I've been wanting to read this book for the longest time and wow did I have fun.
I'm all here for the Ruby, Stephanie and Antonio trio.

(not giving it 5 stars because of the children storyline that was completely unnecessary and gross, even for a splatterpunk some stuff are just a big no and this is one of the cases.)

The introduction stated that this book would be a comedy, so I went into it expecting something different. I’m disappointed that I didn’t find it funny

This was a lot. I gave it 3 stars because if you removed the gore I got a kick out of the references and liked the writing. I don’t think I could manage another one of these.

Triana and Harding promised a gorey, satanic horror-comedy novel inspired by the early death metal scene and they fucking delivered. The slaughters described in this book are deliciously absurd, and I loved the music references. This is not a book for everyone, but it's certainly a book for me. I enjoyed every sickening minute of it.

Kristopher Triana and Ryan Harding prove that not all horror is created equal. NIGHT STOCKERS gets double the gore, explicit sex, and graphic violence BUT as a counterweight, Triana & Harding heap on the character development--making this a dangerous reading experience. I'll explain:

Splatterpunk or Extreme Horror tends to lean into the shocking depictions of violence as the driving force to win over readers. I think there's an audience for that, but it's small. I believe most horror fiction fans show up for a meaningful story and to invest in the characters. This is what makes horror impactful. If there's no opportunity to give a shit about any of the characters, essentially, the entertainment value rests on some pretty thin margins. Horror fans do dabble in the extreme stuff sometimes and I think the success of that experience resides in substance and character. And like I mentioned, there's an audience without expectations like that, but it's small.

All of that being said, Triana and Harding clearly set out to give their audience heaping doses of everything. This book is first and foremost hysterical. I laughed out loud dozens of times. There are tons of pop culture references perfectly placed within the dialog and the story that could only come from two authors who are deeply immersed in that world. Everything from the music, video games, television, movies, slang, and even fashion trends. The authenticity factor is spot-on.

The plot is pretty simple. There are these rival grocery stores in a small town. FRESHWAY and DEVIL'S FOOD. FRESHWAY is your typical, independently owned franchise with your average workplace drama and DEVIL'S FOOD is a cartoonish depiction of a satanic-inspired grocery store. Everyone who works at DEVIL'S FOOD is part of an intense satanic cult--it's hilarious, except when it's not. Triana & Harding know when to put their foot on the gas and when to pump the brakes. There are times when the DEVIL'S FOOD crew are making inverted crosses out of soda cans for a display which reads like a Simpons episode and other times when they're doing a ritualistic sacrifce in vivid, graphic detail. Funny/Not funny. Realistic/Satire and the books straddles that line the whole time.

Over at FRESHWAY, we get to meet a full cast of characters with great exposition, backstory and engaging dialog. This is where it got dangerous for me because I felt myself investing. I'm a *very* emotional reader and I knew I was reading an extreme horror book with two experts at the helm. I got real fucking nervous. What were they going to do to these people? I soon found out.
On a night when the entire FRESHWAY crew is asked to work an overnight shift, DEVIL'S FOOD plans an attack.
This story gets totally bananas. Like full-tilt. I skipped two scenes actually and readers will know exactly which ones they are as they encounter them but just as a head's up, I'll cryptically just say one scene "went there". I didn't think it would and it did and I just didn't want to read the details. And the other scene was the "Pearl Jammers". We can talk about that later.
Oh, I skimmed a part with some horny young boys too.
But skipping/skimming doesn't change my opinion of this book in the least. Triana & Harding offer up what they wanted and I decide what I partake in, it's that simple. I don't judge the entire book off the scenes I thought were over-the-top because for some people, those will be their favorite scenes-that's what THEY show up for.
Also noteworthy: This is a horror book for those who have worked in retail. I listened to a podcast where the authors were interviewed by John Wayne Comunale and both of them worked in grocery stores/retail so they brought that knowledge/experience to the page and it works really well. I worked in retail/customer service for a long time and my daughter works in a grocery store so the setting and all the language is super familiar to me-amping up that authenticity yet again.

This is Splatterpunk firing on all cylinders. A strong contender to win some awards in its genre. It accomplished everything the authors intended for it to do and then some. Totally stuck the landing for me. I had an amazing time reading this book. I'm pissed about some of the choices the authors made, but again--it's because I'm an emotional reader and I guess authors are told to kill their darlings, so...*pout* Oh well. I loved the suspense, the humor, the characters and the technicolor/cinematic action. Well done.

The premise was promising, but the execution was meh.

I get that splatter punk is supposed to push boundaries, but it felt like I was reading a horror story written by a 4chan user. We get it, you’ve got a “sick sense of humour.”

I did laugh a few times and enjoyed some of the dynamics between the characters, despite the certain “stuff” that happens throughout the book.