What do you think?
Rate this book
Breathe
12 Tales of Horror, Suspense and Erotica inspired by the Human Condition.
- GenresHorror
64 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 27, 2014
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 29, 2016
Layden Robinson has put together a dozen short stories, each unique and each with a dark voice, kind of like getting a dozen varieties of chocolate donuts, only to find they are not what you were expecting. Certainly an author with a distinctive style, one can expect flamboyant prose that set the tone for each tale. To call Layden Robinson a chameleon in his craft would probably describe him best.
BREATHE is a collection of twelve twisted tales, from erotic shorts to the truly dark and twisted. A quick read, take them one at a time or all together, trust me, they are entertaining, some more than others, but Layden Robinson’s voice is echoed throughout each one. Again, not necessarily mainstream reading, but worth taking the path less traveled.
I received this copy from Layden Robinson in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: June 27, 2014
Publisher: Layden Robinson
Genre: Horror | Suspense | Erotica
Print Length: 80 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
BREATHE is a collection of twelve twisted tales, from erotic shorts to the truly dark and twisted. A quick read, take them one at a time or all together, trust me, they are entertaining, some more than others, but Layden Robinson’s voice is echoed throughout each one. Again, not necessarily mainstream reading, but worth taking the path less traveled.
I received this copy from Layden Robinson in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: June 27, 2014
Publisher: Layden Robinson
Genre: Horror | Suspense | Erotica
Print Length: 80 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
January 18, 2016
Wow, oh wow! This collection of short stories blew my mind for a number of reasons.
It is rare to come across an author who is able to embrace their unique and quirky imagination and then just run with it, and not be afraid of publishing their works. In all absolution I enjoyed all 12 stories so so much because they were exactly the kind of “crazy” that made me think I, myself, was losing the plot.
I am often skeptical about horror, because it would take a LOT for me to feel the horror and yet, these 12 tales delivered the right amount of “Oh, damn, this is high class creepy right there!”. In this collection we have the detectives, the psychos, the misunderstood. Talking cats, hungry vampire, a frowning clown, horny mannequins and victims.
Each story unravels a bit at a time on the wave of brutal, beautiful and wicked play of words.
Here is one of the many quotes I liked from these tales:
Identity can be lost when you travel too hastily down the pathways of life and don’t look both ways.
I also need to mention that I loved the titles for each story, I liked the real and unreal characters I read about. In these stories the impossible became possible, the hunter became the prey and innocence became sin.
“Breathe” collection of stories is a fantastic example of experimental wordmanship. Dark and edgy overall theme left me wondering if I was suffering from a hallucinations gone wrong, or if any of this even existed… Did I actually read this collection, or did I just dream it in some trippy, otherworldly dimension?
I rate this collection 4****. There was a very teeny tiny amount of typos and because I’m probably a square I didn’t really understand the need for here and there appearing text in ()’s or []’s even though they didn’t take away from the stories. I think the idea was to have it written as a play? Anyway, still a very good and thoroughly enjoyable read!
It is rare to come across an author who is able to embrace their unique and quirky imagination and then just run with it, and not be afraid of publishing their works. In all absolution I enjoyed all 12 stories so so much because they were exactly the kind of “crazy” that made me think I, myself, was losing the plot.
I am often skeptical about horror, because it would take a LOT for me to feel the horror and yet, these 12 tales delivered the right amount of “Oh, damn, this is high class creepy right there!”. In this collection we have the detectives, the psychos, the misunderstood. Talking cats, hungry vampire, a frowning clown, horny mannequins and victims.
Each story unravels a bit at a time on the wave of brutal, beautiful and wicked play of words.
Here is one of the many quotes I liked from these tales:
Identity can be lost when you travel too hastily down the pathways of life and don’t look both ways.
I also need to mention that I loved the titles for each story, I liked the real and unreal characters I read about. In these stories the impossible became possible, the hunter became the prey and innocence became sin.
“Breathe” collection of stories is a fantastic example of experimental wordmanship. Dark and edgy overall theme left me wondering if I was suffering from a hallucinations gone wrong, or if any of this even existed… Did I actually read this collection, or did I just dream it in some trippy, otherworldly dimension?
I rate this collection 4****. There was a very teeny tiny amount of typos and because I’m probably a square I didn’t really understand the need for here and there appearing text in ()’s or []’s even though they didn’t take away from the stories. I think the idea was to have it written as a play? Anyway, still a very good and thoroughly enjoyable read!
May 12, 2016
Breathe is a collection of short stories from Layden Robinson that are very difficult to pin down. Surreal horror with a perhaps bizarre slant might describe some of this work, though even that perhaps doesn’t quite encapsulate what these twelve shorts are all about. Free form poetry? Perhaps. The utterings of a madman? Quite possibly.
There is a preponderance of adjectives and adverbs slathered freely throughout these tales of nightmare and perhaps waking dreams. Perhaps there are too many-some jarring and disruptive, as is the flow and pacing in much of these tales. These are not stories for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. Vampires, assassins, mannequins, giant tarantulas, and serial killers abound in stories of failure and perhaps redemption, though there are as many uncontrolled laughs bursting forth as there are profound meanings, or so it seemed to me.
It’s fair to say that this probably isn’t a book that will be everyone’s cup of tea. It is something you have focus on, glean and decipher as you can, and determine what meaning there is for you. I won’t lie and say I was satisfied with every story-on the contrary, some left me frustrated and exasperated. Perhaps that is the point. I wasn’t quite sure where to go with some of these tales. Certainly, there is meaning to be found, but whether it will resonate for you will be determined if you are receptive to letting your mind get bent a little, then a little more, with each written word.
There is a preponderance of adjectives and adverbs slathered freely throughout these tales of nightmare and perhaps waking dreams. Perhaps there are too many-some jarring and disruptive, as is the flow and pacing in much of these tales. These are not stories for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. Vampires, assassins, mannequins, giant tarantulas, and serial killers abound in stories of failure and perhaps redemption, though there are as many uncontrolled laughs bursting forth as there are profound meanings, or so it seemed to me.
It’s fair to say that this probably isn’t a book that will be everyone’s cup of tea. It is something you have focus on, glean and decipher as you can, and determine what meaning there is for you. I won’t lie and say I was satisfied with every story-on the contrary, some left me frustrated and exasperated. Perhaps that is the point. I wasn’t quite sure where to go with some of these tales. Certainly, there is meaning to be found, but whether it will resonate for you will be determined if you are receptive to letting your mind get bent a little, then a little more, with each written word.
June 6, 2020
This is a very different kind of book and the stories have a unique style. The author is very erudite and writes almost cinematically. The literate prose conjures up some very imaginative unexpected scenes. The mix of horror and fantasy leads one through a dance of words and imagery. You never know quite where it's going to go next. Layden is a dark horse of fiction, dark in the sense of the subject but also in sense of you never know what's coming. Layden talks in words but conveys multilayered imagery within them. Layden is no run of the mill author and I recommend it even just for that. If you want an author who will make you think and entertain you then this is the book and indeed the writer for you.
March 2, 2017
I was sent this collection of short stories in exchange for review.
This is now the second piece of writing that I've read by this author and I'm really starting to enjoy his work. That being said I still have some issues with it. Primarily that it can be overly descriptive which very quickly takes me out of the story.
Some of these stories I really enjoyed and wanted to continue reading about the characters in them. But there were a handful of others that felt very disjointed to the point where I couldn't focus on them.
Overall a decent collection of short stories.
This is now the second piece of writing that I've read by this author and I'm really starting to enjoy his work. That being said I still have some issues with it. Primarily that it can be overly descriptive which very quickly takes me out of the story.
Some of these stories I really enjoyed and wanted to continue reading about the characters in them. But there were a handful of others that felt very disjointed to the point where I couldn't focus on them.
Overall a decent collection of short stories.
