Horror Book Review: Spicy Constellation & Other Recipes by Chad Lutzke

Last weekend, my family and I went camping. It was one of those perfect evenings for horror fanatics, an evening in the woods with only the stars providing light. Sounds of coyote, crickets, and the mysterious rustling of leaves nearby of what we could only imagine was roaming around us. So, what did we do? I busted out Chad Lutzke's book of short horror stories, Spicy Constellation & Other Recipes.    

Twelve short stories to be exact. I first heard about this book on Twitter and read a description that dubbed it horror with some comedy. I am usually very apprehensive about anything horror comedy only because I revel in being terrified and when comedy is involved sometimes it overpowers the beauty of stomach turning disgust. Chad Lutzke proved me wrong indeed. He pulls the reader into each scene, scenes of grotesque, hard to read moments while sprinkling his comedic fairy dust at just the right moments only to stick you with more gut wrenching nastiness that will make you wince. 

Each story is woven with the realistic experiences and personalities that all of us can relate to and they are all eerily on point. If you want to laugh out loud and then immediately feel like you may vomit, well then this is just for you. 

Some of my favorites out of the twelve stories are:

1. The One Who Took: You might think twice about inviting a stranger over for a quiet evening of cards and drinks with friends.

2. What I Wouldn't Give: Demons, Metallica, and stinky chicken...

3. Spicy Constellation: I can fully relate to this college story, well almost fully. 

4. A Weekend Tradition: A coming of age story, kind of.

Some of my favorite quotes:

"That's when shit went south." - The One Who Took

"And I wondered if a shower couldn't fix that, or if it was just a demon thing, stinking like old chicken." - What I Wouldn't Give

"Virgin digits on a prom-night bra clasp." - What I Wouldn't Give 

"Gang of Three Seek Revenge on Titty Mag Tattletale..." - A Weekend Tradition

What Next?

I'll be checking out another of his books called, Of Foster Homes and Flies.

Learn more about Chad Lutzke by visiting his website.

What are some of your favorite horror novels or short stories?

Thanks for tuning in, 
Sterp