- austrianspencer
Scattered Little Pieces - by Wayne Fenlon
This collection is a collection of Drabble's, 100-word stories, a new one for every page. Clocking in at 125 pages long, it is like looking at snapshots of unfolding stories, encapsulated in their most provocative moments.
Wayne Fenlon is a legend in the horror community, I don’t think there’s a week that goes by where he’s not retweeting someone’s new release, making videos for book covers, animating book trailers – and often for free. I have one myself for my debut novel – so I know the passion Wayne brings to his work for others. And frankly, I owe him.
So, I was thrilled to find out this collection was a collection of Drabble's. I myself did one for the drabble collection from Ghost Orchard Press' "Beneath". I know the care that goes into the plotting of the drabble, the attention to word use – to distill the very essence of the story and present it in only 100 words – there’s an immense amount of craft that goes into it.
Obviously, twists in a drabble are king, presenting a lie to the reader, making them think the story is saying one thing, then pulling the carpet from under them, removing their blindfold, to show how cleverly the wording has misled us, that’s the golden egg, so to speak, of drabbles, and is seen in abundance here. Most of the drabbles actually follow this formula. Some of them do it with panache. Some do it well, some you see coming.
There were a lot of drabbles I liked a lot, of which After the party (page 22) was the best, I think. Didn't see that one coming, Wayne. Respect. The craft in it was superb. My space (page 7) resounded with me as a parent. Downhill (page 14)’s twist was humbling. The wreck (page 29) forced our perception to alter.
Scattered little pieces is one of those books best kept at the side of a bed, to read once a day. The joy of reading the pieces lies in Wayne’s ability to twist your perception, and that process, to appreciate it fully, needs pauses. Read too many too quickly, and you start to see the pattern, the man behind the curtain.
So, stop – do yourself a favor, let Wayne dazzle you, let him fool you, and let him make you wonder at the craft it takes to form 100 words into a story with a beginning, a middle, and end, and a twist to gut punch you.
Loved this, Wayne. I do love Drabbles.
5 out of 5 ⭐ ‘s. More!
You can buy Scattered Little Pieces, by clicking on the Amazon link appropriate to you, below:
You can visit Wayne's website, HERE
You can find Wayne on Twitter, HERE
You can find Wayne on Facebook, HERE
You can find Wayne on Instagram, HERE
