Synopsis/blurb......
Possessed by the Devil. Obsessed with Rock and
Roll. Under the spell of a charismatic Ford Focus driven by a diesel
compression engine and a thirst for motor oil. This little collection of horror
stories spruced up by a healthy splash of Northern Irish smart-arsery revisits
some classic themes and tips its hat to some new ones. You'll laugh, gasp and
cringe, at times all at once.
Possession, Obsession and a Diesel Compression Engine is a short collection of six interlinked comic-horror stories. A fun, fast and Faustian read.
If you enjoyed FIREPROOF, this is a perfect companion read.
"The freshness of the voice in this collection of stories is very welcome, as is the cut-throat pace with which the action happens. These are not sprawling tales of morality and comeuppance, rather these are punch to the groin (in some cases literally) bits of story where everybody needs to be on their toes, the reader included." - Pete S. Allen SFReader.com
"If Robert Rankin was from Northern Ireland and had been reading a lot of R. Scott Taylor and Paulo Coelho, PODCE is the book he would write." - 'Critical' Mick Halpin
“Gerard Brennan is a master of gritty violence.” - Colin Bateman
About the author:
Gerard Brennan is the author of the novels, WEE ROCKETS and FIREPROOF, the novella, THE POINT, and co-editor of REQUIEMS FOR THE DEPARTED, a collection of crime fiction based on Irish myths. He lives in Dundrum, Northern Ireland.
Possession, Obsession and a Diesel Compression Engine is a short collection of six interlinked comic-horror stories. A fun, fast and Faustian read.
If you enjoyed FIREPROOF, this is a perfect companion read.
"The freshness of the voice in this collection of stories is very welcome, as is the cut-throat pace with which the action happens. These are not sprawling tales of morality and comeuppance, rather these are punch to the groin (in some cases literally) bits of story where everybody needs to be on their toes, the reader included." - Pete S. Allen SFReader.com
"If Robert Rankin was from Northern Ireland and had been reading a lot of R. Scott Taylor and Paulo Coelho, PODCE is the book he would write." - 'Critical' Mick Halpin
“Gerard Brennan is a master of gritty violence.” - Colin Bateman
About the author:
Gerard Brennan is the author of the novels, WEE ROCKETS and FIREPROOF, the novella, THE POINT, and co-editor of REQUIEMS FOR THE DEPARTED, a collection of crime fiction based on Irish myths. He lives in Dundrum, Northern Ireland.
6 short stories dealing with primarily the devil and music. This was a short and fun blast of irreverent
humour from the author. I probably won’t find myself pondering on these stories
in the days ahead but I enjoyed them and it was a decent way to wake up over a
couple of mornings with a strong coffee and a Brennan short or two.
Truth be told, my preference is for the author’s longer work
where he can develop characters in greater depth but he definitely entertains.
Not a stinker amongst the six, which is unusual for a short story collection,
where there are usually a couple of weaker offerings.
My favourite of the bunch
was a tale concerning exorcism. From my previous experiences with Catholic
priests, I can’t recall their language being quite as colourful, but hey the
world’s moved on since I was a boy! Fierce and funny!
4 from 5
The author was kind enough to send me a copy of this for a
read.
I've had only a brush with horror fiction and I might look this one up, especially as it promises some humour too. The title would tempt most readers to pick up the book and read the synopsis and probably even buy it. Good choice, Col.
ReplyDeleteThe humour definitely softens the horror, in fact they are probably more comedic than horrific, with some industrial language and violence. Worth a look and I'd be keen to see how you get on with it. Very tongue in cheek pieces, I'd say.
DeleteCol - Oh, I do like the title of this one! And I have to say, I do like short story collections. They make for a nice alternative to longer novels at times.
ReplyDeleteMargot, thanks. It makes a change reading some shorts and kind of breaks things up a bit which helps me avoid getting mired or bogged down.
DeleteSo I got a bit confused, thought this was Gerald Brenan, a mid-20th century writer who was on the fringes of Bloomsbury and the Hemingway types, wrote about Spain a lot. Apparently not the same person.... But I do LOVE that title!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not your guy, Moira. I googled him and he did seem to live an interesting life. I don't think I will be reading him though.
ReplyDeleteHorror and short stories. I have no problem saying no to this. I am trying to decide if my husband might be interested. Although he has too many books to read too.
ReplyDeleteTracy, no problem. It would be boring if we all liked the dame thing
DeleteI sent my husband a link to this post and he did go buy Kindle versions of the book above and Fireproof.
DeleteTracy, does your husband blog and review? I hope he enjoys them both.
DeleteCol, he does not blog. He does very short, capsule reviews on Goodreads for most books he reads.
DeleteI might get more read if I tried that approach!
Delete