The Secret of Ventriloquism

by Jon Padgett

Jon Padgett's The Secret of Ventriloquism, named the Best Fiction Book of 2016 by Rue Morgue Magazine, heralds the arrival of a significant new literary talent. With themes reminiscent of Shirley Jackson, Thomas Ligotti, and Bruno Schulz, but with a strikingly unique vision, Padgett's work explores the mystery of human suffering, the agony of personal existence, and the ghastly means by which someone might achieve salvation from both. A bullied child seeks vengeance within a bed's hollow box spring. A lucid dreamer is haunted by an impossible house. A dummy reveals its own anatomy in 20 simple steps. A stuttering librarian holds the key to a mill town's unspeakable secrets. A commuter's worldview is shattered by two words printed on a cardboard sign. An aspiring ventriloquist spends a little too much time looking at himself in a mirror. And a presence speaks through them all.

Contents:

Introduction by Matt Cardin
The Mindfulness of Horror Practice
Murmurs of a Voice Foreknown
The Indoor Swamp
Origami Dreams
20 Simple Steps to Ventriloquism
Infusorium
Organ Void
The Secret of Ventriloquism
Escape to Thin Mountain

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Weird Fiction, Anthologies, Fantasy, Lovecraftian

201 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2016

About the author

Jon Padgett is a professional–though lapsed–ventriloquist who lives in New Orleans. He is the Editor-In-Chief of Grimscribe Press, which publishes Vastarien: A Literary Journal , a source of critical study and creative response to the work of Thomas Ligotti. Padgett’s first short story collection, The Secret of Ventriloquism, was named the Best Fiction Book of the Year by Rue Morgue Magazine.

Padgett’s voice has also become synonymous with the works of Thomas Ligotti. Padgett has lent his voice to numerous Thomas Ligotti works, including the recently released Penguin Random House audio version of Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe and various Cadabra Record releases, “The Bungalow House,” “The Red Tower,” “The Small People,” “Gas Station Carnivals,” “The Clown Puppet,” “Pictures of Apocalypse,” and “Mrs. Rinaldi’s Angel.” In addition to his work as a Ligotti narrator, Padgett has also narrated two Cadabra Records releases of his own work, “20 Simple Steps to Ventriloquism” and “Origami Dreams.” With his ability to channel Ligotti’s prose and poetry via the spoken word, Padgett is a singular figure in the world of weird storytelling.

Reviews

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you want to see something strange? Are you certain? Ok. First, take a look at the cover illustration on this book. Study the details. You will remember them later. Next, pay close attention to the details in each consecutive story. Be sure to read them in order. You will begin to notice recurring images. They're so uncanny ... are they real? The sights on the Indoor Swamp tour are certainly disorienting. Is this deja vu? Have you been here before? That city outside is vaguely familiar. How many fingers do you have? Humor me. Count them again. Did you know that houses can dream? Have you practiced the 20 simple steps of ventriloquism, animal-dummy? The rules may break you, but then again, they might put you together. Have you been brave enough to enter Treasure Forest? Have you seen the skeletons? Their bone structures are mutated. Sometimes I can hear them growing. Have you been skeletonized? Do you know? Here's the train. Can you hear the sweet song of Little Evie? It is cold underneath the overpass. We long for Thin Mountain and we surrender to wonderful things. To Mr. Vox. What are you?

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

The genre of fiction that I identify as weird tales has always appealed to me, though it's hard to describe. There are also...flavors of weird tales, they're not always the same, even though they may belong to the same genre. For instance, Thomas Ligotti may be described as an author of weird fiction. While I love his style, I often find his work too nihilistic for me. Laird Barron could be described as an author of weird fiction as well, though his style generally leans toward cosmic horror. Lastly, Robert Aickman is admired as an author of weird fiction, but I often find his stories to be rather...unsatisfying. Jon Padgett, however, satisfied ALL of my wants and needs as a reader of dark and weird fiction. These stories have a clear beginning and end, (though some continue on, in other stories), and are as utterly satisfying as short fiction can be. In fact, I'd call them brilliant. That's right. BRILLIANT!

Starting with the appealing cover, (what horror fan could resist it?), and ending with Little Evie singing, in the story "Escape to the Mountain," (which makes me shudder just thinking about it.) These amazing stories are beyond impressive, each and every one of them.

After "Origami Dreams" I will never look at folded paper in the same way again. I will never see the word "appendage" again and not think of Solomon Kroth and his endless research in the University Library. I will not pass the abandoned paper mills in nearby towns without thinking of those ugly "paper mill days" and the filth they spewed upon the town of Dunnstown. I will never again pass a swamp without thinking of the room in "Indoor Swamp":

"Perhaps there is a room that contains a worn vintage tea party set with frilly dressed dolls, but one of those doll's heads gradually rotates completely around, going from an expression of knowing, smiling perversion to an open-mouthed, silent O of horror and back again."

I cannot possibly give this book a higher recommendation. As you read it, you may feel dizzy at times, or maybe even a little sick.

"You may begin to imagine you hear something that sounds like static or even the roar of an airliner. you may feel lightheaded like you are going to pass out. Ignore these feelings. They are normal."

They are a trifle. YOU are a trifle.

If you want to fully understand the meanings of these things, you MUST read this book. For me it started with the cover. It was the cover that made me BUY this book, rather than accept the free copy submitted for review to Horror After Dark. That's right, I bought it. You should too. Seriously. Right. Now.

Go here: The Secret of Ventriloquism
(You can add the audio for only $1.99 more!)

Usually this is where I say I was provided a free copy in exchange for honest feedback. However, (see above), I bought this book, and this is my honest opinion.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot think better way to start this 2017 New Year than with a good book. And with Jon Padget’s “The Secret of Ventriloquism”, which is published by Dunhams Manor Press , I have found a real winner.

The book is a collection of Mr. Padget’s short stories and a play, now packaged all together in a single volume that should be sought out. Not only does the book offer a fantastic dust jacket, there are also some nice interior illustrations by Dave Felton. And for those that do not know the name Jon Padgett, he is the founder and administrator of Thomas Ligotti Online website. The influence on Mr. Padgett of Mr. Ligotti is clear in these stories of paranoia and dread.

The book consists of the following:

013 – Introduction by Matt Cardin
019 – “The Mindfulness of Horror Practice”
023 – “Murmurs Of A Voice Foreknown”
033 – “The Indoor Swamp”
037 – “Origami Dreams”
061 – “20 Simple Steps to Ventriloquism”
103 – “The Infusorium”
143 – “Organ Void”
153 – “The Secret of Ventriloquism”
193 – “Escape To The Mountain”
203 – Notes
205 – Acknowledgements
207 – About the Author

I say again, what a great way to start the year, I believe that the hardcovers are now sold out, however the paperback version is still available from the publisher, and well worth seeking out.

[Sirensongs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the past few years I have been tantalized by, and read, several overhyped debut collections. In the somewhat incestuous-seeming, segregated, and cliquish horror and weird fiction communities, writers, publishers and reviewers were bending over backwards to heap praise and accolades upon newer writers, who, quite frankly, still had a long way to go to hone their craft. Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying that I didn't get anything out of reading these fledgeling collections, or that there was no merit to be found within the pages of these books. What I am saying is that I learned to take overly glowing reviews and blurbs with a grain of salt. There may just be a gem or two within these collections of tales I was going to eventually get around to reading, but I knew that I had to hone my expectations.

I began reading Jon Padgett's THE SECRET OF VENTRILOQUISM with these resevervations in mind. All the reviews I had read of this collection were full of the praise and accolades I was somewhat wary of. Granted, I had read a few of these stories in their first appearances in anthologies and as chapbooks, and I knew that they were, in fact, quite good. However, I was not prepared to have my mind blown so completely and thoroughly. Here, again, finally, is a book that lives up to all the hype; if anything, perhaps it has not been hyped quite enough! This collection is a dark marvel of unsettling, sharp prose that cuts its way deep into the marrow of the psyche. I haven't read a book that affected me this way since I first discovered Ligotti, imbued with that bleak grayness that underlies reality, no matter how shiny and pretty its surface might seem.

As I have stated, I have read several of these pieces before, and thought they were quite good. But read together as a continuum, they are beyond good; they are stupendous and mindblowing. Because of my poor memory, when reading the pieces several months, if not years, apart, I did not notice the common threads and themes that ran throughout them. Having devoured this collection over the past couple of days, I can only marvel at the sheet brilliance of how all these disparate themes and common imagery come together, a true example of synergy; the sum truly is greater than all of its parts, and the greatness of this sum is truly staggering. My mind will be teeming with sinister, disembodied voices, static, smog and sheer nothingness for some time to come. There is more than just pessimism here though; there are several moments of absurd humour which had me laughing out loud at their bizarre hilarity; there are segments of poetic prose that are heart wrenchingly beautiful; there are profound philosophical/spiritual insights that had me questioning my own views of reality; and there are truly terrifying moments and images that I'm sure will permeate my nightmares far into the forseeable future.

I wish I had the type of mind that could analyze the stories and write a piece by piece criticism that was worthy of this book. Sadly, I experience any form of art subjectively, and find it very difficult to provide objective viewpoints in writing. This perhaps overly emotional gushing will just have to suffice then. Matt Cardin expounds quite effectively in his introduction about how Jon Padgett has developed his own distinct authorial voice, and I must concur wholeheartedly. It's a voice that I hope to hear much more from in the future, even if it's through my own trembling "mouth that is not a mouth", and "is indeed nothing like the voice [I] once recognized as [my] own", projected and willed by the Ultimate Ventriloquist.

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

Head's up, dummies! THE SECRET OF VENTRILOQUISM is back in an expanded edition, with 3 additional tales of weirdness and dread.

In the grayness of Dunnstown, where paper ash still floats in the air even though the papermill has long since been abandoned, the past is layered over the present. The Indoor Swamp is still there, the homeless are still there, dreaming of an escape to a mountain and welcomed by a dwarf. The lessons on how to become Greater are still there as well as the dummies. All the dummies. Both human and wooden. What am I talking about? You'll have to read this brilliant collection to find out!

This time around I reveled in the awesomeness and fear of FLIGHT 389, a story new to this collection and another instance of the horrors that crash into, and that are part of, the very being of Dunnstown.

Also new, A LITTLE DELTA OF FILTH has to be one of the best stories yet from Mr. Padgett. A convention for work brings back to Dunnstown a former inhabitant. Drawn to visit her old house and the drainage ditch behind it, the woman discovers she likes it in the dark, she likes parts of her body being numb. Who cares if her arms are a little discolored? And small?

And lastly, the ghostly yellow house, (is it even real?), in 3 different locations? THE SECRET SOCIETY OF DUMMIES knows. Don't you want to know?

Perhaps some of the reason that this collections speaks to me so loudly is the fact that I grew up near these towns. Abandoned paper mills, especially near rivers, abound up here in the northeast. The towns that hosted them have lost a great deal of their population along with the mills. Left behind are often pollution and scars upon the earth. A certain type of grayness hangs over some of these places, whether it be from environmental concerns or just some type of leftover dark, (psychiatric?), miasma.

As the dummy's head turns all the way around, while the little dolls in the Indoor Swamp are engaged in their little tea party, Jon Padgett is busy creating dark, weird fiction. Fiction that creates that slow creeping dread that we horror lovers adore: fiction about a small, gray, dying, (dead?), town. Personally, I don't think Dunnstown will ever die. Certainly not while all these stories are still crawling about wildly in my brain!

THE SECRET OF VENTRILOQUISM (EXPANDED EDITION), once again was almost too much for my small brain to take. Then again, I am only a dummy, after all. This is a brilliant work of fiction that you should not miss!

My highest recommendation!

Click here to read my review of the original edition: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

*Thank you to Jon Padgett for the paperback of this new edition in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

[Ɗẳɳ 2.☊ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why the long face? Life got you down? What’s eating you? Aw, you say it’s Horror Week and you have nothing to read? Well, fret not, my friend, for there’s a simple solution. What if I could show you how all of life’s troubles are but trifles. Now, doesn’t that sound appealing?



And no, it’s not Chicken Soup for the Soul, merely 20 Simple Steps to Ventriloquism. Sounds crazy, right? Well, stick with it and I can promise you, in no time at all, you’ll feel right as rain!

The first eight steps lay the groundwork for working with a dummy. Here, the entire process is detailed in this book - The Secret of Ventriloquism, take my copy. Practice makes perfect, so follow the directions to the letter, and come back when you’re ready to carry on . . .

Back so soon? Good, good. Now our real work can begin.

Okay, by now you should be well adept at manipulating your dummy, so now it’s time to elevate yourself above the sheep—above all the people in your daily life and the distractions they bring. They’re all dummies. Unburden your mind—take all of those worries, doubts, and fears that have been holding you back and cast them asunder. Static. It’s all static. Wipe the slate clean—gather up everything that’s good in your life and grind it to dust. This will help me put you together. Now, try to imagine a world of infinite possibilities—all of your dreams or nightmares fleshed out into reality. Thanks to your tremendous powers of Greater Ventriloquism, anything is possible. Just keep an open mind and don’t get discouraged because suffering and exhaustion are both key to your future mastery of Greater Ventriloquism. Soon, all will be revealed.

Quickly now, we’ve reached the final step, without a moment to lose. {The drone of an airplane engine approaches} Raise your arms up to the sky, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. Concentrate on the droning engine noise, reach out with your mind, let it begin . . .

I don’t often dabble in weird fiction, and here’s why - Although this was a superbly written piece of dark fiction that evoked hauntingly vivid, disturbing imagery, much of the narrative was shrouded in a haze, which left me feeling confused and out of my depth. Also, there was little to no resolution of the overarching storyline. There was clearly a connection between all the stories, with overlapping characters and locations, so I falsely assumed that all those divergent threads were slowly being woven together towards some epic, mind-fuck of a conclusion. But alas, that wasn’t to be the case. And while I’m typically A-okay with ambiguous endings, here I was hoping to resolve some of my earlier confusion. Therefore, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed with how things were left.

Nevertheless, this was a remarkable short story collection—worthy of adulation. Individually, I’d rate most of the stories somewhere between 3 to 4 stars, but the crème de la crème was the story of the Infusorium, which easily rates 5 stars, in my book.

[Adrienne L · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Relentlessly nightmarish and unsettling. This is the kind of book you want to start right over again when you have finished, to connect more mystifying pieces of the puzzle in a likely fruitless attempt at getting a clearer picture of the whole. I love how all of the stories were connected; it makes the collection read like a novel broken up in fever-dream fragments.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

THE SECRET OF VENTRILOQUISM, by Jon Padgett, is a collection of stories ingeniously interconnected to each other. This is one book that you really need to read the stories in the order presented to get the full effect of just how powerful this book, as a whole, is.
Even the cover (I own the paperback version) has bearing on the stories contained within.

Padgett gives a great deal of credit to Thomas Ligotti for the inspiration of this collection. Right from the beginning in the selection titled "The Mindfulness of Horror Practice", the stage is being set for the reader to "alter their awareness". The following stories all build upon this; some using overtly recognizable pieces from previous stories, others more ambiguous ones--such as the fog, or a dreamlike sensation while looking in a mirror.

Although I enjoyed all of these stories, my personal favorites were, "The Infusorium", "The Indoor Swamp", "Murmurs of a Voice Foreknown", and "Origami Dreams". Now ventriloquist dummies are creepy to begin with, but after reading these stories, you may find yourself looking at them with a newfound horror altogether. . .

"It is best not to think about what comes next."

A great new voice in horror, that I will be anticipating more from in the future.

Highly recommended!

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is best not to think about what must come next.

It might be too dismissive to call The Secret of Ventriloquism merely a short story collection. It's much more than that. It's more than just the sum of it's parts and as you experience each story more layers are built onto the themes, location and characters, and you'll realize that the stories form one cohesive whole. It's similar to what Laird Barron also did last year with Swift To Chase .

The book opens fittingly with a guided meditation on horror called "The Mindfulness of Horror Practice". It's a perfect primer that sets the disturbing tone and seems designed to put you in the right mindset to tackle the rest of the book. And from there you will journey into a strange dimension that is all Jon Padgett's creation. A place where reality is fickle and a "trifle," and the line between dreams and what's real is constantly blurred.

In my more lucid moments I know that this life, such as it is, will not last much longer. The man I once was would consider that a mercy, but I no longer even believe in the release of death. It is only a transition into yet another borrowed reality.

I'm not sure who Jon Padgett is or where he came from but he definitely left an impression with this one and I'll be on the lookout from now on for more of his work. There is a level of creativity and bravery here that I personally rarely see in story collections. Every story has an undeniably unique voice and perspective, and each one is impressive in the way that the tension and unease builds and carries over to the next.

There are things in this book that I'm almost positive that I recognize from my own nightmares. In that way, Padgett's work really is pretty unsettling and I would go so far to say that it's a masterpiece of horror and weird fiction and will probably end up on my favorites list at the end of the year. Any fans of dark work should decide if they are ready to gain the knowledge of Greater Ventriloquism. And if that is case, tune out the Static, buy this book, read it slow and let it soak, and while doing so, don't forget to count the fingers on your right hand.

Oh and don't worry:

"Being sick to your stomach now is perfectly normal."

[☆LaurA☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un caleidoscopio di oscurità. Labirinti di specchi urlanti. Cose spaventose. Cose meravigliose

Siamo pronti a prendere un treno per Dunnstown, dove nebbie dense e malsane non ci abbandoneranno mai? Dove ci perdermo in una Palude coperta e non troveremo mai la strada e la voglia di uscirne? Dove bambini chiederanno vendetta, aspiranti ventriloqui passano la vita di fronte ad uno specchio, dove nulla è ciò che è e ciò che sembra?

Ogni tanto mi chiedo quali siano gli ingredienti per creare un' ottima storia dell'orrore.
I libri dell'orrore sono quelli che ci spaventano, che ci mettono in allerta di fronte all'ignoto, che ci preoccupano.
Quelli che ti perseguitano anche dopo la chiusura delle pagine e non ti fanno chiudere gli occhi di notte.
Quelli che ci portano a ridere quando un non morto scivola sulle budella che ha appena perso, quelli che ci terrorizzano per il silenzio improvviso di un bambino dopo che ha aperto il suo armadio.
Quest'opera è disturbante. Padgett esplora il mistero della sofferenza umana, l'agonia dell'esistenza personale. Un' allegoria in chiave orrorifica del nichilismo metafisico e dell'angoscia esistenziale. Non terrore, ma orrore filosofico. Nessun mostro in queste pagine se non noi stessi, esseri umani, succubi della follia.

E poi edizioni Hypnos ha beccato in pieno la copertina, inquietante al punto giusto!

[Dona's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really need to read this a second time lol, I didn't quite realize it was a collection of short fiction until the very end, so I processed it as a kind of novel... which was strange but not unenjoyable!

So I need to go and try it again as it was meant to be read. Be back shortly!

Rating, for now: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommend? Yep, even like I read it
Finished: January 14 2023


* Edit January 23 2023 *

I went back and read this book a second time as it was designed to be read, as a collection of short fiction. I can't say it was any less strange for that effort, but weird fiction is supposed to be strange. It's right in the name. So though I'm still mystified and vaguely uncomfortable after reading this book again, I'm also wildly entertained.

One of the best things about THE SECRET OF VENTRILOQUISM is that the stories vary in topic. Each was arguably as bizarre as a talking dummy, but the topics ranged from the temporal to the psychological to the scatalogical. Something for everyone maybe? Maybe not.

My favorite of these stories is "Organ Void." It's disgusting, horrifying, and yet I relate to it on a very deep level and it makes me feel seen, maybe? Maybe not. Make no mistake, this is smart fiction.

And very weird.

Rating: 🤪🤪🤪🤪 / 5 total weirdos
Recommend? Absolutely, for weird fiction fans
Finished: January 23 2023
Read this if you like:
🤡 Terrifying toys
💩 Horrifying body functions
😱 Scary short stories
🧠 Smart fiction
⚗️ Experimental form

[Gafas y Ojeras · Rating 5 out of 5]

¿Cuál es la característica principal que tiene que tener una obra de terror? Es una pregunta simple en apariencia y que todos, en mayor o menor medida , responderíamos sin pensarlo demasiado. Los libros de terror son aquellos que nos dan miedo, que nos ponen en alerta ante lo desconocido, que nos inquietan. Aquellos cuyo poso oscuro traspasa las fronteras del cierre de sus páginas y nos acompaña al tratar de cerrar los ojos. Los complejos atributos que nos llevan a reírnos cuando en una obra de terror un muerto viviente resbala al pisar unas tripas esparcidas por el suelo mientras que, sin embargo, nos aterra el silencio repentino en un niño tras abrir la puerta del armario.
La obra que nos presenta aquí Jon Padgett es una de esas de las que perturba. Y uno no sabe bien el por qué. De hecho, un buen número de los relatos que se presentan en este El secreto de la ventriloquia son tan complejos, están tan llenos de paisajes oníricos, confusos, empapados de un surrealismo cercano a la reconocida locura, que terminan por zarandear al lector al grito de: ¿se puede saber qué coño es lo que estas leyendo?
Pero es que ya desde el inicio, Padgett sienta las bases de la experiencia que te va a presentar en esta colección de relatos. Su simple, pero llena de mala leche, introducción invita a los lectores a una oscura meditación en donde les sugiere liberar todo el desasosiego interno para que les haga compañía. Una clase de meditación invertida que llenará de oscuridad todas las palabras que están por venir.
A partir de entonces comienza un particular hechizo. O mejor dicho, una suerte de hipnotismo que hace que el lector se sienta participe de una densa y fétida neblina que se va adentrando en sus pulmones. Empieza por borrar el brillo de sus ojos con una declaración de intenciones de esas que te impiden parpadear: “Yo tenía siete años la primera vez que mi hermano trató de matarme”. A continuación te sube en una barca a través de un pantano en el que la realidad comienza a diluirse entre tinieblas para, finalmente, transformar la realidad en una extraño y perverso decorado de Origami.
Ya estás atrapado.
Aun así, el autor se permite el lujo de parar un momento la narración para explicarle al lector que todo aquello que buscaba lo tiene entre sus manos y le da la libertad para quedar satisfecho con lo leído hasta ahora.
Ahí es cuando tienes que decidir si todo este libro es un auténtico despropósito carente de sentido, si el autor se está riendo de ti del mismo modo que lo ha hecho de todos los que aplauden su filosófica manera de enfocar el horror heredada de su amigo y mentor Ligotti o si, por el contrario, quieres dar un paso más allá y continuar con todos los 20 pasos que te convertirán en ese extraño y tétrico ser que es el ventrílocuo supremo.
Qué es lo que eso significa dependerá de ti como lector. Puedes considerar que esta reseña no es más que una sarta de pretenciosas y desconcertantes palabras que se escriben desde detrás de un escenario trágico o que hay algo aun más oscuro anidando en mi cabeza. Puede que incluso todos tengamos la tentación de asumir la existencia de un alguien que hable a través de mis palabras, aboliendo todo atisbo de independencia. Puede incluso que te plantees que las patrañas que suelto en esta reseña no sean más que sonidos que escapan de unos labios que apenas se mueven.
O puede que tú también seas un maniquí y quieras descubrir cual es el verdadero e inevitable secreto.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark and brooding collection of Ligotti inspired shorts. Make no mistake about it though, the superb writing and brooding atmosphere is all Padgett.

Plus, everybody knows ventriloquist dummies are fucking creepy.

Ligotti would be proud.

[T.E. Grau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spectacular debut for an important contemporary writer of the truly Weird.

Full review coming soon...

[Rebecca Gransden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully conceived short story collection, taking in the uncanny and weird. What stands out most is Padgett’s ability to command a brooding atmosphere. Each story acts as a crooked jigsaw puzzle piece, where the final picture is made up from those lost. There is great craft here, and the author utilises perfect stylistic choices to intensify the unsettling world created. This collection will walk with you in dreams. Can’t fault it.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sure that this book will appeal to all those of an ideological and censorious Leftist persuasion. Whether that constitutes a recommendation or not depends on your own personal outlook.

[S̶e̶a̶n̶ · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a few recent lackluster experiences with story collections, I approached Jon Padgett’s The Secret of Ventriloquism with wary anticipation. Certainly it’s been rated highly by many readers, including trusted friends, but so had the aforementioned collections. So I was pleased to discover how much I enjoyed these interconnected stories. The fact that they were interconnected made me more inclined to like the collection, as I find this quality in a collection always helps me stay engaged, probably because in most cases I’d prefer to be reading a novel. Not only do characters and settings recur here, but also words, phrases, themes, and concepts. Padgett clearly put a lot of time into building an underlying structure (several of these pieces were originally published elsewhere), and he left it vague enough to stimulate reader curiosity about what is left untold. I find this type of skeletal (or skeletonized) world-building to be irresistible as a reader. I never want it all spelled out, and yet there is always a fine line between telling too much and not telling enough. Padgett gets it right here, and it makes me want to read more stories set in this unique environment of a decaying town in the American South. In the meantime, these tales are lingering in my mind, already demanding to be reread.

While I enjoyed all of the stories, I will note just a few favorites:

‘Origami Dreams’ – this includes many of the ideal characteristics I enjoy in a weird tale: a hazy border between dream and waking life; a circuitous Moebius-strip like narrative; and a light metafictional flourish.

‘Organ Void’ – what begins as a rather disgusting body horror piece evolves into a compelling and disorienting body transformation scenario. Elements of this reminded me of Simon Strantzas’ story ‘A Shadow in God’s Eye’ (the first story in Beneath the Surface), which is one of my favorite stories of his.

‘Escape to Thin Mountain’ – the final story—a response to the short Thomas Ligotti piece ‘Ten Steps to Thin Mountain’. I reckon Padgett upstaged Ligotti with this long haunting prose poem, which also serves as an elegant finish to the collection.

[Tani]

That's my favourite doll on the cover.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some pretty heavy comparisons are made to Jon Padgett by this book's blurb. Shirley Jackson. Thomas Ligotti. Others online have even compared him to H.P. Lovecraft. I have never read Ligotti. Maybe Padgett is a little bit like Shirley Jackson, but he doesn't remind me of H.P. Lovecraft. Some of his stories master Lovecraft's pervading sense of dread, but many of them do not. One of them, Organ Void, was downright disgusting. If you want to know what I mean by disgusting, think "the story revolves around bodily fluids, particularly really nasty diarrhea."

Yeah. Gross. On the plus side, Padgett's prose is impressive, and his ability to write a quintessentially weird fiction tale is undeniable. Also, one of the stories, Origami Dreams, is an absolute masterpiece. It's mind-bending, unsettling, and ultimately terrifying, making the reader question reality (within the context of the story, of course).

I found the two longest stories to be rather average, which is disappointing. One was a sort-of detective mystery (The Infusorium), and the other was a one-act play (The Secret of Ventriloquism). As plays tend to have a lot of whitespace, this story ended up feeling a bit like filler used to bring the book to a publishable length (even with the play, the book is only 176 pages long).

If you're into weird fiction or horror, this is worth checking out, but it was mostly a miss for me. Ratings for each story out of five stars, and a cumulative rating for the whole book are below:

The Mindfulness of Horror Practice: 2/5
Murmurs of a Voice Foreknown: 4 or 4.5/5
The Indoor Swamp: 3.5/5
Origami Dreams: 5/5
20 Simple Steps to Ventriloquism: 3.5/5
The Infusorium: 3.5/5
Organ Void: 1.5/5
The Secret of Ventriloquism: 3/5
Escape to Thin Mountain: 2/5

28/45 = 62.22% = 3.11 stars

[David Peak · Rating 5 out of 5]

My interview with Jon is up at the Fanzine.

http://thefanzine.com/black-fog-an-in...

In it we discuss Hurricane Katrina and other disasters, meditative emptiness, suffering, how the past haunts the present, the illusion of identity, and tons of other fun, upbeat stuff.

[Repix Pix · Rating 4 out of 5]

No me gustan los relatos, me saben a poco. Ojalá algunos de estos fueran novelas, porque hay material, y muy bueno.

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has apparently become already difficult to find because it was a limited edition, but I highly suggest visiting Dunhams Manor Press' website and enquiring about it because it is worth tracking. I didn't know when to expect when I started THE SECRET OF VENTRILOQUISM, but I didn't expect it to be this good.

The highlight stories of this book are MURMURS OF A VOICE FOREKNOWN, 20 SIMPLE STEPS TO VENTRILOQUISM and THE INFUSORIUM, which is one of the rare stories I've had the privilege to read that captures the terrifying gut feeling of playing one of the first Silent Hill game. Yep. You heard me. This one gets it right. Padgett's stories are bold and unique and he is never afraid to play with the form in other to create maximum effect. Not every story in the collection enraptured me. Sometimes Padgett sets the bar high for himself and can't quite get over the hump every time, but those who did were magical moments and DEFINITELY some of the best short material I've read all year.

[Adam Light · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I'm impressed. I have always been nervous about ventriloquist dummies, but now they horrify me. This book is remarkably good. I will read it again.

[Forrest · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost bought this in the limited-edition numbered hardcover. Alas, I waited too long and only got the signed softcover. I regret that decision now. Really regret it, deep down in my bones. Had I known that this collection, this book was going to be so strong, I would have dropped the cash in a heartbeat. I've been reading a lot of short fiction collections lately, and this is among the best I've read in recent memory, which is saying something, as I've read some great ones. So, without further ado, let's go through the stories:

"The Mindfulness of Horror Practice" carries a lot of power in very few words. An examination of the story would take longer than the story itself, which is a sort of self-help guide to feeling horror. Thankfully, the visceral nature of the content explains itself in so few words. 5 stars, and an ideal start to this collection of horror stories. In my original notes, I wrote "I get the feeling that this will set the stage for much to come. One foot in the doorway of nihilism . . .". Oh, if I only knew!

"Murmurs of a Voice Foreknown" is terrifying for what it does not say, defining the motives for vengeance without revealing the act, and creating fear not through a sudden shock, but through a more subtle, more methodical revelation. 5 stars for this near-perfectly crafted story.

"The Indoor Swamp" speaks to our (or maybe just my) fascination with the macabre, the grotesque, and the terrifying. It's a labyrinth of the mind, fueled by morbid curiosity. 5 stars for this short, but very effective piece."

"Origami Dreams" is the type of reality-slipping unfolding I love in cosmic horror. Padgett takes the old cheap-thrill of "it was just a dream" type schlock and crafts it into something genuinely sinister, an alienation so thorough that even the narrator himself falls and breaks through layers and layers of reality. This is where the collection really takes off into the highest reaches of darkness. It is with this tale that the collection itself assumes a life of its own, where the collection begins to become more than the sum of its parts, which is what all the best collections do. It is not merely an accumulation of stories, it is an accretion of stories with themes, characters, and phrases that allude to each other, at the very least, sometimes directly, sometimes in an obtuse way that deepens the sense of "depth" even more. The perfect soundtrack to this story would be Nick Cave's "Red Right Hand". 5 stars.

"20 Simple Steps to Ventriloquism" was obviously influenced by Ligotti (exact repetition of words and phrases, focused emphasis on specific words that create a sense of hopelessness, and so forth). This is probably intended. What I'm not sure is whether or not the voice was meant to sound like Steven Millhauser. But it does. And that's a good thing. 5 stars to this story, as well.

