Customer Reviews

The Menstruating Mall

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Okay, I understand this is a obtuse book with a silly name, but the gross-out entertainment value is absolutely priceless. Carlton Mellick III is one of the most interesting, and sick, punk-authors I've ever read. From gross-out horror to cyber-punk, Mellick holds nothing back.

John is a stereotypical corporate climber and satisfied consumer. He loves shopping at the mall, until he discovers he can't leave. No one is stopping him; he simply can't bring himself to walk out the doors. At first, he believes he is afraid to get the gooey, red-rust fluid leaking from the pipes on his expensive new shoes, but as he discovers there are others just like him, others who cannot bring themselves to leave the mall, his strange compulsion turns to fear.

Ten people, stuck in the mall, and now they are alone because everyone else suddenly disappears. But being unable to leave isn't their worst problem: someone is murdering them one-by-one, and the only way to save themselves is to stop being stereotypical.

Mellick is an acquired taste, horribly demented in a talented, wickedly entertaining way; a taste you simple must sample. I can't think of many other authors able to twist reality so sickly, and still inject enough humor for some truly torturous belly chuckles.

Mellick's style is fresh and unique, using overly-simplistic prose at the beginning of the story to a wildly fantastical conclusion, Mellick paints with words and prose John's transformation from caterpillar to butterfly, stereotypical to outlandish, real to surreal. 'The Menstruating Mall' is sarcastic humor and commercial parody at its absolute finest.

You need a twisted sense of humor, and should have an appreciation for poo jokes in order to fully enjoy the illustrations of advertisements interspersed throughout the book. And don't forget, at S'Barro Pizzeria, there are amputated noses free with every purchase!

If you like gross-out horror, punk, or dark comedy, then don't miss out on this highly entertaining look into our era's perverse commercialism. I highly recommend this book, but caution those with weak constitutions to make sure there is a barf bag nearby. Enjoy!

This book was so much fun that I read it in one sitting, and this is a rarity for me.

For me, the book is a surrealist account of the evolution of mankind if we lived in a mall rather than on planet Earth.

Although I would thoroughly despise the main character if I met him in person, he is written so well that he's probably my favorite character of all the Carlton Mellick books that I've read.

And the illustrations are great!

This is one of my favorite books by this author. Carlton's writing keeps getting better and better and I foresee works of brilliance in his future.

Carlton Mellick III is often labeled as an author of `bizarro' fiction and his book "The Menstruating Mall" certainly is bizarre. The short novel follows a group of stereotypical individuals who one day find themselves unable to leave the mall (which happens to be menstruating) while the rest of the mall patrons are trapped outside unable to enter. The group soon discovers that one of their ensemble is a killer bent on ridding the mall of the "mundane". As the group is picked off one-by-one the stereotypical individuals begin doing outrageous, out-of-character acts trying to convince the unknown killer that they are unique individuals, not mundane stereotypes.

Mellick uses a sort of flow-of-consciousness writing style in "The Menstruating Mall" which is fast-paced and effective for the material. The book moves quickly from fairly "normal" happenings to progressively more strange, gory, and down right weird events.

Unfortunately, though it was a quick read, I didn't enjoy the book that much. By the end I felt like the point of the book had been thoroughly (and with absolutely no subtlety) been beaten into the ground. It was a simple idea drawn out through a series of "ok, what's the next most outrageous thing I can come up with" events that, though they were weird, really weren't that entertaining.

If the goal of the book was to be weird and act as (rather obvious) commentary on stereotypes then I guess it succeeded. Beyond that it really didn't do anything for me.

I was very disappointed in this story. Based on reviews that I had read I was eagerly awaiting a surrealistic nightmare peppered with poigniant social commentary in a style that I had yet to be exposed to.
The book reads like a moderately talented high schooler's short story. This proves that being able to string sentences together in a cognizant way does not a great author make.
I found the dialogue very simplistic and assuming, and the narrative was boring in contrast to the psychotic events taking place. I wish there had been a more enticing use of language and maybe a little depth to the characters.
The story ends in a fantasy, but none of the questions ever get answered. Why is the mall menstruating? What does it all mean? Why couldn't anybody leave?
I feel like the author had a clear message in his mind that just didn't come across to me

What does it mean to be unique?

That's a question this book poses. It's a common question, and whenever someone addresses such well-known issues, they run the risk of boring their audience with rehashed ideas and no new insight.

Luckily, the Menstruating Mall is neither boring nor devoid of fresh ideas. Carlton Mellick III often writes about such universal concepts as rebellion and individuality, but reading his books never feels like travelling the same territory that other such themed books do.

CM3 uses a simple writing style in many of his books, including this one. Coupled with the crudely drawn (and hilarious) illustrations by Food Fortunata, this book's style laughs at "sophisticated" literature. It's totally awesome.

Like all good art, this book presents more questions than answers. It's up to you, the reader, to find your own answers.

This is one cool book.

I had eagerly anticipated reading Mellick's new novel, as I am a fan of his work. The payoff was worth the wait. A satirical tale that turns into dark surrealism by the books end, I found myself wrapped up in the story and didn't put it down until I had savored every word.

Of all of Mellick's work, this has to be my new favorite. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is familiar with Mellick's work, and suggest it for consideration for his new readers. It'll make a new fan out of you.

Although this book tends to follow 'and then there were none' type of story, there are many questions left unanswered. The book has interesting illustrations every page or so, taking up more space. The type is also rather large, so the story reads rather fast. It does have an interesting plot line, but is just too short

The Menstruating Mall, the eighth novel from bizarro author Carlton Mellick III, is part Agatha Christie murder-mystery and part Kurt Vonnegutt science-fiction social satire. We follow ten stereotypical characters (the yuppie, the jock, the cowboy, etc...) who are trapped inside a mall with a killer on the loose. The message "all the mundanes must die" is found after the first murder so the various characters attempt to survive by proving their individuality. When the mall's walls begin to bleed, things start getting weird.

Mellick uses this simple, yet very strange, plot to comment upon marketable rebellion. The characters dress a certain way or use a certain product to try and deter the killer. When it does come time for a character to break out of their mold, it is an internal transformation rather then one of appearance.

The prose's main target is those who define themselves by their possessions. Each one of the main characters views themselves as unique and a counter to mainstream culture, yet each one takes their identity in some way from mainstream culture. Through this paradox Mellick questions the viability of the very idea of a counter-culture. If your life can be bought and sold in a mall how unique can it be?

The story is told in a short and simple first person perspective. Rather than chapters, the book is twenty-five short "scenes". Upon first appearance the book seems like it would be a quick and easy read. Though an initial reading does not require an extensive amount of time, due to Mellick's engaging plot and writing, it will most likely require several readings to ingest all the book has to offer.

"This book is a work of sarcasm", states the Author's Note. The book bites, chews, swallows, and regurgitates our consumer counter-culture, demonstrating Mellick's technique for holding up a funhouse mirror to the real world. Highly regarded by his fanatical fan base, The Menstruating Mall is destined to be an underground classic.

This book was awesome, I read it in one sitting! The best part of this book is watching the characters evolve. Especially the main character who begins as such a loathesome character (especially for someone like me with an office job that I can't stand). Because he is that coworker that volunteers to work holidays and his main concern when he gets stuck in the mall for days is that he's going to miss work and can't call in. Oh, and I love the phrases that come out of the white suburban gansta's mouth (think the movie Whiteboyz), it totally cracked me up!

Mellick is right on the money with the stereotypes and puts the characters in the most awkward and hilariously tragic situtations as they either learn to break out of their mold or get killed off one at a time.

The illustrations are hilarious and compliment the book's satire perfectly. The ending was suprising and darkly surreal. I highly recommend this book!

Oh Carlton, I feel like you could have taken what began as a very interesting premise and done so much more with it. Unfortunately, that is not what happened. The ending was almost the equivalent of an insanity plea in the absurd way that it tried to wrap up all that had come before. And those 'illustrations'? At first I found them mildly entertaining because they were so rude and disgusting, but after the third or fourth it was like being an hour into the routine of a stand up comic who only knows fart jokes.

I thought you really had it going on in 'Satan Burger'. Perhaps weird-freaky-semi-lucid just doesn't interest me much anymore.