Relentless. That’s the word that best describes Nate Southard’s writing in “Just Like Hell,” his first release with Deadite Press. While many authors are praised for their ability to take a story “from 0 to 60” in a few seconds, Southard starts at 60 miles an hour and then accelerates. The stories in this collection, particularly the first four, come at the reader with the speed and violence of a shotgun blast. Two pages into the book, something becomes very clear: there will be blood.
The collection kicks off with “Just Like Hell,” a story of hate, homophobia, sadism, envy and broken friendships. The narrative starts with Dillon Campbell gasping for air in the trunk of a car. Dillon, a young football player with a ton of talent and scholarships opening the door to a better future, is chocking on a rag and freaking out. His lover, Randy, is crumpled and unconscious underneath him. The situation is the aftermath of Kevin, Slug and Toby, once Dillon’s friends and teammates, finding out Dillon is gay. While the story packs enough violence, sex and hatred to make any reader cringe, the underlying themes of jealousy, desire and homophobia put the tale on a different level and make it a must read. By the time Dillon gets his hand on an axe, the reader is emotionally drained and rooting for some blood. Southard manages to make murderous revenge the only fair and acceptable ending.
“A Team Building Exercise,” the second story in the book, shoots the business world full of steroids and amphetamines, gives it a few guns and sets it loose on itself. The result is a uniquely brutal, highly entertaining action-packed narrative that reads like an action/horror movie set in Wall Street. Just like the first tale, the prose here is fast and unyielding, keeping the action going at a frenetic pace that grabs the reader like one of the tentacles in the story. The deadly resolution fits perfectly with the story, but then Southard puts a spin on the story that’s impossible to foresee and which speaks volumes about his writing chops.
“Miss Kenner and Me” is the third story in the book and it’s one of those pieces of literature that stick with you long after the reading is over. Infatuation and extreme anxiety were never as deadly as in Southard’s capable hands. The author manages to turn suburban normalcy into a psychological study of a youngster who’s a prisoner of an obsession and who spirals down into a bloody hole where more than one body will hit the ground. The resolution, which again takes a turn as sharp as a scalpel, will get a chuckle out of a few readers.
The fifth tale, titled “Senorita,” reads like a short film by Quentin Tarantino based on a Joe. R Lansdale script while simultaneously being all Southard. This grimy love story packs as much violence as the previous three but has an air of loneliness and desperation that somehow manages to surpass even that of “Miss Kenner and Me.” Creepy, sad, cool, gory and wrapped in an aura of righteousness comparable to that of Travis Bickle’s in “Taxi Driver.” This weird tale should de turned into a film soon.
The last tale of the collection is titled “Work Pit Four,” a tale of hard work in which the lack of a sense of purpose hangs heavy in the atmosphere. While this one is a slight departure from the thematic and style of the preceding tales, it offers a welcome respite and gives the reader a glimpse into Southard’s undeniable versatility.
I highly recommend you get your hands on a copy of “Just Like Hell” as soon as possible. My hope is that Deadite Press puts more of Southard’s work out there soon.
– Gabino Iglesias
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
