Rating: 
Summary: A brilliant gross-out
Review: Not to be taken seriously, guys. A brilliant gross-out of a novel. This is pulp stuff, as whacky as Harry Shannon's brilliant 2002 novel "Night of the Beast," and taken in the right spirit 'Wetbones' is an absolute blast. Designed to provoke nervous giggles and cries of eeeeeeeewwwwwww from the reader. Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: A decent horror novel
Review: Ok first let me start off by saying that the reviews of this book by some critics and others can be very misleading. Comparing this novel to any of H.P. Lovecraft's work is just plain nonsense. Those of you who have done that obviously have never read a Lovecraft story and if you have and you still consider this man to be similar or even in the same league as him are insane. But back to the book at hand. Wetbones is a decent horror novel that take's alittle time for readers to get into. Myself i didn't fully get into the novel till fifty pages remained. That's not to say that leading up to the climax is not interesting because it indeed is. There is an awful lot of rape,explicit sex, and disgustingly gruesome murders. Some that are mostly pointless for no motive is ever really explained as to why the murder is committed in such a horrible way or why murder is ever really needed. The story moves along fluidly but soon i noticed that the characters for the most part were annoying and acted very stupid. I honestly can say that i disliked every character except for one major character and one semi-major character that isn't introduced till later. I actually didn't have a rooting interest for the "good guys". I only wanted the two interesting characters to kick some butt to be honest and that eventually happens but it's along time in coming with alot of disturbing imagery that seems pointless. For those of you looking for a decent read and can handle alot of gore and truly revolting acts this book is for you otherwise i say to pass on this and go read H.P.Lovecraft,Bentley Little, or Ramsey Campbell.
Rating:
Summary: A decent horror novel
Review: Ok first let me start off by saying that the reviews of this book by some critics and others can be very misleading. Comparing this novel to any of H.P. Lovecraft's work is just plain nonsense. Those of you who have done that obviously have never read a Lovecraft story and if you have and you still consider this man to be similar or even in the same league as him are insane. But back to the book at hand. Wetbones is a decent horror novel that take's alittle time for readers to get into. Myself i didn't fully get into the novel till fifty pages remained. That's not to say that leading up to the climax is not interesting because it indeed is. There is an awful lot of rape,explicit sex, and disgustingly gruesome murders. Some that are mostly pointless for no motive is ever really explained as to why the murder is committed in such a horrible way or why murder is ever really needed. The story moves along fluidly but soon i noticed that the characters for the most part were annoying and acted very stupid. I honestly can say that i disliked every character except for one major character and one semi-major character that isn't introduced till later. I actually didn't have a rooting interest for the "good guys". I only wanted the two interesting characters to kick some butt to be honest and that eventually happens but it's along time in coming with alot of disturbing imagery that seems pointless. For those of you looking for a decent read and can handle alot of gore and truly revolting acts this book is for you otherwise i say to pass on this and go read H.P.Lovecraft,Bentley Little, or Ramsey Campbell.
Rating: 
Summary: Meh
Review: Overall, I thought this book was a pretty big disappointment. The story was nothing special and the book isn't nearly as gruesome or gory as The Bighead or Exquisite Corpse. If you're looking for a story that's really nasty and disturbing, you may as well skip this one, and if you're looking for a novel with an intriguing plot, you should still skip this one, because overall it's just a pretty big let down.
Rating: 
Summary: A Review From Publisher's Weekly
Review: Previously Published only in two limited hardcover editions in 1991, Shirley's (<i>Black Butterflies</i>, etc) near-legendary horror novel at last reaches a mass readership. Even eight years later, the novel glints on the razor's edge of the field, artfully employing some of the most gruesome imagery ever placed between two covers to catalyze a potent tale of physical, psychological and spiritual depravity and redemption. Of numerous entwined plotlines, three dominate: screenwriter Tom Prentice helps a fellow film scribe search for his missing brother; recovered drug addict Reverend Garner hunts for his kidnapped daughter; and the girl's abductor, Ephram Pixie, able to control her mind through the psychic manipulation of her pain and pleasure zones, initiates her into a bacchanalia of sex and murder. The action centers in L.A., scathingly depicted from its power-drunk Hollywood parties to its crack-blasted ghettoes; the suspense reaches high pressure as the two searches focus on a ranch whose denizens do the bidding of etheric parasitical entities about to swarm humanity. Told in full-tilt boogie prose and packed with shocking violence, the novel slams home its theme of the monstrousness of addiction while ending on a note of hope. This is horror at its most visceral and true.
Rating: 
Summary: Whew!!!...A horror classic!!!
Review: Shirley has done it! He has written the ultimate horror novel. This baby has it all!....Reader beware however: This isn't your "normal" Steven King fare; this book rocks, and will blow your mind! There are at least three or four images in this book that are among the most startling I have ever come across in a novel. Great fun and certainly a classic in the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Whew!!!...A horror classic!!!
Review: Shirley has done it! He has written the ultimate horror novel. This baby has it all!....Reader beware however: This isn't your "normal" Steven King fare; this book rocks, and will blow your mind! There are at least three or four images in this book that are among the most startling I have ever come across in a novel. Great fun and certainly a classic in the genre.
Rating:
Summary: lotsa gore, not much more
Review: Some interesting ideas are lost amid a welter of chunk-blowing gore, and there is very little in the way of Lovecraftian atmosphere or background. The novel takes a while to get to where it's going, and there is very little that is truly convincing beyond the scene with the writer and the movie executive (not surprising, considering that Shirley is a screenwriter himself). For a true taste of this writer's talent, read his collection Black Butterflies.
Rating:
Summary: lotsa gore, not much more
Review: Some interesting ideas are lost amid a welter of chunk-blowing gore, and there is very little in the way of Lovecraftian atmosphere or background. The novel takes a while to get to where it's going, and there is very little that is truly convincing beyond the scene with the writer and the movie executive (not surprising, considering that Shirley is a screenwriter himself). For a true taste of this writer's talent, read his collection Black Butterflies.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant gross-out
Review: The publishers seemed to have "dumned down" the back cover synopsis and changed the title of the book to make it more mainstream and palatable. It's actually more cerebral than what is described. The term "Wetbones" doesn't even appear until halfway through the book. The basic premise of the story is this; the pleasure we derive from our addictions are controlled by these invisible demons called the "Akishra," who feed off the energy. Now the trouble begins when a few people attempt to summon and manipulate the Akishra for their own nefarious purposes. The Akishra become more powerful, more hungry and are able to influence us rather than just feed off of us. Worse yet, conditions are ripe for them to reproduce, so if you think the world is in the toilet now, buckle your seatbelts! My only problem with the Akishra and the whole concept, is that it really raises more questions and issues than the book has time to address. However, the characters and their relationships were the real heart of the story. Shirley creates some really believable and unique protagonists. One becomes completly wrapped up in the fates of these people, so much so that the book becomes hard to put down. Lastly, there is plenty of blood, sex and gore to balance the thought-provoking plot.
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