The Convulsion Factory

Name: The Convulsion Factory
Rating: 4.75 (1 reviews)
ISBN: 9781458153432

By Brian Hodge

Publisher Description

Pick among the rubble of modern civilization, and listen for the beating of its rusted heart.

"Dark fiction so numbing cold and cutting edge you better hold onto your ass with your free hand … There are no simple 'entertainments' or cheap grabs for the throat to be found here. Hodge is deadly serious about presenting a world where the worst punishment is the mere fact that you are aware you will probably live to see another day."

So wrote esteemed critic Stanley Wiater about The Convulsion Factory before ranking it among the 113 best books of modern horror fiction. Its 12 stories are fused together by the recurring motif of decay … the decay of cities and families, identity and gender, idolatry and love. Among them:

"Godflesh" - In pursuit of the ultimate in pleasure, what's ancient is new again.

"Androgyny" - What is love? Two souls and one flesh.

"Cancer Causes Rats" - The symbiosis between a TV reporter and the serial killer who's making her career metamorphoses toward its inevitable extreme.

"Extinctions In Paradise" - Their daily struggle for survival hurtles the street kids of a South American slum into a new phase of evolution.

"Liturgical Music For Nihilists" - In the chill of a derelict slaughterhouse, an accidental god awakens and calls to its own.

Out of decay comes new life.

If only that were the good news…

"I haven't enjoyed a story collection so much since Clive Barker kept me up all night when I first got my hands on The Books of Blood." - Philip Nutman, from the Introduction

"A spectacularly unflinching writer … Leaves most contemporary horror writing in the dust. This is a terrific collection." - Peter Straub

"Stark, grim, and wholly horrifying … an unforgettable and disturbing collection." - Dark Echo

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The Convulsion Factory Reviews

4.5

randomcthulhu

Created 4 months ago

“This is Brian Hodge’s first short story collection, I believe. His writing style is already here and may have changed little throughout the years, although I’m more familiar with his latter works (trying to fix that). Overall, great stories with great themes. Godflesh A quite original idea and the lyrical prose was a nice constrast to the depravities going on this story. Solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Childhood of the lost and found The horror here was on the family dynamics. The end was quite depressing. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Androginy This story was somewhat romantic and touched on grief and guilt. Again, Brian Hodge's prose does miracles to the story. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ In A Roadhouse Far, Past the Edge of Town This one is a vignette. A couple playing darts in a bar they apparently killed everyone inside. I didn't care much for this one. I think there was supposed to be a joke or two there but I didn’t catch it (that’s on me, not the author) ⭐⭐ Naked Lumchmeat This was a weird story, set in a kind of zombie apocalypse. Some depraved people (again) and an original and interesting take where people collect brain fluids from zombies to get high. I think maybe something was missing and the story didn't really click. ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 Cancer cause rats The title explains the story, once you're finished. It's a nice portrait of what people will do for fame and recognition. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mostly cloud, chance of Kurt This story follows the suicidal tendency of the narrator, going over what led him to it and what he ended up making out of it. Very behaved compared to the other stories. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 Heartsick This was a weird ride with Kafka's Metamorphosis vibe. Started slow but got traction after the first 20%-ish. ⭐⭐⭐1/2 Extinctions in Paradise Set in an unnamed South American country, this is another story about loss and grief where the horrors are the daily life when the police is corrupt and poverty and misery are the drivers of illicit activities. Oh, and there are monsters. The ending was quite poetic. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Meat in The Machine The story follows Josef, the leader of a hardcore industrial band in search of the ultimate musical expression. The story is told in different timelines: present time with the band preparing for the first concert in their first tour as headliners and the others are told as news articles at different stages of the band after album releases. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Extract I don't like going to the dentist, and I've read this on the day I went to the dentist. Not a pleasant read. Tooth Fairy subverted. ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 Liturgical Music For Nihilists This story starts with a group of friends looking at the dead body of another friend in their group, and strange details around it (he had been dead for presumably 8 days and showed no signs of decomposing). The longest in the collection and likely the better. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐”