Books I've been reading:
Hell's Seven (8 Edge Series) by George G. Gilman
Having not read enough pulpy western trash, this looked violently intriguing. Two stories run parallel with the anti-hero Edge/Hedges with him being kidnapped by rogue Chinese on the trails of the old west and also as a young Captain in the Union Army having just escaped with his troop from Andersonville. While not terribly graphic, there are enough victims set on fire, or who have their head exploded by shotguns, or throats slit by straight razors to keep the action at a fever pitch. Sadly, because I don't find it entertaining, there is also enough rape to keep a free clinic working overtime. In the end, the stories just stop and we are left waiting for the next episode in Edge's violent life, but man, does it have a bad pun to part with. I'm not sure if I woud read any more of these, but it was OK.
The Flesh Eaters by L. A. Morse
One of the best novels about cannibalism you will ever read. However, it is a dark, disturbing ride of murder, incest, ignorant police, and of course, the eating of human flesh. The first part of the book is choppy and incident heavy as we focus on Sawney Beane and his child bride as they set up house in a cave on the coast of Scotland in the 15th century. They lay out the rules of killing and hiding, begin having children and then having children with the children. Icky is the word I'm looking for to describe their family life. The latter half smoothes out a bit as we deal more with the effects of their 20+ year reign of mysterious terror on the villagers who still live in the area. The local sheriff is lazy and stupid, so any old person in the wrong place will suffice for a public execution without evidence of them having done anything. A quick wiki on Sawney shows that he was a real person and that his story informs the basis of The Hills Have Eyes. Definitely salacious fun for those who can handle nothing but anti-heroes.
Dragon's Teeth - Frankenstein Horror Series by Keith Miles
The Frankenstein Horror Series has little to do with Frankenstein as evidenced by this entry. Fourteen Indian warriors are resurrected after 140 years to do battle against the modern pale face. They begin their swath of murder and mayhem near New Orleans armed with tomahawks and arrows. As they trek towards the great Indian United Nations in New York, they are able to commandeer a train, blow up a prison in Atlanta, burn a flag on top the Capitol in Washington, and explode a nuclear bomb over Birmingham. All of this was attainable while still being written like bad B-movie Injuns. It is practically offensive in its sterotypes. And, of course, that is partly the point. This was published back in the early 1970's when groups like A.I.M. were trumpeting civil rights for all Americans, including the original ones. The book is very condemning of the white majority's treaty breaking and male chauvinistic treatment of women all while portraying the Indians as superhuman avengers from the grave who are brilliant in their ignorance. "Oh, let us now return to a simpler time!", the book seems to claim. However, let's not pretend that this is a classic. It is pure grade cheese that, for a horror novel series, never once finds a bit of scariness. There are plenty of scalpings and murders, but that's about it. The cover of Dragon's Teeth seems to promise some great zombie epic from the swamps, and if that is what you were expecting, then you will be disappointed. Otherwise, its a fair read.