BOOM

by Michael Whetzel

Jeffrey Walls is not living the life he wanted. He has a engineering degree but works at Hi Tech Stereo & Sound. He's the store's worst salesperson. His parents died two years ago leaving him with no family and huge student loans. The girl of his dreams is dating the world's biggest jerk. His bosses are clueless. His neighbors keep messing with his new car. No one respects him.

Everyone pushes him around. And he hasn't slept in weeks. And to top it all off, there is this incessant ticking sound in his head. He can't take it anymore. The countdown has begun. It's time to take back control. No one wants to be around when Jeffrey Walls goes BOOM.

For mature contains scenes of graphic violence, adult language and adult content.

Genres: Fiction

Audible Audio

First published May 17, 2012

About the author

If you want to be informed about the newest release from Michael Whetzel, join the mailing list today! http://eepurl.com/xvU0n

Reviews

[DC · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all have that something that just ticks us off. It could be bullying bosses, unattainable prospective lovers or lousy neighbors. Have you ever thought, however, about what would happen in case we allow all that anger to manifest and allow it to go BOOM?

This is a story of a man who is fed up with all the daily annoyances of his life. He has an education, he has interests & talents, and he is nice & congenial. For some reason, however, his life turns out in such a way that he is almost a walking time bomb due to how he's constantly ticked by how people (and life) treated him. We would then come across the crazy rampage of a man who suddenly has the power that most of us probably desire, so we could finally get rid of those irritations.

What interested me most about this short story is the fact that there seems to be a supernatural vibe here, but it comes across as rather, well, natural --- that is to say real. The line between fantasy and reality has been so cleverly blurred.

The story-telling is superb, too. (I enjoyed Whetzel's The Pied Piper of the Undead, and this story, while different in character, was still as interesting and well-written as the other.) There's gore here, but it somehow comes as a matter of consequence for poor Jeffrey.

Oh, and I love that last sentence, and how it seems to tie up the entire story. Will this have a sequeal? I'd clamor for it, if only to know what happened to the two principal characters of this novelette :D

This story, I believe, is somewhat an outlet for the author for the things we would love to change, but can't. (As a matter of fact, the author leaves a little note at the end saying something just like this.) It also reminded me of Alanguilan's Wasted :)

All in all, great show.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story. Michael Whetzel can write! He draws you in with the first sentence and then totally delivers a great, well written storyline. You can read the description of the story, I don't need to rehash that...just tell you to read all of Michael Whetzel's work and anxiously wait for more.

[☺Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOM is quite different from the other works I've read by Michael Whetzel, yet it contains the same fast pace, tight writing (which I really appreciate in an author!) and in-depth & realistic characterizations that I've come to expect from Mr. Whetzel. The story's main character, Jeffrey Walls, is a sympathetic, put-upon young man who has had enough (horrible bosses, bullying neighborhood thugs, etc.)! While BOOM contains a lot of explicit violence, none of it feels gratuitous - the jerks truly have it coming! After all, those who light the fuse have no right to be surprised when the bomb finally explodes, "BOOM"!