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Regarding Dead Things on the Side of the Road: A Collection of Short Stories, Bad Poetry and Other Vignettes Not Fit for the General Public
Benjamin X. Wretlind presents fifteen short stories--some bizarre, some horrific, some soft and quiet like scissors through skin. Some of the stories have been published in magazines like The Horror Express, All Hallows, Horror Carousel and the Bare Bones anthology series, while others have never been published before.
THE FERRYMAN
THE ITEM
A LETTER TO ELISE
JESSIE
THE BRIDGE
A TOOTH FOR MIGUEL
CONNER'S MENAGERIE
CHANGE
DESTINATION
TERMINAL CONVERSATIONS
THE WOLF, THE CARIBOU, AND THE SOLITARY MAN - A PARABLE OF NATURE
REGARDING DEAD THINGS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD
SALEM, INDIANA
HARLAN'S HOLES
MIGHTY CHIEF CHAPPOSE PICKS BERRIES
THE FERRYMAN
THE ITEM
A LETTER TO ELISE
JESSIE
THE BRIDGE
A TOOTH FOR MIGUEL
CONNER'S MENAGERIE
CHANGE
DESTINATION
TERMINAL CONVERSATIONS
THE WOLF, THE CARIBOU, AND THE SOLITARY MAN - A PARABLE OF NATURE
REGARDING DEAD THINGS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD
SALEM, INDIANA
HARLAN'S HOLES
MIGHTY CHIEF CHAPPOSE PICKS BERRIES
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 11, 2011
8 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Benjamin X. Wretlind
28 books296 followersBenjamin X. Wretlind is a speculative fiction author who writes science fiction, dark fantasy, magical realism, and some horror. He has been--at different times, of course–a fry cook, range boy, greens maintenance technician, reservations agent, room service attendant, editor, banquet server, meteorologist, instructor, program manager for Internet applications, curriculum developer, training simulation engineer, leadership facilitator/coach, process improvement consultant, learning manager and organizational psychologist. He currently builds and facilitates leadership courses at Yale.
Benjamin is the creator of the Transit series of novels, which has been called “an engaging, personality-driven tale with detailed SF worldbuilding.” He has also written and published many novels, collections, and the weirdest creative writing book ever. Owing his life’s viewpoint to Bob Ross, he has also painted a few things, thrown a few paintings away, and probably has a painting on an easel right now. Oh, and he loves wood working, too.
It’s all about creating.
Benjamin lives with his wife Jesse in Colorado.
Benjamin is the creator of the Transit series of novels, which has been called “an engaging, personality-driven tale with detailed SF worldbuilding.” He has also written and published many novels, collections, and the weirdest creative writing book ever. Owing his life’s viewpoint to Bob Ross, he has also painted a few things, thrown a few paintings away, and probably has a painting on an easel right now. Oh, and he loves wood working, too.
It’s all about creating.
Benjamin lives with his wife Jesse in Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 30, 2012
In this collection of fifteen short stories, Mr. Wretlind has compiled stories from several different genres and themes. It's a buffet of tales to ease all your dark and twisted cravings.
This is a great collection that displays the natural ability of the author. While the stories maybe be a bit dark and not everyone's genre of choice, I loved every morsel of the prose.
My favorites of the bunch are:
Change: A man obsessed with collecting scissors, spirals into madness and believes scissors are a tool that aids change. When he passes his love for scissors to his son, he realizes that he still has a lot to learn about scissors and changes.
Jessie: Jessie's pa will not come inside, instead he lives outside in the old family van. Before her death, Jessie's mom left him a photograph; a clue that Jessie must figure out in time. A truly intense and haunting ghost tale.
The Item: On a road trip with his wife and kids, a husband is intrigued by the road signs advertising 'The Item'. Against his wife's wishes he visits the shack on the side of the road that houses the item. What he finds at that rest stop is something he never imagined.
This is a great collection that displays the natural ability of the author. While the stories maybe be a bit dark and not everyone's genre of choice, I loved every morsel of the prose.
My favorites of the bunch are:
Change: A man obsessed with collecting scissors, spirals into madness and believes scissors are a tool that aids change. When he passes his love for scissors to his son, he realizes that he still has a lot to learn about scissors and changes.
Jessie: Jessie's pa will not come inside, instead he lives outside in the old family van. Before her death, Jessie's mom left him a photograph; a clue that Jessie must figure out in time. A truly intense and haunting ghost tale.
The Item: On a road trip with his wife and kids, a husband is intrigued by the road signs advertising 'The Item'. Against his wife's wishes he visits the shack on the side of the road that houses the item. What he finds at that rest stop is something he never imagined.
October 28, 2022
Surprisingly readable.
A strange and beautifully written series of thought thought-provoking tales. All without a recognisable end. Thoroughly enjoyable and almost spiritual in essence.
Lovely.
A strange and beautifully written series of thought thought-provoking tales. All without a recognisable end. Thoroughly enjoyable and almost spiritual in essence.
Lovely.
July 25, 2023
I truly enjoyed the diversity of short stories, and poems. You'll not understand my next comment unless you've read the book, and I recommend you do, but anyway...with regard to the short story entitled "The Thing," I wondered if the author's ex-wife and my ex-wife were one in the same?
February 22, 2013
Well written, thoughtful horror short stories. Some of them are 'cliff hangers', which I am usually not a big fan of, but Mr. Wretlind pulls it off. Some humor is injected in the stories, and I always like my horror with a little black comedy. So good job on that. I liked the short Author's Notes that prefaced each story.
One story is called "Salem Indiana", which caught my eye since Salem is a real town here in Indiana, not too far from where I live. I anticipated some reflections on the real town, but the story could have taken place anywhere. Funny little story anyway; anything with a Werewolf, a Vampire and a Dead Cheerleader has to be taken lightly.
Not a whole lot of gore. The way I see it, these stories are written like the old monster movies (Frankenstein/Dracula/The Mummy...) where the horror isn't in blood and guts, but left up to the readers imagination as the writer sets the scene. I like that, both in movies and books.
Well done!
One story is called "Salem Indiana", which caught my eye since Salem is a real town here in Indiana, not too far from where I live. I anticipated some reflections on the real town, but the story could have taken place anywhere. Funny little story anyway; anything with a Werewolf, a Vampire and a Dead Cheerleader has to be taken lightly.
Not a whole lot of gore. The way I see it, these stories are written like the old monster movies (Frankenstein/Dracula/The Mummy...) where the horror isn't in blood and guts, but left up to the readers imagination as the writer sets the scene. I like that, both in movies and books.
Well done!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews