Reviews

Dead Clown Barbecue by Alex McVey, Jeff Strand

sea_caummisar's review

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5.0

if you're in need of a laugh, look no further. This is the book for you. Its hilarious. And the narrator is a total performer. The way he changes his voice to suit each character was top notch

dnemec's review

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4.0

Every time I read something by Jeff, I repeatedly ask myself: "What is wrong with that man?" Then I laugh, giggle, chortle, guffaw and cackle at his work, and am forced to consider: "What is wrong with me?"

Some highlights of the collection are
"Pett Semmuteary" - An interesting extension of Stephen King's classic book.
"Eight-Legged Vengeance"- A story of ridiculous revenge.
"Pregnancy Test" - What if your pregnancy test spoke to you?
"Mr. Twitcher's Miracle Baby-Chopping Machine" - The narrator, after chopping babies for 6 years, decides that perhaps chopping babies is...wrong?
"The Severed Nose" - One thing after another plagues Josh White after he finds a severed nose on a plate in his living room.

A thoroughly fun and enjoyable collection of stories.

5hadow_girl's review

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5.0

Absolutely loved this!
Full review soon, asap.

roxiethebookslayer's review

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4.0

Title:
Dead Clown Barbecue
Author: Jeff Strand
Synopsis: A man who finds a severed nose on a plate on his dining room table. A bell that can summon Satan (maybe). Casual Fridays at work that get out of control. A cheery outlook on the post-apocalyptic landscape. The final thoughts of a doomed skydiver. A girl punished by having to share a bed with her grandmother’s corpse. Revenge via baking a tarantula into a cake. A shocking look at where those awful computer-generated book covers come from. And the lost tale of Fangboy.
These are only a few of the demented stories in DEAD CLOWN BARBECUE, a collection of thirty gleefully macabre tales, seven of which were written just for this collection. There’s even a brand new one about a ventriloquist dummy. Those things creep you out, right? You’ll laugh. You’ll scream. Okay...you probably won’t actually scream, unless you already had issues before you started reading, but you might cringe and get a little spooked.
Publisher: Dark Regions Press




"They can take away my freedom. They can take away my arm. They can take away my life. But they won't take away my smile until they eat my lips."

Jeff Strand brings us another collection of comedic horror in Dead Clown Barbecue, filled with 29 short stories that do not disappoint. I found each of the stories unique and innovative and many were burst out laughing funny. 

The introduction. The Introduction! It was perfect.  We get Strand humor right off the bat, with a side of marital bliss.  

Pett Senmuteary: Oh, poor Tipsy. This story tells of the joys of living by the Pet Cemetery and wanting to please your wife. 5 stars

Comeuppance: Curse you Tom Booth! Destroyer of mediocre men!
4 stars

The Apocalypse Ain't So Bad: An optimist and the apocalypse.
5 stars

The Bell...FROM HELL!!: "Love conquers all, but in a pinch, you can fake it."
3 stars

Work/Life Balance: With freedom comes great responsibility.
3 stars

Stop Stabbing Me: Wanna play a game?
3 stars

Eight-Legged Vengeance: Please do not ever bake a spider into a cake.
5 stars

The Drop: What would you think about if your parachute didn't open while sky diving?
5 stars

Here's What Happened...: Who ordered the turkey sandwich?
4 stars

Pregnancy Test: If pee sticks could talk...
3.5 stars

Mr. Twitcher's Miracle Baby-Chopping Machine: Stand up for what you believe in!
4 stars

The Carver: Want to hear a joke?
3 stars

Push the Button: Would you push a button to collect $1,000,000 but someone you didn't know would have to die?
4 stars

My Knife Collection: Serial killer caught by serial killer
4 stars

Drain Bamage: Do NOT drop the baby!
3 stars

Gramma's Corpse: You better study harder.
3.5 stars

Burden: Please remember to always wear your seat belt.
3 stars

Rough Draft: More notes than story. Cute concept.
3 stars

Fangboy and the Troll: Here, eat this.
3 stars

Dead in the Water: Zombies and a jet ski.
4 stars

Immunity: Getting bit, with a twist.
4 stars

The Big Bite: 65 foot vampire!
3 stars

Specimen 313: Feed me Seymour!
4 stars

We Believe: Grandma got ran over by a reindeer.
3 stars

Poor Career Choice: If you're going to put out a hit, pay more than $50.
4 stars

True Hero: 
4 stars

Chomp (A Cautionary Tale): Ha, ha! You lost an arm!
4 stars

The Severed Nose:

Dummy: I'm a real boy!
4 stars

Overall score: 105/140 3.75 rounded up to 4!

waynewaynus's review

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3.0

A clever collection of stories although I found the quality varied a lot. Still worth reading for the better stories.
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