Synopsis:
Captain Evangeline Coarse is halfway through her journey home from war when her ship loses power and she’s left floating in the dark. Now, she must find a way to survive not only the cold loneliness of space, but also the maddening stink of one hundred thousand war-corpses in the hold.
Review:
I’ll level with you, having read both “Edenville,” and “The Poorly Made and Other Things,” by Rebelein, I went into “MEATSHIP,” aware it would probably be a little weird. It’s also called “MEATSHIP,” which felt like at least a subtle indication that what was to come might be unhinged. Maybe that’s just me. Even with my expectations primed, Sam found a way to once again frazzle my brain in the most gloriously foul way, with just how absurd this rotten, bio-mechanically nauseating gem of a story is. It packs a cosmic punch and an other-wordly stink. A smelly sci-fi horror that can only be described as truly, deeply strange, “MEATSHIP,” does a lot in its slim page count, commenting on how not to do parenthood, legacy and the emptiness of space. Rapture Publishing are putting this one out June 24th, and you’d be a fool not to treat yourself, and order it here.
I’ll tell you a little about the plot, although I have to say, if you’re not already sold… because it’s a sci-fi horror called “MEATSHIP,” (one word, all caps of course) then you’re probably not the implied reader. It’s exactly as surreal and squelchy as it sounds. We follow Captain Evangeline Coarse who is flying the WBMC CHARRON during the war with the Far-Giants. You’re following right? Her role as the captain of a death ferry is essentially to return human corpses back home, which sounds grim but rather noble and rewarding… until something goes wrong, the lights go out, and the dead bodies in the hold start to decompose.
As I said, this is a story with a whole miasma (if you will) of good stuff packed into it. There’s a whole lot of meat on its bones. There’s pointed commentary on the atrocity of war- the government sucks, patriots die, nothing is resolved- even on an intergalactic scale. Beyond the warfront it discusses the pressures exerted upon us by parents, and the detrimental effects that can have in trapping people in careers they hate, corroding their self-worth and creating ludicrously high standards. It also highlights that appearances aren’t always what they seem, and that often truths are sinister. But amidst all that unpleasantness, it goes to show that we as individuals control our own fate, and we can end up on the right side of history, should we choose to be.
I haven’t been able to smell anything since I got COVID nearly 5 years ago. I’d like to personally thank Sam Rebelein for the realisation that should I ever find myself upon a space ship of decomposing bodies, I am uniquely suited to survival. Silver lining. I digress. Truly an unforgettable read, if you’re looking for something short and full of stink, something potent and pungent in equal measure, hold your breath, and dive into “MEATSHIP.”
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