Mental Shrillness [Kindle Edition]

Todd Russell (Author)

Book Description

The Mental Shrillness ward will shock with six twist ending horror tales:

Memorial Day Descent - experience a showdown between an old mansion and a soldier's painful, recurring war memories. A first place story contest winner.

Pains in the Glass - Tim and Wanda love each other but neither sees the cracks in their flawed marriage looking glass. Today is the day one learns of betrayal so powerful that it will shatter, cut and bleed the other to pieces.

Dead Warmed Over - learn if it's possible that a tortured man can love his wife too much. Ben's intense love for wife Jackie is realized in a haunted bathtub. Another first place story contest winner.

Falling the Bobbitt Way - Tracy and John's sweet marriage vow warps into sinister sadomasochism. Find out if they can break the vow and ever be the same.

Dueling Eyes - GAZE upon an unmoving glass eye compelling its host to entertain self-mutilation tendencies. WATCH as Madison tries to save Killroy in the dark, dirty alley from the glint of a malevolent mugger's blade. STARE helpless as the cold steel and the glass eye attempt to complete a shocking mission.

The Illusion - There are things Damon Brooks wishes he could change about his life. He thinks he has it bad until a dying, misshapen creature shows him that the other side wants much more to change their deaths. Prepare for a nightmarish struggle at a carnival between good and evil.

At the end of Mental Shrillness author notes are provided for readers interested in each story's history and what motivated the author to pen these strange, dark tales.

BONUS MATERIAL
- Includes four additional stories written during the same era:

Father Knows Winners Best
The Clock Called Fate
$$$ Knowledge & Power $$$
Politically Correct - exclusive e-book story!

- Bonus Mental Shrillness Author Notes

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Very twisted and I question my sanity for enjoying it so much!" --SeattlePI.com

About the Author

Todd Russell loves reading and writing scary, thrilling, suspenseful stories. He lives in the small city of Orting, Washington overlooking beautiful, active and deadly, Mount Rainier. Mental Shrillness, a collection of horror short stories, was his first book. His debut novel Fresh Flesh, a psychological thriller horror story 22+ years in the making, was released on his birthday September 29, 2011. He is working on several other books.

Product Details

• File Size: 228 KB
• Print Length: 74 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004U7FI6A
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #817,847 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Give me more! June 6, 2011

By Raymond Birdsell - AKA "LockeJaw"

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love short stories as a form for writing and reading. If done correctly - they are always "complete" but leave you wanting more.

That is the case with these stories. While they certainly stand on their own as individual stories - they give you that sense of "what if" and leave you wondering. That is a good thing.

I liked the varying tones of darkness and emotions running through the different stories as well.

All in all - it left me wanting to tell the author to get busy and write some more!!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Creative! May 11, 2011

By K. Opsahl

Format:Kindle Edition

Russell offers us a glimpse into what he calls the Mental Shrillness ward. He has spun six eerie tales that really give your mind a workout and sends tingles up your spine.

Memorial Day Descent a soldier is promised that all his demons will be vanquished if he descends the basement stairs of a vacant mansion. This all but screams as not the thing to do! But for a soldier struggling to live with memories of war, he will do anything to exorcise them.

Pains in the Glass was my favorite. Russell crafts an intriguing tale of how betrayal is like shards of glass piercing the victim. Only this glass is real and has a tragic consequence to which the abuser will see.

Dead Warmed Over was creepy. Necrophilia in its prime is prominent in this chilling story.

Falling the Bobbitt Way is classic! Sometimes loving someone to death is not a good thing. The title says it all!

Dueling Eyes is well written but I didn't find it as creepy as the others. If you have a fear of glass eyes then Dueling Eyes will creep you out.

The Illusion is the last story of the collection and the longest. The moral is that sometimes the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

All in all, I enjoyed these six short stories. Russell does have a knack for writing in a creative way and spins such tale that your mind reels with hidden meanings. I will be sharing these while we are camping this summer. Perfect for the traditional storytelling over the campfire!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars 5 solid short stories, and 1 weak May 2, 2011

By Glenn

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I haven't ready many short story collections, so this review is a little difficult for me.

Mental Shrillness is a collection of six short stories, some better than others. I feel the only weak one was the first, entitled Memorial Day Descent, which I had to read a few times to understand.

The rest of the stories are easier to follow and very solid.

Each short story definitely makes you feel something nasty.

The last one is the best, entitled The Illusion, and I feel is worth the bargain price alone.

The author's notes at the end were a nice touch as well.

I would love to see this author tackle a full blown novel.

More About the Author

Todd Russell loves reading and writing scary, atmospheric, thrilling stories. He lives in the small city of Orting, Washington overlooking beautiful, active and deadly, Mount Rainier. His stories are often set in and around the Pacific Northwest.

Mental Shrillness, a collection of horror twist ending short stories, was his first book. His debut novel, a psychological thriller, horror story entitled Fresh Flesh was published September 29, 2011.

He is working on several other books.