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Oneiric: Stories
"Oneiric" is a compilation of short fiction in which Aaron Powell explores a range of emotions, demonstrating to willing readers the complexities of the human condition.
136 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 20, 2016
I was very much in doubt about how to rate this book. This is a compilation of short-stories, a few with cliff-hangings, a few with abysses and some with a rope-bridge for you to cross.
These are not short-stories about romance, thriller, philosophy... Oneiric is something different. And if you like reading new authors with a different and intelligent look at the world, I recommend.
First, I am not very partial to compilation of short-stories, but I've liked the author's previous works. Aaron Powell has a wonderful penmanship for erotica (Sugar Baby & Scream, Aye Sir) and for ethics & morals (Voluntary and Priority).
So, I bought the book. I'll try to convey my still jumbled ideas about the stories without spoilers and as there are many stories in the book, I've plucked the ones I liked most.
I have to say that I absolutely loved the title Oneiric: stories. Oneiric is related to dreams or dreaming, but, imo, the whole book is related to our own experiences in our daily life and how they reflect in our unconscious. Where the reality becomes too confused and too difficult to bear (even in happiness) that the real dream begins?
And I loved the cover, kind of zen, kind of blurred, and a stylish peacock, in such a beautiful color. And why the peacock, I wonder? Because we are too vain?
I wrote poems and I leave them scent impregnating in the bottom of the drawer where I keep my secrets. But I digress.
- Oneiric's last story is a poem: Stale Feeling ; it's SPECTACULAR! Absolutely spectacular in its smallness and objectivity. A bit on the too realistic side, after the second reading quite a punch in your stomach, but anyway beautiful. If I were Aaron, I would have started the book with this. (It made me want to publish my poems.)
- Then the first one: 124 MPH Oh, God... What can I say about that? I never read about a cautionary tale narrated without blood, gore of terrible suspense, and yet, I could almost feel it, on the last line just on the last line, there it was; on my skin, on my body, on my soul. All over me and everything going down hill. Very good, very good, Aaron;
- Political Socialization Very good, interesting - pessimist x realist - POV of 35 years old man about his blown up dreams. And another blow to your guts: no one are really interest in the other anymore. The selfishness and the individuality comes out screaming at you.
And it goes well with:
- Everything is not ok. Great. Very good. Have you ever though if everything were okay?
- Pfuck chill - Oneiricishly, or perhaps a nightmarishly ego-trip. Well elaborated, it doesn't let you preview the end and it connects to another book of the author, which I'll not say the name to avoid spoilers. Good, very good.
- Wooden spoon - We try, we try, but when we are destiny to something, it's impossible to escape it, no matter what we do. (BTW, I have to say that I hated the leading character's mother. She deserved a spanking herself).
- Sunapothnesko - OMG! I don’t know if I should be horrified or applaud.
- Suicidal tendencies - A very interesting version of a teenager inside an asylum and the value of life.
And there are more... For me, these are the best ones! Good job, Aaron.
P.S. - Oh, I really liked Devin. For the first time, I messaged an author. I asked Aaron to develop Devin into a full book. It would be fun to see him fully immersed in the pool of feelings, creating, expecting and giving birth to Devin. :)
These are not short-stories about romance, thriller, philosophy... Oneiric is something different. And if you like reading new authors with a different and intelligent look at the world, I recommend.
First, I am not very partial to compilation of short-stories, but I've liked the author's previous works. Aaron Powell has a wonderful penmanship for erotica (Sugar Baby & Scream, Aye Sir) and for ethics & morals (Voluntary and Priority).
So, I bought the book. I'll try to convey my still jumbled ideas about the stories without spoilers and as there are many stories in the book, I've plucked the ones I liked most.
I have to say that I absolutely loved the title Oneiric: stories. Oneiric is related to dreams or dreaming, but, imo, the whole book is related to our own experiences in our daily life and how they reflect in our unconscious. Where the reality becomes too confused and too difficult to bear (even in happiness) that the real dream begins?
