MEAT

I don't know what I expected, Maybe a tacky Gore fest? But this was amazingly paced, slow burn, a lot of things to think about it once. Every single character I felt empathy for (except one, but there were a couple thoughts I could understand where he was coming from), I love how the author's writing is extremely vivid, but not overly verbose, not layered in beautiful verbiage and descriptions... He has just enough description for me to feel like I'm there without smothering me with too much detail. I fully enjoyed the book, I felt the ending was great, neither too rushed nor dragged out. I will definitely check out more of his books. I only paid less than $10 for this book, I would definitely pay more because I felt like I got a great experience. Definitely made me think also... I'm not going to immediately turn vegetarian or anything lol but I feel that it was a necessary explanation of something that we also have a similar system of... I can tell he did his research. And as a non-practicing Christian yet I still believe in God, the religious aspect I found very interesting as well. The religious aspect in this book is not a specific denomination that we would know, but it basically can be labeled as our main American religion. Although I believe in God, I never have heard anything from him and I yet still believe that there is something out there. I am able to keep an open mind. Anyway just read the book! If you are sensitive to religious topics or feel that books that show a certain side of things are "preachy", This book may not be for you. But if you have an open mind, you will enjoy it.I even got a little bit teary eyed at certain parts.

No spoilers:I loved this book -- especially the style in which it was written. There was not a word out of place. The author's descriptions of settings and characters was just .... chef's kiss! The exploration and description of the meat industry seemed so realistic -- the terms, the devices, the thinking behind it. It was so accurate, as I know from my study of the meat industry. I loved how the allegory related to the central twist was so slowly revealed -- it really got me thinking! However, there are mainly two types of people in this book, one type mostly good and the other mostly bad, and the good people are just not as realistic or as compelling as the bad. The writing and plotting around the "good" seems to ridiculous and fantastical, when the "evil" world is just written more conviction.

This book was recommended if you thought "Tender is the Flesh" could be been expanded more. It was something else, that antagonist was definitely disgusting. Honestly loved it. 🍖

Though I’m sure to upset some authors and publishers who, understandably, want five-star reviews, I’ve my own definition of the five-star system.*One Star: A crime against God and man.*Two Stars: Poor, or otherwise not ready for publication.*Three Stars: A solid work worth the money/read.*Four Stars: A superior, award-worthy achievement.*Five Stars: A standard setter, a work to stand the test of time, a work to be studied and read again and again….Meat, by Joseph D’LaceyA Genre-bending NightmareWith certain books–like this one–a question might arise. “Why review this novel?” The answer doesn’t come as easy as one might imagine. In this case, and with similar quality books, it’s tempting to pass the whole review-thang.Why?Because the book may seem too big a hit, too popular, already well-plugged (and in this case, by Stephen King, no less). What could be the point of one more review?On the other hand, this is a work I read and enjoyed. And really, will one more review hurt anyone?In this case, it just might.“Meat” is a four-star (meaning award-worthy) novel. It’s also one of those rare stories that is destined–once consumed–to stay with a reader. Like, forever. Some stories do that. They not only entertain, but they … they leave their mark on a given consumer.They scar.Meat certainly does.Here’s the book’s description, as rendered on Amazon:Abyrne, the last enclave in a wasteland. All food is produced by Magnus Meat Processing and controlled by the Parsons of the Welfare. Richard Shanti, the ‘Ice Pick’, is Abyrne’s legendary bolt-gunner, dispatching hundreds of animals every hour to supply the townsfolk with all the meat they could want. But Shanti is having doubts about his line of work. When war breaks out between the corporate and religious factions, Shanti must sacrifice everything he loves in order to reveal the truth behind Abyrne’s power structures and fight for what he knows is right. In a world where eating meat has become not only a human right, but a sacred duty, what happens to those who question the nature of the food source? The townsfolk are hungry. The townsfolk must be fed…With the above description, if a person hasn’t already figured out the mystery of just what this protein source happens to be, then such a reader is probably new to the realm of dark fiction.Without giving away any spoilers, suffice it to say, that despite this reader “knowing” whatJoseph D'Lacey, artist extraordinaire.Joseph D’Lacey, artist extraordinaire.was up, almost from the git … I was still moved. Still disgusted. Still horrified. Still amazed at how the plot, the characters, this future post-apocalyptic scenario (and town, and people) kept me reading and reading, pages turning and turning.I was also amazed at how the work challenged certain areas of my thinking, about the food industry, about my own dietary habits, my views on … a number of things.And this is one of the criticisms of the book, at least leveled by some. That “Meat” is a manifesto, a piece of propaganda, a socio-political experiment.Maybe it is.Perhaps, like Nabokov’s book “Lolita,” it’s a practical joke on the reader. An experiment to see if whether or not the prose is solid enough, can a reader be subjected to bevy after bevy of gross-outs.Is the work more horrifying than “Make Room, Make Room,” by Harry Harrison, or the symbiotic relationship between Wells’s Eloi and Morlocks? Maybe not. But whereas those stories offer a safer and more oblique–more theoretical form of horrific realization, “Meat” SHOWS … EVERYTHING.It rubs the viscera, bloody and raw, in the reader’s face. Daring a person to put the book down … to return, perhaps, on another day. Double-dares a person to only take on a few chapters at a time … anything to let story digestion take place a little easier on the stomach.Yet the blood-and-guts, the smell, the touch, is not the real horror. It’s the clinical, apathetic, business-like way that the carnage is conducted.It’s horrifying.But is this a book of horror?Um, yes.But it’s also undeniably a work of science fiction. If for no other reason than for the period of time in which the story takes place, which is some undefined point in the future (ala McCarthy’s “The Road”).The work’s also a character study. A sociological study. Hence, the charges of propagandistic writing.How does this critical reader define this genre-bending novel?“Meat,” by Joseph D’Lacey, is a fairy tale.A not-so-modernistic-as-it-might-seem fairy tale. And one of the grimmest sort.It’s masterful.Compelling.Heart-rending (if not flesh-rending).It’s a must-read by any horror aficionado. In short order, I’ll be taking on the rest of D’Lacey’s catalogue.I suggest others do the same.Just have a strong stomach.All my best,Rob M. Miller

I wasn't sure about this one but I couldn't put it down! A lot was very sad and disgusting but mr.Darcy did , I believe, a realistic tale of how easy people follow another with no questions asked

This book makes you realize how quickly you could become meat, instead of a normal human being.

Excellent writing. Couldn’t put the book down. Love this angle of subject matter. If people take offense, then why is it okay we treat animals in similar fashion. Will be following this author!

The story telling in this book keeps your attention wondering what will happen next. I actually loved the multiple points of view and it brought everything together in the end.

The good old sexist double standard was a bit of a bummer. Seems a man risking his children getting slaughtered literally like cattle makes him a hero, but a woman fellating a man who isn’t her husband to save her children’s lives is a transgression deserving of death by rape and torture, with no one to mourn you!Oh well. Good read apart from that.

This book shook me to my very core within the first chapter. A dystopian horror with all the ethical implications laid out. An absolute cracker of a read that Joseph D'Lacey should win awards for. If you are thinking of reading this, this is the sign you have been looking for.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book though some scenes were pretty hard to digest ! Well written, absorbing and terrifying in parts. Must check out some of his other work now.

Very gory and graphic…Loved it.

Bloody amazing!Drew me in within seconds and putting it was not an option!Do not ever stop writing Please