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Transformations: A Collection
Life is about change. Why should death be any different?
Abandoned mansions boasting mysteries. Dark liaisons conducted post-midnight. The dangers of love and addiction. Karma. Passion. Dread. Revelations abound - if only they can be survived. 'Transformations: A Collection' depicts a multitude of windows onto the world's mysteries.
Reality is a kaleidoscope. Taste the dark. Be transformed.
Abandoned mansions boasting mysteries. Dark liaisons conducted post-midnight. The dangers of love and addiction. Karma. Passion. Dread. Revelations abound - if only they can be survived. 'Transformations: A Collection' depicts a multitude of windows onto the world's mysteries.
Reality is a kaleidoscope. Taste the dark. Be transformed.
- GenresHorror
642 pages, Paperback
Published July 7, 2021
3 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Alexander Michael
8 books35 followersAlexander Michael is a writer of speculative fiction, and a member of the Australasian Horror Writers Association. The open sky is a wellspring of new ideas. What fuels his work is simply witnessing nature in its most raw forms. His fiction deals with the truth of things: midnight occurrences unseen by most; the past and its claws; and the magic that can still be seen if we open our eyes in time.
For fans of horror, fantasy, literary, and an intricate story.
For fans of horror, fantasy, literary, and an intricate story.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 9, 2021
This is a sensual and dark collection of stories with gorgeous prose and deep insight into the human condition.
These stories often blur the line between horror and fantasy, pulling you into the darkest of places. Many of them are erotic and there are many lusty moments throughout.
This collection is quite literary and I found it almost intimidating at times. I’m in awe that this is Michael’s debut work.
Thank to the author for providing me with a free copy of Transformations in exchange for review.
These stories often blur the line between horror and fantasy, pulling you into the darkest of places. Many of them are erotic and there are many lusty moments throughout.
This collection is quite literary and I found it almost intimidating at times. I’m in awe that this is Michael’s debut work.
Thank to the author for providing me with a free copy of Transformations in exchange for review.
August 16, 2021
I struggle to find the words to properly define Transformations. It's a vibrant tapestry of interwoven stories, and in these pages you'll find love, connection, eroticism, conflict, and monstrosities.
I found myself loving Michael's use of dialogue between characters. Every conversation is like a playful joust, and that realistic banter infuses his characters with life and luster.
If you're a fan of Clive Barker's ambitious and sprawling novels then I have a feeling this will definitely be the book for you. There's so much to unpack and this review can only scratch the surface, but Transformations is pure immersion. This is the kind of book you can get lost in, and you'll lose track of time as the fantastical continues to unfold.
Souls trapped in octopi, lovers quarrels, miracles and maelstroms, and each novella & piece of fiction contained has heart & meaning. When I crack open a book, I want to feel something...
Alexander Michael will make you feel.
Transformations will take you on a rollercoaster ride through geographical locations & all of the good and bad that comes along with the human experience.
Trust in the Word, and trust in the Storyteller...
December 11, 2021
This collection of short stories is somewhat experimental, in that it marries a complex horror genre with a sort of high fantasy. I've not read anything quite like it.
Each story takes elements of realism, dives deep into the true wants and thoughts of humans, and as these stories conclude, horror is introduced. This horror ripples through the entirety of the book, pieces some together, essessenses are alluded to, things marry and weave naturally and yet not too obviously.
The reader must work for some of this, as Alexander Michael doesn't hand-feed it. Instead, it takes concentration, you have to be paying attention. Michael assumes the readers' ability to do this.
I feel like this book will settle in the back of my mind, as though the tapestry will continue in the background. While there were some stories I didn't truly get lost in, there were others that tugged at my emotional strings. Hettie's Bane and Subtle Monsters And Tentacular Hearts were the two that I enjoyed the most.
This is a very elevated book, both in content and writing style, and I look forward to seeing what else Michael puts into the world.
Each story takes elements of realism, dives deep into the true wants and thoughts of humans, and as these stories conclude, horror is introduced. This horror ripples through the entirety of the book, pieces some together, essessenses are alluded to, things marry and weave naturally and yet not too obviously.
The reader must work for some of this, as Alexander Michael doesn't hand-feed it. Instead, it takes concentration, you have to be paying attention. Michael assumes the readers' ability to do this.
I feel like this book will settle in the back of my mind, as though the tapestry will continue in the background. While there were some stories I didn't truly get lost in, there were others that tugged at my emotional strings. Hettie's Bane and Subtle Monsters And Tentacular Hearts were the two that I enjoyed the most.
This is a very elevated book, both in content and writing style, and I look forward to seeing what else Michael puts into the world.
July 9, 2021
~ARC Review~
Alexander Michael takes your brain, pulls it into pieces, and puts it back together in a completely different way with his debut work. Transformations will leave you wondering what could be in this world, hidden in secret places, right under our noses.
Now, I will say this is not my usual kind of book. It’s very prose-y and expository. The language is elevated and provocative. I usually read more simple fantasy-type novels. Despite this, the story reeled me in. The way each short story is subtly connected, the suspense, the pure horror underlying the whole thing. This book is not for the feint of heart; it’s for those with a hunger for the darkness and the mysterious.
This is a book that will leave you different than you were before reading it.
Alexander Michael takes your brain, pulls it into pieces, and puts it back together in a completely different way with his debut work. Transformations will leave you wondering what could be in this world, hidden in secret places, right under our noses.
Now, I will say this is not my usual kind of book. It’s very prose-y and expository. The language is elevated and provocative. I usually read more simple fantasy-type novels. Despite this, the story reeled me in. The way each short story is subtly connected, the suspense, the pure horror underlying the whole thing. This book is not for the feint of heart; it’s for those with a hunger for the darkness and the mysterious.
This is a book that will leave you different than you were before reading it.
October 4, 2021
Transformations is a book which seeks to explore and deliver capital-T Truth to its readers through an exploration of the weird and magical and wonderful, the weird and the eerie. It has a strong sense of place, with the coffee dens of Melbourne, fleshpots of Fortitude Valley, the wonders of the natural world of Nusa Lembongan and the Sunshine Coast and chance encounters in Paris and second-hand book stores and the unexplored and ignored alleyways and liminal interzones of the world in which the sphere of the possible is stretched and enlarged and the line between reality and unreality is muddied.
There is a hauntological vibe throughout the work in which humanity are stalked by the supernatural, and pasts and presents are manifested by humanity's avarice, cruelty, desire and malice towards other minds and one another. A famous review of Doom famously concluded, "If only you could Talk to the Monsters", and Transformations explores this possibility to its fullest.
The author's voice is strong throughout, both through meta-textual self-insertion and through the unique and strongly moral timbre of the work. Characters must battle against desire, selfishness, and evil of the mundane and supernatural kinds. Michael takes his inspiration from the natural world as in environments as diverse as Seminyak, Ubud, Paris and Melbourne, but always it is the exploration of other minds that is foremost and the tremendous empathy for the natural world combined with a hatred of evil in all its forms infuses the work with unique and magical ideas. The work is well worth reading and the ideas it explores will stay with the readers after its conclusion.
While the heft of the book can be intimidating at first glance, it is a delightful read of fast moving prose with memorable characters and unique concepts. The links and joins between the interwoven stories become more apparent as the reader is guided through the lore and mythology of Transformations and as the book reveals more of the message/perspective it seeks to deliver. For the reader and characters within the book revelation is sought and possibly found in hedonism, the erotic, the occult, one another and in the company of animals and nature.
A perfect book for cold rainy nights and tropical summer days, particularly in the lead-up to Halloween. Hard to put down, and evokes a similar mood to the Ovid's Metamorphoses, Millennium Anthology, particularly the stories of Clive Barker and Poppy Z. Brite, Hearts in Atlantis, American Gods, The City We Became, Jostein Gaarder's Maya, and the Santa Monica Pier and Hollywood nights of the World of Darkness.
In nova fert animus mutatas dicere formas / corpora
There is a hauntological vibe throughout the work in which humanity are stalked by the supernatural, and pasts and presents are manifested by humanity's avarice, cruelty, desire and malice towards other minds and one another. A famous review of Doom famously concluded, "If only you could Talk to the Monsters", and Transformations explores this possibility to its fullest.
The author's voice is strong throughout, both through meta-textual self-insertion and through the unique and strongly moral timbre of the work. Characters must battle against desire, selfishness, and evil of the mundane and supernatural kinds. Michael takes his inspiration from the natural world as in environments as diverse as Seminyak, Ubud, Paris and Melbourne, but always it is the exploration of other minds that is foremost and the tremendous empathy for the natural world combined with a hatred of evil in all its forms infuses the work with unique and magical ideas. The work is well worth reading and the ideas it explores will stay with the readers after its conclusion.
While the heft of the book can be intimidating at first glance, it is a delightful read of fast moving prose with memorable characters and unique concepts. The links and joins between the interwoven stories become more apparent as the reader is guided through the lore and mythology of Transformations and as the book reveals more of the message/perspective it seeks to deliver. For the reader and characters within the book revelation is sought and possibly found in hedonism, the erotic, the occult, one another and in the company of animals and nature.
A perfect book for cold rainy nights and tropical summer days, particularly in the lead-up to Halloween. Hard to put down, and evokes a similar mood to the Ovid's Metamorphoses, Millennium Anthology, particularly the stories of Clive Barker and Poppy Z. Brite, Hearts in Atlantis, American Gods, The City We Became, Jostein Gaarder's Maya, and the Santa Monica Pier and Hollywood nights of the World of Darkness.
In nova fert animus mutatas dicere formas / corpora
August 22, 2021
Me: trying to work from home while repeatedly side-eyeing my kindle with the desire to be transported into the next story.
