Sheep and Wolves [Paperback]

Jeremy C. Shipp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2008

Jeremy Shipp is the master of the mind-bending tale. These stories bewitch and transport the reader. Though you may not know where Shipp will travel next, each story is an unforgettable thrill-ride and you'll be glad you took the trip. Shipp's novel Vacation established him as one of the foremost authors in the "bizarro fiction" movement. Now he turns his attention to short fiction and literary horror. The themes of alienation and cultural homogenization on a global scale are explored in closer detail. Shipp notes, "This intimacy makes Sheep and Wolves much darker than its predecessor. Because now, the darkness is invading your homes, your dreams, your lives." The author's trademark quirky characters populate an otherwise bleak landscape, this time around facing horrors at home rather than evils abroad.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...challenging, unsettling, and deeply meaningful." --The Harrow, Vol. 11, #10 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

"A stark fever-dream of a book. Shipp's flashbang stories will turn your mind inside-out." --Ronald Damien Malfi, author of Passenger

"Sheep and Wolves is a poster-child for the Bizarro genre: dream-like stories drenched in psychedelic imagery, and enough thematic layers and multiple meanings to keep scholars pontificating for years to come." --Matthew Warner, author of Horror Isn't a 4-Letter Word

"Each word, each sentence, contributes to the final picture with economic precision and sharp bursts of humor. This is a memorable collection, wandering deftly through the gnomic shadowlands of dark fantasy, horror and bizarro." --Andersen Prunty, author of Jack and Mr. Grin

"Shipp adroitly wields a chiaroscuro tone, creating in broad, rich strokes scenes of humor, strangeness and cruelty. " --Garret Cook, author of Murderland Part 1: H8

"If you have read and enjoyed Vacation, it will do your electrodes well to pick up Sheep and Wolves. If, on the other hand, you have procrastinated in picking up last summer's smash hit (again, Vacation), find a copy today! I trust you'll know how to proceed from there." --Bust Down the Door and Eat All the Chickens --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 164 pages
• Publisher: Raw Dog Screaming Press (December 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933293594
• ISBN-13: 978-1933293592
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,894,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeremy C. Shipp is a weird author of Bizarro, horror, dark fantasy, and magic realism. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in over 50 publications, the likes of Cemetery Dance, ChiZine, Harlan County Horrors, Apex Magazine, Pseudopod, and The Bizarro Starter Kit (blue). While preparing for the forthcoming collapse of civilization, Jeremy enjoys living in Southern California in a moderately haunted Victorian farmhouse with his wife, Lisa, and their legion of yard gnomes. He's currently working on many stories and novels and is losing his hair, though not because of the ghosts. His books include Vacation, Sheep and Wolves, and Cursed. And thankfully, only one mime was killed during the making of his first short film, Egg.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Horror collection, November 24, 2008

By 

Ravenskya "Princess of Horror" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sheep and Wolves (Hardcover)

Sheep and Wolves is an interesting little short story compilation, with thirteen short stories of a very high caliber. The stories in this particular compilation are all horror stories, with some leaning into the realm of science fiction gone bad. The writing is concise, yet descriptive. Each story feels like it is just the right length for the reader's comfort level. As with all short story collections, some stories are more effective than others. All are horrifying in one aspect or another. Some thrilled me, others confused me, and some left me perplexed and disturbed. I consider this to be a fine collection which was both very entertaining and disturbing from beginning to end.

My only real criticism for this book is the order of the stories. There are certain horrifying visuals that Mr. Shipp is very fond of and uses over and over again. They can be very effective. However, the stories that use these common images would have been more effective if they had been broken up instead of having one right after another. I would also have liked a little more clarification on exactly what I was reading in some of the stories... for example there is a story where a man has something locked up in a VW in his back yard, he feeds this thing and it seems fairly hostile. At one point in the story I thought I had a grasp of what it was, but by the end I was even more perplexed. I still enjoyed the story, but would have liked it more if I had been able to close the book knowing what the thing in the VW was.

"Those Below," a tale of life after death in a strange way, was probably my favorite of the stories, with very interesting social implications that could leave the reader pondering about humanity afterward. "American Sheep" was also a very interesting tale. I would love to see that one expanded to the length of a novella. On the whole this is a fun little short story book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Goddamn it Jeremy...", December 29, 2008

By 

Troy Chambers (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sheep and Wolves (Paperback)

I'd like to start out by saying that I don't like short stories. Short stories tend to be under-executed and half-done.
I'd like to say next that I utterly loved "Sheep And Wolves" with all my book-loving heart.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book- I had already read Jeremy's other book "Vacation", and enjoyed it immensely. By the end of the first story in the book, "Watching", I knew I was holding a masterpiece. I kept reading. And reading.
At the end of every story I paused, open-mouthed, and said out loud: "Goddamn it Jeremy!" And I meant it in the best way possible. I was amazed. I was pulled in, and the book wouldn't let go. Could that be possible inspiration for the title? The book itself is the wolf, me, the poor reader, the sheep coming happily to the slaughter? I don't know.

I recommend this book to EVERYONE. It's a masterpiece, and it DOESN'T let you down ever. Pick it up, and you won't let go.
Pick it up, and it won't let you go.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bringing the Chill!, November 27, 2008

By 

Jason A. Behrends - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sheep and Wolves (Paperback)

"When people say, "Get a life," what they usually mean is, "Drown out the screaming of your heart like I do, then we can be friends." I refuse." from "Nightmare Man"

On the way to park this afternoon I spotted the first glimpse of Autumn. It was a full grown oak with leaves glowing in orange, yellow and red. Soon there will be pumpkins, scarecrows, ghost, goblins, haunted houses, and all of the typical joy mixed with fear that is Fall. There is no better writer to read on a cool autumn evening then California's Jeremy Shipp. Having read his enthralling and disturbing debut novel Vacation, I jumped at the chance to take a sneak peak at his new collection of short stories, Sheep and Wolves. Now I had never read any of Jeremy's short stories, but I knew I had to find the right time and location to read through this collection. The mood had to be just right, and I chose to be alone in a dimly lit room late at night. It seemed right as I tried to let the gruesome images that can seem so foreign yet so captivating.

Jumping right in with the first story "Watching", Jeremy creates worlds that at times seem unreal or unfamiliar, but have a biting sense of reality that really allows the reader to stay engaged. From moving marshmallow peeps to reattaching a little girls severed thumb to clowns and cyborgs, the stories contained in Sheep and Wolves are like a series of car accidents. You know shouldn't be looking, but you can't take your eyes off the pages stained with blood and fingers and all the horror and madness. It's perfect for this time of year even if you are not a fan of the genre. Start a campfire, grab a bag of marshmallow and read lines like; "Now I'm dragging a dead dog by the tail. I'm dragging her toward an apple tree under the full moon, because these are the three ingredients. Dog, apple, moon."