Billy Silver

De: Daniel J Volpe

Narrado por: John Wayne Comunale

Billy Silver, a low-life, self-downtrodden junkie, needs some cash to get his next fix. After getting kicked out of his own band, Shit Fist, losing his girlfriend, and left with no other options, he decides to sell his flesh to the ink of a needle at a newly opened tattoo shop. The mysterious artist, Talia, tattoos a cryptic design he’s never seen. Shortly after getting inked, compulsions burn underneath his skin. His need to satisfy a newly arisen addiction to self-mutilation begins a descent into darker places than his miserable life never dared go.

©2020 Daniel J. Volpe (P)2021 Daniel J. Volpe

Requiem for a Dream with Demons

If you have read Volpe, then you know it’s not for everyone. Basically, drug addicts that get way more than they bargained for. Very descriptive and raw, Narration is ok.

Loved it

Love this book. It felt like it was a descent into madness. Still though, I love the various descriptions of drug use, and everything else that there is to offer in extreme horror. The narrator was all so very good. Loved his interpretation of the characters.

Wtf is all I can say!

This book is insanely gruesome. Billy is a crazy SOB. I'll never forget this one.

Felt unstarted and unfinished

I think that the plot was good, displayed horrors that are all too real. The characters were (successfully) gross, unlikeable and overall shitty. However, I personally had a difficult time following the storyline, because to me it felt like the story was just the beginning. For most of the book I kept expecting there to be more, and the whole tattoo side plot was confusing and just left me annoyed at how it wasn’t actually explored. Don’t get me wrong, I think that the idea of the plot is great, like- I couldn’t imagine a better way to make an extreme horror book than to give it realism, but I think the execution could’ve been so much better. So, it’s kinda a 50/50 if I’d recommend it. I got through it quick cuz I wanted to know what was next, but at the same time… all of the things that were “next” weren’t very satisfying to me. I am, however, going to read Talia.. just because I’m hoping it will fill in those gaps and complete the kinda storyline, I wouldn’t read this book again. Unfortunately.

A story you'll hate to love

Billy Silver is the worst of the worst. I hated to love him as a character. Gritty, raw and disgusting..a perfect combination.

Another great Volpe book.

I enjoyed this book and all of its cringey-ness. The narrator did a fantastic job!

vivid and fun

the vivid short story had little depth but was a terrifically fun ride. I will be seaking out more of volpe asap.

Deliciously Vile and Violent

Billy and Jeannie are definitely not Jack and Diane. They're not the sort of couple Mellencamp would immortalize in song. It's more likely they'd be immortalized by a band like Cannibal Corpse, preferably before the departure of Chris Barnes.
Billy Silver is a junkie and an alcoholic, a guitarist and singer, and an all-around degenerate. Despite all of his flaws, and there are many, he's also captivating and occasionally funny. Within the first few pages, you'll come to loathe him. That sensation never quite disappears, even as you begin to feel a small amount of sympathy for him along the way.
With his life falling apart even worse than it already had, Billy finds his way into a tattoo parlor where the mysterious Talia pays him to obtain a new piece of ink under the pretense of needing practice before the shop officially opens. It doesn't take long before Billy's self-destructive nature takes on an altogether more horrific and direct manifestation.
Daniel Volpe captures Billy and the other characters who populate his dingy, filth-riddled corner of existence with such detail that you can almost smell the halitosis and urine as the story carries you along.
Volpe brings the streets and back alleys of the city to life in crushing, grimy detail that is further enhanced by the narration provided by John Wayne Comunale. These two men together provide us with something as splendid as it is awful. I'm glad I've snagged more audiobooks narrated by Comunale because he is not only an excellent writer but a truly amazing narrator.

Awesome short

If you're not reading/listening to Volpe, then you need to change that ASAP. This is the third story of his I've read, and they've all been great

Wild and painful...

This story is one of the craziest concoctions I've ever encountered. There really isn't anyone likeable in the story, though you do have pity for one girl. Nonetheless, while the protagonist is a serious SOB who elevates to a MAJOR SOB, you still don't want to turn away, because you have to know what insane thing he's going to do next. This story is EXTREME horror, and there are myriad points that can activate your gag reflexes, so listeners/readers beware. If that's not your bag, this isn't your book. If it is, there's plenty of wetness to bathe in here, in bright crimson and several other shades across the rainbow.

John Wayne Communale does a pretty good job on the narration overall, and aside from a couple character's voices, really elevates the whole experience.

Check it out. If you like Ed Lee, Wrath James White, and the like, Daniel J Volpe is an author you need to discover.