=Book recently read: Gutshot by Amelia Gray=

(In 100 words or less)

Stories range from genuinely macabre to meh, from nightmarish to eerily nonsensical, with a few attempts at satire via splatter-style gross-out thrown into the mix. Considering the hype, it was practically inevitable that I'd be underwhelmed. So little of this kind of "offbeat" writing makes it into the mainstream that critics tend to exaggerate its uniqueness whenever it does appear. Prose is straightforward, serviceable, nothing special. Reads quick. The title story stands out, but not much else is really memorable. Overall a collection of unevenly inspired tales in the fabulist vein. Worth reading, but not buying. A good library-borrow.