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Bones are Made to be Broken
This collection features 14 works of fiction by Paul Michael Anderson, including "All That You Leave Behind," "To Touch the Dead," "Love Song for the Rejected," and a title novella written specifically for this book. Every story within is illustrated by artist/author extraordinaire Pat R. Steiner, who created the artwork for Qualia Nous Illustrated.
The stories in BONES ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN are a speculative blend of horror, science fiction, and unfiltered emotion. As Marge Simon puts it, "Anderson’s style is tensely exciting. This collection is a treasure for any horror or dark SF fan’s library." Gene O’Neill sums up this collection with "Paul Michael Anderson writes like no other writer in dark fiction. Simply, he writes a Paul Michael Anderson story—the highest compliment any serious writer can hope to achieve."
The stories in BONES ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN are a speculative blend of horror, science fiction, and unfiltered emotion. As Marge Simon puts it, "Anderson’s style is tensely exciting. This collection is a treasure for any horror or dark SF fan’s library." Gene O’Neill sums up this collection with "Paul Michael Anderson writes like no other writer in dark fiction. Simply, he writes a Paul Michael Anderson story—the highest compliment any serious writer can hope to achieve."
438 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 27, 2016
21 people are currently reading
157 people want to read
About the author
Paul Michael Anderson
39 books67 followersPaul Michael Anderson is the author of the novellas YOU CAN'T SAVE WHAT ISN'T THERE and STANDALONE, as well as the collections BONES ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN and EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT IN THE END: APOCALYPSE SONGS. Find him at his website thenothingspace.net.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 3, 2018
Thank you to the author for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
I've read at least 20 different short story collections in the last 2-3 years. I will always be a rabid fan of the short story format. I truly believe that if an author is worth one's salt, they will be able to tell a a full story in 50 pages or less.
Sometimes, I don't *feel* like reading a novel. Sometimes I want the reading pleasure of finishing a story in one hour--the satisfaction of an ending with no bookmark added.
Some authors are more adept than others and it's my opinion this comes from two, natural (difficult) abilities or talents: developing strong characters and editing ruthlessly.
Paul Michael Anderson carries such talents and wields them beautifully in this diverse collection of stories.
Right out of the gate, the story, "Crawling Back to You" is a unique twist on vampire lore and it scared me. I knew I was in capable hands.
After this classic horror story, the tales range from a SciFi-Horror blend, "A Nice Town With Very Clean Streets" to the unusual, "The Doorway Man" to a spicy 'rom-com', "Love Song for the Rejected". I think Paul is extremely versatile and can genre-shift with the best of them.
My favorite was the heaviest and the longest; the title story: Bones Are Made to Be Broken.
A very emotional story told through the perspective of an unreliable narrator, Karen, battling guilt and depression in the aftermath of divorce. With every page, I felt myself investing in this troubled woman's plight to be a 'good mom'. I worried about her. I worried about her young son. I felt the sense of foreboding as the story wound down to it's shocking conclusion. I cried.
This is storytelling at its most powerful--to be able to leave readers with that literary hangover we all crave-the inability to leave the words on the page so we pick them up and store them in our hearts like a piece of ourselves we found and need to keep.
I'll be recommending this collection forever and I can't wait to read a novel. Horror fans & Short Story Lovers: This is a must have!
I've read at least 20 different short story collections in the last 2-3 years. I will always be a rabid fan of the short story format. I truly believe that if an author is worth one's salt, they will be able to tell a a full story in 50 pages or less.
Sometimes, I don't *feel* like reading a novel. Sometimes I want the reading pleasure of finishing a story in one hour--the satisfaction of an ending with no bookmark added.
Some authors are more adept than others and it's my opinion this comes from two, natural (difficult) abilities or talents: developing strong characters and editing ruthlessly.
Paul Michael Anderson carries such talents and wields them beautifully in this diverse collection of stories.
Right out of the gate, the story, "Crawling Back to You" is a unique twist on vampire lore and it scared me. I knew I was in capable hands.
After this classic horror story, the tales range from a SciFi-Horror blend, "A Nice Town With Very Clean Streets" to the unusual, "The Doorway Man" to a spicy 'rom-com', "Love Song for the Rejected". I think Paul is extremely versatile and can genre-shift with the best of them.
