Extreme Horror Reviews

I haven’t really spent a lot of time sharing reviews from the extreme horror/splatterpunk genre, but after going to KillerCon and meeting all these amazing authors, I have to share them! This genre within the horror umbrella is not for everyone. When I say extreme horror, I mean it. There are so many trigger warnings that go along with each book and they are not for the faint of heart. So, proceed with caution if you aren’t one that can handle a lot of graphic content.

I went to KillerCon in Austin a couple weekends ago – met up with Chandra (wherethereadergrows) and met a couple other Bookstagrammers. We had an absolute blast and got to listen to a few author panels, some readings, witness the Splatterpunk award ceremony, and the amazing gross out competition. We got to spend a lot of time hanging out with two authors in particular, Aron Beauregard and Kris Triana. For people that write some disturbing and extreme horror, they are some of the nicest guys I’ve met. I’ll include some photos below!

I wanted to share some reviews for recent books I’ve read by them (two each)

THE PLAYGROUND – Aron Beauregard (Won the Splatterpunk award for best novel in 2022)

ONCE IN A LIFETIME

Three low-income families have been given a handsome retainer to join Geraldine Borden for a day at her cliffside estate. All the parents must do to collect the rest of their money is allow their children to test out the revolutionary playground equipment Geraldine has been working on for decades. But there’s a reason the structures in the bowels of her gothic castle have taken so long to develop—they were never meant to see the light of day.

When a band of dysfunctional children is suddenly thrust into a diabolical realm of violence, they must grow up instantly to have a chance at survival. Will they find a way to put their differences aside, or be swallowed up by the insidious architecture all around them?

This volume contains 15 interior illustrations.

My Thoughts: 5/5 stars

The book that went viral over on TikTok, due to how graphic and disturbing it is, was one that I had to give a try. This is the book that put me on probation from recommending books to my friend indefinitely. They asked for twisted, demented, and extreme horror and I delivered (they couldn’t finish it). I now gauge the reader before recommending this book to anyone. I think my favorite comment from my friend, “If I ever have to read the words “fermented beaver” ever again, I will kill myself”. That’s what you’re signing up for.

All that being said, I really liked the book. I guess watching and reading enough horror has desensitized me in a way. The gruesome and graphic nature of the story and the truly visceral descriptions just create an incredible image in my mind. When authors can do that AND pull a genuine emotional or physical response from the reader, that shows they know what they’re doing. Also, those illustrations. Those make everything significantly more real.

I don’t want to go into a ton of detail, because this needs to be experienced, but I completely understand why this won the splatterpunk award this year. He’s gotta be doing something right because I left KillerCon with multiple other books of his.

WET MARKET AND OTHER HORRORS – Aron Beauregard (Released August 9th, 2023)

FORBIDDEN DESIRES

World-renowned chef, Kason Anders, has a secret compulsion. Divulging in his obsession has brought him to the darkest corners of the globe. But redundancy can make even the most extraordinary experiences grow old. However, if the rumors prompting his return to Singapore are true, Kason’s taste buds will never be bored again.

Lao Goh has fallen on hard times. In an attempt to fund a procedure for his ailing daughter, he’s involved himself with an insidious enterprise. If he can appease Kason’s palate and guide the celebrity chef through the underbelly of Pinzhong wet market, Lao may acquire a lifesaving commission. But will he make it back out of the wet market or become another product inside it?

Get ready for one of Aron Beauregard’s most squirm-worthy and heartbreaking tales. Includes five other stories of the macabre and an expanded personal essay, The Best and Worst Days of My Life, exploring the inspiration behind Wet Market and his viral success.

This volume contains 15 interior illustrations.

My Thoughts: 5/5 stars

The only real warning I can give without spoiling the stories is that if you are not able to handle gore, then this will not be the book for you. The cover is a good indication of what is in store for you.

