Customer Reviews

Piecemeal June

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Jordan Krall, Piecemeal June (Eraserhead, 2008)

If you're unfamiliar with the relatively new subgenre of literature known as bizarro...well, you're probably not reading this review. But just in case, bizarro is a kind of bastard child of splatterpunk and the subgenre of psychedelic rock known as blanga, wherein weird mysticism combines with hard-rock guitar to create a kind of commercial version of outsider art (think of Hawkwind or Blue Oyster Cult here). Bizarro revels in the grotesque, the mystic, and the mystical grotesque, oftentimes to the point of sacrificing such traditional artistic values as plot, character, and theme. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make bizarro pretty hard to get right. I've read some bizarro work that would make your hair stand on end (not because it's gruesome, but because it's just awful). Piecemeal June, from premier bizarro imprint Eraserhead Press, is thankfully not one of those books. It's not going to go down in history as timeless, granted, but for a seventy-two page book, it delivers the goods quite nicely.

The book concerns Kevin, a loser who lives above his small town's sole porn shop. One day his cat, Mithra, comes home with a piece of a love doll in its mouth. This become a regular occurrence, and pretty soon Kevin can assemble his very own lifelike pal. However, once the last piece falls into place, the doll comes to life, introduces herself as June, and tells Kevin she's on the run from a psychotic pornographer who's equipped with otherworldly enforcers. But really, how much do Kevin and June have to fear from what may be the most inept criminal enterprise ever committed to paper?

Above all, Piecemeal June is a fun book. It's the kind of thing that will have you alternately laughing and retching (and doing both simultaneously on occasion). As with all the bizarro work I've read, Krall not only never shies away from an opportunity to gross the reader out, but instead goes for the gusto. If it's offensive, he's found a way to work it in here somehow. Because of this, it does require a certain sensibility to really enjoy this (if a quick trip through the collected book titles of bizarro godfather Carlton Mellick III doesn't faze you, then you should be able to stomach anything found in these pages). But hey, if that sort of thing is up your alley, then get yourself acquainted with Jordan Krall right quick. ***

A lovely work of art, bundled with body parts and glued together with secretive secretings. Taking place between two worlds, this debut novella from noir freakmunster Jordan Krall takes the reader to places, perhaps they should not want to go. Fast-paced and in your face, "June" has got it goin on and on and on until all her parts are in one place. Everybody wants June, but whom will she choose when all is said and dead and bludgeoned? Read this tasy bit of crumpet and see if you can keep it down. Try Krall's "Squid Pulp Blues" available now and "Fistful of Feet" coming soon!Squid Pulp Blues

Have you ever wanted to visit a place where human flesh is converted into a series of sweaty tinker toys existing for the sole purpose of soaking up disease and satisfying the perverse desires of strangers? Are you curious about the masturbatory habits of inter-dimensional crab mutants? Are you interested in building yourself a lover, but don't know what to expect? If the answers to any of these questions are yes, Piecemeal June is the answer to all your prayers.

In this deranged and darkly comic adventure, Jordan Krall will wriggle deep inside your brain like a horny slug and have his way with your subconscious. If that sounds pleasant to you, I highly recommend jumping into the next swirling poop vortex that you come across and ride the wave of masticated flesh, feces and bodily fluids all the way to Om-Am. Krall paints pictures in viscera and sputum as he tells this story of unrequited love, fortune tellers, sleazy pornographers, mutants, piecemeal sex slaves, and foot fetishism. Amidst the swirling torrents of debauchery stands a sad, profoundly average yet thoughtful foot fetishist named Kevin who works at a pet store, lives above a porn shop, and loves his tarot reading feline. Piecemeal June is kind of a cross between "The Pearl" (John Steinbeck) and the end of "Society" (Brian Yuzna).

Fans of Carlton Mellick III and the Bizarro genre in general will not be disappointed in this lovingly crafted and deeply personal first novel. Eraserhead Press has found another budding visionary to forward their plans to warp the minds of the world. I understand that there will be several additional works taking place in the world of Om-Am. I can't wait to see what Mr. Krall has in store.

I have been reading horror for years now. When two of my heroes, Edward Lee and Tom Piccirilli, say good things about a book I have to take a look. I am glad I read PIECEMEAL JUNE. Jordan Krall and some other Bizarro authors have fresh energy that is a joy to pick up on through their writings. Often a quirky and interesting approach to some very dark subjects.
I hate getting bogged down in dull imitative writing in any genre.
Bizarro has some authors that deliver the real deal. Along with Ranalli and Prunty I am now going to keep my eyes open for any new Jordan Krall that gets published. Congrats, Jordan!

