Odds and Ends: An Assortment of Sorts

by Dustin LaValley

Prepare to be ferried to an unfamiliar realm on the bony back of despair. Author Dustin LaValley takes us down face first with rapid-fire flash fiction in the form of Odds and Ends: An Assortment of Sorts. Already associated with the dark and bizarre, LaValley expands his repertoire to experiment with form and literary introspection. These harrowing meditations on the nature of the world--and the very purpose of humanity--not only provide chills, but strangely the effect of this read is vastly disproportionate to its length, leaving us with scars to contemplate for a long time to come.

69 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 13, 2013

Reviews

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

With acuity and a nod to the disenfranchised, the author presents us with a collection that is familiar with darkness but is underscored with a hint of light. I look forward to reading more of this author's distinctive writing.

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Las máximas extendidas a relatos, en ocasiones muy breves.-

Género. Relatos.

Lo que nos cuenta. Recopilación de relatos del autor, muy cortos algunos de ellos, de temática humanista, urbana, oscura, nihilista y joven, todo a la vez.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Rodney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The random musings and flash pieces in this book were very relevant to me. Humorous, dark, insightful and laced with irony, I really enjoyed them.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odds and Ends is a hard book to fit into any category or genre, and is composed as a collection of flash fiction pieces. For me, short story collections are a hard sell, but flash fiction isn't really the same animal.

If I have any complaints, it's that a lot of the scenes feel like something cut out of a longer story. They give just enough to establish a scene, but leave me guessing at what might come before or after the brief glimpses.

But the writer's style makes each of these snippets compelling, and I wouldn't care what happens next if not for the engaging way the narrators of each piece pick at my curiosity. Many of the works are dark, but nothing comes across as being done for shock value. So for me, this is a great collection that's a fast read, perfect for picking up when you're in a rush and just want a quick reading fix.

I give Odd and Ends: An Assortment of Sorts four stars and recommend it to anyone interested in well written dark flash fiction. And if that isn't enough to interest you, you can get the collection for free from the Raw Dog Screaming Press site in mobi, epub, or PDF.

[Matt Wesolowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a relative newcomer to flash fiction, I wasn't sure if it was for me; however, the strength of the prose in this left me desperate for more.
The stories in here are snatches of thought, brief windows into lives and snapshots from the most delicate tenderness to glimpses into the darkness within us all.

What stands out here is the simplicity of LaValley's style. Odds & Ends are quite simply exquisitely crafted vignettes from a melancholy world along an endless, dusty highway. Like me, you'll finish this collection inspired, moved and most of all, wishing the book were longer.

If ever there was a definitive introduction to this genre...this is it.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little darker than I usually read, Odds and Ends is a super interesting collection of flash fiction / prose poetry, some of which remind me of the writings of Jim Morrison or the poetry of Rimbaud or even David Bowie's Future Legend from Diamond Dogs way back when.... Some stories or "snapshots" are just a sentence or two and there are several drawings throughout the book. My personal favorite was "Sympathy or Selfishness." Short enough to read in one sitting, you may want to take your time to digest each page. I did!

[Robert A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odds and Ends is a descriptive name for this short collection. Each piece gives the reader the opportunity to mull it significance, especially as it pertains to human character and existence. There is representative darkness in the author's writing. An orginal, thus the five stars. This book is much different from the usual fare, by an author that apparently walks down a different street. Reviewed by the author of The Children's Story,A Novel Not for Children (about good and evil).

[Donald Armfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dustin LaValley had a rough life growing up from what the authors Bio tells us. He has won awards for his work and here is Odds and Ends.

A bunch of mind splatter straight from Dustin's head straight onto a note pad, poetry and blurps that will having you reading again and wondering. My Favorites:

Imaginary Words
For Her, Insomnia
I-15
Realization, a Reflection
Tap the Glass!
Used