My favorite was the heaviest and the longest; the title story: Bones Are Made to Be Broken.
A very emotional story told through the perspective of an unreliable narrator, Karen, battling guilt and depression in the aftermath of divorce. With every page, I felt myself investing in this troubled woman's plight to be a 'good mom'. I worried about her. I worried about her young son. I felt the sense of foreboding as the story wound down to it's shocking conclusion. I cried.
This is storytelling at its most powerful--to be able to leave readers with that literary hangover we all crave-the inability to leave the words on the page so we pick them up and store them in our hearts like a piece of ourselves we found and need to keep.
I'll be recommending this collection forever and I can't wait to read a novel. Horror fans & Short Story Lovers: This is a must have!
April 2, 2017
This is an excerpt. The full review can be found at: https://www.horrortalk.com/reviews/bo...
Every now and then in our chosen genre, a storyteller comes along who’s so incredibly good you know immediately that you’ve discovered something special. For me, those authors include such giants as Laird Barron, the great Jack Ketchum, Poppy Z. Brite, and the incomparable Stephen Graham Jones. And in the last few years we’ve had the great fortune to be able to add some new names to that list; rising stars such as Michael Wehunt, Stephanie M. Wytovich, and J. Daniel Stone come immediately to mind, as do Daniel Braum and T.E. Grau. And now, just when I thought 2016 couldn’t get any better or more exciting than it’s already been, along comes Paul Michael Anderson, one of the most extraordinary, freaky talented writers I’ve encountered in the last decade.
My first experience with Paul Michael Anderson’s work was in the Grey Matter Press anthology, Savage Beasts. His story, “Crawling Back to You,” which also begins this new collection from Dark Regions Press, is a prime example of what Anderson does with all his writing. He has a tendency to take on a subject or theme and make it into something entirely new and, even in that story, which takes on a familiar trope, he manages to create a fresh, satisfying tale unlike anything you’ve read before. From there, the work gets less traditional and you really begin to see what makes this author stand out from the crowd of young authors working today.
Every now and then in our chosen genre, a storyteller comes along who’s so incredibly good you know immediately that you’ve discovered something special. For me, those authors include such giants as Laird Barron, the great Jack Ketchum, Poppy Z. Brite, and the incomparable Stephen Graham Jones. And in the last few years we’ve had the great fortune to be able to add some new names to that list; rising stars such as Michael Wehunt, Stephanie M. Wytovich, and J. Daniel Stone come immediately to mind, as do Daniel Braum and T.E. Grau. And now, just when I thought 2016 couldn’t get any better or more exciting than it’s already been, along comes Paul Michael Anderson, one of the most extraordinary, freaky talented writers I’ve encountered in the last decade.
My first experience with Paul Michael Anderson’s work was in the Grey Matter Press anthology, Savage Beasts. His story, “Crawling Back to You,” which also begins this new collection from Dark Regions Press, is a prime example of what Anderson does with all his writing. He has a tendency to take on a subject or theme and make it into something entirely new and, even in that story, which takes on a familiar trope, he manages to create a fresh, satisfying tale unlike anything you’ve read before. From there, the work gets less traditional and you really begin to see what makes this author stand out from the crowd of young authors working today.
December 8, 2018
Bones Are Made to Be Broken is the second title I've read from Written Backwards, and I have my friend Sadie to thank for leading me to both of them.
I just read the anthology Chiral Mad 4 with her and another friend, and the first story How We Broke was a collaboration between Paul Michael Anderson and Bracken MacLeod. That story was so good that I had to pick up this collection. I already knew that I was a fan of MacLeod's work, but I was completely new to Anderson.
I'm a huge fan of short stories and novellas. That isn't to say that I don't also love long novels, but quite often I want a book that gives me numerous stories all in one place. This is the 30th short story collection/anthology I've read this year, so I mean it when I say I love them. You can really get a feel for a writer from a collection of short stories and novellas.
Anderson starts this collection with an introduction that allows you into the state of his mind while he was writing these stories. All of them are very intimate and really showcase vulnerability. Anderson was going through a lot during the writing of these stories, and the doubt and fear he was feeling practically bleed onto the page. I love that he allows the reader into his headspace at that time. It makes these stories very real and heartfelt. A number of the characters face the unknown in these stories, or are undergoing change, and all of that is a direct result of where Anderson was in his life while he was writing them.
Crawling Back to You is the first story in the collection. It's about a vampire's familiar who is fed up with serving her master. And let's be honest, he is a major jerk. I like how this one focuses on a secondary character more than the monster. But really, in a lot of these stories, you have to ask yourself who really is the monster.
The Doorway Man is the first story to have a sort of sci-fi vibe, and I'm digging it. This one is dark, and I really felt the protagonist's desperation. Be careful who you talk to at parties.
Reflecting the Hearts Desire is another story that also has a science fiction feel. I love Anderson's descriptions of the shop and the reflective piece of glass. He likes to write about parallel universes, and I also find that subject immensely fascinating. I've often imagined that there are countless versions of me living in different realities and making totally different decisions. Somehow that makes the mistakes I've made more tolerable. I sense from his writing that Anderson may have a similar outlook.
The titular novella, and the longest story in the collection, is probably my favorite. Karen is a single mom, out of work, and a cutter. The pain and disappointment build inside her until she has to let it out with a razor. She internalizes all of her feelings, and unfortunately her son is learning from her to keep his problems to himself. One day as she's applies to a temp agency the receptionist notices the scars on her arm, and hands her a card for a St. Jude's Ministries that says "you are not alone". As Karen learns to take comfort in the meetings at St. Jude's she stops cutting, but there is something more sinister about the man who leads the meetings and his message to the rapt audience. Things spiral out of control in Karen's life, but the meetings finally give her the clarity she needs to know how to deal with it.
These stories about pain and loss are heartfelt and sometimes devastating. Anderson has created a collection that showcases a lot of the ways that humans can hurt. This is a very personal bunch of stories that make up a collection that is not to be missed.
I just read the anthology Chiral Mad 4 with her and another friend, and the first story How We Broke was a collaboration between Paul Michael Anderson and Bracken MacLeod. That story was so good that I had to pick up this collection. I already knew that I was a fan of MacLeod's work, but I was completely new to Anderson.
I'm a huge fan of short stories and novellas. That isn't to say that I don't also love long novels, but quite often I want a book that gives me numerous stories all in one place. This is the 30th short story collection/anthology I've read this year, so I mean it when I say I love them. You can really get a feel for a writer from a collection of short stories and novellas.
Anderson starts this collection with an introduction that allows you into the state of his mind while he was writing these stories. All of them are very intimate and really showcase vulnerability. Anderson was going through a lot during the writing of these stories, and the doubt and fear he was feeling practically bleed onto the page. I love that he allows the reader into his headspace at that time. It makes these stories very real and heartfelt. A number of the characters face the unknown in these stories, or are undergoing change, and all of that is a direct result of where Anderson was in his life while he was writing them.
Crawling Back to You is the first story in the collection. It's about a vampire's familiar who is fed up with serving her master. And let's be honest, he is a major jerk. I like how this one focuses on a secondary character more than the monster. But really, in a lot of these stories, you have to ask yourself who really is the monster.
The Doorway Man is the first story to have a sort of sci-fi vibe, and I'm digging it. This one is dark, and I really felt the protagonist's desperation. Be careful who you talk to at parties.
Reflecting the Hearts Desire is another story that also has a science fiction feel. I love Anderson's descriptions of the shop and the reflective piece of glass. He likes to write about parallel universes, and I also find that subject immensely fascinating. I've often imagined that there are countless versions of me living in different realities and making totally different decisions. Somehow that makes the mistakes I've made more tolerable. I sense from his writing that Anderson may have a similar outlook.
The titular novella, and the longest story in the collection, is probably my favorite. Karen is a single mom, out of work, and a cutter. The pain and disappointment build inside her until she has to let it out with a razor. She internalizes all of her feelings, and unfortunately her son is learning from her to keep his problems to himself. One day as she's applies to a temp agency the receptionist notices the scars on her arm, and hands her a card for a St. Jude's Ministries that says "you are not alone". As Karen learns to take comfort in the meetings at St. Jude's she stops cutting, but there is something more sinister about the man who leads the meetings and his message to the rapt audience. Things spiral out of control in Karen's life, but the meetings finally give her the clarity she needs to know how to deal with it.
These stories about pain and loss are heartfelt and sometimes devastating. Anderson has created a collection that showcases a lot of the ways that humans can hurt. This is a very personal bunch of stories that make up a collection that is not to be missed.
December 8, 2016
I was expecting something great based on my first impression of Paul Michael Anderson from the Lost Signals anthology and from the fact freakin' Dark Regions are publishing this (they're very selective with their output) and, well, BONES ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN managed to beat my expectations!
The title story (which suckered me into a three hours-long reading frenzy this morning) really is the crowning jewel of the collection and, with a few tweaks, could've been a standalone novel by iteself. It is by far the most excruciating material I've read this year. Every time I thought protagonist Karen reached rock bottom, she ended up exploring new depths. But if you know that going it, you'll be able to appreciate that story for what it is. Anderson has a surreal knack for depicting the self-destructive inner voices, which is fully exploited in this piece and the ending alone made it worth the trip, to be honest.
If you'll allow me the musical metaphor, there is no filler here. I kept waiting for the easy, formatted story and it never came. Every story is long, patiently crafted and has an identity of its own. It's one of the rare cases where I didn't mind the lack of connection between the stories because of how deep and satisfying each one of them were. BONES ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN felt like binging a very extreme season of Black Mirror. Anderson's for real, guys!
The title story (which suckered me into a three hours-long reading frenzy this morning) really is the crowning jewel of the collection and, with a few tweaks, could've been a standalone novel by iteself. It is by far the most excruciating material I've read this year. Every time I thought protagonist Karen reached rock bottom, she ended up exploring new depths. But if you know that going it, you'll be able to appreciate that story for what it is. Anderson has a surreal knack for depicting the self-destructive inner voices, which is fully exploited in this piece and the ending alone made it worth the trip, to be honest.
If you'll allow me the musical metaphor, there is no filler here. I kept waiting for the easy, formatted story and it never came. Every story is long, patiently crafted and has an identity of its own. It's one of the rare cases where I didn't mind the lack of connection between the stories because of how deep and satisfying each one of them were. BONES ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN felt like binging a very extreme season of Black Mirror. Anderson's for real, guys!
November 8, 2017
I met Paul earlier this year at a convention. Didn't know he was an author until the night was nearly over, and I asked if he had any books out.
Man, am I glad I did.
This collection is raw, unflinching, and has more heart than Temple of Doom (literally, like, actual physical heart. It's a play on words, kinda. Sort of. Leave me alone.)
I loved this, through and through. The jumps between sci fi, horror, and transgressive are seamless, and each story punches like Butterbean. I can't praise this highly enough. "The Agonizing Guilt of Relief" hit me like nothing has for quite some time. Can't wait to read more.
Man, am I glad I did.
This collection is raw, unflinching, and has more heart than Temple of Doom (literally, like, actual physical heart. It's a play on words, kinda. Sort of. Leave me alone.)
I loved this, through and through. The jumps between sci fi, horror, and transgressive are seamless, and each story punches like Butterbean. I can't praise this highly enough. "The Agonizing Guilt of Relief" hit me like nothing has for quite some time. Can't wait to read more.
May 26, 2019
There’s so much good going on in Paul Michael Anderson's Bones are Made to be Broken that it’s hard to know where to start talking about it. My inclination and desire would be to tell you something about every single story because they’re all outstanding and there’s something special to be found in every single one. But there isn’t enough space or time to do that, so I’ll just touch on some of the things that I believe are most important. In a lot of ways, Paul Michael Anderson reminds me of the legendary Ray Bradbury with a little Franz Kafka tossed in there to make things bubble. I know that sounds like hyperbole, but it’s far from it. Everything he writes, no matter how horrific, is always tinged with a sense of wonder sometimes bordering on awe, and there are tales here that truly embrace a Bradbury-esque sensibility, most exemplary of which is “A Small Town with Very Clean Streets.” It’s an account of a crash landing on a mining colony planet that quickly moves from mildly strange to sublimely weird and sneaks up to the dark border of cosmic horror without ever actually crossing it.
