Reviews

The Essential Sick Stuff by Ronald Kelly

brennanlafaro's review against another edition

5.0

I’ve mentioned this before, so please forgive the repetition, but I believe short fiction collections are the best way to get to know a new-to-me author. Emphasis on new-to-me because as a Zebra Horror veteran, it’s hard to label Ronald Kelly as new. The guy’s been churning out quality horror since I was born. This just happens to be my first foray into this territory.
If you are a habitual introduction skipper, do yourself a favor and don’t skip this one, for two reasons. First, Kelly has this way of writing an intro that uses alliteration and creative turns of phrase almost reminiscent of the way we begin an episode of Tales From the Crypt. Second, and potentially more important, because Kelly details what you’re about the read. Many of the stories in this book fit nicely under the umbrella of splatterpunk and Kelly lets us know they were written in an effort to go over the top. And that is exactly where they go.
The Essential Sick Stuff is divided into three sections, two of which were previously released - Sick Stuff, More Sick Stuff, and Even Sicker Stuff. While my go-to way of reviewing a collection tends to be highlighting all my favorite stories, that would take up quite a bit of space, so allow me to highlight just a few favorites from each section.
The Sick Stuff: If the introduction doesn’t prepare you for the worst of the worst, “Diary” will quickly show you what you’re in for. “Housewarming” is a rough read if you don’t like spiders, but whether or not that makes your skin crawl, don’t skip this one. “Pins and Needles” may be the most viscerally disturbing in the bunch. Just try reading about the cake and keeping it together. This portion closes out with “Mojo Mama”, a dark fantasy-esque story revolving around a cursed family whose individual afflictions make for some rough reading.
More Sick Stuff: “Consumption” offers some squirm inducing parasite horror that hangs in and delivers all the way to the last line. “The Day UPS Brought Zombies” is just all-out fun and features a cameo from another big voice in the horror scene. Sure, there’s gore, but you’ll have a blast reading this one. “Snakehandler” features some religious zealotry and highlights one way a con-man could pull the wool over the eyes of an unsuspecting congregation. “Cell Number Nine” proves that Kelly does creepy crawlies super well, and without having to resort to the same tricks.
Even Sicker Stuff: The shortest of the three sections doesn’t let up on the reader at all. “The Nipples in Dad’s Toolbox” is one of my favorite stories in the whole book, and has a little more depth to it than the title might suggest while also remaining grisly. “Miss Abigail’s Delicate Condition” draws the reader in with a bit of mystery and then lets you have it if you stick around long enough. The final story “Quetzalcoatl’s Revenge” wraps the collection up with some comeuppance-related body horror, assuring the reader that Kelly’s not going to run out of ways to make you feel a bit queasy.
The stories in Essential Sick Stuff are not for the faint of heart or the sensitive of stomach. There are some hard things to read, though Kelly doesn’t rely on rape/sexual assault to increase shock factor. That he has this many stories collected that seek to push the limits, but don’t rely on that sexual exploitation is commendable. It’s a memorable collection to be sure, and a great introduction if you’ve never read Ronald Kelly’s work before.

I received a copy from the publisher for review consideration.