She Nailed a Stake Through His Head: Tales of Biblical Terror

From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. This darkly fascinating anthology of nine stories shows humans trembling in the presence of mighty, unknowable powers and their predatory servants. In Gerri Leen's "Whither Thou Goest," Ruth is revealed to be a psychic leech, giving freshly disturbing meaning to her touching vow never to leave her aged mother-in-law. Jesus' exhortation to drink His blood is taken literally by a congregation of vampires in D.K. Thompson's "Last Respects." A modern Daniel finds that his gift of prophecy can serve the greedy gods of a multinational security corporation in Daniel Kayson's "Babylon's Burning," and Stephen M. Wilson's "Swallowed!" puts a Lovecraftian spin on the tale of Jonah and the whale. Brief but potent, these stories are recommended for readers with very strong nerves. (Nov.) (c) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Product DescriptionYou don't need to be Jewish or Christian to appreciate She Nailed a Stake Through His Head: Tales of Biblical Terror. Still, you may find yourself groping for a religious icon for protection given the unholy places these weird tales will take you. The anthology opens with Gerri Leen's eerie reversal of the tale of Ruth and Naomi, wherein Ruth's devotion to her mother-in-law is not a blessing but a monstrous curse. Not all of these stories are set in the ancient Middle East, though, as Daniel Kaysen's "Babylon's Burning" proves. Meandering between desert sands and skyscrapers, between past, present and alternate timelines, She Nailed a Stake Through His Head is a gallery of horrors inspired by the most nightmarish images of Near Eastern cultures. There are wild-eyed, drug-crazed prophets, witches drawing the dead from the depths of the Underworld, sacred prostitutes with one soul in two bodies, an English Delilah trapped in a house falling down around her, epic beheadings, and a living tomb in the foul and slimy body of a whale driving the prophet deeper into insanity. The collection is bookended with a tale inspired by the New Testament: a vampire's take on the body and blood of the Christian savior. Regardless of religion (or lack thereof), lovers of speculative fiction will swallow up these provocative stories. -- Erin O'Riordan, Author of Beltane and Midsummer Night Pagan Spirits =======================================================================----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This book takes the Bible back from those right-wing fascists who want to rewrite it as a tedious book of loving and caring. These are stories as bawdy and lustful and horrifying as the original Good Book -- wild sex, savage violence, horrific curses...and, of course, vampires. -- Matthue Roth, author. performance poet. torah badass