First, I feel obligated to define Splatterpunk. For those who don’t know, Splatterpunk was a subgenre of horror fiction that boomed in the ‘80s with writers like John Skipp, Craig Spector, and Richard Laymon. It was gritty, nasty, gory and a lot of fun. Some argue that it disappeared near the end of that decade, but that’s bullshit. It’s still out there, although it’s often just called extreme horror (much more boring as far as labels go). This sick zine from the U.K. is dedicated to showcasing the current crop of splat-meisters, while paying homage to the masters. This issue kicks off with an all-too-brief essay by Jeff Burk, the editor of Deadite Press (arguably the epicenter of fucked-up fiction right now) on why he loves this sick shit. Next up is a fantastic story of texting-and-driving carnage served up by Shane McKenzie, one of the current kings of the genre. There are some interviews and reviews, but the short stories are really the highlight. It’s twisted stuff, and it’s designed to be shocking and upsetting. But it’s well written and worth checking out if you’re curious about what’s going on in underground horror fiction. –MP Johnson (splatterpunkzine.wordpress.com)