Johnny Mains - A Distasteful Horror Story

 

"A darkly humorous, satirical look at the tight-knit world of horror writers - and their fans. Contains no scenes of violence against actual books, only their authors”

Johnny Mains has been prominent in the horror genre ever since his 2010 debut anthology, Back from the Dead: The Legacy of the Pan Book of Horror Stories, which won the British Fantasy Award in 2011 for best anthology. Mains has been at the forefront of the UK’s new wave of horror, editing Best British Horror (Salt Publishing and NewCon Press), Dead Funny: Horror Stories by Comedians (edited with Robin Ince), and The Screaming Book of Horror.Mains has also written several collections of his own stories: With Deepest Sympathy (2010), Frightfully Cosy and Mild Stories for Nervous Types (2012) and A Little Light Screaming (2015).Mains has also written the introduction to Stephen King’s 30th anniversary edition of Thinner, and has discovered ‘lost’ works of fiction by Algernon Blackwood, Edith Nesbit and Daphne Du Maurier.

"Johnny Mains is the Herbert van Thal of our age" - The Independent

"Mains' knowledge of fantastical fiction is enormous" - Robin Ince

"Mains is the Minister For Horror" - Charlie Higson"

Reviewed on the British Fantasy Society website:

"Picking up this book, it’s clear to see that the author has set out to shock – the title, the cover art (a dismembered corpse in a blood-stained alleyway and bin) show the intentions from the start. But the big question is, does it shock? Written by Johnny Mains, who is clearly a big fan of the horror genre, it tells his story – how he became a horror fan at an early age thanks to a friendly librarian, how he met one of the world’s biggest horror authors (Carson Fisher), became his lover, murdered him and tells his story from his prison cell. Featuring murder, male rape, more murder and then some more murder, it is definitely gory, and will absolutely be distasteful to many – the final denouement in the closing pages adding to the distaste, but also expanding on the protagonist’s motives. I enjoyed the book, found it easy to read, and while I wasn’t particularly shocked by it all, the last chapter or so was somewhat of a surprise. Mains explores a man’s descent into depravity and borderline insanity, as well as the lengths to which someone will go for revenge with absolute skill and precision. His knowledge of and love for the horror genre and its authors shines through, and he also manages to make the reader feel some empathy and sympathy for the protagonist writing from his prison cell. All in all, a great read, and one for the shelves of (almost) any horror fan."