Meatcow Maker

Step inside the Wayback Machine with me. Back in 2006 I was approached by my editor to review a chapbook by a new publisher, White Noise Press.

It was a time when small press publishers were entering and exiting frequently so I figured one and done for WNP.

A week later the chapbook arrived in the mail, THE HELL BOOK by Jason Van Hollander. I was quite impressed, not only was the story well written, the chapbook itself was a work of art. I called my editor and asked to review any more chapbooks coming from this publisher because, based on that first one, I knew White Noise Press was not going to be one of those one and done houses.

Fast forward to 2017 and, sadly, I hold in my hands the second to last chapbook that WNP will produce.

I have to say, they’re going out on a high note. This final offering is unique in that it has a full color wrap around cover by artist Deena Warner – a first as artwork for the chapbooks had traditionally been done in 2-color by artist Keith Minnion.

The story, MEATCOW MAKER, is also unique. Set in the distant future, Meatcows are artifically created creatures bred to feed what remains of the human race after the ‘orange president’ started a nuclear war. Centuries of breeding creates a symbiotic relationship between the Meatcows and humans they serve.

Alternately heartbreaking, thought provoking, and, in several instances, cringe-worthy, Matthew Warner creates an bleak, post-apocalyptic world where survival is a matter of perspective.