Retro Review: Sadie the Sadist: X-tremely Black Humor/Horror by Zane Sachs

June 05, 2017

This one is most definitely not for the faint of heart or most anybody else!

Sadie the Sadist by Zane Sachs
Extreme Horror Fiction
Amazon ♦ Goodreads

Like many people, Sadie feels undervalued and frustrated. Employed by a supermarket, she plots to murder coworkers—or lure them into the employee bathroom for a quickie. Sick of being treated like a robot, she taps into a powerful (and deranged) alter-ego and transforms into Sadie the Sadist. READER BEWARE: This book contains graphic violence, psycho/sexual incidents, and Sadie’s favorite recipes. X-tremely Black Humor/Horror.

"You have never read anything like Sadie the Sadist -- a pitch black satire that is not only deeply disturbing but funny as hell." –Blake Crouch, Author, Wayward Pines

My Thoughts

Sadie despises her job. And you can’t really blame her. Her Assistant Manager is a Type A personality (the A in this case stands for ass) who forces her to shuck corn until her hands are numb in a cold, dreary basement that resides in the bowels of a supermarket. Sadie has just about reached her breaking point when this evil little tale begins and what follows might shock and offend you if you go in all innocent and unawares. Though if you’re picking up a title called “Sadie the Sadist” thinking you’re in for a sweet treat, well then I guess there’s no helping you.

Sadie starts out relatable and relatively sane. I get her. She’s snarky and she has some very dark thoughts. But don’t we all? No? Just me, then? So, very early on Sadie gives us a gentle teaser of things to come when she thinks this about a jerky customer:

"The man barks, "Your job is to serve me."
Broiled on a bed of lettuce?"

Can you see where this might be leading? Things get graphic but there’s always an undercurrent of the blackest humor your soul can imagine. I found it as amusing as I did revolting. As the book moves along, Sadie swiftly begins to unravel. Here’s a little teaser if you’re still wondering what's in store for you if pick this up.

"Barefoot, I pad to the kitchen, stand in front of the refrigerator examining the contents. Half a container of expired almond milk, a shriveled peach, a plastic container that used to hold Chia seeds and now holds what appears to be a penis. Nothing I feel like eating."

Is it real? Is it a case of too many prescription drugs? Who am I to say? I only know that I couldn’t put this book down once I started it and enjoyed all of the often over the top extreme fun and highly recommend it if you have a taste for this sort of humor. What I don’t recommend is trying out any of Sadie’s included recipes (as delish as they may sound) because they might land you in the slammer if you attempt to source the secret ingredients. Don't skip over them though because they contain a wealth of knowledge and sure are entertaining to read.

“Mushrooms add earthy flavor and depth to a dish, and if you administer the right ones to aggravating people, mushrooms can rid your life of problems."