Roland Allnach - Oddities and Entities

11. Oddities and Entities by Roland Allnach (2012)
Length: 270 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 16 March 2013
Finished: 21 March 2013
Where did it come from? From Netgalley with many thanks also to Dorothy from Pump up Your Book for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 4 January 2013
Why do I have it? I like horror and Roland Allnach is a new author for me.

Set in the mysterious space between everyday reality - which governs the real world - and an existence just beyond reach, Oddities and Entities by Roland Allnach traces a path through the supernatural, the paranormal, and the speculative. With moments of horror, dark humor, and philosophical transcendence, these six tales explore a definition of life beyond the fragile vessel of the human body.

In the first of these six tales, 'Boneview' - a young woman named Allison, attempts to balance her desire to have a normal life with her ability to see through people, as well as the presence of a supernatural creature that she calls 'The Curmudgeon'. In 'Shift/Change' - John, an amnesiac young hospital worker, struggles to regain his memories of his previous life as he is confronted by a series of desperate people. In 'My Other Me' - Noel, a lonely college student, finds himself displaced from his body by his alter ego.

In 'Gray' - a frustrated man named Dave is stunned to discover a tiny creature living in his head. In 'Elmer Phelps' - Elmer and his older sister Casey are bound together in a strange reality by a bat bite that occurred in childhood. In the last story, 'Appendage' - a cynical mercenary is hired by his estranged son to protect a research lab on the verge of a stunning discovery.

I found this book to be somewhat disturbing, but compulsively readable for me! I really enjoyed this book  and actually finished reading it late last night ('into the wee hours of the morning' - translated as 2:30 A.M!!!) As a result, I'm writing up this review a little late, as I wanted to organize my thoughts about what I read before I tapped it out on my computer keyboard! :) If I had to choose which stories I enjoyed most, I would say that the first three stories really were the most unusual for me. Overall though, I would give Oddities and Entities by Roland Allnach an A! He certainly is an author to look out for.

A! - (90-95%)

May you read well and often