tales full of action and the spirit of the old pulps, you can't go wrong picking up BEAT TO A PULP: ROUND ONE. Not a bad story in the lot. Finally, there's a fine forward by Bill Crider.

Highly recommended.

I would recommend this book not only for a good read for yourself but a good choice as a gift for friends and family.Christmas is just around the corner.

In BEAT TO A PULP - RUND ONE, editors Cranmer and Ash have concocted a fine brew of exciting, wonderfully pulpy tales covering a wide variety of genres penned by just the right mix of established old pros and newer talents.
The precise balance and quality of these ingredients are what really makes this anthology stand out. Too often the term "pulp" has been applied only to the mystery/detective/crime genre. This is due primarily to the popularity of BLACK MASK Magazine in the early 1920s and the lasting impact it had on American crime and mystery fiction, not to mention enduring names such as Hammett and Chandler who grew out of it. But the true scope of pulp fiction, which began more than two decades prior to BLACK MASK (as detailed in a terrific afterword to the anthology -- "A History of Pulp" -- by Cullen Gallagher)embraced a wide range of genres: Adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, pirate stories, horror, Westerns, and of course detective mysteries. All of that, plus a couple of tales that don't quite fit any niche, are included here.
The variety and vitality of the writing (some stories are reprints from the BEAT TO A PULP webzine, some are originals for this collection) are sure to provide something to please every reader, no matter his or her taste. And any reader willing to explore a bit beyond their "normal" fare is very likely to find enjoyment where they might not have expected it.
The only problem I found with this book was having to make the choice: Do I sit down and devour all of the stories at once ... or do I keep it on the nightstand and slowly savor one morsel at a time? I devoured it all, damn it, and now I wish I would've saved some. I'll try to control myself a little better when ROUND 2 comes out ... which I hope is soon.

Beat to a Pulp Round One offers unique short stories. The fresh voices of these authors are heard and heard loudly. Everytime you have a few minutes to relax, you can pick a story, read it and it will stay with you. Nice job, everyone.

Mostly culled from the website of the same name (but with a few original to this collection), Beat to a Pulp, edited by David Crammer and Elaine Ash, delivers a wide array of pulpy goodness, from the hard-boiled to science-fiction to outright horror... there's even a couple of pirate stories, for god's sake.
Many of the writers gracing its pages were familiar to me already, and they didn't disappoint. Charles Ardai, Hilary Davidson, Ed Gorman, Patricia Abbott, and Jedidiah Ayres all turn in stories every bit as good as you'd expect from writers of their caliber.
But there were others that I didn't know as well that had me jotting their names down to look up more by them. I was particularly impressed by Mike Sheeter ("The All-Weather Phantom") and Andy Henion ("Anarchy Among Friends: a Love Story")--writers after my own black and twisted little heart.
The coup de grace of this terrific collection, however, is the closing essay by noir/pulp historian Cullen Gallagher. In less than sixteen pages he gives us a concise and entertaining history of Pulp, both as a commercial venture and as an artistic endeavor. I came away with a much better understanding of the genre, and I'm grateful for that.
And I'm grateful to Crammer and Ash for putting out this superior collection.

If you like your stories dirty, nasty and pulpy, you'll love this anthology. This was the best short story collection I read last year.

From Jake Hinkson's searing portrayal of an alcoholic cop to Kieran Shea's nihilistic, futuristic noir to Chris F. Holm's deep-in-the-Amazon jungle adventure, Round One has it all. Highly recommended.

It would be virtually impossible to do a review that does justice to all the richness to be found in this collection. We're talking a whopping 380 pages of pulse pounding, gut wrenching pulp fiction. Not for the faint of heart, but maybe it's perfect for the faint of pulse. It should certainly get the heart rate up and the blood pressure rising.

I hesitate to mention specific stories for fear readers, and the writers, will think I didn't care for the others in the collection. I can honestly say that I didn't find a clinker in the bunch. They each had something interesting to offer. In looking back through the table of contents, however, a few stories do particularly linger in my mind.

"Heliotrope" by James Reasoner has some great atmospheric horror.

The monkey in "Hard Bite" by Anonymous-9 will linger a long time in my head.

"The Unreal Jesse James" by Chap O'Keefe had some great SF elements that I loved. Plus that title is just a winner.

"A Native Problem" by Chris F. Holm put me in mind of "Heart of Darkness."

"Hoosier Daddy" by Jedidiah Ayres wins my "I just threw up in my mouth a little bit" award. And that's not a bad thing.

"Acting Out" by Frank Bill had perhaps the most unique style to the story.

There are many other memorable stories, including works by Patricia Abbott, Evan Lewis, Edward A. Grainger, and Scott D. Parker, and there's an Ed Gorman story, which is always a plus.

Overall, I highly recommend it.