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Freaks
The weirdest stories you will ever read. A bizarre collection of short stories, each featuring a character with an unusual superpower. Meet The Photocopier, a woman who can reproduce herself at will and who attempts to teach her daughter to do the same. Or the zombie hairdresser who is able to reanimate every time she dies. And the man who can break his way into his lover's dream. Over fifty freaks and misfits feature in this unforgettable book, and each is illustrated by comic book artist Darren Craske.
- GenresShort Stories
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 5, 2016
4.5 stars
What a delightful gem of a book! I took my time reading this because with a flash fiction collection, it is incredibly easy to get carried away and read them all in one go!
Freaks comprises of 50 illustrated flash fictions concerned with human beings who possess some extraordinary super powers including the ability to freeze time, the ability to amplify memories, the ability to enter another's dreams (which I would LOVE to do!) and the ability to mask one's true form. These stories are able to capture and convey so much feeling in so few words, and leave you asking more questions about these characters' lives.
For me, some of the strongest stories were the ones which tugged at my heart strings and stimulated my little grey cells; I'm thinking of Clipped Wings and Sixteen, which has got to be one of the most memorable and affecting flash fictions I have ever read.
I love how the authors manipulate their language use to fit the characters and situations they describe; sometimes being bold and direct (see Before I Lost You and Control) and in other stories, their language use is beautifully subtle and poetic (see Fifty Per Cent, Hello and The Six Days of Stetson.)
There are sooooo many stories I love in this collection, it would be ridiculous typing them all here, although, for me, my absolute favourites include The Six Days of Stetson, Clipped Wings, Fifty Per Cent, Sixteen, Hello, No Sudden Movements and Beauty.
What I will say about the final three stories mentioned above, is that they perfectly capture humanity in every sense; our shyness when it comes to approaching someone who might just be 'the one', when an obsession with someone becomes too much and how Beauty can capture a particular moment in time.
Freaks is a book which should be savoured in order to be fully appreciated; trust me you wouldn't want to miss out on so many beautiful words.
What a delightful gem of a book! I took my time reading this because with a flash fiction collection, it is incredibly easy to get carried away and read them all in one go!
Freaks comprises of 50 illustrated flash fictions concerned with human beings who possess some extraordinary super powers including the ability to freeze time, the ability to amplify memories, the ability to enter another's dreams (which I would LOVE to do!) and the ability to mask one's true form. These stories are able to capture and convey so much feeling in so few words, and leave you asking more questions about these characters' lives.
For me, some of the strongest stories were the ones which tugged at my heart strings and stimulated my little grey cells; I'm thinking of Clipped Wings and Sixteen, which has got to be one of the most memorable and affecting flash fictions I have ever read.
I love how the authors manipulate their language use to fit the characters and situations they describe; sometimes being bold and direct (see Before I Lost You and Control) and in other stories, their language use is beautifully subtle and poetic (see Fifty Per Cent, Hello and The Six Days of Stetson.)
There are sooooo many stories I love in this collection, it would be ridiculous typing them all here, although, for me, my absolute favourites include The Six Days of Stetson, Clipped Wings, Fifty Per Cent, Sixteen, Hello, No Sudden Movements and Beauty.
What I will say about the final three stories mentioned above, is that they perfectly capture humanity in every sense; our shyness when it comes to approaching someone who might just be 'the one', when an obsession with someone becomes too much and how Beauty can capture a particular moment in time.
Freaks is a book which should be savoured in order to be fully appreciated; trust me you wouldn't want to miss out on so many beautiful words.
July 3, 2012
This is a collection of flash fiction pieces, presented with black and white illustrations in a comic book style. Each story begins with the introduction of a super power, and the subsequent tale explores the joys or pains of possessing such abilities. Often the super power works as a salient analogy, reflecting real life concerns. I have to confess, this idea, which I thought highly original, is right up my street - I was bound to love it, and I did! There were one or two stories which I wasn't sure I 'got' but I'd happily re-visit any of the stories - all were engaging and well-written. I think it contains some real gems: 'The Photocopier', 'Clipped Wings', 'Dream Lover (Two)' and 'Betty' were among my favourites.
April 21, 2012
An intriguing cast of misfits with unusual super powers feature in this collection of short stories that are sometimes baffling, sometimes funny, sometimes heart-achingly poignant. A very entertaining read.
June 10, 2012
One of the finest fiction I have ever read! Only one gripe: wish it had more illustrations
August 29, 2012
This was definitely a bit different than I thought it would be, but so very awesome nonetheless. The short short fiction in this is amazing, and I loved it.
July 13, 2014
Everyone dreams of having a superpower. Me? I’d love to be able to fly so I could avoid rush hour traffice or be able to remember each book I’ve ever read in its entirety. Everyone has also felt like a freak at one point or another in their lives: not fitting in, not being accepted, not part of the norm.
There are people, however, that we would classify as real freaks, not able to intermingle with society, keeping to themselves. You’ve seen these people: they fade into the shadows, they keep to the sidelines, they are quiet and speak rarely.
Everyone has been a freak at one time or another. That is what makes FREAKS! written by Caroline Smailes, Nik Perring and illustrated by Darren Craske so amazing. They have created a book that is for each and every person who has never felt as if they fit in anywhere.
FREAKS! is a collection of 50 short stories, some written by Caroline, some written by Nik, some written together. The stories are illustrated by wonderful drawings by Darren that bring the story to life in a way that transcends the short story genre.
Part collection, part comic book, part darkness, part hilarity, FREAKS! is a book that goes beyond the short story genre and makes it something all the more incredible.
I knew from the moment that I looked at the cover of FREAKS! that I was in for a treat of monumental proportions. Eschewing the traditional short story, the ones contained in this collection are flash fiction pieces, stories told in comic book form, stories told in mere paragrahps that pack whole pages worth of emotion into very few words.
I read FREAKS! in less than a day. I simply could not put it down. All the stories feature people with superpowers, real or imagined, and give us a brief look into their lives. Some of the stories are funny and downright hilarious, some end with a punch to the gut, some take a twist in the middle and leave you shocked. Others are haunting, harrowing and dark. However, all the stories in FREAKS! are beautiful.
I had a very personal reaction to this collection. I have always felt like a freak, as if I don’t belong, as if I was put on this earth to do something but had no idea what it was. I’ve always felt as if I was outside the norm and have never been sure if the norm was something I wanted to be a part of anyways.
In reading FREAKS! I felt as if I was reading about people I knew. I even recognized myself in a few of the stories. The stories, the characters, feel so personal, as if we are being presented with a moment in the time of their lives. I ached for this book of freaks and wanted them to know it was okay to be who they were.
Though short, the stories are written so well and so deftly that no further words are needed. Caroline Smailes and Nik Perring have outdone themselves with their stories; each can be read in a few minutes, but all of them will stay with you long after you finish reading the collection.
The illustrations are another amazing thing about this collection. Darren Craske has outdone himself, bringing the freaks to life in fantastic black and white illustrations that help the characters to jump off the page. The illustrations are so good that I felt I was reading a pulp comic book from days gone by. The stories are amazing and the illustrations just add to the over all perfection of the book.
I finished reading the paperback book yesterday morning and am reading the eBook now. While I love eBooks and primarily read everything on my iPad, FREAKS! is a book that you will want to hold, a book where you will want to thumb through the pages. Though I love eBooks, do yourself a favour and get the paperback. It’s well worth double the price you’ll pay for it as the stories will stay with you forever.
Whimsical, haunting, hilarious and harrowing, FREAKS! is like nothing you have ever read or will read afterwards. FREAKS! has turned the genre of the short story into a revolution. The literary world will never be the same again.
There are people, however, that we would classify as real freaks, not able to intermingle with society, keeping to themselves. You’ve seen these people: they fade into the shadows, they keep to the sidelines, they are quiet and speak rarely.
Everyone has been a freak at one time or another. That is what makes FREAKS! written by Caroline Smailes, Nik Perring and illustrated by Darren Craske so amazing. They have created a book that is for each and every person who has never felt as if they fit in anywhere.
FREAKS! is a collection of 50 short stories, some written by Caroline, some written by Nik, some written together. The stories are illustrated by wonderful drawings by Darren that bring the story to life in a way that transcends the short story genre.
Part collection, part comic book, part darkness, part hilarity, FREAKS! is a book that goes beyond the short story genre and makes it something all the more incredible.
I knew from the moment that I looked at the cover of FREAKS! that I was in for a treat of monumental proportions. Eschewing the traditional short story, the ones contained in this collection are flash fiction pieces, stories told in comic book form, stories told in mere paragrahps that pack whole pages worth of emotion into very few words.
I read FREAKS! in less than a day. I simply could not put it down. All the stories feature people with superpowers, real or imagined, and give us a brief look into their lives. Some of the stories are funny and downright hilarious, some end with a punch to the gut, some take a twist in the middle and leave you shocked. Others are haunting, harrowing and dark. However, all the stories in FREAKS! are beautiful.
I had a very personal reaction to this collection. I have always felt like a freak, as if I don’t belong, as if I was put on this earth to do something but had no idea what it was. I’ve always felt as if I was outside the norm and have never been sure if the norm was something I wanted to be a part of anyways.
In reading FREAKS! I felt as if I was reading about people I knew. I even recognized myself in a few of the stories. The stories, the characters, feel so personal, as if we are being presented with a moment in the time of their lives. I ached for this book of freaks and wanted them to know it was okay to be who they were.