And I loved the cover, kind of zen, kind of blurred, and a stylish peacock, in such a beautiful color. And why the peacock, I wonder? Because we are too vain?
I wrote poems and I leave them scent impregnating in the bottom of the drawer where I keep my secrets. But I digress.
- Oneiric's last story is a poem: Stale Feeling ; it's SPECTACULAR! Absolutely spectacular in its smallness and objectivity. A bit on the too realistic side, after the second reading quite a punch in your stomach, but anyway beautiful. If I were Aaron, I would have started the book with this. (It made me want to publish my poems.)
- Then the first one: 124 MPH Oh, God... What can I say about that? I never read about a cautionary tale narrated without blood, gore of terrible suspense, and yet, I could almost feel it, on the last line just on the last line, there it was; on my skin, on my body, on my soul. All over me and everything going down hill. Very good, very good, Aaron;
- Political Socialization Very good, interesting - pessimist x realist - POV of 35 years old man about his blown up dreams. And another blow to your guts: no one are really interest in the other anymore. The selfishness and the individuality comes out screaming at you.
And it goes well with:
- Everything is not ok. Great. Very good. Have you ever though if everything were okay?
- Pfuck chill - Oneiricishly, or perhaps a nightmarishly ego-trip. Well elaborated, it doesn't let you preview the end and it connects to another book of the author, which I'll not say the name to avoid spoilers. Good, very good.
- Wooden spoon - We try, we try, but when we are destiny to something, it's impossible to escape it, no matter what we do. (BTW, I have to say that I hated the leading character's mother. She deserved a spanking herself).
- Sunapothnesko - OMG! I don’t know if I should be horrified or applaud.
- Suicidal tendencies - A very interesting version of a teenager inside an asylum and the value of life.
And there are more... For me, these are the best ones! Good job, Aaron.
P.S. - Oh, I really liked Devin. For the first time, I messaged an author. I asked Aaron to develop Devin into a full book. It would be fun to see him fully immersed in the pool of feelings, creating, expecting and giving birth to Devin. :)
August 3, 2016
This book has a lot of short stories in it, so I'll just give some highlights on some of those that I liked the most.
124 mph
Surprise ending!
China Toy Story
This story scared me. Subtle and short and you hope like hell it's not really possible.
Unrequited
Too real. Everyone probably knows someone in a situation like this - and hates it. I know I do. !!!
Under the Big Oak Tree
Another story that hit too close to home for me. Since something like this happened to me in real life, I could see the ending coming, but you probably won't.
Everything is Not OK
I'm surprised right off the bat by this narrative. People rarely if ever admit that they're wrong about anything, so it's surprisingly fresh to read something where the narrator is telling you what an asshole he is. LOL
It's like a person peeling away one of the big layers of mental onion skin that will eventually lead to enlightenment if he keeps it up.
Sounds like a grown up Holden Caulfield talking.
Pfuck Chili
One my favorites in this book. Fans who've read Powell's other books will get an extra surprise with this one!
I love this story. People always piss me off, because people generally suck, and it was fun to read a violent fantasy of things we'd never really do.
Suicidal Tendencies
Another one that touches on real stuff - which makes me think of The Beatles. Think of Paul McCartney writing songs that were really catchy but weren't really about anything that touched you. Then there was John Lennon - everything he wrote came from his heart and soul and that's why he has such a devoted following. If Aaron Powell was a Beatle, he'd be John. His writing can connect with real things inside of you and they make a bigger impression than a story that is merely entertaining on the surface.
If you like Powell's writing, you're going to love this book. I sure did. It was an unexpected surprise. An up-and-coming master of the short story.
If you've never read Powell before - this is a great place to start.
I hope Aaron Powell writes more short stories. Please, write more!
124 mph
Surprise ending!
China Toy Story
This story scared me. Subtle and short and you hope like hell it's not really possible.
Unrequited
Too real. Everyone probably knows someone in a situation like this - and hates it. I know I do. !!!
Under the Big Oak Tree
Another story that hit too close to home for me. Since something like this happened to me in real life, I could see the ending coming, but you probably won't.
Everything is Not OK
I'm surprised right off the bat by this narrative. People rarely if ever admit that they're wrong about anything, so it's surprisingly fresh to read something where the narrator is telling you what an asshole he is. LOL
It's like a person peeling away one of the big layers of mental onion skin that will eventually lead to enlightenment if he keeps it up.
Sounds like a grown up Holden Caulfield talking.
Pfuck Chili
One my favorites in this book. Fans who've read Powell's other books will get an extra surprise with this one!
I love this story. People always piss me off, because people generally suck, and it was fun to read a violent fantasy of things we'd never really do.
Suicidal Tendencies
Another one that touches on real stuff - which makes me think of The Beatles. Think of Paul McCartney writing songs that were really catchy but weren't really about anything that touched you. Then there was John Lennon - everything he wrote came from his heart and soul and that's why he has such a devoted following. If Aaron Powell was a Beatle, he'd be John. His writing can connect with real things inside of you and they make a bigger impression than a story that is merely entertaining on the surface.
If you like Powell's writing, you're going to love this book. I sure did. It was an unexpected surprise. An up-and-coming master of the short story.
If you've never read Powell before - this is a great place to start.
I hope Aaron Powell writes more short stories. Please, write more!
December 30, 2013
I've enjoyed several of Aaron Powell's books, and I was excited to read this selection of short stories. Each story had something special that was heartwarming, terrifying, humorous, or inspiring. I think my favorite story in the book was "Everything is Not OK." It was an intense look at the way things are in this sometimes messed up world, and how we're not always honest with ourselves.
My second favorite story was entitled "Pfuck Chili." I knew that I'd like it before I even started reading. It was quite scary because I know that everyone has fantasies like the protagonist in this story. It sort of explains why people snap and go crazy for what seems like no reason, when there's so much going on under the surface. Powell has an amazing way of taking a topic to the next level and making me feel deeply about so many different subjects (I may have shed a tear or two while reading Oneiric). I would love to read more of Powell's short stories, and I'm looking forward to digging into more of his work. Well done, sir!
My second favorite story was entitled "Pfuck Chili." I knew that I'd like it before I even started reading. It was quite scary because I know that everyone has fantasies like the protagonist in this story. It sort of explains why people snap and go crazy for what seems like no reason, when there's so much going on under the surface. Powell has an amazing way of taking a topic to the next level and making me feel deeply about so many different subjects (I may have shed a tear or two while reading Oneiric). I would love to read more of Powell's short stories, and I'm looking forward to digging into more of his work. Well done, sir!
June 18, 2015
Aaron Powell has a way with words. In this compilation of short stories, he brings us so many different stories, with different plots and POVs, that it highlights even more his talent for those who had already read his books.
This compilation has many stories and my favorites are the ones that I would call psychological fantasies - and, I bet some would make Freud dig his way out of his grave to study again human psyche.
These stories with the ends that we would probably never achieve in real life, (without being really sickos) - the ones with dream about - are exactly what scares and compels in Oneiric. As its name goes, this book is a great, dreamy (or nightmarish) escape for our daily living.
As always, I stand up and applaud Aaron.
This compilation has many stories and my favorites are the ones that I would call psychological fantasies - and, I bet some would make Freud dig his way out of his grave to study again human psyche.
These stories with the ends that we would probably never achieve in real life, (without being really sickos) - the ones with dream about - are exactly what scares and compels in Oneiric. As its name goes, this book is a great, dreamy (or nightmarish) escape for our daily living.
As always, I stand up and applaud Aaron.
November 3, 2013
This book has the best cliff hangers of any book I have ever read. If you read this story you will have to read Aaron's other stories and not to worry they are not stories that take days and days to read so I have probably said this once and will say it again if you haven't read ANY of Aaron's books then you are missing out
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