Wound Ballistics [Hardcover]

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Gutter Press
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1896356419
• ISBN-13: 978-1896356419
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,908,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven Manners was born in Montreal, Canada, and lived in Toronto, Guelph, Yellowknife and Santa Barbara, before returning to Montreal in 1999. His first novel, Ondine's Curse (Beach Holme), was hailed as a "tour de force [that] tunnels deeper into the human psyche than any recent award-winning Canadian novel" (Toronto Star).
His short fiction collection, Wound Ballistics (Gutter Press), was short-listed for a Hugh McLennan Prize. The stories "are perfectly paced works...proof that the Montreal is a substantial, compelling storyist" (Globe & Mail).
His cultural history of prescription drugs, Super Pills (Raincoast), is recommended reading for anyone concerned about the use of pharmaceuticals (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Picking up on some of the themes first explored in Ondine's Curse, his new novel, Valley of Fire (Dundurn Press), is a searing depiction of the obsessions that plague us and a darkly illuminating story of modern love with characters that are "smart, witty, and bang-on" (Montreal Review of Books).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Alfred Hitchcock would have been pleased. Very pleased., April 30, 2004

By 

Thomas Ligotti Reader (Somewhere, on earth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wound Ballistics (Hardcover)

This hard cover edition is 144 pages and contains 15 gripping tales of relationships between men and women. I don't understand Kim Hughes' review on this book as I found each story satisfying. Steven Manners writes lean; there's no fat to trim off the meat. Kim Hughes talks about more plot. What is she talking about? The reader will decide in his own mind what really takes place.

My mind's eye enjoyed the stories as Manners does not over describe anything. But the reader sees everything in his own head. The stories are dark, gripping tales of human emotions. Sometimes they are chilling and they made my blood curl in anticipation, expectation, and letting my mind go free.

This book is exceptional and any of the short "short stories" could be made in to short films that would please any director.

5.0 out of 5 stars Even Twisted Hearts Can Get Lonely, January 29, 2003

By 

Richard Hobbs (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wound Ballistics (Hardcover)

Wound Ballistics is an awesome, albeit short journey into failed human relationships and the dark thoughts that accompany them. The 15 pieces of short fiction often leave you gasping for more, and invariably leave you saying OH MY GOD! The story Mouse is a phenomenal look at a relationship that rivals Timothy Findley in its ability to place the reader inside the fragile mind of a spurned lover. Manners uses an excellent narrative technique to illustarte how and where people come together and fall apart.

The 15 stories are like a brief summer fling, passionate, shocking, oddly satisying and yet you still want more.