Review of Still Life With Pig Fetuses
Posted: 01 Sep 2021, 13:07
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Still Life With Pig Fetuses" by Dirk Bannion.]
Still Life With Pig Fetuses, put together by Dirk Bannion, is an odd book to say the least. The work is a compilation of several pieces of flash fiction, or fictional writings that are very short, usually even shorter than short stories. Specifically, they range in length from 2,000 to 6,000 words each. These stories are not entirely random, though, as they are united by the method by which they came to be— writing prompts. Originating from a Discord server centered on creating pieces of fiction from various kinds of writing prompts and challenges, the flash fiction works included in Still Life With Pig Fetuses all have a specific component integrated into the texts. You can enjoy the stories either on their own or as a product of this unique way of idea generation.
In premise, the book is fascinating. I do not think that I have ever heard of a collection of stories created in this precise manner, and I love the idea of fiction being produced from the collective creativity of the Internet and their quirky ideas or prompts. Every story that I read became a self-contained game where I would be waiting to see how the author would string along unrelated sentences or words into a coherent narrative. Occasionally, the end result would be so flawlessly free-flowing that one would never suspect that elements of the writing were artificial or contrived. Since the stories are also in a very digestible format, it is easy to read one or two of them, go do some kind of errand, and then come back for another.
While the premise is intriguing, the execution can fall flat. I would say that the bulk of the stories do not have enough of an entertainment factor to be enjoyable, and it would often be the case where the prompts’ products come across as unfinished stories or underdeveloped ideas published just to meet a requirement for a writing game or competition. Flash fiction, because of its length, can be expected to have truly interesting concepts, characters, or situations so that they can overcome narrative constraints; sadly, most of the stories in this collection do not have any of these. There may be a diamond or two in the rough, but at the end of the day, the book is mostly just rough. The Discord stories could also have used some better cleaning up before publication, as editorial errors are apparent throughout the work.
Those active on Discord and curious about what the platform can produce in terms of writing may be a great audience for the work. Fans of flash fiction should also give it a look, although admittedly, they would probably find higher quality flash fiction elsewhere, and the genre is niche as it is. Anyone who cannot get behind a flash fiction format should pass on the book. Several of the stories also have mature themes that are either sexual or gory in nature, so the book is not for those seeking family-friendly content.
My rating for Still Life With Pig Fetuses is 1 out of 4 stars. I was very excited by the concept of a Discord produced publication, but the excitement was quickly replaced by disappointment as I realized the collection was closer to a poorly edited middle-school project than a fully realized contemporary trend. I am hopeful that the Internet community can create more compelling fiction in the future.
******
Still Life With Pig Fetuses
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Still Life With Pig Fetuses, put together by Dirk Bannion, is an odd book to say the least. The work is a compilation of several pieces of flash fiction, or fictional writings that are very short, usually even shorter than short stories. Specifically, they range in length from 2,000 to 6,000 words each. These stories are not entirely random, though, as they are united by the method by which they came to be— writing prompts. Originating from a Discord server centered on creating pieces of fiction from various kinds of writing prompts and challenges, the flash fiction works included in Still Life With Pig Fetuses all have a specific component integrated into the texts. You can enjoy the stories either on their own or as a product of this unique way of idea generation.
In premise, the book is fascinating. I do not think that I have ever heard of a collection of stories created in this precise manner, and I love the idea of fiction being produced from the collective creativity of the Internet and their quirky ideas or prompts. Every story that I read became a self-contained game where I would be waiting to see how the author would string along unrelated sentences or words into a coherent narrative. Occasionally, the end result would be so flawlessly free-flowing that one would never suspect that elements of the writing were artificial or contrived. Since the stories are also in a very digestible format, it is easy to read one or two of them, go do some kind of errand, and then come back for another.
While the premise is intriguing, the execution can fall flat. I would say that the bulk of the stories do not have enough of an entertainment factor to be enjoyable, and it would often be the case where the prompts’ products come across as unfinished stories or underdeveloped ideas published just to meet a requirement for a writing game or competition. Flash fiction, because of its length, can be expected to have truly interesting concepts, characters, or situations so that they can overcome narrative constraints; sadly, most of the stories in this collection do not have any of these. There may be a diamond or two in the rough, but at the end of the day, the book is mostly just rough. The Discord stories could also have used some better cleaning up before publication, as editorial errors are apparent throughout the work.
Those active on Discord and curious about what the platform can produce in terms of writing may be a great audience for the work. Fans of flash fiction should also give it a look, although admittedly, they would probably find higher quality flash fiction elsewhere, and the genre is niche as it is. Anyone who cannot get behind a flash fiction format should pass on the book. Several of the stories also have mature themes that are either sexual or gory in nature, so the book is not for those seeking family-friendly content.
My rating for Still Life With Pig Fetuses is 1 out of 4 stars. I was very excited by the concept of a Discord produced publication, but the excitement was quickly replaced by disappointment as I realized the collection was closer to a poorly edited middle-school project than a fully realized contemporary trend. I am hopeful that the Internet community can create more compelling fiction in the future.
******
Still Life With Pig Fetuses
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon