BOOK REVIEW: CHEAPA SKIPS BY GARTH JONES

6/9/2022

HORROR BOOK REVIEW CHEAPA SKIPS- THE FEEL-BAD SESSIONS '20/21 BY GARTH JONES

All of this is delivered with a level of cynicism that should make even the most jaded reader happy. The rapid-fire critique of the world comes in a voice of pure pissed-up Ocker. There’s a lot of ‘fucken’ (no ‘ing’ here thanks,) and enough colloquialism to make damn sure you know where this is set.

Garth Jones’ Cheapa Skips – The Feel Bad Sessions reads like Palahniuk and Bukowski sat around drinking Aussie lager, watched Wake in Fright, and decided to collab on the most transgressive collection of Ozploitation stories they could manage.

One of the greatest things about the world of indie literature is its capacity for variety and scope. Like indie music, the trappings of storefront acceptability are lost, and creators are free to…create. For readers, that’s a good thing. Right now, indie fiction is alive with diverse voices delving into their own cultures and delivering transgressive content that refuses to be homogenous or pigeon-holed. Garth Jones is one of those creators.

As a first introduction to his work, this collection is a solid representation of the DIY ethos germane to indie fiction and an engaging collection of tales that occasionally borders on the violent fringes of anarchic horror, frequently revels in the freedom offered by grindhouse Ozploitation like Dead End Drive-In or Turkey Run, and most importantly, always throws a two-finger salute and a robust ‘Get nicked, cobs’ to authority.

The collection’s opening story wouldn’t be out of place in a literary collection of modern short stories. It never really verges into the blatant trappings of genre. What it does very well, though, is plant the reader in small town Australia, play up the nepotism and corruption of our most nefarious politicians, and champion the importance of the pub. It’s great stuff.

From there, you’ve got stories that feature the cashed-up working-class figures who benefitted from the mining boom facing off against the old money remnants of the past during an apocalyptic lockdown, drone-users witnessing savage attacks, criticisms of the internet reliant culture we live in, and a s**t-tonne more transgressive fiction.

All of this is delivered with a level of cynicism that should make even the most jaded reader happy. The rapid-fire critique of the world comes in a voice of pure pissed-up Ocker. There’s a lot of ‘fucken’ (no ‘ing’ here thanks,) and enough colloquialism to make damn sure you know where this is set.

In all, if you like your Ozploitation, this is one to snatch up as soon as you can. I certainly can’t wait to see what’s next from Jones. It feels like he’s only gonna get better.

Cheapa Skips: The Feel-Bad Sessions '20/21 by Garth Jones

Purchase a copy direct from Garth by clicking here

CHEAPA SKIPS is a collection of shorts written during, but not necessarily about, the pandemic.

  It’s chockers with environmental angst, WASPy beach town cannibalism cults, brain machine interfaces, seedy small town crims, gnarly bush justice and more.

PRAISE:

"12-Fuck Faced pieces of Totally Irresponsible Prose covering Women to Daddy to Music to Life. And I'm here for it" - DuVay Knox, author The Pussy Detective and The Soul Collector

"Spike, snort, huff and toke on twelve grams of the sordid, the jaded, the gonzo and the profane. Cheapa Skips is a hit of the pure stuff - balls deep and punk AF, Australian sleaze right in the mainline" - J. Ashley-Smith, Shirley Jackson Award-winning author of Ariadne, I Love You and The Attic Tragedy

"It’s the tone and voice of Garth’s work that’s really compelling" - Lori-Jay Ellis, Director, Queensland Writers Centre

'Garth’s writing is like Bret Easton Ellis, Nikki Sixx and David Lee Roth had a literary baby' - Sebastian Vice, Outcast Press

Purchase a copy direct from Garth by clicking here

Zachary Ashford

Zachary Ashford is an Australian educator, a freelance writer, and the Aurealis Award-nominated author of When the Cicadas Stop Singing from Horrific Tales. He spends long periods of time surrounded by horror merch, listening to metal and conjuring Australian horror stories that represent our themes of isolation and conflict with a hostile environment.