February 20, 2017
One of the most unusual readings I done in awhile but totally worth the short read. Go in with an open mind and you really get into this one. Its not the normal run of the mill sap everyone else does. I'm glad I took the time to read and be open minded about it.
March 8, 2017
Crazy bizarre and great
First thing I read from Layden and it was a trip. Mr. Yeppers was my fav. All of the short stories are very creative and nightmarish. This collection has a bit of everything thrown into them. If you are looking for a unique creative very detailed and horror related you should read Breathe.
First thing I read from Layden and it was a trip. Mr. Yeppers was my fav. All of the short stories are very creative and nightmarish. This collection has a bit of everything thrown into them. If you are looking for a unique creative very detailed and horror related you should read Breathe.
April 28, 2016
Wow! First this is not your traditional writer he's a mix of Shakespeare and Poe in my opinion. Very lyrical.
Breathe is a collection of 12 stories starting with probably my favorite story,
"The POETIC LINE": art! You have to put everything you are into it or it's just not worth a damn. I couldn't put my finger on it but It strongly reminds me of "American Psycho".
In "HAZE": you have a tale about the never ending struggle between good and evil in a "Devils Advocate" meets "The Order" style.
"MR. YEPPERS": is short, dark, and confusing as hell. What's not to love about it?
"A FELLOWS GRIEVANCE": it's a killer night in the city that always feeds. Someone or something is in the prowl.
"WITHIN": another shirt, dark, and confusing tale (I love'em). I'm not sure if there's an answer to this story but I imagined two & I'll keep them both.
"MR. MINKMAN": Mr. Mink man was either way over my head or . . . I just don't know. But you have to like a story that uses the phrase "Pussy Magic".
"MR. CLOWN FROWN": Dr. Seuss has taken to much acid this time. A review if write but a written review would be wrong right? A tale to be read, enjoyed, devoured and fed to your head. But remember a smile or frown all clowns want you dead. Here's a ballon now go to bed.
"FORCELLO": A story of pain, misery, loneliness, shame and the will to claw your way through it all. Forcello is many things.
"KNOWING": Is it just a trip home after 18 years? Is it just a bridge in the woods that you have to cross? I know what I think it is but no spoilers. Read it and you decide.
"THE MAN ABOVE": A damn good story about a situation we've all been in at one point or another in our lives.
"DOS": Get love and it can set you free, or is it get free then love? Oh well. Psycho's deserve love too, or maybe I'm just a romantic.
"BREATHE": It's a long hard road out of Hell. This story/poem will keep you company. Eight rings (maybe 9) of Hell are traversed in this BIzarro Sonnet of redemption
This is a collection to checkout for sure. It's unique and definitely bizarro, but also very refreshing to see an author just let a story go wherever it wants. I'm unsure as to who was in control the author or the pen.
Breathe is a collection of 12 stories starting with probably my favorite story,
"The POETIC LINE": art! You have to put everything you are into it or it's just not worth a damn. I couldn't put my finger on it but It strongly reminds me of "American Psycho".
In "HAZE": you have a tale about the never ending struggle between good and evil in a "Devils Advocate" meets "The Order" style.
"MR. YEPPERS": is short, dark, and confusing as hell. What's not to love about it?
"A FELLOWS GRIEVANCE": it's a killer night in the city that always feeds. Someone or something is in the prowl.
"WITHIN": another shirt, dark, and confusing tale (I love'em). I'm not sure if there's an answer to this story but I imagined two & I'll keep them both.
"MR. MINKMAN": Mr. Mink man was either way over my head or . . . I just don't know. But you have to like a story that uses the phrase "Pussy Magic".
"MR. CLOWN FROWN": Dr. Seuss has taken to much acid this time. A review if write but a written review would be wrong right? A tale to be read, enjoyed, devoured and fed to your head. But remember a smile or frown all clowns want you dead. Here's a ballon now go to bed.
"FORCELLO": A story of pain, misery, loneliness, shame and the will to claw your way through it all. Forcello is many things.
"KNOWING": Is it just a trip home after 18 years? Is it just a bridge in the woods that you have to cross? I know what I think it is but no spoilers. Read it and you decide.
"THE MAN ABOVE": A damn good story about a situation we've all been in at one point or another in our lives.
"DOS": Get love and it can set you free, or is it get free then love? Oh well. Psycho's deserve love too, or maybe I'm just a romantic.
"BREATHE": It's a long hard road out of Hell. This story/poem will keep you company. Eight rings (maybe 9) of Hell are traversed in this BIzarro Sonnet of redemption
This is a collection to checkout for sure. It's unique and definitely bizarro, but also very refreshing to see an author just let a story go wherever it wants. I'm unsure as to who was in control the author or the pen.
April 22, 2016
This book is a collection of short stories, it’s quite hard to pin down the genre for these stories. Though the content was both dark and violent, I wouldn’t necessary classify them as horror.
The narrative was very difficult to follow in each of them, being exceptionally heavy in adjectives and a peculiar use of brackets to include random thoughts throughout each story.
I found the most disturbing part of these stories to be the narrative itself rather than the content, it felt rather like gaining insight into the mind of someone with violent delusions.
The stories themselves were violent and deeply surreal, usually following the events leading up to violent deaths.
I didn’t altogether enjoy this book, but was determined to keep going until the bitter end to see if I could understand it as a whole, which unfortunately I couldn’t.
The first story, despite being grammatically confusing, was promising – it features a psychopathic writer who is forcing strangers to act out his work so that he can see his masterpiece in all its glory. The following stories featured a variety of serial killers, a clown and some irate neighbours. I found the use of language highly distracting, it felt to me that more effort had gone in to reaching a word count rather than developing a strong storyline.
As a whole, this book felt like a performance piece or a work of poetry rather than fiction to be experienced in a different context, I would recommend it for the people who are looking for alternative approaches to short stories and fiction.
Reviewed by Nia at www.whisperingstories.com
The narrative was very difficult to follow in each of them, being exceptionally heavy in adjectives and a peculiar use of brackets to include random thoughts throughout each story.
I found the most disturbing part of these stories to be the narrative itself rather than the content, it felt rather like gaining insight into the mind of someone with violent delusions.
The stories themselves were violent and deeply surreal, usually following the events leading up to violent deaths.
I didn’t altogether enjoy this book, but was determined to keep going until the bitter end to see if I could understand it as a whole, which unfortunately I couldn’t.
The first story, despite being grammatically confusing, was promising – it features a psychopathic writer who is forcing strangers to act out his work so that he can see his masterpiece in all its glory. The following stories featured a variety of serial killers, a clown and some irate neighbours. I found the use of language highly distracting, it felt to me that more effort had gone in to reaching a word count rather than developing a strong storyline.
As a whole, this book felt like a performance piece or a work of poetry rather than fiction to be experienced in a different context, I would recommend it for the people who are looking for alternative approaches to short stories and fiction.
Reviewed by Nia at www.whisperingstories.com
March 1, 2016
Breathe by Layden Robinson is a collection of 12 stories based on the human condition. The tales range from horror to erotic, and each in their own way are thought provoking.
As with any collection of short stories there are those that really stand out, for me ‘A Fellow’s Grievance’ was one such tale. It had a fantastic rhythm to the writing and was everything I imagine it intended to be, dark and thought provoking. For me, this was the point I became drawn into the book, the earlier few stories were not to my taste, not to say they were bad, but everyone has their likes and dislikes when it comes to a story. Others which stood out to me were ‘Knowing’ and Dos.
The author has a unique style which differs slightly between tales in ways which enhance the telling. I particularly liked how the first story set the stage for the style of the others, and all subsequent tales could have in fact have been woven and produced by the person from the first. Whether this was intentional or not I am unsure, but given that the first and second tale share a name I am inclined to believe it is.
It is clear a lot of thought went into how this work was presented, and although all stories won’t be for everyone, within this collection there is bound to be something to catch the imagination.
I have given this book a five star rating because although there were stories within I did not enjoy, it is not a reflection on the work itself, rather my own tastes and I feel it important to make this distinction.
As with any collection of short stories there are those that really stand out, for me ‘A Fellow’s Grievance’ was one such tale. It had a fantastic rhythm to the writing and was everything I imagine it intended to be, dark and thought provoking. For me, this was the point I became drawn into the book, the earlier few stories were not to my taste, not to say they were bad, but everyone has their likes and dislikes when it comes to a story. Others which stood out to me were ‘Knowing’ and Dos.
The author has a unique style which differs slightly between tales in ways which enhance the telling. I particularly liked how the first story set the stage for the style of the others, and all subsequent tales could have in fact have been woven and produced by the person from the first. Whether this was intentional or not I am unsure, but given that the first and second tale share a name I am inclined to believe it is.
It is clear a lot of thought went into how this work was presented, and although all stories won’t be for everyone, within this collection there is bound to be something to catch the imagination.
I have given this book a five star rating because although there were stories within I did not enjoy, it is not a reflection on the work itself, rather my own tastes and I feel it important to make this distinction.
November 1, 2016
Breathe is a collection of very short stories which makes it a fast read. It is clear that the author has a brilliant talent in taking a sophisticated approach with words, and twisting them into a story of darkness and erotica. While I admire the ability to do this, I found the poetic feel, didn’t fit with the theme of the stories for me.
Please note I am taking nothing away from the author’s ability, I would even love to dive into a full length novel of theirs because I am sure I would be astounded at how they weaved their words into a mental image I would not soon forget, but I didn’t enjoy this style because with each one I was left with questions and wishing they had expanded more.
I enjoyed A Man Above the most out of the collection as it did leave me with thought of wonder once I was done. The quote of the book for me was in this story, “…the findings of a simple, innocent man who is now trapped within a dimension of devious terror and dismay.” I had just wished that we could have had more of this one. If you are looking for a quick dark read, with a classical sense of style then you have a gold mine in this book.
received in exchange for an honest review for Crystal's Many Reviewers
Please note I am taking nothing away from the author’s ability, I would even love to dive into a full length novel of theirs because I am sure I would be astounded at how they weaved their words into a mental image I would not soon forget, but I didn’t enjoy this style because with each one I was left with questions and wishing they had expanded more.
I enjoyed A Man Above the most out of the collection as it did leave me with thought of wonder once I was done. The quote of the book for me was in this story, “…the findings of a simple, innocent man who is now trapped within a dimension of devious terror and dismay.” I had just wished that we could have had more of this one. If you are looking for a quick dark read, with a classical sense of style then you have a gold mine in this book.
received in exchange for an honest review for Crystal's Many Reviewers
March 27, 2016
It was a bit of "The Twilight Zone" meets being caught in a nightmarish dreamscape. The short stories were episodic and at times a bit surrealistic.
May 1, 2017
BREATHE is a collection of twelve twisted tales, from erotic shorts to the truly dark and twisted. While not necessarily mainstream reading, it’s definitely worth exploring. Each tale unravels a bit at a time and travels on a wave of brutal, beautiful, and wicked prose. These are not stories for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. Vampires, assassins, mannequins, giant tarantulas, and serial killers a plenty leave room for one’s imagination to run wild. For me, I found Layden Robinson’s ability to craft words as a serial killer wields a knife chilling. Of these twelve tales, “A Fellows Grievance” and “The Man Above” were my favorites. Layden Robinson is definitely an author to keep your eyes on! Visit my blog at OceanViewsandBookReviews! – Views, Reviews and Blogs by an … for an expanded review!
I received this copy from Layden Robinson in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: June 27, 2014
Publisher: Layden Robinson
Genre: Horror | Suspense | Erotica
Print Length: 80 pages
Available from: Amazon
I received this copy from Layden Robinson in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: June 27, 2014
Publisher: Layden Robinson
Genre: Horror | Suspense | Erotica
Print Length: 80 pages
Available from: Amazon
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews