The Big Book of Bizarro [Paperback]

Rich Bottles Jr. (Editor), Gary Lee Vincent (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2011

“Salacious - Sacrilegious - Scatalogical - Scotomizing - Strange!”

The Big Book of Bizarro brings together the peculiar prose of an international cast of the most grotesquely-gonzo, genre-grinding modern writers who ever put pen to paper (or mouse to pad), including:

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD horror writers John Russo & George Kosana

HUSTLER MAGAZINE erotica contributors Eva Hore, Andrée Lachapelle, & J. Troy Seate and

Established Bizarro genre authors D. Harlan Wilson, William Pauley III, Laird Long, Richard Godwin and so many more!

From Alien abductions to Zombie sex, The Big Book of Bizarro contains OVER FIFTY STORIES of the most outrélandish transgressive fiction that you’ll ever lay your capricious and curious hands upon!

WARNING: This book may be one of the most controversial and dangerous books you’ll ever read.

The stories in The Big Book of Bizarro include:

HORROR

Daniel In The Lion's Den by Kai Miro

Wet by Mark Gallagher

The Whore of the Dartmoor by Rich Bottles Jr.

The Fall by David J. Fairhead

Glory Holes by Gary Lee Vincent

Channel 666 by John Russo

Forever Ago Sunshine by Wol-vriey Jesuto

Honey-do by Nikko Lee

Every Bite by Matt Smallwood

Nothing Really Satisfies by Kelly R. Martin

Decorations by Nelson W. Pyles

Karnivali by Jesse J. Saxon

Front Page by Michael A. Migliore

Into The Night by Heather Lin

Hades on Ice by Kimberly Bennett

His Own Worst Enemy by Laird Long

Writer's Block by Ryan J. McBriar

Every by Charlie Kirby

City of the Dead by Clare de Lune

Want by Meself John

SCI-FI & FANTASY

Alien Apocalypse by Zmortis

Saved by Thomas Fuchs

Pearl by Scott Emerson

Worms by George R. Galuschak

In Cocoon, I am Embryo by Kenzie Mathews

The Only One To Save by Derek Tabor

Scotomization by D. Harlan Wilson

False Idols by Sean Martin

I'm Going To The Moon by Christy Leigh Stewart

Diethylamide by Michael C. Thompson

Their Quiet, Bookish Life by Chadwick H. Saxelid

Gloriana by Angela Caperton

Bleedin' Hearts by Salvatore Buttaci

The Image of the Lord by Jon Judy

Punch and Jesus by Anonymous Christian

Jumpers by Michael Bracken

Nude Sushi with a Twist by Keith Dugger

Talking Heads by Nicole E. Peffer

BOOM CLICK CLICK by William Pauley III

Succor the Child by Mercy Loomis

She Who Cleans: A Dung Sticker’s Shitty Tale by A.D. Spencer

Tiffany's!! It's Get Even Time!! by George Kosana

Cotton Mouth by Christopher Danaher

InBox by Brennon ThompSon

Losing Control by R. Scott Steele

EROTICA

One Hell of a Band by J.T. Seate

Lester's Ominous Gift by Eva Hore

The Gathering by Madeleine Swann

Womb With a View by Reina Sobin

Love Bites by Andrée Lachapelle

Pomegranate Moth by Richard Godwin

Sonata for Insects and Violins by Peter Baltensperger

Frosty by Alice Jacobs

Fun House by Kimber Vale

Butterfly Kisses by Duncan Meece

Sexual Madness by Rose de Fer

Terra Cupidus by Robin Tiergarten

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With the release of The Big Book of Bizarro, Burning Bulb Publishing has proved to be a valuable outlet for talented, contemporary, and strange authors." - The Mountaineer Observer

Product Details

• Paperback: 538 pages
• Publisher: Burning Bulb Publishing (July 29, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615502032
• ISBN-13: 978-0615502038
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,886,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Place to Get Your Freak On November 28, 2011

By Joseph Madia Jr.

Format:Paperback

This ambitious collection of over 50 "bizarro" tales, edited by West Virginia authors Rich Bottles Jr. and Gary Lee Vincent, is divided into three sections: Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, and Erotica. There are many definitions for the ever-evolving genre of "Bizarro," including one in the book, although I define it simply as taking graphic violence and erotica a little further than the mainstream would and then, once it's there, pushing it just a little further.

The potential problem with this approach is that the violence and erotica wind up at times as being the whole point of the work, and there is no story; no craft. To the editors' credit, there are few stories in this collection that fall into that trap and they stick out like a severed, rotting, puss-running thumb that had previously been up to no good in someone child's back end (see how Bizarro works?).

In this reviewer's opinion, the strongest stories are in the Horror section, which makes sense. A lot of violence and a little sex have been the tools of the trade for Horror from the start, so these writers have the clearest, cleanest path to success. Conversely, the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section is the weakest. It is here that it is most obvious that Bizarro was hot-forged into an at-best moderately interesting tale of aliens and the like. The Erotica section starts slowly, but builds over the last four or five stories to a satisfying crescendo of sound and breath and fluid (are you following this Bizarro thing?).

