 Botur is a highly skilled writer of ‘out there’, humorous, short fiction. For those who know his work, there is little gangsta/street lingo in this book. Botur has opted for a simple, clear prose style that is accessible and richly detailed. The Devil Took Her: Tales of Horror by Michael Botur Publisher : The Sager Group LLC (13 May 2022) Language : English Paperback : 318 pages ISBN-10 : 1950154831 ISBN-13 : 978-1950154838 A Book review by Jeremy Roberts What would it take, gentle reader – for you to cut pieces of your own flesh off to feed to a rat as a way of training and building trust – in order to put a desperate, last chance plan into action? A plan to get you rescued from a stupid idea, a hidden location, and certain death. The narrator lays it down: ‘My baby girl came back, snuffling up the pipe from god-knows-where … to snaffle my skin. I held my breath, terrified of scaring her away. The only sound was an occasional hard drop of blood on concrete as I sawed my skin.’ Prolific, dope-as-tits writer Michael Botur is back, with a new collection: The Devil Took Her – tales of horror (The Sager Group, USA). His writing in these twelve stories is pure, no-holds-barred revelry in the weird and genuinely scary. Each story is highly imaginative and, most importantly, fun to read. These stories – all set in Aotearoa – are like your own unexpected, juicy nightmares that subsequently appeared, typed-up, in your printer’s out-tray the next morning. That opening story above – called ‘The Writing on the Rat’ – is a twisted, brutal meditation on self-harm and is a challenge to the reader: You ready for this ride? This is the mind of short story master Botur at work creating a scenario that is completely bizarre but so meticulously crafted that you just go with it – all the way to its freaky end. Don’t think for a minute that this is some kind of Saw movie ‘torture porn’ – Botur has the literary chops to avoid falling into that trap. He often applies a delicate, poetic touch – e.g., ‘I approached the furnace, begged it not to bite me. I opened the squeaking door, gently extended my head into the mouth. Little piles of coal and dust on my lips. Ash in my nose.’ ‘The Day I Skipped School’ is a narrative about a murderous Japanese exchange student called Tsuru. She has a horrifying supernatural secret and becomes involved in a doomed lesbian relationship. This story is sexy and provocative, often loaded with tense, graphic action – e.g., ‘It presses me against the wall. Hot intimate reeking salt-breath puffs out from its nostrils, steaming my face. Something trickling. Moisture in my eyes. Fish stink.’ I’m not going to reveal the true identity of Tsuru here because I want you to read ‘The Day I Skipped School’. It is certainly disturbing, and the conclusion of this story is shocking. I will say this: Botur must be using one kinky keyboard. Another story called ‘Test of Death’ is a tour-de-force of can-I-believe-what-the-hell-I’m-reading writing. It also makes you wonder what kind of weird research Botur gets up to in his spare time. A high school teacher called Jarrod, has terminal cancer, and has accepted his fate. That is until, at a farewell party, a friend drops a crazy story about ‘Tukdam’ – ‘the Tibetan solution to death’. Jarrod is absolutely determined to try it, and so his best friend Michael (the narrator) tracks down a podcast that has been banned in eighty countries, that guides the dying into a new state of being. Michael becomes a radical caregiver to his dying/undead buddy. Botur pulls off highlight after highlight as the story unfolds. There is outrageous fun – e.g., ‘… I have to get the trunk closed so slam it right on his neck and blurt SORRY, JAR, OHMYGOD I’M SO SORRY and I crouch and catch the blue squishy coconut as the last flap of neck-skin detaches and it falls to the tarmac. Catch my friend. Catch his head.’ That is just a teeny taste of what this book has to offer. Botur is a highly skilled writer of ‘out there’, humorous, short fiction. For those who know his work, there is little gangsta/street lingo in this book. Botur has opted for a simple, clear prose style that is accessible and richly detailed. Big ups, too – for setting these stories in Aotearoa. It must have been tempting to go for an American city or two, with an eye on international sales. The Kiwi setting feels like a fresh point of difference for this genre. So – twelve mint tales of horror. Twelve indisputable reasons to turn Netflix the hell off. https://thesagergroup.net/books/the-devil-took-her The Devil Took Her: Tales of Horror |
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