There are many flavors of biblical retellings. This one does it mainly from the horror short story angle. There are nine stories that are wildly divergent in style. It helps to know the stories referenced from the Bible. For instance, the disembodied supernatural hand writing on the wall. You remember that one- dontcha? The Babylonian king Belshazzar is partying hard while drinking from the holy cups plundered from Solomon's Temple when said hand pops up and writes a coded message on the wall. The gathered can't make heads or tails of it so they call in Daniel to interpret. He does so, telling them- basically, it says you're fucked. They were. It's carried down to today as 'handwriting on the wall' or 'writing on the wall' to portend bad things are on the way. The retelling of the story in a contemporary setting might seem odd without knowing the background story.
The reason I downloaded the book was for the Catherynne M. Valente story, Psalm of the Second Body, which is a sort of explanatory version of how Genesis consumed The Epic of Gilgamesh. As usual, her writing is exquisite and it also shows how deep she delves into ur-myths.
Good lord in a Ford! There is a Cthulhu based retelling of Jonah that is one of the weirdest things I have ever read, by Stephen M. Wilson. It left me scratching my head and murmuring WTF???? It is done in descriptive grotesquerie and Jonah is a serial killer with a third arm protruding from his chest and also has four testicles for some reason. To top it off, the story begins at the end.
The others stories lie in a range between those mentioned. There is one New Testament story that is pretty straight-up compared to some of the symbolism contained in the others. If you like retellings of things derived from the Bible then some of these stories might appeal. If not, stay away. ( )
An anthology of stories rewriting familiar biblical stories of women. Many of the stories had only a tangential relationship to the original source material, and the authors appeared to be operating under the idea that the more revolting, the better. There were some that stood out, such as the David story and the story of Michal, but overall, it was disappointing. ( )
You don't need to be Jewish or Christian to appreciate She Nailed a Stake Through His Head: Tales of Biblical Terror. Still, you may find yourself groping for a religious icon for protection given the unholy places these weird tales will take you. The anthology opens with Gerri Leen's eerie reversal of the tale of Ruth and Naomi, wherein Ruth's devotion to her mother-in-law is not a blessing but a monstrous curse. Not all of these stories are set in the ancient Middle East, though, as Daniel Kaysen's "Babylon's Burning" proves. Meandering between desert sands and skyscrapers, between past, present and alternate timelines, She Nailed a Stake Through His Head is a gallery of horrors inspired by the most nightmarish images of Near Eastern cultures. There are wild-eyed, drug-crazed prophets, witches drawing the dead from the depths of the Underworld, sacred prostitutes with one soul in two bodies, an English Delilah trapped in a house falling down around her, epic beheadings, and a living tomb in the foul and slimy body of a whale driving the prophet deeper into insanity. The collection is bookended with a tale inspired by the New Testament: a vampire's take on the body and blood of the Christian savior. Regardless of religion (or lack thereof), lovers of speculative fiction will swallow up these provocative stories. -- Erin O'Riordan, Author of Beltane and Midsummer Night Pagan Spirits =======================================================================----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This book takes the Bible back from those right-wing fascists who want to rewrite it as a tedious book of loving and caring. These are stories as bawdy and lustful and horrifying as the original Good Book -- wild sex, savage violence, horrific curses...and, of course, vampires. -- Matthue Roth, author. performance poet. torah badass
(retrieved from Amazon Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:26:17 -0500)
▾Library descriptions
"Do you read the Bible for the sex? Did you find the story of Solomon threatening to cut the baby in half really messed-up--in a good way? This is the book for you. Mad prophets gather around a dilapidated musician in a seedy night club. A widow slaughters the enemy general. A doomed king speaks to the dead. Written by the most original voices in dark fantasy...these nine stories are full of passion, violence and divine exuberance."--P. [4] of cover.… (more)
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The reason I downloaded the book was for the Catherynne M. Valente story, Psalm of the Second Body, which is a sort of explanatory version of how Genesis consumed The Epic of Gilgamesh. As usual, her writing is exquisite and it also shows how deep she delves into ur-myths.
Good lord in a Ford! There is a Cthulhu based retelling of Jonah that is one of the weirdest things I have ever read, by Stephen M. Wilson. It left me scratching my head and murmuring WTF???? It is done in descriptive grotesquerie and Jonah is a serial killer with a third arm protruding from his chest and also has four testicles for some reason. To top it off, the story begins at the end.
The others stories lie in a range between those mentioned. There is one New Testament story that is pretty straight-up compared to some of the symbolism contained in the others. If you like retellings of things derived from the Bible then some of these stories might appeal. If not, stay away. (