Before I get into some of the best of the stories, I have to mention that the book is impressively laid out, with many of the graphical elements that are missing from most small-press books. There are some interesting illustrations by Jon Towers and the front and back cover images are sure to draw the eye and get people talking. The stories themselves contain a one-line description (most of which are pleasantly clever) and an author bio right there on the title page. I much prefer this to having to constantly flip to the back of the book to a Bio section. The type is clean and large and makes for a fast, easy read. The typos are minimal, a credit to the editors' work in putting together in a professional presentation 512 pages of layout.

And so, some of my favorites.

In the Horror section, there is "Whore of the Dartmoor" by editor Rich Bottles, Jr. I had the pleasure of hearing Rich read this story aloud at a writer's group I host (well, most of it... he tactfully removed the sexier parts for our mixed audience of Bizarro and more circumspect writers) and his twisted take on the misuses of public domain works and the riotous wrath of a certain Holmesian author is both entertaining and thought-provoking. I also enjoyed Nikko Lee's "Honey-Do" (most husbands will) and fellow NJ native Nelson Pyles's "Decorations" (most wives will). My favorite stories in this section are Jesse Saxon's "Karnivali" and Michael Migliore's "Front Page," both of which are well-researched, well-conceived, and well-executed. The Horror section ends with a poem called "Want" by Meself John, procured by the editors under interesting circumstances (which I will leave for you to read). This piece stands out because in a boundary-pushing landscape like the Big Book of Bizarro, this two-page rant-poem made me ask: "What would the rest of these authors say if they could truly say anything?"

The highlight of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy (and one of the best in the collection) is Kenzi Mathews's "In Cocoon, I am Embryo," which is written in a finely haunting, hyper-visual style. I also enjoyed Derek Tabor's "The Only One to Save," Sean Martin's "False Idols," and D. Harlan Wilson's "Scotomization," with its interesting take on the mythic clan that is the Kennedys. Another strong entry in this category is Michael C. Thompson's "Diethylamide," which is written in a Beat-like, stream of consciousness, painting-with-words style that includes a vispo-like typography. Like Mathews' story, it is one of the highlights of the collection.

The Erotica section is, well, pretty erotic. And like the varied acts that are the coin of its realm, it builds slowly but steadily into a satisfying climax, which I might have mentioned earlier. It is in this section, in the first bunch of stories, that graphic writing for its own sake really dings the overall quality of the section, but from Reina Sobin's "Womb with a View" on to the end (with one or two to-remain-nameless exceptions) there is some really good writing here. Other stories well worth the time are Andree Lachapelle's "Love Bites," "Pomegranate Moth" by Richard Godwin, and my favorite of the section, Peter Baltensperger's "Sonata for Insects and Violins." I also have to recommend "Fun House" by Kimber Vale, because, in a book of Bizarro, this might very well be the winner of the Weird Award.

Overall, this book is a fun trip with plenty of good writing. When not reading, leave it on the passenger seat of your car, on the coffee table, or by the water cooler at work. Let people know your ready to get your freak on.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Smorg-ISH-BOARD! March 19, 2012

By jon117

Format:Paperback

The big book of bizarro was awesome. Amazing cast of authors, amazing stories/concepts... NUFF SAID! This along with the BIZARRO STARTER KITS/MAGS would be a good place to start with checking out some alternative writers... Bizarro is where it's at.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Bizarre Way to Look at the World April 13, 2013

By Cosmos Afire

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Big Book of Bizarro, an anthology put together by Rich Bottles, Jr. And Gary Lee Vincent, is packed full of over 50 short stories within its 500 plus pages. When diving into this book, the cover, title and back easily illustrate the purpose; to shock and entertain in one simultaneous motion. The interior is also well-created with mini author bios before each story and genre separation illustrations from Jon Towers.

To start, first, I read the tales of those authors whom I know personally, including Rich and Gary, along with David J. Fairhead, Nelson W. Pyles, and Kimberly Bennett. After enjoying their familiar styles, I stepped into the "Erotica" section, before going back to the beginning and reading through. Like all compilations, you will find stories that you enjoy while there are others that are less likely to strike a chord in you. Any good anthology generally has a blend of both. I can say that the stories that you remember afterwards have generally done a good job of striking up a memorable appearance. The book warns of its bizarre nature and style of which will certainly serve to shock. Amongst my memorable tales, and I am only noting those of authors I do not know, are "Every Bite" because of its different style and ability to nauseate me; "Karnavali" for its imagery when painting a carnival scene; "Into the Night" for its spontaneous sexuality; "Jumpers" for its interesting dive between life and parallel unreality; and "Frosty" since it is a disturbing new way to look at snowmen.

There are certainly other stories worthy of note, of which all readers will choose different favorites. While checking out this book, it would be a good idea not to read the whole thing in one sitting, as you will be seeing bizarre creatures from every tale and probably feel a little disturbed. All in all, it was a bulky piece of fiction work at a reasonable price featuring authors of differing experience levels and styles. A good book to put by your bed to read at night...if you're not afraid of monsters, that is.