Killing It

Bockoven (Fantasticland) sets a brutal, gory horror novel backstage at a comedy club. For decades, New York City’s the Square has hosted the best, most outrageous, and funniest personalities in the alt-comedy community. One night, owner Ronald “Jaff” Maul succumbs to an agonizing headache that sends him on a terrifying after-hours reign of terror and violence. Those trapped in the club with him include his wife, Calista; emcee Braden Bond; veteran comedian Jackie Carmichael; political comic Jerrod Seybourn; fledging entertainer Taylor Tracks; talk show host Sammy Platter; and disgraced comic legend Terry Stafford, currently in the news after numerous reports of sexual assault. As Jaff relentlessly stalks this motley crew through the cramped confines of the building, his would-be victims pay a heavy price for survival, little suspecting a supernatural force may be influencing them all. Bockoven skillfully invokes a claustrophobic, desperate, downright disturbing atmosphere, his prose pulling no punches as it describes the ugly fates awaiting so much of the cast. In some ways a reflection of the entertainment industry’s darkest impulses, this is both a convincing slasher tale and an examination of comedy’s uncomfortable underside.[em] Agent: Steve Schwartz, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary. (May) [/em]