Soft Rot

by Tyler R. Findlay

A short collection of fiction and poetry from a strange new Southern voice.   Soft Rot is a raw dive into nostalgic hum, ultimately losing itself into drink - characters, author and reader alike.  It features work from The Applicant, The Camroc Press Review, HorrorSleazeTrash and the 22 Magazine .

Genres: Short Stories

46 pages, Paperback

First published March 17, 2012

Reviews

[Patrick Probably DNF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some writers ease their way onto the fiction scene; others kick in the door and barge inside with a shotgun. Meet Tyler Findlay, author of "Soft Rot," five stories crafted in unfiltered, unpredictable, and unforgettable prose. The characters here live on society's fringe, struggling to make ends meet, and poised at those crucial intersections of character-defining destiny. The writing style is bold, masculine, and fearless; but make no mistake, each page reveals poetic descriptions, structures, and insights. This author writes fiction like Trent Reznor composes music -- intensely, violently, beautifully.

[Ronnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Soft Rot free through Goodreads First Reads.

Soft Rot is just like a roller coaster. You start fast, go through a couple of loops, and then it is over, leaving you wanting more. There are some flashes of brilliance that make you wonder what Findlay could do with a full length novel.

A very gritty, dirty, but enjoyable read.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tyler Findlay: This generation's uprising Bukowski. Definitely a must read. I look forward to more of his work.

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Soft Rot is vulgar. Soft Rot is raw. Almost too raw--it needed a copy editor (like, a real one and not just a friend doing a favor who's going to miss missing apostrophes). Soft Rot is bleak and beautiful. These grimy stories full of alcohol and sex are poetically told. The ideas here are great. I won't say they need refinement--based on the voice I felt behind these stories, I'm pretty sure refinement is something Findlay would scoff at--but there's just something not quite attained. Yet.

Findlay, I think you have a lot of potential. When you decide to write your next book (which I definitely think you should), send it over. I'd be happy to mark in all your missing apostrophes.

Received through Goodreads First Reads.

--Edited to remove my jab about the word "franticly" which apparently is a word.--

[Joann(san diego shutterbug) · Rating 2 out of 5]

definatly not what i was expecting. the entire book was a let down except for the last story.The last story was the only one that was actually finished. The other stories left you hanging. I dont know if that was the concept the author was going for. if he had finished them the book probably would have been better. I received this book as part of goodreads first reads giveaways. The shipment of the book was very slow. Normally books that i have received through goodreads first reads giveaways are received within the first 3 weeks after giveaway. this was past the 6 week arrival time and that was after emailing the author multiple times.

[Maryann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to receive this book from a Goodreads giveaway.

It was a little bit difficult for me to rate it under the typical scale here. The book was vulgar and gritty, yet the writing was strong and a bit poetic. The short stories centered for the most part around incidents which happened to drunk people. It was creative enough writing that I would definitely read more from this new author. I would like to see how he handled a longer piece, in terms of character development and plot, for example.

[R J Royer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quick collection of short stories was very well written and any one of them could be expanded into a full novel with care. I really enjoyed this more than I thought I would as I had read that they where incomplete and that they should have been finished but then I thought that life rarely finishes like and when we want it to and got over that. These stories are written in a way that makes you want to learn more about each and every one of them. You want more and that is one of the best ways to leave anything. Hopefully we will get more of these soon.

[Jacob Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting insight to the almost esoteric realm of degenerate vagabond lowlifes. The characters in this book of short stories are people that you hate to love and can't help but look for conclusion or happiness in their one track lives. A great read.