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All I Want is to Take Shrooms and Listen to the Color of Nazi Screams by John Baltisberger
"I killed my first Nazi at four years old. It wasn't art; I didn't discover the joy of a psychotropic kill until much later. Each moment that led up to it was the crescendo of a future lover screaming from around the bend of time, begging for the tantric orgasm that would define our future." Thus begins the lurid, gore-filled memoir of the author. Tainted by miles of hallucinogenic inspiration and sprinkled with poetic interludes, SHROOMS & SCREAMS seeks to bind reality with vision, discovering the truth that lies somewhere between what happened and what should have happened.
Part memoir, part novel, part collection, All I Want is to Take Shrooms and Listen to the Color of Nazis' Screams is more than a book, it's a way of life.
the Color of Nazi Screams is an intoxicating blood-drenched trip featuring a righteous protagonist and epic cast of characters that'll leave you buzzing with vigilante fire.” -- Jessica McHugh, 2x Bram Stoker Award®-nominated author of The Quiet Ways I Destroy You
Horror books godless extreme horror books indie horror books underground horror books independent horror books splatterpunk horror books
United StatesIs This The Best Fictionalized Autobiography Ever?
That title’s a mouthful, right? Well, I challenge you to come up with a more appropriate title for the book after you’ve had an opportunity to read it. This is going to be a challenge to review because it’s so many different things. There’s so much going on within these pages. At the core, it’s a collection of short fiction and poetry, much of which is focused on kaiju–I’ll return to that later. But this collection is unique in that it’s assembled in a framing story that tells us a colorfully embellished autobiography of Mr. Baltisberger himself. Colorfully embellished is certainly one way to describe it. This is the autobiography of John Baltisberger if he took off the restraints that civilized society has shackled him with. There is violence galore–violence we certainly hope isn’t an accurate representation of John’s life. If it is, then we should probably keep our mouths shut and let him go about his business. Because his business is killing neo-Nazis, fratboy rapists, corrupt police, klansmen, and other people the world might be better off without…and ingesting copious amounts of hallucinogenic substances. Of course, as we learn later on, much of his attention has shifted to focus on his intensely sexual relationship with his loving wife and the fantastic daughter they’ve produced. But maybe there’s still room for killing bad guys. There’s always room for that, right? So, regarding the kaiju-focused short fiction and poetry. A few years ago, Mr. Baltisberger offered to write personalized kaiju poems or stories taking place in locations of your choosing. I was one of the individuals who took advantage of that offer, and I was pleased to see that the brief tale was included in this collection. They’re a lot of fun, and it’s hard not to enjoy giant monsters going on monstrous rampages as such creatures are wont to do. One feature that stood out for me was roughly two-thirds of the way into the book, where there’s a hugely epic poem that will surely satisfy fans of Baltisberger’s stand-alone poetry. It tells a tale of history and war, intrigue and mysticism. That alone is worth the price of admission. It is best thought of as admission because Baltisberger is going to take you on a dizzying, kaleidoscopic thrill ride that rivals anything you’ll find at Six Flags.
United StatesNot your grandaddy's trip.
This book will take you places. Hallucinagenic, bloody, existential places. Deeply personal places. Places where you get to take out Nazis. Right from the start I knew I was getting myself into something immersive given Baltisberger’s penchant for prose. But this biographical narrative of hallucinogen consumption and dispatching fascists gets deep and addictive fast. The poetry flows in and out of the story, ferrying us around in deeply personal seas and adding to the kaleidoscopic adventure we take of the main character’s life. From childhood to adulthood, it’s a wild ride, but an oddly realistic one. Plus it takes me back to Austin, Tx for a little while, a place always dear to my heart. I can’t recommend this enough. Move it to the top of your TBR’s. Seriously. And f*ck fascists.
United StatesAnother stunner by Baltisberger!
A psychedelic and bizarro take on an autobiography, John leads the reader through a life soaked in the blood of the rotten and deplorable, with frequent forays into kaiju poetics and erotic prose. Too, you will find a cosmic pessimism about the state of the world, and how he comes to reconcile this through shifts in faith and choices of action, fueled by fungal energies and visions. I love John and all of his writings, and this is no exception, a unique work in his oeuvre and highly recommended!
United KingdomPhilosophically Violent
This starts out as usual with some fabulous one liners which I would not be able to repeat here. John describes the horror of growing up beautifully and the horror part is definitely what he focuses on. I never knew somebody else felt that rotten during that time too. The combination of the philosophical prose and the extreme violence is just pure poetry. This kind of writing is a lot deeper and heavier than I’m used to but it blew my mind hole completely. This was more a work of art than a book. So sad, so desperate and so thought provoking. I’m left with withdrawals now and need to get more Baltisberger.