Eat Shit and Die/When the Fall Consumes – Robert Essig

4 stars

Jesus, Essig really packs a punch with these two! Eat Shit and Die and When the Fall Consumes both feature extreme male rage with the intent to end it all in a blaze of glory, though for different reasons, and made me pity certain characters far more than I expected to.

In Eat Shit and Die, we meet a man named Jim who is tired of life. His son turned to drugs and left awhile ago, and his wife blamed him for their son’s disappearance and left (presumably with another man). However, the last straw comes in the form of his catalytic convertor being stolen before he can end it all. What’s a man at the end of his rope to do but go on a bloody vengeance tour before he gets what he wants?

In When the Fall Consumes, Kent is a family man who can’t stand his family. Far too interested in his business dealings, Kent doesn’t have time to deal with his family, except to think about everything that annoys him about them. Enter Edwin, a man who can fix any problem. Determined to end his family problems and himself, once and for all, Kent strikes a bloody deal with Edwin to get his revenge on his obnoxious wife and kids, but something isn’t right with Edwin and his creepy wife….

Both these stories had my phone practically dripping with blood, and Essig proved once again why he’s one of my leading splatter authors. These stories are vile; they’re bitterly rage fueled; and they’re a lesson in being careful with those around us as sometimes one little thing can set someone off in the worst way.

Thanks for letting me read this early!