Razortooth, where extreme horror meets dark humor, following Belladonna’s chaotic struggle for survival in a twisted world that challenges the boundaries of sanity and morality
Book Review – Razortooth by Stephen Kozeniewski and Stevie Kopas
Extreme horror in some circles gets quite the bad reputation, more so than any other horror genre, seemingly as part of the beige agenda of Mary Whitehouse wannabes whose sex lives disappeared before the USSR; it’s books like ‘Razortooth’ then which show what the genre can do, in defiance of that “ew, it’s yucky and inhumane” shtick. For all that none of its individual elements have too much finesse, together you do get a living and breathing entity and it has a nice way of making your lips curl as your face tries to work out whether a smile is the right reaction.
Stephen Kozeniewski and Stevie Kopas it would seem went on a crusade to make slashers tea-time, milquetoast affairs. The Quentin Tarantino of fiction genres! With a writing style which evokes the atmosphere of stories like ‘Last Exit to Brooklyn’, Razortooth follows its eponymous character, also known as Belladonna Beauregard, a little girl who finds herself in a miasma of mutations and interesting characters, and her only aim is to survive – with strange and vicious results.
It is odd, then, how short this is. As soon as events begin, they start to wrap up, and even though it serves a prequel to ‘Slashvivor!’, it feels more just a heady prologue to the original novel rather than an entity by itself. Not to say it doesn’t have a life of its own, but it feels more blatantly something leading up to something. There is, of course, the catch-22 of knowing the sweet Belladonna is going to end up as she is in ‘Slashvivor!’, and so it’s a prequel resting on exploring the how rather than the what.
Given the focus is looking at how, it’s perhaps also easy to dwell on the aforementioned extreme elements – and when a book has penises being torn off and people existing only to be cruel, that’s perhaps an understandable view to take. But there’s a nice “mad scientist’ angle, like an apocalyptic ‘Island of Dr. Moreau’, and the way the vigilantes appear in this lawless world is nevertheless more “thriller” than bloody. Despite its aforementioned brevity then, one of its strengths is the way it rounds out its characters and scenes. Some feel more like “cut scenes”, but actually they never feel paper thin, just not quite reaching the crescendos they are able to.
The atmosphere revels in its depression and at its beginning and its more egregious or offkilter energy. You might expect that the fact it splinters itself with humorously Panglossian “commercial breaks” would hinder it. However, it enhances it. Even when it’s pandering to a sadistic goose, it goes after the gander too with a “family fun” attitude that feels appropriately inappropriate and inappropriately appropriate. Who cares if that’s a paradox!
The memory it leaves you with is of something dark, yet consumable in one sitting and with no shortage of thrills. To read on its own, it might feel somewhat shy, but by no means bad; to read it with ‘Slashvivor!’ it gains a real edge. The more meta and almost video game narrative is a nice touch that preludes it, but in the end, its audience is those who like nastiness and pools of blood of various sizes, and it caters to those people with a shuddering lack of restraint.
Razortooth by Stephen Kozeniewski and Stevie Kopas
The co-authors of Slashvivor! are delighted to take you on a trip to the past to witness the birth of the most beloved maniac of all time…
“Slashvivor! is horror in the extreme and not for the faint of heart. Kind of like The Hunger Games on acid.”
– Cemetery Dance
Belladonna Beauregard is an ordinary Georgia peach, worried about nothing in the world more complicated than running around, fishing, and playing in the woods.
Then the bombs drop.
Instantly, America is reduced to ash. Millions die, and in the aftermath, a cruel, vigilante militia seeks to takes over the irradiated Geiger Lands from their base in Belladonna’s commandeered home.
And Belladonna…changes.
Changes into a mutant. A killer. An assassin, enslaved and forced to kill for the very people who destroyed her home and family.
But Belladonna is about to break free, like a butterfly from a bloodstained cocoon. And she’s about to become the legendary slasher known as…
RAZORTOOTH
Check out our exclusive interview with Stephen Kozeniewski here
Further Reading
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One of the standout features of the horror book review section is its diversity. Readers can discover everything from classic horror novels to contemporary indie gems, ensuring that there’s something for everyone. Each review is thoughtfully penned, providing not just a summary but also a deep dive into the themes, writing style, and overall atmosphere of the works. This allows readers to gauge whether a particular book aligns with their preferences.
For those passionate about horror literature, checking out this section is a must!
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