Rohypnol Brides

Rohypnol Brides is not only the most memorable book I've read this year but maybe ever. I fell in love with 'Wargasm' right away. I figured, even if this is the only good story RB is well worth the money and then some. But they just kept getting better. There is no way I can possibly write a review that does justice to the way this book made me feel and think. So here are few of the parts/quotes I will never forget... **may contain spoilers** From 'Wrapped in Plastic' - "She said I was obsessed with lighting, but I told her, obsession is just a routine that doesn't belong to you." From 'The Binding' - "Time passes our breathing growing thinner, our movements smaller. The binding is almost complete and her replies as to why we do this all make sense now, all make sense. Love, sex, salvation, repair, art." "We have been sutured by the angry wires, the chains the locks-the ghosts of metal and leather and latex and tubing; or plastic and coaxial cabling wrapped around us. All these things to stop us falling apart and to bring us together. Wrapping us up like chromosomes." "There is no space left for us to breath as we are slowly crushed into a single form. My head has been pulled upright by the binding and we stare into each other's eyes, our pupils dilating in unison, for we are a single mass now-dying simultaneously." From 'Surgery' - "She interests me for no particular reason. There is nothing special about her, nothing at all. She is not beautiful, nor strange, nor intriguing. I watch her because she is mundane." and the list goes on, and on, and on... I have no idea how I didn't stumble unpon Simon Logan sooner, but now that I have I am forever hooked.

I love simon logan's work and am bummed that i only purchased the kindle edition and wish that i would have gotten this book when it was more available for collection purposes HOWEVER! yet again simon logan delivers amazing and severely unique concepts of creativity galore! This collection is definately a more creepy , sex, erotic, fetish kinda vibe some being slightly haunting but the filth sometimes is what we want ! loved this book...not as much as the mellick split and I-O but still definitely worth checking out!!

With corroded imagery that seeps into your blood like a virus, you are dragged into scenes that will test the limits of your desires. The author is bold in his willingness to explore the destructive side of sexuality. Many of the themes in this collection of short stories go well past hardcore, into the red areas that many will never ever become aware of. With taught story lines, highly descriptive writing, and an uncanny eye for an understanding that what some would see as perverse, wouldn't make another flinch. The first story in this was completely standout, longer than the others, it probably created a whole fetish genre on it's own. That is quite an accomplishment in itself. I rather enjoyed the stories that seemed somewhat interconnected centering around a virus. Some of the stories did seem to blend into each other with the subject matter, but there were still many that stood apart just the same. Extremely graphic sexual content, but many people wish they could get past themselves, and dive into this kind of content

Well here I am reviewing another of Simon Logan's highly unique and gripping pieces of work. All the things I love about his style, and have mentioned in previous reviews remain true here. Honestly, many who know me would be surprised by how much I like his stuff, due to its dark seemingly nihilistic feel. However, Simon's work reminds me a lot of Lovecraft, in that there is a joy, and a strange sort of "rightness" in his bleak world: it is as it is ment to be, and is beautiful for it. Like its twin, Rohypnol Brides begins with a novella length story. This one is called "Wargasm" and is certainly the most "fetishy" of these fetishcore stories. It involves a group of people with a rather ill-defined fetish involving SWAT gear and opression, and features the punk girl Katja, who we met in "Rage Against the Machines." Next is "Rohypnol Bride", one of Simon's patented very short stories revolving around obsession and cyclical repetition. The first and simplest of several in the collection. After that is "Drainage", the only male/male homoerotic story in the collection. Obsession is again a strong theme here, and as often much is vague, but all the points that matter are very clear. The next story, "Wrapped in Plastic", I really need to read again, as I dont think I fully understood it. It includes another elusive female figure, and a seeming switch of identity between antagonist and protagonist, another great example of Simon's vague-yet-crisp style. "Closer to the Lung" features an interesting blend of fetish and industrial, telling the story of a "roach", a person naturally resistant to diseases and toxins, and his involvement with a blood-fetish group. "The Antibiotic Pilgrimage of Prophet X" highlights another frequent element of the author's fiction; its a story that starts more or less in the middle, and is really seemingly part of a longer tale. It centers strongly on the author's viral/disease theme, as well as medical fetish. It creates a very interesting but unfinished mythology involving contagious profits and a super-sterile rival religion. "The Binding" is another very short, artistic piece, like a word painting or a long koan. Some have said Simon's work has little in the way of plot, but this is an example of how not all stories need one. It reminds me in some ways of the story "Devastation" from "Nothing is Inflammable." "Surgery" is actually the next story, despite a typo on the contents page. It is one of the most romantic stories I've seen from the author, and rather touching in that the two characters eventually seem to really care for one another, even if in a very strange way. "Crash and Bleed Out" is one of my favorites, drawing on (possibly fictious) Eastern European folklore and viral contamination paranoia to create a strange sort of zombie/cannabilism/outbreak situation, with a little twist at the end. It also explores the idea that science and the supernatural may not be as far apart as some think. Last is "Lithium", my personal favorite of the collection. It details a renegade ambulance driver/drug dealer's pursuit of a phantasmal bleeding girl, and his fateful encounter with another man also searching for a legend. The themes of obession/obssesive search (usually for a female character or force), and also the tendency of things to repeat themselves show strongly in this one. Urban legends, and the idea of peoples thoughts and beliefs becoming real are also interestingly explored. Overall a great collection, I give it my highest recomendation for those who enjoy something strange and darkly joyful.