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Review: "The Secret Goatman Spookshow and Other Psychological Warfare Operations" by Jonathan Raab

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My first experience with Jonathan Raab's work was The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre , a pulpy tromp through the high strange that I reviewed two years ago. I reread it before starting this review and I can confidently say I was too harsh. Maybe the near-collapse of democracy and endless emotional assault of recent times has changed my mind, maybe my tastes have just changed, but either way I can say with confidence that Raab is a true artisan of the High Strange, horror or otherwise. The Secret Goatman Spookshow is a new collection of Raab's short stories and flash fiction, some previously published but most freshly released into the world. The wonderfully over the top cover art sets a high bar for the stories and they reach it with aplomb. The opening tale, "Huntin' Them Hills with Joel and Big Howie" is one of the most bone-chilling things I have read in a long, long time. It also sets the tone for the rest of the collection; it's a weird, unyielding story c...
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The Totem Attunement

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Patience was running out of it. When she decided to try and tame this beautiful, long-feathered, pink avian of The Swamp, she expected it to be quick. She had been waiting on the bird now for fifteen minutes and didn't have much more time to waste. It had hopped closer and closer but was very timid and soon she would be forced to come back for it later, if at all.   The bird hopped closer, now less than a foot from the pile of seed and herbs she'd poured on the rock. It was a specially mixed concoction that would first put the bird to sleep and then allow her to channel the spiritual connection between the two of them and cement the taming. She had used the last of her torparia, the herb that would lull the creature to sleep, so this was the only chance she'd have. It finally closed the distance to the feed and started to peck at it, timid at first but then voracious. Once the majority of the feed was gone to be sure the spell would take; it was always hard to gauge with s...
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Location: St. Louis, MO
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Dear Centrists

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In the wake of Joe Biden being declared presumptive president-elect and four of the most ruthless, combative, and generally disdainful years in modern US history, there has unsurprisingly been push back from the losing team while the winners gloat. It varies from group to group but what I want to address is the notion that those who oppose Trump should somehow show deference or literally a modicum of kindness to those who back(ed) him.     Under normal circumstances I would agree that, when in doubt, it's best to operate by the Golden Rule, "Treat others how you would like to be treated." It's served many people well thus far and I don't expect it to ever falter. It stokes a worldview of inclusion and fairness, assuming you're using it in good faith and not as justification for an "eye for an eye" attitude. It's a simple rule, easy to learn and easy to master, and is a universally agreed upon beacon for humanity's behavior. At times, though, ...
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