Book Review: Usurper by D. Harlan Wilson

 

Usuper by D.Harlan Wilson

172 pages, Paperback

Expected publication February 1, 2026 by Guide Dog Books

It should be noted that I was a big fan of the surrealist absurdist work for a full decade before David became a part of the Dickheads podcast. I have often said that Dr. Identity is one of the most hilarious reading experiences I have ever had. DHW’s fiction embodies a unique blend of speculative, genre commentary, satirical, fiercely intelligent, and intentionally absurd elements. This sequel to Outre’ veers deeper into the commentary than I remember the last book being.

A product of his most recent obsessions Outre felt influenced by J.G. Ballard, while Usuper feels very affected by the experience of writing Strangelove country. Caliban Ogg is the character at the center of this experimental narrative. A prodigal son who can’t escape his father’s shadow. He is in the process of making a movie in this weird future dystopia, a time described in the novel as after reality.

The novel constantly plays with art and identity, but Wilson’s commentary on science fiction, film studies and history’s greatest weirdos bleeds into the text.  Schizflow…a term for Wilson’s fiction that he coined sure fits, and theory fiction also fits.

Here is the thing: if you have the right sense of humor. “Look at leap. Everybody knows that Victor Bleep is fabulous at walking down hallways. Nobody can beat him. Not even me. He is, for all intents and purposes, the best. We watch in awe as he ambles forward, carefully but resolutely, with signs of neither reluctance or ambiguity, like a funambulist on a high wire in the heavens of a circus tent. There is no high wire, no heavens, and no tent and no funambulist; he is who he purports to be: himself. Look at Bleep through this eyepiece. In the sepia-toned firelight of history, his body hangs in the balance as his limbs oscillate at equal distance intervals from the telltale walls that flank him. The measure of these intervals reflects the space between his skull to all the ceilings that have ever passed over him, allowing him to indulge in unruly geometries.”

Keep in mind that on page 58, the author word-for-word tells you that he “wants to fuck with the reader and get them to go to the gym.”

This absurdist novel takes place in a universe where reality has been lost, and D.Harlan Wilson speaks to himself and the reader about genre and art. In a way, it becomes a more honest commentary on film, science fiction, and D.Harlan Wilson than any essay could.

“Good evening. First, I would like to thank myself, who was instrumental in bringing this shitty picture to bear. I really can't thank myself enough. Myself is a good man and we all love him despite my flaws, which aren't that bad, it turns out, right? Everybody kills somebody if you live long enough, you know. Additionally, belief is not only the end of reason but the beginning of evil period, that's a quote from D. Harlan Wilson, my favorite dead writer despite his flaws, which are legion, both as a dead writer and as a dead human being. Nonetheless, historical documents corroborate that he was always working on himself to be a better man and a superior author, even as he destroyed life after life and strophe after strophe with his written truths. I say written truths, which are different than spoken truths. Spoken truths evaporate the moment they leave your maw. Written truths, on the contrary, live forever, and D. wrote down a lot of things about a lot of fucking dingbats.”

I laughed out loud constantly while reading this. I learned a few things and thought about other things. Mostly, I had a fun experience.  Fans of weird fiction, aburdist SF, and D.Harlan Wilson will love this.

Book Review: Space Horrors Edited by E.S. Magill

 

 

 

250 pages, Paperback/ Kindle 

Published September 20, 2025 by Gramarye Press

 (Yes, I have a short story in this one. The closing story is "Sentenced to the Crucible." So consider this review to be for the other 200 plus pages..._)

From the back cover: "SPACE DOESN'T CARE IF YOU SCREAM.Ten Stories of Horror Science-Fiction! 

 
From derelict ships haunted by madness to alien planets steeped in dread, this chilling anthology of space horror and sci-fi terror takes you on a journey into the deepest, darkest reaches of the cosmos—where no one can hear you beg for mercy and no one cares.

Space Horrors gathers some of the sharpest voices in horror and speculative fiction to explore what happens when the vast unknown becomes a breeding ground for the unimaginable. As humans venture to the stars, humanity must go head-to-head with the mysteries of the cosmos. 

Rogue AI and unregulated science gone wrong.Sentient voids that swallow entire ships.Alien ecosystems that react to your every thought.Cosmic viruses and chilling ghost signals.And the evil that lives not in the stars, but in ourselves.

 With stories by award-winning and acclaimed authors including Vanessa Fogg, Eric J. Guignard, Mike D. McCarty, KC Grifant, Jon Cohn, John Palisano, Kathryn Blanche, Vincent V. Cava, David Agranoff, and E.S. Magill, this anthology delivers both nightmare fuel and razor-sharp commentary on the human condition when we dare to venture to the stars. Terrifying or darkly satirical, each tale ventures beyond the familiar into the final frontier—and proves that space isn’t just cold. It’s merciless."

* *  

Might sound like a broken record when talking about the origins of this anthology, and it is much like the creation of Dread Coast. This anthology started as a conversation between writers gathered at a table at Stokercon. The topic was the lack of good space horror. The foundation for the anthology was just the people in that conversation. 

Even though I have a story in this anthology I think I was the one author who did not take part in the entire conversation, since I was very busy with Stokercon stuff, I just showed up at the table to ask Eunice (Editor E.S. Magil) a question, and she asked me ¨David, do you think there needs to be more space horror?”

Of course, I feel that way. Alien is one thing, but we need more Space horror like Lemś Solaris, Malzbergś Beyond Apollo, and PKDś Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch.  Alien-like stories can be great, and I can only speak for myself, but I tried to build my story around the scale and power of the sun and put human beings on Mercury. Did I pull it off? That is for you, the readers, to decide.

I think you should not just because I have a story, but I can say that this is a fine anthology, and Magill did a wonderful job of putting this project across the finish line. Every story was quality and worth reading. Vincent V Cava’s horny update of PKD’s Behind Lies the Wub, First Cumtact, a funny story, is probably the opposite in tone from my piece. 

My three favorites stood out, but it doesn’t mean there wasn't something worthy in all the stories. San Diego HWA’s own KC Grifant might take top spot for me with Eaters Band. The setting is a spooky region of space, and I thought that was a cool original idea.  In the tradition of PKD’s I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon is Make VFX artist and podcaster Mike D. McCarty’s The Directive. The story had a cool structure. Editor E.S. Magill also brought her A-Game  to the story Dog Eat Dog. It is a first-person narrative that works; it has subtle and carefully executed world-building. Overall, the story builds like an ascent to the final paragraph. 

 

Pick up Space Horrors if you are a SF horror fan, a short story fan, or dig these authors. If you are not sold yet, check  this podcast I did with most of the line-up!

 

Video of Space Horrors interview panel 

 

Audio of the Space Horrors panel 

 

Book Review: The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand Edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene

 

The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand: Edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene

779 pages, Hardcover
Published August 2025 by Gallery Books

I have a complicated relationship with The Stand, and don’t get me wrong, I have read it more than once. I watched the mini-series live, night by night, as it premiered. That said, I don’t love it as much as many of the authors in this book. I personally think Salem’s Lot, The Shining, and the Dead Zone are all masterpieces, but The Stand was a book I liked but thought suffered from a few major flaws. If I am also honest, I prefer Swan Song by Robert McCammon, a novel uncomfortably close to The Stand, to the point I think its 800 pages are as much of a tribute to The Stand as this one.

I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum. The funny thing as much as didn’t personally feel connected to The Stand the way Keene and Golden did from the moment this was announced, I was excited to read it. I also knew this was a big deal for Brian, who I respect and root for. The love drips off every page. I liked a few stories more than others but overall I thought the whole thing was readable, in someways it is more enjoyable than the OG novel because many stories are from writers I know and respect and I am rooting for those stories/

 I won’t be breaking down every story, and to be honest, I returned it to the library, as I didn’t want anyone else to have to wait. With close to 800 pages I liked a few stories more than others. I was surprised to love stories by authors I am not fans of and in a couple cases not moved by authors I generally love.  

My two absolute favorites were Tim Lebbon’s “Grace” and   “Lockdown” by Bev Vincent. 

Lebbon’s story might seem obvious as a favorite of mine that involves the space shuttle and takes place in orbit. It is not just the high concept but the execution of the story. Many of the besr stories gave us a point of view we didn’t get from King’s novel. What happens to the shuttle with no grounds crew? Heartbreaking little tale.

Lockdown by Bev Vincent felt the most like a lost chapter from the novel, while at the same time making subtle commentary on the events of the last few years. It shouldn’t be a surprise that a noted scholar of King would capture his voice the best. In my opinion.

Some other highlights for me:

“Wrong Fucking Place, Wrong Fucking Time” by C. Robert Cargill – Great characters and setting, a vivid piece that felt alive.

“The Africa Painted Dog” by Catriona Ward – One of the most delightfully out there weird tales that managed to experiment but also fit in just enough.  

“Make Your Own Way” by Alma Katsu – Emotionally effective story.

“The Mosque at the End of the World by Usman T. Malik – of the stories that took place out of the U.S. I thought this one felt like it should’ve been it’s own novel.

 

Bright Light City by Meg Gardiner – I was surprised by this one.

 

Till Human Voices Wake Us, and We Drown by Poppy Z. Brite – The Brite stories of the 90s are super important, and this just felt great to read.

The Boat Man by Tananarive Due & Steven Barnes – Vivid story, set in a corner of the world that I enjoyed. The keys, the boats, all interesting stuff.

Abagail's Gethsermane by Wayne Brady & Maurice Broaddus – Glad this team will be writing books together going forward. I am amazed that King agreed to let anyone tell Abigail’s backstory but if you were going to two beloved artists like Brady and Broaddus. Hell yeah.

