Indignities of the Flesh by Bentley Little

Until I read Indignities of the Flesh I hadn’t heard of Bentley Little, although he’s been published in magazines like Cemetery Dance, which I used to read. Indignities of the Flesh is an anthology containing ten of Little’s surrealistic horror tales. One, “Valet Parking,” is original to this collection.

Bentley Little provides a paragraph before each story, talking about the inspiration. Not surprisingly, many of his inspirations for horror stories are things that frighten him or creep him out; clowns, for instance, in “Rodeo Clown”; valets in “Valet Parking.” Some, like “Documented Miracles,” sprang from experiences Little had as a journalist.

This anthology is a fast read, because many of the short stories are truly short. Little has mastered the tightrop... Read More