7 Brains
by Michael Louis Calvillo
Burning Effigy Press
$8.00 USD
September 2011
Chapbook, 60 pages
978-1-926611-14-3
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Summary: Humanity is on the cusp of a New Evolution. Yep! Pure Emotion has curdled and given way to empty solutions, a gilded edge of bling-bling exteriors masking Rampant Corruption, Souring Evil and Internal Pollution. Our hero, Malcolm, the reluctant man with a reluctant plan, purpose fluttering in his chest from zero to a million miles an hour in seconds flat, holds the keys to the kingdom of light. All he has to do is eat seven lovely brains and set things right. He’s got a hacksaw, and a hammer, and a set of determined, pearly whites. Can he usher in hope before the imminent descent of everlasting night?

Review:
Horror chapbooks are something that Burning Effigy Press, a labour of love founded by horror editor, writer, and all-around awesome chick Monica S. Kuebler knows how to do very well. They’re almost a micro press and their print runs aren’t huge, but boy, do they ever know good horror when they see it. Thankfully, they publish only the best. With each chapbook they produce, a horror fan needn’t ever worry if they’re getting their money’s worth. The editorial standards are enormously high, and it shows in each book that they produce. 7 Brains by Michael Louis Calvillo is no different.

At the outset we encounter our main character, Malcolm, who is in the middle of getting horizontal with his wife (or so he thinks) but things take a turn for the worse when he discovers (quite gruesomely) that the reality is she’s quite dead (I won’t spoil Michael’s wonderful way of revealing this, or the frenzy that it sends Malcolm into; it’s something you must absolutely read for yourself). He spends the rest of the story trying to make sense of what’s happened and once he does, he encounters a primordial force that isn’t so much a demon or spirit, but it does have a distinct voice that gives him orders and dangles what he wants in front of him as blackmail to get Malcolm to do what it wants, and to get Malcolm to serve him.

It’s pretty agonizing having to watch Malcolm’s descent into madness (although one could argue that he is already mad when the story begins and just hasn’t clued into that yet). This is the kind of story that, although it has some sense of a resolution, really doesn’t follow the conventional plot structure and resists being categorized and fitting into a neat little box. It is absolutely horror to its core. Real horror. Calvillo is one of the most talented writers working in the genre today, and has the power to sustain a reader’s interest in something as short as this or with longer works such as I Will Rise and Bleed for You. If you haven’t checked out any of his work before, take 7 Brains as the perfect introduction to it. This chapbook shows only a glimpse of his true power as a wordsmith.

I read this in one sitting on the subway ride home from The Word on the Street festival a few weeks ago, and couldn’t believe after finishing it that I hadn’t read anything of his before. Any true horror fan owes it to him or herself to read his work and get better acquainted with it, and I’m glad that I picked it up.

You may ask be wondering about readability. If you’re curious as to the graphic elements (i.e. violence, bloodshed, etc) I will say that there’s nothing in here that should bother a horror fan accustomed to some red on the pages, but it’s not so gruesome as to repel the reader or disgust them outright. It ain’t pretty either, but it’s balanced between those who want the gore and those who like it but not if it goes over a certain limit. Overall, it’s a strong offering from a great writer, and the perfect thing to read particularly this time of year

The other thing I will mention is, and I’ve said this before, horror fans, support your small presses. People like Ms. Kuebler work tirelessly to bring readers the best horror stories out there and their ability to continue and thrive as producers of great work (not to mention the ability to pay their dedicated staff as well as the authors) comes from the sales of each title. 7 Brains is a great place to start, but Burning Effigy also puts out a little something for lovers of dark fiction from such other fine writers as Lee Thomas, Ian Rogers (who does gritty noir fantastically well), Nate Southard, Richard Gavin, and many more! Check out some of their new releases here, check them out on Facebook, check them out on Twitter, and check them out on YouTube as well.

Also, it’s Halloween month, and most presses are offering some kind of great Halloween discounts or promos, but more than that, this is like Christmas to the horror community! There is tons of great material coming out this time of year, and Burning Effigy is no exception to this. Even if not for yourself, if you know someone else who will love their chapbooks, get them while they’re hot!

Happy Reading!