Customer Reviews

Hiram Grange and the Twelve Little Hitlers: The Scandalous Misadventures of Hiram Grange (Book #2)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am the author, and just wanted to share some of the advance praise for TWELVE LITTLE HITLERS. Thank you so much, everyone who has taken the time to read and review the novel---it is VERY much appreciated!! --Scott

"More fun than a barrel full of Hitlers... The best novel since Don Quixote!"

--Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma Entertainment and Creator of the Toxic Avenger

"Scott Christian Carr is one of the most insightful writers I know. He's also one of the funniest. Reading 'Twelve Little Hitlers' never fails put you under an intellectual pleasure-dome, which is great in and of itself---The unexpected surprise is, you'll also laugh your ass off!"

--Patricia Anthony, author of Cold Allies, Brother Termite, Conscience of the Beagle, Happy Policeman, Cradle of Splendor, God's Fires, Flanders, Eating Memories...

"Somewhere in the Underworld, Lovecraft is grinning with delight and Hunter S. Thompson is raising his bottle high. You won't find a darker, more twisted character than Hiram Grange."

--Gregory L. Hall, Host of The Funky Werepig and author of `At the End of Church Street'

"Twelve Little Hitlers walks the tricky line between gut wrenching horror and almost terroristic black comedy. Its violent wonders are imaginative and plot driven. Scott Christian Carr goes for Weird and Funny and never settles for pointless or easy gross-outs. Hiram Grange, the disaffected, alcoholic protagonist, is at once pathetic and heroic as he chases down his unenviable destiny. A great read, with enough laughs and thrills to satisfy even die-hard horror fans."

--Michael Boatman, author of The Revenant Road and God Laughs When You Die: Mean Little Stories From the Wrong Side of the Track; actor, Warehouse 13, Spin City, Arli$$, Hamburger Hill, Gray's Anatomy

Hiram Grange and the Twelve Little Hitlers, the second book in Shroud Publishing's Hiram Grange series of novellas, is, on the surface, a string of twelve vignettes, each dealing with the capture and/or extermination of one of twelve clones of Adolf Hitler that escaped from the World Trade Center when the towers fell. These vignettes are connected by a one-man opiate, psychedelic and alcohol binge unparalleled in the history of the planet. Hiram Grange, not the most sympathetic protagonist to begin with, has clearly fallen farther than he ever has before.

I gave the first installment in the series a modest review, but upon further consideration I realize that Jake Burrows, the author of the first novella, was operating from a distinct disadvantage: he not only had to tell his story, he had to introduce Hiram and the entire series at the same time. Scott Christian Carr, the author of Twelve Little Hitlers, doesn't have that monkey on his back. He starts grinding Hiram into the dirt from the get-go: he's lost his home, narrowly missed a conviction on stalking charges and is squatting in someone's home while they're on vacation. It keeps getting worse from there.

Carr's writing style takes a little getting used to, but once you're in, you're in. The ending was a true, completely-out-of-left-field shocker, and was somewhat traumatic to read. I have to say I really loathe Hiram after this one. So far, the Hiram Grange series is delivering the goods: none of your assumptions are safe, and none of the standard storytelling conventions are sacred. 4.8/5.

The Hiram Grange series continues with the second installment: Twelve Little Hitlers. Here we see a new threat to the fragile balance between our reality and the evil dimension known as The Abyss as it releases twelve clones from the most heinous historical figure of the 20th century loose upon the world. Hiram Grange - debauched protagonist and saviour of reality - has the task of tracking them down and eliminating each clone before they can make their mark.

Whilst the premise is hardly unique (think Ira Levin's Boys from Brazil) Twelve Little Hitlers has something that sets it apart. What we have is a story that kind of takes a back seat to the manipulation and ultimate downfall of its central character. As Grange lurches from one drug and alcohol binge to another, the surefire means of holding his psychological ills at bay become a means of seduction and misdirection; leading him to commit the ultimate, shocking act of violence in the final pages.

There is no doubt in my mind that Scott Christian Carr's punk-punching narrative has taken what may have been a lukewarm premise and lifted it into the ether. In The Village of the Damned - Grange's first outing - we were introduced to Hiram's addiction, in Twelve Little Hitlers we are dragged by the scruff of the neck, nailed to a seat in the front row and forced to bear witness, up close and personal, to the point where the horror is not so much propagated by the demons of the tale, but by the demons all too prevalent in life itself.

A masterful,commanding piece of fiction, Twelve Little Hitlers is a must for ardent horror fans and contributors to the craft,alike.

Dave Jeffery

I finished this book in a day. The author, Scott Christian Carr, flushes the anti-hero, Hiram Grange, out for all to see. The 2nd book, Hiram Grange & the Twelve Little Hitlers, takes the reader through alcohol/drug induced binges and all-out-murder while seeking the most chaotic versions of one of the most hideous men of all time. Carr is able to handle all this and still hook the reader into feeling for all the characters. The ending is a complete shocker. This is a very well written book. I can't wait for the next book. This one is going to be a tough act to follow.

I read this book in a few hours. It was that entertaining. Hiram Grange faces the genetic offspring of Adolph Hitler in a wildly hilarious series of adventures. Each "little Hitler" has gone off and pursued a strange and/or funny avocation. One has become a bodybuilder, another a UFO hunter, and others have entered into even crazier realms. Hiram Grange, the "hero," is both pathetic and interesting. He possesses enough depth and nuance to avoid easy classification. He is wrought with drug and alcohol abuse, but his binges do not detract from a well-written and fast-paced tale. In fact, Hiram's excesses are presented in an almost comical fashion. The author pulls no punches, and doesn't pander to the reader's sensibilities. This is no morality tale, but it's also no melodrama. Hiram also possesses a strange obsession with Jodie Foster-- a predilection that pervades the story line. Also central to the story is Sadie, an 18-year-old Goth girl who accepts Hiram's for all of his faults. While not exactly a love interest, she is indeed Hiram's world. Their feelings for each other are masked behind a mutual respect, which is further complicated by a fear of "screwing things up." This book is also filled with fascinating and funny pop-culture references, thus allowing the reader to connect on so many different levels. COMPLETELY unexpected ending! This is the second book in the Hiram Grange series, the first is Hiram Grange and the Village of the Damned: The Scandalous Misadventures of Hiram Grange (Volume 1), which introduced readers to the titular character. I am looking forward to reading them all.

Hiram Grange in cool. At least, he was cool in the first book Village of the Damned. In this one, he's on one crazy bender. And I guess that's the problem. It was hard to go on this bender with him because I didn't get it. He's dying, little bit by little bit, and he continues to choke down pills and booze and drugs...

So it started getting a little hard to take or sympathize with. He wasn't looking for the next score -- he was looking to get enough drugs to nearly kill himself and all the people around him.

It was hard for me to go on that ride with him.

The ending was a real shocker -- and I don't know how they'll proceed in the next books.

So why four stars? Because I still like this character and this world. I like that it's CRAZY and yet only novella length (I wouldn't like this guy if it were a full novel). It feels like a guilty pleasure -- a quick, fun read.

Ryan McFadden

Author of Women of the Apocalypse

I loved Hiram Grange and the Village of the Damned, and I was eager to dig into the second book in this series, Hiram Grange and the Twelve Little Hitlers. It was definitely worth the wait. Hiram is a strange fellow, but even with all of his eccentricities (a fevered obsession with Jodie Foster for one), he comes across as a real and tragic antihero despite all of the odd goings on in the book. Scott Christian Carr expands on Hiram and his universe on his hunt for the 12 Little Hitlers of the title. Carr is an excellent writer, able to provoke horror with ease. He's funny too, a master of dark and sometimes off kilter humor. His talents blend well and they are a perfect fit to the pathetic yet lovable Hiram. I'm not going to say anything about the plot - you have to read it to believe it.

Hiram Grange is certainly one of the most interesting characters I have ever read, and I'm looking forward to seeing what all of the other authors in this series will do with (to) him. Bring on the next book!

Another crazy romp on the weird side with Hiram Grange. Funny, yet horrific. Or maybe... horrific, yet funny. The author must live in a wild and wooly world and I, for one, am happy to benefit from it. Recommended.