Book Review - Dead Bitch Army by Andre Duza

Let me start by saying that I really like the concept. I have read authors that are hit or miss. I have read books that are hit or miss. But I have never read chapters that are hit or miss...until I read Dead Bitch Army. There are parts that are so stimulating that I could not peel my eyes away, yet there were parts that were so dry that they repelled my eyes like a magnetic field of blah. The "interesting" thing is that the intriguing bits aren't always the same type of scene. At one point there is an interesting fight scene, at another point there is a suspenseful sit-and-wait scene, there is even an instance of a long conversation in a restaurant about a topic that I disagree should be in the book entirely; yet all of these were engaging scenes. Then, there were scenes that should have held my attention. The content was there, but the heart was not. It seemed as if he had a great story that wasn't quite long enough, so he wrote the same story again, this time dry. Then he shuffled the two together. Andre Duza can be (and possibly is) a great writer. I regret that this is the first of his books that I read, but I will definitely read more Duza. I wouldn't feel comfortable with this rating without giving him another try.

Another reason that I had to rate this book lower than I normally would is the editing. Their are misspellings, misuse of words, and even incomplete sentences. These are issues that aren't necessarily the author's fault. They are in the book nonetheless, and this is a book review, not an author review. I have been informed since originally reviewing this book that there are multiple versions; one more edited than the other. I evidently ended up with the original, less edited version, so you may end up with a better copy than I did. In all, the book itself was somewhat entertaining, but somewhat difficult to get through with the editorial mistakes.

2.5/5

Jeremy Robert Johnson Reviews

Jeremy Robert Johnson is amazing. He is one of the best authors I've ever read and a really nice guy. After having read three of Jeremy Robert Johnson's books, he has surpassed almost every other author on my favorites list. Which, until recently, had not changed in about seven years. He has gone above William S. Burroughs and Kurt Vonnegut. He has risen to the top, and he may very well stay there forever. He will be shelved among the greats. He is a literary genius. His words paint pictures that will make you laugh. They will make you cry. And they will make you want to tear your eyes out. And you will be glad you did, because you will know that the last thing you ever read was the pinnacle of literature.

We Live Inside You is a collection of short stories, some of which will make you want to crawl right out of your skin and watch from a distance. At once enthralling and grotesque. These stories will leave you wondering what is actually going on inside you. Just don't wonder too much late at night. You may not be able to sleep it off.

Angel Dust Apocalypse is another of Jeremy's collections. The imagery is sharp and beautiful. Some of these stories will leave you with a hole in your heart, others will leave you with a hole in your brain. Angel Dust Apocalypse is deeply original.

Extinction Journals is a Novella that is a continuation of The Sharp Dressed Man at the End of the Line, a short story from Angel Dust Apocalypse. The novella can stand alone, so The Sharp Dressed Man at the End of the Line does not need to be read first. Extinction Journals takes place in a post-apocalyptic world and the protagonist is a man named Dean who is wearing a suit made of live cockroaches.

Each of these books deserves five out of five stars, two thumbs up, and a large trophy. I can't wait to see what Skullcrack City has in store.

First Experience

Bizarro is a more than just a genre. It is often a group of people that can be labeled as a family. And like being a family, we don't choose who our bizarro brothers and sisters are. Unlike a family however, we haven't always been bizarros. We had to come from somewhere. So where did you come from? How did you get here? What was your first bizarro experience and why did you stick around? If you would like to tell us how you came to be, answer in the comments section. As for me:

I'm in the Air Force. Oklahoma City. 0730 hours. Ready for PT. Physical Training. Sun still low in the sky. I'm talking to Airman SomeDumbFuck and from ten feet behind me I hear, "...a labotomized torso. And he fucks her. Then he fucks all the other torsos once a month. He gets them pregnant, and every month there is a new baby. "

"Wait a second. What's this?" Is my piqued interest response. I knew that this kind of thing is the push that literature needed.

"Edward Lee," replies my NCOIC (Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge.)

"I have to read this," I'm sure I blurted this way too enthusiastically. I hadn't really noticed yet, but before I even arrived, the group surrounding the NCOIC was disgusted. Distraught even. The shock factor was what the NCOIC had in mind. The looks I got after my enthusiastic response were priceless.

Soon, smoke breaks with the NCOIC transform from Evaluation Performance Reports to tales and reviews of extreme horror (I prefer the term "splatterpunk") and the bizarre. We make new stories and story ideas as we in- and exhale. Weave new webs of malice and mayhem and what-ifs. Oh, the what-ifs... My mind, nay, my life, changed forever. For the better? Probably not.

I am forever indebted should forever shun this evil man that has perverted my mind with baby Jesuses that thrive inside assholes, people with fishbowls (including the fish) for heads, strippers that strip off their skin, clowns that give away coupons to fighters, vaginas that are haunted. It's all in there. I can never get it out. And that makes me happy.