by Ray Wallace

Mean Sheep
By Tom Piccirilli
Delirium Books     


OVERVIEW: A collection of sixteen short stories and fifteen poems by one of the leading and most consistently creative voices of modern dark fiction.

DETAILS: I've gotta admit, I was psyched about getting this one. I mean, this is Tom Piccirilli we're talking about here, author of (among other works) the excellent Self stories, the horror novels Hexes and The Night Class, the mystery novels The Dead Past and Sorrow's Crown, and too many kick-ass short stories to list here. Without a doubt, one of the top talents working the scene today. As I opened the book and started to read, I found myself expecting an eclectic collection full of interesting and unique characters, strange and disturbing situations, and some top-notch writing. And am happy to say that's exactly what I got.

"The Misfit Child Grows Fat on Despair" is the name of the first member of this ornery herd we get to meet. It tells the tale of an immensely overweight man named John who is cashing his meager paycheck just as a bank robbery takes place. While most people would not relish being caught up in a situation such as this John sees it as an opportunity to add a few new citizens to the world he houses within himself as the robbery leads to murder. With a little help from John, of course. In "The Whole Head Is Sick, The Whole Heart Faint" we are able to watch as a group of freaks goes about tracking down a killer. "This, and that's the End of It" depicts a sad and strange evening spent in a hospital by a man apparently unable to cope with the recent death of his mother. And in "New York Comes to the Desert," a guy drives into the middle of nowhere to help a friend but instead runs afoul of a commune populated by some seriously deranged individuals.

A few stories later we come face-to-face with what would have to be considered the dominant male of the herd, "Come Back to Tell You All." A man named Raynes travels across a mythical American West accompanied by his resurrected dog as he follows the trail of a messiah who brings death and doom to the scattered towns he passes through. It has become Raynes's mission in life to kill this messiah in what promises to be a showdown of biblical proportions. "Horsepower" demonstrates the way one young man is transformed into an entirely different person once he gets behind the wheel of his dead brother's car. "Tracking the Death Angel" is a grim tale of death and retribution as a man is charged with the task of following a serial murderer he knows all to well, better than anyone else ever could, and doing what he can to bring the killer to justice. "Those Vanished I Recognize" depicts a strange encounter on a beach as a young man struggles to find a way to come to terms with the ghosts of his past.

There are eight other stories presented in this collection, all equally compelling, as well as more than a dozen poems that comprise the final section of the book. Some standouts here included the titular poem "Mean Sheep" along with "What You Leave Behind On the Side of Your Plate," "How To Perform Heart Surgery With Someone Else's Gaze," and "Another Man's October." Hell, the titles alone are enough to conjure some rather bizarre and unsettling imagery.

Tom Piccirilli is one of those authors who can flat out write. His words have a lyrical quality that flows, that is simply a joy to read. And there is plenty of concept and depth to back up his impressive style and command of language. This is a guy who seems able to do it all, would appear to be headed down a path similar to those blazed by the great Joe Lansdale or the incredibly versatile Dan Simmons, two of the best cross-genre authors working today. Horror. Mystery. Western. Tom Piccirilli has penned impressive tales in each of these fields. Who knows what we'll see from him next? If Mean Sheep is any indication of things to come, then this is one writer whose future looks as bright as his already remarkable past.

BOTTOM LINE: Tom Piccirilli is one of the best genre writers working today and his latest collection, Mean Sheep, is filled with a wide variety of dark, well written, and unpredictable stories. Definitely worth reading.