Squid Pulp Blues [Paperback]

Jordan Krall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 26, 2008

Three novellas of squishy-noir from Jordan Krall.

On the surface, Thompson looks like any other blue collar New Jersey town. But beneath the working class exterior lies a bizarro world of fetishistic crime, sleazy motels, and squid. In these three bizarro-noir novellas, the reader is thrown into a world of murderers, drugs made from squid parts, deformed war veterans, and a mischievous apocalyptic donkey...

THE HABERDASHER

Red Henry Hooper just got out on parole. He meets his friends, fellow small-time criminals Dix Hayden and Grant Minissi, in a cheap motel to drink a couple beers and perhaps plan another job. Things go sour when Grant takes some bad drugs. Meanwhile, in the next room, strange things are happening that will make Henry's day even worse: a woman is missing her feet and a notorious local gangster Robert Hapertas (aka The Haberdasher) is on his way. And he's not pleased...

THE LONGHEADS

Tommy Pingpong knew it was a mistake sending his partner Jake into the meeting with their boss. Now they were on the run from Peachy, a diaper-wearing gangster who would like nothing better than to kill the both of them. On top of that, the deformed war veterans called the longheads are buying up all the guns in town, planning something big that'll have severe implications for the town of Thompson.

THE APOCALYPSE DONKEY

When Simon Palmer took the black envelope from the tall man in the parking lot, he didn't know that this case of mistaken identity would make his day take such a weird turn for the worst. When the man finally realizes that he gave the envelope to the wrong guy, Simon is thrown into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that finally leads to a sleazy carnival of squid violence...

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Krall has quite a flair for outrage as an art form, and with SQUID PULP BLUES, he's created a wholly unique terrascape of Ibsen-like naturalism and morbidity; an extravaganza of white-trash urban/noir horror." - EDWARD LEE, author of The Bighead and Brides of the Impaler

"An intriguing mix of film noir storytelling strained through a colander of pure bizarro." - TOM PICCIRILLI, author of A Choir of Ill Children and The Midnight Road

"SQUID PULP BLUES is a trip to the rusted underbelly of a sunken hulk, one loaded with enough nuclear waste to make Chernobyl seem like a giggle. By the time you return, strange new organs have blossomed within your brain, tentacles have replaced your limbs, and you couldn't be happier about it. Krall's vision of bizarro is not only dark and full of mystery, but guaranteed to entertain as well." - JOHN EDWARD LAWSON, author of Sin Conductor

"Jordan Krall's writing takes you places you never knew you wanted to go. In Squid Pulp Blues, the place is called Thompson, New Jersey. And here, you'll find no shortage of violence, trauma, and more importantly, squid. The locals may not be friendly. In fact, most of them are psychopathic assholes. But as long as they stay on the pages where they belong, you'll have one bloody good time in their company." - JEREMY C. SHIPP, author of Vacation and Sheep and Wolves

From the Back Cover

Three novellas of squishy-noir from Jordan Krall.

On the surface, Thompson looks like any other blue collar New Jersey town. But beneath the working class exterior lies a bizarro world of fetishistic crime, sleazy motels, and squid. In these three bizarro-noir novellas, the reader is thrown into a world of murderers, drugs made from squid parts, deformed war veterans, and a mischievous apocalyptic donkey...

THE HABERDASHER

Red Henry Hooper just got out on parole. He meets his friends, fellow small-time criminals Dix Hayden and Grant Minissi, in a cheap motel to drink a couple beers and perhaps plan another job. Things go sour when Grant takes some bad drugs. Meanwhile, in the next room, strange things are happening that will make Henry's day even worse: a woman is missing her feet and a notorious local gangster Robert Hapertas (aka The Haberdasher) is on his way. And he's not pleased...

THE LONGHEADS

Tommy Pingpong knew it was a mistake sending his partner Jake into the meeting with their boss. Now they were on the run from Peachy, a diaper-wearing gangster who would like nothing better than to kill the both of them. On top of that, the deformed war veterans called the longheads are buying up all the guns in town, planning something big that'll have severe implications for the town of Thompson.

THE APOCALYPSE DONKEY

When Simon Palmer took the black envelope from the tall man in the parking lot, he didn't know that this case of mistaken identity would make his day take such a weird turn for the worst. When the man finally realizes that he gave the envelope to the wrong guy, Simon is thrown into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that finally leads to a sleazy carnival of squid violence...

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: Eraserhead Press (February 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933929685
• ISBN-13: 978-1933929682
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #421,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jordan Krall writes horror, weird fiction, crime fiction, apocalyptic literature, bizarro, and non-genre fiction.

His newest books include PENETRALIA and NIGHTMARES FROM A LOVECRAFTIAN MIND.

He has had four books published by ERASERHEAD PRESS including SQUID PULP BLUES which has been praised by horror authors Edward Lee and Tom Piccirilli.

His book FISTFUL OF FEET was called "a great homage to the spaghetti western" by the SPAGHETTI WESTERN DATABASE.

One of his most acclaimed books BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE APOCALYPSE DONKEYS was recently published by COPELAND VALLEY PRESS and is an enigmatic descent into murder, infidelity, rare films, and a bizarre identity crisis. Think David Lynch meets Russ Meyer. .

Jordan Krall's upcoming books include:
-YOUR CITIES, YOUR TOMBS (Copeland Valley Press) coming Winter 2012
-NUDE WITCH, NUDE (Spectacular Productions) Spring 2013
-SHAOLIN SQUID (Dynatox Ministries) Spring 2013

His work is influenced and inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, Gnosticism, squid, Jim Thompson, Thomas Ligotti, J.G. Ballard, true crime, Andy Milligan, eschatology, Barry Malzberg, Philip K. Dick, William Burroughs, Current 93, Ginger Rogers, ancient astronauts, and pancakes.

You can get limited edition chapbook editions of his stories at http://dynatoxministries.wordpress.com


Contact him at http://jordankrall.wordpress.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Squid Pulp Blues by Jordan Krall December 31, 2008

By Jeff Burk

Format:Paperback

Squid Pulp Blues by Jordan Krall

Jordan Krall's first published novella, "Piecemeal June", stood out from the pack with its unique combination of body-fluid splatter and bizarro horror. "Squid Pulp Blues" is his second release from Eraserhead Press and is a continuation of these themes. The book is three novellas, each taking place in Thompson, New Jersey, concerning body fluids, drugs, and squids.

"The Haderdasher" is the first story. Henry has just gotten out of prison and is meeting up with some old friends for booze, cards, and planning a caper or two. The night takes a turn for the worse when one of his friends has a bad reaction to a new street drug derived from squids. Meanwhile in the next room a woman has had her feet literary stolen off her legs. When a local gangster named The Haderdasher comes by to drop off drugs, the two stories combine in a shower of bullets and blood.

The next tale is "The Longheads." The Longheads are a group of veterans who came back from the war with hideous deformations from chemical weapons. They are stocking up on weaponry and preparing to make an assault on Thompson. Caught in the middle of this are Tommy and his partner Jake who are on the run from Peachy, a diaper-wearing criminal with a bone to pick.

Finishing the book is "The Apocalypse Donkey," a humerous story about Simon, a popular comic book creator, who is in town promoting his latest graphic novel. While waiting out front of the store, a strange man gives him a black envelope containing obscene photos. Once the man realizes he gave the envelope to the wrong person, Simon is on the run for his life.

Krall has a distinctive story telling style which combine noir-crime fiction, hard-core horror, and bizarro literature. The problem with this combination is it stands to alienate many readers. For those few who understand the wonderful weirdness of it all, Krall satisfies in a way few authors can.

While the book is three separate stories, it feels like one full novel. Characters, events, and themes cross over in all the tales. Many disturbing details are just hinted at in the background. Krall plants lots of intriguing clues to the town's many secrets and creates the sense that Thompson is a real place, though one you might not want to go to.

Combining together a variety of genres, "Squid Pulp Blues" is a fun read filled with violence, laughs, and squids. Jordan Krall has shown on his second work that he is no one-hit-wonder. For those hankering for a weird trip, Thompson is just the travel destination you need.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sex, Crime, and the Biggest Cesspit on the East Coast December 13, 2008

By Andersen Prunty VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Squid noir writer Jordan Krall returns with his second book from Eraserhead Press, a collection of three novellas called SQUID PULP BLUES. If you've read and enjoyed PIECEMEAL JUNE, you're going to love SQUID PULP BLUES. In "The Haberdasher," the opening novella, Red Henry Hooper gets paroled and is immediately confronted by circumstances more bizarre and violent than he can possibly imagine. "The Longheads" focuses on Tommy Pingpong and his pal Jake. They are on the run from Peachy, one of the more entertaining crime villains I've encountered. I won't ruin it for you but he has this certain... quirk. The closing novella, "The Apocalypse Donkey," is my favorite one in the whole collection. Simon, a comic book artist, accepts a mysterious package from a stranger and attends a comic book signing while waiting for his elusive friend Chaps (who is finally rendered in hilariously ominous detail in the last few pages of the book).

Krall explores Thompson (an overt homage to legendary crime writer Jim Thompson), New Jersey in all of its violent, surreal (squid powder anyone?), often comical detail. It's somewhere you probably don't want to go but definitely don't mind reading about. His plotting almost seems like standard crime novel fare: deals gone bad, angry psychopathic assassins, bosses wronged; but he adds a sort of squidy Krallness that will greatly appeal to lovers of bizarro fiction.

I'm looking forward to seeing a full-length work by Krall.

And I really, REALLY want to know more about Chaps.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Jordan Krall is the Quentin Tarantino of the bizarro world. December 1, 2009

By M. Kleine

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Tell me I can only use a single sentence to review this book and I may tell you that "Jordan Krall is the Quentin Tarantino of the bizarro world." To that sentence, I'll also add "SQUID PULP BLUES is like Pulp Fiction and Mulholland Dr put into a blender." The Lynch reference isn't only because it's weird; a lot of things are left unanswered but just like in the film, some of these questions can easily be answered though a few are forever left unsolved.

What exactly was in the back of Dix's trunk? What and, perhaps more importantly, who were in those pictures Harry accidentally gave to Simon? Lynch gives us 12 clues to solve the ending, Krall does it his own way, with: infectious dialogue, bizarre scenarios, and Apocalyptic Donkeys.

The Tarantino reference makes sense because the violence in SQUID PULP BLUES is up to snuff (if not even more over-the-top) with most of Tarantino's films we have come to love. Also, since the novel is technically three different stories strung together with different characters, it's all still in the same universe. Just like Tarantino's recurring Red Apple cigarettes, Krall reintroduces a certain comic book, a few characters and a handful of locations.

There is a strange fascination with squid in all three stories and there are even some fetishes featured in this book I never thought could be described with such detail... Krall does it all. This is the quickest I have ever read a book and yes, I even re-read a few chapters/pages more than twice just to "completely" feel engrossed and it was worth every second. I want to go back to Thompson, I already miss it so but now I'm ready for FISTFUL OF FEET and will probably pass the time with PIECEMEAL JUNE until it arrives.

Thank you so much Jordan and seriously folks, when they tell you: "characters make stories;" Krall doesn't f**k around...