The Razorblades in my head - by Donnie Goodman

The Debut collection of Donnie Goodman’s short stories hit the shelves this week, “The razorblades in my head”, and it’s landed on a lot of love and attention, and deservedly so. There’s a lot in here to love, and the energy and commitment to his craft is plain to read. Each story springs from the page, Donnie has done a great job in both breadth of style, subgenres, voice, and pace, even changing up the lengths of the stories, from quick-fire short shorts (Toasted) to longer pieces (The Old Bay king), it’s a refreshing and explosive attack on the senses, and Mr. Goodman has every right to be proud of his beautillion ball’s entry.

There’s something very sexy about the entire book. Alone, the magnificent Justin Coon’s cover just screams satisfaction, it’s one of those covers you can spend hours looking at, picking out the individual stories, and marveling at the scope at play here, Justin’s perfect presentation of word into reality. Donnie launches into his world after a likable and honest introduction and then hits us with body horror. That's the kind of quick-paced change you can come to expect - and it’s a great starter, voice pitch-perfect, eminently readable. You’re there, sitting in your favorite chair, or on the grass next to the lake in the middle of your village, or you’re in bed, surrounded in comfort – it makes no difference, because after a single page you know you are going to be entertained. And that’s the promise that Donnie is fulfilling here. The variety and delivery of stories are as individual as the man’s many voices.

I am not going to pick out individual stories – I’ll leave that alone this time, I think that overall, this was always going to be a collection of shorts that came together into a cohesive whole, the package completed with a great cover and sterling recommendations from leading voices in our shared genre. It just feels like a whole book, and splitting it up into smaller parts would be a disservice to the author. I liked this book. It made me happy. It made me feel like I was being entertained by an author in full control of every aspect of the presentation of his book, and that, more than anything else, shone through.

There’s a hell of a lot of effort and love in the details and the book, and this is a great first collection.

4,5 ⭐’s out of 5, rounded up to 5 because, well, it’s just too damn sexy for Goodreads.

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You can buy Donnie's book (American Amazon) HERE.

You can visit Donnie's website, HERE.

You can find Donnie on Twitter, HERE.

You can find Donnie on Instagram, HERE.

You can find Donnie on Facebook, HERE.