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kotep's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Bizzaro. Wow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
mxsallybend's review against another edition
4.0
Kevin L. Donihe's The Traveling Dildo Salesman is a collection that definitely flirts with the boundaries of the Bizarro genre, but which is deliciously understated in its obscenity. Rather than confronting the reader with his ability to shock and disgust, Donihe seduces you into the surrealism of his tale. The horror here is very cerebral, a creepy sort of hallucinogenic trip on the wings of imagination. That's not to say he doesn't toss in a moment or two of graphic depravity, but the focus is definitely on the weirdness of the experience.
The title story, The Traveling Dildo Salesman, is a very surreal tale of one man's journey through a kind of fetishistic purgatory. Ralph is a tragic hero straight out of Rod Serling's cruelest Twilight Zone episodes, lost in a perverse suburbia that would not be out of place in a Tim Burton film. Equally frustrating and inspiring, it's a story that refuses to play by the rules, and which ends on an oddly ambiguous note.
Milky Agitation is the second-shortest tale of the collection, and one that's strange simply for the sake of being strange. It's remarkable how many oddities Donihe is able to drop in so few pages, and how perversely amusing a shattered glass of milk can be. Two-Way Santa is the collection's nod to the obscene, with a tired, hopeless, homeless drunk restored to the mantle of Santa Claus by the belief of a creepy serial killer. The ending is twisted and dark, and will forever change how you think of candy canes.
In a return to the surreal, The Helen Mower offers us story that's reminiscent of Stephen King's Lawnmower Man (the gory short story, not the abysmal virtual reality movie), but with a sweet necrophiliac twist. Living Room Zombies is, by far, the funniest entry in the collection, introducing us to the hospitality of two stoners on the night of the zombie apocalypse. The final entry in the collection, Revenge Of The Living Masturbation Rag, is as brief tale of abuse and revenge that ends in a rather chilling suggestion of horror continued beyond the page.
A nice sampling of what Donihe has to offer the Bizarro genre, this is a well-written collection of horror that could almost be called 'literary' were it not so deliberately perverse. Well worth the read.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
The title story, The Traveling Dildo Salesman, is a very surreal tale of one man's journey through a kind of fetishistic purgatory. Ralph is a tragic hero straight out of Rod Serling's cruelest Twilight Zone episodes, lost in a perverse suburbia that would not be out of place in a Tim Burton film. Equally frustrating and inspiring, it's a story that refuses to play by the rules, and which ends on an oddly ambiguous note.
Milky Agitation is the second-shortest tale of the collection, and one that's strange simply for the sake of being strange. It's remarkable how many oddities Donihe is able to drop in so few pages, and how perversely amusing a shattered glass of milk can be. Two-Way Santa is the collection's nod to the obscene, with a tired, hopeless, homeless drunk restored to the mantle of Santa Claus by the belief of a creepy serial killer. The ending is twisted and dark, and will forever change how you think of candy canes.
In a return to the surreal, The Helen Mower offers us story that's reminiscent of Stephen King's Lawnmower Man (the gory short story, not the abysmal virtual reality movie), but with a sweet necrophiliac twist. Living Room Zombies is, by far, the funniest entry in the collection, introducing us to the hospitality of two stoners on the night of the zombie apocalypse. The final entry in the collection, Revenge Of The Living Masturbation Rag, is as brief tale of abuse and revenge that ends in a rather chilling suggestion of horror continued beyond the page.
A nice sampling of what Donihe has to offer the Bizarro genre, this is a well-written collection of horror that could almost be called 'literary' were it not so deliberately perverse. Well worth the read.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
jasonsweirdreads's review against another edition
4.0
A Fun, Twisted Ride Through a Perverse, Corrupt World.
Ralph is a door to door salesman with a briefcase full of sentient dildos. Stuck in a world corrupt with endless streets and houses, he survives by living off the promise (and hope)that once he has sold all the dildos in his briefcase, he will be able to leave and not have to sell the things. This is Ralph's dream as he rarely gets a break, and the only bus around town won’t let him on board.
What follows is an interesting cast of potential customers, failed getaways, and a giant eye in the sky that always watches Ralph while he tries to succeed in selling all his dildos. Which is something he has to do. There simply is no other way out.
What I liked best about this book is that not only is it really fun and hilarious, but Ralph and his determination to escape, his highs and lows within this journey, was really interesting to read. This sort of makes light of what I felt was the ultimate message, that it doesn’t matter how hard you struggle, you’re stuck where you are in life. Only those who fight hard can find a way out of their mundane, non-special consumerist lives. The deck is stacked against you, just as it is against Ralph, and I think that there is a very real meaning here. An important message about capitalism that people aught to recognize and look at. Study and dwell on.
Attached to this book are four short stories. The first one, Milky Agitation, didn’t really make an impression on me. If you feel the same way, do not let that deter you, because following are three strokes of genius that had me feeling disturbed even though I laughed, or simply whispered, "What the hell?"
Which is the best kind of story.
Get this book. I highly recommend it.
Ralph is a door to door salesman with a briefcase full of sentient dildos. Stuck in a world corrupt with endless streets and houses, he survives by living off the promise (and hope)that once he has sold all the dildos in his briefcase, he will be able to leave and not have to sell the things. This is Ralph's dream as he rarely gets a break, and the only bus around town won’t let him on board.
What follows is an interesting cast of potential customers, failed getaways, and a giant eye in the sky that always watches Ralph while he tries to succeed in selling all his dildos. Which is something he has to do. There simply is no other way out.
What I liked best about this book is that not only is it really fun and hilarious, but Ralph and his determination to escape, his highs and lows within this journey, was really interesting to read. This sort of makes light of what I felt was the ultimate message, that it doesn’t matter how hard you struggle, you’re stuck where you are in life. Only those who fight hard can find a way out of their mundane, non-special consumerist lives. The deck is stacked against you, just as it is against Ralph, and I think that there is a very real meaning here. An important message about capitalism that people aught to recognize and look at. Study and dwell on.
Attached to this book are four short stories. The first one, Milky Agitation, didn’t really make an impression on me. If you feel the same way, do not let that deter you, because following are three strokes of genius that had me feeling disturbed even though I laughed, or simply whispered, "What the hell?"
Which is the best kind of story.
Get this book. I highly recommend it.
qyou's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first Kevin Donihe and I must say I'm looking forward to reading more. I admit I'm not generally a short story person but these were surprisingly satisfying.
The Traveling Dildo Salesman surely hits home with anyone who has ever had the displeasure of working a dead end job for any length of time. How anyone could read this and not think "Poor bastard." at least once is beyond me.
Milky Agitation came out of left field and ended with a chuckle.
Two-Way Santa gives you the warm fuzzies which you soon realize are crusty with dried puke and then someone strangles you with an old t-shirt and you like it.
The Helen Mower: lover + blade wielding machine = ouch. (Not my favourite but well written.)
The Living Room Zombies was hilarious. You think you know what's going to happen but nope, nope you don't.
Revenge Of The Living Masturbation Rag...well, I'll never look at crusty rags the same way again and I hope they don't look at me at all.
Overall a very enjoyable read and a fast one to boot.
The Traveling Dildo Salesman surely hits home with anyone who has ever had the displeasure of working a dead end job for any length of time. How anyone could read this and not think "Poor bastard." at least once is beyond me.
Milky Agitation came out of left field and ended with a chuckle.
Two-Way Santa gives you the warm fuzzies which you soon realize are crusty with dried puke and then someone strangles you with an old t-shirt and you like it.
The Helen Mower: lover + blade wielding machine = ouch. (Not my favourite but well written.)
The Living Room Zombies was hilarious. You think you know what's going to happen but nope, nope you don't.
Revenge Of The Living Masturbation Rag...well, I'll never look at crusty rags the same way again and I hope they don't look at me at all.
Overall a very enjoyable read and a fast one to boot.
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