I don't usually go down the horror path but I have to say - I really enjoyed this book. Each story a whirlwind of creativity that set alight my imagination and allowed me to live and breathe within the book itself. I hungrily sped through each story looking for clues and commonalities between, wishing I could continue following along each characters footsteps like a curious little ghost before I was whipped into the next storyline. The unique fantasy elements were intriguing and I enjoyed the poetic writing style.
This book was an absolute treat to read and I know that if the author decides to put pen to paper again, I will be more than interested to devour that book as well.
I don't usually go down the horror path but I have to say - I really enjoyed this book. Each story a whirlwind of creativity that set alight my imagination and allowed me to live and breathe within the book itself. I hungrily sped through each story looking for clues and commonalities between, wishing I could continue following along each characters footsteps like a curious little ghost before I was whipped into the next storyline. The unique fantasy elements were intriguing and I enjoyed the poetic writing style.
This book was an absolute treat to read and I know that if the author decides to put pen to paper again, I will be more than interested to devour that book as well.
January 6, 2022
What I admire most about Alexander Michael’s work is how he draws a reader in.
He starts with the seemingly ordinary happenings of the human experience, but always with a hint of something more fantastic and dark lurking below the surface. The reader is quickly pulled in. Into this kaleidoscope of experiences where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
This collection asks a bit of the reader, as Michael does not give anything away easily. Instead he offers a mysterious, eerie and erotic journey that melds reality with fantasy as the reader deciphers connections and meaning.
It is a big book, but each detail, each scene feels as though it’s been formulated with such intention and imagination.
I agree with others and can find no better word to describe it: Elevated. This collection is elevated, in both content and prose.
Above all, this book and its many stories will take you away.
He starts with the seemingly ordinary happenings of the human experience, but always with a hint of something more fantastic and dark lurking below the surface. The reader is quickly pulled in. Into this kaleidoscope of experiences where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
This collection asks a bit of the reader, as Michael does not give anything away easily. Instead he offers a mysterious, eerie and erotic journey that melds reality with fantasy as the reader deciphers connections and meaning.
It is a big book, but each detail, each scene feels as though it’s been formulated with such intention and imagination.
I agree with others and can find no better word to describe it: Elevated. This collection is elevated, in both content and prose.
Above all, this book and its many stories will take you away.
July 9, 2021
A mesmerizing weave of haunting stories...
Blown away that this is a product from a debut author. From the first page, Alexander Michael pulls you into a dark world of literary delight. His ability to blur the line between reality and fantasy makes this novel all the more compelling, bringing the impossible to life. The stories read like a series of interconnected dreams, each one an exploration into different areas of the human psyche. One of the most evocative works I've read in awhile. You will not be dissapointed.
Blown away that this is a product from a debut author. From the first page, Alexander Michael pulls you into a dark world of literary delight. His ability to blur the line between reality and fantasy makes this novel all the more compelling, bringing the impossible to life. The stories read like a series of interconnected dreams, each one an exploration into different areas of the human psyche. One of the most evocative works I've read in awhile. You will not be dissapointed.
July 8, 2021
Great collection of short stories with a mysterious overarching narrative! Perfectly weird horror for fans of David Lynch or Clive Barker.
September 25, 2021
Okay so a from all the reviews you would expect this to be a masterpiece but it kind of read like a 13 year old who just found out about sex and thinks about monsters too much.
August 30, 2021
I have only just finished the first short story yesterday and I am absolutely blown away. The book so far almost reminds me of a bowl of onion soup, rich with flavour yet simple so it's easy on the palette. I am not much of a reader, the last time I actually finished a book would've been many years ago, but there's something about this book that makes me wish for a promise of rendezvous with Alexander, mostly to pick his brain and understand the genius that is Transformations: A Collection. I am absolutely drawn in by the main characters in the first story, their conversations are so well written that I almost feel like I've been teleported to Paris and I'm living through them. The twists and turns through each conversation keeps me reading purely wanting to learn more and more about them. I won't say much else because of spoilers but I implore everyone to consider reading this book!
It is the bomb ;)
It is the bomb ;)
August 1, 2021
As I'm not a regular reader of horror--or at least not contemporary horror, I went into this collection blind. Each story in the collection is stand alone, yet intertwines with all the others, creating a nightmarish mirror of our "real world", where no place is saved from an advancing darkness. Michael does phenomenal work of leading the reader on through musings and erotic moments, and into the human condition as it navigates characters and situations which beg for a redemption arc which (spoiler alert!) never comes. Ahem. I was disturbed, fascinated, and in awe whilst reading Transformations, and applaud Michael in his execution of an ambitious tapestry of tales. Horror readers will devour Transformations: A Collection.
Well done, sir.
Well done, sir.
April 20, 2023
Agree with the other review. Although the author has potential the writing style is reminiscent of a high school assignment. Misogynistic themes made me uncomfortable but unsure if that was the desired effect.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews