Badass Horror will bitch-slap you in the face, kick you in the teeth, and burn cigarette holes in your couch. These seven stories, written by some of the finest writers of modern fiction, will dull the pain that Hubert Selby Jr.'s death left in your bitter heart.
I have added a fresh batch of recent short stories to the literature section of the site. Ideal for a lunch-time quickie.
Better than a poke in the eye, right?
Site Updates
Added on: 14 Aug 2009
Gerard is in the process of updating the content on this site. You may notice that he will soon stop referring to himself in the third person. Nobody believes that he has hired somebody to write this guff for him anyway.
"Mick Halpin offends snooty critics by offering reviews that non-intellectuals will groove to. UNRULY REVIEWS. The rules of proper diction can bite my ass."
After reviewing PODCE, the man took the time to interview Gerard. Get on over there and have a look.
Critical Mick on PODCE
Added on: 06 Apr 2008
"Gerard-Brennan's first publication, Possession, Obsession and a Diesel Compression Engine, squashes the mad side of Belfast down into a pamphlet small enough to be hidden between the pages of almost any other book. Any snooty black turtlenecks will deduce you are engaged in superior contemplation of recondite criticism, when in fact your clever boots are kicked up on a joyrider tour through the funhouses of Northern Ireland."
"If Robert Rankin was from Northern Ireland and had been reading a lot of R. Scott Taylor and Paulo Coelho, PODCE is the book he would write."
"The freshness of the voice in this collection of stories is very welcome, as is the cut-throat pace with which the action happens. These are not sprawling tales of morality and comeuppance, rather these are punch to the groin (in some cases literally) bits of story where everybody needs to be on their toes, the reader included."
Gerard has just launched a new blog. Crime Scene NI is primarily devoted to the post-Troubles boom in Northern Irish crime fiction, and is also highly interested in all Irish, Euro and international crime fiction.
Although Gerard has developed a high opinion of himself and his work, it actually is worth a look. His story, Pool Sharks, which appears in the 2006 horror-crime fiction anthology, BADASS HORROR, has met with some very positive reviews.
What happens when you’re challenged to a game of pool to the death? You drink some more whiskey and whoop their asses. This was an excellent story with fantastic pace and atmosphere, and solid characters.
What I liked about this story is that it felt real; I was there on the pool table, feeling every lash and the action and dialogue didn't seem contrived.
This story just oozes gritty violence. I loved it from the first page to the last. The author has no qualms over explicit details and language. It’s harsh, aggressive and bites the reader in punishment for opening the cover without asking nicely. A suitable opener. This is Badass.
What originally sold me on the anthology was Gerard Brennans "Pool Sharks" - a story about a night playing pool that turns violent. Brennan has an ability to pack a lot of action into very few words. It reminded me of the scaled down, back-to-the-basics, lets kill the 5 hour guitar solo once and for all aesthetic of 70s punk. Brennan doesnt waste time on meaningless characterization or cliché atmosphere. He says what he has to say and moves on and the overall effect is extremely powerful
