The Big Meat Paperback – July 1, 2017

I really enjoyed this book a lot. CM3 takes a different angle to the kaiju story by starting the book with the monster already dead. He then takes a practical approach of the question of what comes next. Disposal of a huge monster is not as easy as you may think, and you soon find out that being on the "Gut Crew" has its own set of dangers. Not only that, but when you're the smallest and weakest newbie on the team surrounded by a bunch of hardened tough guys just waiting for you to get killed...well things can get a little tense. Oh, then add in junkies that get their fix directly from a gland inside the monster itself, which then mutates them plus the worms and other parasites inside the monster. You start to understand why many people don't last working inside the monster.There was a lot of thought put into this story and the originality shines through plus I also enjoyed how the narrative back-tracks to show you what all led up to this point. The ending was a little weak though, I wish it would have been a bit more fleshed out. But in a way, the whole setting is bleak so the ending really seals the tone. This CM3 book isn't quite as weird as others, but the story is on point and the plot is very diverse. Great story!

I loved the storytelling in this. Got me hooked from the jump. Carlton is an excellent writer. I felt bad for the main character. Rooted for him through and through. While I am unsatisfied with the ending, I still recommend the book.

Kaiju fiction usually ends with the end of the final battle, the beast defeated, humanity saved. That's where this story starts. Once the cheering is over, you realize your town is destroyed, your job doesn't exist, the economy is destroyed, and there is hundreds of thousands of tons or rapidly decaying monster meat where your home town once stood. With no other options, our protagonist joins the demolition crew mining into and slowly dismantling the creature and Carlton Mellick III brings us along for every putrid, gory, otherworldly second of it.

So good! I really enjoyed this one, which comes as no surprise. I don’t know if Carlton Mellick can write a bad book, at least in my opinion. The Big Meat functions like kind of a mashup between Godzilla and The Descent, but, ya know, more bizarro. But because it mostly functions within kaiju fictions trope’s borders, the story itself is not quite as weird as some of the author’s other recent books (see: Exercise Bike and Spider Bunny.) But Mellick is one of those authors who are only comparable to themselves, and saying it’s “not quite as weird” as his other books still makes it weirder than 99% of the stuff out there. Even so, I found this story to be quite resonant, effortlessly unfolding in surprising but logical (well, with a logic that is inherent to itself) ways as it pays off all the threads it sets up in the beginning. Couple that with some vivid imagery and a relatable protagonist, and I suspect this is a story that’ll stay with me for quite some time.

I enjoyed this rancid affair! Great concept for a novel, and subtext too. Another great selection per our horror book club.

One of Mellick's tamer stories, but it also felt more focused. Fun idea in regards to the aftermath of defeating a kaiju. Could make for a fun sci-fi TTRPG setting.

While this is not going to win any Pulitzer prizes and presents a sustained grim atmosphere, if you like the trash horror genre, it's fun stuff. Not appropriate for children!

I've been getting into this guy. This is the 4th book of his I've read on this app. I guess I could give the raving review that I've not gone 10 minutes yet after finishing one without buying a new one. This one seems like a very good one to start with. Maybe I'm just learning his moves. But this one fed me the plot at just the right pace, with all the right turns, none of which I saw coming. Real life Kilgore Trout.