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Barbed Wire Hearts
"A hand poked from the soil like a pale flower…"
Eddie Stock's heart dislodges from his chest, drops to his bowels and dribbles down his thighs when the girl he likes laughs at him. Well the girl he likes and his entire school year. Finding himself in a forest, which has mysteriously sprouted about his town, Eddie meets a man named Ghoate.
Ghoate collects hearts. They hang from his ceiling and they rot within his jars. Ghoate also collects minions and it appears Eddie is his latest.
Elsewhere in the forest, a dead girl is waking. Rose Lovering's heart wasn't strong enough to allow her to live and isn't weak enough to end this living death.
Can Rose help Eddie regain his heart and save their town? And, can Eddie save her?
Eddie Stock's heart dislodges from his chest, drops to his bowels and dribbles down his thighs when the girl he likes laughs at him. Well the girl he likes and his entire school year. Finding himself in a forest, which has mysteriously sprouted about his town, Eddie meets a man named Ghoate.
Ghoate collects hearts. They hang from his ceiling and they rot within his jars. Ghoate also collects minions and it appears Eddie is his latest.
Elsewhere in the forest, a dead girl is waking. Rose Lovering's heart wasn't strong enough to allow her to live and isn't weak enough to end this living death.
Can Rose help Eddie regain his heart and save their town? And, can Eddie save her?
- GenresHorror
ebook
First published January 1, 2011
41 people want to read
About the author
Cate Gardner
45 books104 followersA writer of weird things. Scary only in ink. Stories published in Fantasy, Postscripts and Space & Time. Member of the HWA, SFWA and BFS.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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April 9, 2017Ths mini hardcover book is marked PC of 150 copies and is signed by Cate Cardner.
November 24, 2011
Well... I certainly liked this novella (somewhat a tragicomedy), and it was definitely a good introduction for Cate Gardner. Similar to the masterful "Master and Margarita" by Bulgakov, we have a devil-comes-to-town type of tale, utilizing dark humor and ridiculous scenarios for the main characters. Also similar to Bulgakov, Gardner uses an absurdist approach to her storytelling, both in plot device(s) and prose (particularly evidenced in the brain tickling dialogue). However, I would equate her absurdist style more to Jeff Strand than to actually Bulgakov. Much of Bulgakov's ironic tales incorporate social commentary with the intent of entertaining the reader.
Strand and Gardner simply write funny, absurd, and entertaining tales in which the irony exists for itself, and not so much to illuminate any specific societal or political issue of the day... which is totally fine. Entertainment is entertainment, regardless of the message or lack thereof.
However, this novella oddly shares a similar flaw to the very lengthy Bulgakov piece, in that with the absurd scenes that our main characters step through, the plot loosely meanders and finally stumbles to its end. I was a bit surprised that the story would meander as it did, especially given the brief length of the novella form. I think when the focus of the story is less on strong plot device and more on irony, we can wind up with this meandering effect.
One thing that did negatively stand out for me was how our devil (Ghoate) perished in such a mundane fashion. Fell down the stairs and broke his neck... really? This felt a bit lazy on Gardner's part and it seemed like our author was trying to hurry with wrapping things up. I thought Ghoate was certainly deserving of a more fitting end... at least something ironic. Oh well... perhaps a bit more polishing for Gardner's next piece.
Nice debut. I certainly appreciate the humor and irony and look forward to following this new author.
Strand and Gardner simply write funny, absurd, and entertaining tales in which the irony exists for itself, and not so much to illuminate any specific societal or political issue of the day... which is totally fine. Entertainment is entertainment, regardless of the message or lack thereof.
However, this novella oddly shares a similar flaw to the very lengthy Bulgakov piece, in that with the absurd scenes that our main characters step through, the plot loosely meanders and finally stumbles to its end. I was a bit surprised that the story would meander as it did, especially given the brief length of the novella form. I think when the focus of the story is less on strong plot device and more on irony, we can wind up with this meandering effect.
