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bhall237 's review for:
The Secret of Ventriloquism
by Jon Padgett
“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.