Cuddly Holocaust

This is going to sound bizarre on it's own, but now having read quite a bit of CM3's work, I have to say that "Cuddly Holocaust" is one of his more straightforward and less surreal offerings.What?What the what?! you might well say.And under normal circumstances, I would most likely agree with you. But here is the problem...Bizarro has become a genre where the most ridiculously over-the-top brain droppings of some majorly talented writers have now set the standard for all others. This is something that I enjoy about the genre, frankly, and it matches the little horror scenes of hell that inhabit my brain 24/7.But what's wrong with that? you might well say.Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I relish it. Let's take "Cuddly Holocaust." It's a story about a girl who is having panda fur grafted to her body in order to infiltrate the army of toys (who have, incidentally, run amok and begun the extermination of human life) and hopefully find her lost parents.Yes, there are some truly sickening moments (my hats off to you, sir), but they aren't the whole story. And they are certainly far from the strangest things I have read. Don't come simply for the grotesque display that some have come to associate with Bizarro. It is here, have no fear, but it is not the one-upsmanship that some Bizarro works revel in.In fact, there is a whole layer of meaning that, though CM3 may vehemently deny its existence, is truly the fascinating part of his prose. And all of this is what makes his work stand out. Ultimately, it will make his legacy endure. He seems to be beginning to transcend the genre, although he is firmly rooted in it.So come in and enjoy.

At first glance this book follows a familiar plot device in horror – inanimate objects that come alive and take revenge on those that have used and abused them (i.e., humans). But in the case it does not come off as recycled or redundant. The Cuddly Holocaust is about a toy apocalypse in which children’s toys wage war against humans.Smart toys are all the rage amongst children. As a child Julie received her own panda smart toy named Poro that she loved very much. Poro’s vulgar mouth and obscene gestures set Julie’s mother over the edge and she wanted him gone. (Think of the teddy bear movie in the movie Ted – yes, he was that bad). But soon enough all the smart toys rebelled and waged war on the humans. Fast forward seven years and Julie goes undercover as a panda in a toy brigade to kill the enemy and rescue her parents from a detention center.All toys are involved in the war against the humans not just plush animals. There are also Care Bears, Transformers, little green soldiers, Cabbage Patch dolls, Barbie dolls and clowns. These once loveable toys turned into sadistic killing machines. Lots of blood and guts on these pages and the battle scenes were well crafted. My favorite character was Pepper the Sunflower.One of my favorite CM3 books to date.

All in all the story is Awesome kind of a vengeful post appacalyptic toy world that really went wrong thanks to human technalagoy. While reading I kind of pictured some of the charaters like a cross between characters from The Road Warrior and Tank Girl. Some pretty cool action set on the thoughts of a life long vendetta of one girl against a world of Smart Toys that don't consider them selves as toys but beings on the top of the food chain. There are zombie type personal carriers, transforming bots, demented cannableistic cuddly (or not) bears, and military type stuffed animals that are totally brutal. Lots of twists and turns that make you think. and then the end comes and I know CMIII has had some hardcore, some warped and some, somewhat sort of happy endings but the end of this one, to me has been the most disturbing one of CMIII endings yet for me and I have read a very good majority of his books. But this one really left me in awe, not what I was expecting what so ever. CMIII never fails to amaze. AAA+++

This was one of my favorite CM3 books that I have read and I have read just about all of them with the exception of some few very early ones. This time around we have a girl who has given herself up in order to try to help her parents in this crazy Toy run world. She undergoes a series of surgeries in order to become a Toy herself. She becomes a somewhat Panda Furry and she has found herself thrown into a giant mess and has to use her wits and skill to get out alive. Along the way we find out the real reason for the war and why the Toys overthrow society. This story has so much more to the depth than just awesome Samurai Kangaroo's and Crack shot assassin bunnies. One of his better books although if you ask me I think they are all great but this stand atop with some of his better ones. Highly suggested and can't wait for more.

In a world where toys have come to life and are totally killing everyone how far would you go to save your family?Julie decides that she will become a toy to save hers. She has many painful surgeries in order to make herself look like a stuffed panda... and things only get worse from there.This is one of my favorite Carlton Mellick books (although all of his books are my favorite - each one more so than the last). This one is up there with Cannibals of Candyland and Apesh** in terms of subject matter and craziness. His darker books are the best!This book has a lot to offer. It's a family drama, a love story, an end-of-the-world story, and an all-out war story. There's a little something for everyone. Multi-faceted Bizarro awesomeness.Highly recommended, much like any and all of his books. This would also be a good starting point for anyone unfamiliar with Carlton Mellick III's body of work.

Easily one of Mellick's best books. An absolute definite for fans of his work. Couldn't put it down, very dark and very awesome

They've had enough, toys that is. They are sick of being our play things and decide the only way is to exterminate all humans. The story follows Julie, a human girl who has undergone surgery to look like a stuffed panda! After an attack on the underground bunker she has to put her plan into action even though the transformation isn't quite complete. The journey takes us across wastelands a bit reminiscent of warrior wolf women and is brilliantly paced. There are some awesome charchters like captain caw the ninja kangaroo. I would highly recommend this book to people new to the genre as it isn,t quite as bizarre as some of his other work but old fans wont be disappointed either.

I don't know how he does it. He consistently takes a silly premise then twists it into a wrenching tale of human horror. I am literally shaken by this book. It's good, but that's to be expected from this author.

I wasn't too sure about this purchase at first. I bought it for myself on a wim really. I read this book within a day. I normally find it hard to find books that keep my attention. This is brilliantly written, unbelievably messed up, the characters were so well designed. I would recommend this to anyone who doesnt mind having there brain melted a bit!

Received yesterday... Finished today! An amazing read. Definitely recommend.

Ich bin großer Fan von Carlton Mellick und liebe seine Ideen. Auch Cuddly Holocaust konnte mich schnell begeistern. Eine postapokalyptische Geschichte um Kuscheltiere, welche die Menschheit ausrotten. Stellt euch Terminator mit Glücksbärchis und anderen Spielzeugen vor. Es ist Horror, Komödie, Endzeitstory und das alles in einem. Ich musste wirklich oft lachen über Mellicks verrückte Ideen. Aber leider ist die Geschichte auch etwas ermüdend erzählt, denn irgendwann langweilt die Daueraction etwas.Verschnaufpausen bieten Rückblenden in die Kindheit der Protagonistin, die ein wenig an den Film "Ted" erinnern.Am Ende dreht Mellick dann noch mal richtig am Rad, aber das ist man ja von ihm gewohnt.Das Buch ist wieder einmal flüssig geschrieben. Mellick verzichtet auf allzu viele Details, kommt schnell zur Sache und nimmt kein Blatt vor den Mund. CH mag nicht sein bestes Buch sein, was aber nur an der fehlenden Abwechslung liegt. Ansonsten ist es wie immer gelungen.