The whole book is a must-read for fans of The Stand. I personally would suggest buying a copy and reading a few stories at a time. Savoring the experience is one benefit, but also there is a little bit of repetitive themes that can’t be helped. Every author is going to want to play with the dreams of Boulder and Vegas.

The most important thing to me was this washed some of the bad taste of CBS TV, which got every single thing wrong in the storytelling.  Keene and Golden have done amazing work here. This is an anthology for the ages. Even if it was not personally made for me. It is a towering achievement. Congratulations to all involved.

 

Book Review: The Silver Revolver: A Western Crime Thriller by John Shirley

 The Silver Revolver: A Western Crime Thriller by John Shirley

 356 pages, Paperback
Published October 11, 2025 by Rough Edges Press

 

Of living writers, no one has taken up more space on my shelves than John Shirley. With a career that defies genre, Shirley has written masterpieces in science fiction, horror, and westerns.  He has written media tie-ins that punch way above their weight class, and yet he is not done surprising us, his constant readership. Not every release is a masterpiece, no author can claim that, but what Shirley does is bring a sense of justice that matches his skills as a storyteller.  Perhaps his greatest magic trick is to make very single effort meaningful and fun.

When I finished The Silver Revolver I posted my first thoughts …An editor with a past breaks bad after his son dies from an overdose, and he survives a mass shooting on the same day. Finding the person responsible for his son’s death leads Slim and the reader into the criminal underworld. Action and quick-witted dialogue. Shirley brings his storytelling chops and sense to the West Coast crime epic.

From the back cover:

“A grieving father, a brutal overdose, a silver revolver-and nothing left to lose.

Slim Purdoux was once just another ex-con trying to go straight. After doing time in Texas for drugs, he landed a miracle job as a book editor in San Francisco. But fate had other plans. When his only son dies of a fentanyl overdose-and Slim is mistakenly caught up in a mass shooting. The weight of grief, rage, and injustice drives him to a dangerous edge.

Now hunted by cops and haunted by loss, Slim returns to the only thing he was ever good at: shooting fast and shooting straight. Armed with a custom silver revolver and a lifetime of regret, he plunges into the violent heart of the American underworld to settle the score with the cartel that killed his son.

What follows is a gritty modern western wrapped in a blood-soaked crime thriller, where vengeance is a drug stronger than anything on the streets-and justice is a bullet away.

Will Slim survive the war he starts? Or will the truth about his past destroy him before he even gets close?

The Silver Revolver is a feverish, unflinching dive into the darkest corners of vigilante justice, addiction, and the price of revenge.”

A Breaking Bad comparison is a pretty solid one. Silm is a great character, unlike Walt, he has a past he has buried. He has a respectable job and is co-parenting his son.  The novel opens with two powerful and depressing chapters. The death of a child, numbing and horrible happens just before Slim is witness to an extreme act of violence. These chapters are unsettling in the right way. 

 Shirley’s stories are often centered on fathers who are in a struggle to do the right thing by their children. The pain that Slim feels over his failure as a father is deep and powerful part of the novel. 

“That he was born into drugs and died in drugs. Because I had gotten Meredith pregnant with him in college, when we’d both been doing some MDMA. X. Stoned, she’d been yielding and intellectually open and full of possibilities while her bitterness slept. She got pregnant in a waking drug dream. Frankie died in a torturous mix of MDMA and fentanyl.”

Slim is numb when he walks into another crisis. A mass shooting at his work, and his reaction to it is driven entirely by the hopelessness he feels. His actions might seem out of control, but the events he just lived through are enough to drive anyone mad. Justice, revenge, the line is thin for Slim.

Once he starts to investigate the underworld, we meet a series of characters who give Shirley a canvas to explore. A strength of the novel is minor characters are well-drawn. 

I loved some of the quick and witty dialogue; there are plenty of scenes like this…

“If you checked up—”

“I talked to the investigating detective.”

“Then you know they didn’t think I was a suspect for more than like ten minutes. The shooter confessed.”

“I did get that, yeah. But...you kill those two in Reno?”

“Just to watch them die?”

“Not funny.”

Okay, she knew when I was referencing a Johnny Cash song. She was even cooler than I’d thought.

“Which two in Reno?” I asked.

“There were more than two?”

“No, I mean—hold on now, what am I being accused of?”

I could've used a little used just a bit more of this back and forth.  But the novel also had one of the most descriptive and effective similes ever. 

“Now I felt like a cigarette butt hissing out in a urinal.”

The Silver Revolver is a fun read, although there are moments that challenge the reader. This is pure storytelling. Shirley has threatened that this might be the last novel, as good as it is I don want Shirley the novelist to go out this way. I want another Shirley SF novel. Some really, really, really, Really weird, like I know only he can.