You can read Shane's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read Shane's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
July 29, 2018
From my review of the first edition on HorrorTalk.
"In a lot of ways, Paul Michael Anderson reminds me of the legendary Ray Bradbury with a little Kafka tossed in there to make things bubble. I know that sounds like hyperbole, but it’s far from it. Everything he writes, no matter how horrific, is always tinged with a sense of wonder sometimes bordering on awe, and there are tales here that truly embrace a Bradbury-esque sensibility, most exemplary of which is “A Small Town with Very Clean Streets.” It’s an account of a crash landing on a mining colony planet that quickly moves from mildly strange to sublimely weird and sneaks up to the dark border of cosmic horror without ever actually crossing it.
Another thing that really stands out about Paul Michael Anderson is the decidedly Outer Limits feel to a good number of the stories. You find yourself reaching a point where you almost begin to expect each story to start with: “There is nothing wrong with your TV set.” For those few of you who aren’t familiar with that show, another one that Anderson’s work is somewhat analogous of is Black Mirror, which can be found on Netflix. Like that mind-numbing show, there are stories in Bones are Made to be Broken that will seriously mess with your head, particularly the titular novella included near the end of the book. But that’s not the only one that’s likely to do that. The stories “The Universe is Dying” and “To Touch the Dead” are two more that will really get under your skin and set your flesh to tingling with goosebumps."
"In a lot of ways, Paul Michael Anderson reminds me of the legendary Ray Bradbury with a little Kafka tossed in there to make things bubble. I know that sounds like hyperbole, but it’s far from it. Everything he writes, no matter how horrific, is always tinged with a sense of wonder sometimes bordering on awe, and there are tales here that truly embrace a Bradbury-esque sensibility, most exemplary of which is “A Small Town with Very Clean Streets.” It’s an account of a crash landing on a mining colony planet that quickly moves from mildly strange to sublimely weird and sneaks up to the dark border of cosmic horror without ever actually crossing it.
Another thing that really stands out about Paul Michael Anderson is the decidedly Outer Limits feel to a good number of the stories. You find yourself reaching a point where you almost begin to expect each story to start with: “There is nothing wrong with your TV set.” For those few of you who aren’t familiar with that show, another one that Anderson’s work is somewhat analogous of is Black Mirror, which can be found on Netflix. Like that mind-numbing show, there are stories in Bones are Made to be Broken that will seriously mess with your head, particularly the titular novella included near the end of the book. But that’s not the only one that’s likely to do that. The stories “The Universe is Dying” and “To Touch the Dead” are two more that will really get under your skin and set your flesh to tingling with goosebumps."
November 18, 2020
Anderson displays a mastery of literary horror through tone, emotion, & suspense. One or two selections are almost too much for my battered old heart, but I fought my way to the end for the payoff. Wholeheartedly recommended.
December 13, 2017
(Full disclosure: Paul has purchased a few stories and poems of mine for anthologies and magazines he has edited.)
These stories are raw, brutal and pack a bunch. Not because of gore or violence (though you will find both here), but these stories own up to the good writing advice that stories should be about the worst day in a character's life. Paul crafts elegant, genuine characters facing horrific situations, from one of the darkest portrayals of vampires I've read to an asshole ex-husband looking to re-negotiate a custody agreement. Make sure your head is on straight before reading this one. Not for the faint of heat.
These stories are raw, brutal and pack a bunch. Not because of gore or violence (though you will find both here), but these stories own up to the good writing advice that stories should be about the worst day in a character's life. Paul crafts elegant, genuine characters facing horrific situations, from one of the darkest portrayals of vampires I've read to an asshole ex-husband looking to re-negotiate a custody agreement. Make sure your head is on straight before reading this one. Not for the faint of heat.
August 17, 2023
I really enjoyed the first and last short story. However, the same tone and narrative were set for all of the stories, so it seemed like I was re-reading the same story. Maybe that was supposed to happen, so I'd feel the despair of a seemingly never-ending loop.
March 9, 2017
Great collection. Not all the stories are home runs but most hit the mark. Emotional and heavy.
