Disclaimer: This is a review of an anthology, and as such, there may be minor spoilers. The subject matter of today’s critique is also provocative and disturbing in nature. For those wanting to keep their lunch, viewer discretion is advised.
Have you ever imagined a story that didn’t focus on worldbuilding or drama, but rather one with the express purpose of making you vomit?
Well, if you haven’t heard of it before, the latest entry in Tales to Make You Vomit, titled Gruesome Futures, is dedicated to just that. Helmed by author J. Manfred Weichsel, along with the writing talent of Misha Burnett, Max Gunssler, and Todd Love, this lowbrow anthology comes with three (technically four) tales that will leave you thoroughly nauseated and disturbed.
It’s also kind of brilliant.
Gruesome Futures follows a group of astronauts as they land on the moon for the second time in history. Only in this instance, they detect a strange disturbance leading them to an abandoned library, one that’s tended to by a zombie librarian. (Still following so far?) The earth, it seems, is under imminent danger by her erratic demands, and the only way to save the planet is by doing what she wants: reading a collection of vile, revolting stories without vomiting.
It’s an intriguing setup to say the least. And make no mistake, if we’re discussing subject matter, these tales are not for the faint of heart. Every dirty trick in the book is used to a nigh comical degree here. Content such as excessive gore, rape, body horror, cannibalism, and more are explored with one purpose in mind: to make you retch.
This is both the book’s greatest strength, not to mention why it’s a tougher sell for yours truly.
The first story, It Only Hurts When I Swallow by Misha Burnett, deals with a man who’s committed a mysterious crime, and is now condemned to be routinely overstuffed with a fatty liquid substance. It’s easy to imagine how this plays to a lot of fears with gluttony (hell, he’s even referred to as “piggy” at several points). All the while, the spiteful relationship between himself, his domineering ex-wife, and her new girlfriend show us an interesting parody of the American divorce court.
The tale is more speculative instead of focusing on a complete narrative. And within that context, I believe it’s a frightening satire of the law twisted against the individual.
The second short, The Rape and Annihilation of Babe Babalonia by Max Gunssler, is without a doubt the most controversial of the bunch. Here we follow Babe Babalonia, a female wrestler who wants to make it big within her field. The only problem is that her career involves being routinely violated by other wrestlers, managers, and/or aliens.
If all of this sounds just the slightest bit uncomfortable, well, that’s because it is. Frankly speaking, many of the scenes in this particular yarn put series like Berserk to shame, with its commitment to sexploitation and raw shock value. There is a method to the madness, and out of all three stories, this is arguably the most conventional one in terms of story structure. Whether that justifies the harsher material, however, is entirely up to you.
Last but not least, our final tale, The Secret on Subfloor 82 of Serenity Station by Todd Love, focuses on a band of sci-fi ex-soldiers. Their mission: break free and take over the space station that’s holding them prisoner.
This is perhaps the mildest of all three shorts, but don’t let that fool you, dear reader. There were still a number of sequences that made this reviewer just a little nauseous. That said, there’s some really intriguing ideas with this one; think of it like The Shawshank Redemption meets Event Horizon, and you’ll begin to see what kind of potential this premise has. It isn’t perfect by any stretch, but I did enjoy my time while reading.
So what do all of these tales have in common? Well, none are afraid to be grotesque and disturbing to the absolute extreme, and nothing is held off from evoking that one emotion. I’m honestly not sure whether to scold or compliment the authors for executing it so skillfully. On a technical level, the writing is superb across the board. The subject material is decidedly lowbrow, but the way in which each narrative is told, along with how Weichsel weaves it all together, makes for something unique.
On the other hand, I cannot recommend this for a casual reading experience.
As for criticisms, there are few I can give that don’t amount to some variation of nitpicking. I guess one issue I had was that the ending for The Secret on Subfloor 82 of Serenity Station felt a little abrupt, as it transitioned from gruesome and horrifying into one of my least favorite plot devices. I understand what Love was going for, but at least for me personally, I’m not sure it really worked from a conclusion standpoint.
On top of this, I think The Rape and Annihilation of Babe Babalonia could have done with a little more care around the climax, particularly in how Babe overcomes her enemy. Just a bit of foreshadowing could have added a lot to what was already there. As it stands, it’s one of the few areas that leans hard into “deus ex machina” territory.
Relatively small critiques aside, I do recommend this book, but with a heavy asterisk. The style and prose are second-to-none in the way of personality and shock value, and if that’s what you’re looking for, I think you’ll have a wonderfully disturbing time. However, for those seeking a more conventional (or slightly more comfortable) reading experience, I would probably advise looking elsewhere.
You can check out Gruesome Futures here. If you would like to learn more about J. Manfred Weichsel, Misha Burnett, Max Gunssler, and Todd Love, you can find them all on Twitter. Weichsel also has a website, where he gives regular updates on his own projects and collaborations.
Another great review :D
Thank you for the great review!!!