Benny Rose the Cannibal King was my second pick for the Ladies of Horror Fiction 2 year anniversary readathon. This book hit the prompt ‘Indie Author/Press.’
This book is part of the Rewind or Die series put out by Unnerving Magazine, and it’s the only part of that series that I have in physical format (I also have Jessica Guess’ Cirque Berserk in e-book, but I haven’t read it yet).
Edition:
Paperback
Synopsis:
Blackwood, Vermont has one legend to its name—Benny Rose, the Cannibal King. Every local kid knows him and tells his stories, especially on Halloween. When a new girl moves to town in the autumn of 1987, the legend inspires high school junior Desiree St. Fleur and her friends to pull a Benny Rose-themed prank. A few laughs and screams, and they’ll have a Happy Halloween.
But a vicious storm crashes into Blackwood and interrupts the festivities. Soon the girls find themselves trapped and hunted in a strange neighborhood where no one will help them. There’s nothing made-up about Benny Rose this Halloween night. The truth is coming, and it’s hungry.
Book 3 in the Rewind-or-Die series: imagine your local movie rental store back in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, remember all those fantastic covers. Remember taking those movies home and watching in awe as the stories unfolded in nasty rainbows of gore, remember the atmosphere and textures. Remember the blood.
My Thoughts:
This book had a few things going for it right off the bat:
- I love urban legends
- and I love coming of age non-boy-centric stories
- and I love cannibals (don’t read too far into that)
- also I love Hailey Piper
Benny Rose did not disappoint me whatsoever. This book was so. much. fun. I got slight Riot Girls vibes from Desi – I kept picturing her as Scratch, which made me instantly adore her.
The way that Benny’s story changes by the telling, and in order to fit the needs of the teller is so much fun. And I love how the town as a whole really gloms onto this horrible legend. I mean, the basis for the story is pretty gruesome, but they’re out there decorating their store fronts with cardboard cutouts and shit every Halloween like a bunch of weirdos. It’s all very Small Town Legend-kitsch, and it really worked for me.
“Blackwood had one thing that no other town had in the world.
Benny Rose, the Cannibal King, and all the stories that came with him.”
These folks are bizarrely proud of their child-eating cannibal legend. And we all know the thing about legends, right? They tend to have their basis in fact. So…naturally Benny really did and/or does exist, see?
This book is bloody, it’s fast-paced, and it’s quality. I actually kind of wish I would have held onto this one for a Halloween-themed reading session next month, but that’s fine. I won this one in a giveaway Hailey was doing on her Twitter a while back, so it really was about damned time I read it.
About the Author:
Hailey Piper is the author of horror novellas The Possession of Natalie Glasgow, An Invitation to Darkness, and Benny Rose, The Cannibal King. Her debut dark fantasy novel, The Verses of Aeg, will be published by Bronzeville Books in late 2020.
She grew up in a patch of haunted woods in North America that filled her imagination with ghosts and monsters. Now a writer of horror and dark fantasy, she does her own haunting with a clacking keyboard in the pre-dawn hours. In addition to the works listed on Goodreads, she’s a contributor to Planet Scumm, Blood Bath Literary Zine, and more.
Rating:
Honestly, I get excited every time I hear that Hailey has written something new. She’s a very unique voice in horror, and I appreciate it endlessly (winknudgewinkwinkslap – she has a new book available for pre-order here which will be dropping in November, and you should check it out because it also looks AWESOME – there’s cultists and a mysterious underground!).
Benny Rose the Cannibal King By Hailey Piper Unnerving Magazine ISBN: 1989206344 Published: January 17, 2020 Paperback, E-book 162 Pages Author's Website
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