Deadfall Blues: Stories and Poems

by Steven Eggleton

Fresh from the literary underground, Deadfall Blues is an eternal selection of poems and short stories, and the important next step in Eggleton’s budding career. Combining pieces from various times and places, this collection is the perfect primer on the work of a writer, ignored by the high literary establishment. Sad, funny, and thought provoking –Deadfall Blues features Eggleton's unique insights into love, life, and literature. Showcasing his versatility, the book ranges from thinly veiled autobiography to purely fictional tales. Ready to take his place amongst the pantheon of great twenty-first century writers, Deadfall Blues shows us who Eggleton really is –a writer writing.

Genres: Poetry, Short Stories

130 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 2014

About the author

STEVEN EGGLETON is from Tucson, Arizona. He published his first short story in The Iconoclast in 2004. He has since published numerous short stories and poems in Red Owl, Barbaric Yawp, Struggle, and Mobius to name a few. His first novel, Dry Heat, was published in 2012. In 2014 a collection of short stories was published, entitled Deadfall Blues. After an extended hiatus he published Lanugo in the summer of 2024. Mellowed and matured we see Eggleton tackling new ideas as well as old ones. A confluence of Christian, Chicano, Gen X writing; Eggleton continues to be a unique voice in the indie scene.

Reviews

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the title of this book. It suggests where it is taking you, and it's not going to be serene. Instead, you are literally thrown into life's oncoming lane. The going is rough and tangled in these stories and poems, and there are no easy answers. The characters are struggling to live with the consequences of their choices. They face loneliness, longing and regret, and happiness is fleeting. The author's style is straightforward as he introduces the reader to the people he has created. There is no need for formality. Sit down and have a drink or two while you listen to their narratives. These stories and poems are solid. They may even be about you.

I received a free e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you. I'll be back for more.

[Arthur Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the stories in this collection. The poems weren't exactly my thing, but they did lend some nice variety, plus they didn't take up much real estate anyway, so I was never pulled too far away from what I loved most about this book — its brutally honest, down and dirty prose.

Most of Eggleton's stories center on the hardships of life and love, and all of the (sometimes foolish) things we do to try making this futile existence somewhat more livable. They're a bit Bukowskian in that sense, but Bukowski has enough imitators as it is, and Eggleton is not one of them. He simply tells the truth about some really flawed characters, and in so doing he manages to evoke a similar mix of pathos and grim humor. We're all totally fucked and we're not getting anywhere, but that doesn't mean we won't have some fun along the way.

If you've ever been fucked over or fucked over someone else, if you've ever been hurt or inflicted some hurt on another, or if your own life has ever seemed to be lacking in purpose or closure but you went on marching anyway, then you will probably enjoy this book as much as I did.

4.5 stars

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A top notch collection of short stories and poems. I'm not sure how "Deadfall" fits into the writing but "Blues" is definitely covered. Love, life and death are covered and you experience a wide range of emotions whilst reading the stories. The opening one apart from having an awesome title "Requiem Blues" is the best in the collection, you can really feel the Protagonist's feelings as he comes to terms with his life and in "Deadfall Love" you feel some real anger in defence of Cynthia. There is one really short story in the middle that bugged me a bit it doesn't really fit in with the rest of the book, a brief dystopian story, it feels out of place and disrupted the flow. Other than that one, this is an amazing book.

The poetry is in the style I love, very short lines which you can read slowly or quickly and they work, it reminded me of poems by M.J. Black one of my favourite poets.

[Daniela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe a disclaimer is in order: I paid for this book and was not asked to write a review. I'm in no way biased toward this author. Or rather wasn't biased until now. Spoilers ahead.

Requiem Blues:
The start of the journey and already I'm hit right in the middle of the chest. This story felt honest and raw; it was quite sad in many ways and I truly felt a connection to the character. "A victim of circumstance" was the best way to describe him, but aren't we all? Once again I find myself relating to the main character in a story by mr. Eggleton. Maybe he's a brother from a different mother? Or a psychic? Anyway, I'm not ashamed to say I was moved to tears at some points and therefore found the little bits of humour a much welcomed relief. It was beautifully written and my only complain is that Requiem Blues should have been the closing number, instead of the first because it is really hard to top that. Beautiful.

Recollection Lost:
I hate poetry... but I loved this piece. This sums up how I felt (and still feel) after losing my mom. Once again making me cry, I had to stop reading for a bit.

Estate Sale:
Same as above plus social criticism. You might actually get me into poetry, mr. Eggleton.

The Teacup:
Perfectly placed after the taste of venom left by the Estate Sale. A touching little story of pure love against the cold, cruel, cunning face of family ties. Once again, I can relate and that makes me both proud, as I seem to have a bit of innocence left within me, and depressed for living in such a horrible and shallow society.

Phony Dicks:
One word: piercing. I mean it.

SB 1070:
How can you possibly turn a dark, sad sci-fi scene into a touching and beautiful story?? No, really; how?

The First Time I Saw Mexico:
Angsty, sad, full of despair. Honest.

Deadfall Love:
This is the story that best evidences the author's talent at writing about people, as we find the main character to be cute, an asshole, a perv, awkward, adorable, stupid and so forth. Amazing, down-to-earth story of the complicated nature of human emotions.

Just As Good:
Ok, this one I didn't like. It was well placed, right after Deadfall Love, and nicely written but it didn't speak to me as the rest of the stories had.

Sometimes Y:
This should have been the opening. Beautiful poem.

A Dime:
Heart-breaking. Nothing can top Requiem Blues, but it is a fine ending to this collection.

Overall, I completely loved this book and is one of those you know you'll have to read again; either because you missed something, or simply because it's fantastic. You, sir Eggleton, had me at Dry Heat, but made a fan out of me with this collection. You have the potential to be one of the greats and I honestly hope you get the recognition you deserve.

[Waldo Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. I liked the short story entries and the little poem breaks in between. A must read in my opinion.

[Ryan Leone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steven Eggelton is a writer who has obviously been influenced by Charles Bukowski and John Fante. The commonalty between these writers is their ability to churn poetry out of the prosaic, to take the mundane realities of daily life and make a statement about them. Deadfall Blues carries this tradition and the influence of Eggleton’s predecessors is evident without being too derivative.

I’m not a big poetry guy but I thought the poems included in this collection were top-notch. It’s easy to notice a relationship between the poetry and prose and they complement each other nicely. I read Eggleton’s debut novel, Dry Heat, and gave it a four star rating. Dry Heat was a novel about youthful despondency and it exhibited the same kind of banal themes. The problem was that it sometimes became meandering, drifting from complaint to complaint, and sometimes losing its focus. I’m giving Deadfall Blues five stars because it sustained the focus needed to make these stories and poems engaging. It’s not easy for a writer to make a statement and keep your interest in the restricted landscape of a short story. It takes talent and a grasp on the craft, the evolution of Steven Eggelton is happening before our eyes and it is definitely worth watching. I look forward to his future work.

[Ms. Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most favorite quality that this author created in this book was his ability to write very realistic, true-to-life short stories that I'm sure many people can find themselves relating to at some point. In this first short story (my favorite), Requiem Blue, I felt like I really was in the troubled mind of a man going through a mid-life crisis. His desire to cheat, his hatred towards an abusive father, his feelings towards his aloof family, etc. There was no BS, it felt like I was reading the actual diary of this fictional man but in a more amusing style. The whole book was captivating, a little depressing, but very well-written and it's obvious the author has a lot of talent. I was very pleased with this book and it kept my attention on each page, being highly interesting. It was an easy and short read, and will be well wroth your time on giving it a go!

[Josie Boyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadfall Blues is an interesting quick read collection of stories, fragments of stories and poems. The stories are narrated by self aware self professed underachievers of the variety often found in books by John or Dan Fante, or a more suburban Bukowski perhaps. The first and last stories are the most poignant. If i have any complaints, it would be that there weren't more poems as they were a nice counterpoint to the very different prose monologues we were treated to. Early work according to the writer's preface, good enough to make me want to seek out his novels.

[Rolo de la France · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very good book, I'm very please with the storytelling style, it grabs you and doesn't want to let you go. Both, REQUIEM BLUES & Deadfall love, are amazing stories, well put together and they remind me so much of the style of Dan Fante's Chump Change. The last story, A Dime, was really something. I cant believe you made me feel so much emotion with such a short story.

Im not a big fan of the poems, they are not bad but I just don't really see anything interesting in them. I've never been a big fan of poetry so dont take my review too serious.

Overall, this is a great book, now i need a physical copy for my shelf.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the first few lines, I was hooked. I can't decide which I enjoyed reading more, the poetry or the short stories. Both were equally fascinating. I found myself relating to the characters and imagining myself in their shoes, which I have long said is the true measure of an author's talent. Now I can't wait to read more.

[Theresa Rink]

I enjoyed it. It was a weekend read and gave me some different emotions.

[Joseph Spuckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadfall Blues: Stories and Poems by Steven Eggleton is the newest release from the author of Dry Heat. Although Eggleton has a paragraph of biography, he keeps it short and to the point in Deadfall Blues: Steven Eggleton lives and works in Tucson, Arizona. He holds the unique distinction of being a completely self-taught writer. All else is conjecture.

One of the things I like about Eggleton’s writing is his ability to capture the southwest in a non-picture book form. Myself, growing up in Cleveland, Ohio can imagine Tucson as a cross between a very hot Cleveland and Lou Reed’s “Dirty Boulevard.” He captures a realistic Hispanic life from the simplistic neighborhoods to the city. There are matriarchal families and families with abusive fathers. Stories of a desire to leave Tucson and never come back and other that look back at the city with a weird sense of fondness.

The main characters are Hispanic males who tell a story with so much detail and feeling they seem autobiographical. I knew however, different events at the same age invalidate this line of thinking. The exception is the story "SB 1070." That story is science fiction, at least for now. It refers to a constitutionally questionable law passed in Arizona in 2010.

There are lessons in several of the stories about wanting, desire, and that “something better.” This comes through in not only in wanting to move up socially but in friends, relationships and family. Eggleton manages to reach deeply and create realistic characters in real life situations. There is that feeling of honesty in the writing.

There are two stories that make up the bulk of the book and both are excellently written. Inserted between the main stories and the shorter stories a poems. The poems like the stories carry the same theme and fit well into the story collection. “Recollection Lost” was perhaps my favorite of the poems as the breaks between the lines had the feeling of waves going in and out fitting perfectly into the message of the poem. Likewise, “ Estate Sale” sets the stage perfectly for the moving story “The Teacup.”

Deadfall Blues is one of those books that is perfect for that hot, sunny, Texas November day or that chilly rainy northern afternoon. Even if the reader spends more than one sitting with this book, the stories and poems are short enough that it can easily be put down and picked up again without worry. I look forward to reading more of Eggleton’s writing in the future. He has a knack at capturing and writing completely developed characters, even in very short stories. An excellent read.