roxiethebookslayer's review against another edition
4.0
Title: Dead Clown Barbecue
Author: Jeff Strand
Synopsis: A man who finds a severed nose on a plate on his dining room table. A bell that can summon Satan (maybe). Casual Fridays at work that get out of control. A cheery outlook on the post-apocalyptic landscape. The final thoughts of a doomed skydiver. A girl punished by having to share a bed with her grandmother’s corpse. Revenge via baking a tarantula into a cake. A shocking look at where those awful computer-generated book covers come from. And the lost tale of Fangboy.
These are only a few of the demented stories in DEAD CLOWN BARBECUE, a collection of thirty gleefully macabre tales, seven of which were written just for this collection. There’s even a brand new one about a ventriloquist dummy. Those things creep you out, right? You’ll laugh. You’ll scream. Okay...you probably won’t actually scream, unless you already had issues before you started reading, but you might cringe and get a little spooked.
These are only a few of the demented stories in DEAD CLOWN BARBECUE, a collection of thirty gleefully macabre tales, seven of which were written just for this collection. There’s even a brand new one about a ventriloquist dummy. Those things creep you out, right? You’ll laugh. You’ll scream. Okay...you probably won’t actually scream, unless you already had issues before you started reading, but you might cringe and get a little spooked.
Publisher: Dark Regions Press
"They can take away my freedom. They can take away my arm. They can take away my life. But they won't take away my smile until they eat my lips."
Jeff Strand brings us another collection of comedic horror in Dead Clown Barbecue, filled with 29 short stories that do not disappoint. I found each of the stories unique and innovative and many were burst out laughing funny.
The introduction. The Introduction! It was perfect. We get Strand humor right off the bat, with a side of marital bliss.
Pett Senmuteary: Oh, poor Tipsy. This story tells of the joys of living by the Pet Cemetery and wanting to please your wife. 5 stars
Comeuppance: Curse you Tom Booth! Destroyer of mediocre men!
4 stars
The Apocalypse Ain't So Bad: An optimist and the apocalypse.
5 stars
The Bell...FROM HELL!!: "Love conquers all, but in a pinch, you can fake it."
3 stars
Work/Life Balance: With freedom comes great responsibility.
3 stars
Stop Stabbing Me: Wanna play a game?
3 stars
Eight-Legged Vengeance: Please do not ever bake a spider into a cake.
5 stars
The Drop: What would you think about if your parachute didn't open while sky diving?
5 stars
Here's What Happened...: Who ordered the turkey sandwich?
4 stars
Pregnancy Test: If pee sticks could talk...
3.5 stars
Mr. Twitcher's Miracle Baby-Chopping Machine: Stand up for what you believe in!
4 stars
The Carver: Want to hear a joke?
3 stars
Push the Button: Would you push a button to collect $1,000,000 but someone you didn't know would have to die?
4 stars
My Knife Collection: Serial killer caught by serial killer
4 stars
Drain Bamage: Do NOT drop the baby!
3 stars
Gramma's Corpse: You better study harder.
3.5 stars
Burden: Please remember to always wear your seat belt.
3 stars
Rough Draft: More notes than story. Cute concept.
3 stars
Fangboy and the Troll: Here, eat this.
3 stars
Dead in the Water: Zombies and a jet ski.
4 stars
Immunity: Getting bit, with a twist.
4 stars
The Big Bite: 65 foot vampire!
3 stars
Specimen 313: Feed me Seymour!
4 stars
We Believe: Grandma got ran over by a reindeer.
3 stars
Poor Career Choice: If you're going to put out a hit, pay more than $50.
4 stars
True Hero:
4 stars
Chomp (A Cautionary Tale): Ha, ha! You lost an arm!
4 stars
The Severed Nose:
Dummy: I'm a real boy!
4 stars
Overall score: 105/140 3.75 rounded up to 4!
waynewaynus's review against another edition
3.0
A clever collection of stories although I found the quality varied a lot. Still worth reading for the better stories.
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