RED WET DIRT

(2009)

ISBN-13: 978-0982253007

ISBN-10: 0982253001

reviewed by Cellblock

06.23.2009

I received this meaty collection of stories from my editor and was immediately drawn to its unusual cover. A photo shopped picture of an out of shape hippie on all fours, dangling a cigarette, reaching into the ground. It was cut away like one of those ant farms you can get in the mail for your kids, and you could see his hand dangling into a sinister looking red background. My first thought was “kooky”. To say I was dubious was an understatement. Grabowsky had copious amounts of commendatory material from well know authors, ‘zines, and even a fighter pilot, all over the cover and inside. But let us not judge a book by its cover fellow readers.

Red Wet Dirt, though at times all over the place, is one weirdly entertaining ride. The title story is an atypical take on vampirism; in fact I can confidently say that all the stories are atypical takes on all types of subjects. This guy has an unusual imagination and at times I found myself struggling to picture the scene he was painting, but once I got into the flow, things solidified grotesquely. All the short stories were memorable and even his screenplay was an enjoyable read. The only real negative aspect of this collection was the addition of works he had done as a child and teenager. I felt they took away from the staunch quality of the books’ overall rating by cheapening it with sub-par poems and overly juvenile attempts at humor.

My favorite story was “My Father Keeper”, a story about a Minoan civilization zombie infestation. I was delighted to see he took what was fast becoming a tired genre and knocked it out of the park with his perspective and environmental development. Mr. Grabowsky indeed lives up to the hype of a “complex imagination” and I urge you to sample his wares. His style and creativity cover a wide spectrum and you would be hard pressed not to find a story you did not enjoy or admire.