Wow...not only a fun romp through the absurd, but also a great introduction to a previously unknown (for me) genre.

So, imagine all of the great (and not-so-great) cult films influencing a generation of authors to do exactly what those movies did: shock, awe, and inspire a new way of looking at how you perceive a story.

Many of the authors in this collection admit to enjoying the visual works of David Lynch and the authorial extrapolations of Kafka.

I think while reading this collection, many readers may have to stop and realize that what is going on in these stories is just how their world works--it is beyond Magical Realism. This collection is a landscape that covers unexplored areas of the avant-garde.

The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is simply because two of the stories I did not like all that much. One just seemed like a visceral version of Who Censored Roger Rabbit? In addition, the other story had no organization whatsoever.

I have the other collection (Blue) and I can hardly wait to start reading the many surprises it will have to offer.

Bizarro writing is not for the timid. This collection of stories by some of the genre's brightest stars proves that in spades. Anyone who is a fan of David Lynch movies or Franz Kafka's writing should pick up a copy and dive in. If those auteurs frighten you, give this collection a read and broaden your horizons. The stories and themes swing wildly from ridiculous to profane to down right confusing, all the while grabbing the reader by the short hairs and pulling him/her along for the ride. Don't get comfortable with any of the ideas in this book (as if that would be possible.) The problem with pigeonholing anything in the Bizarro genre is that is varies so much from one writer to the next. They all display incredible skills as storytellers, but the way they tell those stories could not be more different.The Bizarro Starter Kit is just that, a starting point in this ever changing, ever-challenging corner of the lit world. It also includes brief bios of the writers behind the weird works as well as links to other places the reader can find more from these uniquely talented individuals.

bUY THIS BOOK FOR A VALUABLE LESSON.
bOOKS, THEIR REPUTATIONS AND THEIR REVIEWS CAN ALL BE CREATED BY MARKETERS IN CYBERSPACE.
THIS IS A PRODUCT, CREATED TO BE CONSUMED BY PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY LIKE STRANGE EROTIC LITERATURE.
iT'S EXACTLY LIKE THOSE MASS PRODUCED PAINTINGS.
FANS OF INTERESTING LITERATURE LIKE BURROUGHS, VONNEGUT PALANIUK,BEWARE.

If you don't know about authors like D. Harlan Wilson, Jeremy Robert Johnson, and Carton Mellick, III, you need to get this anthology. If you are well aware of their exploits and some others, you still need to check it out. I have become a fan of sorts over a couple of the authors mentioned above, and I like reading the other one, too. The anthology starts out strong and ends strong, and I thought it would be a tour-de-force, but alas, the middle sags a bit. This is the only reason I give it 4 stars. Otherwise it would be all aces. If you're in to fragmentation, absurdity, simulation, vomiting in your mouth a little, and strong narrative threads that can tie all of this together, buy this book. I will warn you, though, it will lead to further purchases. The Bizarro Starter Kit (Orange)

If this is a "Starter Kit", I can't wait to see what comes next! This is a shocking, disturbing, in some cases sick, but fun read - just what they intended. If you can make it through this, you, like me, are pretty weird!

The longer stories are: Mellick's "Baby Jesus Butt Plug"; Johnson's "Extinction Journals"; Donihe's "Greatest F*cking Moments in Sports"; Ranalli's "Suicide Girls in the Afterlife"; Duza's "Don't F(bleep)k With the Coloured"; Beard's "Survivor's Dream"; Lawson's "Truth in Ruins". Shorter pieces are by Wilson, Sakowski & Taylor.

Beware: Most (if not all) of the longer pieces have been published as stand alone books - each costing more than this book.