[Review] - Obliquatur Voluptas

By Death's Head Press

Maybe Death's Head Press can corroborate, but I believe that Obliquatur Voluptas is Sumerian for "this is some f'ed up sh*t." 

This is the last anthology review from the Death's Head Press bundle (thank you!) sent to me from DHP.  It's a collection of erotic horror stories, which I've never tried (unless you count Barker's Books of Blood?).  Nevertheless, I was looking forward to reading some stories that would both scare me AND turn me on. *note* If you read this on your lunch break at work, you will have an added layer of fear:  that one of your coworkers will do a little shoulder surfing while you read. I don't need that. My coworkers ALREADY think I'm weird.

The anthology swings for the fence on the first pitch: a novelette by Wrath James White and Monica J. O'Rourke. These two are absolute titans of the extreme horror movement and have written tons of great stuff. Seek out The Resurrectionist by Wrath and Suffer the Flesh by Monica. I should also mention that they collaborated for the excellent duology, Poisoning Eros. Their entry in this one, "Chinara," isn't quite as good as what I've come to expect from them, but is still a strong introduction to the anthology.  However, the real highlights for me were:

"Ministrations" by Michael Patrick Hicks. Excellent revenge story.

"It Only Comes if You Want It" by Alex Gonzalez. A horror-filled coming-of-age sexual allegory. Very unique

"My Doll Likes to Eat" by Ralph Robert Moore, a horror themed satire on parasitic relationships.  Bizarre, yet relatable.

Despite the strength of these four stories, there were also 13 other stories that did not resonate with me.  Perhaps erotic horror isn't for me? I'm not sure. Regardless, it was fun to try something new.

Grade:  C

Amazon link for Obliquatur Voluptas

Review by Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter: @pinheadspawn

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration.