Eddie's Shorts - Volume 1

Eddie's Shorts #1

by M. Edward McNally

The first volume of short stories written by M. Edward McNally, circa 1991-1997. Bedlam - "The Saturday after my dad first shows up, Walter makes his break for the woods, and vanishes."
8:00/7:00 C/M (Eight / Seven, Central and Mountain) - Let's see what's on tonight, shall we?

Nook

First published July 25, 2011

About the author

Yikes, this page gave me an option to enter my "date of death." That's disheartening. Anyway, North Carolina born Irish/Mexican, grew up Midwestern along I 35 Northbound (KS, IA, MN), now in AZ among the scorpions and javelinas. Studied English Lit and Russian/East European History in school, and at the place where the two bumped together, I wrote some Musket & Magic Fantasy books. Deus Impeditio Esuritori Nullus.

Reviews

[Amy Eye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always wondered what it would be like to work with some of the insane? Would you fear for your life? Would you find things amusing? In this tale not only do you find the insane so insane, some of them seem to make more sense than the sane.

I fell in love with the main character of this book. He has just such a warm, open heart. He is willing to look past everything to see what a person is really made out of. Not being a very educated person himself, I guess he never decided to judge a person based on their credentials, but on their heart (even if that person was convinced their heart that time stood still in the 1800's...).

This was a clever, cute read, although I was slightly disappointed in the ending. I can't really say why because it will give away the ending, I just think it wasn't as tidy as it could have been. If you like short stories, this would be a great one for you to check out!

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually much of one for short stories, but I found this for free for my Kindle some time back, and decided to give it a try - and am glad I did. I particularly enjoyed "Bedlam," and I will be checking out this author's other short stories.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was reading the great Fantasy Quest series by this author and decided to try this item out as well.

I haven't quite made up my mind on the first story, Bedlam. It's written well, but I tend to go more for action/adventure stories (like his quest series). The main character works at a mental institution - observing behavior by "sane" people that would have been cause for deep concern if displayed by any of the inhabitants. (Quite funny the examples he gives.) His peaceful, ordinary life is interrupted by the arrival of his father - a person he has never met previously.

I got to the second offering and had to use all my will and determination not to burst out laughing at practically every description. (Hubby was driving through pouring rain, and I really didn't think it was kosher to startle him with loud, braying laughter - and have us slide into another car that was passing us, or even slide right on off the road.) Have you ever thought or said out loud "There's nothing good on TV"? Bet you've never phrased it quite like this. ~grin~

These are some of his early writings, but I can see the foundation in these of the quest series. Would truly be fun to read some more early writings.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Including two stories - “Bedlam” and “Eight, Seven Central and Mountain” - Vol. 1 of Eddie’s Shorts is brilliantly written and a fascinating look into Eddie’s … uhm, mind. Yup.

“Bedlam” tells the story about a young man named Jim who works at Willow Farm, a treatment center for the mentally ill. One day his father – who Jim has never met before – shows up on Jim’s step and moves in with Jim. However, Jim starts to think that maybe his father is better fit to live among the residents at Willow Farm. Written in an interesting colloquial style, I was fascinated by the way that Ed put this one together. It takes up most of the book.

“Eight, Seven Central and Mountain” is a quick flip through the TV stations – an interesting idea and it made me laugh several times.

I can say that you should definitely check out Eddie’s Shorts – Vol 1 is fab, and my review of Vol 2 will be up soon.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two short stories and the second one was not really a story but a listing of tv channels and comments based on the shows on that channel. For the second story, I could totally relate to Edward's comments because as I flip the remote, I feel myself sarcastically commenting on each network until I come to the end and then complain that out of 150+ channels there is nothing to watch. The first story was unique and I felt lost at the end. The story is set up well and you can see yourself a part of the Jim's life as he works at Willow Farms but after his dad shows up he starts to feel edgy. He gets nervous, he acts like he doesn't know what to expect from his father but then again he hasn't seen his father for 30 yrs. His father, a once college professor begins to act weird but then again is this normal for his father? Mixed thoughts on this book

[Su Yin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time I’ve read one of Eddie’s shorts. It turned out to be an entertaining experience, in a serious sort of way. I enjoyed seeing through the eyes of the simple young man Edward McNally created, what life is like in a mental health treatment center. Jim, the narrator, comes across as child-like and a tad helpless even though in appearance, he is the exact opposite at over six feet tall and big-sized. His thought process is an interesting study in itself, the way he observes things and the logic he applies to situations such as the sudden visit of his dad who he had never set eyes on in his life.

For some strange reason, I thought the second shorts is actually connected to the first. Read it and see for yourself. It will be quite an eye-opener.

I’ll be gunning for his next few shorts to see what other goodies this talented author have for us.

[Mandy White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of short stories so this book (and its amusing title) caught my eye immediately. When I read the first page and discovered that the author was opening with a loony-bin story, I was all in. Call me crazy, but I enjoy a good nuthouse story. The first story was engaging right from the start and I felt right at home with the well-written and easy to read style of the story. The second story was a bit different; a trip around the dial of the television set describing what was on each channel. I found myself waiting for a punchline that didn't come. Nonetheless, the writing style carries the reader along easily, a testament to the superb storytelling skill of this particular author. I am looking forward to getting into another pair of Eddie's Shorts!

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm one of those people that devours short fiction in every form: in periodicals, anthologies, magazines, etc. I was very happy to add Vol 1. to my collection of shorts. Bedlam was an engaging trip into an uncomfortable and skewed environment where, as reader, I was never quite confident who was the patient and who wasn't. The second story had me laughing out loud, even though it is more crazed list than narrative. Nicely done.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A couple of interesting short stories that this author wrote years ago. I did enjoy reading them as I was in the mood for a short story. One about a young man and his father and the other a clever story about tv shows. I haven't read this author's other genre book as I'm not into that kind of story so it was a treat to read these by him. Looking forward to reading more like this by McNalley!

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eddie's Shorts, what a hoot. The first story Bedlam...is a mix between Forest Gump and Twilight Zone.
Eight, Seven Central and Mountain...reminds me why I stopped watching television. An extremely realistic view of "What's on TV", flipping the channels and then realizing the TV is better off...OFF.

[P.J. Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Eddie's Shorts, especially the first story. I was so engrossed in Bedlam that I forgot my baked goods in the oven. Eddie, you made me burn my muffins! It was exceedingly funny, in a sad, twisted sort of way, and I found myself laughing out loud many times during the read. Bravo!

[Heather Adkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story one - a bit of a mind-fu%$... When I finished it, I spent the next hour rethinking it.
story two - So freaking funny, and unfortunately, true of television today.
Another well-written duo of shorts from McNally.

[Rafa Lombardino · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't get it...