Here's a secret spilled. Hardened horror readers aren't scared by what they read. Instead they seek out new ideas that expose the bare bones of reality by wielding a scalpel. Sex can be degrading. A game can easily become a violent incident. An act of kindness can be rewarded with brutality.
In this world of horror reading, a monster is a device, rarely an object of fear. Shaun Jeffrey obviously understands this, and does not sanitize his stories or stay on the mainstream pavement. 'The Mutilation Machination' is a very well written collection of stories, expertly assembled to incorporate the unexpected, even in the case of the expected dark humour which works so well with a collection of this nature.
This grisly confection sits comfortably between Clive Barker's 'Books of Blood' and SP Somtow's 'Pavillion of Frozen Women'. It will not be an easy read for those who find their thrills in in the comfier genres of better known horror writers. For those of you who have been looking for something different, this is an opportunity
Read 'The Mutilation Machination'...
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