We all have that something that just ticks us off. It could be bullying bosses, unattainable prospective lovers or lousy neighbors. Have you ever thought, however, about what would happen in case we allow all that anger to manifest and allow it to go BOOM?
This is a story of a man who is fed up with all the daily annoyances of his life. He has an education, he has interests & talents, and he is nice & congenial. For some reason, however, his life turns out in such a way that he is almost a walking time bomb due to how he’s constantly ticked by how people (and life) treated him. [We would then come across the crazy rampage of a man who suddenly has the power that most of us probably desire, so we could finally get rid of those irritations.] (highlight for spoilers)
What interested me most about this short story is the fact that there seems to be a supernatural vibe here, but it comes across as rather, well, natural — that is to say real. The line between fantasy and reality has been so cleverly blurred.
The story-telling is superb, too. (I enjoyed Whetzel’s The Pied Piper of the Undead, and this story, while different in character, was still as interesting and well-written as the other.) There’s gore here, but it somehow comes as a matter of consequence for poor Jeffrey.
Oh, and I love that last sentence, and how it seems to tie up the entire story. Will this have a sequeal? I’d clamor for it, if only to know what happened to the two principal characters of this novelette 😀
This story, I believe, is somewhat an outlet for the author for the things we would love to change, but can’t. (As a matter of fact, the author leaves a little note at the end saying something just like this.) It also reminded me of Alanguilan’s Wasted 🙂
All in all, great show.
BOOM by Michael Whetzel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
