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mxsallybend's review
4.0
Ad Nauseam is the kind of collection best consumed in small bites, one story at a time, so that each can be properly savored. Avoid the temptation to binge, because that's how you become numb to the horrors, and - trust me - you don't want that. Equal parts Tales from the Crypt and Tales from the Darkside, this is a fantastic introduction to the works of C. W. LaSart that has me anxious read more.
Simple Pleasures and Widow serve as a fantastic introduction to the collection, gleefully unsettling tales of everyday situations twisted into something horrific. You know how they're going to end as soon as they begin, but it's a hell of a lot of fun getting there.
Angel Lust was one of my two favorites, the story of two washed up prostitutes who decide to get into some really dark, really kinky, really messed up amateur porn to make a quick buck. It's brutal, gross, and darkly humorous, with not just one but two final twists.
Retirement Woes was more sad than horrific, a story of ordinary horrors, but Micah’s Muse quickly gets things back on track with a struggling writer and his monstrous muse. Flesh was a lot of fun, with a would-be-rapist who chose the wrong woman to stalk, while Carnality was a perfect follow-up of a different kind of thwarted love.
Lunch Date with Loa Loa and Ink were decent stories with some genuinely squeamish moments, but I found them to be a bit of a lull in the collection. Bone Phone was my other favorite, a seemingly simple story of a haunted phone, but the way the conversation devolve, revealing dark secrets, is exquisitely satisfying.
Sister Alice’s Suitor was a story that pairs well with the first two, putting a grotesque, haunting twist on a lonely woman's first fateful night of intimacy. The Hand That Feeds was another lull for me, but I liked the way it was told, and appreciate the very subtle punchline at the end. Jack and Jill wraps things up with another story of sex, hunger, flesh, and love that goes wrong.
Full of cannibalism, erotic encounters, twisted obsessions, and fearful secrets, Ad Nauseam is a solid collection, and one where the strength of the telling is equal to the strength of the horrors.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Simple Pleasures and Widow serve as a fantastic introduction to the collection, gleefully unsettling tales of everyday situations twisted into something horrific. You know how they're going to end as soon as they begin, but it's a hell of a lot of fun getting there.
Angel Lust was one of my two favorites, the story of two washed up prostitutes who decide to get into some really dark, really kinky, really messed up amateur porn to make a quick buck. It's brutal, gross, and darkly humorous, with not just one but two final twists.
Retirement Woes was more sad than horrific, a story of ordinary horrors, but Micah’s Muse quickly gets things back on track with a struggling writer and his monstrous muse. Flesh was a lot of fun, with a would-be-rapist who chose the wrong woman to stalk, while Carnality was a perfect follow-up of a different kind of thwarted love.
Lunch Date with Loa Loa and Ink were decent stories with some genuinely squeamish moments, but I found them to be a bit of a lull in the collection. Bone Phone was my other favorite, a seemingly simple story of a haunted phone, but the way the conversation devolve, revealing dark secrets, is exquisitely satisfying.
Sister Alice’s Suitor was a story that pairs well with the first two, putting a grotesque, haunting twist on a lonely woman's first fateful night of intimacy. The Hand That Feeds was another lull for me, but I liked the way it was told, and appreciate the very subtle punchline at the end. Jack and Jill wraps things up with another story of sex, hunger, flesh, and love that goes wrong.
Full of cannibalism, erotic encounters, twisted obsessions, and fearful secrets, Ad Nauseam is a solid collection, and one where the strength of the telling is equal to the strength of the horrors.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
pacardullo's review
5.0
Marry the gross-out factor of "extreme horror" with top-notch character work and you get the fun and enjoyable (in a sick way) horror collection from [a:C.W. LaSart|4812406|C.W. LaSart|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1338220731p2/4812406.jpg]. I didn't find a bad story in the bunch - they are all consistently well-written and engrossing. The book ranges from creepy to gory to erotic to darkly humorous to downright old-fashioned scary, often within the same tale. While billed as "extreme horror", not quite all the stories reach the stomach-churning levels that name implies - though many decidedly do. The stories are more than just gross-out horror, though. Even at their goopiest, LaSarts\'s tales have a little something extra that elevates them, be it the tone or the characters'(often twisted) motivations. LaSart\'s character work is excellent, with most of her pro/antagonists being more than just ghost-fodder in even her shortest stories. Good stuff. I look forward to reading more the author in the future.
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