Customer Reviews

Demons, Freaks and Other Abnormalities

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To put it quite simply, this is without a doubt one of the BEST short story collections I have ever read. Eleven stories all great, all horrifying. FIVE STARS ALL THE WAY!!! Actually, it's so good I want to give it SIX STARS! So good it'll make you want to slap your mama. Just kidding, it's not quite that good. The paperback version is quite scarce(the hardcover version is limited to 150 copies and I'm not sure of the paperback print run. Probably around 10,000 or so.), but I do recommend if you have the means to track down a copy of this gem collection. I would definitely rank this in my top 10 short story collections. My favorite stories are 1."Room 412" which is just plain creepy and disturbing with a killer dropjaw ending. About a guy in a hotel room who hears mysterious sounds next door and investigates. My third favorite story. 2."Slugfest" After reading this you never torture poor slugs again by pouring salt on them.....or maybe you will. About 2 people trapped in a convenient store and it starts raining....well raining something anyways. This was my 2nd favorite story....kind of Brian Keeneesque. A hint at end of the world. 3.My favorite story in here is "Banalica". It's about a priest who goes to a nearby town to find his missing friend and finds something else instead...something hellishly fiendish. Very scary and reminescent of classic King. Think Salem's Lot, sort of. My fourth favorite is "Night Fuel" which is downright spooky and creepy. It's about 2 friends who stop for fuel and encounter something entirely sinister. Think of a spin on Stephen King's "Maximum Overdrive" and you've got the picture. My fifth fave is "The Alley Man". It's about a homeless guy trying to take advantage of the other but the other has a "surprise" in store for him. I won't list all my favorites here but I will list the rest of the stories and a brief description of each. The remaining unmentioned's are 1."Five Minutes of Video"-a man literally "gets" more than he bargains for by exploiting strange, horrible and disgusting pictures on the net. 2."Gila Way"-A man visits a remote town and discovers its horrifying secret. 3."Bite of the Meso"-A group of people go on an outback trip and instead take a trip to hell. Kind of a werewolf story. 4."The Layover"-A man visits an airport bathroom and there's something terrifying happening in the stall next to him. 5."11:11" Just how far will infants go to survive? One cop will find out in creep tale. 6."Murder In The Eyes Of God"-A man visits a church to confess his sins and gets a visit himself that he won't soon forget. Well, that's it. All 11 stories are gems and worth the price of admission. Even if the admission is $75 or so bucks. Michael Laimo is someone to keep your eyes on. I have yet to read anything disappointing by him. I also recommend you to read his other collection "Dregs of Society". It is also awesome. So go on now! SHOO! Quickly, go track down a copy of the superb title known as "Demons, Freaks, and Other Abnormalities" before they're non-existant, because you're not getting either of my copies! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Michael Laimo writes with chilling effect, carefully setting scene and character which lead to inevitable, terrible and terrifing ends.