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Sweet Story
The end of the world has never been sweeter. Sally is an odd little girl. It's not because she dresses as if she's from the Edwardian era or spends most of her time playing with creepy talking dolls. It's because she chases rainbows as if they were butterflies. She believes that if she finds the end of the rainbow then magical things will happen to her--leprechauns will shower her with gold and fairies will grant her every wish. But when she actually does find the end of a rainbow one day, and is given the opportunity to wish for whatever she wants, Sally asks for something that she believes will bring joy to children all over the world. She wishes that it would rain candy forever. She had no idea that her innocent wish would lead to the extinction of all life on earth. Sweet Story is a children's book gone horribly wrong. What starts as a cute, charming tale of rainbows and wishes soon becomes a vicious, unrelenting tale of survival in an inhospitable world full of cannibals and rapists. The result is one of the darkest comedies you'll read all year, told with the wit and style you've come to expect from a Mellick novel.
120 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2014
31 people are currently reading
623 people want to read
About the author
Carlton Mellick III
119 books2,168 followersCarlton Mellick III (July 2, 1977, Phoenix, Arizona) is an American author currently residing in Portland, Oregon. He calls his style of writing "avant-punk," and is currently one of the leading authors in the recent 'Bizarro' movement in underground literature[citation needed] with Steve Aylett, Chris Genoa and D. Harlan Wilson.
Mellick's work has been described as a combination of trashy schlock sci-fi/horror and postmodern literary art. His novels explore surreal versions of earth in contemporary society and imagined futures, commonly focusing on social absurdities and satire.
Carlton Mellick III started writing at the age of ten and completed twelve novels by the age of eighteen. Only one of these early novels, "Electric Jesus Corpse", ever made it to print.
He is best known for his first novel Satan Burger and its sequel Punk Land. Satan Burger was translated into Russian and published by Ultra Culture in 2005. It was part of a four book series called Brave New World, which also featured Virtual Light by William Gibson, City Come A Walkin by John Shirley, and Tea from an Empty Cup by Pat Cadigan.
In the late 90's, he formed a collective for offbeat authors which included D. Harlan Wilson, Kevin L. Donihe, Vincent Sakowski, among others, and the publishing company Eraserhead Press. This scene evolved into the Bizarro fiction movement in 2005.
In addition to writing, Mellick is an artist and musician.
Mellick's work has been described as a combination of trashy schlock sci-fi/horror and postmodern literary art. His novels explore surreal versions of earth in contemporary society and imagined futures, commonly focusing on social absurdities and satire.
Carlton Mellick III started writing at the age of ten and completed twelve novels by the age of eighteen. Only one of these early novels, "Electric Jesus Corpse", ever made it to print.
He is best known for his first novel Satan Burger and its sequel Punk Land. Satan Burger was translated into Russian and published by Ultra Culture in 2005. It was part of a four book series called Brave New World, which also featured Virtual Light by William Gibson, City Come A Walkin by John Shirley, and Tea from an Empty Cup by Pat Cadigan.
In the late 90's, he formed a collective for offbeat authors which included D. Harlan Wilson, Kevin L. Donihe, Vincent Sakowski, among others, and the publishing company Eraserhead Press. This scene evolved into the Bizarro fiction movement in 2005.
In addition to writing, Mellick is an artist and musician.
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July 20, 2020
⭐ 4 𝙎𝙪𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨! ⭐
𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 🌈👧 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙞𝙙, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘺! 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰 🍬🍭🌎
The rest of the book is a bizarre and gory end of the world story in a way that only CMIII can create.
𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 🌈👧 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙞𝙙, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘺! 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰 🍬🍭🌎
The rest of the book is a bizarre and gory end of the world story in a way that only CMIII can create.
August 7, 2025
🌈🏴☠️
🌩️🌩️🌩️
🍬🍭🍬
🩸😵🤕
🥴🍽️ 😵
🌩️🌩️🌩️
🍬🍭🍬
🩸😵🤕
🥴🍽️ 😵
January 13, 2015
Short and Sweet (And immensely violent). Great character development, the father character especially. Ending was splendid. If you like Mellick already, I'd recommend. If not, I'd probably start with something else by him like Hungry Bug or Quicksand House
July 15, 2021
"Sweet Story" by Carlton Mellick III
💥Proceed with caution in regards to this read as it is a bizzaro horror novel and NOT for the faint of heart💥
Nine year old Sally Sandwich was told by her parents to never go to the blurry side of town. And had that rainbow never appeared in the sky that day Sally probably would have listened. When Sally reaches the end though she's surprised to find a rainbow pirate instead of the much anticipated leprechaun. Unable to swashbuckle him for his pot of gold the rainbow pirate grants her one wish instead. Sally's wish?... for it to rain candy forever!
This was my first read by Mellick and I found myself surprised at the end to have thoroughly enjoyed my experience (this type of horror isn't usually my thing). This story was laugh out loud funny at times and downright grotesque at others. I have a few other works of his on my TBR and I can't wait to see what those have in store. Excellent and SWEET read. Solid 5 🌟
💥Proceed with caution in regards to this read as it is a bizzaro horror novel and NOT for the faint of heart💥
Nine year old Sally Sandwich was told by her parents to never go to the blurry side of town. And had that rainbow never appeared in the sky that day Sally probably would have listened. When Sally reaches the end though she's surprised to find a rainbow pirate instead of the much anticipated leprechaun. Unable to swashbuckle him for his pot of gold the rainbow pirate grants her one wish instead. Sally's wish?... for it to rain candy forever!
This was my first read by Mellick and I found myself surprised at the end to have thoroughly enjoyed my experience (this type of horror isn't usually my thing). This story was laugh out loud funny at times and downright grotesque at others. I have a few other works of his on my TBR and I can't wait to see what those have in store. Excellent and SWEET read. Solid 5 🌟
February 6, 2017
Sweet Story starts off as...well...a sweet story about a hopeful little girl who finds the end of a rainbow and is granted one wish. It is with this singular wish that a chain of events are set into motion that continue throughout the remainder of this book.
The novel, when all is said and done, is pretty bleak (even by Mellick standards) but his ear for humor and uncompromising weirdness permeate even the darkest scenes. At it’s most horrific (and there’s a lot of horrific stuff in here) Sweet Story remains somewhat playful in tone.
4 stars out of 5 in comparison to the other Carlton Mellick books that I’ve read, but 6 stars out of 5 compared the the vast majority of other books available at your local store.
The novel, when all is said and done, is pretty bleak (even by Mellick standards) but his ear for humor and uncompromising weirdness permeate even the darkest scenes. At it’s most horrific (and there’s a lot of horrific stuff in here) Sweet Story remains somewhat playful in tone.
4 stars out of 5 in comparison to the other Carlton Mellick books that I’ve read, but 6 stars out of 5 compared the the vast majority of other books available at your local store.
April 30, 2016
This is a modern version of "The Monkey's Paw," blown to ludicrous proportions. And I f-ing loved it.
August 26, 2024
‘Sweet Story’ es una novela corta que comienza como un cuento infantil inocente pero rápidamente se transforma en una historia bizarra y perturbadora, característica del estilo de Carlton Mellick III.
La trama gira en torno a Sally, una niña de nueve años que viste como si fuera de la época eduardiana y juega con muñecas parlantes. Un día, Sally encuentra el final de un arcoíris y un pirata del arcoíris le concede un deseo. Con la intención de hacer felices a todos los niños del mundo, especialmente a los pobres, Sally desea que llueva caramelos para siempre. Sin embargo, este deseo aparentemente inocente desencadena el apocalipsis.
En resumen, ‘Sweet Story’ es una lectura rápida, impactante y a menudo hilarante que demuestra la habilidad de Mellick para crear narrativas únicas y desafiantes. Es una excelente introducción al género bizarro y al trabajo de este autor para aquellos dispuestos a aventurarse en lo extraño y lo incómodo.
La trama gira en torno a Sally, una niña de nueve años que viste como si fuera de la época eduardiana y juega con muñecas parlantes. Un día, Sally encuentra el final de un arcoíris y un pirata del arcoíris le concede un deseo. Con la intención de hacer felices a todos los niños del mundo, especialmente a los pobres, Sally desea que llueva caramelos para siempre. Sin embargo, este deseo aparentemente inocente desencadena el apocalipsis.
En resumen, ‘Sweet Story’ es una lectura rápida, impactante y a menudo hilarante que demuestra la habilidad de Mellick para crear narrativas únicas y desafiantes. Es una excelente introducción al género bizarro y al trabajo de este autor para aquellos dispuestos a aventurarse en lo extraño y lo incómodo.
October 19, 2023
This was my first Carlton Mellick. I was drawn in by the cover and the story was so freaking weird and hilarious. I caught myself laughing out loud a few times. I think my favorite character was The Father. Such a pragmatic guy with a sunny attitude. Just trying to save his family from the candy-pocalyse.
Super quick, funny and fun read. Will definitely be getting more from this author.
Super quick, funny and fun read. Will definitely be getting more from this author.
November 23, 2014
Holy shit. This is one of the most fucked up books I've ever read in my life. Definitely one of Mellick's best.
March 21, 2021
The story just went on and on and it felt like there was never really any point to it. This novella WAS pretty funny at times and very imaginative, but the whole thing just felt pointless.
May 21, 2022
I finished Sweet Story by Carlton Mellick III, last night. It’s written like a kids book, but that is one messed up kids story, ha! A little girl makes a wish, that it would rain candy. Seems innocent enough, right? WRONG!! Stuff you couldn’t even begin to imagine happens and chaos ensues. This was my first book by CM3, definitely not my last. I really enjoyed it.
January 19, 2017
I've enjoyed the other Mellick books I've read, but sometimes there are books that just feel thrown together and unfortunately this is one of those books.
The writting is simple, but has a lot less personality than the others I've read of his. In his other books the narrator often times has ticks. A narrator obsessed with numbers, or one that constantly talks about odd details or one that uses childish language. This book seems to have lost the interesting narrator and instead is just a simply written book.
The characters are not well fleshed out. The main character is fairly developed, but the other all seem one dimensional.
The story started out great. There were a few bizarro themes that seemed like they could control the story, but thirty pages in the book takes a strange turn. Then the initial bizarro ideas disappear and we get a new set. These stick around for fifty pages until BOOM! Story changes again as do the bizarro ideas. It feels like he couldn't finish the story he was writing so he changed it into a different one.
Overall I wouldn't suggest this one. Check out the Haunted Vagina or Menstruating Mall. But, this one is only for those who want to read his whole catalogue.
The writting is simple, but has a lot less personality than the others I've read of his. In his other books the narrator often times has ticks. A narrator obsessed with numbers, or one that constantly talks about odd details or one that uses childish language. This book seems to have lost the interesting narrator and instead is just a simply written book.
The characters are not well fleshed out. The main character is fairly developed, but the other all seem one dimensional.
The story started out great. There were a few bizarro themes that seemed like they could control the story, but thirty pages in the book takes a strange turn. Then the initial bizarro ideas disappear and we get a new set. These stick around for fifty pages until BOOM! Story changes again as do the bizarro ideas. It feels like he couldn't finish the story he was writing so he changed it into a different one.
Overall I wouldn't suggest this one. Check out the Haunted Vagina or Menstruating Mall. But, this one is only for those who want to read his whole catalogue.
December 3, 2021
A solid 4-4.5. Appreciated the direction the story went and it was done well. Removed the one star because of the fatphobia in this story. I understand the inclusion, but it felt unnecessary. Had great underlying themes that went well with the absurd humor.
October 7, 2024
"Being on the blurry side of town was even scarier than sleeping without a night light."
The illustrations (in the exclusive hardcover) have a pretty cute art style, which sets up an interesting contrast with the brutal events found in the second half of the novel. Before the story becomes apocalyptic, however, there's some world building about the clear side of town and the blurry side of town, a creative way to comment on systemic poverty. It's unsubtle, as is expected of Carlton, but we still like to see it.
"Words would never come into focus, no matter how large the font. Because of this, most children did not even bother to learn to read or write and a place where children did not write and read was a woeful place, indeed. Once these illiterate children grew to adulthood, it was impossible for them to get to work at any good-paying jobs. And without good jobs they would never be able to afford to live anywhere but the blurry side of town for the rest of their lives. It was an endless cycle of misery."
The illustrations (in the exclusive hardcover) have a pretty cute art style, which sets up an interesting contrast with the brutal events found in the second half of the novel. Before the story becomes apocalyptic, however, there's some world building about the clear side of town and the blurry side of town, a creative way to comment on systemic poverty. It's unsubtle, as is expected of Carlton, but we still like to see it.
"Words would never come into focus, no matter how large the font. Because of this, most children did not even bother to learn to read or write and a place where children did not write and read was a woeful place, indeed. Once these illiterate children grew to adulthood, it was impossible for them to get to work at any good-paying jobs. And without good jobs they would never be able to afford to live anywhere but the blurry side of town for the rest of their lives. It was an endless cycle of misery."
June 12, 2024
I always enjoy Carlton Mellick’s stories. This one was really fun. Leprechauns aren’t found at the end of the rainbow in this story but a drunken pirate is. He can grant each person one wish and one wish only (this means no extra wishes or you’re donezo/kill3d) Sally is worried the rainbow disappeared before the pirate heard her wish but when it starts to rain…she realizes her wish was granted after all. Sally wished for it to rain candy. A sweet and innocent wish turns deadly quick and things take a turn for the worse.
If you enjoy fcked up fairytales and candy then give this one a shot. Be careful what you wish for ;)
If you enjoy fcked up fairytales and candy then give this one a shot. Be careful what you wish for ;)
February 13, 2022
Rated 3.5
June 2, 2016
Really enjoyed this one. It definitely does read like a kids story for adults. Has a Roald Dahl feel about it. The last 30 pages have errors on ever page for some reason though. Think the editor fell asleep. The mother even asks and responds to herself. Stuff like that doesn't waste the story for me but if it does for you I'd hold off until it's been fixed as there are a lot.
November 27, 2014
As with any of CMIII's work, you are bound to ask yourself at times "Did I really just read that?" Yes, yes you did! Disgusting, disturbing, and twisted, yet still thought provoking with some deep themes coursing throughout. No one can ever say this man can't write an interesting piece.
August 4, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. Carlton, I understand the need to play games (including Skyrim) but please keep writing! haha
February 1, 2016
Could have been a good book. It seemed like the author was more concerned with finishing the story than making it great. Could have added so much more. Just a great idea with half-assed writing.
October 4, 2021
So, I always feel a bit weird when I read 2 great books back to back, as if I am not allowed give 5* so close to each other by the law of the book Gods.... I mean while it seems unlikely to have new favorites right next to each other it is possible. Living example right here! I also always feel weird about giving 5* to just fun books, and while "Sweet Story" has some deeper elements in form of social commentary, at its forefront it is a fun, crazy and depraved romp, oh and it's also super bleak, but you know, in a fun way. I just adored it and now want to dive into Mellick's backlist, there are so many titles that call to me.
And this rating is even more surprising to me considering I was very unsure and even a bit sceptic as to what expect with Mellick. Seeing him popping up especially on Instagram I was intrigued but I was also hesitant with a writer who has titles like "Baby Jesus Butt Plug". Let's say, I was worried about weird erotic content, bizarro fiction is definitely a newer field to me and I wasn't sure if I could deal with the bizarre content he might throw at me. But rest assured, at least in "Sweet Story" there is nothing gratuitous or overtly disturbing. I mean, yes it is violent and brutal and cannibalistic and rapist BUT he doesn't ravel in details. The disturbing content is snappy and powerful but not the self service writers sometimes depend upon and with that stretch it to highest ugh-factor. Mellick handled these aspects very elegantly and appropriately.
And yes, I still don't know how representative this first book experience is since "Sweet Story" is basically written like a children's story gone terribly wrong. It was something I loved about it but I think there might have been certain choices in regards to the writing and the content with the idea of the kid's book behind it all. Nonetheless, this creative novella just worked for me, there is nothing I would have love to see done differently about it and with that for the time being it doesn't matter if this was an outlier for Mellick: I thought it was fantastic.
The ultimate be careful what you wish for tale when little Sally wishes for candy rain, you know so that everyone can enjoy candy every day, what would be wrong with that? Well, if you get that wish granted by a rainbow pirate and an author who takes this idea the literal route just everything about this wish is wrong and we get to see the sweetest end of the world scenario ever. There is lovely commentary on class, not just in terms of the rich kids and the children from blurry town but also in how Sally's suburban family gets represented. The downward spiral is such terrible but inevitable ride with so many cool details. And is the ending my favorite part? Maybe because it put the bleak crown on this kingdom of destruction.
And now I want more of what Mellick has to offer, maybe I can work my way slowly into his weirder publications. But "Sweet Story" was for sure a sweet win.
And this rating is even more surprising to me considering I was very unsure and even a bit sceptic as to what expect with Mellick. Seeing him popping up especially on Instagram I was intrigued but I was also hesitant with a writer who has titles like "Baby Jesus Butt Plug". Let's say, I was worried about weird erotic content, bizarro fiction is definitely a newer field to me and I wasn't sure if I could deal with the bizarre content he might throw at me. But rest assured, at least in "Sweet Story" there is nothing gratuitous or overtly disturbing. I mean, yes it is violent and brutal and cannibalistic and rapist BUT he doesn't ravel in details. The disturbing content is snappy and powerful but not the self service writers sometimes depend upon and with that stretch it to highest ugh-factor. Mellick handled these aspects very elegantly and appropriately.
And yes, I still don't know how representative this first book experience is since "Sweet Story" is basically written like a children's story gone terribly wrong. It was something I loved about it but I think there might have been certain choices in regards to the writing and the content with the idea of the kid's book behind it all. Nonetheless, this creative novella just worked for me, there is nothing I would have love to see done differently about it and with that for the time being it doesn't matter if this was an outlier for Mellick: I thought it was fantastic.
The ultimate be careful what you wish for tale when little Sally wishes for candy rain, you know so that everyone can enjoy candy every day, what would be wrong with that? Well, if you get that wish granted by a rainbow pirate and an author who takes this idea the literal route just everything about this wish is wrong and we get to see the sweetest end of the world scenario ever. There is lovely commentary on class, not just in terms of the rich kids and the children from blurry town but also in how Sally's suburban family gets represented. The downward spiral is such terrible but inevitable ride with so many cool details. And is the ending my favorite part? Maybe because it put the bleak crown on this kingdom of destruction.
And now I want more of what Mellick has to offer, maybe I can work my way slowly into his weirder publications. But "Sweet Story" was for sure a sweet win.
July 4, 2024
What do you get when a young girl named Sally wishes for it to rain candy forever? This is what you get.
People dying, water drying up, militias, cannibalism, and the apocalypse which brings a wasteland of candy graveyards.
People dying, water drying up, militias, cannibalism, and the apocalypse which brings a wasteland of candy graveyards.
January 29, 2021
I recently joined a Facebook group for "incredibly strange" literature. A few days ago someone posted about Carlton Mellick III so I decided to pick one of his books up from Amazon. Sweet Story caught my eye because the cover has sort of that 90s fantasy look to it, as if it could be on a Tad Williams novel. Also, it's like $3 on Kindle, so aesthetically appealing AND cheap, winner winner, chicken dinner.
And you know what? I came away from Sweet Story very impressed.
I've gathered that the general perspective of Mellick is that his writing is intentionally pushing the boundaries of "good taste" (at least by the standards of polite society), ie edgelord bullshit. And that's not really my lane. I don't mind extreme content, but the try-hard offensiveness just ends up feeling boring, right? You conjure images of a bunch of dudes circlejerking because they're pissing off P.C. normies who "just don't get it," or whatever. Just, tedious, right?
Yet while I found some of Sweet Story's content to be on the extreme side of things, it mostly avoids feeling like a mindless exercise in edgelording. Partly because Mellick never goes as full-on grotesque as he could (ie, there's a sense of restraint), and partly because he's actually telling a viable story—one that is using the extremeness to improve the narrative, rather than the narrative existing simply as a medium to offend.
The story is simple, feeling like a fairy tale by way of Roald Dahl. A girl named Sally—given a wish—tries to wish for something that will benefit everyone. But when granted, the wish becomes dangerous, threatening all of society. It's a good setup for a fairy tale, right? Obvious moral (be careful what you wish for) in line with preexisting fairy tales and fables (King Midas is a good parallel). We tend to look at a word like "simple" as a negative, but I'd argue that it's a strength when done right. In this case, simple is appropriate for a fairy tale (albeit one adult in nature) and, more than that, Mellick does a wonderful job considering the way Sally's wish is worded and—if wishes were real life—all the angles that wish would actually play out. He's able to consider the cascading chain reaction about as perfectly as my intelligence level can imagine.
And it's not just finding all the ramifications of a poorly-phrased wish. Mellick is surprisingly good at finding places to give us insight into the characters that make them feel real and complex. Like, take this quote:
“Will everything go back to normal tomorrow?” Jane asked.
Mr. Taco remained silent. Although he was an educated man and acted as though he were an authority on emergency situations, he knew even less than they did about the candy rain.
Like, we all know dudes like Mr. Taco and in just a quick sentence we get a full glimpse at the type of man he is and the multi-layered implication of his silence.
Good, clear wording is a constant highlight. It's rarely flowery or poetic, but it's also never sloppy. The sort of prose that fades into the background so the ideas in the narrative sing. And then every once in a while he'll punch you in the face with something that just feels like it's worded perfectly.
The Dahl comparison above is apt. This is both a strength and a weakness. One of Dahl's greatest weaknesses is the way he describes people, creating a link between physical features and personality. The worse he describes the way a character looks (Boris, Bruce, and Bean from Fantastic Mr. Fox, for example), the worse they are as people. Mellick does something similar here, although mostly focused on one character, whose weight is decisively mocked by Mellick throughout a large portion of the novel. Typically something like that would really turn me off a novel, but I honestly expected a whole lot worse from Mellick so it hardly even phased me. Is that fair? Probably not, but who's counting?
It's short and makes for a quick read, and I'll probably check out more Mellick in the future.
And you know what? I came away from Sweet Story very impressed.
I've gathered that the general perspective of Mellick is that his writing is intentionally pushing the boundaries of "good taste" (at least by the standards of polite society), ie edgelord bullshit. And that's not really my lane. I don't mind extreme content, but the try-hard offensiveness just ends up feeling boring, right? You conjure images of a bunch of dudes circlejerking because they're pissing off P.C. normies who "just don't get it," or whatever. Just, tedious, right?
Yet while I found some of Sweet Story's content to be on the extreme side of things, it mostly avoids feeling like a mindless exercise in edgelording. Partly because Mellick never goes as full-on grotesque as he could (ie, there's a sense of restraint), and partly because he's actually telling a viable story—one that is using the extremeness to improve the narrative, rather than the narrative existing simply as a medium to offend.
The story is simple, feeling like a fairy tale by way of Roald Dahl. A girl named Sally—given a wish—tries to wish for something that will benefit everyone. But when granted, the wish becomes dangerous, threatening all of society. It's a good setup for a fairy tale, right? Obvious moral (be careful what you wish for) in line with preexisting fairy tales and fables (King Midas is a good parallel). We tend to look at a word like "simple" as a negative, but I'd argue that it's a strength when done right. In this case, simple is appropriate for a fairy tale (albeit one adult in nature) and, more than that, Mellick does a wonderful job considering the way Sally's wish is worded and—if wishes were real life—all the angles that wish would actually play out. He's able to consider the cascading chain reaction about as perfectly as my intelligence level can imagine.
