Title: Double Barrel Horror: Highway Hunger and Motel Madness

Author: Calvin Demmer

Release date: October 11, 2020

Earlier this year, I read the excellent Anthology, Double Barrel Horror Vol. 3. Within was featured two new Calvin Demmer shorts. If you’ve followed along with my reviews, you know how much I love Demmer’s writing and his masterful control of short story telling.

A few days ago, he reached out to ask if I’d be keen to revisit the two stories featured in the Anthology, as they were being packaged together as a stand alone release.

ABSOLUTELY.

What I liked: Both stories are quick reads, the page count totaling about 30 when all is said and done. Saying that, Demmer packs a ton of story into these pages. You’ll already know that if you’ve read his stunning releases ‘The Sea Was a Fair Master’ or ‘Dark Celebrations.’

‘Highway Hunger’ opens up the duology with a story that follows a man doing probation work along a stretch of highway. When they come across an injured animal, his colleague quickly informs him they need to leave and quick. From here, Demmer delivers a brutal story of an unknown inhabitant that rules the blacktop. Loved it. (5/5)

‘Motel Madness’ is just that. The second story here throws us into the deep end and we get to watch as things unravel quickly. Demmer decides to forego any sense of breathing space for the reader and instead creates a nightmare induced landscape, all within the confines of a singular room. (4/5)

As I said before, Demmer is such a master at crafting a story with as few words as possible, that you’ll feel like you’ve ingested a 300 page novel, all in a tenth of the page count.

What I didn’t like: Interestingly, I could always spout off word for word ‘Highway Hunger’ as though I had just read it, but ‘Motel Madness’ felt completely new and foreign. I remember enjoying the story the first time, but it is one that definitely didn’t stick around in my head. I think if this one could’ve had a touch more description on the why of some of the actions earlier, it wouldn’t feel so congested.

Why you should buy this: I’ve said it a thousand times, but one more won’t hurt – Calvin Demmer very well may be the greatest short story teller of our time. When all is said and done, they’ll be studying his work for decades. He doesn’t waste any words and gives us the meat and potatoes of each story. It is always a stunning experience reading his work and Demmer is absolutely a writer who is teaching me how to better tell a story, each time I read his work.

This is a perfect introduction for new fans, but a worthy addition for current fans.

Definitely recommend you get on this!

4.5/5