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bhall237's review against another edition
5.0
“We Greater Ventriloquists are catatonics, emptied of illusions of selfhood and identity... We are active as nature moves us to be: perfect receivers and transmitters of nothing with nothing to stifle the voice of our perfect suffering.”
The Mindfulness of Horror Practice
What a way to start a collection of horrifying secrets to ventriloquism than with a therapy breathing session sprinkled in with a bit of existential dread. Short and sweet, I think this is like a great trailer that gives the tone of a film rather than a story outline.
Murmurs of a Voice Foreknown
Jesus Christ. That was so well written and so spine tingling that I immediately knew that I was in for an incredible ride. This is one of those stories that makes you unable to eat food or want to lay in bed at night because of how real and grounded in reality the story is and could be. This was a very intimate story that could have easily been reality rather than fiction, and it’s that fine line that amplifies the horror to a level that even the scariest demon could never begin to reach because of the simple fact that the horrific actions of a human will always be scarier than the hauntings of a fictional spirit.
The Indoor Swamp
I had to re-read this one after Origami Dreams, so my initial reaction is lost on my now. But in my re-read, I have to say that this was a dark short that perfectly sets up Origami Dreams while standing on its own as a horrifying little tale of a simple indoor ride in a city. Short, simple, pretty detailed and hauntingly believable, this is a memorable addition and prologue to what’s to come.
Origami Dreams
Jesus. Holy. Christ. Second only to The Auctioneer by Joan Samson, this is my favorite work of literature I have consumed. I don’t even know where to start other than by prefacing that this is my shit, this is my buttered bread, my bee’s knees. This was tailor made for me and I devoured every letter of this segment. Reality collapsing stories, especially one that is very much grounded in reality with the exception of a couple things here and there, or what unnerve me and keep me up at night. This one felt very similar to that one story online about the guy who was in a coma and dreamed an entire lifetime and started staring at a lamp for like three years and then woke up from his coma. Especially with one that features such a normal family and such a normal downfall of a character, that being obsession. Every single scene flows so well from one to the other, but also has that very much dream feel of a David Lynch film that is indescribable unless you’ve witnessed it for yourself. This was pure horror on a molecular level that I know will stick with me until the day I die, just asThe Auctioneer will. Without question this segment alone is a 5/5.
20 Simple Steps to Ventriloquism
“you may think this is all complete nonsense, but a lot of things that people say—even most things—are complete nonsense. This is not the ventriloquist’s concern.”
Fun, mind bending, unhinged, deeply unsettling, and a perfectly realistic piece of text inside a fictional work. It is just brilliant, and while I found Origami Dreams just a bit better, this one was pretty damn close in terms of unsettling me.
The Infusorium
Overall a great continuation and addition to the greater narrative and probably the most lore heavy thus far in the story. I really dug the characters of Raph and Guidry, and the whole Paper Mill, the days revolving around it, and the location itself were all great. I felt this relied a bit too much of standard police and small-town cult clichés, there were many tropes that were subverted, but just as many were played out exactly as you would expect. Nowhere near bad or a miss, but also nowhere near the perfection of Origami Dreams.
Organ Void
Damn that was a weird one. This one crept into the realm of “splattergore” horror with its bodily descriptions and imagery. Pretty gross, pretty fucked up, I thought this was an amazing addition to the world of ventriloquism that has thus far been established. A bit short and a bit isolated in its progression of lore or characters, I thought this was overall pretty good.
The Secret of Ventriloquism
Holy fuck this was incredible. Admittedly, I am a big fan of plays and have read quite a number of them, And this was an absolute delight to read something along the lines of Arthur Miller meets H.P. Lovecraft: A Play in 1 Act. This was so in-depth, gives so much expansiveness to the lore, creeped me out to no end. It was absolutely addicting and fit so well with everything that has been established so far. I am so shocked and how much depth of the character Joe gets throughout the entirety of the collection. His story is absolutely insanity to read and I would love to read this book through at least a dozen times to be able to grasp everything that is offered.
Escape to Thin Mountain
By far the weakest in this collection simply due to the fact that it had nothing to do with the others at all. The other stories had reoccurring locations, symbols, motives, even characters, but this one really stood on its own, and not for the better. I think this one strays too far into the realm of oddity and doesn’t bring itself back into the world of ventriloquism in any sense of the word or the world created thus far. Well I thought it was fine, this one could’ve easily been left out of the collection and it would still work just as well as it does.
Overall, I have a new favorite book that stuck with me from beginning to end and it didn’t stop finding new ways to get under my skin and creep me out. It’s such a simple idea that really takes its time to concern you in a very grounded way through a number of short stories rather than an overarching narrative. I cannot recommend this book enough, if you are a fan of the odd and the macabre, as well as a high ability to suspend disbelief, then do I have the perfect book for you.
The Mindfulness of Horror Practice
What a way to start a collection of horrifying secrets to ventriloquism than with a therapy breathing session sprinkled in with a bit of existential dread. Short and sweet, I think this is like a great trailer that gives the tone of a film rather than a story outline.
Murmurs of a Voice Foreknown
Jesus Christ. That was so well written and so spine tingling that I immediately knew that I was in for an incredible ride. This is one of those stories that makes you unable to eat food or want to lay in bed at night because of how real and grounded in reality the story is and could be. This was a very intimate story that could have easily been reality rather than fiction, and it’s that fine line that amplifies the horror to a level that even the scariest demon could never begin to reach because of the simple fact that the horrific actions of a human will always be scarier than the hauntings of a fictional spirit.
The Indoor Swamp
I had to re-read this one after Origami Dreams, so my initial reaction is lost on my now. But in my re-read, I have to say that this was a dark short that perfectly sets up Origami Dreams while standing on its own as a horrifying little tale of a simple indoor ride in a city. Short, simple, pretty detailed and hauntingly believable, this is a memorable addition and prologue to what’s to come.
Origami Dreams
Jesus. Holy. Christ. Second only to The Auctioneer by Joan Samson, this is my favorite work of literature I have consumed. I don’t even know where to start other than by prefacing that this is my shit, this is my buttered bread, my bee’s knees. This was tailor made for me and I devoured every letter of this segment. Reality collapsing stories, especially one that is very much grounded in reality with the exception of a couple things here and there, or what unnerve me and keep me up at night. This one felt very similar to that one story online about the guy who was in a coma and dreamed an entire lifetime and started staring at a lamp for like three years and then woke up from his coma. Especially with one that features such a normal family and such a normal downfall of a character, that being obsession. Every single scene flows so well from one to the other, but also has that very much dream feel of a David Lynch film that is indescribable unless you’ve witnessed it for yourself. This was pure horror on a molecular level that I know will stick with me until the day I die, just asThe Auctioneer will. Without question this segment alone is a 5/5.
20 Simple Steps to Ventriloquism
“you may think this is all complete nonsense, but a lot of things that people say—even most things—are complete nonsense. This is not the ventriloquist’s concern.”
Fun, mind bending, unhinged, deeply unsettling, and a perfectly realistic piece of text inside a fictional work. It is just brilliant, and while I found Origami Dreams just a bit better, this one was pretty damn close in terms of unsettling me.
The Infusorium
Overall a great continuation and addition to the greater narrative and probably the most lore heavy thus far in the story. I really dug the characters of Raph and Guidry, and the whole Paper Mill, the days revolving around it, and the location itself were all great. I felt this relied a bit too much of standard police and small-town cult clichés, there were many tropes that were subverted, but just as many were played out exactly as you would expect. Nowhere near bad or a miss, but also nowhere near the perfection of Origami Dreams.
Organ Void
Damn that was a weird one. This one crept into the realm of “splattergore” horror with its bodily descriptions and imagery. Pretty gross, pretty fucked up, I thought this was an amazing addition to the world of ventriloquism that has thus far been established. A bit short and a bit isolated in its progression of lore or characters, I thought this was overall pretty good.
The Secret of Ventriloquism
Holy fuck this was incredible. Admittedly, I am a big fan of plays and have read quite a number of them, And this was an absolute delight to read something along the lines of Arthur Miller meets H.P. Lovecraft: A Play in 1 Act. This was so in-depth, gives so much expansiveness to the lore, creeped me out to no end. It was absolutely addicting and fit so well with everything that has been established so far. I am so shocked and how much depth of the character Joe gets throughout the entirety of the collection. His story is absolutely insanity to read and I would love to read this book through at least a dozen times to be able to grasp everything that is offered.
Escape to Thin Mountain
By far the weakest in this collection simply due to the fact that it had nothing to do with the others at all. The other stories had reoccurring locations, symbols, motives, even characters, but this one really stood on its own, and not for the better. I think this one strays too far into the realm of oddity and doesn’t bring itself back into the world of ventriloquism in any sense of the word or the world created thus far. Well I thought it was fine, this one could’ve easily been left out of the collection and it would still work just as well as it does.
Overall, I have a new favorite book that stuck with me from beginning to end and it didn’t stop finding new ways to get under my skin and creep me out. It’s such a simple idea that really takes its time to concern you in a very grounded way through a number of short stories rather than an overarching narrative. I cannot recommend this book enough, if you are a fan of the odd and the macabre, as well as a high ability to suspend disbelief, then do I have the perfect book for you.
sunreachesout's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
beefmaster's review
5.0
I wasn’t aware going into this that the stories were connected. Made for a fun bit of realization around the halfway point
grimscribe114's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
donasbooks's review
4.0
I really need to read this a second time lol, I didn't quite realize it was a collection of short fiction until the very end, so I processed it as a kind of novel... which was strange but not unenjoyable!
So I need to go and try it again as it was meant to be read. Be back shortly!
Rating, for now: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommend? Yep, even like I read it
Finished: January 14 2023
* Edit January 23 2023 *
I went back and read this book a second time as it was designed to be read, as a collection of short fiction. I can't say it was any less strange for that effort, but weird fiction is supposed to be strange. It's right in the name. So though I'm still mystified and vaguely uncomfortable after reading this book again, I'm also wildly entertained.
One of the best things about THE SECRET OF VENTRILOQUISM is that the stories vary in topic. Each was arguably as bizarre as a talking dummy, but the topics ranged from the temporal to the psychological to the scatalogical. Something for everyone maybe? Maybe not.
My favorite of these stories is "Organ Void." It's disgusting, horrifying, and yet I relate to it on a very deep level and it makes me feel seen, maybe? Maybe not. Make no mistake, this is smart fiction.
And very weird.
Rating:
So I need to go and try it again as it was meant to be read. Be back shortly!
Rating, for now: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommend? Yep, even like I read it
Finished: January 14 2023
* Edit January 23 2023 *
I went back and read this book a second time as it was designed to be read, as a collection of short fiction. I can't say it was any less strange for that effort, but weird fiction is supposed to be strange. It's right in the name. So though I'm still mystified and vaguely uncomfortable after reading this book again, I'm also wildly entertained.
One of the best things about THE SECRET OF VENTRILOQUISM is that the stories vary in topic. Each was arguably as bizarre as a talking dummy, but the topics ranged from the temporal to the psychological to the scatalogical. Something for everyone maybe? Maybe not.
My favorite of these stories is "Organ Void." It's disgusting, horrifying, and yet I relate to it on a very deep level and it makes me feel seen, maybe? Maybe not. Make no mistake, this is smart fiction.
And very weird.
Rating:
tyto_alba's review
5.0
This is the exact kind of horror story that I am always on the lookout for. Written in a concrete sense while dealing with the utterly bizarre and sometimes abstract concepts. I want to describe the center entity as being Lovecraftian, but it's much more malevolent, though there is as much blame being placed on the humans involved than on its existence. The stories deal a lot with pollution, disease, manipulation, and--the most terrifying--losing control of one's own mind.
One thing I did not know coming into this book was that these stories are all connected. They describe, through various viewpoints, the decay and ruin of single town. Many characters and locales show up in multiple stories, but themes of spiders and ventriloquism/being controlled feature greatly in them all, connecting them thematically as well as spatially. By the time you get to the last story, it feels like a conclusion to what the previous stories have been building up to. Thus, I would say you really shouldn't read these out of order, despite there not being a truly clear-cut chronology. There is an order of events, mind you, but the stories are not necessarily presented in that kind of order, but to build up a sense of wrongness that subsequent stories expand upon.
In conclusion, I would highly recommend this book. Don't think of it as a collection of short stories, exactly, but interconnected stories that form a disjointed yet cohesive whole.
One thing I did not know coming into this book was that these stories are all connected. They describe, through various viewpoints, the decay and ruin of single town. Many characters and locales show up in multiple stories, but themes of spiders and ventriloquism/being controlled feature greatly in them all, connecting them thematically as well as spatially. By the time you get to the last story, it feels like a conclusion to what the previous stories have been building up to. Thus, I would say you really shouldn't read these out of order, despite there not being a truly clear-cut chronology. There is an order of events, mind you, but the stories are not necessarily presented in that kind of order, but to build up a sense of wrongness that subsequent stories expand upon.
In conclusion, I would highly recommend this book. Don't think of it as a collection of short stories, exactly, but interconnected stories that form a disjointed yet cohesive whole.
wildguitars's review
4.0
cool concept for a book, the writing style is very good and has that thomas ligotti influence :)
some stories were better then others but overall very good!
some stories were better then others but overall very good!
dbenceno's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0