TITLE: They Had Goat Heads
AUTHOR: D. Harlan Wilson
PUBLISHER: Atlatl Press
PAGES: 135
RELEASE DATE: 2010
WEBSITE: Atlatl Press

They Had Goat Heads is a collection of “bizarro” fiction by D. Harlan Wilson. The thirty-nine stories are very short; one of the stories consists of just six words.

Because the stories are “bizarro” fiction, they are all very weird and a lot of time have no plot or make no sense. This is the second collection of “bizarro” fiction I’ve read, and I’ve realized it’s not my favorite genre. However, although not my cup of tea, They Had Goat Heads had some great stories; a couple of them made me laugh out loud.

In “Monster Truck,” a man decides he like to become one, going so far as to make “vroom-vroom” noises all through the day. Somehow he gets his wish, but it doesn’t turn out the way he’d hoped.

Another story that made me laugh is “Cape Crusade.” A man decides to become a superhero, but doesn’t quite get the hang of it.

“Turns” is a creepy story of a man having his hands and feet amputated by two people with scalpels. This tale, although extremely short, is very unsettling. That may seem obvious, due to the nature of the story, but a feeling of dread stuck with me for a while after I read it.

“Infancy” is less than 100 words, yet it’s one of the most horrifying stories in the book. Since it’s so short, I don’t want to spoiler it, so if you can’t read anything that depicts harm to children, skip this story.

I doubt I’ll read anymore “bizarro” fiction again; I feel like since I don’t enjoy it, I can’t give it a fair review. However, while not my favorite type of story, I did find this collection very well-written and was able to enjoy several stories in the collection. I highly recommend They Had Goat Heads to anybody who likes “bizarro” fiction, or if you even enjoy a little weirdness; this book should be at the top of your list to purchase.