Hatter Bones

by Jeremy NeeDLE, Lavie Tidhar, Cat Rambo

At first you may think that this is all disconnected, that all the stories in this collection contain no thread between them, contain no underlying architecture. But that is just an illusion. An illusion that is part of the architecture. This architecture could be considered part of the message itself. For it is, in a way, anti-architectural. The theme of Hatter Bones is discord. Each story is heartless, hurtful, breaking apart at the seams. All stories follow the path of breaking, the circle breaking apart, becoming square, destroying itself again. The architecture is anti-architecture. These bones that lay beneath this anthology are Hatter Bones. Bones that are discordant, that are madness, that are logical in their illogic. That is the Hatters greatest weapon. Logical illogic. Plausible madness.

170 pages, Paperback

First published June 22, 2009

About the author

I hunt in the angry jungle. I taste the seven despairs. Wander the desert of her endless body. Ruler of the Evil Nerd Empire. I ensure that the peasants are kept in line, conquests are swift and merciless, cruelty is excessive, resistance is crushed, the succubi are fed, the dungeons are full, and, of course, that stupidity is sanitized. And in case you didn't get the memo, child, stupidity does not sit well with me. Nor does cowardice.

Show your scars to me..show me your wings, battered and broken. Show me your captivity. Your rage. Your emptiness. Show me your enemies, gathering at your doorstep..the smell of their hate and urine and tender bodies burning. Show me what you'd die for..what you'll live for.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually one for collections of short stories. I sometimes feel as if the story ends to soon and should be a novel, or that perhaps it was someone's thought and not developed enough to make a good short story. However, this collection not only had excellent stories, but as the introduction above points out, they work together.

I have read larger works of some of the authors, but the others I am happy to have read just a bit of to tempt me into finding more of their works. The imagery in each story was amazing and the illustrations were perfectly suited to the stories.

Authors included:

* Berry C. Henderson
* Matthew Cheney
* Darin C. Bradley
* Ekaterina Sedia
* Jeremy NeeDLE
* Garrett Cook
* Cat Rambo
* Mickey Z.
* Jacob Doom
* Jason Sizemore
* Matthew Kressel
* Lavie Tidbar
* James Chapman
* Forrest Aguirre
* Becca De La Rosa
* Jonathan Wood

Recommendation:

If you like dark, sometimes fantasical stories, then I would highly recommend this book and any of its authors.

[Garrett Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I will admit to having a story in this anthology. It's one of my more harsh and scary pieces. But, I'm proud to be part of this selection of dark, eclectic works brought to life by wonderful illustrations. ENE's commitment to aesthetics and craftsmanship really shines through on this book. Highly highly recommended.