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21st out of 87 books
—
31 voters
Shoebox Train Wreck
by
John Mantooth (Goodreads Author)
"The living haunt the dead..." These fifteen genre-bending stories are set against a backdrop of sudden violence and profound regret, populated by characters whose circumstances and longings drive them to the point of no return... and sometimes even further. A young girl takes a journey to see what is really hidden within the belly of an ancient water tower. A high school...more
Paperback, 250 pages
Published
March 13th 2012
by ChiZine Publications
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years ago, connor told me about this idea he had for a game show. it would be called: guess what i'm doing to your dog!! and you can pretty much figure out the rules: contestants would be brought onstage, and based on the types of noises their dogs were making behind a curtain, they would have to guess what was being done to their beloved pet.
and that's how i have always thought of the books that czp publishes: they are usually about the insidious things lurking under the surface of the everyday...more
John Mantooth's Shoebox Train Wreck is a unique, startling, moving collection of genre-twisting stories that play out in those shadowed places that linger as the sun goes down. These stories happen in the marginalized, dark nooks and crannies of life that most folks only dare look at out of the corner of their eyes, if at all. Some of the best stories are:
"A Long Fall Into Nothing", in which an unhealthy, symbiotic relationship spirals down to its only, inevitable conclusion. "The Water Tower",...more
"A Long Fall Into Nothing", in which an unhealthy, symbiotic relationship spirals down to its only, inevitable conclusion. "The Water Tower",...more
This short story collection is a plateful of glass: eat at your own risk. It's clear Mantooth is drawing from the same pool of subjects since certain themes remain constant throughout the collection. The poor, the helpless, the lost and all the problems that come from existing under those conditions. The author does an excellent job observing, interpreting, and finally creating characters that are believable and heartbreaking--even when they're winning in their own tragic ways.
(Now, damn, I need...more
(Now, damn, I need...more
I loved this collection. I think I liked each story better than the last and my favorite was always the one I just read. I'm a Stephen King fan, but even in King's short story collections, I usually find some that just don't grab me, so I skip them. Not so with this book. John Mantooth's writing moves the reader along at a quick pace because you will want to see what the next word, phrase, or page is going to bring.
In most collections there is a story that makes you wonder if they needed a filler. Not so with this wonderful collection. I found myself emotionally connected to characters in just a few paragraphs. The stories about school buses take you through a myriad of emotions from every possible angle. The illustrations by Danny Evarts are beautiful. Wood cuts are a very difficult form of print making and it takes a master to get them looking like something other than choppy and static. I bought this bo...more
2 likes · like · see review
Best short story collection I have read in a long time.Get this book.........NOW.
See my full review on The Crow’s Caw! http://thecrowscaw.com/2012/03/07/rev...
Could not put it down. Read this book.
Disclaimer: I did illustrations for and laid out this collection of tales. I work on a lot of books and stories, actually ... Editing, illustrating, laying them out. And I always try to remain unbiased, and not review or comment (because, c'mon, it doesn't sound right if the artist or editor praises a book). Usually, when I'm done with them, I never want to read or see them again—I've read them all 20-50 times, and I don't want to see my own mistakes. I rarely, if ever, give a 5-star rating on a...more
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite Story | 2 | 5 | Mar 31, 2012 10:43am |
"Mantooth's stories glitter with the brilliant, jagged menace of a fistful of busted glass. Shoebox Train Wreck emits blacklight, illuminating the grim intersection of small, fragile human lives and the encroaching wilderness of the universe."
--Laird Barron, author of Occultation and The Imago Sequence and Other Stories
"The stories in John Mantooth's powerful debut collection turn a blazing spotli...more
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May 08, 2012 12:06pm
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