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dantastic's review
4.0
Wrestle Maniacs is a short story anthology featuring stories about professional wrestling.
Let's face it: apart from [b:Hoodtown|665739|Hoodtown|Christa Faust|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431918420s/665739.jpg|651794], [b:Champion of the World|27272423|Champion of the World|Chad Dundas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465647604s/27272423.jpg|47325947], and [b:Ugly As Sin|34129438|Ugly As Sin|James Newman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486356906s/34129438.jpg|25422093], there isn't a ton of pro wrestling fiction out there. When Adam Howe hit me up to read an ARC of this, I went for it like a series of Ric Flair chops in the corner.
I expected Wrestle Maniacs to be entertaining but I was pretty surprised at the overall quality of the collection. I've read a handful of the authors before, like Adam Howe, Gabino Iglesias, and James Newman but a lot of them were new to me and people I'll seek out later.
The stories run the gamut. There's comedy, tragedy, action, gore, and WRESTLING! There aren't many anthologies dedicated to one subject that actually cover a lot of ground. There was fiction loosely inspired by the tragedy of the Von Erich family, of Chris Benoit's murder/suicide, and the Montreal Screwjob. There were also really entertaining tales of luchadors and wrestlers that suddenly find themselves in a shoot. Or something out of the Twilight Zone, in one case.
My favorites were A Fiend in Need, Last of the High Flying Van Alstynes, and Rassle Hassle but there wasn't a jabronie in the bunch. I hope Wrestle Maniacs does well enough that Adam Howe and Honey Badger Press do another wrestling anthology in the future. Four out of five snap suplexes.
Let's face it: apart from [b:Hoodtown|665739|Hoodtown|Christa Faust|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431918420s/665739.jpg|651794], [b:Champion of the World|27272423|Champion of the World|Chad Dundas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465647604s/27272423.jpg|47325947], and [b:Ugly As Sin|34129438|Ugly As Sin|James Newman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486356906s/34129438.jpg|25422093], there isn't a ton of pro wrestling fiction out there. When Adam Howe hit me up to read an ARC of this, I went for it like a series of Ric Flair chops in the corner.
I expected Wrestle Maniacs to be entertaining but I was pretty surprised at the overall quality of the collection. I've read a handful of the authors before, like Adam Howe, Gabino Iglesias, and James Newman but a lot of them were new to me and people I'll seek out later.
The stories run the gamut. There's comedy, tragedy, action, gore, and WRESTLING! There aren't many anthologies dedicated to one subject that actually cover a lot of ground. There was fiction loosely inspired by the tragedy of the Von Erich family, of Chris Benoit's murder/suicide, and the Montreal Screwjob. There were also really entertaining tales of luchadors and wrestlers that suddenly find themselves in a shoot. Or something out of the Twilight Zone, in one case.
My favorites were A Fiend in Need, Last of the High Flying Van Alstynes, and Rassle Hassle but there wasn't a jabronie in the bunch. I hope Wrestle Maniacs does well enough that Adam Howe and Honey Badger Press do another wrestling anthology in the future. Four out of five snap suplexes.
thomaswjoyce's review
5.0
An anthology of speculative fiction all sharing one thing in common, the central theme of this themed anthology; wrestling. It could only be the brainchild of the guy behind Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet (Comet Press, 2015) and Tijuana Donkey Showdown (Comet Press 2016), award-winning author Adam Howe. The flagship release from his new publishing endeavour, Honey Badger Press, it is a collection of twelve stories from some of the best authors in speculative fiction.
Some readers may be put off by the idea of a wrestling-themed anthology. To those people we can only say: look at the names of the authors, and check out the stories. First and foremost, these are storytellers. Mostly the wrestling plays a small role in the stories, the authors instead delivering stories of noir, familial drama, laugh-out-loud action-comedy and even some science fiction. The wrestling merely adds some colour to the proceedings. It would have been nice to see some stories from female authors (which was the original intention before Howe had to release the book through his own small press – a point that he addresses in ‘A Word From Your Editor’ at the rear of the book). Hopefully we will see a Diva Edition of Wrestle Maniacs in the not-too-distant future. For now, we have this wonderful anthology upon which to feast our eyes. There is something for everyone in this impressive and thoroughly entertaining collection from some of the best names writing speculative fiction today.
To read the full review, including detailed reviews of each story, please visit This Is Horror.
Some readers may be put off by the idea of a wrestling-themed anthology. To those people we can only say: look at the names of the authors, and check out the stories. First and foremost, these are storytellers. Mostly the wrestling plays a small role in the stories, the authors instead delivering stories of noir, familial drama, laugh-out-loud action-comedy and even some science fiction. The wrestling merely adds some colour to the proceedings. It would have been nice to see some stories from female authors (which was the original intention before Howe had to release the book through his own small press – a point that he addresses in ‘A Word From Your Editor’ at the rear of the book). Hopefully we will see a Diva Edition of Wrestle Maniacs in the not-too-distant future. For now, we have this wonderful anthology upon which to feast our eyes. There is something for everyone in this impressive and thoroughly entertaining collection from some of the best names writing speculative fiction today.
To read the full review, including detailed reviews of each story, please visit This Is Horror.
charshorrorcorner's review
4.0
An anthology featuring stories about wrestling? Okay. To be honest, I'm not that big a fan, though I did love to watch it as a teenager and all the way up into my 20's. Thing is, you don't have to be a big fan of wrestling to enjoy these stories. That said, these are the ones that stood out for me:
GLASSJAW by Duncan Bradshaw. This story is told to Mickey by Ronny, an aging pro, who now helps newer wrestlers learn the ropes, so to speak. This was my first Bradshaw story and I was impressed!
EL NEUVO SANTO'S LAST FIGHT by Gabino Iglesias. I keep seeing this author's name around and I follow him on Twitter, but I think this is my first story by him. LOVED it! Even mobsters aren't safe from a wrestler's fury. It's best for you not to EVER threaten a man's family, be you "connected" or not.
A FRIEND IN NEED...A NICK BULLMAN STORY by James Newman. Nick Bullman is the main character from UGLY AS SIN, also written by James Newman. Nick had an accident with his face many years ago and as such, no longer wrestles. But he's always there when a friend needs him. In this case, though, his friend is no longer sane.
RASSLE HASSLE by Adam Howe. The return of Reggie Levine! If you've read any of Adam Howe's stories in the past, then you are already familiar with Reggie. The good news is you don't have to have read Howe's other stories to "get" this one. Reggie always gets himself caught up in some crazy stuff while trying to do the right thing and this tale is no exception.
DULUTH by Ed Kurtz. This collection was my first exposure to the word "kayfabe" which is "the portrayal of staged events as real or true." The invention of film/movies gave a whole new dimension to the world of wrestling. For some wrestlers though, it brought home what was really important-and it wasn't wrestling.
I enjoyed almost all of the stories in this anthology and I surprised myself by being kind of sad when this book was over. I think Hulk Hogan would be pleased with me.
Highly recommended for fans of excellent short stories, and most especially to fans of professional wrestling!
You can rastle up your copy here: Wrestle Maniacs
*I was provided with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it!*
GLASSJAW by Duncan Bradshaw. This story is told to Mickey by Ronny, an aging pro, who now helps newer wrestlers learn the ropes, so to speak. This was my first Bradshaw story and I was impressed!
EL NEUVO SANTO'S LAST FIGHT by Gabino Iglesias. I keep seeing this author's name around and I follow him on Twitter, but I think this is my first story by him. LOVED it! Even mobsters aren't safe from a wrestler's fury. It's best for you not to EVER threaten a man's family, be you "connected" or not.
A FRIEND IN NEED...A NICK BULLMAN STORY by James Newman. Nick Bullman is the main character from UGLY AS SIN, also written by James Newman. Nick had an accident with his face many years ago and as such, no longer wrestles. But he's always there when a friend needs him. In this case, though, his friend is no longer sane.
RASSLE HASSLE by Adam Howe. The return of Reggie Levine! If you've read any of Adam Howe's stories in the past, then you are already familiar with Reggie. The good news is you don't have to have read Howe's other stories to "get" this one. Reggie always gets himself caught up in some crazy stuff while trying to do the right thing and this tale is no exception.
DULUTH by Ed Kurtz. This collection was my first exposure to the word "kayfabe" which is "the portrayal of staged events as real or true." The invention of film/movies gave a whole new dimension to the world of wrestling. For some wrestlers though, it brought home what was really important-and it wasn't wrestling.
I enjoyed almost all of the stories in this anthology and I surprised myself by being kind of sad when this book was over. I think Hulk Hogan would be pleased with me.
Highly recommended for fans of excellent short stories, and most especially to fans of professional wrestling!
You can rastle up your copy here: Wrestle Maniacs
*I was provided with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it!*
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