The Riot Act is an interesting short story collection by Stephen Romano, screenwriter of the MASTERS OF HORROR episode "Incident On and Off a Mountain." Usually I pass on short collections by a single author with the exception of a few greats, but this one didn't have many dull moments in the bunch. It is kind of hard to get bored with murderous nuns, transsexuals, Super Heroes, lots of sex, and a turkey dinner. You'll see what I mean.

The book starts with an Intro by acclaimed author Joe R. Lansdale ("Bubba Hotep," "Incident On and Off a Mountain") stating that this is one of the most intense and unique collections of short stories he has ever read.

"the klown prince and i" is the first short story used to explain that what follows is not Romano's doing, but the Klown Prince of Darkness. It is the old "The Devil made me do it," although I have no idea why he would pull this card as his writing is exceptional. He should take full responsibility for it.

"Four Dead Guys in Zilker Park" has action, double crossings, and cool dialogue worthy of a Quentin Tarantino flick.

"Rosalyn's Revenge" seems the most depressing of the lot. Actually, it seemed the most personal yet the story doesn't appear to be based on anything related to Romano himself.

Excerpt- "I'm leaning against the dumpster and I'm retching because I almost killed someone over nothing. I'm crying because I sold everything I had in the world to a bunch of kids who think its cool to wear my name. I'm in so much pain and I can't assign meaning to any of it. I am doomed to live and I don't even have a name anymore."

There is "Six Years of Jessica" where Romano details six relationships with women all named Jessica.

"Cheap Stuffing" is the author's way of coping with the death of his mother. What is ironic is he speaks in first person in most of his stories...except this one.

"Secret File Hollywood" is written in screplay format and is dedicated to director Don Coscarelli.

By far my favorite story is "Crazy Like Stacy," which is a bittersweet love story told in turn by boy and girl, both named Stacy.

Most of the stories feature their own twists. Sometimes you never really even know the person narrating the story because you find out later that they were a different nationality or sex, which changes the meanings behind the stories. For instance, in one story you think the person talking is a boy, but later learn it was really a girl you were relating to. Or you think someone is a punk white boy, but is really a large Native American man. This nifty plot device may help explain my favorite quote: "We're all little girls and boys shivering and crying and masturbating in the dark."

Most of the stories are graphic and detail violence, gore, sex, and taboo subjects. But what makes the stories really work is that the characters are based on real people Romano knows, which makes their stories believable. So even if you are reading about a debauched nun or a killer for hire, the realistic dialogue and painfully aware gender politics ring true.

There are graphic depictions of murder and sex in nearly every story. There was child rape/murder/incest in one particular story that may offend readers. But those who prefer their short stories a little rough around the edges, or completely rough throughout the insides too, will like this book. It is not meant for young kids looking for a good ghost story. It is meant for adults that want to be moved and scared by reality.