Rigor Amortis [Paperback]

Jaym Gates (Editor), Erika Holt (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 2010

Horror and erotica. Zombies and romance. Rigor Amortis.

Maybe a tender love story is your thing, a husband doting on his wife's rotting corpse. Or perhaps a forbidden encounter in a secret café, serving up the latest in delectable zombie cuisine, or some dirty, dirty dancing in the old-time honky-tonk. Voodoo sex-slaves and vending machine body-parts? You'll find those here, too.

Whatever your flavor, these short tales of undead Romance, Revenge, Risk, and Raunch will leave you shambling, moaning, and clawing for more.

And come he slow, or come he fast, It is but Death who comes at last. -Sir Walter Scott, "Marmion", 1808

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

EDITORS:
Jaym Gates started out a writer, added reporting, administrating and promotional work, and then made a joke on twitter and became an editor. Now she edits Little Death of Crossed Genres and is the Publicity Manager for Raw Dog Screaming Press, among other things. Unable to choose a genre, she labels her writing New Weird, throws it in the spec-lit bowl, and tosses it with dusty butcher knives.

Erika Holt had the good sense to abandon her lucrative career as a civil litigation lawyer to become an under (or un-) paid editor and writer of speculative fiction. She spends most of her time living in strange lands, accompanied by witches, monsters, heroes, and other creatures, but maintains a few earthly obsessions, including NHL hockey, music, reality television talent competitions, and painting her toenails strange colors.

CONTRIBUTORS:
Pete "Patch" Alberti, Damon B, Renée Bennett, Xander Briggs, Jennifer Brozek, J. R. Campbell, Johann Carlisle, Nathan Crowder, Carrie Cuinn, R. Schuyler Devin, Annette Dupree, Michael Ellsworth, Jay Faulkner, Kaolin Imago Fire, M. G. Gillett, Sarah Goslee, Kay T. Holt, Calvin D. Jim, Alex Masterson, Edward Morris, Don Pizarro, Michael Phillips, John Nakamura Remy, V. R. Roadifer, Andrew Penn Romine, Armand Rosamilia, Jacob Ruby, Steven James Scearce, Lance Schonberg, Lucia Starkey, R. E. VanNewkirk, Wendy N. Wagner.

Product Details

• Paperback: 148 pages
• Publisher: Absolute XPress (September 10, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894817834
• ISBN-13: 978-1894817837
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,510,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The other "love that dare not speak its name" -- Zombie Love! October 1, 2010

By T. M. Camp

Format:Paperback

First off, full disclosure: I know the editors through Twitter and was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this book for review. My comments below are based on that reading.

I imagine it wasn't an easy task to assemble this collection. From an editorial standpoint, I think they did an admirable job ordering and organizing the pieces so that they fit together well. From the reader's standpoint, that's easy to overlook but it would definitely make or break an anthology like this. Fortunately for us, Gates and Holt successfully rose to the challenge.

I am not a hardcore horror reader or writer, nor do I spend a lot of time in the world of erotica. I read both from time to time, but I don't consider myself a connoisseur of either. And although I would not have thought I was susceptible to prudery or squeamishness, more than once I found myself challenged by the subject matter.

This isn't a criticism at all. In fact, I see it as a virtue. I'd say the collection works very well at providing entertaining and provocative stories for the well-seasoned readers, as well as offering the curious newcomer with the same. Not an easy thing to do, but the collection pulls it off quite well.

I found that I enjoyed the stories more as I went along. I honestly don't know if that's a by-product of the nice editorial organization or if I just became more seasoned as I read, but the depth and resonance of them seemed to increase further into the collection.

Often anthologies can be a quick read, almost a tourist trip through a genre without any real lasting impression. In this case, however, there were a number of stories that will stay with me for a long time to come. Not always the most horrifying or erotic, I was surprised by how deeply the emotions ran in some of these, by the intrigue and mystery behind what had been written. And then there were a few, of course, that couldn't help but make a strong impression for their sheer outlandishness. I can't say I loved every single one, but I sure enjoyed a bunch of them a whole hell of a lot.

Looking forward to getting to know some of these authors and more of their work, and also to see what Gates and Holt bring us in their next project.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Prepare to be...disturbed! October 28, 2010

By R. B. Wood

Format:Paperback

Rigor Amortis

Anthology edited by Jaym Gates and Erika Holt

4 out of 5 stars.

I've never been a fan of horror erotica--it's a genre that's just never appealed to me.

Until now.

Having interviewed Jaym Gates for my podcast, I know how quickly this book came together. Jaym and Erika did an outstanding job selecting submissions for this anthology.

Disturbingly fun and in some cases shocking, I found the stories contained in Rigor Amortis a perfect blend of horror and erotica--something I would never have said before picking up this tome.

Normally I read an anthology one, or two, stories at a time. As I flipped through Rigor Amortis, I was overtaken with the macabre inability to put the book down.

I finished it in one sitting. You will too.

If you have never tried horror-erotica before, I encourage you to pick up a copy of Rigor Amortis, especially during this Halloween season. I guarantee the tales between the covers will stay with you long after finish.

Sleep tight.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun to Read May 8, 2011

By Kate Jonez

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

What's better than zombies? Well sex of course. Put the two together and you have Rigor Amortis, a collection of erotic zombie stories.

This collection of talented writers provide more than enough shocking and disgusting material to satisfied the most jaded horror reader.

The erotica is probably not what fans of erotica would normally look for.

The gruesomeness, often unexpected erotic elements, and occasional humor made this collection a lot of fun to read.