Rating: 
Summary: This is a contemporary horror masterpiece!
Review: A lot of things can be said about this book but "dull" has no place in any description about this book. And yes, stick to Stephen King if you want the same old predictable and formulated horror novel written from the imagination and not the soul / from experience. The only problem with WETBONES is that it's horribly misunderstood. The author presents us with a familiar surrounding - the filthy and one dimensional city of Los Angeles. However, we find out that it's actually 4 dimensional. For the most part the other reviews here do describe some of what goes on in this book so I won't bore you with attempting to elaborate... just read this book. John Shirley speaks from his own horrors of drug and sex addiction and when an artist pours his soul into his work it ceases to be pornography, it is art. This book is dark and ugly and highly confrontational in regards to addiction and its consequences as well as the nature of humanity. It is raw and visceral and honest in ways I've never experienced before. This book is a profound story with a message which may be too honest for most people to handle... John Shirley pulls no punches and even I wished that I could put the book down and forget I had heard of it, but I couldn't because it's too compelling as a horror novel, as a drama, as well as somewhat of an autobiography in symbolic and metaphorical ways. John Shirley simply made it severe enough that people would take notice. Whether you love it or hate it WETBONES leaves its mark. It's a pretty hardcore book and not for the squeamish. It is ultimately about hope and pulling through the darkness of our souls (and what feeds on them)however it is a long and hard journey through that darkness and the only way past it is through it. Read this book and if you don't feel anything than stick to flat and "dull" works of other horror writers who only wish they could write like Shirley. Wetbones is a journey to places within ourselves that we don't want to be or see, but that's the beauty of it and the formula for really good horror. Out of a possible 5 stars I give it 10. There is no other book like this and more than likely there never will be again.
Rating:
Summary: This is a contemporary horror masterpiece!
Review: A lot of things can be said about this book but "dull" has no place in any description about this book. And yes, stick to Stephen King if you want the same old predictable and formulated horror novel written from the imagination and not the soul / from experience. The only problem with WETBONES is that it's horribly misunderstood. The author presents us with a familiar surrounding - the filthy and one dimensional city of Los Angeles. However, we find out that it's actually 4 dimensional. For the most part the other reviews here do describe some of what goes on in this book so I won't bore you with attempting to elaborate... just read this book. John Shirley speaks from his own horrors of drug and sex addiction and when an artist pours his soul into his work it ceases to be pornography, it is art. This book is dark and ugly and highly confrontational in regards to addiction and its consequences as well as the nature of humanity. It is raw and visceral and honest in ways I've never experienced before. This book is a profound story with a message which may be too honest for most people to handle... John Shirley pulls no punches and even I wished that I could put the book down and forget I had heard of it, but I couldn't because it's too compelling as a horror novel, as a drama, as well as somewhat of an autobiography in symbolic and metaphorical ways. John Shirley simply made it severe enough that people would take notice. Whether you love it or hate it WETBONES leaves its mark. It's a pretty hardcore book and not for the squeamish. It is ultimately about hope and pulling through the darkness of our souls (and what feeds on them)however it is a long and hard journey through that darkness and the only way past it is through it. Read this book and if you don't feel anything than stick to flat and "dull" works of other horror writers who only wish they could write like Shirley. Wetbones is a journey to places within ourselves that we don't want to be or see, but that's the beauty of it and the formula for really good horror. Out of a possible 5 stars I give it 10. There is no other book like this and more than likely there never will be again.
Rating: 
Summary: Lovecraftian
Review: After reading this book, I have to wonder if this is really the resurrected H.P. Lovecraft working under the pseudonym John Shirley. If not resurrected, at least reincarnated, because the plot of this book is straight out of a Lovecraft novel. Obviously, Shirley is writing a tribute to an author that influenced, and continues to influence, whole generations of the horror/sci-fi genre. The only difference between Shirley and Lovecraft is the gore quotient. Lovecraft always liked to let the reader fill in the blanks, rightly recognizing that the reader's imagination is worse than anything he could write. Shirley, a victim of his times, fills in the blanks for you. Something weird is going on in California. Well, something weird is always going on in California, but this is beyond the normal level of strangeness. Drug addicts are dying, again, not very weird. But it is the way they are dying that is strange. They are wasting away to nothing in a matter of days, and mutilating themselves horribly in the process. As the story progresses, we discover that this is the result of a strange collection of freaks at the Doublekey ranch. These people have tapped into a strange astral dimension filled with odd creatures. I really don't want to go much beyond this limited description because it might spoil the story. It is sufficient to say that Shirley provides all the details, although it takes awhile to get there. "Wetbones" is grand horror with multiple levels and wide ranging characters. The story takes place, for the most part, in Los Angeles, California. Characters include Prentice and Jeff Teitelbaum, Mitch Teitelbaum, Garner and his daughter Constance, Ephram and Sam Denver, wacked out hippie Mike Drax, and several others who fill out the plot as needed. The characters are drawn well, with varying levels of depth and ingenuity. Shirley spends a lot of time introducing us to these characters before he begins to bring them together to the inevitable showdown. As expected, several don't survive the unfolding events. If you want to find out whom, I guess you will have to read the book. I can tell you that several die in ways that are extremely unpleasant. The gore in the story really got under my skin. That usually does not happen with these types of books. The gore isn't a constant, but when it does show up, it is sickening and generally unpleasant in ways I haven't seen before. The title of the book, "Wetbones," describes a series of murders occurring in L.A. Shirley makes sure we witness at least one of these murders. Let's just say it's very gross and results in a pile of flesh and bones that is unidentifiable to the cops. The end of the book is an all-out gore fest, too. Bodies explode, people are shot and tortured, and there is dismemberment aplenty. It's sick stuff that prevented me from eating while reading the book. I should also say I am impressed with the atmosphere of the book. Shirley creates a nihilistic world of drug addled freaks, losers, and loners. The author uses the Garner character to show the horrible slide into the drug underworld. The descriptions of crack cocaine abuse are frightening and seemingly realistic. It illuminates a larger issue, namely that everyone has some type of addiction that they become slaves to in some way or another. Some of the characters aren't drug addicts, but sex addicts. In Shirley's world, it is the same thing. Addiction kills us slowly by eating away our souls. The astral creatures introduced here are just an extreme example of this process. I started to wonder if Shirley went through some of these same types of problems. He seems to know a lot about addiction. Shirley winds his story threads together well and his characters are described in some depth. I liked the background information he gave on the Denvers and their weird powers. I think my biggest problem with the book is that I had to wait far too long to discover what was going on. Where weird astral creatures are involved, throwing the reader a bone once in awhile helps. Still, this is an entertaining book that doesn't try to transcend what it is: a gory pulp novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Horror is dead, it seems.
Review: And so John Shirley follows (or perhaps leads, since this was first published in 1993) the latest wave of hack writers (Little, Laymon, Dee) dragging the horror genre into its grave. Pedestrian story aside, Shirley writes without an iota of style or subtlety. The prose is clumsy and liberally peppered with adolescent profanity usage that is distracting and dull. It's not that the content is explicit -- look at Lucy Taylor for an author who can write graphically, but with finesse. This is low-grade work.
As a side note, Dorchester Publishing ought to be embarrassed to release an edition so fraught with typographical errors. The book is filled with misspellings, forgotten punctuation, etc. How about a little more care in editing, and also a more careful selection of material?
Rating:
Summary: Faint of heart---stick to Stephen King!
Review: Being a John Shirley fan for years, I was overjoyed at being able to get another of his books. This one, with its graphic gory detail made me squirm as I read it. With increasing dread I turned each page. Truly, John Shirley knows how to do it and where its at! If you like it down and dirty and you like it bloody and you like it REAL, READ THIS BOOK! Just don't blame me for your nightmares.
Rating:
Summary: Wetbones is all wet...
Review: For once I'd like to get through some of these fiction books without hitting reefs of mispellings and poorly constructed, if not artlessly incomplete, sentences. This book was filled with them, literally filled! That earns it a zero right there. The story tried to hold onto the base of Hinduistic mythology, tenuously at best. For instance, there was no clear explanation how or why Jeff's son got caught by this serial killer. And there is no valid explanation why this kid had a boyfriend from juvie who was willing to die for him -- not enough background was given for this Shawshank style buddy-buddy relationship at all. Nope. Not at all! Because the characters where poorly developed, the story earns another minus 5. Yet the story does have its strong dramatic points. Yet, if I were to write this story, then try to sell it, it would be kicked right back in my face. So, Johnny S., here's it back in your face. REJECTION SLIP NOTICE!
Rating:
Summary: Disappointingly dull
Review: I bought this book based on the two previous reviews and am very disappointed - can this be the same book?!? The characters are one-dimensional, flat and boring; I couldn't get interested in what was happening to them. While violent and sexually graphic, the style of writing is limp and spiritless and is unable to provide descriptive support to the story. What should be shocking or exciting comes across as just blah (like reading a description out of a newspaper). After plowing through half of the book, I just gave up.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat boring...
Review: I had heard about how good this book is. It is good, but not great. I would recommend it to people who prefer the "ugly" horror novel. The book wants you to like some pretty ugly characters, and it succeeds to some degree. The main problem with this book is the editing. Another reviewer commented on how poorly written it was, but that is not the author's fault. Mr. Shirley should never use this editor again. The odd thing with this book is that it takes place in California, but much of the language is British. The word "color" is spelled "colour" and the word "tire" is spelled "tyre". Confusing. Plus the editor goofed at one point and even screwed up on one of the characters names! Lonny became Lenny for one page! These editing errors did distract from the book since there were so many mistakes. But, if you enjoy books on mind control and books with a very bleak view, then read it. Not one of the best I have read, but I am glad I did.
Rating:
Summary: best book ever on addiction and scary as hell
Review: John Shirley is conveying alot more than most people will understand in wetbones.its a great story, full of great characters and bizarre, twisted,horror on the surface. but one of the things i really liked about this book are some of the underlying themes relating to the occult, the astral plane, and all aspects of addiction, that would be difficult to convey except through the metaphor of the most bizarre creatures ever imagined.its a smooth read with good suspense,interesting ideas to ponder and best of all the kind of relentless horror that goes just enough over the top that its exciting and disturbing and freaks you out. this is a great book for recovering addicts, those of you out there who read it will know what im talking about.
Rating:
Summary: Don't believe the splatterpunk hype.
Review: John Shirley, Wetbones (Leisure, 1993) There are certain books that, if you mention their names, will cause the eyes of horror fans in your immediate area to rise in amazement. "You were actually aboe to FIND a copy of that?" The three I've had in my sights for about two years now are Ketchum's Girl Next Door, Caponegro's The Breeze Horror, and Shirley's Wetbones. The last of the three was the first I was able to track down. A fun little book it is, but I'm not entirely sure what all the fuss is about. Wetbones is comprised of three (branching off occasionally into four) intertwining stories that all center around an isolated desert mansion called the Doublekey Ranch. Along the way, you get all sorts of fun stuff about mind control, various techniques for efficiently disposing of your victims, the Akishra (not going to try and describe them, read to believe), and various other interesting topics. The various reviews I've read lead me to believe that the reason Wetbones is so sought after an item is that it's considered to have pushed the bleeding edge of splatterpunk. One wonders if the authors of said reviews were ever exposed to the early work of Robert Deveraux, whose novel Deadwight (released a year before this) has only recently found company in the corner of the envelope thanks to the emergence of Charlee Jacob. (Not to spoil the fun, but the scene I'm guessing is considered the bleeding edge, pardon the pun, is lifted almost verbatim from Iain Banks' chilling novel The Wasp Factory, released at roughly the same time as Wetbones.) Now again, let me say that while it may sound like I'm trashing the novel, I'm not. It IS a good read, paced well, with well-drawn characters and enough of a plot to keep the reader interested in what's going to come next. I don't think, however, that when the academics get off their high horses and create a horror canon, that Wetbones is going to be one of the top nominees for a slot. *** ½
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