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blatdriver's review
4.0
I really enjoyed these stories, very compelling and moreish that is why I’m straight into the next book The Fall: Tales From the Gulp 2.
For those of you in Australia like me, these interlinked stories remind me of the TV series ‘Round the Twist’ but for horror fans (less silly and more brutal), with a darker more Lovecraftian feel to it. Or for those who have seen it, like the Bryan Brown’s TV series ‘Twisted Tales’.
For those of you who have not seen either of these shows, they are like the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series, so a bit creepy, with some strange element, and some WTF moments.
It difficult to describe the intense earie feeling that come with these stories, but If you have read either of his short story collections Served Cold or Crow Shine you will know what I mean.
Definitely worth checking out
For those of you in Australia like me, these interlinked stories remind me of the TV series ‘Round the Twist’ but for horror fans (less silly and more brutal), with a darker more Lovecraftian feel to it. Or for those who have seen it, like the Bryan Brown’s TV series ‘Twisted Tales’.
For those of you who have not seen either of these shows, they are like the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series, so a bit creepy, with some strange element, and some WTF moments.
It difficult to describe the intense earie feeling that come with these stories, but If you have read either of his short story collections Served Cold or Crow Shine you will know what I mean.
Definitely worth checking out
georgesreads's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars. This is my first Alan Baxter and I very much enjoyed the experience. This was perfect to read amidst the chaos of exams, as whilst the 5 stories are connected by an overarching dream and some shared characters, Baxter knows when to stop and how to keep it fresh and exciting. Gulpepper is a town in Australia, nicknamed the Gulp as its rumoured to have swallowed passers by whole. With a population of 8000, it’s quite secluded and INCREDIBLY creepy. Baxter delivers 5 stories depicting some incredibly odd events that occur in the gulp. Each is different and unique, but in each story townspeople seem to be going missing, and the protagonists seem to be haunted by an eerily similar dream. So yeah. This was very fun, lots of Aussie slang and humour which I appreciated. My favourite of the stories was 48 to go, which was brutal, chilling and somewhat amusing- however this was closely followed by mother in bloom.
THERE’S A SECOND ONE! I discovered this whilst writing this review, so that’s something to look forward to.
THERE’S A SECOND ONE! I discovered this whilst writing this review, so that’s something to look forward to.
cryptidcorvid's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
deannachapman's review against another edition
4.0
As someone who has been constantly reading Stephen King novels and collections for the past 2-3 years, The Gulp instantly reminded me of towns like Derry and Castle Rock. There's something about those towns that just feels... off. All five stories from The Gulp take you on a weird, frightful journey and you don't quite know where it's going to end. Whether it's a seemingly ageless rock band, getting caught up with a drug dealer, or an unplanned stay due to a flat tire, there's always something mysterious lurking in The Gulp. Alan Baxter does a great job of blending the weird with horror as everyday people try to live their lives in a town with many secrets. I highly recommend this for anyone who is looking for intriguing tales from a strange town.
drakaina16's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
For fans of: Australian horror, creep factor over gore, body horror, the TV show Eerie, Indiana
I'm sorry to say I've had The Gulp on my TBR for around 2 years, and I never picked it up in all that time. I had no idea what I was missing. Strange things happen in Gulpepper, very creepy things. While there are some deaths and some really well done body horror, this book relies more on a weird, unsettling strangeness permeating the stories. The 5 stories all collide in the end and are continued in the next book (which I bought right away). 4.5 stars, rounded up.
I'm sorry to say I've had The Gulp on my TBR for around 2 years, and I never picked it up in all that time. I had no idea what I was missing. Strange things happen in Gulpepper, very creepy things. While there are some deaths and some really well done body horror, this book relies more on a weird, unsettling strangeness permeating the stories. The 5 stories all collide in the end and are continued in the next book (which I bought right away). 4.5 stars, rounded up.
brigitte66's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
katydidinoz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The first collection of short stories set in The Gulp, a small town in Australia with some major challenges. The short story structure means that the pacing is kept moving, and provides a number of different angles coming at the same issue. Very solid horror.
raincorbyn's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first Baxter and will not be my last!
Why do we (or maybe just I?) find fucked up little towns with dirty secrets so alluring, if not cozy? Who wouldn't want to grab a drink at the Hotel California bar, a coffee in Twin Peaks, or to do the time in Jerusalem's Lot to become a barely tolerated interloper?
Alan Baxter shows us why, and how, so lusciously, believably, and at our own risk. In 5 intertwining stories, we learn the ins and outs of a small Australian fishing town that is easy to miss, and hard to leave. Maybe there are crime syndicates, Mum-shroom-trauma, Lost Boys, and fishing up eldritch horrors to scare you off, but I came away knowing which of the two pubs would be my local (Clooney's all the way!) and feeling a sick fondness for the ghastly denizens of the Gulp when they turn up over and over to wreck the protagonists' lives, and their own.
The pacing gave me pause for a bit at first, but I now think that was a good choice to depict the small town that is used to its own bullshit: nothing happens until it all does and then, whoops, "shit happens," and we all sweep it under the rug and carry on. Many ideas were set up, presumably to be expounded on in the next volume, and I'll be right there to read about em. I did think many characters' voices were quite similar, and that the more blatantly supernatural segments shone better than the crime stories. Yes, as many horror writers have shown us, it takes moral rot to let supernatural decay in, but I sometimes wished the stories interconnected thematically as well as plot-wise.
All that is to say though that this is a town Baxter invented, and which now is a place I believe in, have invested in, regrettably have a stakes in, and cannot wait to read about its future, ideally with it all falling into its own fetid ocean of garbage, blistery kelp, just-okay fish and chips, and human failure. You've got a new fan in me, Mr. Baxter!
Why do we (or maybe just I?) find fucked up little towns with dirty secrets so alluring, if not cozy? Who wouldn't want to grab a drink at the Hotel California bar, a coffee in Twin Peaks, or to do the time in Jerusalem's Lot to become a barely tolerated interloper?
Alan Baxter shows us why, and how, so lusciously, believably, and at our own risk. In 5 intertwining stories, we learn the ins and outs of a small Australian fishing town that is easy to miss, and hard to leave. Maybe there are crime syndicates, Mum-shroom-trauma, Lost Boys, and fishing up eldritch horrors to scare you off, but I came away knowing which of the two pubs would be my local (Clooney's all the way!) and feeling a sick fondness for the ghastly denizens of the Gulp when they turn up over and over to wreck the protagonists' lives, and their own.
The pacing gave me pause for a bit at first, but I now think that was a good choice to depict the small town that is used to its own bullshit: nothing happens until it all does and then, whoops, "shit happens," and we all sweep it under the rug and carry on. Many ideas were set up, presumably to be expounded on in the next volume, and I'll be right there to read about em. I did think many characters' voices were quite similar, and that the more blatantly supernatural segments shone better than the crime stories. Yes, as many horror writers have shown us, it takes moral rot to let supernatural decay in, but I sometimes wished the stories interconnected thematically as well as plot-wise.
All that is to say though that this is a town Baxter invented, and which now is a place I believe in, have invested in, regrettably have a stakes in, and cannot wait to read about its future, ideally with it all falling into its own fetid ocean of garbage, blistery kelp, just-okay fish and chips, and human failure. You've got a new fan in me, Mr. Baxter!
pbanditp's review against another edition
5.0
The isolated Australian harbour town of Gulpepper is not like other places. You see, Gulpepper, known as The Gulp to the locals, has a habit of swallowing people up.
This collection tells five tales about what goes on in the cursed town.
“The sign said ‘Gulpepper, population 8,000’” Torsten said. “That’s not a tiny hamlet”
“Did you saw the bit underneath?” Simone asked, “Someone writed it on”
“What bit?”
“It said ‘but the dead outnumber the living.”
Patrick laughed “well, isn’t that cheery”
This book is a great introduction to The Gulp, with 5 separate but connected stories, which create a Twilight Zone town with creepy tense vibes.
Alan Baxter has a way of writing that brings you right into the town. You will however, be glad that you are not in the town because The Gulp is not a place you want to be, especially after dark.
I look forward to more stories from The Gulp so I can visit with the man with no nose, the pale boy with long, weird, floppy arms and legs, maybe catch a glimpse of the sea witch or the four odd people that stare out at the ocean at night.
4.5 stars because I am so intrigued for more
Thank you to Alan Baxter for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
This collection tells five tales about what goes on in the cursed town.
“The sign said ‘Gulpepper, population 8,000’” Torsten said. “That’s not a tiny hamlet”
“Did you saw the bit underneath?” Simone asked, “Someone writed it on”
“What bit?”
“It said ‘but the dead outnumber the living.”
Patrick laughed “well, isn’t that cheery”
This book is a great introduction to The Gulp, with 5 separate but connected stories, which create a Twilight Zone town with creepy tense vibes.
Alan Baxter has a way of writing that brings you right into the town. You will however, be glad that you are not in the town because The Gulp is not a place you want to be, especially after dark.
I look forward to more stories from The Gulp so I can visit with the man with no nose, the pale boy with long, weird, floppy arms and legs, maybe catch a glimpse of the sea witch or the four odd people that stare out at the ocean at night.
4.5 stars because I am so intrigued for more
Thank you to Alan Baxter for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.