...is a quote from the 2nd page that pretty much sums up the experience of reading this book...and i mean that in the best possible way. this is the first book i read by Jordan and it instantly made him one of my favorite Bizarro authors.

basically this book is an EXTREMELY messed up romantic comedy involving a guy named Kevin, June, the living sex doll he falls in love with, and a cast of bizarre characters including crab/human assassins, Simon the God of Whores, the King of Dallas, a very odd appearance by Cthulhu and many other memorable characters. the story is a lot of fun and Krall's descriptions are always disgusting and fantastic. one of my favorites is "making the skull crackle and pop like a plastic Easter Egg"
all in all a great place to start for those new to Bizarro and/or Jordan Krall.

and don't forget to check out his newest book Beyond the Valley of the Apocalypse Donkeys!!

My first introduction to the writing of of Jordan Krall and wow I was impressed, the concept and story were great and his writing flowed very well.

Like a couple other reviews I have read I really enjoyed the characters, they were very memorable, and I could stomach a lot of the weird going on but the use of feces... yeah that was a little much. It has something going for it as it is probably one of the more disgusting books I have read but hey I couldn't put it down, I wanted to know what happened to Kevin and June.

Quick Synopsis: Kevin lives in a flat over a porn shop and his cat Mithra keeps bringing up sweaty body parts, mind you they are just parts to a doll, not flesh. Once the doll is completed it comes to life and her and Kevin fall in love; however, there are some other bad dudes out to find June for whoring and various other grossness. Once found the question is will she stay with and choose Kevin or the other people from her past life/self?

I can't wait to read Squid Pulp and Fistfull of Feet though and seeing how Krall's work progresses and his writing grows.

I have all of Krall's novels. Piecemeal June is the only one I have read, and I won't read another one of his novels until he publishes more. I'm afraid of running out of his work. I read A LOT of Bizarro, and this novel is one of the best. Crab Assassins, sentient sex dolls, and witless heroes all set in our creepy real world and a creepier fantasy realm. I'm not going to go into great detail concerning this novel because I want you to read it yourself. Do yourself a favor and buy this book!!

A twisted interdimensional (if that's the correct term for it) tale about perversion, lost love, foulness, and a sex doll. What more can you ask for? This is a quick read that has an interesting plot and some strange interactions (ex. a guy climbing into a woman's crap filled, fortune telling back to enter into another dimension). If you like bizarro fiction than this book will probably be right up your alley.

When Kevin's cat starts bringing parts of a sex doll into his apartment above the porno store, things start getting strange. Kevin assembled the parts and the doll comes to life. But who did the doll belong to before she came into Kevin's possession?

After reading and enjoying Jordan Krall's Squid Pulp Blues and Fistful of Feet, I decided to give his debut novel a try. Piecemeal June is an odd little book that's chock full of fetishes, bizarre sex acts, and lots of fecal matter. It wasn't quite what I expected after reading two other Jordan Krall books but it was still enjoyable.

The characters were pretty memorable. Kevin and his foot fetish, Mushy and his concussion-induced delirium, the crab men assassins, Max the porn shop owner. I don't think I'll forget Latrina the oracle for a very long time. I thought the connection between Piecemeal June and June St. Eclair could have been explored a little more but Krall had already crammed so much into 72 pages it's understandable that it wasn't.

For a book about a sex doll that has suddenly come to life, Piecemeal June is surprisingly deep. The nature of reality is explored. I liked how Simon, God of Whores, and his hellish dimension overlapped with ours.

So, Piecemeal June is fun in a disgusting way but not quite as good as the other two Krall books I've read. If you decide to give it a try, make sure you have a high tolerance for weird sex and feces.

The Jordan Krall library is a peculiar one. Each book, to date, contains a running theme of encroaching Lovecraft-esque nautical-themed perversity (preferably of the squid variety). That being said, each book is entirely its own entity. And perhaps the best introduction, as a whole, to the works of Jordan Krall 'Piecemeal June'. It isn't the epic Bizarro Western of 'Fistful of Feet', or the creeping neo-noir menace of 'Squid Pulp Blues', or the relentlessly insane 'King Scratch', but 'Piecemeal June' offers up a brief, squishy taste of the weirdly enjoyable flavor that is "Krall".

If you've considered reading Jordan's books but don't know where to start, this is it. Wholly weird, but not TOO off-putting. Perverse and disgusting, yes, but driven by a tremendous vision. Overall, if you've never read Jordan Krall, there are two things to do: First, re-examine your life. It hasn't been quite up to snuff. And second, pick up 'Piecemeal June'. Let it engulf you in its filthy squidy goodness. The longer you go without Krall, the more hollow your world becomes.