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beytwice's review
5.0
I'm astounded by just how much I liked this collection. Short stories and I typically don't get on as a rule: my attention span struggles to remain invested in a book that has no narrative flow to it. This was a welcome break between longer novels and I found myself absolutely LOVING every story except two or three. Out of fourteen that's insane!
Mad Hallelujahs has it all: short bite sized poems, tongue in cheek humour, the eeriness of abject terror and the spine curdling grisle of body horror. In such a short time I had such a whirlwind of emotions thrust onto me. Suspense, mirth, and that rapt intensity only a good horror tale can deliver; absolutely my favourite short story collection I've read.
Mad Hallelujahs has it all: short bite sized poems, tongue in cheek humour, the eeriness of abject terror and the spine curdling grisle of body horror. In such a short time I had such a whirlwind of emotions thrust onto me. Suspense, mirth, and that rapt intensity only a good horror tale can deliver; absolutely my favourite short story collection I've read.
bi_bibliophile's review
3.0
If you're an Abominable Book Club Box subscriber then you may already know that Mad Hallelujah is by Abominable's very own Owen Morgan. I was really looking forward to reading this, I love the tiny tales on the spookmarks so getting to read some more detailed stories was very exciting. It's also quite rare that I read anthologies so I'm always down for digging into some short stories when the opportunity arises.
Some of the stand out stories for me were The Great Travelling Graveyard, Curse Word and The Clump. Like most anthologies I found this was quite hit and miss, none of the stories or poems were bad, just some I preferred far more than others. I've also never been much of a fan of poetry but I actually did enjoy a couple of the poems, especially The Eternal Thicket because that last line leaves some rather funny images in your head.
I admit I don't have much to say about this short anthology of bizarre tales but I can say that if you like weird and wonderful stories and poetry then this may be the book for you. After all, who doesn't want to read about a giant moving wave of the dead and a strange clump of living hair?
Definitely a book for those who enjoy the weirder side of literature.
Rated: 3/5 Stars
Some of the stand out stories for me were The Great Travelling Graveyard, Curse Word and The Clump. Like most anthologies I found this was quite hit and miss, none of the stories or poems were bad, just some I preferred far more than others. I've also never been much of a fan of poetry but I actually did enjoy a couple of the poems, especially The Eternal Thicket because that last line leaves some rather funny images in your head.
I admit I don't have much to say about this short anthology of bizarre tales but I can say that if you like weird and wonderful stories and poetry then this may be the book for you. After all, who doesn't want to read about a giant moving wave of the dead and a strange clump of living hair?
Definitely a book for those who enjoy the weirder side of literature.
Rated: 3/5 Stars
belles_bibliotheca's review
5.0
This is a fantastically weird little book full of bizarre incidents and characters. I love the explanations of where the ideas came from because I did sit there wondering wtf. I especially love that one of them has possibly the nerdiest background story ever and it involves one of my favourite card characters. Nothing in the book is really what is expected.
the_coycaterpillar_reads's review
4.0
Mad Hallelujah and other Oddities is a work of literary genius. Have you ever wished your spouse away with a single word? How often have you seen a clump of hair stuck in the plug hole and pulled and been surprised by what lays beneath? Or a beautiful rose bush that signifies something far deeper and darker. Owen Morgan has delved feet first into topics that lay dormant in the back of our psyche and he has the key to unlock the cage to our darkest fears. He has made the unthinkable totally and utterly realistic.
My favourite short story within the collection was either; Flower of Flesh and Blood or The Elgin Incident. Let me first examine Flower of Flesh and Blood. It is no secret that I love horror stories that delve into the very scary world of body horror. Haven’t we all wished our bullies should come to some kind of nasty fate? Unfortunately, in this story it is the mother that is the abuser. We have seen how she can inflict damage both mentally and physically upon her son. She is a woman of little conscience. Sam has suspected such evil and brutality from her before but with no proof. He lands himself in hot water with her once again when he destroys her precious rose bushes. The harrowing scene that follows is a difficult pill to swallow. She beats her own son bloody with the deceased remnants of said rose bush. He wishes that she would just go away and leave him. He’s tired of her draconian ways – what follows is one of the best scenes in body horror I have read. Gory and vivid, we see just how Morgan’s imagination can come into the fold.
The Elgin Incident is a brilliant case study of how sometimes an idea should be left well alone. Stuart Elgin is an incredibly intelligent man…too intelligent. The idea of creating a real life flubber in a lab was, well, hilarious. This story was deeply disturbing in its violence, but I couldn’t stop laughing. It truly deserved a Darwin award. What could go wrong when developing the world rubbiest rubber? This is where we see Owen Morgan’s dark and sardonic sense of humour and it is divine!
Mad Hallelujah and Other Oddities is definitely for those that love their horror in bite sized portions. Creepy and marvellous
My favourite short story within the collection was either; Flower of Flesh and Blood or The Elgin Incident. Let me first examine Flower of Flesh and Blood. It is no secret that I love horror stories that delve into the very scary world of body horror. Haven’t we all wished our bullies should come to some kind of nasty fate? Unfortunately, in this story it is the mother that is the abuser. We have seen how she can inflict damage both mentally and physically upon her son. She is a woman of little conscience. Sam has suspected such evil and brutality from her before but with no proof. He lands himself in hot water with her once again when he destroys her precious rose bushes. The harrowing scene that follows is a difficult pill to swallow. She beats her own son bloody with the deceased remnants of said rose bush. He wishes that she would just go away and leave him. He’s tired of her draconian ways – what follows is one of the best scenes in body horror I have read. Gory and vivid, we see just how Morgan’s imagination can come into the fold.
The Elgin Incident is a brilliant case study of how sometimes an idea should be left well alone. Stuart Elgin is an incredibly intelligent man…too intelligent. The idea of creating a real life flubber in a lab was, well, hilarious. This story was deeply disturbing in its violence, but I couldn’t stop laughing. It truly deserved a Darwin award. What could go wrong when developing the world rubbiest rubber? This is where we see Owen Morgan’s dark and sardonic sense of humour and it is divine!
Mad Hallelujah and Other Oddities is definitely for those that love their horror in bite sized portions. Creepy and marvellous
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