June 21, 2020
This is a heavy one folks, all these characters carry a heavy emotional reality, a burden, there is such pain and as the reader you feel it too. All the stories were interesting but I had a few favorites-Survivor’s Debt, Surviving the River Styx, The Agonizing Guilt Of Relief and Bones are Made to be Broken. What I got out of this collection is we are human, we are damaged, we are what we are!
March 12, 2017
The opening story, ‘Crawling Back to You’, concerns a vampire and his familiar. But this is not the tale of a member of the 18th century European aristocracy who sequesters himself in a dark castle and enslaves a manservant to bring him comely maidens. The contemporary setting and the relationship between the two main characters, Thomas and Patty, set this fang-tastic offering apart from your typical vampire story. Anderson concentrates on the relationship between these two, hinting at their past and how they came to be in their current situation, offering a fresh and entertaining take on an old theme.
‘Survivor’s Debt’, one of the original stories to this collection, again begins with a classic trope of the horror story; the ghost. But the ghosts that haunt teacher and Vietnam vet, Billy Kinson, aren’t trying to scare him; they just have some unfinished business and need a helping hand from a kid they saved during the Vietnam War. Anderson’s ability to craft three-dimensional characters and make them relatable, so much more than mere stereotypes, is masterful and on full display in this story.
Anderson’s debut is full of character-driven, emotionally-charged stories of horror in many guises. Whether the setting is a far future mining colony or contemporary America, whether the story is about the dysfunctional relationship between a vampire and his familiar or a man coming to terms with the terrible truths of his past, every tale has one thing in common - Anderson’s ability to craft a compelling, thought-provoking, dark and beautifully heart-breaking story displaying the darkest depths of the human soul. It is fitting that the introduction was written by Damien Angelica Walters as there are many comparisons that can be made between the two, not least the quality of their prose and their ability to describe the horror of humanity. If this collection is indicative of what is to come, Paul Michael Anderson truly has the potential to make a substantial and lasting impression on the writing community.
To see the full review, please visit thisishorror.co.uk
‘Survivor’s Debt’, one of the original stories to this collection, again begins with a classic trope of the horror story; the ghost. But the ghosts that haunt teacher and Vietnam vet, Billy Kinson, aren’t trying to scare him; they just have some unfinished business and need a helping hand from a kid they saved during the Vietnam War. Anderson’s ability to craft three-dimensional characters and make them relatable, so much more than mere stereotypes, is masterful and on full display in this story.
Anderson’s debut is full of character-driven, emotionally-charged stories of horror in many guises. Whether the setting is a far future mining colony or contemporary America, whether the story is about the dysfunctional relationship between a vampire and his familiar or a man coming to terms with the terrible truths of his past, every tale has one thing in common - Anderson’s ability to craft a compelling, thought-provoking, dark and beautifully heart-breaking story displaying the darkest depths of the human soul. It is fitting that the introduction was written by Damien Angelica Walters as there are many comparisons that can be made between the two, not least the quality of their prose and their ability to describe the horror of humanity. If this collection is indicative of what is to come, Paul Michael Anderson truly has the potential to make a substantial and lasting impression on the writing community.
To see the full review, please visit thisishorror.co.uk
November 11, 2017
This may sound strange, but stay with me: Paul Michael Anderson's (magnificent) stories are distinctly familiar. Not boring, not unoriginal, but FAMILIAR. He somehow taps in to something within us as human beings. Each of the stories in this anthology explores a fear that is buried deeply (sometimes shallowly) in our collective psyche. I felt like he was prodding at something I would have preferred to have not been reminded of.
Another thought: if Stephen King's work is decidedly New England, Paul's is distinctly Western Pennsylvanian. It's not a setting, but somehow a product of growing up in the land of Romero, where Halloween and horror is a season, not a day. Its characters are tired, world-weary, and just about done with your crap.
I can't recommend it enough, and hope that this first complication of stories is only the beginning.
Another thought: if Stephen King's work is decidedly New England, Paul's is distinctly Western Pennsylvanian. It's not a setting, but somehow a product of growing up in the land of Romero, where Halloween and horror is a season, not a day. Its characters are tired, world-weary, and just about done with your crap.
I can't recommend it enough, and hope that this first complication of stories is only the beginning.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews