Do I feel like a little light reading, or do I prefer my short stories dark? Definitely the latter and I can't fault this clever and diverse collection from Michael Golvach. I'd already read his book 'Missing Pieces' and this collection shows how good a writer he his. With the ability to capture your attention and more importantly hold it with just a few acerbic prose is the mark of a good storyteller and here he demonstrates that ability time and again. I wouldn't want o pick a favourite as they are all very good but it isn't an understatement to say they are quite dark. So if short and dark appeals don't hesitate to start reading!
Do I feel like a little light reading, or do I prefer my short stories dark? I thought this was a great tag for this books blurb and it really does give a clear indication of the stories you will find inside. What I wasn’t prepared for was the calibre of writing. At times I was reminded of the late great Ray Bradbury which isn’t a statement I would make lightly. Each story just works for me. They are powerfully emotive and you get clear images in your mind as you read them. For people like me who like darker anthologies Bloody Gullets has to be on their reading list!
Anthologies have to consolidate, to ensure that every word is meaningful, and that’s certainly the case with Bloody Gulletts where Michael Golvach treats his readers to an enthralling collection of bite-sized mind benders. Each one telling its story so strongly through the lives of superbly nuanced characters, that we not only forgive the brevity of Golvach’s words, but welcome the suspension of disbelief without question. Readers familiar with his novel Missing Pieces will know there is an impressive tonal quality to his work which makes it quite distinguishable and once again he uses this to powerful effect. This is a darker realm he takes us into and whilst the bloodletting is indefatigable it never displaces meaningful character development, or equally as important, narrative ingenuity. He gives us atmosphere and apprehension, but ensures sensational shocks are measured. In doing so he ratchets up the tension time and time again, commanding our contemplation and unease throughout.
Simply excellent, Bloody Gullets proves a genuine jewel amongst its anthology counterparts and perfect for those who easily get bored with longer fiction. Recommended without reservation it deserves to be at the top of your ‘to read’ list for the weeks ahead.
Bloody Gullets by Michael Golvach contains a group of stories that run the gamut from psychologically entertaining to philosophically astute to whimsically provoking; all of which will rock your mind. Mr. Golvach is blessed with an ability to write provocative stories, with a sprinkling of blood and gore that clarify several abstruse concepts of the human condition. I loved each and every one of the eighteen stories (one of which has three parts) but my favorites were:
“Believer” — where a prisoner practices a reverse form of mind control on a guard to get himself released. Included here is the abstraction that “We are hamsters. All of us. Running at breakneck pace on our wheels, trying to outrun ourselves. But the wheel never stops turning until we drop from exhaustion or death. All of us.”
“The trick is to feel like you believe what you say, and then believing what you feel. And, once you’ve figured out how to make yourself believe what you say, as fantastic as it seems, making other people believe what you say is easy.” A crafty bank robbery, an engaging interrogation, and a mind-boggling conclusion make “Led Dogs" one of my favorites.
“Infection Is The Game” is the last story in the book and ranks among my favorites as it describes the potentially horrific results of today’s explorations into mind-control technology. Mr. Golvach’s presentation of the concepts in this story is indicative of his authoring genius and understanding of the realities of the world in which we live. And the ending? Well...
These are stories I will read again and again. Each of them stands alone in character and concept - some are light, some are heavy, but they all provide insight into the human psyche and truths of human behavior. Exceptionally well written and edited. A great read.
In ‘Infamous,’ the first story in Michael Golvach's short story collection, Bloody Gullets, Stanley Mendlesohn, orphaned a year after his birth, is shunted from foster home to foster home. As he grew older, he recognized the evil around him and the temptations laid at his feet. He accepts the voice of God telling him that he must cleanse the world of sin. This leads him to a fatal confrontation with his latest foster parents. ‘Believer’ is an amusing rendition of a smooth talking prisoner who manipulates a hateful guard into believing that he is paroled and the guard releases him, which leaves the guard with an awkward explanation on his hands. With ‘Object Lesson’, Ray, a mob enforcer, is instructing a 20-year-old sidekick how to handle targets. He visits a victim who owes 5K, but the slob says he doesn’t have it and wants more time... In ‘Small Deaths,’ Marcus Freedman wakes up every morning with no recollection of what happened the previous day. A bookmark in a pulp novel tells him his name and the name of his current girlfriend, Beth. He wakes up in a motel room with a girl in his bed. She asks who is Beth? A real death right then would have been good. There is lots more for readers to discover in this collection.
In Bloody Gullets, Michael Golvach explores with effortless skill the macabre, the chilling and horrifying things that lurk within everybody, which sometimes force people into behavior that turns the blood cold. The stories are superbly written, taking readers along dark, twisted corridors of delusional and deranged minds, places where few dare to venture. I relished opening windows to spine chilling experiences waiting for me in Bloody Gullets. To relieve tension from some of the more morbid tales, Michael Golvach treats readers to several satirical, whimsical stories that raise a smile and a chuckle. Understandably, some readers may not be amused. I found this compilation thought provoking, sometimes startling, but always entertaining, leaving me wanting more.
Bloody Gullets by Michael Golvach is a collection of short stories of varying lengths. Some are very short, some not so short, but all have one thing in common: you don't know what you'll get. The stories explore the darker side of the human mind - what goes on in the mind of someone who robs a bank, but apparently did not? What goes on in the mind of a young man just out of foster care who seems to have a foster sister that wants to seduce him, but who might very well just be the devil in disguise? How much control do the voices in your head have over your actions? Who really controls you? Is there a difference between evil and good? The stories raise a lot of questions in the reader's head, and each story has its own strangely alluring atmosphere.
As far as the writing style goes, Bloody Gullets by Michael Golvach is great. For some reason, the writing just draws you in. This book is a good read for breaks in between when you are sick of the everyday short story that is just more of the same. The stories in Michael Golvach's Bloody Gullets are not light reading. They are short stories, yes, but definitely not light short stories. The stories will appeal to readers who like the darker side, who don't always want happy characters and happy endings.