Though short, the stories are written so well and so deftly that no further words are needed. Caroline Smailes and Nik Perring have outdone themselves with their stories; each can be read in a few minutes, but all of them will stay with you long after you finish reading the collection.
The illustrations are another amazing thing about this collection. Darren Craske has outdone himself, bringing the freaks to life in fantastic black and white illustrations that help the characters to jump off the page. The illustrations are so good that I felt I was reading a pulp comic book from days gone by. The stories are amazing and the illustrations just add to the over all perfection of the book.
I finished reading the paperback book yesterday morning and am reading the eBook now. While I love eBooks and primarily read everything on my iPad, FREAKS! is a book that you will want to hold, a book where you will want to thumb through the pages. Though I love eBooks, do yourself a favour and get the paperback. It’s well worth double the price you’ll pay for it as the stories will stay with you forever.
Whimsical, haunting, hilarious and harrowing, FREAKS! is like nothing you have ever read or will read afterwards. FREAKS! has turned the genre of the short story into a revolution. The literary world will never be the same again.
August 7, 2016
Originally posted on www.ashleyroberts5693.wordpress.com
I received this book as part of a giveaway that Caroline Smailes carried out on her Instagram during May. The prizes were great – a couple of books and a few other bits and pieces! However, at the time that the books arrived I wasn’t reading too much; I decided to pick up Freaks to try and pull me out of my ‘reading slump’ – it didn’t exactly work, but I did manage to read this book in just one night.
The book was only short, but it did manage to keep me intrigued and made me want to keep reading. With every new short story there was a new dark twist on the usual happy light of superpowers and superheroes. I thought this was an interesting change to the usual stories that are written, which may have been part of what kept me interested. However, there was also a bit of humour (though, still, on occasion the darkness appeared again) within the book. Due to this, the book was able to keep throwing different emotions at me.
In addition, this book further showed the dark side of Caroline Smailes’ writing – I can’t speak for Nik Perring though, having never read anything else of his. But, during another of Smailes’ books, The Drowning of Arthur Braxton, you can definitely see the darker and slightly twisted ideas that Smailes has.
I received this book as part of a giveaway that Caroline Smailes carried out on her Instagram during May. The prizes were great – a couple of books and a few other bits and pieces! However, at the time that the books arrived I wasn’t reading too much; I decided to pick up Freaks to try and pull me out of my ‘reading slump’ – it didn’t exactly work, but I did manage to read this book in just one night.
The book was only short, but it did manage to keep me intrigued and made me want to keep reading. With every new short story there was a new dark twist on the usual happy light of superpowers and superheroes. I thought this was an interesting change to the usual stories that are written, which may have been part of what kept me interested. However, there was also a bit of humour (though, still, on occasion the darkness appeared again) within the book. Due to this, the book was able to keep throwing different emotions at me.
In addition, this book further showed the dark side of Caroline Smailes’ writing – I can’t speak for Nik Perring though, having never read anything else of his. But, during another of Smailes’ books, The Drowning of Arthur Braxton, you can definitely see the darker and slightly twisted ideas that Smailes has.
November 24, 2013
A random little choice of purchase. I felt the set up of this book owed a lot to Andrew Kaufman's All My Friends are Superheroes as most of the characters who featured had no real super powers but everyday abilities that became the focus of a mishap or rejection. Also I felt I was a little old for this book. The slightly effeminate superhero-geek who was plagued with angst and hated the world, that was my 16 year old self, would have lapped this book up. It was filled with the tales of social outsiders, zombies and sexual quirks that I craved when I'd moved on from the Harry Potter series. I wouldn't call it a young adult book, but I would recommend it to the non-conformist youth who are not satisfied with the likes of The Hunger Games.
I have one other issue with this book... Whilst I understand that these a short flash fiction stories, and I did enjoy the really small tales in half-a-page, I really wanted there to be at least a couple of longer stand-out stories that I could get stuck into and see some form of character/plot development.
I have one other issue with this book... Whilst I understand that these a short flash fiction stories, and I did enjoy the really small tales in half-a-page, I really wanted there to be at least a couple of longer stand-out stories that I could get stuck into and see some form of character/plot development.
April 4, 2015
Another snappy, thought provoking and almost comic book style read. Love the idea of the superpowers but some of these short stories reveal so much more. All so different. Never been disappointed by this author yet!
September 24, 2013
Like all collections of flash fiction this is hit and miss, but the hits are frequent enough and moving/touching/thought provoking enough to make this well worth seeking out.
August 27, 2015
Meh. Seemed no better than something two 13-year-olds might put together for a bit of a laugh.
October 4, 2013
An adult collection of gripping short stories, each with a freakishly different protaganist! A great little book to dip into.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews