120 MURDERS: DARK FICTION INSPIRED BY THE ALTERNATIVE ERA edited by Nick Mamatas (Radar Books, April 8, 2025) Paperback, 406 pages. ISBN # 9798991258739
My Four Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .
Being a long-time music enthusiast, when I saw the announcement for this anthology I pre-ordered it from this small press publisher immediately. The title made it hard to resist.
The synopsis on the back cover sums it up best . . . . .
Whether things to an overnight college radio shift or cable pumping flickering videos into TVs across America, the music of the alternative era was the soundtrack to our lives, and sometimes our deaths. 120 MURDERS is an anthology of power chord crimes and keyboard horrors - - the best noir, dark fantasy and transgressive fiction from writers inspired by grunge, goth, ska, synth pop, and every eclectic sound of the alternative era.
If I take a mathematical approach to this anthology, the total of my ratings for 22 stories comes out to 3.34, which is slightly above meeting expectations. However, across 22 stories there are bound to be some that don't resonate with the readers. I rated 7 of these 4 stars (31.8%) and 6 of them at 3.5 stars (27.2%). For me, that makes this a solid collection and definitely worth a read for those higher-rated stories.
Most of the offerings are crime or slice-of-life, with few exceptions. "Superstition" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is dark fantasy and one of the stand-outs in this collection. Other favorites were "Land Of The Glass Pinecones" by Michael Marano, "All My Life" by Meg Gardiner, "Never Let Me Down" by Brian Francis Slattery, "Tornado Mother" by Libby Cudmore, "Do It" by Paul Tremblay, and "The Best In Basement Radio" by Molly Tanzer. These stories all stood out to me for either their inventiveness, the style of storytelling, or because the tale provoked some emotion/reactions in me.
If you'd like to know more specifics about these stories, please read my notes below. As I read the stories, I've been listening to the songs they are based on, trying to imagine the story within the song.
*********** NOTES ***************
HOW SOON IS NOW by Cara Hoffman A very short story. A quirky romantic relationship. Inspired by "How Soon Is Now?" The Smiths. THREE AND ONE-QUARTER STARS.
EQUATIONS FOR A FALLING BODY by Jeff Chon Detectives arrive at a murder/suicide crime scene and muse on the laws of gravity. Inspired by "Fall On Me" by REM. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
EXTRA MIDNIGHT by Zandra Renwick A adult reviews photos and remembers a teenage punk-rock lifestyle romance. Sad and effective. Based on "Punk Rock Girl" by The Dead Milkmen. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
LITTLE MASCARA by Jason Ridler A eulogy of sorts by an underground DJ and band manager for the deceased lead singer of Lost & Found, also his lover. I felt this story got a little off track. Inspired by "Little Mascara" by the Replacements. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
WENDY, GROWING UP by Veronica Schanoes The challenge and potential abuses facing foster children as seen through the eyes of a young woman comparing her situation to Cinderella and Wendy (Peter Pan) - - and a more decisive outcome. Inspired by "Miss World" by Hole. THREE AND ONE-QUARTER STARS.
SEE AMERICA by Todd Grimson An intriguing nine-page snapshot of a post-apocalypse world where the only survivors appear to be robot/android/cyborg. The narrator entraps and kidnaps a young punk and takes him/it on a highway journey, kind of a tour of a dilapidated America. Why? The premise of the story is unclear and the author provides no context. It just ends. Inspired by "Slammers" by Cabaret Voltaire. TWO STARS.
WE'VE BEEN HAD by Alex Jennings A rambling reflection on music, playing in a band, childhood friendship, racial prejudice, former slave locations, that suddenly takes a turn into horror near the end. I didn't mind because the writing was powerful and compelling Inspired by "We've Been Had" by The Walkmen, which had a profound effect on the author. As the narrator of the story concludes "The Walkmen were right. Nostalgia is bullshit. We can't comfort ourselves with the past because the past is a lie, It's not just us, it's not just Black people who are trapped by it We are all locked together, wrestling against angels." THREE STARS.
"HIDE AND SEEK" BY SWANN by Josh Malerman Bradford Swann and his mother were abandoned by his father at an early age. Now, when Bradford's rock band gets a break-through hit his father suddenly contacts him and wants a meeting. His mother warns him, so he's cautious but the outcome takes an abrupt twist. Malerman is a born story-teller. I've never read anything by him that I didn't like. Inspired by "Peek-A-Boo" by Siouxsie And The Banshees. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD by William Boyle Crime/slice-of-life in Brooklyn 1991. Gritty and realistic. Great story-telling. A woman working in a bar has to contend with a harassing brother-in-law who was just abandoned by her sister. This has an ending of sorts, but I wasn't satisfied. I wanted the story to go on. Inspired by "Just Like Fire Would" by The Saints. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
LAND OF THE GLASS PINECONES by Michael Marano I generally don't like stories written in second person. I like tales where I can empathize with the main (and sometimes secondary) character. When I'm reading something that refers to the reader as "you" it's more difficult when I don't have a single life experience in common with the character. However, the lush imagery and sometimes poetic verse within this story held my attention and kept me reading.
Two friends/former lovers have seen better days. The narrator (you) is a former musician, now a homeless person sleeping under Charles River bridges in Boston. The other is a somewhat famous artist/tatoo maker who is dying in a hospital. This is a remembrance of better days and challenges handled together.
"Your Gulit steps into you, the way a man would step into a long coat held by a someone else." Inspired by "Land of the Glass Pinecones" by Human Sexual Response. FOUR STARS.
ALL MY LIFE by Meg Gardiner A penniless victim of text message crypto-scamming gets retribution after it is too late. Sad and moving. Inspired by "All My Life" by The Foo Fighters. FOUR STARS.
NEVER LET ME DOWN by Brian Francis Slattery A friendship/romance between two school buddies is challenged when they stumble across a ruthless drug gang with family connections. Gritty but satisfying. Inspired by "Never Let Me Down Again" by Depeche Mode. FOUR STARS.
SACRED MEATS by Jeffrey Ford Saddled with a listless husband, a disgruntled wife takes action in an abrupt fashion. The title provides a grim twist at the end. Inspired by "TV Party" by Black Flag. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
NEVER FORGET by Elena Mauli Shapiro A man awakens in the intensive care unit of a hospital and recalls the events of 9/11, how he survived by inhaled white ash - - followed by his memories of divorce, thoughts on 9/11 jumpers, opinions on 9/11 media coverage, etc. More of a snapshot, slice-of-life, point-of-view than a story with a conclusion, meaning I'm less satisfied with this. Inspired by "4th Of July" by Soundgarden. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
HOUSE MEETING by Chris L. Terry A down-on-his-luck grocery worker becomes the newest renter with six others, all members of an anarchist group. He gets mixed up in a bank robbery but has a surprise of his own to reveal. Starts out as a crime story, and then takes a turn into a different genre. Inspired by "Time Bomb" by Rancid.THREE STARS.
SUPERSTITION by Silvia Moreno-Garcia An enchanting fantasy thriller about an agency that decommissions magical fetishes. Inspired by "I Think I'm Paranoid" by Garbage. FOUR STARS.
TORNADO MOTHER by Libby Cudmore A disturbing and sad tale about moving back home to care for an invalid mother suffering from Alzheimers and learning of a depressing family secret. Inspired by "Talula" by Tori Amos.FOUR STARS
THE SHOW MUST GO ON by Cyan Katz A rock musician believes they are immortal, so why not use drugs to excess and take chances with your car driving, etc? Several resurrections wherein the main character meets famous people, including Timothy Leary (how appropriate). A little too rambling for me, with an inconclusive ending. Inspired by the Filth Pig album by Ministry.TWO STARS
DO IT by Paul Tremblay "It's early March 1993, and Generation X sorely needs an antihero." High schooler Kelly G is plain, introverted, and doesn't seek friendship until the day a cocky burly senior approaches her under the guise of friendship. What he really wants is to pump her for information because he intends to rob the pizza shop that she works at on weekends.
She's wise to him and makes plans in the event that something actually occurs, which it does. In true Paul Tremblay fashion ("I've read much of his work, and have dubbed him the Master of Ambiguity) the story ends at a climatic point, leaving it up to readers to choose what happens next. Still, he's a great story-teller and has an engaging style. Inspired by "Do It' by The Buzzcocks. FOUR STARS.
A SLASHER COZY by Selena Chambers Despite the misleading title, this is one of the few stories in this collection with an element of horror, being a tattered doll possessing a demon and found by two teen girls who compete for access to it - all to detrimental results. Inspired by "He's My Thing" by Babes In Toyland. THREE STARS.
LOVE WILL TEAR ME APART by Maxim Jakubowski A sad crime story involving two lonely people who never meet until they do, but not in optimal conditions. One is a hitman who has a reputation with a specialty in killing women. The other is a recent college graduate who can't find work in her field and has to work as a pole-dancer in order to make the high cost of rent in NYC. She becomes the girlfriend of a ruthless criminal figure. Inspired by "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Joy Division.THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
THE BEST IN BASEMENT RADIO by Molly Tanzer A slice-of-life, true crime story with the author as narrator, based on her college experience where a prank turns deadly. Full of pop culture references, the author admits that "not everything in this story is true." However, she has a knack for enhancing the events to make them seem very realistic, so I'm not sure what is false. Inspired by "Only In Dreams" by Weezer. FOUR STARS.
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