Review of Scabs by
Wrath James White
So to
further my descent into extreme horror I figured it was time to read something
by Wrath James White. After looking at
the works he’s done I thought I’d go with a short story collection as it
matches the kind of entertainment that I wanted to have waiting for my last
class in the middle of the student center.
So I settled on the collection Scabs and will be looking at each of the
stories individually.
Scabs: The first
story of the collection and also its namesake is a tale of discrimination and
prejudice and scabs that just don’t heal.
The interplay between the characters and speed of the narrative with the
mixed in thoughts of Malik with his actions starts it at a brisk pace. Later the everlasting mark of the two girls
and the cartoonish argument continues it along as the climax of the story
approaches. It wasn’t that extreme of a
story but it was a damn good one and strangely enough had a moral almost which
is something I’m not used to. I have no
idea how it feels to contemplate the facts presented in the story but it was
surely horrifying to read about. Easily
4.5/5.
No Pain: A lot less thinking
and a lot more violence, this is the kind of story I was interested in reading
most when I started reading extreme horror.
Torture is not necessary to have a lot of bloodshed and broken bodies
and the violence in here is as mutual as it is fierce. I could see the events happening in my
thoughts and almost feel the pain of the combatants. Definitely recommend this even more so than
the first story 5/5.
Perditions Flame: A
spooky haunting account of what happens in one of the most controversial places
of business in the world. Short and to
the point, it has a satisfying ending no matter what stance you might have on
the issue at hand. 4/5
Perpetual Motion: Not
even a horror story but a reflection on life as a whole. Not a whole lot I can say without giving it
away but it was good and even moving to a degree. 3.5/5
Run Away: A gigantic
metaphor for the impact of someone’s personal choices on themselves and
others. As the name implies it’s a brisk
run through a hellish vision of the world we currently live in. The inhabitants however are were the author
gets you. 4/5
Best Friends: A high
school setting provides a very heartfelt but still disturbing story about
friendship with people who don’t have anyone else. The author gives great insight into the main
characters feelings in combat with his actions, and finally it goes full
circle. 5/5
Pressure: So I
figured this story was coming eventually, just a hardcore torture porn
impersonating story about domestic bliss.
That’s all. 4/5
Talent Does What It Can:
An interesting juxtaposition of a story to end a great collection. A woman inadvertently causes the end of the
world and plays it out. Great stuff
5/5.
So from all of this it’s obviously a 5/5 collection, the
writing is strong and visceral but easy to read and flows nicely along. He makes reading about the most disgusting
things as beautiful as the good things in his works. My favorite is No Pain but none of the
stories are real clunkers, I just felt that perpetual motion was a little bit
on the long side without a whole lot happening during it.
