Chainsawy Goodness (8/10/2010)

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When I think of chainsaws in films, for some reason I always end up with the iconic Medieval Dead image and that scene in Smokin’ Aces where one of the neo-nazi hitmen ends up sitting on his own chainsaw. What WAS that film on? However, after various things I’ve said about dragons being emasculated in fantasy literature, the following kinda caught my eye: “We’ve decided to spread the word that in amongst the shelves of angsty, pale and love-lorn undead and eco-friendly lycanthropes there is blood, there is dread, there is fear.” And “it’s time that monsters got back to doing what they do best, being MONSTROUS.”

Well quite.

The Chainsaw Gang is setting out to be “the new wave of writers delivering old school horror,” and while I’m not a horror writer and never will be, I’m all for monsters being properly monstrous. Hence the Chainsaw Gang has become the new wave of horror writers with a fantasy author tacked on. Or something like that.

Put another way, Alex Bell invited me in and you don’t say no to Alex.

Now and then, therefore, there will be posts about Chainsaw Gang events and schedules of where and when the various members will be doing signings and so-forth. For now, let’s start with the who’s who:

Alex Bell. Author of The Ninth Circle, Jasmyn and most recently, Lex Trent vs. The Gods

The Gang’s founder and grand master, Sarwat Chadda, author of the Devil’s Kiss and Dark Goddess. I shall be reviewing Devil’s Kiss in a week or so along with a short interview with Sarwat, during which he will reveal which of the gang he would most like to fall upon and devour.

Sam Enthoven. Demons, death and destruction. Innocent people turned into mind-controlled psycho-killers, like the good Lord intended.

Steve Feasey. You can never, ever, have enough werewolves (eh, Mark?)

David Gatward: The Dead, The Dark and The Damned.

William Hussey. Modern science and ancient horrors.

Jon Mayhew. Spooks. Demons. Knife-throwing heroines. Enter dark, fog-bound Victorian London and the awesome Mortlock.

Alex Milway. Yetis: Seriously under-represented in modern genre literature, but Alex is putting that right.

Sarah Pinborough (aka Sarah Silverwood): Whose stories have a way of burrowing under your skin and then eating you from the inside, rather like those Scarab beetles in The Mummy.

Alexander Gordon Smith. Author of the Furnace series which is about a prison built miles underground and run by demons.

On Saturday 23rd October, most of the Chainsaw Gang (but not me) will be at the Crystal Palace Children’s Book Festival so you’ll have Alex Milway, Alex Bell, Alexander Gordon Smith, Sam Enthoven, Jon Mayhew, Steve Feasey and Sarwat. Other events will apparently follow in Norwich and Richmond. However…  In the next couple of weeks there’ll be a lot of activity and a BIG competition being run across the many blogs of the members of the gang, kicking off on Sarwat’s blog on Monday.

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