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Chaotic Oddities
Do you like scary, bizarre stories with a few twists and turns along the way? Welcome to Chaotic Oddities, a collection of short stories and novellas from the twisted mind of horror/bizarro author, John Ledger. In this collection you'll find:
Three-Ring Circle Jerk – All Cherry Pie wants is fame and fortune when she joins the weirdest circus in the world, and she'll stop at nothing to get what she wants.
The Sultan of Weird – Visit the deranged residents of Davenport Mansion where the Sultan has plans for his wives.
Based loosely on a true story, Lucca is the tale of a drug addicted woman who's given up on everything in life, except the man of her dreams.
Final Review - Every author knows that paying too much attention to bad reviews will only lead to trouble, and Emma's about to find this out the hard way, thanks to her boyfriend, Wade.
Whether you love horror, bizarro, or both, Chaotic Oddities is sure to have something for everyone.
Three-Ring Circle Jerk – All Cherry Pie wants is fame and fortune when she joins the weirdest circus in the world, and she'll stop at nothing to get what she wants.
The Sultan of Weird – Visit the deranged residents of Davenport Mansion where the Sultan has plans for his wives.
Based loosely on a true story, Lucca is the tale of a drug addicted woman who's given up on everything in life, except the man of her dreams.
Final Review - Every author knows that paying too much attention to bad reviews will only lead to trouble, and Emma's about to find this out the hard way, thanks to her boyfriend, Wade.
Whether you love horror, bizarro, or both, Chaotic Oddities is sure to have something for everyone.
- GenresHorror
141 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 7, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 22, 2020
Paraphrasing one of the characters in this book:
"It was like a car accident that you just had to investigate, only much worse."
Plenty of taboo subjects and absurd ideas on this collection this one i would say is a read at your own risk.
"It was like a car accident that you just had to investigate, only much worse."
Plenty of taboo subjects and absurd ideas on this collection this one i would say is a read at your own risk.
February 22, 2017
If you're easily offended you should stop reading this review now. Find something else to read because there isn't anything in this book for you to enjoy. If you have an open mind and enjoy a collection of short stories that are both bizarro, and horror, then you're going to be fine. After reading Oddities I can't help but wonder if Ledger has escaped from a mental institution, or should be locked up in one. This is a writer that clearly has a couple of screws loose, and whatever fuels his imagination should be stopped immediately. Actually, on second thought they should be allowed to roam free so we get more collections like this.
I don't like picking apart short story collections because it takes too much time to review each individual piece. As a writer, Ledger knows how to get under your skin. It's almost as if he has ADD or something because there are horror stories as well as whacked out bizarro pieces that ooze sex, and violence. He has a unique style that pulls you into each story, and you want to look away, but you can't, You have to see what he comes up with next, will he be able to top the last story? I like writers that are able to successfully write in any genre and John can do that. It's a weird talent, but it works here. The stories fit well together which is important in a collection like this. You want each story to fit together, and as a reader you want something that is going to hold your attention throughout the entire collection. There's no filler here and that's important. A lot of collections just slap a bunch of stories together to build up word a word or page count, and they begin to slowly fall apart. Chaotic Oddities starts, and ends strong.
When people tell you that bizarro is dead, just hand them this book. Forget about being politically correct for just a second and enjoy a book that is well written and just insane. It's a book that doesn't want to be taken seriously. You have clowns, porn, strip clubs, and a variety of other topics that many will no doubt find offensive, but so what? Not everyone is going to like this book, and that's okay because there others that will. If you like weird fiction and horror this is a must read collection. Ledger is a writer that should be noticed, and read often. Chaotic Oddities is a collection that compiles pieces he wrote for various anthologies so it makes sense that there would be so many different genres that he explores. I couldn't stop reading it and can't believe I haven't read his other collection of shorts, but I will. So, now you should just find a copy of Oddities and read it for yourself. You'll thank me once you've finished.
I don't like picking apart short story collections because it takes too much time to review each individual piece. As a writer, Ledger knows how to get under your skin. It's almost as if he has ADD or something because there are horror stories as well as whacked out bizarro pieces that ooze sex, and violence. He has a unique style that pulls you into each story, and you want to look away, but you can't, You have to see what he comes up with next, will he be able to top the last story? I like writers that are able to successfully write in any genre and John can do that. It's a weird talent, but it works here. The stories fit well together which is important in a collection like this. You want each story to fit together, and as a reader you want something that is going to hold your attention throughout the entire collection. There's no filler here and that's important. A lot of collections just slap a bunch of stories together to build up word a word or page count, and they begin to slowly fall apart. Chaotic Oddities starts, and ends strong.
When people tell you that bizarro is dead, just hand them this book. Forget about being politically correct for just a second and enjoy a book that is well written and just insane. It's a book that doesn't want to be taken seriously. You have clowns, porn, strip clubs, and a variety of other topics that many will no doubt find offensive, but so what? Not everyone is going to like this book, and that's okay because there others that will. If you like weird fiction and horror this is a must read collection. Ledger is a writer that should be noticed, and read often. Chaotic Oddities is a collection that compiles pieces he wrote for various anthologies so it makes sense that there would be so many different genres that he explores. I couldn't stop reading it and can't believe I haven't read his other collection of shorts, but I will. So, now you should just find a copy of Oddities and read it for yourself. You'll thank me once you've finished.
May 8, 2017
I've long ago came to accept that bizarro may not be my choice of genre, but this one got intriguing reviews and it was free and just short enough for the time available, so I thought why not check it out. After all, a good book is a good book irrespective of genre. Well, yeah...a good book. A disgusting, vile, pornographic, ejaculate happy rape fest...not so much. Not sure what this was exactly, extreme erotica, maybe. If that's your sort of thing (alarming as it may be), go for it. These sort of tendencies are probably best indulged via a book. In any other case it would get you locked up. Personally, I can't see any redeeming qualities in these stories, not even enough to merit the 120 or so wasted minutes it took to read. The writing itself actually was decent enough for what it was, but the contents are simply appalling. Seems like a deliberate attempt to gross out and disturb the readers followed by a thinly veiled meta threat (actually kind of amusing, that one) not to leave a negative review. And I'm neither a prude nor new to genre fiction, even extreme varieties of. This one was just...well, let's just say it would take really different (literally so) strokes to appreciate. Pass.
October 9, 2017
I'm a fan of Ledger and his writing that is often not to be pigeon-holed as "just" bizarro - but it is definitely bizarro. And horror. And horrific. If you're into that sort of thing, don't be timid. Grab a copy of CHAOTIC ODDITIES and give it a read. You can't beat the price, and you will absolutely remember the tales within.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews