Sheep and Wolves by Jeremy C. Shipp

From the opening of “Watching”, the first tale, Shipp promises an interesting and bizarre journey though the human condition as readers voyeuristically tag along. “Watching” is a take on victimization and gender, which like its subjects offers plenty of visuals and complications but no real conclusions.

“Nightmare Man” follows a man stricken with horrific nightmares stemming from his greatest failure in life. But in a moralistic twist, his pain is also his power, giving him, in a dream logic way, the power to help others overcome their weaknesses before it’s too late.

In “Baby Edward” a has-been star is haunted, literally, by a monster infant who he created and who threatens not just his life, but that of his love Annabelle. When his past threatens to devour everything Ed must save his girlfriend and himself.

“Those Below”, like many of the tales in this collection, starts with a situation presented to you, the reader, from the author. In this case the narrator asks, what if you found your mother kissing a man that wasn’t your father? From there it switches to first person and follows a man struggling to come to terms with the fact that his girlfriend is a zombie. A moral tale with a thin metaphor Shipp offers up a commentary on race relations with this tale.

“Devoured” is a short, painfully dark tale of victimization. Shipp nails the emotion of abusive relationships in a simple, beautiful way. Again, only a thin metaphor it doesn’t need to be much more and is closer to the truth and many people would like to think.

With “Scratch” Shipp nails the dynamic of abusive fathers. Again, while the imagery is metaphorical it’s also chillingly accurate, portraying the delicate balance between the ego of a man who feels love for no one, and the pain of a man who isn’t worth love.

“Dog” is a twisted tale of magic and wizards and the human will. It sits on the edge between fantasy and bizarre and stars a very bad man who will do anything to train his nephew as his apprentice.

“Parasite” is another short tale, but this one is less grounded in reality. Almost poem-like it’s full of visual energy with a tiny sharp plot. The slice of life style will work better for readers who might not be ready to take a long voyage into the bizarre.

“A Long Metal Sigh” is one of the first tales that doesn’t offer even the hope of a positive ending. This is one of the more interesting allusions to depression, and the issues that lead to it, out there, reminiscent of Melanie Tem and Steven Rasnic Tem’s the Man on the Ceiling.

“Camp” is likely the most normal of Shipp’s collected
stories, which isn’t saying much. The pressure is on in this strange summer camp when a few of the attendees begin having similar dreams of a boy who died in the camp and wants revenge. Except this is no ordinary camp, even if the campers motivations are similar to our own.

“American Sheep” is attention getting from the first line; “One moment you’re prepping your flesh-stick for a heaping dose of midget porn, and the next you’re lying face up in a room packed with disemboweled sheep while something’s sucking on your ass.” Full of clever lines, but very “out there” it’s a tale of the daily grind and the imbalances of society made all the more painful with vicious images and cruel logic.

Very disturbing, “Inside” is a short piece that focuses on three people who live in a bizarre sort of vending machine. Only instead of vending cans of soda and high calorie snacks the machines vend out pieces of the people trapped within.

In “The Hole” Taran and the rest of the world struggle to survive as the Ens (The Enemies) send mysterious, hazardous vibes and intentions in negative waves toward Earth. Despite the best efforts of the government fighting the Ens the people still suffer from all manner of problems, from dementia to psychokinesis. Taran enrolls in the Space Force, sure that directly fighting the Ens is the way to get revenge for what they’ve done to his father. But the realities of war are much different than he expected.

“Trout” is another short short, more strange and opaque than the last few. In this story a man puts his would be girlfriend through a very strange vetting process.

“Sin Earth” is a fantasy tale about Gourd, a man who has lived exiled from his family because of his mother, but who one day is invited to complete a quest to rejoin. In a world made by demons but cleansed by cruel, unforgiving Crusaders of Light who now enforce the plan of Heaven as they see fit, Gourd must not just drive the enforcers from his village he must also drive the conditioning of his mother from his life to save those who cannot save themselves. A fine fantasy tale, worthy of inclusion in the Year’s Best collections, it proves that Shipp can craft his taste for the bizarre into something intimately relatable to the common reader.

“The Rules” blends well with “Sin Earth” starting out with a loose Inquisition feel and talk of demons looking like ordinary humans. A last short short, this one doesn’t spin out a world, its people and its fate, instead it opts to give readers a microcosmic view into the head of an Enforcer.

Last up is “Flapjack”, an example of world building and mood setting primarily through language. A strange, and at times savage take on gender and gender roles Shipp has made reading more difficult through the use of language. But on the other side of the words is a fantastic tale of dreams versus society that summarizes the collection as a whole.

Shipp proves with this collection that he can be counted on for strange and lovely tales, consistently well written and interesting. Certainly one of the most unique voices in speculative fiction Shipp is poised to be a staple of the genres for many years to come.

Hardcover: ISBN 978-1-933293-52-3, $24.95

Paperback: ISBN 978-1-933293-59-2, $13.95