41 Strange

by Diane Doniol-Valcroze, Arthur K. Flam

A collection of 41 flash fiction stories.
The genres: science fiction, fantasy, humor, horror, mystery.

Written by Arthur K. Flam
Edited by Diane Doniol-Valcroze

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2014

About the author

Diane Doniol-Valcroze was born in Paris, France. She is the daughter of Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, the co-founder of the legendary New Wave magazine Cahiers du Cinéma. Her grandfather was French filmmaker André Cayatte (the original The Mirror Has Two Faces). She received an English literature B.A. from Sorbonne University and a film M.F.A. from New York University. She is screenwriter for Lionsgate's Penny Dreadful (2006) and MGM's Hit and Run (2009). She lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Sherry Fundin · Rating 5 out of 5]

41 Strange is 41 short stories of straight up horror. The collection has some unique stories to scare the …….. pants off you. lol I could not help but freak out at Diane Doniol-Valcroze & Arthur K. Flam’s tales and their creative wickedness.

So, turn out the lights, make sure we are alone and let’s get our freak on.

I cannot help but laugh at all the normal, everyday things that I will now look at and think twice about.

OMG, the rottweiler – I am loving it. And ice cubes? Do you ever fantasize about getting stuck in the automatic car wash? I do. It SOOOO creeps me out, but I do like a clean car.

I just want to warn you to beware of swimming pools, cell phones, mattresses, turkeys, stairs, trees, diners, traffic lights, cars, the government, the color purple, shredders, monkeys, elevators, hair and ……….

41 Strange has so many different ideas of horror and death. Some are as little as a page or two. They are unique and original and I loved them all. The writing is excellent and the stories “jumped off the pages keeping me rapidly turning them.” (Even though I was reading on my Kindle) I could hardly wait to find out what happened next and next and next. If you are a horror fan, 41 Strange is a MUST READ!

I received the book in return for an honest and unbaised review.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tight and tense “short-short stories” that I found here made a very strong impact in a short amount of space, with some wildly original images and situations. What I loved most about the stories, besides inventiveness and the often darkly comic tone, was the highly unpredictable endings. Five of my particular favorites in the collection include Fingers in the Night, Murderess Mattress, the tragic Cut it Short, the fairytale-ish Sally Pipplet and Strickland Domain. Got a real fun time out of them. These are some very memorable stories to partake in.