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Last Days
Intense and profoundly unsettling, Brian Evenson’s Last Days is a down-the-rabbit-hole detective novel set in an underground religious cult. The story follows Kline, a brutally dismembered detective forcibly recruited to solve a murder inside the cult. As Kline becomes more deeply involved with the group, he begins to realize the stakes are higher than he previously thought. Attempting to find his way through a maze of lies, threats, and misinformation, Kline discovers that his survival depends on an act of sheer will.
Last Days was first published in 2003 as a limited edition novella titled The Brotherhood of Mutilation. Its success led Evenson to expand the story into a full-length novel. In doing so, he has created a work that’s disturbing, deeply satisfying, and completely original.
Last Days was first published in 2003 as a limited edition novella titled The Brotherhood of Mutilation. Its success led Evenson to expand the story into a full-length novel. In doing so, he has created a work that’s disturbing, deeply satisfying, and completely original.
201 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2009
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About the author
Brian Evenson
267 books1,534 followersBrian Evenson is an American academic and writer of both literary fiction and popular fiction, some of the latter being published under B. K. Evenson.
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March 23, 2025
‘How do you know the moment when you cease to be human?’
What level of horrors can a person withstand or what amount of horrors can a person deliver upon others before that barrier is breached? Violence—be it deemed vengeance or venerable—drips from every page of Evenson’s Last Days as former detective Kline questions the proximity to remaining human while navigate the waking nightmare of a cult that believes in self-amputations as access to the divine. A literary horror housed inside a noir thriller and bursting with brutality, Evenson tempers the grotesque with dark comedy while plunging Kline—and the reader—into a Kafkaequse hellscape of opaque demands and cult bureaucracy with absurdity around every corner. Last Days features prose that slashes like a sharp knife, blending uneasy horror with noir drenched in existential anxiety and sinister surrealism that make this a ferocious and grisly read that is nearly impossible to turn your eyes away from. At least while you still have them…
‘It was only later that he realized the reason they had called him, but by then it was too late for the information to do him any good.’
Chosen by the American Library Association's award for Best Horror Novel of 2009, Last Days is a non-stop wave of mutilation. No, not like the Pixies sang about, think more blood. Like big barrels of it, like enough to not only soak Carrie at prom but drown that whole stupid school. The first part, Brotherhood of Mutilation, had previously been published as a standalone novella though the inclusion of the second half brings the story to a notably intense and shocking conclusion. While the two parts each have their own arc and tone, as Peter Straub explains in the introduction ‘when one ends, the other begins, and we are within a new fictional body, one that perfectly remembers all that took place in the body we just left.’ It is a fitting structure for a story about severance of limbs, a ritualistic practice within the cult where the number of amputations not only denotes devotion but also rank within the order. There is also a sense of rhyming to the narrative, with imagery or events similarly repeated ( Kline waking Ramse in his bed as an inverse to the beginning, for instance) as well as the duality of the two rivalcults brotherhoods.
‘A profoundly moral act in a kind of moral, biblical, old testament sense: an eye for a hand, and a bag of money thrown in.’
The idea of “schisms” is thematically central to Last Days. We have the two brotherhoods, the “mutilates” and the Pauls—named as much for the apostle (who had his own schism with himself on the road to Damascus) as for Paul Wittgenstein, the brother of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein who commissioned piano compositions to be played with only the left hand following the amputation of his right arm due to an injury sustained in World War I—who split over theological disputes. But the introduction of Kline into their world threatens a new schism. As we learn in the first paragraph of the book (Evenson always comes hard right out of the gate), Kline has been selected (see also: forced) to investigate within the brotherhood when he makes the newspapers for having his right hand cut off by a cleaver during an undercover operation and proceeding to self-cauterize it before shooting his assailant through the eye with his non-dominant hand. A rather honorable act for a group who self-amputates, though his act of self-cauterization threatens to form a schism in the group in arguments over it being plausibly more devout. For the Pauls we see Kline being groomed as a holy figure or ‘Angel of destruction’—imagine the chants of ‘Lisan al Gaib’ from men with no right hand instead of space warriors—arriving ‘like a thief in the night. He cometh not with an olive branch but with a sword. He smiteth’ Kline, who has certainly severed some lives from their bodies by hand or gun, might just be their savior. Or a martyr...
‘But even God sometimes becomes impatient.’
The noir elements really make this a riveting read. Likely due to their shared love of noir, Last Days made me nostalgic for reading Roberto Bolaño, particularly how the hilarious interplay of Gous and Ramse at the start reminded me of Mr. Raef and Mr. Etah from By Night in Chile, and the way these two characters start off denoted by their monikers that then get stripped away to reveal their true names is a bit of a fun detective element. The dialogue in the novel is deadpan, taking a hard-boiled flair akin to Raymond Chandler but elevating it into satirically surreal and comically absurd levels that give off shades of Samuel Beckett. There is a sense of profound duality everywhere:
"Would you mind putting Mlinko on?"
"Mlinko seems to be dead," said Kline.
"Appears or is?"
"Both," said Kline”
This rather humorous response directly following a viscerally violent scene, echoing early comically deadpan dialogue where ‘Aline is either dead or not dead,’ is signature to the novel and keeps things light despite the otherwise immense darkness of the tale. But it also nudges the dualities present everywhere in the novel. For instance, while there is no clear religious model for these brotherhoods beyond a general amalgamation that centers a rather gnostic belief about the dichotomy of the physical and spiritual world with a valuation towards the spiritual. Side note: Evenson was raised in the Mormon church though he left in 2000 following his resignation from Brigham Young University over their distaste for his first book, Altmann's Tongue: Stories and a Novella and this novel’s criticisms of religious fervor is likely not not influenced by that.
‘What was the truth? he wondered. How important was it to know? And once he knew, what then?’
Where Last Days excels most for me are elements of sheer absurdity that strip the detective genre down to its bare parts while also subverting it. Kline is there to investigate a crime, but what crime? A robbery? A smuggling operation? A murder? Everyone tells him a different thing, and if it is a murder, is the victim dead or still alive? He must solve the case but is not allowed to question anyone (at least not above his rank, a 1 for his removed hand though a few more amputations could give him access to low level members…) and all the information given to him is redacted. Even the crime scene is simply a replica, which is outrageously funny but also brings up, again, the idea of the immaterial world of spirit and idea outweighing physical reality:
It’s pure surreal absurdism at its finest and almost feels like an inverse of Edgar Allan Poe’s detective C. Auguste Dupin. Poe’s character was the basis for the creation of the detective genre, even Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock was inspired by him, and his narratives played out on the idea of logic, on abductive reasoning. Here it is more like absurdist reasoning, with the absurdity functioning not unlike the foggy dark alleyways of noir. And everywhere a knife or gun ready to blow a skull wide open as the author simultaneously blows your mind.
An absolute knockout of a brief novel, Last Days is Evenson at his finest. Big thanks to Hope for recommending this one. I’ve long loved Evenson’s horror short stories but this manages to rise above even those perfect gems of prose. Scathingly satirical, frightfully surreal and comically absurd in a story that is so blood-spattered and gruesome it could make even hardened readers flinch, this is a novel you’ll find yourself flipping pages long after bedtime unable to turn away.
5/5
‘How many whales do you suppose God will deign send to swallow you? When does God run out of whales?’
What level of horrors can a person withstand or what amount of horrors can a person deliver upon others before that barrier is breached? Violence—be it deemed vengeance or venerable—drips from every page of Evenson’s Last Days as former detective Kline questions the proximity to remaining human while navigate the waking nightmare of a cult that believes in self-amputations as access to the divine. A literary horror housed inside a noir thriller and bursting with brutality, Evenson tempers the grotesque with dark comedy while plunging Kline—and the reader—into a Kafkaequse hellscape of opaque demands and cult bureaucracy with absurdity around every corner. Last Days features prose that slashes like a sharp knife, blending uneasy horror with noir drenched in existential anxiety and sinister surrealism that make this a ferocious and grisly read that is nearly impossible to turn your eyes away from. At least while you still have them…
‘It was only later that he realized the reason they had called him, but by then it was too late for the information to do him any good.’
Chosen by the American Library Association's award for Best Horror Novel of 2009, Last Days is a non-stop wave of mutilation. No, not like the Pixies sang about, think more blood. Like big barrels of it, like enough to not only soak Carrie at prom but drown that whole stupid school. The first part, Brotherhood of Mutilation, had previously been published as a standalone novella though the inclusion of the second half brings the story to a notably intense and shocking conclusion. While the two parts each have their own arc and tone, as Peter Straub explains in the introduction ‘when one ends, the other begins, and we are within a new fictional body, one that perfectly remembers all that took place in the body we just left.’ It is a fitting structure for a story about severance of limbs, a ritualistic practice within the cult where the number of amputations not only denotes devotion but also rank within the order. There is also a sense of rhyming to the narrative, with imagery or events similarly repeated ( Kline waking Ramse in his bed as an inverse to the beginning, for instance) as well as the duality of the two rival
‘A profoundly moral act in a kind of moral, biblical, old testament sense: an eye for a hand, and a bag of money thrown in.’
The idea of “schisms” is thematically central to Last Days. We have the two brotherhoods, the “mutilates” and the Pauls—named as much for the apostle (who had his own schism with himself on the road to Damascus) as for Paul Wittgenstein, the brother of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein who commissioned piano compositions to be played with only the left hand following the amputation of his right arm due to an injury sustained in World War I—who split over theological disputes. But the introduction of Kline into their world threatens a new schism. As we learn in the first paragraph of the book (Evenson always comes hard right out of the gate), Kline has been selected (see also: forced) to investigate within the brotherhood when he makes the newspapers for having his right hand cut off by a cleaver during an undercover operation and proceeding to self-cauterize it before shooting his assailant through the eye with his non-dominant hand. A rather honorable act for a group who self-amputates, though his act of self-cauterization threatens to form a schism in the group in arguments over it being plausibly more devout. For the Pauls we see Kline being groomed as a holy figure or ‘Angel of destruction’—imagine the chants of ‘Lisan al Gaib’ from men with no right hand instead of space warriors—arriving ‘like a thief in the night. He cometh not with an olive branch but with a sword. He smiteth’ Kline, who has certainly severed some lives from their bodies by hand or gun, might just be their savior. Or a martyr...
‘But even God sometimes becomes impatient.’
The noir elements really make this a riveting read. Likely due to their shared love of noir, Last Days made me nostalgic for reading Roberto Bolaño, particularly how the hilarious interplay of Gous and Ramse at the start reminded me of Mr. Raef and Mr. Etah from By Night in Chile, and the way these two characters start off denoted by their monikers that then get stripped away to reveal their true names is a bit of a fun detective element. The dialogue in the novel is deadpan, taking a hard-boiled flair akin to Raymond Chandler but elevating it into satirically surreal and comically absurd levels that give off shades of Samuel Beckett. There is a sense of profound duality everywhere:
"Would you mind putting Mlinko on?"
"Mlinko seems to be dead," said Kline.
"Appears or is?"
"Both," said Kline”
This rather humorous response directly following a viscerally violent scene, echoing early comically deadpan dialogue where ‘Aline is either dead or not dead,’ is signature to the novel and keeps things light despite the otherwise immense darkness of the tale. But it also nudges the dualities present everywhere in the novel. For instance, while there is no clear religious model for these brotherhoods beyond a general amalgamation that centers a rather gnostic belief about the dichotomy of the physical and spiritual world with a valuation towards the spiritual. Side note: Evenson was raised in the Mormon church though he left in 2000 following his resignation from Brigham Young University over their distaste for his first book, Altmann's Tongue: Stories and a Novella and this novel’s criticisms of religious fervor is likely not not influenced by that.
‘What was the truth? he wondered. How important was it to know? And once he knew, what then?’
Where Last Days excels most for me are elements of sheer absurdity that strip the detective genre down to its bare parts while also subverting it. Kline is there to investigate a crime, but what crime? A robbery? A smuggling operation? A murder? Everyone tells him a different thing, and if it is a murder, is the victim dead or still alive? He must solve the case but is not allowed to question anyone (at least not above his rank, a 1 for his removed hand though a few more amputations could give him access to low level members…) and all the information given to him is redacted. Even the crime scene is simply a replica, which is outrageously funny but also brings up, again, the idea of the immaterial world of spirit and idea outweighing physical reality:
‘Mr. Kline, surely you’re enough of an armchair philosopher to realize that everything is a reconstruction of something else? Reality is a desperate and evasive creature.’
It’s pure surreal absurdism at its finest and almost feels like an inverse of Edgar Allan Poe’s detective C. Auguste Dupin. Poe’s character was the basis for the creation of the detective genre, even Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock was inspired by him, and his narratives played out on the idea of logic, on abductive reasoning. Here it is more like absurdist reasoning, with the absurdity functioning not unlike the foggy dark alleyways of noir. And everywhere a knife or gun ready to blow a skull wide open as the author simultaneously blows your mind.
An absolute knockout of a brief novel, Last Days is Evenson at his finest. Big thanks to Hope for recommending this one. I’ve long loved Evenson’s horror short stories but this manages to rise above even those perfect gems of prose. Scathingly satirical, frightfully surreal and comically absurd in a story that is so blood-spattered and gruesome it could make even hardened readers flinch, this is a novel you’ll find yourself flipping pages long after bedtime unable to turn away.
5/5
‘How many whales do you suppose God will deign send to swallow you? When does God run out of whales?’
March 14, 2012
Item # 1: This is a hardboiled detective novel set in the world of religious fanaticism, with more amputations and mutilations than a Civil War field hospital. Now, if your reaction to this is:
…than you may want to just quietly back away from this review. This is not going to be your cuppa.
On the other amputated hand, if the plot teaser intrigues you, please continue on to Item 2.
Item # 2: Despite incorporating both the cadence and the tropes of hardboiled crime fiction, the surreal, existential heart of this novel has more in common with Kafka than with Chandler. The dark, dreamlike, bizarreness of the narrative was like watching a David Lynch film.
Again, if you think you may have made a mistake coming this far, please feel free to back track now. I understand completely and no questions will be asked. This is not for everybody.
If, on the other stump, you're still feeling the warm glow of your own twisted curiosity, than, by all means, proceed to Item 3.
Item # 3: Just to hammer home and make sure we are clear on the degree of limb-lopping squirm that this story induces, I quote:
.
.
.
Still here? Damn, you are a sick puppy with no boundaries...and I think I have a just the book for you.
PLOT SUMMARY:
Mr. Kline is a former undercover detective going through a rough patch. It all began when the “the gentleman with the cleaver” chopped off his right hand, after which Kline cauterized the wound on a hotplate and shot his assailant through the eye. While recovering from his wound and contemplating life behind a desk, along with wondering how he’s going to learn to brush his teeth left handed, Kline receives a series a phone calls from two guys** extremely impressed that Kline had the sack to self-cauterize his wound.
**Note: I’m going to refrain from describing characters as odd, bizarre, creepy or deranged during this review because EVERY SINGLE character Kline encounters would fit one or all of those appellations. Just keep the word “Freak” and “Nutjob” in your head and you’ll be pretty close to the mark.
So these two gentlemen, initially named Lisp and Low Voice, want to hire Kline. No details will be provided and no questions will be answered. It’s all very reminiscent of Joseph K’s ill-fated breakfast in The Trial. They just want him to say yes.
He says no.He refuses in part because of the cloak and dagger nature of the summons, and in part because he has no need of money.
Lisp and Low Voice do not take no for an answer and Kline finds himself being transported to the compound of the “Brothers of Mutilations,” a religious cult founded on the premise that chopping off your body parts makes youholey holy and makes God happy.
I’m gonna leave it there because the less you know going into the story the better.
MY THOUGHTS:
Smart, well-written, deeply uncomfortable and unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Taking the framework of a hardboiled mystery, with its star, the gritty, amoral detective, Evenson completely stands your expectations on their head. He uses dark, disturbing content that would be more at home in bizarro/horror fiction as spice, and sometimes as misdirection, for a story that is both an existential journey of discovery and rebirth, as well as an indictment of religious fanaticism.
I was hooked from the opening page.
The threads of horror, noir and black comedy are so seamlessly woven together and so artfully aggregated that this book basically stands as a genre unto itself. Parts of it remind me of many things (e.g. Hammett, Kafka, Lynch, etc.), but the whole reminds me of nothing but itself.
That is an accomplishment.
As soon as I finished the novel, I was tempted to read it straight through a second time because this is one that I think will become even more impressive upon closer inspection. A wonderful book. I intend to seek out more of Evenson's work.
4.0 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
P.S. As others have said, do not read the introduction by Peter Straub before finishing the book. Spoilers await within and this is best read without such disclosures.
…than you may want to just quietly back away from this review. This is not going to be your cuppa.
On the other amputated hand, if the plot teaser intrigues you, please continue on to Item 2.
Item # 2: Despite incorporating both the cadence and the tropes of hardboiled crime fiction, the surreal, existential heart of this novel has more in common with Kafka than with Chandler. The dark, dreamlike, bizarreness of the narrative was like watching a David Lynch film.
Again, if you think you may have made a mistake coming this far, please feel free to back track now. I understand completely and no questions will be asked. This is not for everybody.
If, on the other stump, you're still feeling the warm glow of your own twisted curiosity, than, by all means, proceed to Item 3.
Item # 3: Just to hammer home and make sure we are clear on the degree of limb-lopping squirm that this story induces, I quote:
He opened the cabinet. It was full of stacks of calendars, each month featuring a woman in a various states of undress, smiling furiously. He looked at the first picture for some time before realizing the girl was missing one of her thumbs. With each month, the losses became more obvious and more numerous. March losing a breast, July missing both breasts, a hand, and a forearm. The December girl was little more than a torso, her breasts shaved off, wearing nothing but a thin white cloth banner from one shoulder to the opposite hip, reading ‘Miss Less is More.’Okay, last warning...get out now if you must.
.
.
.
Still here? Damn, you are a sick puppy with no boundaries...and I think I have a just the book for you.
PLOT SUMMARY:
Mr. Kline is a former undercover detective going through a rough patch. It all began when the “the gentleman with the cleaver” chopped off his right hand, after which Kline cauterized the wound on a hotplate and shot his assailant through the eye. While recovering from his wound and contemplating life behind a desk, along with wondering how he’s going to learn to brush his teeth left handed, Kline receives a series a phone calls from two guys** extremely impressed that Kline had the sack to self-cauterize his wound.
**Note: I’m going to refrain from describing characters as odd, bizarre, creepy or deranged during this review because EVERY SINGLE character Kline encounters would fit one or all of those appellations. Just keep the word “Freak” and “Nutjob” in your head and you’ll be pretty close to the mark.
So these two gentlemen, initially named Lisp and Low Voice, want to hire Kline. No details will be provided and no questions will be answered. It’s all very reminiscent of Joseph K’s ill-fated breakfast in The Trial. They just want him to say yes.
He says no.He refuses in part because of the cloak and dagger nature of the summons, and in part because he has no need of money.
Lisp and Low Voice do not take no for an answer and Kline finds himself being transported to the compound of the “Brothers of Mutilations,” a religious cult founded on the premise that chopping off your body parts makes you
I’m gonna leave it there because the less you know going into the story the better.
MY THOUGHTS:
Smart, well-written, deeply uncomfortable and unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Taking the framework of a hardboiled mystery, with its star, the gritty, amoral detective, Evenson completely stands your expectations on their head. He uses dark, disturbing content that would be more at home in bizarro/horror fiction as spice, and sometimes as misdirection, for a story that is both an existential journey of discovery and rebirth, as well as an indictment of religious fanaticism.
I was hooked from the opening page.
The threads of horror, noir and black comedy are so seamlessly woven together and so artfully aggregated that this book basically stands as a genre unto itself. Parts of it remind me of many things (e.g. Hammett, Kafka, Lynch, etc.), but the whole reminds me of nothing but itself.
That is an accomplishment.
As soon as I finished the novel, I was tempted to read it straight through a second time because this is one that I think will become even more impressive upon closer inspection. A wonderful book. I intend to seek out more of Evenson's work.
4.0 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
P.S. As others have said, do not read the introduction by Peter Straub before finishing the book. Spoilers await within and this is best read without such disclosures.
June 12, 2019
Rating: four horrified, repulsed, goosepimply stars of five
The Publisher Says: Intense and profoundly unsettling, Brian Evenson’s Last Days is a down-the-rabbit-hole detective novel set in an underground religious cult. The story follows Kline, a brutally dismembered detective forcibly recruited to solve a murder inside the cult. As Kline becomes more deeply involved with the group, he begins to realize the stakes are higher than he previously thought.
Attempting to find his way through a maze of lies, threats, and misinformation, Kline discovers that his survival depends on an act of sheer will.
Last Days was first published in 2003 as a limited edition novella titled The Brotherhood of Mutilation. Its success led Evenson to expand the story into a full-length novel. In doing so, he has created a work that’s disturbing, deeply satisfying, and completely original.
My Review: Kline is a PI who doesn't need clients to hire him so he can live. This is because he stole money from a man who was trying to murder him. To make sure the man couldn't murder him, Kline bought time by lopping off his own hand before killing the murder-minded malefactor.
All of this takes place before we meet Kline, and is the very least awful, least repulsive, and most understandable stuff that happens in the entire 201pp of this book. Still interested? Then on we go.
The book is two connected novellas, “The Brotherhood of Mutilation” and “Last Days,” comprising the adventures of Kline in the weirdest subculture that christian imagination has yet to throw up: the mutilates. These are two sects of people who amputate parts of their bodies to align themselves with scripture:
(First and smallest of my anti-xian rants here commenceth: Srsly y'all can any sane person in possession of even modest decoding skills think this crap is meant literally? And if so, how can that morally defective person claim this horrifying religion is a force for love and peace after reading just this one passage?)
Back to the book. Borchert, leader of the mutilates and a twelve (number of body parts amputated), has Kline kidnapped and forces him to investigate the death of Aline, the leader and founder of the mutilates (a seventeen, as we horrifyingly and disgustingly learn later in the story), despite handicapping Kline by refusing to let him, a mere one (the hand that's gone), meet with any witnesses or ask any questions or see any evidence. Now old hands in the groves of noir know that this is a set-up so classic that one wonders if those blinking neon signs are visible from the parkway. Kline certainly knows the danger he's in, and has in fact been boringly repetitious in his demands to be let go, let out, left alone. And then evil, evil Borchert gives Kline just enough to compel him, as a PI, to address the itch of curiousness. (Bonus points for following that reference back to its origin.)
All ends in tears, as Kline oversteps the rope he's been given to hang himself in a nefarious plot to rid the world of a bad “holy” man; the body count mounts; and Kline doesn't escape without losing yet more body parts to the Brotherhood of Mutilation. Escape, however, he does; and then we launch into “Last Days.”
Oh my heck. Kline wakes up in the hospital, missing an entire arm now, to find a blond man with no right hand (go look that Biblical quotation up again) determined to kidnap him again, this time taking him to meet Paul, leader of a schismatic amputee group called “The Pauls” because they're all blond men with amputated right hands. Paul, the leader, wants Kline to go finish the job he thought was done, ie killing the unholy holy man.
Which, not to belabor the point, Kline doesn't want to do but does, in the process meeting an old friend, killing an old enemy, and causing a degree of mayhem only describable as Biblical. Kline is seen as the Mutilate Messiah, the burning brand that will cleanse the filth and degradation of error from the mutilate community.
I have to stop now, or I will vomit.
It took me three weeks to read this book because I couldn't do much at a time. It is grim, grisly, and gruesome; it is horrifying and horrible; it is strong, strong stuff for even seasoned veterans of de Sade's revolting works.
Brian Evenson was raised as a Mormon; he was told by the Mormon Church that he would have to stop writing if he wanted to continue being a Mormon. I don't know what happened after that, but I know there are more books by Evenson to be read. And, I cannot believe I'm typing this sentence, I will be reading them.
One day.
Evenson's vicious critique of christian religion is spot-on with my observations of the religion's effects on the world over the past two millennia. A more potent force for evil has never been unleashed. From the christian thugs burning the Library of Alexandria to the Westboro Baptist thugs condemning fags to burn in hell because their narrow-minded bigot of a gawd hates them, this religion should, in a properly run world, be closely monitored as a hate group and membership in it should deny a person all civil rights.
Only recommended for the reader who seeks out the dark side.
The Publisher Says: Intense and profoundly unsettling, Brian Evenson’s Last Days is a down-the-rabbit-hole detective novel set in an underground religious cult. The story follows Kline, a brutally dismembered detective forcibly recruited to solve a murder inside the cult. As Kline becomes more deeply involved with the group, he begins to realize the stakes are higher than he previously thought.
Attempting to find his way through a maze of lies, threats, and misinformation, Kline discovers that his survival depends on an act of sheer will.
Last Days was first published in 2003 as a limited edition novella titled The Brotherhood of Mutilation. Its success led Evenson to expand the story into a full-length novel. In doing so, he has created a work that’s disturbing, deeply satisfying, and completely original.
My Review: Kline is a PI who doesn't need clients to hire him so he can live. This is because he stole money from a man who was trying to murder him. To make sure the man couldn't murder him, Kline bought time by lopping off his own hand before killing the murder-minded malefactor.
All of this takes place before we meet Kline, and is the very least awful, least repulsive, and most understandable stuff that happens in the entire 201pp of this book. Still interested? Then on we go.
The book is two connected novellas, “The Brotherhood of Mutilation” and “Last Days,” comprising the adventures of Kline in the weirdest subculture that christian imagination has yet to throw up: the mutilates. These are two sects of people who amputate parts of their bodies to align themselves with scripture:
“And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire...” Mark 9:47
(First and smallest of my anti-xian rants here commenceth: Srsly y'all can any sane person in possession of even modest decoding skills think this crap is meant literally? And if so, how can that morally defective person claim this horrifying religion is a force for love and peace after reading just this one passage?)
Back to the book. Borchert, leader of the mutilates and a twelve (number of body parts amputated), has Kline kidnapped and forces him to investigate the death of Aline, the leader and founder of the mutilates (a seventeen, as we horrifyingly and disgustingly learn later in the story), despite handicapping Kline by refusing to let him, a mere one (the hand that's gone), meet with any witnesses or ask any questions or see any evidence. Now old hands in the groves of noir know that this is a set-up so classic that one wonders if those blinking neon signs are visible from the parkway. Kline certainly knows the danger he's in, and has in fact been boringly repetitious in his demands to be let go, let out, left alone. And then evil, evil Borchert gives Kline just enough to compel him, as a PI, to address the itch of curiousness. (Bonus points for following that reference back to its origin.)
All ends in tears, as Kline oversteps the rope he's been given to hang himself in a nefarious plot to rid the world of a bad “holy” man; the body count mounts; and Kline doesn't escape without losing yet more body parts to the Brotherhood of Mutilation. Escape, however, he does; and then we launch into “Last Days.”
Oh my heck. Kline wakes up in the hospital, missing an entire arm now, to find a blond man with no right hand (go look that Biblical quotation up again) determined to kidnap him again, this time taking him to meet Paul, leader of a schismatic amputee group called “The Pauls” because they're all blond men with amputated right hands. Paul, the leader, wants Kline to go finish the job he thought was done, ie killing the unholy holy man.
Which, not to belabor the point, Kline doesn't want to do but does, in the process meeting an old friend, killing an old enemy, and causing a degree of mayhem only describable as Biblical. Kline is seen as the Mutilate Messiah, the burning brand that will cleanse the filth and degradation of error from the mutilate community.
I have to stop now, or I will vomit.
It took me three weeks to read this book because I couldn't do much at a time. It is grim, grisly, and gruesome; it is horrifying and horrible; it is strong, strong stuff for even seasoned veterans of de Sade's revolting works.
Brian Evenson was raised as a Mormon; he was told by the Mormon Church that he would have to stop writing if he wanted to continue being a Mormon. I don't know what happened after that, but I know there are more books by Evenson to be read. And, I cannot believe I'm typing this sentence, I will be reading them.
One day.
Evenson's vicious critique of christian religion is spot-on with my observations of the religion's effects on the world over the past two millennia. A more potent force for evil has never been unleashed. From the christian thugs burning the Library of Alexandria to the Westboro Baptist thugs condemning fags to burn in hell because their narrow-minded bigot of a gawd hates them, this religion should, in a properly run world, be closely monitored as a hate group and membership in it should deny a person all civil rights.
Only recommended for the reader who seeks out the dark side.
November 9, 2016
Former undercover cop Kline is at rock bottom, depressed and missing a hand, when a religious sect forcibly drafts him into service, ferreting out the killer of their leader. But is the leader really dead? And what sacrifices will Kline have to make to finally learn the truth?
This was one powerful little book. I devoured it in one sitting while waiting for car repairs, wondering how the rest of the patrons weren't shaken up by the events within.
It starts simply enough. Kline is at rock bottom when the phone calls start and eventually will look upon rock bottom with great fondness as he bores through the earths crust into greater depths of blood, fanaticism, and severed body parts.
When the tale begins, Kline is minus a hand courtesy of a gentleman with a meat cleaver on his last undercover job. The calls start and a certain religious sect who equate amputations with salvation make him an offer he can't refuse.
Kline skate the edge of sanity throughout most of the tale and goes through a large succession of meat grinders. The book has a creepy paranoid feel throughout. The simple put powerful style reminds me of Richard Stark in some ways, clipped and brutal.
As Kline descends into a haze of carnage and chaos, you have to wonder that even if he does survive, would he be better off dead? The Brotherhood of Mutilation makes for a great foil, probably because the idea isn't that far-fetched.
In The Last Days, Brian Evenson uses the tried and true hard-boiled PI template to tell one hell of a horror story. Four out of five stars.
This was one powerful little book. I devoured it in one sitting while waiting for car repairs, wondering how the rest of the patrons weren't shaken up by the events within.
It starts simply enough. Kline is at rock bottom when the phone calls start and eventually will look upon rock bottom with great fondness as he bores through the earths crust into greater depths of blood, fanaticism, and severed body parts.
When the tale begins, Kline is minus a hand courtesy of a gentleman with a meat cleaver on his last undercover job. The calls start and a certain religious sect who equate amputations with salvation make him an offer he can't refuse.
Kline skate the edge of sanity throughout most of the tale and goes through a large succession of meat grinders. The book has a creepy paranoid feel throughout. The simple put powerful style reminds me of Richard Stark in some ways, clipped and brutal.
As Kline descends into a haze of carnage and chaos, you have to wonder that even if he does survive, would he be better off dead? The Brotherhood of Mutilation makes for a great foil, probably because the idea isn't that far-fetched.
In The Last Days, Brian Evenson uses the tried and true hard-boiled PI template to tell one hell of a horror story. Four out of five stars.
March 1, 2021
"How do you know the moment when you cease to be human?
Oh boy... where do I begin with this one? Last Days is a horror noir, and a very peculiar one. The plot follows a man named Kline, a detective who had his hand severed by someone we only see refered to as "the gentleman with the cleaver". He receives a call and becomes rather forced into an investigation inside a cult... a mutilation cult, that believes knowledge and enlightenment comes with the more parts one severs from their body.
Again, this one is a interesting little book.
Apparently it was initially published as a novella titled "The Brotherhood of Mutilation" and expended in the form a of a sequel novella taking place almost immediately after the first, Evenson put them together to form one novel. Now that may sound jarring but they flow together so seamlessly that had I not known this before, I would likely not have noticed.
That said, it's interesting to compare the two in a non-spoiler way. Both blend horror and noir perfectly. They are filled with short sentence and quick dialogue that wouldn't feel out of place in a James Ellroy novel (the longer, more detailed descriptions are used sparingly and only for horrific effect). While horror and noir are both treated with the same level of respect and importance, I find it interesting how the author blended the two. The first part honestly feel more like a horror novel and the second part feels more noir (particularly of the Mickey Spillane violent variety). Does that mean the horror goes away in the second act? Oh, no, of course not.
Our lead in this book is of the classic noir variety. He's quick-witted, sarcastic, but seems to figure things out less from intelligence and more from forcing the answers out. He reminds me a lot of Hammett's Continental Op, who is less of a person and more of an entity forcing his way through a solution until an answer is given to him. Sometimes I would complain about this sort of thing. As the story progressed I found it quite fitting.
Well, did I like the book? Oh yes. I've never read Evenson before despite hearing a great deal of love from him in horror circles. After this I feel like I need to read more (Seriously, why have I not read him? I really need to check out a lot more). This is a dark and bleak book, filled with pain and horror on every page. It's not a horror novel in the traditional sense (you'll find no ghost, vampires, zombies or werewolves here) but it is filled with monsters and terrifying ones at that. 4/5 stars.
Oh boy... where do I begin with this one? Last Days is a horror noir, and a very peculiar one. The plot follows a man named Kline, a detective who had his hand severed by someone we only see refered to as "the gentleman with the cleaver". He receives a call and becomes rather forced into an investigation inside a cult... a mutilation cult, that believes knowledge and enlightenment comes with the more parts one severs from their body.
Again, this one is a interesting little book.
Apparently it was initially published as a novella titled "The Brotherhood of Mutilation" and expended in the form a of a sequel novella taking place almost immediately after the first, Evenson put them together to form one novel. Now that may sound jarring but they flow together so seamlessly that had I not known this before, I would likely not have noticed.
That said, it's interesting to compare the two in a non-spoiler way. Both blend horror and noir perfectly. They are filled with short sentence and quick dialogue that wouldn't feel out of place in a James Ellroy novel (the longer, more detailed descriptions are used sparingly and only for horrific effect). While horror and noir are both treated with the same level of respect and importance, I find it interesting how the author blended the two. The first part honestly feel more like a horror novel and the second part feels more noir (particularly of the Mickey Spillane violent variety). Does that mean the horror goes away in the second act? Oh, no, of course not.
Our lead in this book is of the classic noir variety. He's quick-witted, sarcastic, but seems to figure things out less from intelligence and more from forcing the answers out. He reminds me a lot of Hammett's Continental Op, who is less of a person and more of an entity forcing his way through a solution until an answer is given to him. Sometimes I would complain about this sort of thing. As the story progressed I found it quite fitting.
Well, did I like the book? Oh yes. I've never read Evenson before despite hearing a great deal of love from him in horror circles. After this I feel like I need to read more (Seriously, why have I not read him? I really need to check out a lot more). This is a dark and bleak book, filled with pain and horror on every page. It's not a horror novel in the traditional sense (you'll find no ghost, vampires, zombies or werewolves here) but it is filled with monsters and terrifying ones at that. 4/5 stars.
December 30, 2019
This novel of the noir and the bizarre examines cults that worship their gods in different manners. The mutilates remove body parts, focusing on "what (is) severed rather than what remains." They are willing to trade limbs for knowledge, "the most valuable of commodities." The Pauls, on the other hand, believe that one must lose oneself in order to find oneself, thus sharing a single name. Their god choses their paths - one's destination is already provided for them. Humanity has no choices.
Unwittingly involved with both groups is Kline, an investigator and a non-believer. Kline is averse to taking on any new assignment, but becomes embroiled in both sides' beliefs and ultimate goals. Seen as a savior because he apparently cannot be killed, Kline must free himself from the threatening pull of both groups. Interestingly, as he shoots his way to freedom, he asks himself how many bullets he must fire before he is no longer human.
This is a fierce and darkly humorous novel that questions the boundaries and blind faith of religion while cross-examining the dubious making of a savior. Finally, we must all ask ourselves: Does it ever stop? What comes next?
Unwittingly involved with both groups is Kline, an investigator and a non-believer. Kline is averse to taking on any new assignment, but becomes embroiled in both sides' beliefs and ultimate goals. Seen as a savior because he apparently cannot be killed, Kline must free himself from the threatening pull of both groups. Interestingly, as he shoots his way to freedom, he asks himself how many bullets he must fire before he is no longer human.
This is a fierce and darkly humorous novel that questions the boundaries and blind faith of religion while cross-examining the dubious making of a savior. Finally, we must all ask ourselves: Does it ever stop? What comes next?
March 8, 2012
I blasted through this book in a two days, starting deep into the night and finishing just minutes ago. I would have finished it during the night but I had to go to sleep. This has turned out totally against what I was expecting - a mediocre mystery thriller - and became something different entirely. I don't know if enjoyment is a right word in this case, but I was barely able to tear myself away from it and couldn't wait to be able to get back to it and read to the very end.
Sure, the thriller elements are most definitely present, and the novel is inspired by the classic noir detective fiction (the blurb mentions the author's fascination with Dashiel Hammett's Red Harvest). However it would be to do the novel a disservice by classifying it as simple genre fiction, even if drawing from the great masters. Last Days cannot be properly classified to just one genre - it draws from them, mixes them, refuses to melt and then become solid again, escaping categorial impositions. There's plenty of imagery and elements associated with horror fiction here, especially the Weird kind; The pervading, Kafkaesque sense of helplesness and being lost in a labyrinth of the events that can't be comprehend is a prevailing theme, where the labyrinth is really a slide, and even though one wanders through its mazes they always somehow point downwards, where there's only darkness.
The protagonist, Kline, is a retired detective. A recluse, Kline now lives solitarily in his apartment. Money doesn't trouble him. What does is the brutal mutiliation he was forced to perform on himself during one case; an attacker forced him to cut his own hand with a cleaver. Kline managed to outsmart the attacker and kill him, and live by cauterizing the wound. One day he receives a phone call: In a scene which is almost a satire of the opening of The Trial two voices ask him about the details of the mutiliation, revealing to him that they know more about it that he has revealed to the press; they say that they offer him a plane ticket which will take him to them, saying that they're "opportunity". They refuse to offer more information, and Kline choses to ignore the call and the ticket, as he has enough money to live on and doesn't need to get involved in anything. A week later the phone calls again, with the same two voices, which Kline gives the names of Lisp and Low Voice; they grow desperate, saying that he's their man and that they're the same as him.
"If we wanted to kill you," Lisp said. "You'd be dead by now." It was odd, thought Kline, to be threatened by a man with a lisp.
"Please, Mr. Kline," said Low Voice.
"We don't want to kill you," said Lisp. "Ergo, you're still alive."
"Aren't you even a little curious, Mr. Kline?" asked Low Voice.
As in The Trial, the two men eventually show up at Kline's place, and it becomes clear that he has no choice in this matter; he's dragged into a situation which is so bizarre and riddled with ill logic and seemingly unsolvable. To say more of the plot would be to spoil it, and that would be a crime comitted against the text. It is a temptation to discuss it in detail, as it proves more complexity that its slim lenght might suggest; it contains imagery which is graphic, visceral and disturbing.
Evenson writes with a detached, impassionate voice, which works brilliantly. His prose is taut, his language and sentences so bare that they are almost transparent, letting the reader into the mind and confusion of Kline's character. He writes without any safety net, grabbing his readers by the throat and almost suffocating them with the sheer intensity of what is going on there, and boy, is there much going on. Last Days reads like a rocket, taking off and never letting go, from the first word to the very last. Kline's limited perspective, disorientation and frustration all happens at such a frantic pace that is bound to leave some breathless, and it's bad to be breathless amids terror and horrible things. Evenson uses cliffhangers masterfully, sometimes several per chapter, never allowing for things to slow down, not only keeping the suspense and interest of the reader but driving it higher and higher, higher and higher, until it becomes almost unbearable and we wish we could have read three pages at once, then four, five.
What is worth pointing out that in all the seriousness of the book's tone and content, it contains plenty of humor. Kline is a private eye who never loses his cool, and the dialogue he engages in is straight of the hardboiled fiction of the past. aspects of the plot are so over the top that they're almost a farce but the whole thing absolutely works, and brilliantly! Every task is difficult, every decision morally complex and ambiguous. Character which can be perceived as sympathetic are really monsters, and monsters soon start to be perceived as sympathetic. Kline is thrown around, his physical strenght never in full potential, never allowing him an easy way out - but then so is the power of his opponents. The question of power is another fascinating theme of this surprisingly complex and multilayered work.
If you ever were watching The Maltese Falcon and wanted to know how it would be if Humphrey Bogart would get involved in something really, really weird, then this is your chance! The novel is bound to inspire a number of reactions from readers, but I can't see anyone being disappointed by it. It's short, it's taut, it's complex, it's fascinating, it's disturbing and immersing. It grabs you and doesn't want to let go, so be prepared!
Peter Straub has penned a 11 page introduction, in which he discusses the novel at lenght, but also reveals major plot points and events, along with the conclusion. It's great reading, but only after reading the text. It's as carefully planned as a house of cards, and the best way to get to know it is just to start at page one and go on from there.
The novel is in fact a composite of two novellas. The first one, Brotherhood of Mutiliation was so popular that the author decided to expand on it and wrote a part two, Last Days. This is not a cheap addition to cash in on the success; although Brotherhood of Mutiliation can work on its own only together with its counterpart it achieves the full effect. They're similar and different; Together they form a giant rabbit hole, which will suck any reader who will simply read them, word after word, from left to right.
As I'm writin this, the novel has less than 200 ratings. This is a disgrace to its sheer quality. It needs to be popular. It needs to be read. Books that good don't come as often as we would have liked, and when they do many of them go by practically unnoticed. Don't allow for Last Days to go unnoticed. Pick it up! It's unsettling, frenetic, fascinating, haunting and hugely recommended!
Sure, the thriller elements are most definitely present, and the novel is inspired by the classic noir detective fiction (the blurb mentions the author's fascination with Dashiel Hammett's Red Harvest). However it would be to do the novel a disservice by classifying it as simple genre fiction, even if drawing from the great masters. Last Days cannot be properly classified to just one genre - it draws from them, mixes them, refuses to melt and then become solid again, escaping categorial impositions. There's plenty of imagery and elements associated with horror fiction here, especially the Weird kind; The pervading, Kafkaesque sense of helplesness and being lost in a labyrinth of the events that can't be comprehend is a prevailing theme, where the labyrinth is really a slide, and even though one wanders through its mazes they always somehow point downwards, where there's only darkness.
The protagonist, Kline, is a retired detective. A recluse, Kline now lives solitarily in his apartment. Money doesn't trouble him. What does is the brutal mutiliation he was forced to perform on himself during one case; an attacker forced him to cut his own hand with a cleaver. Kline managed to outsmart the attacker and kill him, and live by cauterizing the wound. One day he receives a phone call: In a scene which is almost a satire of the opening of The Trial two voices ask him about the details of the mutiliation, revealing to him that they know more about it that he has revealed to the press; they say that they offer him a plane ticket which will take him to them, saying that they're "opportunity". They refuse to offer more information, and Kline choses to ignore the call and the ticket, as he has enough money to live on and doesn't need to get involved in anything. A week later the phone calls again, with the same two voices, which Kline gives the names of Lisp and Low Voice; they grow desperate, saying that he's their man and that they're the same as him.
"If we wanted to kill you," Lisp said. "You'd be dead by now." It was odd, thought Kline, to be threatened by a man with a lisp.
"Please, Mr. Kline," said Low Voice.
"We don't want to kill you," said Lisp. "Ergo, you're still alive."
"Aren't you even a little curious, Mr. Kline?" asked Low Voice.
As in The Trial, the two men eventually show up at Kline's place, and it becomes clear that he has no choice in this matter; he's dragged into a situation which is so bizarre and riddled with ill logic and seemingly unsolvable. To say more of the plot would be to spoil it, and that would be a crime comitted against the text. It is a temptation to discuss it in detail, as it proves more complexity that its slim lenght might suggest; it contains imagery which is graphic, visceral and disturbing.
Evenson writes with a detached, impassionate voice, which works brilliantly. His prose is taut, his language and sentences so bare that they are almost transparent, letting the reader into the mind and confusion of Kline's character. He writes without any safety net, grabbing his readers by the throat and almost suffocating them with the sheer intensity of what is going on there, and boy, is there much going on. Last Days reads like a rocket, taking off and never letting go, from the first word to the very last. Kline's limited perspective, disorientation and frustration all happens at such a frantic pace that is bound to leave some breathless, and it's bad to be breathless amids terror and horrible things. Evenson uses cliffhangers masterfully, sometimes several per chapter, never allowing for things to slow down, not only keeping the suspense and interest of the reader but driving it higher and higher, higher and higher, until it becomes almost unbearable and we wish we could have read three pages at once, then four, five.
What is worth pointing out that in all the seriousness of the book's tone and content, it contains plenty of humor. Kline is a private eye who never loses his cool, and the dialogue he engages in is straight of the hardboiled fiction of the past. aspects of the plot are so over the top that they're almost a farce but the whole thing absolutely works, and brilliantly! Every task is difficult, every decision morally complex and ambiguous. Character which can be perceived as sympathetic are really monsters, and monsters soon start to be perceived as sympathetic. Kline is thrown around, his physical strenght never in full potential, never allowing him an easy way out - but then so is the power of his opponents. The question of power is another fascinating theme of this surprisingly complex and multilayered work.
If you ever were watching The Maltese Falcon and wanted to know how it would be if Humphrey Bogart would get involved in something really, really weird, then this is your chance! The novel is bound to inspire a number of reactions from readers, but I can't see anyone being disappointed by it. It's short, it's taut, it's complex, it's fascinating, it's disturbing and immersing. It grabs you and doesn't want to let go, so be prepared!
Peter Straub has penned a 11 page introduction, in which he discusses the novel at lenght, but also reveals major plot points and events, along with the conclusion. It's great reading, but only after reading the text. It's as carefully planned as a house of cards, and the best way to get to know it is just to start at page one and go on from there.
The novel is in fact a composite of two novellas. The first one, Brotherhood of Mutiliation was so popular that the author decided to expand on it and wrote a part two, Last Days. This is not a cheap addition to cash in on the success; although Brotherhood of Mutiliation can work on its own only together with its counterpart it achieves the full effect. They're similar and different; Together they form a giant rabbit hole, which will suck any reader who will simply read them, word after word, from left to right.
As I'm writin this, the novel has less than 200 ratings. This is a disgrace to its sheer quality. It needs to be popular. It needs to be read. Books that good don't come as often as we would have liked, and when they do many of them go by practically unnoticed. Don't allow for Last Days to go unnoticed. Pick it up! It's unsettling, frenetic, fascinating, haunting and hugely recommended!
April 7, 2023
We're following Klein who, through an unfortunate series of events sensationally amputates his own hand which attracts media attention and as a result ends up entangled within a cult, the so-called Brotherhood of Mutilation. He is being held captive and is asked to solve a mystery, though the problem is that things work differently in this brotherhood. While trying to figure out how or even if the crime in question is committed, he is confronted with a really odd hierarchy and also loses a limb or two during his quest. Even though he rejects all this in the beginning, the more he delves into the workings of the cult, the more the cult demands of him and it costs him literally an arm and a leg.
The book then introduces an antithesis to the Brotherhood of Mutilation, the Pauls. This association consists of men renouncing their own individuality by collectively taking the identity of Paul (the Christian one from the Bible) and plot the ruin of the former society with the help of Klein, in whom they see a sort of destroyer prophet. Things go crazy from here on if they were not deranged enough to begin with.
In its core, you could say that Evenson's Last Days is The Trial of horror literature, a Kafkaesque nightmare of being trapped within an elusive and surreal hierarchic machinery. That this machinery belongs to a cult which focuses and fetishizes amputations, doesn't really constitute the real meat of the story, please forgive my pun, but opens up a different layer, an additional disturbing platform for Evenson to playfully and metaphorically explore further social constructs such as religion – maybe even political or philosophical tendencies? My knowledge in both fields is highly limited, so, although I wouldn't be able to distinguish which, I'll trust my instincts on this one.
It isn't a very casually readable book, it is not a conventional book at all, although the ever present dark humor (and it's very dark), the induced revulsion (just think of a strip show within a mutilation cult and guess what the dancer takes off) and the very absurd road the plot goes made it a read worthwhile for me.
The book then introduces an antithesis to the Brotherhood of Mutilation, the Pauls. This association consists of men renouncing their own individuality by collectively taking the identity of Paul (the Christian one from the Bible) and plot the ruin of the former society with the help of Klein, in whom they see a sort of destroyer prophet. Things go crazy from here on if they were not deranged enough to begin with.
In its core, you could say that Evenson's Last Days is The Trial of horror literature, a Kafkaesque nightmare of being trapped within an elusive and surreal hierarchic machinery. That this machinery belongs to a cult which focuses and fetishizes amputations, doesn't really constitute the real meat of the story, please forgive my pun, but opens up a different layer, an additional disturbing platform for Evenson to playfully and metaphorically explore further social constructs such as religion – maybe even political or philosophical tendencies? My knowledge in both fields is highly limited, so, although I wouldn't be able to distinguish which, I'll trust my instincts on this one.
It isn't a very casually readable book, it is not a conventional book at all, although the ever present dark humor (and it's very dark), the induced revulsion (just think of a strip show within a mutilation cult and guess what the dancer takes off) and the very absurd road the plot goes made it a read worthwhile for me.
June 18, 2021
Been searching for a joyful, heartwarming story to get you into the holiday spirit? Boy, have I got the book just for you! Actually, heartwarming may not be the best way to describe it. How bout gut-churning, bone-chilling, nerve-racking, gruesome little slice of horror noir? Yeah, that’s more like it!
“And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee . . .”—Matthew 5:30
But why stop there?
Mr. Kline’s descent into madness begins with a rather innocuous phone call offering him a job, which he flatly refuses. Fuck work. He’s too depressed to even get out of bed—still licking his wounds from an undercover job that left him missing a hand. Plus, after shooting the culprit and helping himself to a briefcase full of cash, he doesn’t really need the money anyhow. But the caller won’t take no for an answer. So, after repeatedly hanging up on the jerk, Kline finally just yanks the telephone cord out of the wall and goes back to sleep. Only to wake up later to find two men sitting at the foot of his bed.
“When opportunity comes knocking, Mr. Kline, it’s customary to open the fucking door! You are, after all, one of us” they inform him as they twist off their own hands.
Rudely usher into their car and driven to their compound, he’s forced into the role of reluctant detective. Because the leader of The Brotherhood of Mutilation, who count their spiritual progress by the number of body parts lopped off, has been murdered. Or has he? Kline’s tasked with solving the murder, but his investigation stalls because the deeper he digs the more he’s given the runaround until he begins to question everything.
“Aline is dead,” Kline said.
“Aline is dead?” said Ramse, his voice rising.
“Is that possible?” said Gous. “How is that possible?”
“Or not,” said Kline. “Maybe not.”
“Well,” said Gous. “Which is it?”
“What did you say about Aline?” asked the bartender.
“Nothing,” said Kline.
“Oh, God,” said Ramse, shaking his head. “Dear God.”
“Aline is either alive or dead,” said Gous to the bartender.
“Be quiet, Gous,” said Kline.
“Well, which is he?” asked the bartender. “There’s a big difference, you know.”
That’s a great example of what I really enjoy about noir stories. No matter how dark and heavy the subject matter, how dire the situation, the dialog is often lightweight and comical. Seemingly, all these stories are built upon deceptively simple, straightforward prose that cut right to the bone, with crisp, snappy dialog that help them maintain a gripping, breakneck pace.
Sometimes the plots can be a little too convoluted, but not so here - there’s nary a wasted word. Evenson never even bothers to describe the setting, and we’re provided zero clues as to where the story even occurs because it’s not important. The only things that matter are the actions of his character and the horrors they inflict on one another.
Now, a brief word of warning: Only fearless readers with strong hearts and cast-iron stomachs should consider a mad book like this. For you brave souls willing to wade into the abyss, I’d advise you to skip over that rat-bastard Peter Straub’s introduction, where he attempts to spoil the entire plot. What a jerk!
But, for the rest of you scaredy-cats, too frightened to crack open the spine, yet still curious to know “What, in God’s holy name, was the moral of the story?” I’d wager it’s something along the lines of - it’s a slippery slope from religious zealots to fanatical death cult. 😨
Lucky for me, after many years lost in the wilderness, suffering many trials and tribulations, I’ve finally discovered the one true religion - Pastafarianism.
O Blessed Flying Spaghetti Monster in the sky, if it be thy will, reach deep into my mind with your Noodly Appendage and cleanse it from this pestilent horror which has thusly stained it.
-----------------------------------------------
Footnote:
The Last Days actually began life back in 2002 as the novella “The Brotherhood of Mutilation.” But, “Almost immediately after the initial publication, Evenson wanted to continue the story, but he knew it needed to hold its own against The Brotherhood.” Eventually, inspiration struck in the form of a one-handed piano player named Paul, and he penned the second half of this story. After learning this, I went back and reread the conclusion to the Brotherhood section, and I must admit that would have made for one hell of a powerful novella. Unfortunately, the latter half, while still entertaining, wasn’t quite up to snuff with his initial creation—it was all a little too over the top, for my taste.
4.5 stars for part one and 3.5 stars for part two nicely average out to a 4-star rating in my book.
“And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee . . .”—Matthew 5:30
But why stop there?
Mr. Kline’s descent into madness begins with a rather innocuous phone call offering him a job, which he flatly refuses. Fuck work. He’s too depressed to even get out of bed—still licking his wounds from an undercover job that left him missing a hand. Plus, after shooting the culprit and helping himself to a briefcase full of cash, he doesn’t really need the money anyhow. But the caller won’t take no for an answer. So, after repeatedly hanging up on the jerk, Kline finally just yanks the telephone cord out of the wall and goes back to sleep. Only to wake up later to find two men sitting at the foot of his bed.
“When opportunity comes knocking, Mr. Kline, it’s customary to open the fucking door! You are, after all, one of us” they inform him as they twist off their own hands.
Rudely usher into their car and driven to their compound, he’s forced into the role of reluctant detective. Because the leader of The Brotherhood of Mutilation, who count their spiritual progress by the number of body parts lopped off, has been murdered. Or has he? Kline’s tasked with solving the murder, but his investigation stalls because the deeper he digs the more he’s given the runaround until he begins to question everything.
“Aline is dead,” Kline said.
“Aline is dead?” said Ramse, his voice rising.
“Is that possible?” said Gous. “How is that possible?”
“Or not,” said Kline. “Maybe not.”
“Well,” said Gous. “Which is it?”
“What did you say about Aline?” asked the bartender.
“Nothing,” said Kline.
“Oh, God,” said Ramse, shaking his head. “Dear God.”
“Aline is either alive or dead,” said Gous to the bartender.
“Be quiet, Gous,” said Kline.
“Well, which is he?” asked the bartender. “There’s a big difference, you know.”
That’s a great example of what I really enjoy about noir stories. No matter how dark and heavy the subject matter, how dire the situation, the dialog is often lightweight and comical. Seemingly, all these stories are built upon deceptively simple, straightforward prose that cut right to the bone, with crisp, snappy dialog that help them maintain a gripping, breakneck pace.
Sometimes the plots can be a little too convoluted, but not so here - there’s nary a wasted word. Evenson never even bothers to describe the setting, and we’re provided zero clues as to where the story even occurs because it’s not important. The only things that matter are the actions of his character and the horrors they inflict on one another.
Now, a brief word of warning: Only fearless readers with strong hearts and cast-iron stomachs should consider a mad book like this. For you brave souls willing to wade into the abyss, I’d advise you to skip over that rat-bastard Peter Straub’s introduction, where he attempts to spoil the entire plot. What a jerk!
But, for the rest of you scaredy-cats, too frightened to crack open the spine, yet still curious to know “What, in God’s holy name, was the moral of the story?” I’d wager it’s something along the lines of - it’s a slippery slope from religious zealots to fanatical death cult. 😨
Lucky for me, after many years lost in the wilderness, suffering many trials and tribulations, I’ve finally discovered the one true religion - Pastafarianism.
O Blessed Flying Spaghetti Monster in the sky, if it be thy will, reach deep into my mind with your Noodly Appendage and cleanse it from this pestilent horror which has thusly stained it.
-----------------------------------------------
Footnote:
The Last Days actually began life back in 2002 as the novella “The Brotherhood of Mutilation.” But, “Almost immediately after the initial publication, Evenson wanted to continue the story, but he knew it needed to hold its own against The Brotherhood.” Eventually, inspiration struck in the form of a one-handed piano player named Paul, and he penned the second half of this story. After learning this, I went back and reread the conclusion to the Brotherhood section, and I must admit that would have made for one hell of a powerful novella. Unfortunately, the latter half, while still entertaining, wasn’t quite up to snuff with his initial creation—it was all a little too over the top, for my taste.
4.5 stars for part one and 3.5 stars for part two nicely average out to a 4-star rating in my book.
September 7, 2019
I first discovered writer Brian Evenson after reading his reprinted short story, "Any Corpse," in Gamut Magazine: Issue One. The story is a bizarre and dazzlingly original sci-fi/dystopian/horror that really defies explanation. It led me to seek out more of his work. This novel is just as original and it's actually rather startling in it's boldness and novelty. Last Days is about an undercover cop named Kline who's deep in depression after his hand is chopped off by a bad guy. He's then approached by a cult who believe that amputation brings one closer to God, and is forced to solve a murder in their midst. The book gets crazier and crazier as Kline falls deeper into the rabbit hole that is the Brotherhood of Mutilation.
Evenson not only does a great job at showing the gradual loss of sanity that anyone would understandably go through if thrown into this world, he also maintains a really singular atmosphere. I doubt that there were more than two people in the whole book who had all of their limbs! The world in which this book exists is filled with people with multiple body parts chopped off, which creates a vibe that I haven't really witnessed in other books. And through all of it, Evenson's relentless writing moves through the strange tale at a nice tight clip. I'm now even more curious to read another book by Evenson to see what other ideas he can come up with.
Evenson not only does a great job at showing the gradual loss of sanity that anyone would understandably go through if thrown into this world, he also maintains a really singular atmosphere. I doubt that there were more than two people in the whole book who had all of their limbs! The world in which this book exists is filled with people with multiple body parts chopped off, which creates a vibe that I haven't really witnessed in other books. And through all of it, Evenson's relentless writing moves through the strange tale at a nice tight clip. I'm now even more curious to read another book by Evenson to see what other ideas he can come up with.
September 4, 2023
"How many whales do you suppose God will deign send to swallow you? When does God run out of whales?”
- Last Days, Brian Evenson
note: Figuring out what amputation(ish) painting would be appropriate here was an interesting, in not rewarding, exercise. My good friend Keith is pretty sure (on good authority) one of the paintings referenced in the book is an Odd Nerdrum, so I'm going with one of his.
Amazing.
Brutal.
Funny.
Dark.
Absurd.
This is hard-boiled horror. Cult Crime. Brian Evenson is writing tomorrow's horror today (well, technically, he wrote tomorrow's horror ten+ years go). Like Philip K. Dick and J.G. Ballard, I have feeling Evenson will be far more appreciated in 50 years than he is today. Right now, Evenson exists as a cult writer; a writer's writer. My first exposure to Evenson was my freshman year at BYU. That was the year the church school removed him. Cut him off. Amputated him for the very same book they hired him for. It was the first time I bought his book and one of my first "literary" horror purchases.
Now, don't get me wrong. I didn't READ Evenson that year. I wasn't ready. Again, Evenson arrived too early. He was there before the worms and the birds.
I'm avoiding directly reviewing the book because I don't want to give the experience away. Let's leave it at the fact it FEELS like J.G. Ballard meets Sam Beckett. The first two members of The Holy Christian Fellowship of Amputation or The Brotherhood of Mutilation we are introduced to seem to possess the dialogue sensibilities and absurdities of Vladimir and Estragon. The book is essentially a short story Evenson wrote called The Brotherhood of Mutilation expanded (or mirrored). A story about one cult becomes a story about two cults. The original AND its schismatic twin. It is a thesis, antithesis, synthesis kinda novel. This is a story that haunts you, but not with chills, but echos and vibrations. I finished this novel, bit of a fingernail, spit it on the floor and went to bed.
- Last Days, Brian Evenson
note: Figuring out what amputation(ish) painting would be appropriate here was an interesting, in not rewarding, exercise. My good friend Keith is pretty sure (on good authority) one of the paintings referenced in the book is an Odd Nerdrum, so I'm going with one of his.
Amazing.
Brutal.
Funny.
Dark.
Absurd.
This is hard-boiled horror. Cult Crime. Brian Evenson is writing tomorrow's horror today (well, technically, he wrote tomorrow's horror ten+ years go). Like Philip K. Dick and J.G. Ballard, I have feeling Evenson will be far more appreciated in 50 years than he is today. Right now, Evenson exists as a cult writer; a writer's writer. My first exposure to Evenson was my freshman year at BYU. That was the year the church school removed him. Cut him off. Amputated him for the very same book they hired him for. It was the first time I bought his book and one of my first "literary" horror purchases.
Now, don't get me wrong. I didn't READ Evenson that year. I wasn't ready. Again, Evenson arrived too early. He was there before the worms and the birds.
I'm avoiding directly reviewing the book because I don't want to give the experience away. Let's leave it at the fact it FEELS like J.G. Ballard meets Sam Beckett. The first two members of The Holy Christian Fellowship of Amputation or The Brotherhood of Mutilation we are introduced to seem to possess the dialogue sensibilities and absurdities of Vladimir and Estragon. The book is essentially a short story Evenson wrote called The Brotherhood of Mutilation expanded (or mirrored). A story about one cult becomes a story about two cults. The original AND its schismatic twin. It is a thesis, antithesis, synthesis kinda novel. This is a story that haunts you, but not with chills, but echos and vibrations. I finished this novel, bit of a fingernail, spit it on the floor and went to bed.
November 2, 2021
I don’t write reviews.
And I don’t usually read graphic horror, especially the kind which sells itself on the shock value. Am I getting old? Yes. Does that matter? No.
It turns out I read this as a novella (The Brotherhood of Mutilation) many years ago. (I can’t recall where. Perhaps an anthology called The Weird). The images stay with you. However, it didn’t make enough of an impression at the time for me to recall the name Evenson. It was creepy and felt very cutting edge (no pun intended).
Now we have this extended version. It’s basically two novellas put together. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I wasted my time, but… There was nothing beneath the shallow surface. Who? What? And most importantly, why? We never get any scrap of development.
I understand the themes and they’re really quite interesting. These themes were introduced, yet not explored. How do you know when you’re called by god? What leads one to renounce a regular life and take orders so extreme that most would run screaming? Can a spiritual ideology remain of the spirit when it is so focused on the physical? Does each part of the whole fully represent its entirety? What is the line between divine transcendence and madness? Does such a line exist?
Oh well. Remember Lizz, no more dismemberment.
And I don’t usually read graphic horror, especially the kind which sells itself on the shock value. Am I getting old? Yes. Does that matter? No.
It turns out I read this as a novella (The Brotherhood of Mutilation) many years ago. (I can’t recall where. Perhaps an anthology called The Weird). The images stay with you. However, it didn’t make enough of an impression at the time for me to recall the name Evenson. It was creepy and felt very cutting edge (no pun intended).
Now we have this extended version. It’s basically two novellas put together. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I wasted my time, but… There was nothing beneath the shallow surface. Who? What? And most importantly, why? We never get any scrap of development.
I understand the themes and they’re really quite interesting. These themes were introduced, yet not explored. How do you know when you’re called by god? What leads one to renounce a regular life and take orders so extreme that most would run screaming? Can a spiritual ideology remain of the spirit when it is so focused on the physical? Does each part of the whole fully represent its entirety? What is the line between divine transcendence and madness? Does such a line exist?
Oh well. Remember Lizz, no more dismemberment.
December 25, 2022
¡Allá vamos con la última conjunta del año con Devoradora de libros! 📚📚
En esta historia tenemos sangre y situaciones incómodas a mansalva.
Diálogos de besugos entre los integrantes de la hermandad y muchas preguntas sin respuesta.
Según avanzas en la lectura estas incógnitas se van multiplicando, te va envolviendo en un halo un tanto caótico y confuso, y llega un punto que se vuelve todo muy monótono.
Es en su parte final donde vuelve a mostrarnos más agilidad en los acontecimientos pero quizás de una manera demasiado acelerada, dejándonos con un final brusco que personalmente tampoco me ha gustado.
Le tenía muchas ganas pero sinceramente ha supuesto una decepción 🙁
La mayor parte de la trama me ha resultado soporífera.
Pero vayamos por partes:
Por un lado, tenemos a Kline, quien recibe de improviso una llamada de lo más extraña donde lo instan a resolver un asesinato acontecido tras las paredes de La Hermandad de la Mutilación, un culto que promueve la amputación como forma de estar más cerca del creador.
Y por otro tenemos al culto en sí y a todos los que lo integran; fanáticos capaces de mutilarse cualquier miembro con tal de seguir al pie de la letra sus absurdas creencias.
"Menos es más", esa es su máxima.
Cuanto menos miembros tengan más cerca estarán de alcanzar esa divinidad y más alto es el rango dentro de su jerarquía.
¿Parece interesante verdad?
Sin duda, la mejor parte ha sido la que nos hace reflexionar sobre el poder de las religiones, de los peligros del fanatismo y de las barbaridades que pueden llegar a cometer algunas personas en pos de sus creencias.
Hasta el punto de perseguir y eliminar a quienes no promulgan con ellos.
Terrible.
🤔 En definitiva, ha sido una historia con mucho potencial, como digo, todo lo relacionado con el culto y el fanatismo es lo más interesante.
Pero con muchos altibajos. Se suceden muchas situaciones similares y repetitivas que han hecho que me costara ponerme a leer.
No he logrado conectar con el protagonista ni empatizar con lo que le estaba pasando. No sé si achacarlo a la historia en sí o a la traducción (de hecho hay múltiples erratas, sin ir más lejos en el primer párrafo de la página 224 el nombre del prota aparece dos veces en dos líneas, en una de ellas está mal escrito viéndose Klein en lugar de Kline, y frases mal expresadas), además la narración me ha parecido fría, mecánica y con un final atropellado, brusco y cíclico.
Definitivamente esa era la intención de Brian Evenson, tal como el propio Peter Straub lo explica en el postfacio, montar una historia con una gran crítica a las religiones y con ese punto cómico y absurdo que a mi no me ha llegado.
Eso sí, los que disfruten con la acción y situaciones desagradables se lo pasarán de lo lindo, pero para mi este aspecto no ha sido suficiente, los "peros" han pesado más que los elementos positivos.
Me da mucha pena porque es una editorial que me encanta, creo que es la primera vez que le doy una nota tan baja a una de sus publicaciones, las ediciones, sus historias y todos los detalles de sus ejemplares son un deleite para los sentidos, pero es obvio que no se puede disfrutar de todas en la misma medida.
Aunque la próxima será mejor.
Estoy segura.
🗡 "Aquello, esa terminación, se había convertido en algo extraño que era a la vez parte de él y la nada más absoluta; resultaba fascinante."
🗡 "La realidad es una criatura tan desesperada como evasiva."
🗡 "Si tengo que dejar algo atrás, lo haré. Incluso si se trata de una parte de mi."
📖 Próxima lectura:
"De hogares de acogida y moscas" - Chad Lutzke.
📚 https://www.facebook.com/LaLocadelosL... 📚
En esta historia tenemos sangre y situaciones incómodas a mansalva.
Diálogos de besugos entre los integrantes de la hermandad y muchas preguntas sin respuesta.
Según avanzas en la lectura estas incógnitas se van multiplicando, te va envolviendo en un halo un tanto caótico y confuso, y llega un punto que se vuelve todo muy monótono.
Es en su parte final donde vuelve a mostrarnos más agilidad en los acontecimientos pero quizás de una manera demasiado acelerada, dejándonos con un final brusco que personalmente tampoco me ha gustado.
Le tenía muchas ganas pero sinceramente ha supuesto una decepción 🙁
La mayor parte de la trama me ha resultado soporífera.
Pero vayamos por partes:
Por un lado, tenemos a Kline, quien recibe de improviso una llamada de lo más extraña donde lo instan a resolver un asesinato acontecido tras las paredes de La Hermandad de la Mutilación, un culto que promueve la amputación como forma de estar más cerca del creador.
Y por otro tenemos al culto en sí y a todos los que lo integran; fanáticos capaces de mutilarse cualquier miembro con tal de seguir al pie de la letra sus absurdas creencias.
"Menos es más", esa es su máxima.
Cuanto menos miembros tengan más cerca estarán de alcanzar esa divinidad y más alto es el rango dentro de su jerarquía.
¿Parece interesante verdad?
Sin duda, la mejor parte ha sido la que nos hace reflexionar sobre el poder de las religiones, de los peligros del fanatismo y de las barbaridades que pueden llegar a cometer algunas personas en pos de sus creencias.
Hasta el punto de perseguir y eliminar a quienes no promulgan con ellos.
Terrible.
🤔 En definitiva, ha sido una historia con mucho potencial, como digo, todo lo relacionado con el culto y el fanatismo es lo más interesante.
Pero con muchos altibajos. Se suceden muchas situaciones similares y repetitivas que han hecho que me costara ponerme a leer.
No he logrado conectar con el protagonista ni empatizar con lo que le estaba pasando. No sé si achacarlo a la historia en sí o a la traducción (de hecho hay múltiples erratas, sin ir más lejos en el primer párrafo de la página 224 el nombre del prota aparece dos veces en dos líneas, en una de ellas está mal escrito viéndose Klein en lugar de Kline, y frases mal expresadas), además la narración me ha parecido fría, mecánica y con un final atropellado, brusco y cíclico.
Definitivamente esa era la intención de Brian Evenson, tal como el propio Peter Straub lo explica en el postfacio, montar una historia con una gran crítica a las religiones y con ese punto cómico y absurdo que a mi no me ha llegado.
Eso sí, los que disfruten con la acción y situaciones desagradables se lo pasarán de lo lindo, pero para mi este aspecto no ha sido suficiente, los "peros" han pesado más que los elementos positivos.
Me da mucha pena porque es una editorial que me encanta, creo que es la primera vez que le doy una nota tan baja a una de sus publicaciones, las ediciones, sus historias y todos los detalles de sus ejemplares son un deleite para los sentidos, pero es obvio que no se puede disfrutar de todas en la misma medida.
Aunque la próxima será mejor.
Estoy segura.
🗡 "Aquello, esa terminación, se había convertido en algo extraño que era a la vez parte de él y la nada más absoluta; resultaba fascinante."
🗡 "La realidad es una criatura tan desesperada como evasiva."
🗡 "Si tengo que dejar algo atrás, lo haré. Incluso si se trata de una parte de mi."
📖 Próxima lectura:
"De hogares de acogida y moscas" - Chad Lutzke.
📚 https://www.facebook.com/LaLocadelosL... 📚
October 6, 2022
That was ridiculously entertaining and disturbing. Poor Kline. He really did have a rough time of it, "What's next?"
October 8, 2020
When I started reading this, I was struck by how much of a traditional mystery tale it was. You know, mean streets, investigation, quirky/disturbing personalities. Of course, by Evenson's own reckoning, he wanted to take traditional elements and put the knife to them.
In that regard, and thinking of this novel as an experiment really helps.
I mean, diving hand first into a mutilation cult is WEIRD.
Sorry, you fans of mutilation-cults. It's me, not you. But as for me, it was both absurd and disturbing and very, very, very allegorical. That part was fine.
Chop, chop, chop. The more you lose, the more you gain! But then, there's more in less, no? LOL.
Well, I guess there are worse ways to lose weight than losing a limb or two or four.
Aren't there?
In that regard, and thinking of this novel as an experiment really helps.
I mean, diving hand first into a mutilation cult is WEIRD.
Sorry, you fans of mutilation-cults. It's me, not you. But as for me, it was both absurd and disturbing and very, very, very allegorical. That part was fine.
Chop, chop, chop. The more you lose, the more you gain! But then, there's more in less, no? LOL.
Well, I guess there are worse ways to lose weight than losing a limb or two or four.
Aren't there?
September 6, 2014
For those of you that have read this book you will understand why I feel the need for a hug.
If you took Kafka's The Trial and morphed it with Palahniuk's macabre sensibilities and sprinkled in the Book of Revelations, you might could get within spittin' distance of Brian Evenson's writing.
I only know about this author because of his book on Robert Coover. Now I want to read every word writ by him.
Highly recommended. Just don't read while eating meat cooked rare.
If you took Kafka's The Trial and morphed it with Palahniuk's macabre sensibilities and sprinkled in the Book of Revelations, you might could get within spittin' distance of Brian Evenson's writing.
I only know about this author because of his book on Robert Coover. Now I want to read every word writ by him.
Highly recommended. Just don't read while eating meat cooked rare.
March 12, 2012
Wow! What a darkly disturbing yet strangely delightful romp of a book. Last Days is a marvelous mash-up of hard-boiled detective noir, literary mystery and straight-up horror that never comes across as messy or confused. Evenson's prose is sooooo tight; not a single word is wasted, the narrative action propelled along at a break-neck pace, every other chapter ending on a nail-biting cliffhanger, the dialogue smart, snappy, and at times very funny. I blew through its 200 pages in no time at all, and I bet you will too.
It's easy to draw parallels to the noir greats here, but since I just finished reading several Cain novels I will repeat what I wrote in my review for Double Indemnity because it applies just as well here:
But now a short word on the dark heart of Last Days, because in some respects what we have here is a non-supernatural horror novel. At times, the story flirts dangerously close to parody: it's so over the top in places that you can't help but wonder if Evenson is just pulling your leg. No he's not. If you're not careful, he just might cut it right the fuck off. There's something so unbelievably creepy and sinister to me about the lopping off of body parts (either against one's will or voluntarily). Several films that come to mind are: Boxing Helena (dreadful!) and the Asian flick Audition (chilling!). And who could ever forget poor old Lawrence being forced to hack through his own foot in the original Saw movie? (bloody brilliant!):
Finally, I want to give a shout out to Maciek and his spectacular review without which I never would have picked up this book, and that would have been my great loss.
It's easy to draw parallels to the noir greats here, but since I just finished reading several Cain novels I will repeat what I wrote in my review for Double Indemnity because it applies just as well here:
It all starts with a delicious chill up your spine, your eyeballs riveted to the page, your breath held, the "gotta know what happens next" monster rattling the bars of his cage....[Cain's] ear for dialogue is enough to make grown men cry and women purr. It's sharp, with staccato beats and primal rhythms.In his wonderful introduction [which you read after or you will be entirely spoiled], Peter Straub compares Evenson’s snappy dialogue to not only the Marx Brothers and the “patter of 1930s” vaudeville and burlesque, but to comedic teams like Abbott and Costello and their “Who’s on first” routine. Even with all of the dreadful mutilations and creepy fanaticism running through the story, there are unexpected moments of brilliant levity which made me grin and snicker. As I found myself grinning and snickering, I was reminded of The Pilo Family Circus, another great piece of writing not to be missed that's a genius blend of genres containing the blackest of humor.
But now a short word on the dark heart of Last Days, because in some respects what we have here is a non-supernatural horror novel. At times, the story flirts dangerously close to parody: it's so over the top in places that you can't help but wonder if Evenson is just pulling your leg. No he's not. If you're not careful, he just might cut it right the fuck off. There's something so unbelievably creepy and sinister to me about the lopping off of body parts (either against one's will or voluntarily). Several films that come to mind are: Boxing Helena (dreadful!) and the Asian flick Audition (chilling!). And who could ever forget poor old Lawrence being forced to hack through his own foot in the original Saw movie? (bloody brilliant!):
"He doesn't want us to cut through our chains. He wants us to cut through our feet!"Evenson takes the essence of this celluloid horror and transforms it into something grittier and more nuanced. There’s a depth to Kline’s descent into a dizzying maze of mysteries. We are as in the dark as he is, as frustrated and frightened. Something sinister is afoot (no pun intended), and madness lurks around every corner.
Finally, I want to give a shout out to Maciek and his spectacular review without which I never would have picked up this book, and that would have been my great loss.
February 23, 2016
Ο Έβενσον ανήκει στην κατηγορία των καλά κρυμμένων μυστικών. Συγγραφείς, όπως ο Τόμας Λιγκότι, ο Μιλχάουζερ και ο Ντόναλτ Ρέι Πόλοκ, που είτε από συγκυρίες είτε από τις χθόνιες δυνάμεις που καθορίζουν τις μοίρες μας, δεν είναι ευρέως γνωστοί. Όσοι τυχεροί τους μάθουν, μόνο με καλά λόγια θα μιλήσουν. Δεν υπάρχουν αισθήματα αποστροφής, ούτε καν χλιαρότητας. Κοντολογίς, είναι καταπληκτικοί συγγραφείς. Με δικός τους στύλ.
Έτσι μια μέρα, περιδιαβάζοντας αμέριμνος στις λογοτεχνικές αλάνες έπεσα στην κλίκα του Έβενσον. Ο τύπος προκαλεί ρίγη συγκίνησης. Επέλεξα τούτο, που υποσχόταν ποιοτική γραφή με μια παράξενη διαστροφή. Τελικά; Καταρχάς, για την ιστορία, το ξεκίνημα θυμίζει ταινία του Ντείβιντ Λιντς: ένας ντετέκτιβ, που βρίσκεται μόνος στο δωμάτιο, χαροπαλεύοντας με την κατηφόρα που έχει πάρει, ύστερα από κάποια υπόθεση που τον άφησε με κομμένο το χέρι, δέχεται την επίσκεψη δύο τύπων - έχουν κομμένα μέλη, ανήκουν σε μια σέχτα αυτοακρωτηριασμών και τον θεωρούν ένα πολύ σπουδαίο πρόσωπο. Το όλο κλίμα του βιβλίου θυμίζει μάλλον ιστορία του Φρανκ Μίλερ, έχοντας μια νοσηρή αφήγηση πάνω σε απρόμαυρους τόνους. Κάτι αινιγματικό πλανάται, καθώς προσπαθούμε να μάθουμε τι συμβαίνει στον άνθρωπο αυτόν και θέλει η σέχτα αυτή. Ο οποίος άνθρωπος φαίνεται να είναι ένας μαγνήτης μπελάδων, καταστροφών και πόνου. Αφήνει την μοίρα να τον παρασέρνει στα πιο λοξά μονοπάτια, ίσως από περιέργεια, αλλά μέ ένα απόλυτα αδιάφορο τρόπο, σεα παραδωμένος, αφήνοντας πάντα πίσω του την καταστροφή. Η γραφή κάνει την διαφορά, με έναν τόνο σταθερό, δίχως υπερβολές, με έναν χαρακτήρα που δεν μονολογεί, σπάνια προδίδει τις σκέψεις του μπροστά ακόμα και στα πιο απίθανα περιστατικά. Δίνει έτσι, επιφανειακά την αίσθηση ενός hard-boiled noire. Μάλλον επιφανειακά, γιατί κατά βάθος ο τύπος σκέφτεται, αλλά ο Έβενσον επιλέγει να αφήνει τις πράξεις να μιλούν για λογαριασμό όλης της κουστωδίας που παρελαύνει από τις σελίδες του Last Days.
Το βιβλίο ήταν καλό και πρωτίστως κάλυψε τις προσδοκίες για έναν ξεχωριστό συγγραφέα. Με την "στεγνή" αλλά ρυθμική αφήγησή του και την νοσηρή ιδέα του σίγουρα αποτελεί έναν συγγραφέα που θα επισκεφτώ λείαν συντόμως.
Έτσι μια μέρα, περιδιαβάζοντας αμέριμνος στις λογοτεχνικές αλάνες έπεσα στην κλίκα του Έβενσον. Ο τύπος προκαλεί ρίγη συγκίνησης. Επέλεξα τούτο, που υποσχόταν ποιοτική γραφή με μια παράξενη διαστροφή. Τελικά; Καταρχάς, για την ιστορία, το ξεκίνημα θυμίζει ταινία του Ντείβιντ Λιντς: ένας ντετέκτιβ, που βρίσκεται μόνος στο δωμάτιο, χαροπαλεύοντας με την κατηφόρα που έχει πάρει, ύστερα από κάποια υπόθεση που τον άφησε με κομμένο το χέρι, δέχεται την επίσκεψη δύο τύπων - έχουν κομμένα μέλη, ανήκουν σε μια σέχτα αυτοακρωτηριασμών και τον θεωρούν ένα πολύ σπουδαίο πρόσωπο. Το όλο κλίμα του βιβλίου θυμίζει μάλλον ιστορία του Φρανκ Μίλερ, έχοντας μια νοσηρή αφήγηση πάνω σε απρόμαυρους τόνους. Κάτι αινιγματικό πλανάται, καθώς προσπαθούμε να μάθουμε τι συμβαίνει στον άνθρωπο αυτόν και θέλει η σέχτα αυτή. Ο οποίος άνθρωπος φαίνεται να είναι ένας μαγνήτης μπελάδων, καταστροφών και πόνου. Αφήνει την μοίρα να τον παρασέρνει στα πιο λοξά μονοπάτια, ίσως από περιέργεια, αλλά μέ ένα απόλυτα αδιάφορο τρόπο, σεα παραδωμένος, αφήνοντας πάντα πίσω του την καταστροφή. Η γραφή κάνει την διαφορά, με έναν τόνο σταθερό, δίχως υπερβολές, με έναν χαρακτήρα που δεν μονολογεί, σπάνια προδίδει τις σκέψεις του μπροστά ακόμα και στα πιο απίθανα περιστατικά. Δίνει έτσι, επιφανειακά την αίσθηση ενός hard-boiled noire. Μάλλον επιφανειακά, γιατί κατά βάθος ο τύπος σκέφτεται, αλλά ο Έβενσον επιλέγει να αφήνει τις πράξεις να μιλούν για λογαριασμό όλης της κουστωδίας που παρελαύνει από τις σελίδες του Last Days.
Το βιβλίο ήταν καλό και πρωτίστως κάλυψε τις προσδοκίες για έναν ξεχωριστό συγγραφέα. Με την "στεγνή" αλλά ρυθμική αφήγησή του και την νοσηρή ιδέα του σίγουρα αποτελεί έναν συγγραφέα που θα επισκεφτώ λείαν συντόμως.
January 19, 2020
What in the David Lynch/David Cronenberg madness was that?!?! Remember the movie Romeo is Bleeding? In that movie Gary Oldman describes hell as, "the time you should have walked, but didn't." I kept thinking of that line throughout this book and all the hard decisions the protagonist faced with no clear cut right or wrong options. Do you leave well enough alone and hope things work out, or do you step back into the shit and try to make things right on your own? Ugh!
This short novel comprised of two connected stories was definitely... ummmmm. Unique? Yes, unique. Have not read anything quite like it before, and that is a good thing. You don't get much in the way of who the main character is but the little bit you do get about him from the time prior to when the book starts sounds kind of sucky for him, then as things progress it doesn't get much better. This book is dark, it is depressing and like a turd spiraling the drain, it ain't pretty. But it is entertaining and has moments of genuine humor that sort of lightens the load, but not by much. This was my first Evenson and I picked it up originally because one of my favorite authors, Peter Straub, wrote the introduction for it. For what its worth it kinda reminded me of early stuff from the late Tom Piccirilli.
This short novel comprised of two connected stories was definitely... ummmmm. Unique? Yes, unique. Have not read anything quite like it before, and that is a good thing. You don't get much in the way of who the main character is but the little bit you do get about him from the time prior to when the book starts sounds kind of sucky for him, then as things progress it doesn't get much better. This book is dark, it is depressing and like a turd spiraling the drain, it ain't pretty. But it is entertaining and has moments of genuine humor that sort of lightens the load, but not by much. This was my first Evenson and I picked it up originally because one of my favorite authors, Peter Straub, wrote the introduction for it. For what its worth it kinda reminded me of early stuff from the late Tom Piccirilli.
December 26, 2022
Este libro con esta portada tan sumamente brutal llevaba ya tiempo pidiéndome a gritos ser leído y por fin le hice casito y lo elegí para la última conjunta del año con mi querida loca de los libros.
El balance ha sido muy positivo (me ha gustado mucho más a mi que a ella) 😁
Kline será nuestro protagonista y de una manera que ni el mismo se imaginaba se convierte en el centro de toda esta loca trama.
Kline se ve desprovisto de una de sus manos, este hecho le lleva a sumirse en una depresión y en un bucle en el que no ve salida, hasta que un día La Hermandad de la Mutilación se pone en contacto con él para resolver un crimen.
Sin saber muy bien porqué acaba aceptando y yendo al complejo que desprende un aire a secta por todas sus aristas. Este hecho le causa mucho rechazo a Kline y de repente se ve evuelto en una espiral de mutilaciones, ideas locas, mentiras, fiestas de mutilación, sangre y huidas. Por otro lado aparecen los Pauls, que no tienen pinta de parecer mucho mejores que los de la hermandad y entre unos y otros harán que Kline vaya perdiendo la cabeza.
Cada uno con sus motivos e instándo a Kline que es el elegido y que tiene un propósito.
¿Pero qué propósito? Esta es la pregunta que no hace más que repetirse junto a su deseo de huir y de que lo dejen tranquilo.
Se escapa de un lado para aparecer en otro y así en continúa huida la mayor parte de la novela.
Al final uno acaba luchando por su vida y haciendo lo que tiene que hacer y al parecer....encontrando ese propósito al que ha sido destinado.
Una novela corta trepidante, no apta para estómagos sensibles y con una forma de narrar peculiar.
Pudiera parecer una mala traducción , salvo alguna errata puntual, pero está escrita así con toda la intención. Los diálogos de besugo más que aburrirme me han causado entre gracia y angustia porque me han resultado desesperantes poniéndome en la piel del protagonista.
Oir como se está hablando sin llegar a nada y encima en situaciones complicadas.
Nuevo aplauso que se merece Dilatando Mentes Editorial que nunca defrauda a sus lectores.
El balance ha sido muy positivo (me ha gustado mucho más a mi que a ella) 😁
Kline será nuestro protagonista y de una manera que ni el mismo se imaginaba se convierte en el centro de toda esta loca trama.
Kline se ve desprovisto de una de sus manos, este hecho le lleva a sumirse en una depresión y en un bucle en el que no ve salida, hasta que un día La Hermandad de la Mutilación se pone en contacto con él para resolver un crimen.
Sin saber muy bien porqué acaba aceptando y yendo al complejo que desprende un aire a secta por todas sus aristas. Este hecho le causa mucho rechazo a Kline y de repente se ve evuelto en una espiral de mutilaciones, ideas locas, mentiras, fiestas de mutilación, sangre y huidas. Por otro lado aparecen los Pauls, que no tienen pinta de parecer mucho mejores que los de la hermandad y entre unos y otros harán que Kline vaya perdiendo la cabeza.
Cada uno con sus motivos e instándo a Kline que es el elegido y que tiene un propósito.
¿Pero qué propósito? Esta es la pregunta que no hace más que repetirse junto a su deseo de huir y de que lo dejen tranquilo.
Se escapa de un lado para aparecer en otro y así en continúa huida la mayor parte de la novela.
Al final uno acaba luchando por su vida y haciendo lo que tiene que hacer y al parecer....encontrando ese propósito al que ha sido destinado.
Una novela corta trepidante, no apta para estómagos sensibles y con una forma de narrar peculiar.
Pudiera parecer una mala traducción , salvo alguna errata puntual, pero está escrita así con toda la intención. Los diálogos de besugo más que aburrirme me han causado entre gracia y angustia porque me han resultado desesperantes poniéndome en la piel del protagonista.
Oir como se está hablando sin llegar a nada y encima en situaciones complicadas.
Nuevo aplauso que se merece Dilatando Mentes Editorial que nunca defrauda a sus lectores.
May 29, 2025
Brian Evenson is a prolific writer with a long list published work of fiction. Yet, he seems so niche, so secluded, a hidden gem. One of the reason might be that his works are published by smaller press that more often than not, out of print. The other reason, he also takes license work, writing for big franchises, making it that Evenson is just another cog in the machine.
Evenson is mostly known for his horror stories that resides within the traditional Weird Fiction. Weird Fiction is famous for being the genre that Lovecraft wrote within and has long perpetuate his brand of cosmic horror, known to most as Lovecraftian horror as the typical weird fiction, it's not. There are more to weird fiction than just cosmic horror and Evenson's brand of weird fiction is very Kafkaesque, minimalist and literary. His philosophy of identity dissolution and religious or faith extremity sets him far apart from the usual modern and his contemporary weird fiction peers.
Cease to resist, giving my goodbye
From the blurb or reading the summary, Last Days reads like a typical noir or mystery thriller. It is but it is also a the closest, Brian Evenson got to a traditional cosmic horror forward, weird fiction. While there is no cosmic entities, no vast mythologies, and no overtly supernatural forces at work, there is the standard unknowable, human irrelevance and existential dread.
The novel follows Kline, a former detective who has lost a hand in an unexplained incident and now lives in an isolated, paranoid state. When a mysterious, religious cult calling itself the Brotherhood of Mutilation kidnaps him, Kline is forced back into the role of investigator, but within a reality where violence, asceticism, and mysticism intermingle in grotesque yet fascinating ways.
There's a surreal, dreamlike logic that operates within the story. The Brotherhood of Mutilation operates by a system of beliefs and practices that feel internally coherent yet completely alien and irrational. This clash between subjective logic and objective absurdity is a hallmark of weird fiction. As the novel progresses, the distinction between what's real and what's hallucinatory becomes increasingly murky. The world bends in an eerie, irrational ways.
Rather than relying on in your face, spooky, horror things, the underlying scares arise from psychological dislocation, adroit body horror and existential confusion.
You'll think I'm dead, but I sail away
The novel started as a typical noir-detective story with a bleak horror tinge. That is by design as the first half of the novel was published long before as a novella called The Brotherhood of Mutilation back in 2003. Instead of writing a straight sequel or story within the same universe like how his agent had bugged him about it, Evenson expended the original story to create one cohesive story.
A wave of mutilation
From the noir beginnings to rapid surreal and eerie descent, the plot unfolds with a relentless pace, the first half more than the second and atmospherically claustrophobic. It's driven mostly by Kline's cynical internal monologues that are often humorously funny, albeit dark and the strange bent of the Brotherhood's religious believes that bodily mutilation is the path of spiritual transcendence.
Evenson expertly maintains a sense of dread and ambiguity throughout the novel, perfectly balances the grotesque and often gory body horror with traditional noir-detective fiction elements.
Motion gives up on you in the end
One of the best thing about this novel is of course, the prose. Evenson's prose is clean, spare, and surgical. It perfectly in-tune to reflect the mental state of Klein, the protagonist and the stark, clinical world he navigates.
Evenson wrote with minimalism. His sentences are short and his dialogues are punchy. Though, they're never staccato like most tried to do when writing a noir story. Evenson's prose is more Hammett but stripped down to the barest of form, by way of Hemmingway.
Despite its economical writing style, Evenson's writing never feels undercooked. Each sentence is loaded with implication, and the restraint in the prose amplifies the horror. Through this style, Evenson enhances the novel's ambiguity. He trust his reader, like myself to connect everything together or cobble up our own interpretation to understand the implications of the surreal logic at play.
Haunting us, these different meanings and spectral beings
At its core, Last Days is a meditation on bodily autonomy, human suffering and the absurdity of extremism within religion's belief. The Brotherhood’s belief that amputations bring one closer to divinity serves as a grotesque metaphor for religious extremism and the human desire to find purpose in pain, an inversion of the idea of spiritual purification.
Through such themes, Evenson explores the dehumanization and isolation that can occur within hierarchical systems. The cult's obsession with rankings based on how many body parts they have lost became an eerie parody of religious dogma and ascetic traditions.
Kline's a character, exists on the fringes of society, and his journey through the cult’s world reflects a deeper estrangement from meaning, connection, and even his own body. The horror grows organically from the beliefs and behaviors of the characters, and the novel's philosophical weight is embedded in the very fabric of the story, not tacked on.
Leave as fast you came, no invitation
Last Days is, a great weird fiction horror that masquerades through noir-detective fiction. Evenson showed that he can easily blend a gripping thriller, a work of existential horror, and a bleak meditation on the body and belief with ease.
Evenson is mostly known for his horror stories that resides within the traditional Weird Fiction. Weird Fiction is famous for being the genre that Lovecraft wrote within and has long perpetuate his brand of cosmic horror, known to most as Lovecraftian horror as the typical weird fiction, it's not. There are more to weird fiction than just cosmic horror and Evenson's brand of weird fiction is very Kafkaesque, minimalist and literary. His philosophy of identity dissolution and religious or faith extremity sets him far apart from the usual modern and his contemporary weird fiction peers.
Cease to resist, giving my goodbye
From the blurb or reading the summary, Last Days reads like a typical noir or mystery thriller. It is but it is also a the closest, Brian Evenson got to a traditional cosmic horror forward, weird fiction. While there is no cosmic entities, no vast mythologies, and no overtly supernatural forces at work, there is the standard unknowable, human irrelevance and existential dread.
The novel follows Kline, a former detective who has lost a hand in an unexplained incident and now lives in an isolated, paranoid state. When a mysterious, religious cult calling itself the Brotherhood of Mutilation kidnaps him, Kline is forced back into the role of investigator, but within a reality where violence, asceticism, and mysticism intermingle in grotesque yet fascinating ways.
There's a surreal, dreamlike logic that operates within the story. The Brotherhood of Mutilation operates by a system of beliefs and practices that feel internally coherent yet completely alien and irrational. This clash between subjective logic and objective absurdity is a hallmark of weird fiction. As the novel progresses, the distinction between what's real and what's hallucinatory becomes increasingly murky. The world bends in an eerie, irrational ways.
Rather than relying on in your face, spooky, horror things, the underlying scares arise from psychological dislocation, adroit body horror and existential confusion.
You'll think I'm dead, but I sail away
The novel started as a typical noir-detective story with a bleak horror tinge. That is by design as the first half of the novel was published long before as a novella called The Brotherhood of Mutilation back in 2003. Instead of writing a straight sequel or story within the same universe like how his agent had bugged him about it, Evenson expended the original story to create one cohesive story.
A wave of mutilation
From the noir beginnings to rapid surreal and eerie descent, the plot unfolds with a relentless pace, the first half more than the second and atmospherically claustrophobic. It's driven mostly by Kline's cynical internal monologues that are often humorously funny, albeit dark and the strange bent of the Brotherhood's religious believes that bodily mutilation is the path of spiritual transcendence.
Evenson expertly maintains a sense of dread and ambiguity throughout the novel, perfectly balances the grotesque and often gory body horror with traditional noir-detective fiction elements.
Motion gives up on you in the end
One of the best thing about this novel is of course, the prose. Evenson's prose is clean, spare, and surgical. It perfectly in-tune to reflect the mental state of Klein, the protagonist and the stark, clinical world he navigates.
Evenson wrote with minimalism. His sentences are short and his dialogues are punchy. Though, they're never staccato like most tried to do when writing a noir story. Evenson's prose is more Hammett but stripped down to the barest of form, by way of Hemmingway.
Despite its economical writing style, Evenson's writing never feels undercooked. Each sentence is loaded with implication, and the restraint in the prose amplifies the horror. Through this style, Evenson enhances the novel's ambiguity. He trust his reader, like myself to connect everything together or cobble up our own interpretation to understand the implications of the surreal logic at play.
Haunting us, these different meanings and spectral beings
At its core, Last Days is a meditation on bodily autonomy, human suffering and the absurdity of extremism within religion's belief. The Brotherhood’s belief that amputations bring one closer to divinity serves as a grotesque metaphor for religious extremism and the human desire to find purpose in pain, an inversion of the idea of spiritual purification.
Through such themes, Evenson explores the dehumanization and isolation that can occur within hierarchical systems. The cult's obsession with rankings based on how many body parts they have lost became an eerie parody of religious dogma and ascetic traditions.
Kline's a character, exists on the fringes of society, and his journey through the cult’s world reflects a deeper estrangement from meaning, connection, and even his own body. The horror grows organically from the beliefs and behaviors of the characters, and the novel's philosophical weight is embedded in the very fabric of the story, not tacked on.
Leave as fast you came, no invitation
Last Days is, a great weird fiction horror that masquerades through noir-detective fiction. Evenson showed that he can easily blend a gripping thriller, a work of existential horror, and a bleak meditation on the body and belief with ease.
October 13, 2016
This is the kind of book I wish there was an extra star for. While I'm not sure that I trust anything I've read, it's really cool no matter how much I twist and turn it. There is obviously a lot of anger directed towards organized religion in LAST DAYS, but there is a lot more to it. There is a borderline taoist exploration of existence, separating variables into balanced opposites: flesh/truth, knowledge/faith, confusion/purpose. It's why the mystery aspect of LAST DAYS is so gripping. The book was a cipher that made me Google several terms such as Borchert and Paul the Apostle. I second guessed every turn, every page and whenever I did, I was usually rewarded with another, deeper reading into what presents itself as a simple mystery. Several of my readers requested I'd review this book over the years and holy moly, the hype DOES check out. What a wonderful novel. I still have a lot to ponder and assemble in my mind, but LAST DAYS is a special read.
May 16, 2018
I don’t know what to say about this one. It took me waaay too long to finish for a semi-short format. It flashed brilliance at times and then dragged and got muddy in others. I almost quit altogether two or three separate times. Overall, I am glad I finished it but am a little confused why I wasn’t more engaged with this one. My expectations were pretty high and it just never clicked for me. I am curious to give this author another go and see what else he can do.
December 9, 2016
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee... And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. - Matthews 5:29-30
Talk about dark. This book is dark, this story is dark...weird, horror, violent, out of this world. Not for the 'faint-of-heart'! I've know this writer from Immobility, brilliant intriguing book and The Open Curtain, this one... wew... a bit too dark and gloomy for me, but still, good.
Brian Evenson has a minimalist way of writing, straight to the point. I like his style. His stories are intriguing... you keep wondering... what the F... is going on? What's happening, How will this end? Can't be much good... or does it? Does it?
If darker than dark is not your cup of tea, stay away. If you like a dark challenge, very well written, try this one.
This is the story: After being kidnapped by a dark sect with a shocking way of showing their closeness to God - the brotherhood of mutilation, ex-detective Kline is tasked with uncovering who murdered their leader. This is how it works in the rather unusual sect: The more amputations you have executed on your body, the higher you go up in the ranks. (didn't I tell you this was weird?)Will he uncover the truth in time to save himself, take on the mantle of prophet, or destroy all he sees with a rain of biblical violence?
Scary? Didn't I tell you it was weird.... it gets better and better....this is just the tip of the iceberg. This review from Paul Witcover, Locus hits it for me:
The deceptively simple prose keeps the book brisk and even gripping as its puzzles grow more craggy and complex. This is Evenson's singular, Poe-like gift: he writes with intelligence and a steady hand, even when his characters decide to lop their own limbs off...
It seems strange, but I like this writer, completely out-of-the-box writing and however weird and shocking, it does make you think of shocking events in the world that are occurring sometimes...So how far is this from reality....
If you are up for a dark challenge, I dare you. Try this writer. He's really exceptionally good.
You just need a strong stomach :-)
There's a preword by Peter Straub by the way, worth reading for background on Evenson.
Afternote: was just reading the other reviews here and this one from Brian really made me laugh: For those of you that have read this book you will understand why I feel the need for a hug.
Yes Brian, I do understand, hugs coming your way (still got both my arms heheh..)!
Talk about dark. This book is dark, this story is dark...weird, horror, violent, out of this world. Not for the 'faint-of-heart'! I've know this writer from Immobility, brilliant intriguing book and The Open Curtain, this one... wew... a bit too dark and gloomy for me, but still, good.
Brian Evenson has a minimalist way of writing, straight to the point. I like his style. His stories are intriguing... you keep wondering... what the F... is going on? What's happening, How will this end? Can't be much good... or does it? Does it?
If darker than dark is not your cup of tea, stay away. If you like a dark challenge, very well written, try this one.
This is the story: After being kidnapped by a dark sect with a shocking way of showing their closeness to God - the brotherhood of mutilation, ex-detective Kline is tasked with uncovering who murdered their leader. This is how it works in the rather unusual sect: The more amputations you have executed on your body, the higher you go up in the ranks. (didn't I tell you this was weird?)Will he uncover the truth in time to save himself, take on the mantle of prophet, or destroy all he sees with a rain of biblical violence?
Scary? Didn't I tell you it was weird.... it gets better and better....this is just the tip of the iceberg. This review from Paul Witcover, Locus hits it for me:
The deceptively simple prose keeps the book brisk and even gripping as its puzzles grow more craggy and complex. This is Evenson's singular, Poe-like gift: he writes with intelligence and a steady hand, even when his characters decide to lop their own limbs off...
It seems strange, but I like this writer, completely out-of-the-box writing and however weird and shocking, it does make you think of shocking events in the world that are occurring sometimes...So how far is this from reality....
If you are up for a dark challenge, I dare you. Try this writer. He's really exceptionally good.
You just need a strong stomach :-)
There's a preword by Peter Straub by the way, worth reading for background on Evenson.
Afternote: was just reading the other reviews here and this one from Brian really made me laugh: For those of you that have read this book you will understand why I feel the need for a hug.
Yes Brian, I do understand, hugs coming your way (still got both my arms heheh..)!
January 15, 2023
Klein, un agente ahora retirado que vive atormentado y depresivo tras la amputación que se autoinfligió para resolver un caso, conoce a unos curiosos personajes que le llevarán a la Hermandad de la Mutilación, sí has leído bien: MUTILACIÓN, para que resuelva un curioso crimen sucedido entre sus muros.
Una Hermandad donde para alcanzar la divinidad y acercarse a su Dios, promulga entre sus adeptos la amputación de sus miembros 🔪🩸💪🏻😵. Pero si ya le añadimos una jerarquía…imagínate 🫣.
“Menos es más”
Hasta aquí todo bien ¿no?. Agárrate muy fuerte que despegamos😵💫.
Un viaje sin tregua, donde Kline comenzará a darse cuenta de las implicaciones en la aceptación del caso.
¿Hasta dónde será capaz de llegar? ¿Por qué él ha sido el elegido?.
Narrada en un tono cómico negro, cáustico, que evidentemente hace una crítica brutal sobre las Sectas y de lo que las rodea, el fanatismo desmedido.
A pesar de lo grotesco, de la violencia y la extravagancia con que se narran las situaciones, se disfruta mucho (quizá yo sea una perturbada 🤔).
¡Ojo! ⚠️Si eres impresionable, avisado quedas…la novela no se trata de un paseo por el bosque una mañana de primavera 😬. La novela es explícita en su conjunto.
No me queda más, que volver a agradecer a la Editorial Dilatando Mentes, por su maravillosa edición que es ya marca de la casa.
Una Hermandad donde para alcanzar la divinidad y acercarse a su Dios, promulga entre sus adeptos la amputación de sus miembros 🔪🩸💪🏻😵. Pero si ya le añadimos una jerarquía…imagínate 🫣.
“Menos es más”
Hasta aquí todo bien ¿no?. Agárrate muy fuerte que despegamos😵💫.
Un viaje sin tregua, donde Kline comenzará a darse cuenta de las implicaciones en la aceptación del caso.
¿Hasta dónde será capaz de llegar? ¿Por qué él ha sido el elegido?.
Narrada en un tono cómico negro, cáustico, que evidentemente hace una crítica brutal sobre las Sectas y de lo que las rodea, el fanatismo desmedido.
A pesar de lo grotesco, de la violencia y la extravagancia con que se narran las situaciones, se disfruta mucho (quizá yo sea una perturbada 🤔).
¡Ojo! ⚠️Si eres impresionable, avisado quedas…la novela no se trata de un paseo por el bosque una mañana de primavera 😬. La novela es explícita en su conjunto.
No me queda más, que volver a agradecer a la Editorial Dilatando Mentes, por su maravillosa edición que es ya marca de la casa.
February 23, 2012
5 Stars
If you like your fiction to be dark, gruesome, bizarre, and disturbing, then you should shuffle on down to the store and buy Last Days by Paul (Brian Evenson) immediately. ----Paul
"Angel of destruction...he thought...like a thief in the night...not with an olive branch but with a sword..."
Hot damn, I am a believer now, so please call me Paul. This is one sweet piece of in your face bizarro, cult loving, and mutations galore. A story about a man made into a messiah because he was not a flincher, and he was able to take things into his own HANDS.
Kline, a former police officer who specialized in infiltrations, under cover work, is forced to cut off his own hand with a clever. Turns out, that was the easiest, and most normal incident that he goes through following that moment. I do not want to give anything away but I want to emphasize that Evenson uses gore and mutilations/amputations, in a way that will leave most people saying Holy Shit! Kline is our main hero. He is a man whom we never really learn much about, including his first name. All, we do know, is that he is a brave son of a bitch that is freaking hard to kill, and that he really just wants to be left alone.
This is a story about a man forced into action and thrust into a secret world filled with amputees, mutilatees's, and Paul. Evenson writes this novel with a dark and gritty noir type feel, and adds in plenty of witty banter to keep things colorful in this black and white type world. This story starts out fast with the loss of Kline's hand, and then it gets truly weird and disturbing. I loved the sick and twisted religious views and the way that the cult was built on it. I love the way that Evenson kept us the reader, and our hero in the dark through most of this, only revealing to us the true plot "piece by piece"!!!
I cannot wait to read more by Evenson, as his prose and his word choices make it difficult for you to put it down. Much of this book is written with short and punctuated dialogue, often in a nonsensical manner. After Kline wakes up in a strange place filled with strange people, the following is a tidbit of how fucked up it was for him:
"'What's your name?' Kline asked.
'I'm Paul' said the man.
'You're not,' said Kline.
'We all are,' he said.
Kline shook his head. 'You can't all be Paul,' he said.
'Why not?' said the man. 'Is this a teaching?'
'A teaching?' said Kline. 'What is that supposed to mean?'
'Should I write it down?'
'Write what down?'
''You can't all be Paul,' and whatever else comes thereafter from your lips.'
The writing contains dark humor too:
"How do you know the moment when you cease to be human? Is it the moment when you decide to a carry a head before you like a lantern, as if you are Diogenes in search of one just man? ..."
I enjoyed this book so much that I went back and reread the forward that was done by Peter Straub. He points out some amazing details and thoughts that I totally agreed with him on. One detail that is perfect and which i agree, is that Straub felt that Kline was more of a Un-Hero, or a Non-Hero, than he was either a hero or anti-hero. The foreword and afterword add power and resonance to this sick shit. I freaking loved it.
I could picture this being made into a movie and have it penned by Frank Miller and have it directed by Zack Snyder!
This book is not for the feint of heart or for the squeamish. Some people may find the religious severity to be too over the top for their tastes. But for me, it was perfect. It is a great and fun read that is really messed up, but all the while it touches on so many truths.
" And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee...And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast if from thee...
Mathew 5:29-30"
If you like your fiction to be dark, gruesome, bizarre, and disturbing, then you should shuffle on down to the store and buy Last Days by Paul (Brian Evenson) immediately. ----Paul
"Angel of destruction...he thought...like a thief in the night...not with an olive branch but with a sword..."
Hot damn, I am a believer now, so please call me Paul. This is one sweet piece of in your face bizarro, cult loving, and mutations galore. A story about a man made into a messiah because he was not a flincher, and he was able to take things into his own HANDS.
Kline, a former police officer who specialized in infiltrations, under cover work, is forced to cut off his own hand with a clever. Turns out, that was the easiest, and most normal incident that he goes through following that moment. I do not want to give anything away but I want to emphasize that Evenson uses gore and mutilations/amputations, in a way that will leave most people saying Holy Shit! Kline is our main hero. He is a man whom we never really learn much about, including his first name. All, we do know, is that he is a brave son of a bitch that is freaking hard to kill, and that he really just wants to be left alone.
This is a story about a man forced into action and thrust into a secret world filled with amputees, mutilatees's, and Paul. Evenson writes this novel with a dark and gritty noir type feel, and adds in plenty of witty banter to keep things colorful in this black and white type world. This story starts out fast with the loss of Kline's hand, and then it gets truly weird and disturbing. I loved the sick and twisted religious views and the way that the cult was built on it. I love the way that Evenson kept us the reader, and our hero in the dark through most of this, only revealing to us the true plot "piece by piece"!!!
I cannot wait to read more by Evenson, as his prose and his word choices make it difficult for you to put it down. Much of this book is written with short and punctuated dialogue, often in a nonsensical manner. After Kline wakes up in a strange place filled with strange people, the following is a tidbit of how fucked up it was for him:
"'What's your name?' Kline asked.
'I'm Paul' said the man.
'You're not,' said Kline.
'We all are,' he said.
Kline shook his head. 'You can't all be Paul,' he said.
'Why not?' said the man. 'Is this a teaching?'
'A teaching?' said Kline. 'What is that supposed to mean?'
'Should I write it down?'
'Write what down?'
''You can't all be Paul,' and whatever else comes thereafter from your lips.'
The writing contains dark humor too:
"How do you know the moment when you cease to be human? Is it the moment when you decide to a carry a head before you like a lantern, as if you are Diogenes in search of one just man? ..."
I enjoyed this book so much that I went back and reread the forward that was done by Peter Straub. He points out some amazing details and thoughts that I totally agreed with him on. One detail that is perfect and which i agree, is that Straub felt that Kline was more of a Un-Hero, or a Non-Hero, than he was either a hero or anti-hero. The foreword and afterword add power and resonance to this sick shit. I freaking loved it.
I could picture this being made into a movie and have it penned by Frank Miller and have it directed by Zack Snyder!
This book is not for the feint of heart or for the squeamish. Some people may find the religious severity to be too over the top for their tastes. But for me, it was perfect. It is a great and fun read that is really messed up, but all the while it touches on so many truths.
" And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee...And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast if from thee...
Mathew 5:29-30"
February 22, 2022
This is my second time through this story, and I cannot recommend the audiobook narrated by Chris Patton enough!! His voice definitely elevates the chaos and darkly comedic vibe of the story
July 20, 2011
First a warning: Do not read the introduction by Peter Straub. It will give everything away. This is not a book that you want to know much about before you read it. The brief Goodreads description is even more than you might want to know. So I'll try not to indulge in giving away any more but relate to you my feel on this unsettling novel
Actually the novel is really two novellas. The Brotherhood of Mutilation (Geez! Even the title is a big hint!) was written as a stand alone in 2003 and Last Days came later picking up where the first novella ended. While Brotherhood is by far the masterpiece here, Last Days continue the dread quite proficiently. For this is a very dark and foreboding tale of religious cults and religious extremism. I understand that Evenson is a voluntarily ex-communicated Mormon, something I am quite familiar with as my wife took the same route. It is always dangerous to read too much of an author's past in their works but I believe I see a lot of conflicts in the author's mind being worked on. Last Days can be read like a darkly exhilarating Noir novel but I think further readings will bring out more serious themes about religious conviction and betrayals. However it plays, Last Days is an impossible novel to put down and one that will keep your mind on overtime far after you finished it. Four and a half stars.
Actually the novel is really two novellas. The Brotherhood of Mutilation (Geez! Even the title is a big hint!) was written as a stand alone in 2003 and Last Days came later picking up where the first novella ended. While Brotherhood is by far the masterpiece here, Last Days continue the dread quite proficiently. For this is a very dark and foreboding tale of religious cults and religious extremism. I understand that Evenson is a voluntarily ex-communicated Mormon, something I am quite familiar with as my wife took the same route. It is always dangerous to read too much of an author's past in their works but I believe I see a lot of conflicts in the author's mind being worked on. Last Days can be read like a darkly exhilarating Noir novel but I think further readings will bring out more serious themes about religious conviction and betrayals. However it plays, Last Days is an impossible novel to put down and one that will keep your mind on overtime far after you finished it. Four and a half stars.
March 18, 2019
3.5 stars.
Uneven, the transition between the two works (the original, brilliant novella 'The Brotherhood of Mutilation' and the sequel, 'Last Days') is clunkier than I expected and some of the haunting strangeness of the first story is lost as the second takes on standard revenge tale tropes and a sort of plodding, minimalist noir aesthetic that damps down the sheer weirdness of the setup.
Highly recommended for the first half which is a remarkable blend of body horror, detective story, and satire, with trenchant observations on the weirdness of cults; the second half has some coruscating moments of bitter glee and bloody mayhem, but is less focused and less impressive, losing the weird beauty of the initial story. There are some very funny moments in the second half but they are lost among the fairly standard blood lust. A must-read for Evenson fans but maybe not for everyone else.
Uneven, the transition between the two works (the original, brilliant novella 'The Brotherhood of Mutilation' and the sequel, 'Last Days') is clunkier than I expected and some of the haunting strangeness of the first story is lost as the second takes on standard revenge tale tropes and a sort of plodding, minimalist noir aesthetic that damps down the sheer weirdness of the setup.
Highly recommended for the first half which is a remarkable blend of body horror, detective story, and satire, with trenchant observations on the weirdness of cults; the second half has some coruscating moments of bitter glee and bloody mayhem, but is less focused and less impressive, losing the weird beauty of the initial story. There are some very funny moments in the second half but they are lost among the fairly standard blood lust. A must-read for Evenson fans but maybe not for everyone else.
October 6, 2020
Mis expectativas eran bastante altas y me ha resultado aburrido.
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