"The Infusorium" is a fantastic crawl through a polluted noir horror that is the kind of grey, burdensome, yet titillating story I always wish for when opening a volume of dark fiction, but rarely find. The procedural ends in a surprising way that, in hindsight, is the only way it could have ended. But as it's unfolding, there is a twist that throws things in an unexpected direction, only to spin right around to the ending that you might have guessed, except the twist threw you off the scent. It's an exhilarating sensation that adds to the feeling of terror. The accretion I mentioned earlier continues, like a spider web being slowly built around the reader's mind. In fact, this story would be in the thick of the web. Cross-references with other stories that might normally be obtrusive or jarring feel natural and yet continue to surprise. This is becoming a complete, complex BOOK. 5 stars.

Unfortunately, "Organ Void" was a bit of a void for me, with only a very tenuous connection with the rest of the collection. The weakest of the bunch, but still a decent enough story. 3 stars.

"The Secret of Ventriloquism" is written as stage directions and dialogue for a play. Padgett leverages the medium by using metatextual stage directions as a way to expose another layer of meaning and terror "behind" the story. This layering effect give a richness to the story that would have been compromised had these subtle elements been presented in too-straightforward of a manner. It's a lot like . . . ventriloquism. 5 stars.

"Escape to Thin Mountain," frankly, reminds me of some of my own early writing. So, yes, I do like this frenetic, manic voice that is so sing-songy and pleasant as to be absolutely horrific. I was a tiny bit disappointed that there is only a tenuous connection to the rest of the collection, which seemed to be forming such a strong book. Still, a solid 4 star story.

I won't say that the collection would have been better without "Escape to Thin Mountain" and "Organ Void," but they were both distractions from the rest of the collection, which is near perfect. And I don't use the word "perfect" to describe books very often. But this is pretty darned close.

I can't recommend this book strongly enough. I will be on the lookout for even more of Padgett's work and for whatever Dunhams Manor Press produces. Kudos all the way around!

[Plagued by Visions · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
The bad stuff first: Some of the stories in the latter half of the collection I found a bit ineffective and dragging, which made the overall work a bit uneven and really interrupted an otherwise perfect rhythm.
That being said, Padgett is the rare author that thoroughly understands what “the weird” is about, in my opinion, and “unnerving” is embodied beautifully here with easy prose and a wild imagination. I admit, and I hate admitting this for some reason lol, but one story here in particular actually got me. I was feeling gripped, off-put, shifting in my seat, until I realized, “Oh my God, this book is actually creeping me out.” It was a true privilege being placed back into that mindset of childlike discomfort, and for this absolutely unflinching, bordering on surreal plunge into the weird and uneasy, I will be eternally thankful to Mr. Padgett.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up. I could have done without Organ Void, but overall an astonishing debut collection that every horror fan should read. It was especially satisfying to realize how each story was connected to the others (with the exception of two, which still shared recurring imagery).

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy, original, and absolutely riveting. A brilliant collection.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Not sure it's for everyone, but for a specific horror fan in a specific mood this can be just the thing. Read this one based on the glowing reviews by my horror aficionado friends and it didn't disappoint, though I can't say I loved it as much as they did. I also can't compare this to the works of Ligotti, having never read any, so I just only judge the book on its own merit and as such it was profoundly disturbing, eerie, atmospheric collection of short stories, interconnected and otherwise. Dolls are creepy, ventriloquist dummies are in a category all of their own, particularly in seems in the right set of hands as was the case here. I'm not a huge fan of a certain kind of classic cosmic horror and I think it affected my reading experience and there's a chance I might not have been in quite the right mood, but objectively the quality of writing, originality and creativeness of these stories are definitely present and commendable. Most if not all horror fans would enjoy this book. And a quick one to get through too, which is a good thing, this book is much too menacing and freaky to spend too much time with. Go on, learn to control the dummies. If you dare.

[Michael Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible collection, both dark and imaginative. Also, even though this is a collection of short stories rather than a single novel, it very effectively uses repeated motifs and common set-pieces to posit its very own mythos of lesser and greater ventriloquists. Lesser ventriloquists are those we're familiar with, voice throwers and puppeteers, the greater variety? They can make dummies of the very world around them, pulling peoples strings to tragic and devastating effect. The structure of these stories vary from straight-forward storytelling to the truest form of non-linear dream-logic imaginable. This is profoundly unique and intelligent weird-horror fiction, and I couldn't recommend it more.

[Justin Tate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh. Despite having numerous trust-worthy friends recommend this to me, only a few stories struck home. The ventriloquist-themed ones were stand-outs for sure, but even those got a bit too weird. I couldn't wrap my head around all the fantastical ideas/imagery the author was trying to sell. The story about murderous brothers was the strongest, in my opinion, because it was grounded and character-driven. Creepy as hell, too. Will keep an eye out for more Jon Padgett because he's definitely got some writing chops, but this collection was hit-or-miss.