Book Review – ‘MOIETIES’ by Elytron Frass [Subtle Body Press, 2024]

Title: ‘MOIETIES’
Author: Elytron Frass
Publisher: Subtle Body Press
Publication Date: May 28, 2024
Format: Hardcover (copy shown here is the promo paperback version)
Book Size: 5.5 x 8.5
ISBN: 979-8-9854370-3-4

Whether you want to call it outsider or underground, Elytron Frass has proven himself to be a unique voice in the literary world. From his debut, ‘Liber Exuvia‘ (described as an interactive grimoire), to his ultraviolet comic with artist Charles N., ‘Vitiators‘, which paid homage to the extreme excess of the Japanese ero guro mashed with the eroticism reminiscent of Erich von Götha. Frass has tailored his vision through selective indulgences to create work that echoes that of other genre-bending and pushing creatives – reading his work is like being wrapped up in a filthy yet familial blanket – but utterly unlike anything else.

His most recent project, ‘MOITIES’, continues to expand on his previous works, tailoring sensational imagery into a deeper narrative and experimenting with the means in which stories can be structured. As outlined in the press leading up to the release, it’s: “a book with such a vengeful design philosophy that it demands to be read forwards, backward, and all at once.”

The plot, loosely outlined, finds conjoined twins under extreme physical and mental distress. Being separated under the recommendation of surgeons, unaware of the metaphysical war that is waged on a world created through the twins’ lifelong self-indulgence and dependence on each-other.
Weaving together three concurrent narratives in different styles, with further meaning hidden throughout the varied symbology that adorns each page, one can’t help but admire the push towards creating content defiant of traditional norms and the pending consumption of AI-regurgitated written content.
Machine learning would find the work indiscernible – A joyful thought given the ever-encroaching of technology on art.
For the astute reader, this approach does not present as much of a challenge but a way to add literary depth. This is most obvious in the contrast of real-life medical and familial drama in coldly written reports framing the inner struggles of the twins; and the phantasmagorical prose that blends metaphysical and body horror with pleasure in excess.
This creates a constant pull, as the reader jumps between narratives while also seeking deeper meaning in the iconography and wordplay that frames the central text.

‘MOIETES’ proudly displays its violence and depravity in extreme. Yet it is important to note that the work is not one of self-flagellation or a means to be ‘edgy’ in a bid to coerce the reader into thinking they are sinning by indulging in the text.
Nor does the work feel like a personal insight into its creator, with Frass understanding how to wield tools of suffering and excess to deliver depth hidden behind a visceral strike. There are fundamental truths buried behind the gore and various goopy emissions after all.

There is an escalation throughout the book, and while the themes and means of delivery stay consistent, there is an evolution of the characters and themes. It is a Zathustrian-type trek that, despite the lack of chapters, can be marked by certain turning points in the character’s interior and exterior happenings.
More specifically, it acts as Jodorowsky’s interpretation of ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra‘ in ‘El Topo‘, with a series of confrontations acting as an extension of the twin’s growth and decay.

For my own experience, ‘MOIETIES’ reminded me of my first encounter with Kathy Acker’s work, with a poetic flow and shocking imagery that made her a controversial figure among feminists in the 1980s and beyond. Not to tie the works thematically, but Frass shows the same understanding of extremity as a way of broadening perspective on various issues – shocking contents’ value has always been in destroying barriers to allow new ideas to flourish.
There is also a pulling from a wealth of themes steeped in borrowed and self-conceptualized fervor.

Not to feign a perceived perfection, some critique of the work is necessary, but also partly down to personal preference. Frass’s work is best when less indulgent in sexual imagery, and the work can sometimes feel bogged down in the details – An engrossing obsession with the text was met with slight lulls in detailed descriptions of shared eye fluids and melting genitals.

The lapping of stories, with the intent to read the book in different ways; forward, backward, and revisit, also naturally draws readers’ eyes to certain segments. Here, the cold medical reports were slightly more intriguing with my interests in pseudo and fringe science, despite it not being the primary text.
‘MOETIES’ is purposely polarizing and will pull readers’ attention and minds in different ways. This is the only real critique of the work as it inherently tugs at certain aspects based on the reader’s sentimentalities. It is a book that can’t live in literary perfection, but drills itself into a niche that forces self-reflection.

For those who appreciate genre-bending literature emphasizing personal reflection through mysticism, spirituality, and violence, ‘MOIETIES’ is a near-perfect concoction that demands to be experienced.
This is particularly true considering Frass’s still early in his career, with his greatest work yet to come. You will want to be reading Frass now and follow his evolution.