Review of "Little Chaos: A Companion Copy to Collective Chaos" Collective Tales Publishing
- Megan Diedericks
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
Little Chaos from Collective Tales Publishing is a must-read!
Here are some little(ish) thoughts of mine on each piece:
• CASSANDRA – ELIZABETH RAYNE
This poem is so bone-chilling and has incredible descriptors!
• SALINE SALUTATIONS – JONATHAN REDDOCH
That joke about the metric system got me good, then the rest of the story continued to DESTROY me with how heart-wrenching it was (emotional rollercoaster recommended!)
MOON-EYED NIGHTMARE – JONATHAN REDDOCH
Compact horror that's perfectly executed! With its less-than-a-full-page length, it still managed to horrify me (and tug on my heartstrings—the impending doom weighs heavy!)
• BONNIE IN HER BED – MICHAELA RAE
Chills. Tears. Heartbreak—you name it, I felt it! This piece is so haunting because of how very real it is. An honest (and horrifying) statement on how women—real and imaginary—are treated and/or discarded.
• STARS – STETSON RAY
Four words: Pay for my therapy. Some more words: This story broke my heart—the innocence of that final line... WOW!!!
• TRANSFORMATIONS – ROBERT J. FOSTER
The final line of this poem can almost be interpreted as comedic, but it also made me think about how comparison kills. Amazing execution, and I loved the subtle rhyme as well!
• STOLEN FLESH, STOLEN VENGEANCE – ELIZABETH SUGGS
That ending made my jaw DROP! Now THIS is a proper "good for her" story!!!
• JURASSIC MARK – JOSHUA G. J. INSOLE
The almost-cruel irony at the end was PERFECT to me! I also very much enjoyed how descriptive this story was—like I was right there seeing it all!
• RED SPLENDOR – ALEX CHILD
This piece is incredibly haunting, and felt like commentary on the brutality of war to me—how there's no real winners. It's amazing how perfectly the message is delivered in such a short story!
• IN THE CALM OF THE STORM – ROBIN KNABEL
Wow. WOW! I wanted to cry. I probably still do! This story is mainly inner monologue, and the way it stretches on when the tragedy is active and probably happening much quicker than the main character's thoughts lead you to believe—makes this story an absolute gut-punch! You care, you feel for her, and then... (That's all I'll say!)
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this anthology; it's short and not-so-sweet! And who doesn't love a quick read where each piece is bound to haunt you in one way or the other?
