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135th out of 437 books
—
434 voters
Mental Shrillness
by
Todd Russell (Goodreads Author)
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...more
"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...more
Paperback, 1st Edition Bonus Material, 68 pages
Published
June 27th 2011
(first published March 27th 2011)
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Todd Russell's horror collection Mental Shrillness is comprised of ten stories, most of which are in the flash fiction format. My exposure to the concept of flash fiction is limited, but basic premise seems simple enough: a short story with protagonist, conflict, and resolution all stripped down to less than 1000 words. This approach requires a distillation of some of the required story elements down to their most basic components, while others remain implied by what remains. The author of this...more
In Mental Shrillness, Todd Russell explores fear, pain, betrayal, and darkness. These short stories remind me of growing up watching Night Gallery and Circle Of Fear, late at night in a dark room.
These stories sneak out of the shadows and bite. Surreal, sharp, surprising, and gory, they shine a light on different aspects of the human condition. We are full of vices. And these stories point out some of them. If you are a fan of horror and a fan of short stories, you will enjoy Mental Shrillness....more
These stories sneak out of the shadows and bite. Surreal, sharp, surprising, and gory, they shine a light on different aspects of the human condition. We are full of vices. And these stories point out some of them. If you are a fan of horror and a fan of short stories, you will enjoy Mental Shrillness....more
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 craf...more
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 craf...more
This was a very entertaining book of short stories. They varied in tone from the serious, to--what I considered--dark humor. An example of the more serious is Memorial Day Descent, about a former soldier struggling to come to terms with his own past. I absolutely loved this one--the emotional impact it had was deeply felt, and the ending absolutely perfect IMHO. Another favorite was Falling the Bobbitt Way. A couple's marriage vows take on a whole new perspective--definitely held my attention ev...more
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!!...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!!...more
Nov 05, 2011
Jo-Anne Russell
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Jo-Anne by:
Todd Russell
Wow.
I read straight through the entire book including the notes, and I enjoyed it immensely. My personal favorites were "Warming the Dead, and The Illusionist."
All the stories were well told and descriptive. I especially liked the idea that these stories could possibly happen, for the most part.
Todd Russell's writing style is captivating, and draws you in from the beginning. There is an eerie feeling at the end of each story that you may be the next victim.
The bonus material was great and I l...more
I read straight through the entire book including the notes, and I enjoyed it immensely. My personal favorites were "Warming the Dead, and The Illusionist."
All the stories were well told and descriptive. I especially liked the idea that these stories could possibly happen, for the most part.
Todd Russell's writing style is captivating, and draws you in from the beginning. There is an eerie feeling at the end of each story that you may be the next victim.
The bonus material was great and I l...more
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....more
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....more
I highly recommend this book for anyone
FTC: I received a free copy of this book and was not reimbursed in any other way.
FTC: I received a free copy of this book and was not reimbursed in any other way.
This is a series of 6 short stories. Each story focussing on an emotion – love, betrayal etc. There is a certain macabre darkness running through each story. I liked that each story managed to make the hairs on the back of my neck prickle & stand on end. Particularly the last one which is a good deal longer than the others. All the stories put me in mind of some of Stephen King's early short stories.
All in all I think this is a very good collection of chills. I would like to see more from th...more
All in all I think this is a very good collection of chills. I would like to see more from th...more
This is like an adult version of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series I used to read as a kid. I enjoyed both. These stories didn't scare me but they definitely can get pretty creepy.
Apr 12, 2013
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Todd Russell loves reading and writing atmospheric, fast-paced, scary, character-driven stories. Mental Shrillness, a collection of horror twist ending short stories, was his first book.
His debut novel, Fresh Flesh, was published September 29, 2011 and is available in paperback and ebook. He is working on more books.
He lives in the small city of Orting, Washington overlooking beautiful, active and...more
More about Todd Russell...
His debut novel, Fresh Flesh, was published September 29, 2011 and is available in paperback and ebook. He is working on more books.
He lives in the small city of Orting, Washington overlooking beautiful, active and...more
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