The Steel Breakfast Era

The Decadent Return of the Hi-Fi Queen and Her Embryonic Reptile Infection

By Carlton Mellick

2003

First Published

3.72

Average Rating

172

Number of Pages

5H15M

Audio Length

THE STEEL BREAKFAST ERA by Carlton Mellick III (w/ tattoos by Pooch) A nightmarishly absurd story that is like Re-Animator meets Naked Lunch during the zombie apocalypse. The living dead conquered the Earth almost a century ago, leaving only small isolated communities of survivors spread across the shattered-earwig landscape. One such community has been locked away in a New York City high-rise. Breeding like cockroaches for many generations, their civilization has almost completely deteriorated into a mess of insane ones and those infested with parasites that mutate flesh into steel-string sculptures. There is nothing to live for, no chance for hope. Except for one man, not yet effected by the parasites, who finds hope after he creates a wife out of the human body parts that litter the hallways and gets rescued by a group of zombie-shredding warriors from Japan (where the citizens have evolved into anime-like mechazoid characters). This tattoo-illustrated avant-garde novel is cult author Carlton Mellick III at his darkest and most horrific. THE DECADENT RETURN OF THE HI-FI QUEEN AND HER EMBRYONIC REPTILE INFECTION by Simon Logan The Hi-Fi Queen is resurrected after almost being killed in an ambush by another gang and rises once more to claim back the territory that was once hers. Set in a world of constant gang warfare and corporate subterfuge, she must first re-brand herself then assemble a new crew to help her in her fight. Pirate radio broadcasters, graffiti artists, black-marketing men and skaters alike are all caught up in her quest for revenge, for not only must the gang be strong ... but it must have a proper marketing campaign to match. In HI-FI QUEEN, Logan takes us deeper into his world of industrial-style fiction, expanding upon the grounding set forth in his highly successful underground hit I-O and bringing it to another level with threads of dark, bleak humour.

Avg Rating

3.72

Number of Ratings

165

5 STARS

27%

4 STARS

35%

3 STARS

24%

2 STARS

10%

1 STARS

goodreads

Author

Carlton Mellick

Author · 67 books

Carlton Mellick III (July 2, 1977, Phoenix, Arizona) is an American author currently residing in Portland, Oregon. He calls his style of writing "avant-punk," and is currently one of the leading authors in the recent 'Bizarro' movement in underground literature[citation needed] with Steve Aylett, Chris Genoa and D. Harlan Wilson. Mellick's work has been described as a combination of trashy schlock sci-fi/horror and postmodern literary art. His novels explore surreal versions of earth in contemporary society and imagined futures, commonly focusing on social absurdities and satire. Carlton Mellick III started writing at the age of ten and completed twelve novels by the age of eighteen. Only one of these early novels, "Electric Jesus Corpse", ever made it to print. He is best known for his first novel Satan Burger and its sequel Punk Land. Satan Burger was translated into Russian and published by Ultra Culture in 2005. It was part of a four book series called Brave New World, which also featured Virtual Light by William Gibson, City Come A Walkin by John Shirley, and Tea from an Empty Cup by Pat Cadigan. In the late 90's, he formed a collective for offbeat authors which included D. Harlan Wilson, Kevin L. Donihe, Vincent Sakowski, among others, and the publishing company Eraserhead Press. This scene evolved into the Bizarro fiction movement in 2005. In addition to writing, Mellick is an artist and musician.