Plow the Bones in Minions Read and Review

Oct 31, 2016 Erica Satifka rated it it was amazing

I discovered Douglas F. Warrick's writing through his recent (2016) story on Tor.com, "Sic Semper, Sic Semper, Sic Semper." It was one of the best, if not THE best, short stories I've read so far this year, and I immediately downloaded this collection. Where has this guy been all my life?! These stories are weird, fierce, bleak, and totally original.

Some standouts: "Behindeye: A History" is a brutal bit of opening flash that takes "searing an image in your brain" to a whole new level. "Inhuman Z ...more

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Nov 24, 2015 J.D. rated it it was amazing

I was given an electronic version of this book in exchange for an honest review. And now I feel guilty and would’ve wanted to pay for this outstanding short story collection, give the author his due—and perhaps a tip. This is an exceptional, unforgettable set of stories, worth having for all fans of horror, the weird, or of just about anything fantastic, the whole realm of what manages to twist reality into the surreal.

For some reason, the Introduction sections of many books by original writers I was given an electronic version of this book in exchange for an honest review. And now I feel guilty and would’ve wanted to pay for this outstanding short story collection, give the author his due—and perhaps a tip. This is an exceptional, unforgettable set of stories, worth having for all fans of horror, the weird, or of just about anything fantastic, the whole realm of what manages to twist reality into the surreal.

For some reason, the Introduction sections of many books by original writers are full of comparisons and connections with other writers—as if they’re too original for their own good, and credit must be given to others. Mr. Warrick deserves to be read on his own, and for instance, I don’t find his stories Borges-like at all—why every good short story writer has to be compared to Borges? I could imagine Salvador Dali writing stories like these—if he’d been inclined to write—as he would enjoy building unsettling horrors that are more stylish than the infernal towns of The Bosco’s. These tales feel (to me) close to the purest SF/horror Ray Bradbury wrote—here, I’m doing the same thing I’d criticized—especially when poetry erupts into the story to make it alive, to transform it into blinding light.

The language here is always vivid, dizzying, and vertiginous—if you aren’t stunned for some of this writing, you may as well start reading procedural Swedish crime novels. Another aspect that’s unusual about these stories is the broad, magical Asian influence, both in settings and in philosophy. The story “Zen and the art of Gordon Dratch’s damnation” is worth the price of the book for the philosophically-minded and, if you were worrying about the afterlife, it’d make you worry even more.

“Across the Dead Station desert, Television Girl” is another brilliant construct, modern and daringly exploring our new obsession with AI, but also ambitious and somewhat akin to uncover a lost—and R-rated—episode of “The Twilight Zone.”

Not all the stories keep the same level of astounding verbal pyrotechnics, and a few (“Drag” for me) succumb at the end to be a little too omniscient. This might have to do with characters that are being considerably screwed by life, the afterlife, or even the gatekeepers of the afterlife; their complaints seem to eventually reach the higher spheres. And to make it more fun, some of these castaways are weird ghosts, clowns, or other evil spirits.

Without giving any more away, this is a must-have collection, and my only letdown has been that I can’t find much more published by this author. Please, Mr. Warrick, dream some more, eat poorly and drink a lot, have nightmares, do whatever’s that you do to create your art. There are dark souls out there—like yours, in a good way—who want to be entertained.

A very Goodread, and a keeper for all horror/dark fantasy aficionados.
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Jul 15, 2013 Josh rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: review_books, short_stories, own, read_2013, kindle

PLOW THE BONES is a collection of surrealist fiction in short form by Douglas F. Warrick. The limits of his imagery are boundless with many of these stories crossing into the deep confines of dreamscapes and nightmares.

Herein lies poetically depicted madness; a controlled chaos that's both eloquent and alarming. The pages of PLOW THE BONES are breathtaking at times by virtue of a perfect blend of otherworldly fiction and a balanced view of the realistic and macabre nature of humanity.

While I did PLOW THE BONES is a collection of surrealist fiction in short form by Douglas F. Warrick. The limits of his imagery are boundless with many of these stories crossing into the deep confines of dreamscapes and nightmares.

Herein lies poetically depicted madness; a controlled chaos that's both eloquent and alarming. The pages of PLOW THE BONES are breathtaking at times by virtue of a perfect blend of otherworldly fiction and a balanced view of the realistic and macabre nature of humanity.

While I didn't connect with every story there were a number that held my attention: Come to my Arms, my Beamish Boy contains the rambled and disjointed thoughts of an Alzheimer's suffer as his mind deteriorates. Drag is a form of urban legend horror story where a heinous and murderous creature known as Ember Eyes terrorises a group of teens. Her Fathers Collection is haunting, plausible, and entirely disturbing - one of the best.

In Stickhead a zombie-like creature is discovered by a couple of boys. Its as much about the surreal nature of the story as it is the relationship between the tow boys. I liked this one, but it does require the reader to completely suspend their belief. Zen and the Art of Gordon Dratch's Damnation is a graphic depiction of eternal sufferance in the bowels of hell. This is not for the weak of stomach.

The highlight of the collection is Across the Dead Station Desert, Television Girl. An erotic tale of an AI sex worker which blurs the lines between reality and the digitised realm. The setting itself echoes post apocalyptic while the characters draw on desperation and need.

PLOW THE BONES is an acquired taste, yet there is something amongst the stories that will appeal to the majority of readers. The ghosts of this collection will haunt the reader long after the last page has been turned.

Vivid and beautifully written, PLOW THE BONES is a short story collection that captures the imagination and places it in a vice like grip, twisting, distorting, and molding the reader to its every will.

This review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
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Jun 20, 2016 Jorge Villarruel rated it really liked it

Plow the Bones is not for everyone. This means, everyone interested in reading something different should have a look at it.

It's not for everyone. These stories are not easy. And by that, I don't mean it's hard to read or full of strange and unusual words, tangled syntaxes or anachronistic grammar. It's not. Plow the Bones is crystal clear and you always know exactly what is happening. But it's not an easy book in what these stories are doing to you when you are reading.

Plow the Bones (the title Plow the Bones is not for everyone. This means, everyone interested in reading something different should have a look at it.

It's not for everyone. These stories are not easy. And by that, I don't mean it's hard to read or full of strange and unusual words, tangled syntaxes or anachronistic grammar. It's not. Plow the Bones is crystal clear and you always know exactly what is happening. But it's not an easy book in what these stories are doing to you when you are reading.

Plow the Bones (the title comes from a quote by Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily DickinsonCamille Paglia—“Each generation drives its plow over the bones of the dead”—who seems to be a big influence on the author as she is mentioned several times in the book) is an uncomfortable reading. Douglas F. Warrick doesn't fret when he needs to describe his harsh and grim world to the reader, but it's never gratuitous, either. It's shocking but not for shock's sake. No. It's shocking because the real world is shocking and we readers are not expected to escape from the real world when we read, but to understand a little more about it and its people.

These stories are a collection of sad, lonely and damaged characters who thrive and fail in a sad, lonely and damaged world. Brutal realism, one could say, because more than fantasy, this book seems to be written as a symbol or sigil to represent the material reality. It's not realistic in the way Dostoevsky is, to be sure, but it's not fantastic in the way Ray Bradbury or Neil Gaiman are, either. The stories from Plow the Bones have more in common with what we call the Kafkaesque: it's real and fantastic at the same time, the way dreams are. Even in the stories where there is no clear sign of the supernatural or the imaginary ("Come to my arms, my beamish boy" is a perfect example), Douglas F. Warrick succeeds in creating a poetic, oneiric and poignant depiction of life and its possibilities.

Plow the Bones is not for everyone, but it should be. These dreamlike and nightmarish tales tell deeply about ourselves, the world and the people who inhabit it, as all great books are supposed to do. ...more

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