While the stories created such vivid pictures in my mind, those illustrations made some parts truly make my skin crawl (Muffin in the Oven, I’m looking at you). It takes a lot to make me physically cringe while reading, so well done, Aron!

I also recommend reading the personal essay at the end!

GONE TO SEE THE RIVER MAN – Kristopher Triana

Super fans. Groupies. Stalkers.

These people will give anything for the idols they worship, be they rock stars, actors or authors. Or even serial killers.

Lori is just such a fanatic. Her obsession is with Edmund Cox, a man of sadistic cruelty who butchered more than twenty women. She’s gone so far as to forge a relationship with him, visiting him in prison and sending him letters on a regular basis. She will do anything to get close to him, so when he gives her a task, she eagerly accepts it.

She has no idea of the horror that awaits her.

Edmund tells her she must go to his cabin in the woods of Killen and retrieve a key to deliver to a mysterious figure known only as The River Man.

In her quest, she brings along her handicapped sister, and they journey through the deep, dark valley, beginning their trip upriver. The trip quickly becomes a surreal nightmare, one that digs up Lori’s personal demons, the ones she feels bonds her to Edmund. The river runs with flesh, the cabin is a vault of horrors, and ghostly blues music echoes through the mountains. Soon they will learn that The River Man is not quite fact or folklore, and definitely not human — at least, not anymore. And the key is just the beginning of what is required of Lori to prove she’s worthy of a madman’s love.

ALONG THE RIVER OF FLESH – Kristopher Triana

Having escaped from prison, serial killer Edmund Cox returns to his hometown of Killen. Entering the woods with his “darlings” in his pocket, he begins a new quest along the Hollow River, hoping to make good on one final deal with The River Man.

What Edmund doesn’t realize is he’s not going alone.

Keith Drakeson is one of the police detectives who hunted Cox the first time around, and he considers the killer’s escape an insult to his legacy. Determined to capture the killer again, he follows a hunch that leads him to where Edmund grew up.

Gary Chatmon is a private investigator looking for a missing girl named Jessica Hong, who he believes was one of Edmund Cox’s victims. Jessica was writing a paper on the legend of The River Man before she disappeared.

Gary and Keith decide to team up, but they soon encounter a strange girl. June Audrey is a teenage runaway with a backpack full of articles on Edmund Cox. She too has come to these woods in search of the killer.

The three travelers head upriver, each carrying their own dark secrets as they pursue a man of pure evil, and the local legend some say is behind it all.

Along the River of Flesh is the sequel to the international horror sensation Gone to See the River Man . Picking up where the first book left off, Triana’s transgressive novel builds upon the terrifying world of The River Man, and the miserable souls who dare to find him.

My Thoughts: 5/5 stars (review is collective on the two books!)

Getting back into so much extreme horror back to back has been wonderful. I know this genre and a lot of these books will not be for everyone because of the subject matter, the gore, the truly brutal images you can create in your mind as you read. These two are no different!

I’m so happy I read them together as soon as I could and I highly recommend picking up GONE TO SEE THE RIVER MAN first. The second book picks up right where it leaves off. Some brutal kills that will stick with you and plenty of suspense! Loved them both!

More about KillerCon! We were able to make it there in time to see the reading from Aron – he read part of WET MARKET. Saturday morning was when the vendor area opened up and we could meet the authors and buy some of their books – I had zero self control and ended up taking home 14 books. I’m flying through them already. Saturday we got to see a couple panels and see a reading from Kris Triana from his newest book, ALONG THE RIVER OF FLESH. In the down time between events (we had a three or so hour break) we ended up hanging out with both of them and had a lot of fun. Got to see the Splatterpunk Awards and then the famous Gross Out competition. It’s incredible the stories they can come up with!

We also got to meet Brian Keene and Wrath James White (along with so many others) before the events all began. All of them are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met and interacted with – you’d never know they all write such gruesome and disturbing books. Overall, a really fun weekend and the best part was catching up with Chandra (it had been 5 years since our last visit).