Bird Boy: and Other Short Stories

by Jordan Murray

An anthology of psychological short fiction from debut author, Jordan Murray.

What happens when a fragile musician conjures a justification for her unrealistic expectations? What are the consequences when a young pyromaniac is left to flourish? How do you cope with the revelation that the man you just married is truly a stranger?

These chilling tales are not what nightmares are made of; they are horrors of the real world. With haunting authenticity, Jordan Murray embarks on an exploration of the human psyche and the candid nature of humanity. After all, not every tale needs a ghost or monster to be scary. Poignant and grim, these stories are sure to leave you with trepidation.

150 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2021

About the author

Jordan Murray is the Amazon bestselling author of suspense novels Visions Unveiled, I Did It For You, The Clearing, and the short story collection Bird Boy and Other Short Stories. She holds a BA in English Literature & a Bachelor of Education (BEd), and is a primary school teacher. Originally from Toronto, Jordan now resides in suburban Ontario with her pet cat, Josie Macaroni, and an ever-growing collection of books.

When she's not writing or teaching, Jordan can be found reading or collecting more books—an obsession she fully embraces, even if it stretches her wallet.

Reviews

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

The seven stories included in this anthology are fascinating looks into a series of very troubled minds. Murray could very likely easily take each one of these and turn them into an engaging full-length novel.

Instead, she does the next best thing, which is to set up a situation that is horrible, deadly, or extremely uncomfortable, then proceed to not take the easy route in seeing that situation through.

My only reasons for giving this a 4-star instead of 5 are...

First, there's a few errors that popped me out of the narrative, briefly. "Pale" for "pail", a period followed by a comma, some minor errors like that. Nothing huge, and I know no book is ever perfect, but it's a personal pet peeve of mine.

The other is the odd case of the author choosing to just tell the reader certain aspects or character traits, instead of showing. Once again, not pervasive throughout, but it does occur.

Having said that, this collection absolutely lives up to its tagline: Not every story needs a ghost or a monster to be scary.

This collection proves that, and is absolutely worth the read.

[Elodie Iver · Rating 5 out of 5]

A creepy, unsettling, amazing conglomeration of short stories by a young author! Bird Boy is reminiscent of Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, carrying stories with morbid, sometimes unexplainable endings while still maintaining the author’s wholly unique style of delivery. Murray is not afraid to push the boundaries, giving her the power to deliver some truly shocking stories in little space. The short stories are not easily forgettable, and will be recalled for many sleepless nights to come!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m not usually a fan of short stories but this really hit the spot for me. all of them were different and a few of them had little mini plot twists that i really appreciated. personally my favourite was ‘until death do us part’ i thought it was just amazing. can’t wait to see more from Jordan Murray :)

[Eden Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The short stories in this book leave you thinking. From the characters to the chilling descriptions, I loved all of it. Jordan Murray does an excellent job of showing what being on the inside of a disturbed mind is like. Read Bird Boy.

[Natalie Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of creepy little stories! The very first one had me so unsettled and the rest of the book kept that same energy. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

[Natalie HH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressive! It's my understanding that this local author penned these creepy tales while in her teens. I finished this days ago and I'm STILL thinking about (shuddering over?!) the very first tale - Pyromania. What a way to start us off. This compilation was thoroughly unsettling and thought provoking. It'll be at the forefront of my mind for a long time to come.

[Kaitlyn Parent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually like short stories or collections but this had me hooked from beginning to end. Love the first story especially about a young pyromaniac.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite stories from this collection were “why don’t you cry” and “til death do us part”!

[Amy Parkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent debut! Love that this was a short story anthology, what a unique set of stories. My favorite was the ‘til death do us part’. Looking forward to reading more by this talented author.