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annamickreads's review against another edition
4.0
In Nadia Bulkin's debut collection of short stories "She Said Destroy," she explores a lot of "weird horror" with socio-political undertones. While I typically don't do well with short story collections (I always want more!) I think Bulkin's "She Said Destroy" showed off her excellent voice and ability to flip tropes and genres on their heads.
I look forward to Bulkin's debut novel or full-length series because in addition to being really creative with the stories she chooses to tell, I thought her prose had this bite to it that perfect served the genre.
I look forward to Bulkin's debut novel or full-length series because in addition to being really creative with the stories she chooses to tell, I thought her prose had this bite to it that perfect served the genre.
greatcolorsalad's review
5.0
This short story collection is easily one of the best books I've read in 2018.
It's so well-written!!! The characters are well-fleshed out despite the word limit of the format. The horror is slightly scary but not too much mainly because I feel it's an expression of very real fears people have in their every day lives (dealing with the consequences of decisions made when that seemed like the only solution, fear of inability to protect your loved ones, etc). The horror elements are also described with enough detail that my anxiety-ridden brain isn't left to fill in the blanks, which is awesome, because I enjoy being able to sleep at night while also feeling frightened while reading.
I loved these stories so much, in particular my most favorite ones were The Five Stages of Grief; And Then She Was Bad; Seven Minutes in Heaven; Girl, I Love You; and Truth is Order and Order is Truth.
If you're unsure about this book, I recommend reading the first story - Intertropical Convergence Zone - it's available to read for free on Nadia Bulkin's blog, and gives a pretty good taste of what the rest of the stories are like.
It's so well-written!!! The characters are well-fleshed out despite the word limit of the format. The horror is slightly scary but not too much mainly because I feel it's an expression of very real fears people have in their every day lives (dealing with the consequences of decisions made when that seemed like the only solution, fear of inability to protect your loved ones, etc). The horror elements are also described with enough detail that my anxiety-ridden brain isn't left to fill in the blanks, which is awesome, because I enjoy being able to sleep at night while also feeling frightened while reading.
I loved these stories so much, in particular my most favorite ones were The Five Stages of Grief; And Then She Was Bad; Seven Minutes in Heaven; Girl, I Love You; and Truth is Order and Order is Truth.
If you're unsure about this book, I recommend reading the first story - Intertropical Convergence Zone - it's available to read for free on Nadia Bulkin's blog, and gives a pretty good taste of what the rest of the stories are like.
etakloknok's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
juflorc's review against another edition
4.0
All different and unique histories that feels close, dark and mysterious.
Favorites quotes:
Only Unity Saves the Damned:"Hope was just delusion that hadn’t ripened yet"
Pugelbone: "Anger beats at the heart like a call, like a drum, like a march. It is quick and to the point—it is easy. It Gets Shit Done. It Makes Shit Happen. Guilt, on the other hand, is a worm that burrows."
Truth is Order and Order is Truth: "And Truth is brutal, yes. Truth does not care for human dreams"
No Gods, No Masters:"And then that softness firmed up again as the old man realized, as we all do, that the only salvation for pain is anger"
Favorites quotes:
Only Unity Saves the Damned:"Hope was just delusion that hadn’t ripened yet"
Pugelbone: "Anger beats at the heart like a call, like a drum, like a march. It is quick and to the point—it is easy. It Gets Shit Done. It Makes Shit Happen. Guilt, on the other hand, is a worm that burrows."
Truth is Order and Order is Truth: "And Truth is brutal, yes. Truth does not care for human dreams"
No Gods, No Masters:"And then that softness firmed up again as the old man realized, as we all do, that the only salvation for pain is anger"
nicksenior's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
jamiezaccaria's review against another edition
5.0
Nadia Bulkin has become one of my favorites after reading this collection. While I found some of the stories confusing, most of them were a joy to read. Bulkin has a real talent for immersing her readers completely into the world of her story. My favorites were: Girl, I Love You, And When She Was Bad, and No Gods, No Masters.
bernt's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Bulkin's Indonesian and socio-political background are apparent in this short story compilation. Her stories are a mix of the weird mixed with Indonesian culture, it's rich mythology as well as it's sobering history. Would recommend for anyone looking to diversify the authors they read from.
mdpenguin's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Overall, I really liked this. Most of the stories were interesting and well written. I particularly liked how it expressed unconventional perspectives of the kinds of worlds that are used in horror stories. However, there were a few stories that felt a bit too much like they weren't going anywhere and their endings ere just kind of patched on to get them to stop. The ordering of the stories, though, kept the good stories coming after the bad and left me with a very positive impression of the book as a whole.
david_agranoff's review against another edition
5.0
Burned through this excellent collection of modern horror fiction. Full review coming but this is one hell of a powerful collection.
causearuckus's review against another edition
3.0
None of those stories really hooked me. The writing is good, but many of the characters felt undeveloped or the metaphor a little too on the nose.