#will elliot

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Cloon School

Stephen King: Submitted for the approval of the midnight society, i call this the tale of the evil clown Barker: evil clown? boring! Barker: evil clowns have been done, steve King: yeah, i was the one that did them! Barker: sure steve King: i King: i did!

King: people don't like my take on evil clowns anymore? well i'll fix that King: i'll enroll in thomas ligotti's clown school and learn all the tricks of the trade! Barker: yeah you do that steve

Thomas Ligotti: welcome to thomas ligotti's cloon school Ligotti: where you will learn all the skills in order to become the best possible cloon Ligotti: so that you can bring a sense of unease to any situation as a dark mirror of life's inherent cruel absurdity

Ligotti: in order to be a cloon you will first need to master the art of capering and the art of buffoonery King: aren't those the same thing? Ligotti: hm Ligotti: perhaps you are not cut out to be a cloon, steve King: no no don't give up on me! King: i can do it!

King: hello children! observe me, sideshow steve! Ligotti: hm King: i uh have prepared a pie take Ligotti: hm

Ligotti: to be a true cloon, you must understand the pain of sentience Ligotti: every breath you take, a cruel taunt by an unfeeling creator Ligotti: what is life but a gauntlet of meaningless pain Ligotti: also you get to perform at birthday parties

Ligotti: observe my comical appearance, children King: ha ha i'm laughing already! Ligotti: it's not funny King: i- oh Ligotti: it is actually very uncanny King: right, right

Ligotti: subsume your entire being into the cloon until you cease to exist Ligotti: gaze into the void and let the whisper a name to you in the gutteral utterances of the abyss, giving free reign to the inner dark and the chaos of this pointless existence Adam Cesare: ok my clown name is dumpy doodles

Judith Sonnet: jiggles pompom Ramsey Campbell: loopy poops Tim Curran: fart hardy Will Elliot: booboo bananaramagram Jane Flett: wiggly giggles King: i King: wait i King: give me a second, i didn't know i needed to think of a clown name Ligotti: a cloon name King: give me a second!

King: ok i got it! King: Pennywise Ligotti: hm King: that's a pretty good clown name, don't you think? Ligotti: hm King: what? King: it's a perfectly good clown name! King: it is!

Ligotti: for our next lesson, each cloon must perfect their cloon act Kim Newman: good evening ladies and germs [rimshot] Ligotti: no Ligotti: this is not clooning Newman: i just flew in from rancho cucamunga and boy are my arms tired Ligotti: stop Ligotti: clooning is not about laughter

[emmasiren]

Inktober Day 28: Pocky Game

[lavayaka]

'The Pilo family circus' is so absurd, I love it

[amandaslibrary-blog]

The Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliot

"You have two days to pass your audition. You better pass it, feller. You’re joining the circus. Ain’t that the best news you ever got?”

Delivered by a trio of psychotic clowns, this ultimatum plunges Jamie into the horrific alternate universe that is the centuries-old Pilo Family Circus, a borderline world between Hell and Earth from which humankind’s greatest tragedies have been perpetrated. Yet in this place—peopled by the gruesome, grotesque, and monstrous—where violence and savagery are the norm, Jamie finds that his worst enemy is himself. When he applies the white face paint, he is transformed into JJ, the most vicious clown of all. And JJ wants Jamie dead!

Pitch-perfect blend of horror and dark humor.  This novel will play on your fear of clowns in an entirely different way than when you were eight years old and you caught Stephen King’s It late at night when you weren’t supposed to be awake.

What are the key components that make a book excellent? Setting? Personally, I’ve always been a fan of the evil carnival/circus trope and this book delivers with a carnival from hell where neither the guests nor the sideshow acts are immune from the routine (and sometimes not so routine) danger.

Characters? From the sociopathically zany clown troupe to the demonic but devoutly religious circus owner Kurt Pilo to the everyman protagonist Jamie and his cruel clown persona JJ, every single character in this novel contributes something to the ambiance of twisted circus life.

Writing? Clear and concise, excellent pacing, and the jokes are delivered perfectly. It’s the kind of book that can be read in one sitting so I highly recommend setting aside the time for one night, stocking up on some chips and dip, and enjoying the horrific performance.

Trigger warnings: Violence, gore, small mention of sexual assault.

[shamesdean]

This was not the life American television had prepared him for. There were no romantic comedy weddings, no sorority houses filled with crazy pranks and girls with wet T-shirts. Just bills to be paid and dishes in the sink.

"The Pilo Family Circus" - Will Elliot