So, every now and then I come across writing that is so good that I feel an urge to share (see for instance here, here, here and here).
This time, however, I have something a little different. The author’s name is Poppy Z. Brite and the book is The Living Dead.
The Living Dead is an anthology of zombie stories edited by John Joseph Adams. I’ve read about a third of the stories and have to say that I am liking it more than I though I would (it was an impulse buy, with a gift card I got from work for Christmas). Poppy Z. Brite is an author who I’ve read very little by but have liked immensely the little that I have read. Her/his (I think there are gender issues) story takes place in Calcutta and is by Brite’s own admission, a homage to Dan Simmons’ book Song of Kali. *
The story is called Calcutta, Lord of Nerves and from its bowels I bring you… the most disturbing writing of the week. The feint of heart should perhaps not read further.
The dead like pussy too. If they are able to catch a woman and disable her enough so that she cannot resist, you will see the lucky ones burrowing in between her legs as happily as the most avid lover. They do not have to come up for air. I have seen them eat all the way up into the body cavity. The internal female organs seem to be a great delicacy, and why not? They are the caviar of the human body.
You were warned.
* When Dan Simmons accepted the World Fantasy Award for his story This Year’s Class Picture (also in this book) he said the award should have gone to Poppy Z. Brite’s Calcutta, Lord of Nerves.
The Living Dead has stories by Stephen King, Dan Simmons, Clive Barker, Joe Hill, Michael Swanwick (how is he not famous?), Neil Gaiman and that Martin fellow who wrote that fantasy with the wall and the wolves and the scantily-clad ladies everyone is watching on tv these days. You may want to, I don’t know, BUY THIS BOOK!.
On Books and Writing 
Re gender issues: I think Poppy Z Brite used to identify as a woman, but he is now clearly male and known as Billy Brite, so we should use the pronoun “he” throughout.
(Sadly I don’t think he writes fiction any more, which is a loss. Luckily there are still plenty of his books I haven’t read yet. And maybe he’ll come out of retirement some day. :-) )
And yes, his work is amongst the most disturbing (good) writing out there.
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I should have done my research and stuck with “he” in the post.
Added bonus: this is his author photo (from when he was a she): http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m68ecl5mB71rwcic2o1_500.jpg
Will. Never. Be. Topped.
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Holy mother of undead virgins–I would never think of zombies the same way again! Oh, fuck.
(And why are you reading all these marvelous books that I haven’t even heard of? Really, thanks for sharing!)
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EVERYONE is reading marvelous books that others haven’t heard of.
It’s really just the sharing that matters.
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