Book Description:
Cemetery Dance magazine says that "No author working today comes close to Jeff Strand's perfect mixture of comedy and terror." Gleefully Macabre Tales compiles 32 of his most twisted blends of cringe-worthy horror and ghoulish humor, with a couple of serious pieces thrown in just to mess with you.
This collection includes tales from his three chapbooks (Two Twisted Nuts, Socially Awkward Moments With An Aspiring Lunatic, and Funny Stories of Scary Sex) and numerous other stories both popular and obscure, including "Really, Really Ferocious" (the one with the wiener dog), "High Stakes" (the one with the slot machine), "Roasting Weenies by Hellfire" (the one with Satan), "The Bad Candy House" (the one with a very unpleasant old man at Halloween) and "The Socket" (the one with the eyeball socket).
It also includes two of his entries in the World Horror Convention gross-out contest. But you don't want to read them.
So if you're looking to laugh, gasp, gag, or do all three at the same time, making sort of a weird sound that hurts your lungs and elicits odd glances from nearby pedestrians, don't miss Gleefully Macabre Tales!
My Opinion:
Being a huge Jeff Strand fan I was torn when it came to buying this book as I wanted the book, but the covered creeps the hell out of me due to my fear of clowns. *shudder* In the end, I gave in and just try not to look at the cover much.
This book is stuffed full o' Strand goodness and has a little something for everyone, well... maybe not EVERYONE, but for all of us twisted, psychotic people that like to read about gross things. ha ha!!! My favorite new-to-me stories within were (in random order):
Socially Awkward Moments With An Aspiring Lunatic
Werewolf Porno
Glimpses
Abbey's Shreik
Howard, the Tenth Reinder & Howard Rises
Wasting Grandma
I actually have the chapter books for the first 2 mentioned, but hadn't had the chance to read them yet, so now I can keep from breaking the mini-spines of those chapter books for now. :)
In addition, 3 of Strand's stories that I've enjoyed in the past and still enjoy are:
The Socket
The Bad Candy House
Mr. Sensitive
Probably my least favorite stories in the book were:
Them Old West Mutations (this one reminded me of Mandibles and just isn't my kind of story)
One of Them (I guess I'm in the majority on this one based on the story notes at the back of the book)
It's nice to have a compilation of Strand's stories all in one book instead of having to go from one book to another and I do hope there is a GMT 2, 3, etc... in the future.
I did think one thing while reading this though... if I ever meet Jeff Strand & there is a chainsaw anywhere nearby... I'm running like hell!!! It seems like a chainsaw is a VERY common weapon in his stories and I wouldn't doubt that that would be his weapon of choice if he were to ever have a breakdown and go on a killing spree!!!
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