(this is taken from a special Midwest Books Review but only concerns the interview section of the Life and Death' book)

Interviews don't hold the fascination they once did. This is in no smart part due to the fact that they are boring and predictable. A reader can almost guess the questions and the order they will be asked.

There is hope. As with everything he does, the author came, saw, and made his own this forum of writing. It always delights me to read something fresh and exciting. In Spidered Web by Hertzan Chimera readers are treated to interviews that are as engaging to read as fiction.

Among his victims some of dark fictions greats as well as its new stars: Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Charlee Jacob, Tom Piccirilli, Michael A Arnzen, Alex Severin, Kurt Newton, Christina Sng, John Lawson, Queenie Tirone, John Turi, Amy Grech, Monica J. O'Rourke, polycarp kusch, Destiny West and DF Lewis.

Step into the parlor of Hertzan Chimera and enjoy the most unique, entertaining interviews you will ever read.

Be weary not to get caught in the web.

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF HERTZAN CHIMERA
Review by Kyle Kucek

I wasn’t around when Hertzan was still “alive”, but
after reading this autobiography-of-sorts I’m certain
he was a very interesting writing persona. THE LIFE
AND DEATH OF HERTZAN CHIMERA by Mike Philbin is a very
interesting book, one that I found disturbing,
thoughtful, and humorous, all at the same time.

This book has tidbits of all of Chimera’s career, from
interviews to short stories and everything in between.
Philbin explains all about Chimera, from his birth to
his death, and what it was like to work in the
publishing world as a virtual outcast and seen as a
rebellious author who defied any other boundaries set
forth before.

In a way, you still wish Chimera were alive, so he
could bring you the tidings of surrealistic
psycho-erotic horror-porn that he once brought to the
literary world, but alas, he is dead. At least we have
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF HERTZAN CHIMERA to remember him
by.

What I wish I had seen a little more of was Hertzan’s
fictional work—maybe an excerpt or two from
BOYFIRSTGIRLSUCK so I could’ve known how edgy and
subversive and crazy it was. However, being a fan of
Philbin’s other works and reading JANE’S GAME (which
was once Red Hedz, written by Chimera), I’m satisfied.

I think where the book (and to a degree Chimera)
really shine are in the interviews. These are oddly
comical and random and at times offending that they’re
pretty enjoyable to read. And it makes you wonder
where the authors are just making things up or if
they’re actually talking about all this with
“Chimera”.

The book makes you wonder if the literary world even
misses the old chap, or if we’re better off without a
rebel who writes such mind-bending and extreme
psycho-sexual fiction.

Overall, THE LIFE AND DEATH OF HERTZAN CHIMERA is a
neat little ditty that serves as both an autobiography
and reflection on Chimera’s career. If you are vaguely
interested in what Chimera’s all about, or if you’re a
fan of Hertzan Chimera or the man once behind him,
then you’ll find THE LIFE AND DEATH to be a sweet,
tasty treat. If not, then you’ll find THE LIFE AND
DEATH to be a little sour to your liking.

Oh, and R.I.P. Hertzan Chimera… Can’t wait to see what
else Mike Philbin has up his sleeves.

author of bizarre fiction
http://www.kkucek.com

The Life and Death of Hertzan Chimera
A review by A.P. Fuchs


For over a decade Hertzan Chimera terrorized the online writing world both with his brutal brand of fiction and his brutal personality. That was until August 2004, when Mike Philbin, Chimera’s secret identity, killed off the fictional writer and decided to write under his real name. Which leads us to The Life and Death of Hertzan Chimera, Philbin’s much-delayed autobiography on his literary creation.

In short, The Life and Death of Hertzan Chimera is basically divided up into two halves, the first being a history on Chimera and how he came to be, the last being a series of interviews where Chimera acts as both interviewer and interviewee.

The reason this reviewer picked up the book was more so not because I was a fan of Chimera’s work—I had only read a handful of short stories; I will state that based on what I read, I enjoyed Chimera’s writing and was more than impressed with his insane amount of creativity--but because I was interested in getting a behind the scenes look into what most would consider a demented psyche. But I was only partially satisfied in my quest. The first half of the book gave insight into Chimera’s childhood, who he was and how he came to be, which was interesting but wasn’t really explored in the detail I had hoped. After each section I was left wanting a little bit more. But this is also coming from a guy who enjoys long-winded fiction and detailed explanations so it could be just me.

The latter half, the interviews, left me cold, I’m afraid. The ones where Chimera himself was being interviewed were fine and had a place in the book, but the ones where he was interviewer read more like filler than needed information. As I read the interviews, one of the biggest things I kept waiting/hoping for was an explanation for Chimera’s distaste with the current state of horror and, more importantly, his hatred for the mass market press. Though these were explained, they were explained briefly and I was hoping for something more in depth, a more thorough argument about horror being a lost art and all that’s left is cookie cutter fiction.

On the whole, I would recommend this book to those looking for a glimpse into the mind of Chimera and what made him tick. What I am looking forward to, however, is where Mike Philbin is headed now that he’s free of Chimera and is able to just be himself without always putting on a show. That, of course, is the secret to any great writing: honesty.

Soon Philbin will have his day.

A.P. Fuchs