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"Horror is the genre
of the jolt, the shock, the spark. The horror
story's conflict is always a matter of life
and death, but death...almost always comes
too soon—that's why we fear it."
Michael A. Arnzen
And now readers have a new
reason to be afraid. One hundred new reasons!
Teacher's/Reader's
Guide Now Available
What People Are Saying
About 100 Jolts:
“…this collection will be a treasured favorite for any collector of horror literature and indispensable reference material for any writer, horror genre or not.”
—The Horror Library
"The impact of each
of these devastating tales is incredible,
out of proportion to the brevity of the
story…This book is like a little gift,
each page revealing a new present, a mini-story
told with more flair and style than most
novels."
—Verbicide
"If you crave a spin
down the surreal side, and if you already
love where horror poetry has come the last
few years, you will appreciate the twilight
zone between prose and poetry that Arnzen
navigates so well."
—William D.
Gagliani for Flesh & Blood
"The very brevity of
most of these pieces provides an experimental
freedom that more traditional narratives
wouldn't always allow for…The 100 stories
are bracketed by an introduction and a concluding
interview, but read them both first. They'll
give you some additional insight that should
help you further appreciate what Arnzen
is up to, in this celebration of the power
of reducing mortality and morbidity—and
their lighter sides—to their bare essences.
—Brian Hodge
for Hellnotes
"If you're a reader
you should have this, if you're a writer
you need this...Get it before they're gone!"
—Horror-Web
"Jaded horror veterans
would certainly welcome this book as a refreshing
change of pace from mass market factory
schlock. If you see this book, grab it,
and give yourself a jolt."
—Creature Corner
"On and on the jolts
go in an avalanche of ideas and wordplay
and brutal imagery that is sure to shock
or titillate even the most jaded of readers…All
of the one hundred stories presented here
are entertaining. A number of them are classics.
Michael Arnzen should be proud of what he
has accomplished. 100 Jolts is the
creation of a very talented writer at the
top of his game and will undoubtedly find
itself on a number of awards lists this
coming year. Highly recommended."
—ChiZine
"Each of his pieces
will jar you out of any comfort zone you
might be, well, comfortably reclining in,
as well as possibly jolting the last meal
out of your stomach and, especially, disturbing
your mind as it tries to figure out just
how he created such compact and hard-hitting
pieces of gore."
—Heather Cox
for BellaOnline
"100 Jolts is
an absolute top-notch collection, but the
title is a misnomer: There may be 100 stories,
but there are far more than 100 jolts packed
within these pages. Arnzen manages to cram
an amazing amount of creativity, horror,
and dark humor into such short pieces. "Resonant
Eyes" is one of the most brilliant
stories I've ever read, and it's one freakin'
paragraph! This book is dark, mean, unapologetically
horrific, and it's obvious that Arnzen had
a huge grin on his face the entire time
he was writing it!"
—Jeff Strand,
author of Single White Psychopath Seeks
Same
"With great skill, Arnzen
has honed each of these stories down to
its essence. You often hear writers describe
the story-writing process as a great labor
in which each word has so much significance
and impact that it must be chosen with a
jeweler's eye. Arnzen has refined that method
to the point that every word is not just
important, it's pivotal. In these stories,
single words convey worlds of meaning. Arnzen
could probably find a way to scare us with
punctuation…Time may thaw the plot,
but it doesn't diminish the impact these
tales have. Some of them will stay with
you longer than many novels."
—Horror World
Book Reviews
"There is, without question,
plenty of ghoulishness and gore among the
collection to appease the appetites of the
Cliver Barkerites and Stephen Kingalongs.
It's in the most unpredictable ways, however,
that Arnzen most titillates and humors us...just
the sort of jolt the mainstream genre needs
right now."
—Trevor
Dodge
"...stories short enough
to fit on a postcard requires an economy
with language that borders on vicious."
—Flashquake
"Michael Arnzen's writing
is a tremendous amount of fun to read, and
horror enthusiasts everywhere should pick
up a copy of 100 Jolts....This book
is great if you only have a few minutes
to read during the morning commute or if
you have an hour to read every story in
succession. I'm sure if you're like me you'll
be groaning in disgust, looking over your
shoulder in fear, and smiling with enjoyment
all at the same time."
—SpecFicMe
"Simply stated, there's
nothing like this collection of ultra-short
fiction. Arnzen continually impressed me
with his punchy narrative style and endless
images of grue, gore, and gristle. An evening
with this book will leave you feeling like
you've been gutted like a dead fish and
hung out to dry."
—Tom Monteleone,
author of The Blood of the Lamb
"Avant-horror is all
about trespass (of narrative limits, of
readerly expectations, of social decorum)
and all about the disruption of what our
culture thinks it needs to repress in order
to remain whole and functioning. In these
100 wild-eyed fictive concentrates, Michael
A. Arnzen, the wizard of outré, asks
our culture to think again. And again."
—Lance Olsen,
author of Hideous Beauties
"100 Jolts delivers
far more than is promised by its title;
with this magnificent collection of literate
and disturbing short-shorts, some which
are among the darkly funniest I've ever
read, Arnzen can rightfully claim his place
as the Donald Barthelme of horror. This
book is a remarkable achievement."
—Gary A. Braunbeck,
author of In Silent Graves and Graveyard
People
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