What do you think?
Rate this book
Murmurs: Gathered Stories Vol. One
Gathered Stories Vol. One brings together nine previously published stories hand selected to best represent the darkness prevalent in much of Caleb J. Ross’ fiction. Deformities, parenthood, childhood, each treated with literary integrity, come together to map the visceral, gut-wrenching side of family life. Ross’ obsession with the domestic grotesque is represented here in full, ranging from his very first published story (Petty Injuries) to his most recent (as of the publication of Murmurs) Click-Clack, a story that appears in Warmed and a Velvet Anthology. Packed within Murmurs is a story of a mother who hopes for a kidnapper to take her disabled child away (Legs Unwilling), a vampire origins story where sucking blood turns out to be less painful than a broken home (Born Again Michael), and even a story rooted in Ross’ real life wherein a group of young boys play a game that involves running in front of oncoming traffic at night (Car Dodging). Ross’ work has been compared to that of Chuck Palahniuk, Darren Aronofsky, Kurt Vonnegut, Dave Eggers, and Sherman Alexie. The influence of each resonates in Gathered Stories Vol. One.
65 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 24, 2011
12 people want to read
About the author
Caleb J. Ross
39 books192 followersMy fiction and nonfiction has appeared widely, both online and in print. I am the author of five books of fiction and one book about the video game What Remains of Edith Finch. I am a co-host of Tales of the Lesser Medium, a video game podcast that pokes fun at video game narratives.
I am also the creator of a YouTube channel that encourages people to not just play games but think games.
Visit my official website at www.calebjross.com
Subscribe to my newsletter at Games are Real
I am also the creator of a YouTube channel that encourages people to not just play games but think games.
Visit my official website at www.calebjross.com
Subscribe to my newsletter at Games are Real
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 31, 2012
MURMURS is the perfect title of Caleb J. Ross' story collection. These are fairly short bursts of that unique domestic fiction that Ross not only has a penchant for writing but also executes to a level that could earn him the moniker of 'Father of Domestic Fiction'. If another writer tells stories quite like this, I do not know of him or her. Please pardon my ignorance if I am wrong.
The stories do indeed echo the sentiment of the book's title. Quick little tales, murmurs, troubling little yarns each with a disturbing little look at relationships. Relationships observed from different perspectives and emotions toyed with in the mind of Ross like a kitten batting at a feather on a stick. While these are not dismal views, the glimmers of hope can only be found by digging deep through the muck. Happiness will not be served on a silver platter.
Once again I walk away from another of Caleb Ross' work with an uneasy feeling. When everything looks like it's going to be alright that's when you need to look again. The author is brilliant at looking at a tender moment and peeling away the layers to reveal the disturbing grotesque. We connect with it because under all our facades lies a bit of that same ugliness to some degree or another.
The completion of this book represents all the short story collections Caleb Ross currently has published. I must now venture forth into his longer works, STRANGER WILL and I DIDN'T MEAN TO BE KEVIN. Both continue to play in the world of familial relationships. I can not wait to have my emotions unsettled a little bit more.
The stories do indeed echo the sentiment of the book's title. Quick little tales, murmurs, troubling little yarns each with a disturbing little look at relationships. Relationships observed from different perspectives and emotions toyed with in the mind of Ross like a kitten batting at a feather on a stick. While these are not dismal views, the glimmers of hope can only be found by digging deep through the muck. Happiness will not be served on a silver platter.
Once again I walk away from another of Caleb Ross' work with an uneasy feeling. When everything looks like it's going to be alright that's when you need to look again. The author is brilliant at looking at a tender moment and peeling away the layers to reveal the disturbing grotesque. We connect with it because under all our facades lies a bit of that same ugliness to some degree or another.
The completion of this book represents all the short story collections Caleb Ross currently has published. I must now venture forth into his longer works, STRANGER WILL and I DIDN'T MEAN TO BE KEVIN. Both continue to play in the world of familial relationships. I can not wait to have my emotions unsettled a little bit more.
April 26, 2012
I was excited to read this as I really enjoyed the 1st book by this author I read. However, I wish I hadn't! I am just not a huge fan of short stories normally. They just do not give me enough to sink my teeth into.
I found this very depressing for the most part! If you like short stories that are dark I guess mostly (domestic) fiction you will like this book. It was not something I would ever read again.
Honesbecauseuase I like the book I read 1st so much I am still a little biased. Normally this would have just gotten 1 star from me if that!
I found this very depressing for the most part! If you like short stories that are dark I guess mostly (domestic) fiction you will like this book. It was not something I would ever read again.
Honesbecauseuase I like the book I read 1st so much I am still a little biased. Normally this would have just gotten 1 star from me if that!
April 16, 2012
This book was a surprise to me. The stories were dark and twisted. Though I normally do not read stories of this nature, I enjoyed reading these. The author has such a way with words and sentence structure that I felt drawn into the stories. The base emotions brought to life throughout this book are very compelling.
I salute you as a writer.
Cathy
P.S.: I also want to thank the author Caleb J Ross for providing me with an edownload copy of his book.
I salute you as a writer.
Cathy
P.S.: I also want to thank the author Caleb J Ross for providing me with an edownload copy of his book.
November 14, 2012
This guy is wicked smart and now I wish I could remember how I got turned on to him in the first place.I love to read edgy up and coming indie authors that are fresh and haven't sold their souls to a publisher yet. Caleb is definitely still telling his own stories his own way, and these short stories are a great introduction into the mind of Caleb Ross.I can't wait to dive into Stranger Will and see what he can do with a novel.
March 11, 2013
It's usually hard to give a star rating to a collection of short stories because, even when being all written by the same author, all the stories never have an identical rating. So 3-stars is the average. I heard these stories described as dark, demented, and disturbing...all of which is true. Definitely not for the faint at heart. However, they were also very well written, thought provoking and powerful.
April 13, 2012
Dark, Demented, Disturbing...... pretty much describes this book. Some of the stories just abruptly end. Several times I was left saying to myself " WHAT? Thats the ending? ".
On a good note I did like the authors notes at the end of each story.
Overall this just wasn't my cup of tea.
On a good note I did like the authors notes at the end of each story.
Overall this just wasn't my cup of tea.
December 26, 2011
Wow, I love the short stories of Caleb J. Ross. They always pack a punch. When's Volume 2? Not that I'm greedy or anything...
July 2, 2012
I'm really liking Caleb Ross's short stories and will be digging into Stranger Will soon.
Right up my alley.
Right up my alley.
December 2, 2013
Caleb J. Ross is not only an author, he is also a Youtuber, specifically a Booktuber, who makes amusing book reviews and rants. When I subscribed to his channel, I was sent a message offering free downloads of his short story collections on Smashwords.
I'm not going into insane details of these short stories like I did with Shifu, because most of the stories shared similar themes and were pretty short. However, that doesn't interfere with the quality of the short stories. Murmurs is actually one of the few e-books that I finished reading without any troubles. A lot of the stories were very dark and disturbing since they followed a theme of domestic violence, quirky, depressed characters, self-injuring, suicide, and other oddities. Most of these stories consist of dysfunctional children who live in dysfunctional houses, or people who are into self-destructive activities. The darker stories have dysfunctional parents who don't want their kids and would rather see them die. Al I can say is that most of these stories are dark, brutal, and real, a little too real except for the story about the vampire, which is my favorite one. Some of the stories are so out there and dark, that it seems it is almost as if the author is making a parody of depression, inhumanity, and the destruction of society. Maybe I worded that wrong but that's my feelings on it. Born Again Michael has one of the most unique portrayals of a vampire I ever read, making it my favorite. Caleb's s writing style is also pretty unique to me, his stories and everything aren't similar to anybody I've read so far, so I'm looking forward to reading more by him.
I'm not going into insane details of these short stories like I did with Shifu, because most of the stories shared similar themes and were pretty short. However, that doesn't interfere with the quality of the short stories. Murmurs is actually one of the few e-books that I finished reading without any troubles. A lot of the stories were very dark and disturbing since they followed a theme of domestic violence, quirky, depressed characters, self-injuring, suicide, and other oddities. Most of these stories consist of dysfunctional children who live in dysfunctional houses, or people who are into self-destructive activities. The darker stories have dysfunctional parents who don't want their kids and would rather see them die. Al I can say is that most of these stories are dark, brutal, and real, a little too real except for the story about the vampire, which is my favorite one. Some of the stories are so out there and dark, that it seems it is almost as if the author is making a parody of depression, inhumanity, and the destruction of society. Maybe I worded that wrong but that's my feelings on it. Born Again Michael has one of the most unique portrayals of a vampire I ever read, making it my favorite. Caleb's s writing style is also pretty unique to me, his stories and everything aren't similar to anybody I've read so far, so I'm looking forward to reading more by him.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews