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Bubbles
Please Note: This is not a children's book. This is a book for adults who wish to spend their leisure time being horrified.
Mature Content: This book contains sexual situations, vulgar language, unspeakable acts of violence, alcohol/marijuana use and arson.
If that sounds like your sort of thing, please read on. Otherwise, thank you for considering it.
Can a goldfish kill a man? Hypothetically, but it would have to be an extraordinary goldfish and not much of a man.
Thus we have the tale of Bubbles, a mutant goldfish, and Les Wellborne, a human resources manager in St. Louis, Missouri. The two conspicuous consumers collide in an appalling genetic explosion in John T. Sonne's novella, BUBBLES, a satirical tale of horror without redemption.
Initially, Bubbles is forced to wait for prey to happen by its backyard pond. The mutating goldfish soon leaves the pond, aided by the ability to take on the characteristics of the creatures it consumes. The cute little carp quickly turns into an incredibly creepy critter with an insatiable appetite. The constantly evolving beast will destroy more than two households in a weekend filled with mayhem.
Mature Content: This book contains sexual situations, vulgar language, unspeakable acts of violence, alcohol/marijuana use and arson.
If that sounds like your sort of thing, please read on. Otherwise, thank you for considering it.
Can a goldfish kill a man? Hypothetically, but it would have to be an extraordinary goldfish and not much of a man.
Thus we have the tale of Bubbles, a mutant goldfish, and Les Wellborne, a human resources manager in St. Louis, Missouri. The two conspicuous consumers collide in an appalling genetic explosion in John T. Sonne's novella, BUBBLES, a satirical tale of horror without redemption.
Initially, Bubbles is forced to wait for prey to happen by its backyard pond. The mutating goldfish soon leaves the pond, aided by the ability to take on the characteristics of the creatures it consumes. The cute little carp quickly turns into an incredibly creepy critter with an insatiable appetite. The constantly evolving beast will destroy more than two households in a weekend filled with mayhem.
142 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2014
10 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 24, 2020
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This story is about as good as a book about a mutated goldfish could be. I expected more humor... It's actually very serious. The idea drew me in because it just sounds like a crazy plot. Fortunately, I like crazy.
Unfortunately, the chapters skip around. Each chapter is a date and a time. And that timeline is sometimes fast forwarded and seems very jumbled.
The story itself was good. A scene with the dog will stick with me for some time.
Anyways, some of the descriptions were hard to follow.
Overall, this book reads like a third rate horror feature at the drive in back in the good old days. So that's pretty cool. ( Right down to a squeezed in sex scene LOL. I did enjoy the dominatrix tho).
If a mutated goldfish is your cup of tea, you might enjoy this book. As a whole, I did
Unfortunately, the chapters skip around. Each chapter is a date and a time. And that timeline is sometimes fast forwarded and seems very jumbled.
The story itself was good. A scene with the dog will stick with me for some time.
Anyways, some of the descriptions were hard to follow.
Overall, this book reads like a third rate horror feature at the drive in back in the good old days. So that's pretty cool. ( Right down to a squeezed in sex scene LOL. I did enjoy the dominatrix tho).
If a mutated goldfish is your cup of tea, you might enjoy this book. As a whole, I did
July 30, 2015
3.75 stars. This was an enjoyable read. Some of the descriptions were hard to follow, and I think this could definitely be tightened up with a good edit, but overall the story is worth the read if you are okay with violence and gore.
January 31, 2016
Very low end horror.
While I do like to read masters of horror like Clive Barker or Stephen King this story is a far cry from those.
The first thing is - why exactly did the author bother to split the story in two (present and future) and switch between then i do not know, but in my eyes it fails to make any suspense.
The monster itself is cliche - a mutating horror that adapts according to what it eats - much like the alien or the shapeshifter from the thing.
The human character are there mainly to be eaten in a grotesque way and that's about it.
I read it to the end because i'm a completionist but must admit that it really is not my kind of book.
While I do like to read masters of horror like Clive Barker or Stephen King this story is a far cry from those.
The first thing is - why exactly did the author bother to split the story in two (present and future) and switch between then i do not know, but in my eyes it fails to make any suspense.
The monster itself is cliche - a mutating horror that adapts according to what it eats - much like the alien or the shapeshifter from the thing.
The human character are there mainly to be eaten in a grotesque way and that's about it.
I read it to the end because i'm a completionist but must admit that it really is not my kind of book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2017
I gave this book a chance because it was set in my hometown and I don't mind reading stories where the good guys don't save the day. The one, however, didn't really make too much sense.
Time was all over the place in this book. One chapter would cover Saturday afternoon and the next would be on Friday morning. This happened every single chapter and I eventually just stopped caring about trying to get the timeline straight in my head.
The characters were pretty thin but could be described simply. Keith was black and smoked weed while his family was away. Les was an extremely unlikable man with a comically small penis that (somehow) managed to get a rich, beautiful woman to marry him and finance their household. Edgar was a loyal dog willing to die fighting a threat that his owner doesn't seem to notice. Gretchen and Ally are wives.
The titular character, Bubbles, is just stereotypically evil. There was no real motive for its actions other than "eat and grow." I also really couldn't get a good image of what it looked like because it wasn't really described too well. The book description says that it took on the characteristics of everything that it ate but it never seemed to change after the scorpion.
Even though the book kinda just stopped, I can't say that it was a bad ending because it fit the rest of the story. I don't think that I'll ever read this book again but I gave it 2 stars because it managed to hold my attention long enough for me to finish it in one day. It may be morbid but I was actually curious about how Keith and Les were going to die even though I'd been hoping that Keith would survive.
This is not an example of fine literature but could be considered the equivalent of literary junk food. If you are interested in this story, I think that as long as you go into it without any expectations you should be fine.
Time was all over the place in this book. One chapter would cover Saturday afternoon and the next would be on Friday morning. This happened every single chapter and I eventually just stopped caring about trying to get the timeline straight in my head.
The characters were pretty thin but could be described simply. Keith was black and smoked weed while his family was away. Les was an extremely unlikable man with a comically small penis that (somehow) managed to get a rich, beautiful woman to marry him and finance their household. Edgar was a loyal dog willing to die fighting a threat that his owner doesn't seem to notice. Gretchen and Ally are wives.
The titular character, Bubbles, is just stereotypically evil. There was no real motive for its actions other than "eat and grow." I also really couldn't get a good image of what it looked like because it wasn't really described too well. The book description says that it took on the characteristics of everything that it ate but it never seemed to change after the scorpion.
Even though the book kinda just stopped, I can't say that it was a bad ending because it fit the rest of the story. I don't think that I'll ever read this book again but I gave it 2 stars because it managed to hold my attention long enough for me to finish it in one day. It may be morbid but I was actually curious about how Keith and Les were going to die even though I'd been hoping that Keith would survive.
This is not an example of fine literature but could be considered the equivalent of literary junk food. If you are interested in this story, I think that as long as you go into it without any expectations you should be fine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2021
This tale bubbles the mutant goldfish is 90% horror and 10% very dry, VERY dark humor. Don’t read of you’re looking for a goofy horror parody.
WARNING: this book contains disturbing descriptions of serial rape (see minor spoilers below for more info).
This book contains a bizarre mix of non-fantastical psychological horror in the scenes without bubbles and over-the-top violent gore in scenes with the insatiably bloodthirsty bubbles. The scenes without bubbles are actually more horrifying than the bubbles scenes. The story is told in short chapters that jump around in time out of chronological order. This actually furthers the off-putting, eerie, oh-so-creepy tone of this stone cold chilling story. Despite this leaning a bit too much towards the horror side of things for my taste, it was well written, compelling, and bizarre enough that I had to keep reading to see what happens next in a transfixed horror. The author skillfull ensured some of the characters so deeply and viscerally hated that you end up totally rooting for their gruesome death-by-bubbles.
**begin minor spoilers** Specifically, you will root for the inevitable ghastly demise of the monstrous serial rapist Leslie, who has repeatedly roofied his wife attempting to impregnate her against her will. I’d like to think that maybe the aberration of reality that is the insatiably destructive mutant goldfish bubbles is some tangible karmic response to the abomination of a human that is Leslie. **end minor spoilers**
This story is more than a little twisted, but strangely compelling. It’s not the type of book I would have picked up had I known how heavily it leans towards the horror side of the humorous horror genre, but once I started reading it I couldn’t stop. It’s a compelling, unique, and skillfully told horror novel.
WARNING: this book contains disturbing descriptions of serial rape (see minor spoilers below for more info).
This book contains a bizarre mix of non-fantastical psychological horror in the scenes without bubbles and over-the-top violent gore in scenes with the insatiably bloodthirsty bubbles. The scenes without bubbles are actually more horrifying than the bubbles scenes. The story is told in short chapters that jump around in time out of chronological order. This actually furthers the off-putting, eerie, oh-so-creepy tone of this stone cold chilling story. Despite this leaning a bit too much towards the horror side of things for my taste, it was well written, compelling, and bizarre enough that I had to keep reading to see what happens next in a transfixed horror. The author skillfull ensured some of the characters so deeply and viscerally hated that you end up totally rooting for their gruesome death-by-bubbles.
**begin minor spoilers** Specifically, you will root for the inevitable ghastly demise of the monstrous serial rapist Leslie, who has repeatedly roofied his wife attempting to impregnate her against her will. I’d like to think that maybe the aberration of reality that is the insatiably destructive mutant goldfish bubbles is some tangible karmic response to the abomination of a human that is Leslie. **end minor spoilers**
This story is more than a little twisted, but strangely compelling. It’s not the type of book I would have picked up had I known how heavily it leans towards the horror side of the humorous horror genre, but once I started reading it I couldn’t stop. It’s a compelling, unique, and skillfully told horror novel.
June 8, 2020
Fun for some non-stop gore dealt by a mutant goldfish.
May 26, 2017
Two neighbors that hate each other, one with a pond he put in to impress his wife.. along with some goldfish.. he let die/freeze over winter. Keith and Leslie.. Leslie is the one who tried to impress his wife.. although had a mistress on the side. Leslie notices a fish left over in his pond.. and names it Bubbles. Bubbles somehow mutated, and this is the story of how a fish took over the neighborhood.
Hilarious and creepy!! This is a short story, and I almost wish it was longer.. I have to warn you of some gruesomeness... but if you are a fan of gross horror!! Like me, dig in.. but seriously you will wonder about your neighbors afterward.
Hilarious and creepy!! This is a short story, and I almost wish it was longer.. I have to warn you of some gruesomeness... but if you are a fan of gross horror!! Like me, dig in.. but seriously you will wonder about your neighbors afterward.
December 11, 2014
In a little town where one neighbour smokes pot while hanging solar panels on his roof, and another conducts sex acts akin to Fifty Shades, a little goldfish named Bubbles swims, seemingly innocent in a pond.
Unbeknownst to said neighbours, with each passing remnant of food, the fish gains strength and mutates, eventually growing into a bloodthirsty and murderous creature.
While this is a horror novella, and a genre that is new to me, I must say I was very impressed. John T. Sonne describes the gory scenes with tasteful discretion and imaginative candour.
Well written and with colourful characters, the author pushes the envelope with Bubbles. This very different take on an innocent household pet will leave you to never look at goldfish the same again.
Unbeknownst to said neighbours, with each passing remnant of food, the fish gains strength and mutates, eventually growing into a bloodthirsty and murderous creature.
While this is a horror novella, and a genre that is new to me, I must say I was very impressed. John T. Sonne describes the gory scenes with tasteful discretion and imaginative candour.
Well written and with colourful characters, the author pushes the envelope with Bubbles. This very different take on an innocent household pet will leave you to never look at goldfish the same again.
December 5, 2015
Horrifying story, not for the feint of heart.
March 9, 2016
Not at all what I was expecting. I thought this was going to be more of a comedy horror story but I honestly stopped reading it the other night and had no will to continue.
April 23, 2017
What?
It started out interesting. Rather a cute story, a mutating goldfish. But the story has no heroes and it has a bleak ending. Will there be a sequel? I don't think I want to read it.
It started out interesting. Rather a cute story, a mutating goldfish. But the story has no heroes and it has a bleak ending. Will there be a sequel? I don't think I want to read it.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews