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Pulp Rock: An Anthology of Musically Inspired Tales Kindle Edition

by Alexander Hellene (Author), Patrick Walts (Author), JD Cowan (Author), Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 11 ratings
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ADVENTURE ROCKS

Space pirates and superspies, ghostly singers and half-orc bards, lost cities and deals with the devil . . . all this awaits and more in Pulp Rock: Twelve musically inspired tales of adventure, excitement, and horror by some of the most exciting voices in science-fiction and fantasy. Come explore the nexus between music and the written word, and get ready to rock.

Altered Egos by Patrick Walts Glam-metal juggernauts Slamurai were past their prime, until a surprise new album and tour thrust them back into center stage . . . but is the band who it claims to be?

Mad Wind by JD Cowan On a distant colony world, a young student sets out to discover the secret of ancient ruins none have returned from . . . and music may be his only weapon against the Mad Wind.

Doom Chord by Ryan Williamson A half-orc bard and his gnome companion seek knowledge of the legendary chord required to play a song so epic even denizens of the netherworld long to hear it.

Keep It Burning Bright by Alexander Hellene An aging explorer with nothing to live for embarks on one final expedition to a frozen city to discover the one song said to be the source of all life . . . if he can make it past the city’s deadly guardians.

The Devil’s Harp by David J. West Her performance was magical . . . diabolically magical. Now a big-city reporter and a rough-and-ready lawman must track down the secrets of an occult instrument to save a woman’s soul from eternal damnation.

Farewell to Once and Future Kings by David V. Stewart They’re a band on tour in the far reaches of interstellar civilization with a secret mission: find the mole that threatens to upend the delicate balance of powers . . . even if it risks true love.

The Crying Girl by Alexander Nader She’s done it! She’s created a drug that allows its users to see and feel music. But even she doesn’t understand its side-effects during a powerful metal show for the ages.

Entomocronicity by Alexandru Constantin In the deserts of Afghanistan, a Marine hears a ghostly recording from the forgotten past that sets him on an obsessive, destructive quest to find the singer . . . and the malevolent intelligence behind her song.

Master of Puppets by Jon Del Arroz All he wanted was for his puppet show to be given respect it deserves! And when a blood ritual brings his marionettes to life, he will have his revenge.

Princess of the Night by Paul McKesley On an interstellar cruise, an undercover bandleader plots to recover his birthright from rival nobles . . . if scheming aliens out for revenge don’t steal it first!

A Song for Melienope by Alexandru Constantin A traveling bard gets more than refuge from a storm when his wanderings bring him to the doorstep of an ancient forest spirit. Now he must play the song of his life or forfeit his immortal soul.

Kentucky Mothers by Alexander Hellene What is the connection between oa country music superstar and a spate of dead journalists? One imprisoned music reporter knows the secret . . .but will anyone believe him?
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  1. Print length
    382 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    February 21, 2022
  5. File size
    1444 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09SGPRHZX
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ; 1st edition (February 21, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 21, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1444 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 382 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

About the authors

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  1. JD Cowan

    JD Cowan

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    JD Cowan is a writer of the unknown and the adventures within.

    His works include "Grey Cat Blues", "Y Signal", the Gemini Man series, and short stories in Cirsova, Storyhack Magazine, the PulpRev Sampler, and the Sidearm & Sorcery anthology.

    He blogs about stories and entertainment at Wasteland & Sky and can be found on X @wastelandJD for those interested.

    See more on the author's page
  2. David J. West

    David J. West

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    David J. West writes dark fantasy and weird westerns because the voices in his head won’t quiet until someone else can hear them. He is a great fan of sword & sorcery, ghosts and lost ruins, so of course he lives in Utah.

    See more on the author's page
  3. Alexander Nader

    Alexander Nader

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    Writes novels about the dark things floating around in his head because the demons won’t let him sleep otherwise. Jokes are his weapon of choice, but will resort to deflection in times of emergency. Did you know Maine is closer to Africa than any other state?

    See more on the author's page
  4. Alexander Hellene

    Alexander Hellene

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    Alexander Hellene is either a dilettante or a Renaissance man, depending on whom you ask. A musician, athlete, artist, and law school graduate, Alexander has always been attracted to fantastical tales, since they tend to do a better job of explaining how the world works than just about anything else. He lives in New England with his wife and children.

    Visit Alexander at http://www.ahelleneauthor.com

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
11 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Robert De Graaff Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of fun
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2022
Verified Purchase
Awesome collection of stories by a myriad of talented authors. Worth every penny.
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TJ
5.0 out of 5 stars It rocks
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2022
(Backed on Indiegogo)

There isn’t a weak story in the bunch and, unlike with some other anthologies I’ve read, I suffered no temptations to skip! It reminded me of listening to an album the old school way - straight through.
The authors have got a ton of variety in here - adventure, fear, despair, joy, mystery, violence, metaphysics, wonder, transcendence, and of course the love of music. Backing the book was a given for me, since most of my own work is heavily inspired by the music I listen to. It was a lovely treat for me to see how these talented authors manifest rock-infused prose and plot in their own styles.
The stand-out story to me was Entomocronicity by Alexandru Constantine. I hadn’t read anything by him before but I did expect his piece to be the most litfic, and it was. There’s a ghostly kind of horror, touches of madness, and even some sci-fi-ish metaphysical stuff. Trust me when I say it’ll take you places you didn’t expect and dig a knife into your heart.
My favorite world of the bunch was the one depicted in Keep It Burning Bright by the anthology’s creator and editor, Alexander Hellene. It really feels like a tiny (but important) corner of a much larger world. The interaction with transcendence at the story’s climax is absolutely my kind of fantasy.
And my favorite character was Drummerbot from David V. Stewart’s Farewell to Once and Future Kings. This isn’t surprising to anyone who knows me because I love friendly robots, AI, and I myself am a drummer. He was just such a great addition to an already great spy story. Also of note in this piece is Stewart’s clear knowledge of music composition, which was woven into the conflict in an interesting way. Oh, and he also has best girl.
There’s so much other great stuff in here I could hit, but honestly the best way to discover it is to just dive in and enjoy. Let’s wish a great launch to this killer anthology, so we can all look forward to a volume two!
Grab a copy today.
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Benjamin Espen
4.0 out of 5 stars Stories that range from adventure to tragedy to absolute weirdness
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2022
When I got a request from Alexander Hellene to review this volume of musically inspired short stories, I had to laugh, because I am one of the least musical people I know. I can lose the beat of a song I am listening to. I’m sure I missed a couple of dozen really awesome musical references. However, I was pleased to agree to provide a review, as I have read works by several of the authors contributing to Pulp Rock [Amazon link], and I had a reasonable expectation of enjoying it.

I wasn’t disappointed. Pulp Rock offers stories that range from adventure to tragedy to absolute weirdness. If you are curious about its origins, the Kickstarter page offers Hellene’s thoughts on the impetus for this volume. As is my usual plan with short story anthologies, I will offer some brief thoughts on each story within the collection, and an overall summary. For my rating scale, I looked back at my review of Timothy Zahn’s Cascade Point and Other Stories. These aren’t Amazon stars for marketing, these are my best judgement of overall skill against a master.

Altered Egos by Patrick Walts ****
The primacy of the rock star in the popular culture of the last half of the twentieth century is an absolutely remarkable phenomenon. The ready availability of contraception made possible the mass adoption of loose sexual morals that fueled the rock stars’ notorious behavior, but at the same time it probably denied them the kind of outsized reproductive legacy you can see in population genetics for other men with ready access to huge numbers of willing women.

That aside, this is a absolute blast of a story, blending together multiple accounts of the same series of events, the pandemic experience, and some utter weirdness in such a way that you are left wondering what is real? Everytime another aging rocker tells his story, you are sure it must be the real truth. An absolute trip, and a blast as well.

Mad Wind by JD Cowan ****
Music can be used as a kind of social technology, a way of creating or reinforcing emotions. Plato’s Republic notoriously was anti-art, seeking to control this potent source of social leverage by ensuring a monopoly on it, as the modern state claims a monopoly on the use of force.

JD Cowan’s “Mad Wind” is about those who freelance their contribution to the greater good, and about a world that is far weirder than its residents know. Cowan excels at compact scene setting like this.

Doom Chord by Ryan Williamson **
Ryan Williamson’s half-orc bard gets a pretty big chunk of real estate on the cover of the book. This story gives off a pretty strong D&D vibe, so maybe Williamson has been playing at lot of RPGs lately. I’m not much into the heavy metal scene, so this may not be the story for me. Fun vibe though.

This is the first story in the collection to use a Faustian deal with the devil as a theme. Oswald Spengler described Western civilization as Faustian:

According to Spengler, the West is a "Faustian" civilization. Readers will recall that Faust was a legendary Renaissance scholar-magician who sold his soul to the devil in return for knowledge and power. To be Faustian is to be impatient of limits, to seek the hidden, to take terrible risks.

The broader theme is about the pursuit of knowledge and power, and music and other art comes in as subset of that. Goethe’s Faust is from 1808, but I suspect the idea of great gifts of artistic expression coming from preternatural sources is an old old one, though I don’t have a ready reference to mind. Something I had actually missed until just recently is that Faust escapes his deal with Mephistopheles in part, allowing him salvation. That puts a rather different spin on what I take Faustian to mean.

Keep it Burning Bright by Alexander Hellene ****
I have said that tragedies aren’t something you see a lot in pulp stories, and I think that is more true with novel length and less true with short stories, as this one illustrates. The short story form allows authors to stretch a bit more. I don’t think I would want a novel length version of this story, it would drag you down too much. But as a short story, it has a visceral punch to it that is just right. Adventure, myth, and legend blend together in this tale of grief, loss of purpose, and betrayal.

The Devil’s Harp by David J. West ****
A weird western, featuring Samuel Clemens and set in Salt Lake City. This is the second story in this collection about how musical gifts are often gained via a deal with the devil. Straight up adventure, which is after all where the western shines. I do really like the weird western as a style though, as the unfiltered and untamed nature of the American West allows it to host some pretty eerie things without manipulation.

Farewell to Once and Future Kings by David V. Stewart ***
Any synoptic history of art in the twentieth century will have to grapple with the fact that popular art was not entirely an organic phenomenon, the work of fashion or the market. It was also the product of policy both public and secret. Here we get a spy story in a musical setting that gives a nod to this not especially secret history.

The Crying Girl by Alexander Nader ***
A trippy first-person druggie story. Not really my thing, but I enjoyed this story enough to go look for other stuff Nader has written.

Entomochronicity by Alexandru Constantin ***
I’m not sure that I grasp all the symbolism of this very strange story about the unusual powers of a very unusual song, but it was a very striking depiction of the life arc of a veteran of the Forever Wars in the Middle East. I find it pretty sad that there is a standard life arc that goes from getting out to alcoholism to unfulfilling job and marriage to divorce and sometimes worse.

Master of Puppets by Jon del Arroz ***
A horror story, which in the best horror tradition, is about the consequences of crossing a line that should not be crossed. Gives me vibes of the 80s/90s horror movies of a similar name. I have to assume that the title is a reference to the Metallica album. See, I got one.

Princess of the Night by Paul McKesley ***
The Space Opera/Mecha entry in the collection. Some short stories are best if never followed up on, as expansion dulls their power, but I would actually be interested in more in this particular universe. Mecha needs more good examples.

A Song for Melienope by Alexandru Constantin ****
A fairy tale/horror story, which is after all where horror really comes from. Fairy tales are all about reinforcing morality, showing you the consequences of sin in an immediate manner. Good horror pulls on the mythic resonance that fairy tales evoke, and myths are after all the stories we tell ourselves that are so good they can last forever. Modern fantasy is lost without this link, which is what gives this kind of story its power.

Kentucky Mothers by Alexander Hellene ***
The third instance of a musician making a deal with the devil, giving you an idea of the kind of mental real estate this concept occupies. The most overtly relevant of the stories in the collection, it is a clear reference to the fate of Dennis Hastert. A great conspiracy story.

Ben’s Verdict ****
An absolutely solid collection. I’m really impressed with a lot of the stories in this volume. I can see why Alexander Hellene reached out to me, even though I am not much of a musician or a music fan, these stories still touch on timeless themes that I know something about. I think anyone who is a fan of pulp fiction could find something to like here, and maybe an author worth following up on.

I received a copy of this book from the editor.
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AJ
5.0 out of 5 stars Varied and Engaging
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2022
I'm not especially a music person and I don't like anthologies but this one is dynamite, there's a lot of variety and talent on display and that makes it a great value and worth checking out
2 people found this helpful
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Anonymous
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, thrilling, fast paced stories
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2022
Although music related, each story varied in style and genre. It was like starting a new book after every story. Lots of fun, thrills, adventure, and even a few laughs.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

James Shrimpton
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging collection of musically inspired tales
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 20, 2022
Verified Purchase
There is a strong roster of writers represented here.

Engaging, entertaining, enjoyable. I'm enjoying having this collection and working through it. Highly recommended!
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