Firstly I wish to thank William Campos of Cloud Lodge Books for inviting me on the Blog Tour for THE MEANING OF BLOOD and Other Tales of Perversity by Chuck Caruso

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Fifteen tales of dark, transgressive fiction for fans of Chuck Palahniuk, Elmore Leonard, and Edgar Allan Poe

In a near-future Pacific Northwest, a made-to-order sex robot tests a married couple’s concept of fidelity; in the Tennessee hills of 19th-century America, an itinerant preacher forces others to prove their devotion to God — at gunpoint; and in a settlement town of the Old West, a former outlaw seeking to rescue his deceased brother’s family from a life of poverty discovers to his horror the true meaning of blood.

In THE MEANING OF BLOOD AND OTHER TALES OF PERVERSITY, Edgar Allan Poe scholar Chuck Caruso combines his deep roots in the American Gothic with his own contemporary sense of macabre humor. These fifteen stories of dark fiction range from crime thrillers to western noir to grotesque horror. Each twisted tale displays Caruso’s unique blend of wry prose, feverish storytelling, and tragically-flawed characters discovering that even the most innocent encounter can lead to death. Or sex. Or both

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The Meaning of Blood: and Other Tales of Perversity

HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS AND REVIEW

I read the Lawn Mower Man last year and loved it, so I was real excited to find out Chuck Caruso had another book out. This is totally different. The book contains 15 unrelated stories that cover an array of subjects, from different places to various time periods. If you are easily offended then perhaps it isn’t for you as it does contain a couple of taboo stories but really the title is quite a clue to that too.

I loved the variety of these tales with most having some sort of twist at the end and all being unique and so quirky that I simply didn’t guess the outcomes on the majority of them. It pushes people to their limits and makes them to do things totally out of character. At times it makes them stronger but now and again it is just too much for them. Each of the stories is told through one persons view point of how a situation is seen and dealt with by them. From jealousy to double standards it is dealing with an isolated event that is life changing for so many.

My two favourite stories are The F***ing Robot and The Meaning of Blood, both very different and very different reactions to how they deal with situations.  I don’t know if it is because the stories are so unique that they are so memorable or because of the characters, with their reactions to situations. I just know that each time I read one that my favourites will continually change, depending on my own mood. They are perfect coffee time reads in length.

I am really looking forward to seeing what comes next from  this author.

HERE IS A LITTLE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chuck Caruso is a nineteenth-century Americanist and Edgar Allan Poe scholar. He teaches in the Department of English at Marylhurst University and has contributed to academic publications from Johns Hopkins University and the documentary film Edgar A. Poe: Buried Alive. Caruso’s crime and horror writing has been published in Cemetery Dance, Shroud, and Dark Discoveries. Caruso lives in Vancouver, Washington. The Lawn Job is his first published novel.

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