One thing that did negatively stand out for me was how our devil (Ghoate) perished in such a mundane fashion. Fell down the stairs and broke his neck... really? This felt a bit lazy on Gardner's part and it seemed like our author was trying to hurry with wrapping things up. I thought Ghoate was certainly deserving of a more fitting end... at least something ironic. Oh well... perhaps a bit more polishing for Gardner's next piece.
Nice debut. I certainly appreciate the humor and irony and look forward to following this new author.
December 27, 2011
"Barbed Wire Hearts," a short, surreal novella, was my introduction to the weird and wonderful work of Cate Gardner. And "weird" is the operative word here...
Simultaneously humorous, terrifying, and touching, this modern-day deal-with-the-devil tragic comedy will at times emotionally drain you, intellectually challenge you, and then force you to laugh out loud with its well-crafted absurdity. And while it's tempting to cite examples of each instance, "Barbed Wire Hearts" should be read without any overview of the plot, leaving the reader to fully relish and experience its beauty and horror firsthand.
Admittedly, I often find surreal, bizzaro, and some speculative fiction too abstract for my puny analytical mind; that genre of tales often lacks a certain cohesiveness for me, with characters left underdeveloped and interesting concepts falling a little flat. But when done well, like "Barbed Wire Hearts," I read in a state of heightened alert, awaiting the next turn of phrase or off-the-wall plot development, dissecting each sentence and crawling inside the minds of the characters.
This short tale will stay with you for a long time.
Simultaneously humorous, terrifying, and touching, this modern-day deal-with-the-devil tragic comedy will at times emotionally drain you, intellectually challenge you, and then force you to laugh out loud with its well-crafted absurdity. And while it's tempting to cite examples of each instance, "Barbed Wire Hearts" should be read without any overview of the plot, leaving the reader to fully relish and experience its beauty and horror firsthand.
Admittedly, I often find surreal, bizzaro, and some speculative fiction too abstract for my puny analytical mind; that genre of tales often lacks a certain cohesiveness for me, with characters left underdeveloped and interesting concepts falling a little flat. But when done well, like "Barbed Wire Hearts," I read in a state of heightened alert, awaiting the next turn of phrase or off-the-wall plot development, dissecting each sentence and crawling inside the minds of the characters.
This short tale will stay with you for a long time.
March 20, 2012
I feel weird reviewing this gorgeous little novella because I got a sneak peek at it while it was in edits and... yeah. It's just so, so pretty. (And now I have the little hardback edition and, my god. Beautiful!)
But I will say that it's an incredible, dark, poetic, and lovely dream. A fantastic bedtime story for grownups. It will make your heart hurt -- if you can manage to keep it in your chest at all.
Also, dude, I love Ghoate. So much.
But I will say that it's an incredible, dark, poetic, and lovely dream. A fantastic bedtime story for grownups. It will make your heart hurt -- if you can manage to keep it in your chest at all.
Also, dude, I love Ghoate. So much.
January 22, 2026
Gardner, Cate - Barbed Wire Hearts
Busted. Eddie was caught gawking at the school beauty. Ridicule was swift and ferocious.
Oh, the shame!
Fleeing into the forest, he encounters a horned demon; the collector of hearts, dispenser of spiders, and broker of lopsided bargains.
Social misfit, engaging devil, and soon enough, a dead girl.
This is a furry fantasy, sporadically funny. The plot jags about.
I read, curious what the author would throw at the narrative wall next.
Definitely offbeat, especially for Mr Staley’s press.
Busted. Eddie was caught gawking at the school beauty. Ridicule was swift and ferocious.
Oh, the shame!
Fleeing into the forest, he encounters a horned demon; the collector of hearts, dispenser of spiders, and broker of lopsided bargains.
Social misfit, engaging devil, and soon enough, a dead girl.
This is a furry fantasy, sporadically funny. The plot jags about.
I read, curious what the author would throw at the narrative wall next.
Definitely offbeat, especially for Mr Staley’s press.
February 15, 2012
Weird, funny, surreal, and definitely haunting. I think this book stole my heart. Loved it so much.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews