My Very End of the Universe: Five Novellas-in-Flash and a Study of the Form

by Tiff Holland, Meg Pokrass, Aaron Teel

My Very End of the Universe is a celebration of an increasingly popular genre: the novella-in-flash: a novella built of standalone stories. The novellas in this collection—Betty Superman by Tiff Holland, Here, Where We Live by Meg Pokrass, Shampoo Horns by Aaron Teel, Bell and Bargain by Margaret Chapman, and The Family Dogs by Chris Bower—are compact and specific, yet whole and universal, using the flexibility of the form to offer a polyphony of setting and emotion. Accompanying each novella-in-flash is a craft essay by the author, making this anthology an ideal text for both entertainment and instruction, as well as for use both in the classroom and out. Additionally, the editors’ introduction by Abby Beckel and Kathleen Rooney offers a detailed history and discussion of the evolution of the versatile and hybrid novella-in-flash genre.

Genres: Writing, Fiction, Novella, Flash Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies

336 pages, Paperback

First published November 6, 2014

Reviews

[Helen McClory · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential tool for teaching the Novella-in-flash, but also great for a read. I absolutely adored 'Bell and Bargain' and will carry that one around with me for a while.

[Angie Dutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little collection of novellas, and the instructional sections are really cool and give an insight into the writing process of each author.

[Mayuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This bold collection tackles a small form with unexpected power. It strikes hard, especially now, in a world where patience is nearly gone.

[Rhonda Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an excellent text that is part collection of novellas-in-flash and part craft of fiction book. Each novella-in-stories is prefaced by an essay written by the novella's author, which discusses her or his process and inspiration for the story. This text is excellent for avid readers and for writers, alike, but will be especially helpful for one studying the craft of flash fiction.

Check out my in-depth review of this text at NewPages(dot)com.

Highly recommended!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not all these novellas are equally good, of course, but the book as a whole deserves five stars. The novella-in-flash is an underappreciated genre and I love this book's format, combining the novellas with enlightening studies by the authors. Especially loved "Shampoo Horns" by Aaron Teel.

[Al Kratz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this on both levels: the discussion of form and the actual stories themselves.

[Bronwen Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five novellas - all about childhood - plus essays on the form. Some of the flashes work brilliantly, some are perhaps less successful.

[Lavelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flash fiction is new to me - so these were a bit of struggle. However, I am impressed with the way the authors are able to so sparingly create stories.

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally, I tracked this volume down because I wanted to read Tiff Holland's novella-in-flash, "Betty Superman." I had read the one-paragraph flash "Hot Work" in an anthology and adored it. ("Hot Work" is a "chapter" in "Betty Superman.") My favorite novella in this collection is Meg Pokrass's "Here, Where We Live." I cared about the characters. Definitely worth reading! As others have mentioned, Meg Pokrass's craft essay is excellent. Because of her essay, I am going to get my eyes on a copy of Cléo from 5 to 7. I will be looking for more of Pokrass's work.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually really like these Rose Metal books, and I have a project that collects a bunch of flash into a narrative cycle so I thought this might be right my speed. But in the end, I thought as a genre exploration it read more like "novellas with short chapters." It's true that the language was largely charged, but few of them seemed like they'd stand alone. Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but I wanted these novellas to make bolder claims for the genre.

Of the novellas, I liked "Bell and Bargain" from Margaret Patton Chapman and Chris Bower's "The Family Dogs" best.

[Haley Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that made me fall in love with hybrid literature. Reading these novellas-in-flash had me on the edge of my seat. Each author's stories had such a heavy weight to them, and the form amazed me because it felt like I was reading poetry, but I was reading stories. I'm so glad that Rose Metal Press published this book because this is an entirely new form that I think has a future, and I really enjoyed reading the authors' introductions before their stories to learn from their work.

[Allison Renner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m way into novellas-in-flash right now, and love how this collection has five very different novellas, plus commentary from the authors. It gives me a good foundation to try and write my own. The novellas themselves are all amazing; I can’t pick a favorite. And the author commentary was so enlightening—I think I highlighted something on every page because it was so insightful.

[Yousuf Azhar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was useful in the sense that it made me not want to write novella in flash. There were some great craft insights though so I'm glad I read it.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent intro to NIF plus five compelling NIFs. Inspiring as a writer and a reader.

[Michael Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Very End of the Universe from Rose Metal Press contains five novellas-in-flash, which are Betty Superman by Tiff Holland, Here, Where We Live by Meg Pokrass, Shampoo Horns by Aaron Teel, Bell & Bargain by Margaret Patton Chapman, and The Family Dogs by Chris Bower and a brief essay on the craft of writing flash fiction by each of the authors
You can find Betty Superman and other awesome stories by Tiff Holland on Fictionaut. Meg Pokrass has several titles on Amazon including Spinning to Mars and The Dog Seated Next to Me and she has her own web site with some interesting articles on it. Aaron Teel, as well, has his own web site, which is well-worth looking at. You must read The Wormhole, A Romance by Margaret Patton Chapman at thediagram among other bits scattered around the Web. Chris Bower has titles on Amazon and an enlightening interview at the lab review.
I purchased this as a Kindle book late last year (2021) and read it slowly over a couple of weeks to savor the flavor as it were of authors with whose work I had previously become familiar, and fell in love all over again. To be sure, a few of these novellas have beginnings that feel a little forced into their styles for the first couple of flash (chapters) or two, but in every case the author has proved her- or himself a master of the form. The first couple of tales have a familiar theme, coping with a sick parent, but even there these writers shine brilliantly before finishing their business. You will come away with the sense of wonder at how easily each author accomplishes what they set out to do. I especially enjoyed the novel-length historical feel of Bell & Bargain, but all will be read again and perhaps more than once. Super highly recommended.

[R.l. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love experimental form in fiction, and the idea of a novella-in-flashes intrigues me. I wanted to learn how one might go about it, and this was the perfect book to read and study. Like the description says, there are five gorgeous novellas-in-flash, and each author has included their own essay on the craft, so you get to read how it’s done and even why it might be done, and then you get to see it in action. I literally am carrying this book with me everywhere I go. Highly recommended to all my writer friends.
Time luxuriously spent.
*FTC Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review and the opinions in this review are my own.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's quite difficult to rate an anthology for obvious reasons, so my rating is somewhat neutral. The five novellas-in-flash are unique in their own right and will be judged by readers differently as I have. Let me say that I found them to range from thought provoking to bewildering and not in necessarily a good way but then you might and should disagree. What I found to be the most insightful sections were the essays on the form by each writer and how they came to write in that format. So, enjoy these strange pockets of life.

[Tom O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent collection of Novella-in-Flash, each with an accompanying essay. Like any collection I enjoyed some more than others, and within those, some pieces of flash more than others. The cumulative effects, and the different tones, struck by each writer and each piece make for a fascinating and satisfying reading experience.