Hi I'm a Social Disease

by Andersen Prunty

This collection of short stories by author Andersen Prunty features “Room 19”, a post-apocalyptic nightmare based on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ song “From Her to Eternity”, appearing for the first time anywhere, and “Market Adjustment”, about one man’s battle with the wealthy, previously available only in a very limited edition. Also includes: “The Dust Season”, “The Man With the Face Like a Bruise”, “The Photographer”, “The Night the Moon Made a Sound”, and “The Funeralgoer.”

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Bizarro Fiction, Fiction, Ebooks, Humor, Anthologies

110 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 9, 2011

About the author

Andersen Prunty lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He writes novels and short stories. Visit him at notandersenprunty.com, where he posts a free story every Friday.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imaginative, dark, twisted and violently gory...essentially everything a horror collection should be. Well-written and at times, achingly sad, the stories are populated by monsters, human and otherwise, who swarm through the countryside, carnival freak shows and penthouses. The tale of a Wall Street banker meeting with a singularly deserving fate left a satisfied smile on my face.

[Mae Dunne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not reading the last three stories. I hate this.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent short stories. Very creepy and well done. Andersen Prunty is a master of the horror genre. Even though I enjoyed all of the stories in this compilation, the three that stood out the most to me are the following:

1. Market Adjustment Great social commentary. In this one the market is going under and the big shot higher upers, think that everyone can be bought for a price. However, the main character in this one has literally lost everything and refuses to be bought, instead he stays and fights for what's right.

2. The Dust Season This one is about side show carnies. Eliza used to be Elastica, Queen of Bending, until one horrible night transformed her into The Painted Lady - flesh piercings and tattoos, and her lover becomes the quarter man.

3. The Funeralgoer I really liked the main character Thrip - especially when he scares the little girl in the car. However, a mystery has occurred in this small town. People are missing from their graves and Thrip gets invited to a "reverse" funeral by Mr. Nascent, a murderer, who makes Thrip tell the tales of their deaths upon reanimation. However, there is a very horrific twist in this one, that I won't give away, but was very well done.

A nail-biting read that should be picked up by all horror fans.

[11811 (Eleven) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dig Andersen Prunty but struggle to enjoy short stories in general. It's an attention span thing. I'll stick with his longer fiction like The Sorrow King which was pretty awesome. If you are a short story person though, it might be worth looking at this one. It was a strange collection.

[Working Man Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting short story collection overall poking fun at human nature and mankind.

My review was an overall rating of 3.5 ⭐ I'm going to round up to 4

"Room 19" 5⭐
"Market adjustment" 2⭐
"The dust season 2"⭐
"Man with a face like a bruise" 4 ⭐
"The photographer" 3 ⭐
"The Night the Moon Made a Sound" 4⭐
"The Funeralgoer" 5⭐


I won't get into the individual breakdown of the stories you will have to read it for yourself. The author very smartly put his best stories at the beginning and the end. I respect this author's writing ability immensely and honestly my reviews of individual stories reflect that. Sometimes the plot and characters were a little meandering but they felt believable in the genre. Some of the stories were very bleak and dark in tone and I absolutely loved that. The final story really hit me in the fields and the author has a way with words that is very impressive.

Overall I'm at a 3.5 ⭐ and I will read more by this author and would recommend this story collection if you are interested in social commentary horror.

[Syon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Room 19 - 4.5 stars / Market Adjustment - 2.5 stars / The Dust Jacket - 1 star / The Man with a Face like a Bruise - 3.5 stars / The Photographer - 3 stars / The Funeral Goer - 4.5 stars / The Night the Moon Made a Sound - 4.5 stars / My ratings reflect how I felt about the actual plots and character work within these stories. As far the writing goes, it’s a straight 5 across the board from me. Prunty can write his ass off, and I can’t wait to read more of his work. 3 out 5 stars

[Natalie Pietro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only an evil genius could come up with such brilliant short stories. Each one has it's own creep factor that makes you want to keep reading till your eyes bleed. Needing something to pass the time while my little one slept I decided what better way then a collection of morbid tales. Each one surprisingly better then the last. I did however have a few favorites.

I loved the opening story "Room 19". Gave a good impression of what I have to look forward to. The story had such debt that I could picture the creepy manor giving me a chill not knowing what to expect with each passing page.

Then there was "Dust Season". A short delectable adventure bringing to life my fear of the carnival freak show. Heartless people doing unthinkable acts just to make a dollar.

Then to change it up a bit I came upon a slightly sensual story of two lovers yearning for the love they will never have. It turned me on in a way that made me crave for more.

Another favorite was "The Funeralgoer". It brought to life the dead. The dead who would never rest. So sinister yet ruthless it captured the souls of the helpless.

The end came with my favorite story of them all. "The night the moon made a sound". An emotionally tremendous tale of a lost little girl trying to find peace. It was sad yet very refreshing. Such a silly little story making you fall for this little girl knowing it could never be. I could hear the girl laughing in my head with every sentence. Something pulling you in to hold her forever.

I am pleased to discover this amazing little book. Each story has a mind of it's own. Changing from one emotion to the next. It could not have been written any more splendidly.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever read Prunty's work before, you would certainly recognize repeated themes such as the end of the world, despair, cannibalism, death, life after death, crazy, mind reading, tentacles, violence, loneliness, and more. This collection is a little more uneven than some of his other collections. Room 19 is the standout of this collection and, while many have written about the end of the world and the breakdown of society, few have ever managed to capture the kind of bitter hopelessness that is set forth in Room 19. Market Correction unfortunately wanders around in two many directions and lacks the singleminded focus of the other stories which take us readers on a dry brittle journey of pain and loneliness and despair. Vengeance has never been wrought so well. If you want to read about dancing purple dinosaurs, you just might be in the wrong place

[Matthew Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been reviewing a lot of Andersen Prunty books here recently, the guy has some really great books. His books are always well written, very imaginative and usually twisted. That doesn’t change with this collection of short stories, but this may be my favorite collection of his that I’ve read so far. Prunty has a real gift for creating characters that you genuinely feel for and care about, then putting them through some kind of hell, be it mental or physical. His stories evoke a sense of dread, and often times are quite depressing. Over all there’s not a bad story in the bunch, all seven offer something different from Pruntys creative mind. For me Room 19 and The Dust Season was a couple of the highlights.

[Mitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Andersen Prunty's bizarro book of short stories "The Driver's Guide to Hitting Pedestrians", so I thought I would give this collection of short horror stories a whirl.

And, oh, was I dissapointed. While I really liked all the stories in the book I read previously, these stories mostly left me feeling dissapointed. And while "Pedestrians" were full of memorable stories that still lurk in my mind, I honestly can't really remember any of the stories in this book.

Yes, I think "forgettable" is a perfect word to discribe this book. It isn't HORRIBLE, just not memorable enough and didn't really pack a punch for me.

Do yourself a favour and skip this one and read "Pedestrians". Now that's a good one!

[José Vivas M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesante colección de historias cortas pero intensas de horror y locura. Además del shock, por algunos episodios de violencia despiadada y por algunas descripciones muy gráficas, casi pornos, hay belleza onírica en la presencia de seres inocentes del más allá, poderes inusuales aprovechados de maneras más inusuales todavía, irónico comentario social. Y crueldad, mucha crueldad. Un autor al que tendré en mis pendientes.

[Donald Armfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Creepy man does it again. With more short stories that gives you goosebumps and chills to the bone. All the horror you can imagine recommended reading. My three overall favorites are
★Room 19
★The Dust Season
★The night the moon made a sound

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another meh anthology. Some of the stories made me want to check out some of Prunty's other work though, so I'll be giving him another shot.

[Horror DNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Retribution, justice, punishment, and death are some of the elements Andersen Prunty explores in the seven stories that make up Hi I'm a Social Disease, a collection in which the author once again shows that he can take short stories in any direction he desires and still deliver outstanding horror while touching on other genres and playing with readers' expectations.

You can read Gabino's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Shane Hawk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first foray into the mind of Andersen Prunty.
I recently found out that he put all of his Kindle books available for free so I delved in.
Prunty's writing here is clear and logical, yet has enough literary flair to keep one interested.
Outside of gore, the other gratuitousness was not pleasant to read though.
Hoping my next Prunty read is better!

[Mahagnie Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Prunty’s work!

I love Prunty’s work. I’m new to him and this is only the second book I’ve read but him and I’ve realized that he’s writing is so interesting. His ideas on society, pain, and emotions is manifested in his unique, creepy, gory and overall astonishing stories. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be freaked out!

[timj26 · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Andersen pruntys best collections
From deadly carnival show to a tale of revenge on a cheating lover I thoroughly enjoyed
Well narrated and highly recommended
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prunty's dark, twisted imagination is on full display in these stories.
Full of creeping dread, death, violence, sadness, and gore these tales of horror will stay lurking around your head long after you have turned the last page.

[Eddy Ream · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection

This is a good compilation of short horror stories. Nothing terribly graphic or “out there.” Just some solid scary stories that make for a quick read.

[Patches Skeletonjelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

D

[Kent Winward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually top notch for this particular genre, I just don't happen to be jiving on dystopian horror at the moment.

[Sam McCanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hi I'm a Social Disease is a great new collection of horror shorts by disturbed author, Andersen Prunty.

It is a quick, but very entertaining, read... weighing in at a modest seven little tales that are arranged perfectly to start you out in a sort of bleak shock, then pull you back up with a bit of the surreal and bit of clever brutality, to finish it all up with two of my favorite stories in the book.

High points in this collection for me were:

* the first story, "Room 19", deftly imagining an entire bleak reality through just a couple of characters and a small building, existing somewhere far post-apocalypse, just prior to it's imminent end.

* "The Funeralgoer" - about a misunderstood (or too well understood?) outsider who likely goes to too many funerals for his own good.

* the last story of the book, "The Night the Moon Made a Sound", which let me leave the book with a good feeling, as it was very much as endearing as it was dark.

If you are a fan of the darkness, in fun size, be sure to give these a shot.

[a_reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

See that pig holding the sign on the cover? It’s difficult to tell if he is friendly or not and I’m not quite sure what his true intentions are. After reading M.P. Johnson’s creepy and gory The After-Life Story of Pork Knuckles Malone I've had my fill on the personification of pigs for the time being so I picked up this book with much trepidation. Thankfully there is not one mention of a pig in Hi I’m a Social Disease: Horror Stories.

Andersen Prunty created a solid collection of seven horror short stories. Bizarro fans will get much delight from “Market Adjustment” which features a grotesque tale of revenge that includes a perverted journey up through a human body - or was that thing human? My personal favorites included “Room 19” and “The Funeralgoer”. I would love for Prunty to revisit and expand them further because he created such interesting fantastic worlds.

[Martha Bralkowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Earlier this week I read Prunty's Driver's Guide to Hitting Pedestrians, and I loved it. This, though... Not so much.
Coming from Pedestrians - I felt these stories were simply too long. The concepts behind them all were eerie and creepy, but the detail that went into every story just seemed forced for the sake of shock value. I actually felt the forced gore had the opposite effect than the author intended - it didn't add to the story or make you uncomfortable or emotional - it just lost me as a reader because I was too busy waiting for something to happen.
Still, Prunty is a great writer, I like his ideas, I just think that they were lost in this title under layers of lengthy and arbitrary bizarro. Sometimes less is more - that's why I loved Pedestrians. It still had all the filth and chaos, but it was quick and precise.

[Jo Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads give away.

For me horror is a little like fast food even though its junk food you still want it to taste good. This book left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Hands growing out of your forehead, diary's of collected scabs and doorways that look like vagina's and anus's just does not leave my imagination wanting more to feed on. Give me scary not warped bizarre crap that makes me wonder, "do I need to be on drugs to understand what is going on?" All the short stories sort of read the same to me violent, sexual and gory. Obviously this kind of horror is for a different kind of audience, not for me.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book cold, not knowing what to expect beyond "horror" as my friend out it. I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it! Some of the stories were not as enjoyable but overall I was riveted the whole time.

The descriptions are amazing, yet horrific (as they should be). Some of the main characters I had no sympathy for, but I'm pretty sure we aren't supposed to. Mission accomplished then!

I'd recommend this to people looking for something different and if you like the horror genre.

[Iamthez · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a random collection of short stories, and I mean that in the best way possible. In the space of a few pages, each story completely created it's own universe, full of people and ideas and all that good stuff. In fact, each one of these stories could be expanded on, and I'd happily eat them up.

The first story really set the tone for what we were about to read, and by the time it was done, I was hooked.

Not nearly as violent and/or trippy as Mr. Grin, but it definitely has the same well written characteristics as it.

Definite must for any horror fan.

[GD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesus man, this dude is harsh. It's the second book I've read by him, and while the first one was some pretty gruesome horror, this book, while less strictly horror, was even more brutal. There's something about these stories that remind me of Michael Gira's in The Consumer, this sick, all-encompassing feeling of hate and misery that makes them a little hard to read. I guess I feel like that sometimes, but I don't particularly want to revel in it the way this dude does. Anyway, I'll surely be getting more by him, he's the purest, most fearless guy I've come across recently.

[NeatMillieBliss · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story, "Room 19", uses one of my favorite Nick Cave songs (From Her to Eternity) as a starting point, so I couldn't resist this collection. Not bad, but the story I enjoyed most was "Market Adjustment", a truly disturbing take on the stock market crash of '29. Anderson Prunty is a horror (I hate labels) writer that I just discovered, and while I wouldn't recommend him to all my friends (particularly the squeamish ones), I haven't been disappointed.

[Padre · Rating 4 out of 5]

It starts with an OK story, followed by an average one and then keeps getting better and better. The final piece is excellent and is worth the whole book's price alone. 'The Night the Moon Made a Sound' has everything - interesting character, a nice little twist, suspense and graphic horror. Good job!