I consider myself a big Tarantino fan.  I‘ve seen, purchased and analyzed all of his films and can rarely find fault with anything that the man touches. Hell, I quote Jackie Brown on a daily basis (much to my wife’s disapproval). I honestly believe that he will be remembered as one of the filmmakers that defined our generation.  I also love genre fiction (as evidenced this very site).  These two loves have existed completely independent of each other and, frankly, I’ve never given any thought to combining the two.  Lucky for me, James Newman did think to combine the two and the result is a nasty little chapbook called Revenge Flick!.

From SideshowPress.com

Behind the wheel of his Mustang, a rotting corpse riding shotgun, The Man With No Balls is on a quest for blood.

Once known as Roy “RJ” Taylor, he had a job in construction, a vintage black mustang, a double-wide trailer, and a loving wife. A part-time actor already in his 40s, he had all but abandoned his dreams of becoming the next Brad Pitt.

When he got a part in the latest film by celebrity film director Terry Quintana, it looked like RJ would finally get his big shot. But what should have been a dream come true soon spiraled into his worst nightmare.

Now RJ is no more, and The Man With No Balls has taken his place. Shotgun in hand, death in his thoughts, he is on a mission for REVENGE…

Revenge Flick! Plays out like an inside joke for lovers of all things Tarantino.  The story is funny, violent and just weird enough to make for a very worthy nod to the director.  Newman realizes that the strength of this chap comes from the brutal violence and unbridled rage felt by The Man With No Balls so he lets the character take center stage and the story moves to the background.  The Man With No Balls motors across his tattered life as he seeks to settle the score with the director who has ruined his dreams.  There is no shortage of blood as Newman gets flat-out nasty with his assault on the reader.  He takes no prisoners as The Man With No Balls exacts his revenge on every person that has done him wrong.  It is a thrilling little ride that will leave your gore soaked face grinning from ear to ear.

Newman flaunts his versatility as he uses numerous styles to tell the story.  There are sections written as a screenplay, while others are told in memoir form and there are also portions told from the third person.  All of these varying techniques and perspectives add to the overall cinematic flow of the chap and really give credence to the argument that Newman is one of the most talented writers working in the genre. His style is unique and unassuming while the ultimate effect is jarring and powerful.  Now, Revenge Flick! is not indicative of Newman’s true talent because, lets face it, this story is basically a tightly crafted exploitation flick in print. This is not a bad thing at all.  Newman has proven is true ability in novels like Midnight Rain and Animosity so it is a treat seeing him writing from a more whimsical place. It takes a great writer to know the story he is trying to tell and show the appropriate amount of restraint.

This is a fun little chap that is a must-own for fans of Newman and Tarantino. Revenge Flick! is limited to 150 copies and is signed by Mr. Newman, himself.  I strongly encourage you all to head over to Sideshow Press and pick up a copy.