And it's not just finding all the ramifications of a poorly-phrased wish. Mellick is surprisingly good at finding places to give us insight into the characters that make them feel real and complex. Like, take this quote:
“Will everything go back to normal tomorrow?” Jane asked.
Mr. Taco remained silent. Although he was an educated man and acted as though he were an authority on emergency situations, he knew even less than they did about the candy rain.
Like, we all know dudes like Mr. Taco and in just a quick sentence we get a full glimpse at the type of man he is and the multi-layered implication of his silence.
Good, clear wording is a constant highlight. It's rarely flowery or poetic, but it's also never sloppy. The sort of prose that fades into the background so the ideas in the narrative sing. And then every once in a while he'll punch you in the face with something that just feels like it's worded perfectly.
The Dahl comparison above is apt. This is both a strength and a weakness. One of Dahl's greatest weaknesses is the way he describes people, creating a link between physical features and personality. The worse he describes the way a character looks (Boris, Bruce, and Bean from Fantastic Mr. Fox, for example), the worse they are as people. Mellick does something similar here, although mostly focused on one character, whose weight is decisively mocked by Mellick throughout a large portion of the novel. Typically something like that would really turn me off a novel, but I honestly expected a whole lot worse from Mellick so it hardly even phased me. Is that fair? Probably not, but who's counting?
It's short and makes for a quick read, and I'll probably check out more Mellick in the future.
November 23, 2014
Sally Sandwich is an innocent, if not strange, little girl. She wears Victorian-era dresses and talk to her dolls (and the dolls talk back, and it's not what you might expect from the toys of such a sweet little girl).
After witnessing the depressing blurry side of town, a place where only one child gets one single piece of candy A YEAR, Sally and her quasi-stalker schoolmate Timmy Taco embark on a quest to find what's at the end of a rainbow. There, they each are granted a wish. Whereas Timmy wishes (for Sally's dismay) that they're both married forever, Sally wishes for candy rain, forever, so her and the poor kids on the blurry side of town can get all the candy they'd ever want.
An innocent sounding premise, but when receiving the Carlton Mellick III treatment, we get a brutal tale of survival on a post apocalyptic world. No character is completely likable on this book. Sally's mother is a drunk, her father is a jolly-to-the-point-of-infuriating type who soon descends into the madness of the new, candy filled world, and her sister Jane is a dark lolita realist, maybe the character we most grow to like.
The dolls are a reflection of Sally's personality, and it shows until their predictable, yet still exciting last act.
This is a brutal book. DO NOT read this to your child. The character's descent into madness and the bleakness of it all are enough to make you think of this one long after you put it down. Awesome read indeed.
After witnessing the depressing blurry side of town, a place where only one child gets one single piece of candy A YEAR, Sally and her quasi-stalker schoolmate Timmy Taco embark on a quest to find what's at the end of a rainbow. There, they each are granted a wish. Whereas Timmy wishes (for Sally's dismay) that they're both married forever, Sally wishes for candy rain, forever, so her and the poor kids on the blurry side of town can get all the candy they'd ever want.
An innocent sounding premise, but when receiving the Carlton Mellick III treatment, we get a brutal tale of survival on a post apocalyptic world. No character is completely likable on this book. Sally's mother is a drunk, her father is a jolly-to-the-point-of-infuriating type who soon descends into the madness of the new, candy filled world, and her sister Jane is a dark lolita realist, maybe the character we most grow to like.
The dolls are a reflection of Sally's personality, and it shows until their predictable, yet still exciting last act.
This is a brutal book. DO NOT read this to your child. The character's descent into madness and the bleakness of it all are enough to make you think of this one long after you put it down. Awesome read indeed.
November 27, 2014
"Sweet Story" is the second book I have had the pleasure of reading by Carlton Mellick III. Yes, this IS a children's story - albeit one that is rather (ha!) inappropriate for any child under the age of 50. I suppose the theme of the tale is, "Be careful what you wish for," and our protagonist's seemingly innocent wish brings about the slow end of all life on the planet. The greatest strength of this book is that CM3 plays it straight and innocent for the first 3/4 of the book, where in the final quarter the language (which had been squeaky-clean up to this point) gives way to some not-so-sweet profanity. Even the most violent scenes were played off very "matter-of-fact," which added to my ever-growing smirk as I turned the pages. There's even a bonus comic at the end which hints at an alternative ending. Highly recommended for anyone looking for something silly, violent and original to read.
June 9, 2022
Warning: This book is NOT for kids!!!
Unfortunately, this wasn’t my favorite Mellick book. At all. In fact, at the very end, I hated it. The first half of this book was sooo good! So funny and delightful, but I knew that the horror was going to be thrown in- I just didn’t know that it was going to be so much in such a small amount of time and so awful! I won’t be eating suckers or hard Candy any time for quite awhile after this book LOL!
This book had so much potential but it was a dud for me. I guess they can’t all be great. And the main character in the cover looks like she is 18- in the storyline, she was only 9, with very curly hair. I also found 3 typos. Tsk tsk LOL! I will be giving this to a Little Free Library so they can have have something to read other than James Patterson.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t my favorite Mellick book. At all. In fact, at the very end, I hated it. The first half of this book was sooo good! So funny and delightful, but I knew that the horror was going to be thrown in- I just didn’t know that it was going to be so much in such a small amount of time and so awful! I won’t be eating suckers or hard Candy any time for quite awhile after this book LOL!
This book had so much potential but it was a dud for me. I guess they can’t all be great. And the main character in the cover looks like she is 18- in the storyline, she was only 9, with very curly hair. I also found 3 typos. Tsk tsk LOL! I will be giving this to a Little Free Library so they can have have something to read other than James Patterson.
August 30, 2014
Once again, a home run for CMIII. I have no idea how this man has such an enormous output and still write with such panache. Yes, he has written a few books that I just didn't really 'get into,' but the ones like this make up for the 'misses.' This is a cautionary tale. You know...one of those 'be careful what you wish for' type deals. It almost reminded me of 'The Monkey's Paw' with the wishes going HORRIBLY awry. Except this one focuses more on the outcome of an ill thought wish. After all, who would think candy rain would EVER be a bad idea? Lemme just say, this is NOT a sweet story at all. Its sad and heartwrenching and terrible, but still an awesome book. Does that make sense? It will when you read it. Now hop to!
September 28, 2014
I love CM3. Unfortunately, this book didn't feel on the same level as his other work. I loved the plot of this book. I could reiterate what the back cover says, but I am not going to. Just know that like all CM3 books, the plot is fantastic. However, the book itself felt rushed. Even in the comic strip after the book, CM3 said he was rushed for the deadline as he wrote this one. Not sure how honest that is, but the work certainly felt like it was.
Besides all that, I think candy and cannibalism are becoming inseparable for CM3. And that is a good thing.
Besides all that, I think candy and cannibalism are becoming inseparable for CM3. And that is a good thing.
December 27, 2023
La premisa del libro parece inocente, una niña que va camino al final del arcoiris para pedir un deseo y termina pidiendo que lluevan dulces para que todos los niños que no pueden comprarlos puedan comerlos ¿qué puede salir mal?
En un inicio es bastante inocente, infantil, mostrándonos todo desde el punto de vista de la protagonista. Pero a medida que el libro avanza hay un quiebre donde todo se vuelve turbio y de ahí es un viaje constante de locura y violencia.
Un libro raro, pero recomendadísimo. Me reí en muchas partes y me sorprendí en otras, es muy divertido e interesante de leer.
En un inicio es bastante inocente, infantil, mostrándonos todo desde el punto de vista de la protagonista. Pero a medida que el libro avanza hay un quiebre donde todo se vuelve turbio y de ahí es un viaje constante de locura y violencia.
Un libro raro, pero recomendadísimo. Me reí en muchas partes y me sorprendí en otras, es muy divertido e interesante de leer.
February 13, 2017
This one started a bit slow but then turned into this crazy, disturbing tale. It wasn't my favorite Mellick book but was a good. It's about a little girl who is always looking for the end of rainbows. When she finally finds the end of the rainbow she is granted a wish. Later she learns you should always be careful what you wish for.
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