Review: The darkest center of noir
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 14, 2011
The debut effort from Snubnose Press, a six short story collection called Speedloader, is packed full of dark material.I hear you already: "Of course it's dark, Rhatigan. It's noir. That's French for black, moron."And I hear that. But trust me--this is noir burned to a crisp.Particularly W.D. County's Plastic Soldiers, which has received special attention in nearly every review I've read. For good reason, too. This is an unflinching look inside a child-rape factory through the eyes of one boy. It's riveting material and County uses the boy's toy soldiers to great effect.Nigel Bird has a gem in here as well in You Dirty Rat, an unconventional revenge tale set during WWI. Bird has quickly gained a reputation for crafting emotionally complex and thoughtful work with fully developed characters, and this story highlights his strengths.I've seen a lot of Richard Thomas lately (Shotgun Honey, Dirty Noir). He delivers here with the seriously depressing Herniated Roots. A recovering alcoholic finds a girl who proves to be his true love. Or the cause of his slow death. Something like that. The message that "You're screwed!" comes through loud and clear and brilliant. The character's meandering yet inevitable demise proves to be (somehow) very satisfying.