Corrective surgery gone wrong, punk rockers abducted by aliens, and dwarfs obsessed with pomegranates are just a few of the things you will find in this anthology. From the quirky to the serious to the surreal, whatever happens in these stories is bound to leave the reader wondering WTF?! Featuring 37 original stories by A.A. Balaskovits, James S. Dorr, A.A. Garrison, Erik T. Johnson, KJ Kabza, D.C. McMillen, Douglas J. Ogurek, D. Harlan Wilson and a whole bunch of other writers who don't use initials in their pen names.
WTF?!
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Browse the best books of summer including blockbusters, beach reads, and editors' picks in our Summer Reading Store. |
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"From the challenges of politeness, dinosaur cults, regrets of drunken lust, cults, and much more, this compilation dances around genre and time period, 'WTF?' is an original and much recommended pick for fiction collections that want to wander far off the beaten path." - Midwest Book Review
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In the interests of full disclosure, I wrote "Magic Man," so I won't talk about that story. But I want to review the rest of the anthology. :-)
WTF!?'s main aesthetic is the surreal. It's not going to work for everyone, but if you like surrealism, slipstream, magic realism, or genre-breakers, you'll probably like this book. From aliens to intestinal issues and from childhood myths to dystopias, each sub-category in the book contains two or three stories, making it easy to find the ones that are right up your alley.
I find that short stories are remarkably personal, by which I mean a well-written story may just not "work" for a particular person, while they may find something with an imperfect ending or dubious central conceit a hilarious and enjoyable romp. With that in mind, rather than try to touch on every story in the book (there are thirty-seven of them!), I'd rather talk about some of the stories that worked best for me and the ones that I think are most likely to interest a broad spectrum of readers.
"Sex, Drugs, and Rachmaninoff," by Adrian Stumpp, leads the collection, and that was about my only objection to it. The writing is fantastic, a vivid and gritty word painting that sucked me in immediately. The characters are well-drawn, and it was easy to care about them. It's definitely a story that sucked me in, but because it's the lead story, I wasn't prepared for the non-traditional ending. I was confused and disappointed . . . until I had read three or four stories farther into the book and understood the aesthetic. Going back and rereading it without the expectation of a traditional ending, I enjoyed it greatly.
"The Squirms," by Brandon Cracraft, worried me at first. The writing was good and the protagonists were likable, but there were a couple of stereotypes I found very offputting. If you pick up this book, don't let that impression stop you from reading the story! They may look like stereotypes, but they're actually character portrayals that are integral to the story. And what a story! It's got a strong narrative arc and a fantastic ending that made me giggle in a very dark way.
"Bust," by Curtis James McConnell, won't make any sense to you unless you're familiar with Greek mythology and philosophy, some of it a bit on the obscure side. I found the storytelling style engaging and the ending quietly beautiful. With that said, if you don't "get" the central conceit of the story, you may reach the end and find yourself wondering what you just read.
On the other hand, almost everyone reading this book will be familiar with the mythology in "Mr. Claus," by James S. Dorr. This one just knocked it out of the park for me. The characterization fed into the subtle understanding of what had really happened to Bishop Nicholas, so that by the time I reached the strong finish, it had gone delightfully creepy.
"Women Are Decoration," by John Harrower, is another story where I was initially concerned about some of the stereotyping, but the stereotyping turned out to be the point. The central metaphor is carried out beautifully, and if I say anything more about this one, I might take away from its impact. Just read it.
"Neighbors: a Definitive Odyssey," by KJ Kabza, is just brilliant. It took me just a little while to catch on to the setting and the characters, but all the clues were there and everything fell into place right on schedule. It's a quest story with all the appropriate challenges along the way and a fulfilling ending. And really, you should read it just to meet Smashed. *g*
"Flexible," by Karl Bunker, is one of those delightful magic realism stories which is so thoroughly grounded, it takes a while to notice when it's gone over into fantastic. The narrative arc is good and the ending might be just a trifle heavy-handed, but it still works, and it's highly, highly amusing.
And "The Matador," by A. A. Garrison, wins the "this really ought to be a comic book" award for the anthology. It's fascinating, and by the end of the story, I still wasn't sure I really understood much of what was going on, despite the very definite closure of the narrative arc. But the prose is beautiful and the characters are brilliantly larger-than-life. I really wanted to see the whole thing drawn in the kind of lurid color that would really do it justice.
WTF!?'s main aesthetic is the surreal. It's not going to work for everyone, but if you like surrealism, slipstream, magic realism, or genre-breakers, you'll probably like this book. From aliens to intestinal issues and from childhood myths to dystopias, each sub-category in the book contains two or three stories, making it easy to find the ones that are right up your alley.
I find that short stories are remarkably personal, by which I mean a well-written story may just not "work" for a particular person, while they may find something with an imperfect ending or dubious central conceit a hilarious and enjoyable romp. With that in mind, rather than try to touch on every story in the book (there are thirty-seven of them!), I'd rather talk about some of the stories that worked best for me and the ones that I think are most likely to interest a broad spectrum of readers.
"Sex, Drugs, and Rachmaninoff," by Adrian Stumpp, leads the collection, and that was about my only objection to it. The writing is fantastic, a vivid and gritty word painting that sucked me in immediately. The characters are well-drawn, and it was easy to care about them. It's definitely a story that sucked me in, but because it's the lead story, I wasn't prepared for the non-traditional ending. I was confused and disappointed . . . until I had read three or four stories farther into the book and understood the aesthetic. Going back and rereading it without the expectation of a traditional ending, I enjoyed it greatly.
"The Squirms," by Brandon Cracraft, worried me at first. The writing was good and the protagonists were likable, but there were a couple of stereotypes I found very offputting. If you pick up this book, don't let that impression stop you from reading the story! They may look like stereotypes, but they're actually character portrayals that are integral to the story. And what a story! It's got a strong narrative arc and a fantastic ending that made me giggle in a very dark way.
"Bust," by Curtis James McConnell, won't make any sense to you unless you're familiar with Greek mythology and philosophy, some of it a bit on the obscure side. I found the storytelling style engaging and the ending quietly beautiful. With that said, if you don't "get" the central conceit of the story, you may reach the end and find yourself wondering what you just read.
On the other hand, almost everyone reading this book will be familiar with the mythology in "Mr. Claus," by James S. Dorr. This one just knocked it out of the park for me. The characterization fed into the subtle understanding of what had really happened to Bishop Nicholas, so that by the time I reached the strong finish, it had gone delightfully creepy.
"Women Are Decoration," by John Harrower, is another story where I was initially concerned about some of the stereotyping, but the stereotyping turned out to be the point. The central metaphor is carried out beautifully, and if I say anything more about this one, I might take away from its impact. Just read it.
"Neighbors: a Definitive Odyssey," by KJ Kabza, is just brilliant. It took me just a little while to catch on to the setting and the characters, but all the clues were there and everything fell into place right on schedule. It's a quest story with all the appropriate challenges along the way and a fulfilling ending. And really, you should read it just to meet Smashed. *g*
"Flexible," by Karl Bunker, is one of those delightful magic realism stories which is so thoroughly grounded, it takes a while to notice when it's gone over into fantastic. The narrative arc is good and the ending might be just a trifle heavy-handed, but it still works, and it's highly, highly amusing.
And "The Matador," by A. A. Garrison, wins the "this really ought to be a comic book" award for the anthology. It's fascinating, and by the end of the story, I still wasn't sure I really understood much of what was going on, despite the very definite closure of the narrative arc. But the prose is beautiful and the characters are brilliantly larger-than-life. I really wanted to see the whole thing drawn in the kind of lurid color that would really do it justice.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Lauri
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a big collection of stories, and a good antidote to the holidays. A few of the stories did leave me wondering, WTF?. Then I'd read another and another. In each reading session I was left with a disquieting chill. If you like horror and want a book you can pick up and read for short periods of time but still get that sense of completion, this is a good choice. A large variety authors and themes.
Format:Kindle Edition
This is one of the most varied anthologies I've ever read. Published by Pink Narcissus Press in 2011, even the TOC is split into subjects, from Famous Dead People to Intestinal issues. It's a bit hit and miss, but some of the stories are so surreal you have to applaud the author for being able to carry the tone through the story.
One of the best in the issue is listed in the TOC under the heading 'Soft Boiled Detective.' It's by Erik T. Johnson, a favorite of mine, and it's called "The Red Jumpsuit Conspiracy." It's one of Johnson's stories that feature the very surreal detective Martin Box. The story? A detective takes a case to find a dead professor who has come up with a way to allow ghosts to...well...evolve. Three-nut brownies. Seeds that react to ghosts. And, of course, red jumpsuits. It's a blast to read, and only one of the 37 (yes 37!) stories in the book!
Get it for the Johnson story, stay for the rest!
One of the best in the issue is listed in the TOC under the heading 'Soft Boiled Detective.' It's by Erik T. Johnson, a favorite of mine, and it's called "The Red Jumpsuit Conspiracy." It's one of Johnson's stories that feature the very surreal detective Martin Box. The story? A detective takes a case to find a dead professor who has come up with a way to allow ghosts to...well...evolve. Three-nut brownies. Seeds that react to ghosts. And, of course, red jumpsuits. It's a blast to read, and only one of the 37 (yes 37!) stories in the book!
Get it for the Johnson story, stay for the rest!
