Chaotic Oddities - John Ledger 5/5 stars
If you're easily offended you should stop reading this review now. Find something else to read because there isn't anything in this book for you to enjoy. If you have an open mind and enjoy a collection of short stories that are both bizarro, and horror, then you're going to be fine. After reading Oddities I can't help but wonder if Ledger has escaped from a mental institution, or should be locked up in one. This is a writer that clearly has a couple of screws loose, and whatever fuels his imagination should be stopped immediately. Actually, on second thought they should be allowed to roam free so we get more collections like this.
I don't like picking apart short story collections because it takes too much time to review each individual piece. As a writer, Ledger knows how to get under your skin. It's almost as if he has ADD or something because there are horror stories as well as whacked out bizarro pieces that ooze sex, and violence. He has a unique style that pulls you into each story, and you want to look away, but you can't, You have to see what he comes up with next, will he be able to top the last story? I like writers that are able to successfully write in any genre and John can do that. It's a weird talent, but it works here. The stories fit well together which is important in a collection like this. You want each story to fit together, and as a reader you want something that is going to hold your attention throughout the entire collection. There's no filler here and that's important. A lot of collections just slap a bunch of stories together to build up word a word or page count, and they begin to slowly fall apart. Chaotic Oddities starts, and ends strong.
When people tell you that bizarro is dead, just hand them this book. Forget about being politically correct for just a second and enjoy a book that is well written and just insane. It's a book that doesn't want to be taken seriously. You have clowns, porn, strip clubs, and a variety of other topics that many will no doubt find offensive, but so what? Not everyone is going to like this book, and that's okay because there others that will. If you like weird fiction and horror this is a must read collection. Ledger is a writer that should be noticed, and read often. Chaotic Oddities is a collection that compiles pieces he wrote for various anthologies so it makes sense that there would be so many different genres that he explores. I couldn't stop reading it and can't believe I haven't read his other collection of shorts, but I will. So, now you should just find a copy of Oddities and read it for yourself. You'll thank me once you've finished.
If you're easily offended you should stop reading this review now. Find something else to read because there isn't anything in this book for you to enjoy. If you have an open mind and enjoy a collection of short stories that are both bizarro, and horror, then you're going to be fine. After reading Oddities I can't help but wonder if Ledger has escaped from a mental institution, or should be locked up in one. This is a writer that clearly has a couple of screws loose, and whatever fuels his imagination should be stopped immediately. Actually, on second thought they should be allowed to roam free so we get more collections like this.
I don't like picking apart short story collections because it takes too much time to review each individual piece. As a writer, Ledger knows how to get under your skin. It's almost as if he has ADD or something because there are horror stories as well as whacked out bizarro pieces that ooze sex, and violence. He has a unique style that pulls you into each story, and you want to look away, but you can't, You have to see what he comes up with next, will he be able to top the last story? I like writers that are able to successfully write in any genre and John can do that. It's a weird talent, but it works here. The stories fit well together which is important in a collection like this. You want each story to fit together, and as a reader you want something that is going to hold your attention throughout the entire collection. There's no filler here and that's important. A lot of collections just slap a bunch of stories together to build up word a word or page count, and they begin to slowly fall apart. Chaotic Oddities starts, and ends strong.
When people tell you that bizarro is dead, just hand them this book. Forget about being politically correct for just a second and enjoy a book that is well written and just insane. It's a book that doesn't want to be taken seriously. You have clowns, porn, strip clubs, and a variety of other topics that many will no doubt find offensive, but so what? Not everyone is going to like this book, and that's okay because there others that will. If you like weird fiction and horror this is a must read collection. Ledger is a writer that should be noticed, and read often. Chaotic Oddities is a collection that compiles pieces he wrote for various anthologies so it makes sense that there would be so many different genres that he explores. I couldn't stop reading it and can't believe I haven't read his other collection of shorts, but I will. So, now you should just find a copy of Oddities and read it for yourself. You'll thank me once you've finished.
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