As the first volume in what we must assume will be a long series, the anthologists have gone for 1 of the big 2 taboos; Cannibalism. The other being Necrophilia, naturally.
There�s something horrendously repellent yet sickeningly fascinating about this particular taboo, and the anthologist, Stephen Biro aka Sutter Cane, has picked a ripe bunch of fleshy morsels to tantalise and repulse the reader.
The foreword, �Forward�, written by Biro�s twisted alter-ego, Cane, is sure to divide readers from the beginning. Is it a masterpiece of sick, grand-guignol theatre? Or, as I thought, an over-egged pudding? For some odd reason, while reading it, it brought to mind the �And then� scene from Dude, Where�s my Car? To whit; �I�m going to tape open your eyeballs and eat your feet, and then, I�m going to make you watch me eat your dog, and then, I�m going to dig up your nan�s corpse and suck out her bone marrow, and then��. With all the subtlety and finesse of a Troglodyte wielding a lump hammer, we�re thrown in to this bloody anthology.
The first tale, �Plastic Bacon� is wonderfully nasty. A twisted tale of an arrogant chef and his surgically altered wife, this is definitely a great opener. Lovingly descriptive in its technicolour gory, I had high hopes for the anthology after reading this.
While there are some genuinely disturbing and twisted tales contained within, Masters of Taboo is also randomly peppered with scattershot. There are some fantastic, sick, inventive, hilarious dark and disturbing stories in the anthology.
Magnum PI and the Automated Butt-Cutter is a true original; funny, sick and utterly insane, with a genuine �didn�t see it coming� and vile twist at the end.
Zombie Christ � very, very disturbing and unsettling. Closing story �The Diary� is also very dark and written with a lot more restraint than Biro�s �Forward�. Which shows what happens when you let your alter ego do the driving.
If your Serial Killers Top Trumps have the Jeffrey Dahmer or Albert Fish cards with ragged corners or greasy fingerprints on them, this is definitely the anthology for you. If you�re a vegetarian � steer clear. There are nasty things that bite in here.
Reviewed by Tracey Katz