Magazine Review: Infernal Ink Magazine January 2014 edited by Hydra M. Star
Disclaimer: This magazine came to me through a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.
Infernal Ink is a horror fiction and poetry magazine aimed at ages 18+. As such, it contains sex, violence, sexualized violence (Trigger Warning for rape) and crude language. As of the 01/2014 issue, it is accepting advertisements for suitable businesses.
The cover (which might make this a poor choice to read in public) is by Dave Lipscomb, who also contributes “Demonic Visions”, a selection of his black and white pieces; and “The DaveL’s Music” which reviews albums, in this case, Motorhead’s latest.
There are several gruesome poems; all are modern poetry, so I cannot speak to their quality.
“Amazon Goddess of Doom” is an interview with Saranna DeWylde, who writes both horror and erotica, and helpfully gives us a look at the difference. Her nickname turns out to come from her day job as a prison guard.
All the fiction is very short.
- “The Devil’s in the Details” by Robert Lowell Russell: A woman can have a new lease on life if she convinces someone else to go to Hell for her. Quick and twisty, with no innocence to be found.
- “Going Viral (Pop Culture Apocalypse)” by Bosley Gravel: After the zombie plague, late-night television looks a little different, though just as cut-throat. Funny if you like your jokes gross.
- “A Kiss to Die For” by Giovanni Valentino: Two guys in a bar compete over an attractive woman. Fairly predictable, but a nice last line.
- “The Pope’s Dildo” by Peter Gilbert: The title object is stolen, and it’s up to the Vatican’s top agent to retrieve it. Very juvenile.
- “The Ripsaw Floor” by Shaun Avery: A one-hit wonder meets the woman who inspired that song at his school reunion. I liked the female lead in this one.
- “Flow the Junction” by Roger Leatherwood. A gross-out tale about a woman with constant menstrual flow and her objectification. Very unpleasant.
- “Xenophobia” by Michael C. Shutz-Ryan: New neighbors next door present new opportunities for a lonely man who talks to his Buddha statue. Another fairly predictable story.
- “Fey” by Robin Wyatt Dunn: A relationship with an otherworldly creature. Dreamlike and hard to follow.
- “Add Me” by Rob Bliss: A small town stalker may have bitten off more than he can chew–or maybe this is what he wanted all along. A bit longer of a story, so it has an actual build-up to the reveals.
All of these could use some polishing, but I most liked the Gravel and Avery stories. There are some spellchecker typos, and a couple cases of what might be that or odd vocabulary choices. Hydra M. Star might need to take a firmer hand as editor.
Mildly recommended to fans of the horror/erotica conjunction; everyone else can safely skip.
