Title: Dead Men WalkingAuthor: Duncan Ralston
First Published: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Shadow Work Publishing
Pages: 32
Genre: Horror, Short Stories
Format: Ebook
Source: Free Promotion
Rating:
Synopsis:
Alamo ain't your typical prison.
Inmates used to catch fire on Old Sparky at Alamosa County Prison. Now they reanimate.
They call their Death Row "Z Block" because everyone there is a dead man walking. Even the guards.
This is an alternative version of the NOVELETTE included in the collection Video Nasties.
Buy the Book: AmazonReview
I had read the new version of this story in the collection Video Nasties, and only realized after that the standalone version of this story that I had on my kindle was a different version. So, after loving the new version, I read this version to check out the differences and yikes. This story is a good example of why sometimes it’s a good thing when an author goes back to revise and republish some of their writing. I’ve done it before with some of my old reviews, now that I’m a far better writer.
The bones of the story is great, especially if you go in blind like I did originally. I had no idea what direction the execution would take, making it a genuinely scary scenario that I ate up. The synopsis for this standalone version actually gives everything away, which is less ideal for such a short story.
I’m actually really glad that this story has been cleaned up and re-written. This version of the story uses second person narration to involve the reader in the story, a style that is not always easy to pull off. The story is still guided along by Palomino, but this version of him was an obnoxious character throwing out slang and racist language left and right. Friedkin is supposed to be the most unlikeable guy in his shift, but Palomino’s narration made him just as bad, if not worse.
I love me an unlikeable main character, I do. I guess I was just spoiled having read the newer version of the story first. I really liked the new Palomino’s quieter narrative, focusing more on his disillusionment with the job, with the events of the story being the last straw. It was perfection. Sometimes a change in narration can make all the difference.
In short, read Video Nasties. It’s an awesome collection and contains a far superior version of this same story.
Quote
“On Z Block, we’re all dead men walking, whether we wanna believe it or not. Just a matter of fuckin time.”
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »About the Authors
About Duncan Ralston
Duncan Ralston was born in Toronto and spent his teens in small-town Ontario. As a “grownup,” Duncan lives with his wife in Toronto, where he writes dark fiction about the things that frighten, sicken, and delight him. His work has been reviewed in Scream: the Horror Magazine, Cultured Vultures and Daily Dead. In addition to his twisted short stories found in GRISTLE & BONE and VIDEO NASTIES, he is the author of the novels SALVAGE, THE METHOD and GHOSTLAND, and the novellas WILDFIRE, WOOM and EBENEZER.
Duncan’s influences include (but are not limited to): Stephen King, Clive Barker, Richard Matheson, Harlan Ellison, Jack Ketchum, Roald Dahl, Irvine Welsh, Chuck Palahnuik and Bret Easton Ellis.
He runs the small press Shadow Work Publishing, which has published the writing of Jack Ketchum, Wrath James White, Jeff Strand, William Malmborg, The Sisters of Slaughter, Glenn Rolfe and many others.
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