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Coffee, Cigarettes, and Murderous Thoughts
Coffee, Cigarettes, and Murderous Thoughts, the first collection of short stories by Henry Martin, presents an eerie glimpse into the lives of over twenty diverse characters. Spanning many fiction genres—often dark and disturbing—this collection of 26 unrelated stories delves into the disquiet thoughts that lie deep within our consciousness.
Please note: Contains adult material.
Please note: Contains adult material.
- GenresFiction
170 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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167 people want to read
About the author
Henry Martin
90 books154 followers
Henry Martin used to write fiction and poetry, which predominately deals with the often-overlooked aspects of humanity.
He is the author of three novels: Escaping Barcelona, Finding Eivissa, and Eluding Reality; a short story collection, Coffee, Cigarettes, and Murderous Thoughts; and a poetry collection, The Silence Before Dawn. His most recent published project is a collection of Photostories in five volumes under the KSHM Project umbrella, for which he collaborated with Australian photographer Karl Strand, combining one of a kind images with short stories and vignettes.
He is currently not working on any new writing, and does not anticipate any new writing in the future.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 24, 2015
If I could give half stars, this would have gotten a 3.5, but I'm rounding up because it's just too good for 3 stars. This book made me think, it made me stop and go 'WTF!', it made me smile and it made me want to know where to get the drugs some of the characters were on in the story.
If I was to provide you with one word to describe this collection of 26 unrelated stories, it would not be dark, or disturbing (but then avid followers of mine would know I am not easily distrubed and the darker the better in my opinion), it would instead, be: Twisted.
Twisted for many reasons, primary among them, the way in which the reader is led down the path of stories, thrust from one POV to another, from one style of writing to another. The way the mind-fuck shorts make you wonder what on earth could happen next, right through to the deep and profound insight into the recesses of people's minds being laid bare before your very eyes.
I found a great quote nestled among the insanity, coffee and cigarettes:
The writing is at times poetic and touching and at others as blunt as the head of a hammer. If you're not sure what type of writing you're in the mood for, you could pick this one up and will likely find something that will tickle your fancy.
My thoughts on some of the stories:
Francine: I love the innuendo that is constantly challenged. Short, sweetly dark and fairly twisted. (There's that word again - right at the beginning of the book too!)
Being True to Self: I think that must be what it's like to be tripping!
Chuck's Last Cigarette: I liked this one. A glimpse into the mind of Chuck. It felt a little perverse baring witness to that, but also devilishly taboo and wild at the same time.
Perpetual Sadness: This made me think of Cloud Atlas a little, how the same two words meant such different things to those involved.
Gardening Dilemma: A wicked little story with a sting in the tale.
Mousetraps: I have read a similarly constructed story by Stephen King. I think because this is a short story it lacked the level of sensory detail King could be heavy-handed with to build a more frantic and fevered pace. Nevertheless, this was an interesting tale...
Privilege: Dare I say it? I wanted this to push the boundaries of my comfort... It fell a little short. Close, but no cigar.
Preoccupied: Perfect title!
Awake: This provides glimpses of a tale that is begging to be told. Who lives without electricity? An Amish person? Why would they live in civilization like that? So many questions.
Progress: This reminded me of stories my grandad used to tell me of his time in Ireland as a child. The written dialogue at the end especially. Interesting frame of mind, but I guess one doesn't know what that would be like until it happens to them.
Alone in her room: This was a fun one. I liked the different personalities, the trading and rivalry. Interesting idea, how we interact with inanimate objects, how that could be perceived from outside... The tales the bathroom door could tell!
Dirt: I liked this, the gradual unwrapping of what happened. I didn't think the last 4 words were needed, the sentence before was plenty strong enough.
Freak: One of the best stories of the collection. It was dark, yet surprisingly emotional.
So, with that all said, if you would like to experience some of the most surprising, emotional and thought-provoking short stories, try out Henry's collection now, but be warned it does contain adult material.
**Note: I was provided with an electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review**
If I was to provide you with one word to describe this collection of 26 unrelated stories, it would not be dark, or disturbing (but then avid followers of mine would know I am not easily distrubed and the darker the better in my opinion), it would instead, be: Twisted.
Twisted for many reasons, primary among them, the way in which the reader is led down the path of stories, thrust from one POV to another, from one style of writing to another. The way the mind-fuck shorts make you wonder what on earth could happen next, right through to the deep and profound insight into the recesses of people's minds being laid bare before your very eyes.
I found a great quote nestled among the insanity, coffee and cigarettes:
"The thought that gnaws at the essence, the thought that bounces from one neuron to the next, vibrating in the soft lining of one's skull. The thought that we fear and cherish at the same time, for it scares us while giving us hope; the thought that sparks a fire somewhere deep, in a place we knew existed long ago but failed to nourish."
The writing is at times poetic and touching and at others as blunt as the head of a hammer. If you're not sure what type of writing you're in the mood for, you could pick this one up and will likely find something that will tickle your fancy.
My thoughts on some of the stories:
Francine: I love the innuendo that is constantly challenged. Short, sweetly dark and fairly twisted. (There's that word again - right at the beginning of the book too!)
Being True to Self: I think that must be what it's like to be tripping!
Chuck's Last Cigarette: I liked this one. A glimpse into the mind of Chuck. It felt a little perverse baring witness to that, but also devilishly taboo and wild at the same time.
Perpetual Sadness: This made me think of Cloud Atlas a little, how the same two words meant such different things to those involved.
Gardening Dilemma: A wicked little story with a sting in the tale.
Mousetraps: I have read a similarly constructed story by Stephen King. I think because this is a short story it lacked the level of sensory detail King could be heavy-handed with to build a more frantic and fevered pace. Nevertheless, this was an interesting tale...
Privilege: Dare I say it? I wanted this to push the boundaries of my comfort... It fell a little short. Close, but no cigar.
Preoccupied: Perfect title!
Awake: This provides glimpses of a tale that is begging to be told. Who lives without electricity? An Amish person? Why would they live in civilization like that? So many questions.
Progress: This reminded me of stories my grandad used to tell me of his time in Ireland as a child. The written dialogue at the end especially. Interesting frame of mind, but I guess one doesn't know what that would be like until it happens to them.
Alone in her room: This was a fun one. I liked the different personalities, the trading and rivalry. Interesting idea, how we interact with inanimate objects, how that could be perceived from outside... The tales the bathroom door could tell!
Dirt: I liked this, the gradual unwrapping of what happened. I didn't think the last 4 words were needed, the sentence before was plenty strong enough.
Freak: One of the best stories of the collection. It was dark, yet surprisingly emotional.
So, with that all said, if you would like to experience some of the most surprising, emotional and thought-provoking short stories, try out Henry's collection now, but be warned it does contain adult material.
**Note: I was provided with an electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review**
February 1, 2013
"Coffee, cigarettes and murderous thoughts" by Henry Martin is a rather good selection of short stories with a broad range of darker themes and often raw emotions. There are not too many happy endings, I warn you, but that is not what good writing necessarily is about. It is about changing the reader's perspective and stimulate a thought process, something that Martin does masterfully. Be it seemingly deluded ramblings and fantastic threads of thoughts, disturbing insights in to the mind of a murder or just mundane scenes - they take you to the edge of your comfort zone and confront you with extremes and with the banal. The stories are a great exploration of the human psyche in all its forms. Not my usual cup of tea I found myself strangely drawn in. Some stories are even quite humorous (Mr. D.I.Y.) but to my own surprise my favourites were the more obscure ones.
The book ends with the words: I exist.
This book is a reflection of the many I's that there are. It is powerful, pulsating with life and provocative but definitely worth reading.
The book ends with the words: I exist.
This book is a reflection of the many I's that there are. It is powerful, pulsating with life and provocative but definitely worth reading.
December 31, 2013
I really had no idea what I was getting into when selecting this book but I really enjoyed it. I was drawn out of curiosity as well as a love for short stories. Many of the tales stuck with me long after reading. I was left contemplating the human mind and how dark and raw things can get even in reality. I enjoyed mostly that with each story I was trapped again needing to finish. Though some pieces got so deep and dark it made one wonder about one’s own curiosity; I needed to finish. The layout of each piece was uniquely put together. I am glad I randomly grabbed this up and went with it. Thank you to the author, I remained intrigued and engaged the whole read. To answer a question in Mousetraps: “Do we arouse our curiosity or does our curiosity arouse us?” I think for me it’s the latter.
July 11, 2014
Funny, sad, poignant, ugly, brutal – the voices the author employs throughout this collection of short works are never boring, and often showcased in surrealistic settings.
A real treat is that there are the nascent bits of Rudy, from the Mad Days of Me trilogy.
From the whackadoodle to the normal and back again, this collection explores many themes . . . though the predominant one that struck me was that of the tricks the mind can play, how fragile the mind is, and how reality is fluid, depending on the view.
Loved it.
For more of my ramblings, visit my blog.
A real treat is that there are the nascent bits of Rudy, from the Mad Days of Me trilogy.
From the whackadoodle to the normal and back again, this collection explores many themes . . . though the predominant one that struck me was that of the tricks the mind can play, how fragile the mind is, and how reality is fluid, depending on the view.
Loved it.
For more of my ramblings, visit my blog.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews