Shane McKenzie is one screwed up guy. I like it, don't get me wrong, but he needs a psych eval, pronto. And it is this particularly endearing quality that allows me to enjoy his work so much. What we have on our plate this time is a little different from the usual cannibalism, food stuffs fiction. What appears to be a vile, squishy and goop-laden alien attack is viewed differently by three different guys trapped inside the gym they work out in; a glass lined prison where they can see the world go to shit outside while getting in a quick dead-lift. Herein we find where McKenzie is at his strongest: putting archetypal characters into horrible, extreme situations and, in this case, literally giving the survivor scenario steroids. This is
Jacked, boys and girls, and even though I loathe to type this, the novella has gone into 'beast mode.'
