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Slush
Four young boys pick up a coin and welcome its curse. A sweet romance ends in a shallow grave to be revisited again and again. A girl's field hockey team exacts revenge on their coach and her dreaded 'whistle of the damned'. Parker Stephens discovers that some paths are not safe to walk after sunset.
In these twelve dark and powerful tales, Glenn Rolfe, author of The Haunted Halls and Boom Town, welcomes you to the dark side.
Take his hand and slip into the shadows...
Edited by Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi
Cover Art by Jason Lynch, Cover design by Glenn Rolfe
In these twelve dark and powerful tales, Glenn Rolfe, author of The Haunted Halls and Boom Town, welcomes you to the dark side.
Take his hand and slip into the shadows...
Edited by Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi
Cover Art by Jason Lynch, Cover design by Glenn Rolfe
100 pages, ebook
First published October 30, 2014
33 people are currently reading
252 people want to read
About the author
Glenn Rolfe
72 books629 followersGlenn Rolfe is a singer, songwriter, and author of over eighteen books. He has studied Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University, toured in a minivan with his punk rock friends, played the Hard Rock Cafe in Denver, hosted a radio show at Bates College, and dreams of surfing in the Pacific Ocean one day with his future pet goat.
He loves the books of Stephen King, Brian Keene, Ronald Malfi, Jack Ketchum, and Richard Laymon, the music of Bruce Springsteen, Oasis, Pre-Reputation Taylor Swift, Kiss, and Billy Joel, and soaking in the sun and eating pier fries at Old Orchard Beach.
His kids love him despite his weirdness, so who could ask for more?
He is hard at work on many more books and songs.
Stay tuned!
He is the author of When the Night Falls, Until Summer Comes Around, August's Eyes, Blood and Rain, The Window, and more. Stay tuned for his next thrilling Maine horror novel, The Siren of Groves Peak (2026)
Richard Chizmar, New York Times and USA Today Best Selling-Author of Gwendy’s Button Box, says of Rolfe’s Blood and Rain: “A wonderful throwback to the fun and bloody days of paperback horror glory!”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
November 15, 2022
This was my first outing with Glenn Rolfe, and it won’t be my last
Slush is a collection of horror stories, poetry and prose, and considering I don’t usually like collections or anthologies, I was pretty impressed with it all.
My favourite story is the first in the book called ‘Skull of Snakes’ and is about a cursed coin, which once belonged to a Native American Tribe, and is found by a group of kids, who each in turn, meets a grisly end.
There is something for everyone in this book, and I for one will be reading more from Mr Rolfe.
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Slush is a collection of horror stories, poetry and prose, and considering I don’t usually like collections or anthologies, I was pretty impressed with it all.
My favourite story is the first in the book called ‘Skull of Snakes’ and is about a cursed coin, which once belonged to a Native American Tribe, and is found by a group of kids, who each in turn, meets a grisly end.
There is something for everyone in this book, and I for one will be reading more from Mr Rolfe.
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
November 17, 2016
Slush is a collection of short horror and dark fiction and the forward to the stories tantalizes:
These stories will make you feel real, feel alive, feel creeped out, feel entertained, BUT the key word here is FEEL.
Most books only succeed in making me feel bored, aggravated or frustrated or nothing at all. So it was with no great amount fear that I turned the first page of Slush, afraid if it didn’t make me feel something that I may truly be dead inside.
So here goes.
Skull of Snakes
It’s the summer of ’89 and young Lennie and his pals have the whole summer ahead of them. On the way to a parade, Lennie picks up an old coin that is oddly decorated with a skull full of snakes. He drops it in his pocket and forgets about it. Then some very bad things begin to happen to those closest to Lennie and he remembers the coin and realizes that it may be cursed. Now his carefree summer will forever be marred by tragedy and loss. Note to self: don’t ever pick up that shiny penny, life is tough enough without tacking on a curse. Action drives this story and I would’ve preferred a few quieter moments for Lennie to catch his breath and process some of the grief. It could’ve been a tear-jerker but it wasn’t. 3.5 stars
Sweet Sixteen This is a disturbing short tale of first love and lost innocence. Love goes good until it’s not so good. Then horror ensues. All in the name of true love, of course. This story is kind of a screw you to fickle young love and one can almost feel for the boy, if he weren’t crazier than Norman Bates. Though very short, the opening paragraph gives it all away which was a bit of a letdown but I am the type who runs screaming from spoilers so you have to take that into consideration. 3.5 stars
Jackie Boy This story is gloriously grisly and one of my favorites in the collection. Jackie Boy has found a rather unique way to dispose of the rats bothering his beloved horse. Turns out Jackie is quite the resourceful, if very creepy, little man. This one is bursting with gory fun. I don’t know what this says about me but I loved it for its in-your-face, more than slightly disturbing, grossness. 5 stars
The Curse Five students plan revenge on their evil coach. Coach Haggis has managed to torment generations of teens with nary a complaint to administration. She’s a terrifying old bitch, I’ll give her that, but I found this mighty suspicious. From the Courtney Love lyrics I’m setting this smack in the 90’s when kids weren’t so helicoptered and tried my best to let it go (admittedly not my strongest point). Instead of telling anyone in authority about the abuse, they seek out the local hermit/rumored witch because, you know, that’s always a fantastic idea. She thrusts a be-spelled candle at them and sends them on their way. Revenge ensues. To be honest, this one wasn’t my favorite. I found it too predictable and the characters too stereotypical. Can’t win ‘em all, right? 2.5 stars
The Delicious Death of Parker Stevens Already creeped out after watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with a friend, Parker’s head definitely wasn’t in the right place to walk home alone through the woods. He starts hearing weird sounds and tries his best to shrug it off. This is one horror scenario where I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had run back to his friend’s house shrieking in terror.
Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz Just woodsy sounds. Perfectly normal.
Click, click, click Animals in the woods, he tells himself.
“Boy,” a raspy voice whispered. Uh oh, that’s probably not any species of animal he wants to meet in the dark!
“Boy,” she repeated. “Come to us.”
Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz And out of the woods the creatures come. . .
This one made me cringe in all the right places. It was deliciously evil just as promised. 4 stars
I’m In Here This one is terribly unsettling and manages to achieve that in only a few paragraphs. That’s all I’m saying. It made me feel sad (whew, guess my soul is still intact!). 4.5 Stars
Henry Oooo, here comes the body horror!
Poor Henry is 13 and suddenly stricken with a severe case of acne. He can’t dare face the girl of his dreams looking like a pus filled beast and decides to take drastic measures to remedy the situation. With His Daddy’s Shiny New Razor. Henry has no beard. Ponder that, if you will.
I had to actually look away from this story because I did not want to see what was coming. But then I looked again (the things I do for you people) and yep, it’s just as awful as you can imagine. 4.5 Stars
Something Lost This is a short tale of grief and the importance of musical memories. Not horror but very moving all the same. 4 Stars
Ballad of the Best-Selling Author A bitter horror fan/struggling writer butts heads with a smug hipster who has made a fortune peddling zombie tripe. The struggling novelist shows him the meaning of real horror and the comeuppance is kind of glorious. 4.5 stars
Candle Magic This is a super short rumination on the magical qualities of the candle. Not enough here to rate.
Flaws I did not enjoy this story. One day a man awakens with the urge to start snuffing out the lives of innocents.
Why and why now? I don’t rightly know. A bit more insight into his head would’ve made this go down easier. As written, we’re basically forced to watch him as he does terrible, horrible things to innocent creatures. I’d like to unread it, please. It was unpleasant and too dark and terrible even for the likes of me. 1.5 stars
Halloween Worm This story makes up for the last one. A young boy is coerced into helping the town bully get revenge against an old man who gave him a worm infested apple the previous Halloween. A nasty surprise awaits them. Pure gory fun and a great way to end the collection. 4.5 stars
So, yeah, these stories made me feel all sorts of things. Some good, some not so good and that’s why I read horror. Guess the soul is still intact for the moment.
*i received a copy of this collection for review for Horror After Dark.
These stories will make you feel real, feel alive, feel creeped out, feel entertained, BUT the key word here is FEEL.
Most books only succeed in making me feel bored, aggravated or frustrated or nothing at all. So it was with no great amount fear that I turned the first page of Slush, afraid if it didn’t make me feel something that I may truly be dead inside.
So here goes.
Skull of Snakes
It’s the summer of ’89 and young Lennie and his pals have the whole summer ahead of them. On the way to a parade, Lennie picks up an old coin that is oddly decorated with a skull full of snakes. He drops it in his pocket and forgets about it. Then some very bad things begin to happen to those closest to Lennie and he remembers the coin and realizes that it may be cursed. Now his carefree summer will forever be marred by tragedy and loss. Note to self: don’t ever pick up that shiny penny, life is tough enough without tacking on a curse. Action drives this story and I would’ve preferred a few quieter moments for Lennie to catch his breath and process some of the grief. It could’ve been a tear-jerker but it wasn’t. 3.5 stars
Sweet Sixteen This is a disturbing short tale of first love and lost innocence. Love goes good until it’s not so good. Then horror ensues. All in the name of true love, of course. This story is kind of a screw you to fickle young love and one can almost feel for the boy, if he weren’t crazier than Norman Bates. Though very short, the opening paragraph gives it all away which was a bit of a letdown but I am the type who runs screaming from spoilers so you have to take that into consideration. 3.5 stars
Jackie Boy This story is gloriously grisly and one of my favorites in the collection. Jackie Boy has found a rather unique way to dispose of the rats bothering his beloved horse. Turns out Jackie is quite the resourceful, if very creepy, little man. This one is bursting with gory fun. I don’t know what this says about me but I loved it for its in-your-face, more than slightly disturbing, grossness. 5 stars
The Curse Five students plan revenge on their evil coach. Coach Haggis has managed to torment generations of teens with nary a complaint to administration. She’s a terrifying old bitch, I’ll give her that, but I found this mighty suspicious. From the Courtney Love lyrics I’m setting this smack in the 90’s when kids weren’t so helicoptered and tried my best to let it go (admittedly not my strongest point). Instead of telling anyone in authority about the abuse, they seek out the local hermit/rumored witch because, you know, that’s always a fantastic idea. She thrusts a be-spelled candle at them and sends them on their way. Revenge ensues. To be honest, this one wasn’t my favorite. I found it too predictable and the characters too stereotypical. Can’t win ‘em all, right? 2.5 stars
The Delicious Death of Parker Stevens Already creeped out after watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with a friend, Parker’s head definitely wasn’t in the right place to walk home alone through the woods. He starts hearing weird sounds and tries his best to shrug it off. This is one horror scenario where I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had run back to his friend’s house shrieking in terror.
Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz Just woodsy sounds. Perfectly normal.
Click, click, click Animals in the woods, he tells himself.
“Boy,” a raspy voice whispered. Uh oh, that’s probably not any species of animal he wants to meet in the dark!
“Boy,” she repeated. “Come to us.”
Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz And out of the woods the creatures come. . .
This one made me cringe in all the right places. It was deliciously evil just as promised. 4 stars
I’m In Here This one is terribly unsettling and manages to achieve that in only a few paragraphs. That’s all I’m saying. It made me feel sad (whew, guess my soul is still intact!). 4.5 Stars
Henry Oooo, here comes the body horror!
Poor Henry is 13 and suddenly stricken with a severe case of acne. He can’t dare face the girl of his dreams looking like a pus filled beast and decides to take drastic measures to remedy the situation. With His Daddy’s Shiny New Razor. Henry has no beard. Ponder that, if you will.
I had to actually look away from this story because I did not want to see what was coming. But then I looked again (the things I do for you people) and yep, it’s just as awful as you can imagine. 4.5 Stars
Something Lost This is a short tale of grief and the importance of musical memories. Not horror but very moving all the same. 4 Stars
Ballad of the Best-Selling Author A bitter horror fan/struggling writer butts heads with a smug hipster who has made a fortune peddling zombie tripe. The struggling novelist shows him the meaning of real horror and the comeuppance is kind of glorious. 4.5 stars
Candle Magic This is a super short rumination on the magical qualities of the candle. Not enough here to rate.
Flaws I did not enjoy this story. One day a man awakens with the urge to start snuffing out the lives of innocents.
Why and why now? I don’t rightly know. A bit more insight into his head would’ve made this go down easier. As written, we’re basically forced to watch him as he does terrible, horrible things to innocent creatures. I’d like to unread it, please. It was unpleasant and too dark and terrible even for the likes of me. 1.5 stars
Halloween Worm This story makes up for the last one. A young boy is coerced into helping the town bully get revenge against an old man who gave him a worm infested apple the previous Halloween. A nasty surprise awaits them. Pure gory fun and a great way to end the collection. 4.5 stars
So, yeah, these stories made me feel all sorts of things. Some good, some not so good and that’s why I read horror. Guess the soul is still intact for the moment.
*i received a copy of this collection for review for Horror After Dark.
October 21, 2021
4 Stars
Skull of Snakes - 3.5 Stars A curse and teenagers. Let the games begin!
Sweet Sixteen - 3 Stars; for when first love goes all wrong. I swear, we read about this crap in the news all the time.
Jackie Boy - 3.5 Stars. Creepy kid, he's definitely going to be a serial killer. 🤢🤢🤮
The Curse - 4 Stars. This is another curse, and I felt a little triggered on this one. I hated gym, nevertheless, being on a sports team.
The Delicious Death of Parker Stephens - 3 Stars. A walk in the woods at night; seriously!!?? 😩🤦♀️🤦♀️
I’m in Here - 3.5. A huge fear for many.
Henry - 3 stars. Mental Illness in a teenage boy. Sad, really. If it was any longer, I would have cried.
Something Lost - 4 Stars. Grief
Ballad of the Best Selling Author - 4 Stars. Author vs fan; here, let me show you. Muahhahha
Candle Magic - 2.5 Stars. Huh?
Flaws - 3 Stars, I think. POS MC, wannabe serial killer??
Halloween Worm - 4.5 Stars. Bully vs the bullied and both vs the creepy guy. I really think this was my favorite.
Skull of Snakes - 3.5 Stars A curse and teenagers. Let the games begin!
Sweet Sixteen - 3 Stars; for when first love goes all wrong. I swear, we read about this crap in the news all the time.
Jackie Boy - 3.5 Stars. Creepy kid, he's definitely going to be a serial killer. 🤢🤢🤮
The Curse - 4 Stars. This is another curse, and I felt a little triggered on this one. I hated gym, nevertheless, being on a sports team.
The Delicious Death of Parker Stephens - 3 Stars. A walk in the woods at night; seriously!!?? 😩🤦♀️🤦♀️
I’m in Here - 3.5. A huge fear for many.
Henry - 3 stars. Mental Illness in a teenage boy. Sad, really. If it was any longer, I would have cried.
Something Lost - 4 Stars. Grief
Ballad of the Best Selling Author - 4 Stars. Author vs fan; here, let me show you. Muahhahha
Candle Magic - 2.5 Stars. Huh?
Flaws - 3 Stars, I think. POS MC, wannabe serial killer??
Halloween Worm - 4.5 Stars. Bully vs the bullied and both vs the creepy guy. I really think this was my favorite.
November 20, 2022
Story 5/5
Narration 5/5
I liked all the different stories, but my favorite his Flaws.
I recommend it.
Narration 5/5
I liked all the different stories, but my favorite his Flaws.
I recommend it.
January 14, 2020
I'm still kinda new to Glenn Rolfe's works. I downloaded this one to my phone and listened to it on my commute to and from work. I was hooked right away. Joe Hempel reads this book. I really, really like listening to him. He did a great job narrating these stories. Each of them are very original and different. I loved the first story about the cursed coin and the one about the hockey team!I liked this collection very much and can't wait to read or listen to more from Mr. Rolfe.
January 6, 2016
Glenn Rolfe is one of my favourite up and coming writers (and he seems like a pretty decent guy to boot), so I picked up Slush, his recent short collection of 12 tales, with no small amount of expectation. Regardless of this, like most collections of short fiction, I found a mixed group of tales, most of which I liked and some of which I thought were excellent, while others missed the mark for me.
To commence with those mark-missers, THE CURSE was a brave attempt at a supernaturally-fused revenge tale which tried to do too much in its run time and hence fell apart by story's end; THE DELICIOUS DEATH OF PARKER STEPHENS featured a largely irrelevant opening that failed to flesh out the titular character so I did not care about his demise, and the monsters were too random and seemed to exist "just because"; while poetry has never been my thing, so CANDLE MAGIC felt oddly out of context amongst the rest of the prose based works.
Which leaves nine tales that I found to be decent (SKULL OF SNAKES) to good (SOMETHING LOST) to downright excellent. To highlight those that fall into the latter category for me, the three tales featuring Rolfe writing from the POV of a deranged individual who is about to or already has committed murder are all top notch. SWEET 16 is the first of these and very effectively conveys the dark side of obsession, JACKIE BOY evokes some stomach-churning scenes on its way to giving life to a budding serial-killer, and FLAWS is one that will leave the reader needing to take a shower to get the sense of grimy creepiness off them. HENRY is another excellent tale that elicits shudders of repulsion in a relatively sparse number of pages, and though HALLOWEEN WORM ended a little abruptly, I enjoyed Rolfe's varied take on a bully forcing his target into helping him deal with a bigger fish.
A 75% hit rate isn't a bad return at all for someone who has always enjoyed longer works of fiction. So if dark, unsettling and occasionally nausea-inducing is your thing, grab a hold of Rolfe's Slush and prepare yourself for a satisfying night in.
3.5 Hungry, Hungry Worms for Slush.
To commence with those mark-missers, THE CURSE was a brave attempt at a supernaturally-fused revenge tale which tried to do too much in its run time and hence fell apart by story's end; THE DELICIOUS DEATH OF PARKER STEPHENS featured a largely irrelevant opening that failed to flesh out the titular character so I did not care about his demise, and the monsters were too random and seemed to exist "just because"; while poetry has never been my thing, so CANDLE MAGIC felt oddly out of context amongst the rest of the prose based works.
Which leaves nine tales that I found to be decent (SKULL OF SNAKES) to good (SOMETHING LOST) to downright excellent. To highlight those that fall into the latter category for me, the three tales featuring Rolfe writing from the POV of a deranged individual who is about to or already has committed murder are all top notch. SWEET 16 is the first of these and very effectively conveys the dark side of obsession, JACKIE BOY evokes some stomach-churning scenes on its way to giving life to a budding serial-killer, and FLAWS is one that will leave the reader needing to take a shower to get the sense of grimy creepiness off them. HENRY is another excellent tale that elicits shudders of repulsion in a relatively sparse number of pages, and though HALLOWEEN WORM ended a little abruptly, I enjoyed Rolfe's varied take on a bully forcing his target into helping him deal with a bigger fish.
A 75% hit rate isn't a bad return at all for someone who has always enjoyed longer works of fiction. So if dark, unsettling and occasionally nausea-inducing is your thing, grab a hold of Rolfe's Slush and prepare yourself for a satisfying night in.
3.5 Hungry, Hungry Worms for Slush.
July 21, 2015
*Review for audiobook version*
This one by Glen Rolfe started a bit slow for me and I was mildly worried that the collection may be a wee light, but after the first few stories it really started to take off and get darker. For some of the stories…a lot darker.
I listened to this one on audio and painted my entire bedroom while listening. While painting is not my bag, at least I was thoroughly entertained. At just a hair under 3 and a half hours it was timed perfectly too. The narrator did a great job and the voice fit perfectly with the characters while not over or underacting the heavier parts.
All 12 of the tales in here were written very well and the collection was evenly paced with short to super short stories that flowed together nicely. The standouts for me here were: Jackie Boy, Halloween Worm and The Ballad of the Best Selling Author.
Overall, a very enjoyable read (listen) with some very solid shorts and some genuine “eww” moments. I look forward to reading and/or listening to more from Mr. Rolfe. 4 Stars.
"This audiobook was provided by the narrator at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."
July 16, 2016
Glenn Rolfe, of BLOOD AND RAIN, WHERE NIGHTMARES BEGIN and a few others, is quickly becoming one of my favorites in the recent crop of newer horror authors. And with SLUSH, a collection of 12 short stories, Rolfe clearly shows he's quite adept at spinning horror tales from just a page or two to a dozen or more.
This nifty little dozen of dark delights spans from your classic revenge fantasy, with a ghoulish twist, to heart wrenching death, coming of age and teen angst, to glimpses into very twisted minds. There's something for everyone, but I enjoyed each and every one (having said that, one of my favorites dealt with a pompous author of zombie horror)...and you should definitely check this out!
Highly recommended!
This nifty little dozen of dark delights spans from your classic revenge fantasy, with a ghoulish twist, to heart wrenching death, coming of age and teen angst, to glimpses into very twisted minds. There's something for everyone, but I enjoyed each and every one (having said that, one of my favorites dealt with a pompous author of zombie horror)...and you should definitely check this out!
Highly recommended!
July 25, 2020
Title: Slush
Author: Glenn Rolfe
Synopsis: Four young boys pick up a coin and welcome its curse. A sweet romance ends in a shallow grave to be revisited again and again. A girl's field hockey team exacts revenge on their coach and her dreaded 'whistle of the damned'. Parker Stephens discovers that some paths are not safe to walk after sunset.
In these twelve dark and powerful tales, Glenn Rolfe, author of The Haunted Halls and Boom Town, welcomes you to the dark side.
Take his hand and slip into the shadows...
In these twelve dark and powerful tales, Glenn Rolfe, author of The Haunted Halls and Boom Town, welcomes you to the dark side.
Take his hand and slip into the shadows...
Publisher: Alien Agenda Publishing
I bought this book simply based on a booksta photo. This cover is insanely gore-geous. I don't normally enjoy short story collections and I had never read the author before, but fuck it!
Slush is a twelve story collection. As most collections do, some where meh, some were good, and a couple were WOW! "Jackie Boy" and "Ballad of the Best-Selling Author" were those stories for me. Let me start with those:
"He chewed and smiled, enjoying every slippery, slimy chunk before swallowing."
"Jackie Boy"
Totally gag-alicious.
A boy has a strange hunger that he can't satiate. This one made my eyes tear up and my gag reflex remind me who is boss. I loved it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Jackson said, 'You know why Stephen King steers clear of zombies?'
'Because he already wrote Cell?' Betrand said."
"Ballad of the Best-Selling Author"
I completely relate to Jackson. Zombie stories are overdone and often not done well. So this one surprised me a bit.
⭐⭐⭐⭐+.5 star for the LGBT+ rep!
Now I will rate each story in order they appear in the collection:
Skull of Snakes ⭐⭐⭐
A boy finds a cursed coin and death spreads. Not the most original of stories but still enjoyable.
Sweet 16 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gives credit to the phrase, I love you to death.
The Curse ⭐⭐⭐
Witches, Bullies, and Field Hockey! Oh MY!
The Delicous Death of Parker Stephens ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kids! Dinner is Ready! Side Note: never let someone's child walk home alone.
I'm in Here ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is the short version of my biggest fear. Creep factor to 11.
Henry ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ok wow. Does this method work for unwanted fat?
Something Lost ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This tugged at my heart strings a little ❤
Candle Magic ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Witchy vibes! I'm loving it!
Flaws ⭐⭐⭐.5
Well written. Horrible personal view of a killer. But I am confused on what his "flaws" were.
Halloween Worm ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A story of sweet, sweet revenge.
Overall score of 3.8 rounded up to 4!
Cover Art by Jason Lynch, Cover design by Glenn Rolfe
May 21, 2018
Well, Rolfe’s editor really likes him, provided a very enthusiastic preface to this collection of short stories. Then again this is an editor who, despite being in business for great many years, still produces books that don’t pluralize properly and use whose instead of who’s, so let’s take that opinion with caution. Rolfe’s quite enthusiastic about his writing too, you can just tell. Sadly the enthusiasm alone doesn’t translate into talent and these stories end up pretty mediocre. This is actually my second collection by the author and objectively speaking he has improved, marginally, but it is still missing that je ne sais quoi that separates great genre fiction from very average one. It’s done by the book as it were, using standard premises and good intentions, but it comes across mostly flat and uninspired somehow. The coming of age stories evoking that trendy Stranger Things nostalgia work ok actually, Ronald Malfi even served as a beta reader there…now if you want to read some great scares, check him out), but none of these tales have a twist or a pizazz or something that would make them stand out among tons of similar ones or particularly engage you or make you care and most of the thrills are of a low hanging fruit variety, certainly with enough guts and gore to warrant the title. And the freestyle poetry one was just…awkward in its clumsy sincerity. It’s decent enough for a genre devotee with low standards, was free and took up not more than 120 minutes tops, but for discriminating fans this collection leaves a lot to be desired. Underwhelming, very mildly entertaining trudge through…well, you know.
October 23, 2014
I received an ARC copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. And what a pleasure it was.
As a reader, there are a variety of factors that make a story resonate with me. Diverse characters, interesting plots, unusual twists, originality. However, one thing I love the most is when a story speaks to me on a personal level. You know the stories; the ones that remind you of certain, important moments in your life and take you back to a near-forgotten time when life was not all that great or, on the flip side, when life was amazing for a brief moment. Every person has that one place that we dare not revisit for risk of ruining the cherished memory...for me, it's my wasted youth...which is probably why Slush spoke to me on so many levels.
Slush - or slush, no capital S - is a collection of short stories, varying in size, that encapsulate many different themes. Some are poignant and some are dark and depressing, but all of them are excellent in their own right. The general theme is childhood, or the teen years; which is always ripe material for a horror author. Now, when Glenn Rolfe offered me an ARC for this book, I was slowly working my way through his novel, The Haunted Halls. I jumped on the chance because Rolfe has a writing style that I find very comfortable. It's easy to become immersed in his familiar worlds, sit down, and take the realistic characters at face value. In slush, this is the core of the writing, binding the shorts together in one tight, creative little bundle. It's on this canvas that Rolfe sketches his special blend of horror...and doesn't disappoint.
I know several of the characters contained within, and you will too. The bullying Physical Education teacher, the acne-ridden geek who wants nothing more than to have a clean, smooth complexion, and the popular girls who rally against anyone who opposes them. The characters are real and flawed, as teenagers should be. The adults don't fare much better, normally providing antagonistic foil in which to drive the stories along on a moral compass that sometimes wobbles from its natural course. In fact, as you work your way through the stories - all of which are original, heartfelt, emotional and, in some cases, outright shocking - you will feel a smile caress your lips and on several occasions, you will be thinking: Been there, done that, got the memory t-shirt. The stories are effortless engrained in many a childhood and Rolfe uses each different tale to chip away at those memory banks and provide a phenomenal reading experience.
One story gave me goosebumps. Not because it was scary as such - it was more familiar than terrifying for me - but because it helped me recall a stark moment in my teen years. As a youth, I had a terrible complexion and hated my reflection, to the degree it gave me a complex. I was willing to do anything to change this. One story nailed this on the head and it's as if Rolfe crawled into my brain and borrowed the memory, twisting it into a macabre short story. I couldn't help but smile, realising the author was touching a nerve that many teenagers will hesitantly remember. This writing style has made me an instant fan and I will continue to read this author going forward.
5* - A fantastic read. Teenage dilemmas are woven into simplistic, but genuine, horror tales. A guys first shave. The oppressive bully, both parental and educational. Acne. Ignorance and neglect. Jealousy. Familiar themes that every angst ridden teenager would have experienced at some point in their lives. Several stories stand out, but as a whole, this collection is essential reading for any horror fan. Rolfe crafts a mesmerising and realistic set of tales that will haunt, scare, buoy you with joy, and take you back to a simpler time when life was yet to kick you in the balls. Not so much slush as lush, a fictional, twisted trip down memory lane. Essential.
As a reader, there are a variety of factors that make a story resonate with me. Diverse characters, interesting plots, unusual twists, originality. However, one thing I love the most is when a story speaks to me on a personal level. You know the stories; the ones that remind you of certain, important moments in your life and take you back to a near-forgotten time when life was not all that great or, on the flip side, when life was amazing for a brief moment. Every person has that one place that we dare not revisit for risk of ruining the cherished memory...for me, it's my wasted youth...which is probably why Slush spoke to me on so many levels.
Slush - or slush, no capital S - is a collection of short stories, varying in size, that encapsulate many different themes. Some are poignant and some are dark and depressing, but all of them are excellent in their own right. The general theme is childhood, or the teen years; which is always ripe material for a horror author. Now, when Glenn Rolfe offered me an ARC for this book, I was slowly working my way through his novel, The Haunted Halls. I jumped on the chance because Rolfe has a writing style that I find very comfortable. It's easy to become immersed in his familiar worlds, sit down, and take the realistic characters at face value. In slush, this is the core of the writing, binding the shorts together in one tight, creative little bundle. It's on this canvas that Rolfe sketches his special blend of horror...and doesn't disappoint.
I know several of the characters contained within, and you will too. The bullying Physical Education teacher, the acne-ridden geek who wants nothing more than to have a clean, smooth complexion, and the popular girls who rally against anyone who opposes them. The characters are real and flawed, as teenagers should be. The adults don't fare much better, normally providing antagonistic foil in which to drive the stories along on a moral compass that sometimes wobbles from its natural course. In fact, as you work your way through the stories - all of which are original, heartfelt, emotional and, in some cases, outright shocking - you will feel a smile caress your lips and on several occasions, you will be thinking: Been there, done that, got the memory t-shirt. The stories are effortless engrained in many a childhood and Rolfe uses each different tale to chip away at those memory banks and provide a phenomenal reading experience.
One story gave me goosebumps. Not because it was scary as such - it was more familiar than terrifying for me - but because it helped me recall a stark moment in my teen years. As a youth, I had a terrible complexion and hated my reflection, to the degree it gave me a complex. I was willing to do anything to change this. One story nailed this on the head and it's as if Rolfe crawled into my brain and borrowed the memory, twisting it into a macabre short story. I couldn't help but smile, realising the author was touching a nerve that many teenagers will hesitantly remember. This writing style has made me an instant fan and I will continue to read this author going forward.
5* - A fantastic read. Teenage dilemmas are woven into simplistic, but genuine, horror tales. A guys first shave. The oppressive bully, both parental and educational. Acne. Ignorance and neglect. Jealousy. Familiar themes that every angst ridden teenager would have experienced at some point in their lives. Several stories stand out, but as a whole, this collection is essential reading for any horror fan. Rolfe crafts a mesmerising and realistic set of tales that will haunt, scare, buoy you with joy, and take you back to a simpler time when life was yet to kick you in the balls. Not so much slush as lush, a fictional, twisted trip down memory lane. Essential.
March 3, 2024
This was the first Glenn Rolfe book, but it will not be my last, these stories were excellent, well written, I could easily see most of these are 'Tales from the crypt episodes.
October 10, 2020
Updated as now live on STORGY
I use collections pretty much as a shopping list. And there is nothing I love more than the feeling of discovering what a new author (to me anyway) has to offer, and I find that through these collections I’ve found a great many writers that have now become a staples of my reading and bookshelves.
What we have here from Glenn Rolfe are 12 stories which cover a whole host of ideas and sub genres of horror, we’ve some that read like the B-movies of old, we’ve the dark and twisty, we’ve the down right disturbing and the horrific, whilst also having the peculiar and uncanny. It’s a deeply rich collection, but for me it was also a mixed collection too.
Glenn Rolfe comes to me as a highly recommended writer (thanks Janine Pipe and Joshua Marsella) and his book ‘Blood and Rain’ has been floating around my Twitter and Instagram feed for a while now, but I’m always one to pick up a short story collection first (if one is available) because if I pick up your novel and I’m not into it, I probably will be less likely to pick up other work when I see it. The caveat me picking up a collection first is that if I like some of the stories I might just be inclined to pick up other work from that author on that basis – to see what the author could do with a longer and more focused story.
And that is the case with Slush – there was enough here to make me want to discover more of Glenn Rolfe’s work and I’ll be picking up the highly recommended Blood and Rain soon.
So on with the review.
Skull of Snakes – here we have a very cool adolescent story where a group of friends discover a cursed coin and soon death and destruction follow like a tsunami. The story was pretty cool and brought to mind memories of the time it’s set in (the late 80’s) and this visualised perfectly by Rolfe with references to BMX’s, The Simpson, Wrestling and a whole host of others (side note – I do love me some popular culture references in my fiction). I really enjoyed the whole Native American vibe that is subtly woven into this piece and the back story of where this coin came from. It’s like ‘The Body’ by Stephen King, but with a much higher bodycount. The problem I had with this story though is that it was littered with typos – if it wasn’t for the story and that I enjoyed it, this type of attention to detail might, might have put me off. The typos did affect the way I read it as when they’d dump me out of the story, it seemed to interrupt the flow for me – but I cracked on nevertheless and really enjoyed this one.
‘This day had sucked the innocence from all of us.’
Sweet 16 – a tale of all consuming young love, tinged with the fear of betrayal, of unspeakable acts and how much a person will sacrifice for love. This story hit home hard, it was such a beautifully haunting story with a melancholic conclusion. It was poetic whilst also being brutal and the two work together in harmony making a short story that delivers on every level.
Jackie Boy – this is a beautifully macabre tale and one of my favourite in the collection. Jackie Boy is a story that is full of innocence yet has a deep and terrifying undercurrent that’s just waiting to grab your ankle and pull you under. It centres on a young boy who enjoys the disembowelment of rats, he kills them, guts them, and he keeps little refrigerator bags of them for his own macabre needs. It’s his dirty little secret but the thing about secrets is sometimes they get out. It’s full of filth but I loved it.
The Curse – is a The Craft for the new generation, it focuses on a group of young girls that invoke dark forces to help them deal with an abusive teacher that’s hell bent on tormenting them any way she can, this one had subtle notes of historic abuse, but it’s never glorified, instead Rolfe ensures he places a microscope over the vengeance that’s about to be dished out!
‘Flashes of legendary abuse involving this menacing beast of a woman and her past players raged like a river of vile consequences somewhere between Jillian’s ears.’
The Delicious Death of Parker Stephens – I loved this short and snappy read, it read like a Horror B-movie and it reminded me of Eerie Indiana and a film called ‘The Willies’ that film in particular was told in three parts and it’s the final one that I draw these comparisons – it’s more a science fiction horror, think ‘The Fly’ – the visceral descriptions from Rolfe are a joy to behold and they lend perfectly to the macabre and shocking conclusion. This one was a thing of nightmares.
I’m in Here – was what I would call a short piece of flash fiction. It deals with some strong and powerful emotions and themes. I can’t talk much about this as it’s super short and I don’t want to ruin anything for readers – it’s emotional, it’s heart rending – it’s a punch right in the gut.
Henry – here we have a chilling tale detailing what teenage obsession can lead to. Our protagonist Henry attempts to make himself beautiful for Angela McMasters a girl he’s become infatuated with. He’s locked himself in the bathroom and he’s not coming out until he’s completed his task… the voice in his head, the voice compelling him on, is his only companion on this dark journey.
Something Lost – we get something else from Rolfe here, a heart rending story about loss and grief. It’s short, it���s sharp and very nostalgic, a story of sonship and fatherhood told through a connection to music!
Ballard of the Best-Selling Author – this was a very cool and interesting story that follows the life of a horror reader / writer as he becomes frustrated with the amount of zombie related books flooding the market. Whilst our protagonist is at his local bookshop he stumbles into one of these best selling authors that’s doing a signing at the shop in the next few days. He decides to take matters into his own hands and wants to teach this hack a lesson, one that he’ll never forget!
Candle Magic – this was a very poetic piece, not to my liking but I can see the beauty in the words and the flowing prose. The imagery is delicate and I can appreciate what Rolfe was doing, but it seemed a little out of place in the collection, and I’m just not a fan of this type of writing.
Flaws – this ones pretty dark, a man’s burgeoning desires overwhelm him as he starts to discover that he gets gratification and pleasure from destroying things; but what starts off as small fry soon grows into an inferno. His habit, this addiction has got bigger than he ever thought possible.
Halloween Worm – this was a great story to end the collection, a tale of adolescence and trauma, of the things young people do without fear of the inevitable consequences. It’s bittersweet but the creepy factor is dialled to 100… I didn’t know where this story was going to go at the start but it built to a pretty amazing and veiled conclusion that was dripping with the uncanny.
The collection as a whole was fun. It was a great look into the mind of this writer and his prose is something quite unique, I enjoyed the pop culture and music references immensely. I think Rolfe finds his groove in the darker stories in the collection, they for me are where the money’s at. Rolfe’s attention to detail and the visceral, bloody gore are tremendously put across in graphic detail – so I think I’ll be checking out his novel Blood and Rain next as it comes highly recommended from Janine Pipe.
So on closing, Slush is a mixed back of horror, but one that was enjoyable, if anything it’s made me want to see what Rolfe can do with a longer more focused project. I’m not done with Rolfe yet!
I use collections pretty much as a shopping list. And there is nothing I love more than the feeling of discovering what a new author (to me anyway) has to offer, and I find that through these collections I’ve found a great many writers that have now become a staples of my reading and bookshelves.
What we have here from Glenn Rolfe are 12 stories which cover a whole host of ideas and sub genres of horror, we’ve some that read like the B-movies of old, we’ve the dark and twisty, we’ve the down right disturbing and the horrific, whilst also having the peculiar and uncanny. It’s a deeply rich collection, but for me it was also a mixed collection too.
Glenn Rolfe comes to me as a highly recommended writer (thanks Janine Pipe and Joshua Marsella) and his book ‘Blood and Rain’ has been floating around my Twitter and Instagram feed for a while now, but I’m always one to pick up a short story collection first (if one is available) because if I pick up your novel and I’m not into it, I probably will be less likely to pick up other work when I see it. The caveat me picking up a collection first is that if I like some of the stories I might just be inclined to pick up other work from that author on that basis – to see what the author could do with a longer and more focused story.
And that is the case with Slush – there was enough here to make me want to discover more of Glenn Rolfe’s work and I’ll be picking up the highly recommended Blood and Rain soon.
So on with the review.
Skull of Snakes – here we have a very cool adolescent story where a group of friends discover a cursed coin and soon death and destruction follow like a tsunami. The story was pretty cool and brought to mind memories of the time it’s set in (the late 80’s) and this visualised perfectly by Rolfe with references to BMX’s, The Simpson, Wrestling and a whole host of others (side note – I do love me some popular culture references in my fiction). I really enjoyed the whole Native American vibe that is subtly woven into this piece and the back story of where this coin came from. It’s like ‘The Body’ by Stephen King, but with a much higher bodycount. The problem I had with this story though is that it was littered with typos – if it wasn’t for the story and that I enjoyed it, this type of attention to detail might, might have put me off. The typos did affect the way I read it as when they’d dump me out of the story, it seemed to interrupt the flow for me – but I cracked on nevertheless and really enjoyed this one.
‘This day had sucked the innocence from all of us.’
Sweet 16 – a tale of all consuming young love, tinged with the fear of betrayal, of unspeakable acts and how much a person will sacrifice for love. This story hit home hard, it was such a beautifully haunting story with a melancholic conclusion. It was poetic whilst also being brutal and the two work together in harmony making a short story that delivers on every level.
Jackie Boy – this is a beautifully macabre tale and one of my favourite in the collection. Jackie Boy is a story that is full of innocence yet has a deep and terrifying undercurrent that’s just waiting to grab your ankle and pull you under. It centres on a young boy who enjoys the disembowelment of rats, he kills them, guts them, and he keeps little refrigerator bags of them for his own macabre needs. It’s his dirty little secret but the thing about secrets is sometimes they get out. It’s full of filth but I loved it.
The Curse – is a The Craft for the new generation, it focuses on a group of young girls that invoke dark forces to help them deal with an abusive teacher that’s hell bent on tormenting them any way she can, this one had subtle notes of historic abuse, but it’s never glorified, instead Rolfe ensures he places a microscope over the vengeance that’s about to be dished out!
‘Flashes of legendary abuse involving this menacing beast of a woman and her past players raged like a river of vile consequences somewhere between Jillian’s ears.’
The Delicious Death of Parker Stephens – I loved this short and snappy read, it read like a Horror B-movie and it reminded me of Eerie Indiana and a film called ‘The Willies’ that film in particular was told in three parts and it’s the final one that I draw these comparisons – it’s more a science fiction horror, think ‘The Fly’ – the visceral descriptions from Rolfe are a joy to behold and they lend perfectly to the macabre and shocking conclusion. This one was a thing of nightmares.
I’m in Here – was what I would call a short piece of flash fiction. It deals with some strong and powerful emotions and themes. I can’t talk much about this as it’s super short and I don’t want to ruin anything for readers – it’s emotional, it’s heart rending – it’s a punch right in the gut.
Henry – here we have a chilling tale detailing what teenage obsession can lead to. Our protagonist Henry attempts to make himself beautiful for Angela McMasters a girl he’s become infatuated with. He’s locked himself in the bathroom and he’s not coming out until he’s completed his task… the voice in his head, the voice compelling him on, is his only companion on this dark journey.
Something Lost – we get something else from Rolfe here, a heart rending story about loss and grief. It’s short, it���s sharp and very nostalgic, a story of sonship and fatherhood told through a connection to music!
Ballard of the Best-Selling Author – this was a very cool and interesting story that follows the life of a horror reader / writer as he becomes frustrated with the amount of zombie related books flooding the market. Whilst our protagonist is at his local bookshop he stumbles into one of these best selling authors that’s doing a signing at the shop in the next few days. He decides to take matters into his own hands and wants to teach this hack a lesson, one that he’ll never forget!
Candle Magic – this was a very poetic piece, not to my liking but I can see the beauty in the words and the flowing prose. The imagery is delicate and I can appreciate what Rolfe was doing, but it seemed a little out of place in the collection, and I’m just not a fan of this type of writing.
Flaws – this ones pretty dark, a man’s burgeoning desires overwhelm him as he starts to discover that he gets gratification and pleasure from destroying things; but what starts off as small fry soon grows into an inferno. His habit, this addiction has got bigger than he ever thought possible.
Halloween Worm – this was a great story to end the collection, a tale of adolescence and trauma, of the things young people do without fear of the inevitable consequences. It’s bittersweet but the creepy factor is dialled to 100… I didn’t know where this story was going to go at the start but it built to a pretty amazing and veiled conclusion that was dripping with the uncanny.
The collection as a whole was fun. It was a great look into the mind of this writer and his prose is something quite unique, I enjoyed the pop culture and music references immensely. I think Rolfe finds his groove in the darker stories in the collection, they for me are where the money’s at. Rolfe’s attention to detail and the visceral, bloody gore are tremendously put across in graphic detail – so I think I’ll be checking out his novel Blood and Rain next as it comes highly recommended from Janine Pipe.
So on closing, Slush is a mixed back of horror, but one that was enjoyable, if anything it’s made me want to see what Rolfe can do with a longer more focused project. I’m not done with Rolfe yet!
October 20, 2021
This was an absolutely enjoyable "early Halloween" horror-filled read. This collection is a mix of short stories, prose and even some poetry. Mr. Rolfe's dedication to creating nightmares is second-to-none. This one may keep you up at night, it may turn your insides, or you may even want to close the book because horrific things should never happen to children, but if you are a lover of the horror genre, this is definitely one you should read this Halloween (or anytime for that matter, although its always fun to read "horror" in October).
March 1, 2023
Excellent collection of short horror stories
May 9, 2023
Full review at https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/chr...
Glenn posted about this 2014 collection of short stories and I’m like, “Yes, yes I give this bad boy a whirl.” And I’m so damn glad I did! Let’s look at each story individually.
Skull of Snakes - A cursed coin makes one young boy’s life very difficult… and lonely. (Emotional damage alert.)
Sweet 16 - This boyfriend may be older but he ain’t wiser. Also, if he can’t have her, well, there isn’t another choice.
Jackie Boy - Jackie has a hankering for something not so common and no one is going to narc him out.
The Curse - Coaches aren’t always looking out for the best interest of their athletes but the past will always find them.
The Delicious Death of Parker Stevens - Creepy, crawly, and dark this one is a mindfreak and a half. Also, I hate the woods, just saying.
I’m in Here - Two words: emotional damage.
Henry - Sometimes our idea of self-beauty isn’t worth the pain. (This one stings the ol’ emotions.)
Something Lost - sometimes we don’t know what we have until it’s gone.
Ballad of the Best-Selling Author - What happens when your disdain of zombie literature goes too far.
Candle Magic - a writer’s ritual explained.
Flaws - Dennis realizes he has a flaw. Unfortunately, so do some others but too late. (My favorite of the collection.)
Halloween Worm - What happens when your bully actually needs your help to defeat an evil? This story will tell you.
I don’t care this collection is almost ten years old. What I do care about is that you read them. Rolfe has a way of pulling you in and not letting go. I went through this collection in one sitting; I couldn’t stop reading! This is my first but I have others by him so prepare for an author binge!
I suggest picking SLUSH up immediately. A HIGHLY recommend. 10/5.
Glenn posted about this 2014 collection of short stories and I’m like, “Yes, yes I give this bad boy a whirl.” And I’m so damn glad I did! Let’s look at each story individually.
Skull of Snakes - A cursed coin makes one young boy’s life very difficult… and lonely. (Emotional damage alert.)
Sweet 16 - This boyfriend may be older but he ain’t wiser. Also, if he can’t have her, well, there isn’t another choice.
Jackie Boy - Jackie has a hankering for something not so common and no one is going to narc him out.
The Curse - Coaches aren’t always looking out for the best interest of their athletes but the past will always find them.
The Delicious Death of Parker Stevens - Creepy, crawly, and dark this one is a mindfreak and a half. Also, I hate the woods, just saying.
I’m in Here - Two words: emotional damage.
Henry - Sometimes our idea of self-beauty isn’t worth the pain. (This one stings the ol’ emotions.)
Something Lost - sometimes we don’t know what we have until it’s gone.
Ballad of the Best-Selling Author - What happens when your disdain of zombie literature goes too far.
Candle Magic - a writer’s ritual explained.
Flaws - Dennis realizes he has a flaw. Unfortunately, so do some others but too late. (My favorite of the collection.)
Halloween Worm - What happens when your bully actually needs your help to defeat an evil? This story will tell you.
I don’t care this collection is almost ten years old. What I do care about is that you read them. Rolfe has a way of pulling you in and not letting go. I went through this collection in one sitting; I couldn’t stop reading! This is my first but I have others by him so prepare for an author binge!
I suggest picking SLUSH up immediately. A HIGHLY recommend. 10/5.
October 31, 2017
More of a gross out fest than a fear fest.
October 27, 2014
"We were different after. I gained an edge reminiscent of Arnie Cunningham in that Stephen King movie. You looked... wounded, like an angel with corroded wings"
Slush: noun
•Partially melted snow or ice.
•Excessive sentiment. (Informal)
•A pile of unread manuscripts sitting on an editors desk awaiting acceptance or rejection. Probably consisting of writers who are not yet household names.
Have you met Glenn, made your acquaintance with his work? No? Well, then you should rectify that. He may not be a household name just yet, but join me for a moment and we can rectify that together. Because I have a feeling that before long he will be an author who's name will have a larger type font than the title of the book he is publishing.
This is Glenn Rolfe's slush pile, a collection of twelve dark and seductive dances. But don't mistake this for a collection of held over, dismissed, not ready for prime time cast aways. Within these pages you will be bludgeoned by twelve heavy hitters. Twelve pins jammed into the hide of a voodoo doll.
Loss of youth and erosion of innocence are the common threads being spun throughout the spindle of these tales. With cursed items, cursed people, first loves, dark appetites, revenge, the unknown and the beyond being the blood that flows from the pinprick. Mr. Rolfe chaperones you through his dark landscapes by candlelight, but tread lightly. The trail isn't always smooth and never is it straight, and Mr. Rolfe isn't guaranteed to match your pace. Just ask Parker Stephens..
