Carlton Mellick III is a highly regarded American author, known for his work in the horror, fantasy, and Bizarro fiction genres. He was born on July 2, 1977, in Phoenix, Arizona, and began writing fantasy stories at the age of ten. By the time he was eighteen, he had already completed twelve novels, although only one, "Electric Jesus Corpse," was ever published. Mellick's writing style, which he describes as "avant-punk," combines elements of trashy schlock sci-fi/horror with postmodern literary art.
Mellick is perhaps best known for his first novel, "Satan Burger," which was published in 2005 and translated into Russian. The book was part of a four-book series called "Brave New World," which also featured works by William Gibson, John Shirley, and Pat Cadigan. Mellick's work often explores surreal versions of earth in contemporary society and imagined futures, with a focus on social absurdities and satire. He is considered one of the leading authors in the Bizarro movement in underground literature, alongside Steve Aylett, Chris Genoa, and D. Harlan Wilson.
In the late 1990s, Mellick formed a collective for offbeat authors, which included D. Harlan Wilson, Kevin L. Donihe, and Vincent Sakowski, among others. This collective evolved into the Bizarro fiction movement in 2005. In addition to his work as a writer, Mellick is also an artist and musician. He has won several Wonderland Book Awards for his novels and has had his work translated into multiple languages, including Italian, German, Russian, Spanish, Polish, French, and Japanese. In 2013, he was named one of the top 20 science-fiction writers under the age of 40 by The Guardian UK. Mellick currently resides in Portland, Oregon, where he continues to write and create in various artistic mediums.