The Sharp End of the Rainbow

by Madeleine Swann

The stories you'll find at The Sharp End of the Rainbow will transport you to a dystopian wonderland full of bizarre characters who engage in even more bizarre antics. These stories will make you laugh, cry, and gag—but more importantly, they show humanity in the face of the truly absurd, and act as a mirror to the world around us.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Bizarro Fiction

245 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2022

Reviews

[Reading · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got halfway through and that's enough for me, I don't like leaving these reviews/ratings but these are short stories without substance. 👎

The first short story in the book was starting to go somewhere and just ended abruptly, like wtf?

I'd avoid this one if I was you.

[Coos Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a digital copy from the author for an honest review.

This was so much fun. Madeleine explores many type of horrors, which she combines with ordinary stuff, it ends up making all kind of absurd and amazing stories. It’s the satire, her dark humor and versatility that I enjoy reading in horror anthologies. The whole thing felt like a bad trip, but in a positive way.

That being said, these were my favorites:

- Typhoid Ananya
- Seed Man
- Invite Ghosts and Earn Pounds
- The Octopus in the corner of the room (this one gave me Bradbury vibes, I loved it so much)
- Mistress Peregrin’s Nightmare

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of the Swann lady, her way of seeing the world always makes me smile and this collection doesn’t disappoint. Swann takes us into multiple futures (a future that seems to be edging closer all the time) full of apocalyptical scenarios that seem plausible when you think about them, covering bizarre situations of living under a glass dome, travelling in a glass hotel and a race to the moon on cheese and ladders.

A lot of the stories here have been featured in a number of publications and a few were taken from Swann’s book Fortune Box, it was nice to revisit those stories, I’d forgotten how fun they were. The stand out stories for me were Trump Moon (absolutely hilarious, had me chuckling into me tea) and Invite Ghosts and Earn Pounds, the idea behind this was genius, I would so be up for this if it was possible.

Worst story in the collection you ask? Why that would be How To: Make your own Live Kitten Necklace, brilliant idea and I want to make one of these…a catalogue is mentioned about things you can buy to help you achieve this but no link is provided, outrageous! I think this story shows what a crazy sense of humour Swann has.

The stories may be heavily of the absurd kind but the more you think about them they become scarily accurate, take Trump Moon for example, somebody is doing something incredible dumb and even though you can see this you still get caught up in the madness and this is just like having a twitter argument with a douche bucket. I also like how Swann messes with your concept of time, the stories are based in the past, present and future but once you get into it you soon forget when you are.

This book was great fun, there are so many layers to these stories that when you re-read it you are definitely going to spot new things you missed the first time around. It is fantastic that all these stories have been gathered together here for you to see just how fashionable Swann is with her live kitten necklace.

Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2022...

[Die Booth]

This is one of the most perfectly titled collections I’ve ever come across. Sharp is exactly what this rainbow is – a kaleidoscope of little tales with cutting endings. Some of the shorter flash pieces I did find a little abrupt. Some are oddly sweet. Swann’s believable prose and dialogue, and familiar characters draw you in, especially with the modern settings, and then turn your world upside down with threatening absurdity. Others are claustrophobically dread-filled, with that same urban mundanity juxtaposed with weirdness that’ll make your palms sweat.
It’s her historical fiction though where Swann really knocks it out of the park for me – the longer stories in this collection set in the early 20th century are skillfully written and had me both captivated and unnerved.

[Ebony Earwig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and horrific and claustrophobic collection of Bizarro tales... which actually go beyond Bizarro and get a little deep, as sometimes I find this genre a little superficial and throwaway... which some of these stories are to be frank, but there's enough artistry here and enough of a personal ethos to Swann's work to keep it away from that kind of cookie-cutter "Blazing Balls on Planet Cumbag" type titling. In fact, maybe calling this Bizarro is a bit of a disservice to both the author and the publisher. So should the Bizarro genre be put to the side or should the limits of it be more open, or are they already more open because of works like this? I think so, definitely time to be more open minded and just ignore genres and categories in general.

[Ben Arzate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review

The Sharp End of the Rainbow is a solid collection of bizarro tales. Swann creates vivid surreal images in her stories and uses them to examine her characters’ relationships and neuroses. I’ve read some of her prior books, and I’d say this is certainly the best of hers so far.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

For most readers this would be an odd assortment of stories that seem to go nowhere and some simply don't make any sense and they would only be half right. These are in fact odd stories but for fans of weird fiction this is a pretty decent collection that reminds fans of the bizarro genre that it's still alive and kicking. Swann is a decent writer that pulls the reader into a lot of dark corners and leaves the reader alone to sort things out for themselves. To add a description of all the stories here would take too long, but what's important here is that while these can be a little on the weird side there's a talent here, and one that desrves to be noticed.

[Melissa Boyer]

Thank you Heads Dance Press for sending me an E copy.

It’s short stories or more like small snippets of life. A window into a moment in someone’s day. I felt like I was spying on someone’s worst moment, best moment or strangest moment.

[Sarah Karasek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This delightfully strange collection would almost definitely be read best in short, frequent bursts. It's a book to bring with you on a quick bus ride, to work to read on break (or maybe when the boss isn't looking), to restaurants while you wait for your order, to social gatherings for when you need to ignore someone, to bed for a quick bedtime story. There's a million good things in here, but I found it harder to appreciate all of them when I read this in just four or five sittings. The trouble is, it's hard to put down!

[Lor · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time in a while I've gone "wtf?" So often while reading. Tons of unexpected little treasures in here covering a wide array of topics.

[Andy Mascola · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories, most of which first appeared in other publications and podcasts. Speculative fiction wherein the characters seem unsurprised of the bizarre horrors befalling them. Often funny and gross. I liked it.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Alistair Rey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable surprise. Having never read anything by Swann, I went into this book with no preconceptions. The stories range from odd vignettes to Victorian-style horror stories with bizarre twists. It is certainly worth a read, especially for those who enjoy bizarro fiction. The peculiar scenarios and characters that weave themselves through these thirty plus stories keep you entertained.

[D.K. Hundt · Rating 2 out of 5]

THE SHARP END OF THE RAINBOW – by Madeleine Swann – A Collection Of Horror Stories

The Following Are My Favorites:

‘Typhoid Ananya’

‘Teeth Out for PewDiePie’

‘Seed Man’

‘Dreamscribing's Not for the Weak’

‘Suckle His Poison’ – Ewe! - The dream I had the night I read this was really creepy!

‘Last Chance Dinner Party’

‘An Unexpected Reunion’ – That Was Creepy Good!

‘All She Needs’ – Creepy Good

‘The Octopus in the Corner of the Room’ – Love This One!

‘Above the Bloodline of the Wayward Flower’

‘How We Met’ – That Was Good!

‘No Stranger’

Thank you, Madeleine Swann and Heads Dance Press, for providing me with an eBook of THE SHARP END OF THE RAINBOW at the request of an honest review.

[Madison McSweeney]

Madeleine Swann’s collection walks the line between darkness and whimsy, crammed with bite-sized bizarro tales of dreamlike apocalypses, impossible cults, unhealthy relationships with non-human entities, and more. Swann is very good at putting characters with relatable problems into surreal situations; “Dream Job,” for instance, sees a cash-strapped janitor offered a lucrative job torturing sentient plushies. She also has a flair for offbeat historical fiction; one of her best is the Victorian tale “Mistress Peregrin’s Nightmare,” in which a yellow journalist accuses the wrong socialite of witchcraft.

[Jess]

Read "The Sweating Shop," a strange little quiet horror morsel