Reflection's Edge

Book Review: Dark Duets: Musical Mayhem, by Michael McCarty & His Band

Reviewer: Sharon Dodge

Like many small press books, the short story collection Dark Duets: Musical Mayhem has some questionable cover art. Two skeletons, cartoonishly dressed, stand at a microphone on a stage with a series of brightly-colored fonts surrounding them. While it may have been chosen to reflect co-author Mike McCarty's past as a former stand-up comedian and musician (hence the title), it does nothing to assure the reader of the collection's quality. The stories within do little to alter this first impression.

If there is one thing this book will teach you, it's the value of a good editor, or in this case, a lack thereof. Though the book is relatively free of errors in punctuation or spelling, unlike many small press editions, almost all the stories could have done with a good developmental editor. The structure of the collection doesn't do the book any favors, either: the introductions often spoil the stories, and several of the titles give too much away. In addition, those who dislike derivative stories should stay away; most of the shorts were in some aspect or another, and one even acknowledges it ("The Wishdoll," directly from "The Monkey's Paw").

Other problems include pacing ("Military Mite," "Blocked"), insulting stereotypes ("Hell's Bells," despite an ending which was above par for the book), bad exposition, and purple prose. While some might make you laugh as a one-liner ("Sugar Daddy," "Super-clean") they fail to work as stories, and a few are simply dreadful. (And how does a story about a starving city of sinners relate to "Musical Mayhem," anyway?) At least the "The Ten Klown-Mandments" has the distinction of being the most bizarre story I have ever read, with a mutilated baby raised a clown who, after a life of drugs, porn, and crime, takes off in a spaceship bigger on the inside than the outside.

It's easy to forget amongst so many undeveloped stories that there are some good voices. "Skull Job" has a certain nasty charm to it, and the quirky "Carnie-Vore," co-written by the award-winning P.D. Cacek, made me laugh, particularly in retrospect, and is probably the book's best piece. That said, even the best author pairings in this book don't really feel like they're trying; the better stories read like first drafts, such as "City of Two Thousand" and "Sex, Drugs, & Rot 'N' Roll." The former is clunky in sections, while the latter is hampered by its own structure and ends up reading like a less-funny rendition of Spinal Tap as portrayed by the cast of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

In the end, it's far from a recommendation. That said, some of the authors in this book are well worth checking out - just not here.

To buy a copy of Dark Duets: Musical Mayhem, click here.

If you liked this book, you may also enjoy:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror Annual Collections

Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions, by Neil Gaiman



PicoSearch. Help