"My Family- slumbering in their beds.
The characters- in a violating sea of incredible peril.
The candle- a doorway between the two"
If "Slush" is not a one sitting read (because, let's be honest, as much as you'd like you can't shrug everything off to read) then definitely it is a one day read. You will be itching like a fiend to get back into these twisted and delicious yarns, because once you pick up "Slush" you'll be holding 126 pages of why you became a fan of Horror in the first place.
This is Glenn's second release (not counting anthologies) and it contains plenty of what I thought to be the only thing lacking from his first (the wonderful "Haunted Halls"), the emotional connection. The genuine concern for the well being of some of the characters we are introduced to. "Slush" has that in spades. Hell, nearly two weeks after reading and I'm still upset that a certain killer wasn't stopped one victim sooner. But there are no guarantees in Glenn Rolfe's universe, nobody is safe. Least of all you, the reader.
Keep an eye out for Glenn Rolfe, he's primed for a stellar career in Horror fiction, and "Slush" is a perfect companion to these increasingly dark, cold and autumn nights. My only disappointment here is that I've reached the end. Of this portion of the journey, anyway. I have a feeling that I'll revisit next Halloween. And I won't have to wait long for my next fix of Glenn Rolfe Horror. A jaunt across "Abram's Bridge" is not to far away and "Boom Town" drops shortly after, with plenty of other scares on the horizon, just waiting for the moon to rise.
"I blow out the flame and watch it's ghosts swirl up into the air, set to return tomorrow night."
The Mouths of Madness Podcast
www.facebook.com/themouthsofmadness
Slush: noun
•Partially melted snow or ice.
•Excessive sentiment. (Informal)
•A pile of unread manuscripts sitting on an editors desk awaiting acceptance or rejection. Probably consisting of writers who are not yet household names.
Have you met Glenn, made your acquaintance with his work? No? Well, then you should rectify that. He may not be a household name just yet, but join me for a moment and we can rectify that together. Because I have a feeling that before long he will be an author who's name will have a larger type font than the title of the book he is publishing.
This is Glenn Rolfe's slush pile, a collection of twelve dark and seductive dances. But don't mistake this for a collection of held over, dismissed, not ready for prime time cast aways. Within these pages you will be bludgeoned by twelve heavy hitters. Twelve pins jammed into the hide of a voodoo doll.
Loss of youth and erosion of innocence are the common threads being spun throughout the spindle of these tales. With cursed items, cursed people, first loves, dark appetites, revenge, the unknown and the beyond being the blood that flows from the pinprick. Mr. Rolfe chaperones you through his dark landscapes by candlelight, but tread lightly. The trail isn't always smooth and never is it straight, and Mr. Rolfe isn't guaranteed to match your pace. Just ask Parker Stephens..
"My Family- slumbering in their beds.
The characters- in a violating sea of incredible peril.
The candle- a doorway between the two"
If "Slush" is not a one sitting read (because, let's be honest, as much as you'd like you can't shrug everything off to read) then definitely it is a one day read. You will be itching like a fiend to get back into these twisted and delicious yarns, because once you pick up "Slush" you'll be holding 126 pages of why you became a fan of Horror in the first place.
This is Glenn's second release (not counting anthologies) and it contains plenty of what I thought to be the only thing lacking from his first (the wonderful "Haunted Halls"), the emotional connection. The genuine concern for the well being of some of the characters we are introduced to. "Slush" has that in spades. Hell, nearly two weeks after reading and I'm still upset that a certain killer wasn't stopped one victim sooner. But there are no guarantees in Glenn Rolfe's universe, nobody is safe. Least of all you, the reader.
Keep an eye out for Glenn Rolfe, he's primed for a stellar career in Horror fiction, and "Slush" is a perfect companion to these increasingly dark, cold and autumn nights. My only disappointment here is that I've reached the end. Of this portion of the journey, anyway. I have a feeling that I'll revisit next Halloween. And I won't have to wait long for my next fix of Glenn Rolfe Horror. A jaunt across "Abram's Bridge" is not to far away and "Boom Town" drops shortly after, with plenty of other scares on the horizon, just waiting for the moon to rise.
"I blow out the flame and watch it's ghosts swirl up into the air, set to return tomorrow night."
The Mouths of Madness Podcast
www.facebook.com/themouthsofmadness
July 21, 2020
4.5 Stars, rounded up for Goodreads.
I read Slush, a slightly older anthology from Rolfe, on the porch of my home, in the hot summer heat. The title, appropriately reflective of my own physical state in the heat, guided the tone of the stories within. Twelve stories presented in rapid succession make up the contents of Slush, and all twelve stories blend together with a ferocious sense of grime and despair.
I was taken aback by just how horrific some of these stories were—several were mean-spirited to their core, while others started like a crisp autumn morning, only to devolve into gratuitous horror by its end. Every story sang its own tune beautifully, drawing you in for a variety of reasons only to spit you out, churned through a pulp of human emotion, depravity, and violence.
I appreciated how each of these stories were written. The characters stood out in each story, each person distinctly human, hauntingly relatable, and faced with godawful choices, flaws, and downright bad luck. From the opening story “Skull of Snakes” which had a “boys on bikes” feel, I knew these were unique tales of terror.
There was little I disliked about this collection, but chief among them was how a few of the stories made me feel: dirty, tarnished…so perhaps this anthology has truly achieved what it set out to do. The writing itself is thoughtful, reminiscent, light at times, and bludgeoning when need be. Rolfe is truly talented at tone changes, writing characters you can really see, and making your skin crawl when things go wrong.
Check this one out if you get a chance. It may be several years old, but it packs a punch not every anthology can achieve.
I read Slush, a slightly older anthology from Rolfe, on the porch of my home, in the hot summer heat. The title, appropriately reflective of my own physical state in the heat, guided the tone of the stories within. Twelve stories presented in rapid succession make up the contents of Slush, and all twelve stories blend together with a ferocious sense of grime and despair.
I was taken aback by just how horrific some of these stories were—several were mean-spirited to their core, while others started like a crisp autumn morning, only to devolve into gratuitous horror by its end. Every story sang its own tune beautifully, drawing you in for a variety of reasons only to spit you out, churned through a pulp of human emotion, depravity, and violence.
I appreciated how each of these stories were written. The characters stood out in each story, each person distinctly human, hauntingly relatable, and faced with godawful choices, flaws, and downright bad luck. From the opening story “Skull of Snakes” which had a “boys on bikes” feel, I knew these were unique tales of terror.
There was little I disliked about this collection, but chief among them was how a few of the stories made me feel: dirty, tarnished…so perhaps this anthology has truly achieved what it set out to do. The writing itself is thoughtful, reminiscent, light at times, and bludgeoning when need be. Rolfe is truly talented at tone changes, writing characters you can really see, and making your skin crawl when things go wrong.
Check this one out if you get a chance. It may be several years old, but it packs a punch not every anthology can achieve.
June 28, 2020
It will be know great surprise to anyone that knows me to learn I absolutely loved this book as I think that Glenn is the BEST horror writer, ever ever ever! Not everyone is talented enough to be able to produce both phenomenal short stories as well as full novels, but Glenn is an exception. Sometimes it is nice to read an anthology of different voices, but a writers own short collection is no mean feat. This is staggeringly an early collection of his work and it's surprising because the quality is so good. Several of the stories could easily become longer tales as the content and characters are enjoyable. Skull of Snakes in particular had a real King feel to it and would make a cool movie too. It definitely has potential to be developed. I enjoyed each of the stories and they were all completely different. There will be a few that make you think ew!!! Thankfully I had already bought Land of Bones as once I had finished Slush, I immediately wanted to read more of Glenn's shorts. Another 10/10.
November 28, 2017
I absolutely loved this collection, every story was fantastic and remarkably well written. From the cover I assumed that this would a selection of fun horror stories and whilst the stories are exactly this they do have much more depth to them than I anticipated. Each piece deals with heartfelt emotions and tough situations and I was impressed by Glenn's ability to resonate with the reader, to make you feel along with the story and pull you in. There was various types of horror showcased in this collection, subtle moments to instances of cringe inducing brutality and they all worked well together to form this fantastic book.
December 18, 2017
If these stories had been in movie form, quite a few of them would have had me hiding behind a pillow or something. There were a couple that had me feeling really squeamish just reading the stories (Halloween Worm and Jackie Boy) and I would have skipped through most of Flaws (just as I did with the book) simply because of the disturbing content. I'm In Here was very unsettling. Really good book of short stories and I would gladly read more from this author.
July 16, 2023
Wow! What a twisted collection of short stories. There was a little bit of everything in there, including the dark, the disgusting, the graphic, the horrific and even a poem! I loved it. Every story was a winner and I can't believe I waited so long to read this book of gems. A 5 star recommendation for sure!
August 28, 2019
Glenn Rolfe manages to horrify, terrify and make us feel extremely emotional all at the same time with this collection of stories! At least that was how I felt reading this. There were stories with hate, gore, sick and twisted minds, zombies, self mutilation, curses, insect-like creatures and a couple that made me tear up they were so heart felt!
Some of my favorites were-Skull of Snakes:curse, Jackie Boy:gore, sick & twisted, I am Here:terrified me but pulled on those heart strings, Henry:gore, self mutilation, and Something Lost:hearts strings again! But really, all the stories are fantastic, each one will effect each reader differently so you all need to read this to see what your favorites will be!!
Some of my favorites were-Skull of Snakes:curse, Jackie Boy:gore, sick & twisted, I am Here:terrified me but pulled on those heart strings, Henry:gore, self mutilation, and Something Lost:hearts strings again! But really, all the stories are fantastic, each one will effect each reader differently so you all need to read this to see what your favorites will be!!
August 10, 2023
I really liked the longer stories, but didn't enjoy the short ones. Skull of Snakes was the first story in this collection, and also my favorite. The Curse was my second favorite, and both of these are worth the price of the book. The Curse reminded me of classic 80's horror cinema.
January 18, 2022
Interesting mix
Interesting mix of stories here. I enjoyed them all. The one with acne razor blade made me cringe. You can never go wrong with a Glenn Rolfe book.
Interesting mix of stories here. I enjoyed them all. The one with acne razor blade made me cringe. You can never go wrong with a Glenn Rolfe book.
October 18, 2016
My original Slush audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
A delightfully scary collection of short stories that touch on a variety of common nightmares! How many of you have found a coin and picked it up? How many have you left lying on the street for some other lucky soul? Every child, high schooler and college age student has had a favorite coach, teacher, etc. Just as many have had mean ones; ones that you wish the tables could be turned. Even love and romance has their dark side filled with lurking and unseen evilness.
Glenn Rolfe captures those insistent moments of fear when one walks through a dark house or down a lonely dark alley knowing that something is lurking nearby. Several short but poignant tales of fear will bring on a nearly terminal case of goosebumps and whiplash from looking behind you. Rolfe is a masterful story-teller capturing fears and expounding on them in vivid imagery.
Joe Hemple narrates these short stories in a steady voice; yet shaky when appropriate. He does not waste time on being scary or distracting with noises; rather he uses his voice and its inflections to demonstrate the right level of fear and strength.
If you enjoy short stories, this is a wonderful collection. If you’re a young adult, the chances are the fears Rolfe writes and Hemple puts voice to will scare you! The down side was the collection was not long enough and while I would have loved to have more, Rolfe ended them in a good spot leaving the reader to contemplate. My only complaint was the audio was not long enough!!!
There were no issues with the production quality of this audiobook.
Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.
A delightfully scary collection of short stories that touch on a variety of common nightmares! How many of you have found a coin and picked it up? How many have you left lying on the street for some other lucky soul? Every child, high schooler and college age student has had a favorite coach, teacher, etc. Just as many have had mean ones; ones that you wish the tables could be turned. Even love and romance has their dark side filled with lurking and unseen evilness.
Glenn Rolfe captures those insistent moments of fear when one walks through a dark house or down a lonely dark alley knowing that something is lurking nearby. Several short but poignant tales of fear will bring on a nearly terminal case of goosebumps and whiplash from looking behind you. Rolfe is a masterful story-teller capturing fears and expounding on them in vivid imagery.
Joe Hemple narrates these short stories in a steady voice; yet shaky when appropriate. He does not waste time on being scary or distracting with noises; rather he uses his voice and its inflections to demonstrate the right level of fear and strength.
If you enjoy short stories, this is a wonderful collection. If you’re a young adult, the chances are the fears Rolfe writes and Hemple puts voice to will scare you! The down side was the collection was not long enough and while I would have loved to have more, Rolfe ended them in a good spot leaving the reader to contemplate. My only complaint was the audio was not long enough!!!
There were no issues with the production quality of this audiobook.
Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.
November 19, 2014
It's horror, and horrible stuff happens, and....I really wanted to like this more.
Of all of the stories here, the Halloween Worm starts well, and the Ballad of the Best Selling Author was probably the best fleshed out story here.
In the rest of the collection, I think I needed more from the protagonists, and from the villains, as I didn't find a lot to get behind. Evil villain or crazy teen, you need a moment of deeper insight - even decency - and as someone who loves American Psycho and Barbie Wilde's Venus Complex, I really don't mean they have to be cuddly. With this in mind, the Ballad of the best-Selling Author was definitely the best one. It had some wickedly good humour and gleeful characterisation. Need more like that!
Glad I read these, though. While it's a mixed collection, it's a darkly gloopy, fast read, hopefully soon growing into something great.
Of all of the stories here, the Halloween Worm starts well, and the Ballad of the Best Selling Author was probably the best fleshed out story here.
In the rest of the collection, I think I needed more from the protagonists, and from the villains, as I didn't find a lot to get behind. Evil villain or crazy teen, you need a moment of deeper insight - even decency - and as someone who loves American Psycho and Barbie Wilde's Venus Complex, I really don't mean they have to be cuddly. With this in mind, the Ballad of the best-Selling Author was definitely the best one. It had some wickedly good humour and gleeful characterisation. Need more like that!
Glad I read these, though. While it's a mixed collection, it's a darkly gloopy, fast read, hopefully soon growing into something great.
August 7, 2015
This is my second dip into Rolfe's pool of blood and slime. I recently read his novella, Boom Town, and was quite impressed. Slush, however, raised me to the status of diehard fan.
All of the stories here are amazingly well-paced. The writing is clean, detailed and immersive. My favorites of the bunch were Jackie Boy, Ballad of a Best-Selling Novelist, and a nasty piece of work called Flaws.
Another nice thing about Slush is that it works as a whole book, rather than just a bunch of pieces thrown together. It is a themed album--with a few digressions--about navigating the everyday horrors of adolescence, which are portrayed here just as potently as the not-so-everyday horrors.
I recommend this collection whole-heartedly.
All of the stories here are amazingly well-paced. The writing is clean, detailed and immersive. My favorites of the bunch were Jackie Boy, Ballad of a Best-Selling Novelist, and a nasty piece of work called Flaws.
Another nice thing about Slush is that it works as a whole book, rather than just a bunch of pieces thrown together. It is a themed album--with a few digressions--about navigating the everyday horrors of adolescence, which are portrayed here just as potently as the not-so-everyday horrors.
I recommend this collection whole-heartedly.
October 3, 2015
What a great surprise this has been. When I downloaded this free collection of horror stories, I didn't expect much. Usually, what they call horror is mostly either disgusting or not horrific at all. If you decide to read this book, brace yourself. In some of the stories, we are even inside the mind of the deranged killer. It's far from being all rosy and happy. They may not keep you awake at night but they will make you ponder a bit... Great for Halloween! :)
There were a few stories I didn't really care for, but they were few and usually shorter than the others. My favorites were (in order they appear in the book):
Skull of Snakes.
Jackie Boy
The Curse
The Delicious Death of Parker Stephens
Ballad of the Best-Selling Author
Halloween Worm
There were a few stories I didn't really care for, but they were few and usually shorter than the others. My favorites were (in order they appear in the book):
Skull of Snakes.
Jackie Boy
The Curse
The Delicious Death of Parker Stephens
Ballad of the Best-Selling Author
Halloween Worm
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