Durr duh...
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Since before the dawn of man, sharks have plagued the nightmares of those that dream. When the big daddy Jaws was first published, the profile of these graceful beasts skyrocketed (for worse, then better) and the predators became a token bad guy of the deep.

So what do you do with a shark tale? It seems to be the same old tale; shark eats people. How do you keep that as fresh as Grimsby fish? As long as you stay out of the water, the shark can’t get you, right?

Sharkpunk takes the classic marine villain and twists it, bringing us a boatload of wholly original tales, none of which are the same (although characters named Bruce do appear several times for Spielbergian reasons). There’s no Shark as Slasher horror, which is what we’ve been fed for the past 40 years. This is modern horror, so science takes centre stage in some of the stories, with genetic modifications playing a part in several of the tales to great effect (Spetsnaz trained lady shark assassins anyone?). In this post modern world of ours, we long to look beyond for a perhaps saner reality, bizarro can help, especially if it involves... MAFIA SHARKS! Can it get weirder? Of course it can, as Shark Cop 2: Feeding Frenzy merges bizarre and buddy movie into one beautiful, blood filled massacre. The final tale, You are the Shark, is fine tail/tale to end on; subdued, tragic and funny, as a young girl seeks solace in an arcade game to escape the reality of her home life.

Space Sharks, Sharks vs Samurai’s, imaginary sharks (or are they?), sharks as personification of a serial killer, the list goes on. If you like sharks, you’ll love this. Original tales each as different as the next. If you love short horror stories, especially a themed anthology, then Sharkpunk might be worth you dipping your toe into. Already I’m hoping for volume 2, but this time, they’re gonna need a bigger book....

A variety of voice actors keep each tale fresh, so as that you don’t become bogged down with the same voice for each tale, making each tale seem even more unique. I can’t recommend this production enough.

fin

Linda Angel brings us 20 short tales that are both lyrical and fascinating, tumbling prose that doesn’t come across as flowery, but rattles many cages, ranging from debates on suicide hotlines to the maternal horror of motherhood, time travel and many a social awkwardness. Each tale is equally disturbing as Angel continues to ply the reader with wonderful verse leading to (often) horrible Dahlian twists that hit you like a hoof to the face. Angel disturbed me far too easy, as she cuts close to the knuckle, paring back uncomfortable layers to reveal human truths we wouldn’t like to admit, because the truth is cold and hard and something we don’t digest well. But she doesn’t care what you think. This is her truth, the stories come from the heart, and you can tell.
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When you pick this up, don’t expect blood and guts and brains on the wall. It’s not that kind of horror. It’s every day horror that most of will experience at some point in our lives. Death is involved, as is the dissolution of love and relationships, themes that we can all relate to when they get deep and dirty beneath our skin and we try our darndest to scratch them out, to no avail.

If you want something new, something fresh and original that’ll poke you in the feels when you least expect it, I suggest you take in “Stranger Companies”. It feels personal, but aloof, serious but laughing at the foibles and contradictions of humanity; the words hit hard, but in the next sentence you’ll find yourself laughing at a humorous turn of phrase, a black comedy blade dripping with acid that cuts us deep.

Highlights for me included the opener “Venus on the side”, which takes you by the hand, leading you down a familiar stalker tale before knocking you over with a far more disturbing reality. “We Take Things” explores one man’s sense of loss when he loses his mobile, showing us the truth about how obsessed and dependent we all are on our slave bracelets. It’s uncomfortable but true, revealing what we’re missing when we’ve got our head stuck in a screen. “Deathsmell”, the final tale takes us close to death as a suicidee take the debate of whether or not to end it all to the suicide hotline, and ends up finding the heart he needs in his life.

Some might feel that these tales/stories/experiences might leave them feeling awkward, others will lap them up. Happiness is a truth, but so is sadness these are things that every day you and me’s have to deal with. Love ends. Love starts, love leaves us and we leave it. These are stories for after the rain has stopped pouring and the coffee has gone cold and our lovers have left for the very last time. They’ll make you think, which is what stories should do, they shouldn’t just entertain, a good story changes you. These stories will take a knife and empty you in parts, leaving you wanting to be filled with a hope you’ll need to find yourself.

Original, but horribly familiar, these stories will amuse and haunt, disturb and raise both an eyebrow and a smile.