Review of Strange Stories

[Sam Ibeh]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Strange Stories" by Roger Mannon.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Strange Stories is a blend of mystery, strangeness, and ideas born from the fragments of dark imaginations. It is a cumulation of weird and mostly sci-fi stories written by Roger Mannon, an army veteran. The stories are inspired by the hallucinations and imaginations experienced by the author during his PTSD treatment.

Generally, I felt this book wouldn't make much sense to the average reader due to its creepy thoughts or the author's strange philosophy. However, they made it unique.

The reading was a rollercoaster journey. My interest was quickly captured in the book's early pages. The first story was fascinating as I read along. Unfortunately, it became drastically boring, nearly discouraging. The second story revived my interest because of its unique storyline. I felt the writer could create a whole novel from that story, as I was very impressed with that one. I felt sad reading some stories, as the writer forced me to imagine things unusually and view things from a strange perspective, making the book a little more horror-like than sci-fi.

The most recurring attribute of this book was the writer's excellent description of settings and the situations in an almost sadistic tone. It gave the book a dull but eerie vibe. There was an abysmal lack of optimistic thoughts or auspicious conclusions in his stories. This would have been a downside, but it fitted the book's theme and boosted its appeal.

Roger Mannon's writing style was basic and straightforward. He utilized average grammatical delivery, not requiring much literary proficiency to understand. Ultimately, it was easily understandable. Also, the writer avoided the use of technical words.

The only downside to this book is the inconsistency in the mood of the stories. Some stories can liven you up exceptionally well by being creative, while others are boring. The "Ghost Story" and "Do Over" are my least favorites, and I think most readers will agree that they are relatively not up to standard compared to other stories in this book. Also, the writer should have at least managed some little dialogue or added some dark humor to excite potential readers.

The editing was well done and worthy of commendation, as I encountered only two errors. Considering my dissatisfaction, I'd give Strange Stories a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I would highly recommend it to lovers of sci-fi stories and stories about mysterious events. It would be best enjoyed at night or in dark places to feel the book's effects.

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Strange Stories
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[Palak Mahajan]

Strange Stories is a blend of mystery, strangeness, and ideas born from the fragments of dark imaginations. It is a cumulation of weird and mostly sci-fi stories written by Roger Mannon, an army veteran. The stories are inspired by the hallucinations and imaginations experienced by the author during his PTSD treatment.

Generally, I felt this book wouldn't make much sense to the average reader due to its creepy thoughts or the author's strange philosophy. However, they made it unique.The reading was a rollercoaster journey. My interest was quickly captured in the book's early pages. The first story was fascinating as I read along. Unfortunately, it became drastically boring, nearly discouraging. The second story revived my interest because of its unique storyline.The reading was a rollercoaster journey. My interest was quickly captured in the book's early pages. The first story was fascinating as I read along. Unfortunately, it became drastically boring, nearly discouraging. The second story revived my interest because of its unique storyline

The only downside to this book is the inconsistency in the mood of the stories. Some stories can liven you up exceptionally well by being creative, while others are boring. The "Ghost Story" and "Do Over" are my least favorites, and I think most readers will agree that they are relatively not up to standard compared to other stories in this book. Also, the writer should have at least managed some little dialogue or added some dark humor to excite potential readers.

[Amy Luman]

It seems to me that these stories are all over the place. While I enjoy both horror and science fiction I think that these sound too disorganized for even me.

[Stephanie Cameron]

I don't really like the thought of reading multiple stories. It does not sound like they flow together. I do not find this interesting. It was a good and descriptive review.

[theertha_shri]

Horror stories should be way more interesting than sci-fi. But I personally love sci-fi which has a lot of suspense .

[Fearnia Laurel]

A collection of short stories inspired by the author's imagination during PTSD sounds intriguing. It does need a bit of refining to make it book-worthy. And it seems like some of the stories here are not refined enough, needing some more tweaks to make it more interesting. While I like the concept of this book, the execution can be improved. Thank you for the review.

[NetMassimo]

Various authors created blends of horror and PTSD in their stories. When it's done well, the result is great. In this collection, not all the stories are at the same level, still I'm intrigued by the mix of genres, as the author included different elements. Thank you for your great review!

[Austin Debby]

Books that engage the reader's imagination are fascinating. I'm glad the author did a great job with this. Your review was insightful.