Review of Tales of the Seventies
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Jaden Tabares
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Review of Tales of the Seventies
[Following is a volunteer review of "Tales of the Seventies" by David Done.]
Tales of the Seventies is a collection of short stories set within the hellish nightmare dimension known as 1970s California. Here, we follow the adventures of numerous characters who call it their home. It often involves morally and ethically questionable actions that made me question whether or not I was reading the journals of deranged psychopaths. The stories seem to be arranged based on how absurd the plots are because it only gets more bizarre the further you read into it. Nonetheless, most of the stories are mostly grounded and easy to follow, with the sole exception being the last novella, which is from the perspective of a schizophrenic LSD addict.
The last novella is one of the highlights of the book. As instead of following linear series of events, it's just a collection of vaguely connected drug-induced schizophrenic episodes. The author does an excellent job of describing the delusions and hallucinations experienced by the protagonist. It also sets it apart from most publications as it doesn't hold back when it handles these sensitive topics. All the rather disturbing aspects of the subjects touched in the story are bluntly presented to the reader to give an honest portrayal of what it is genuinely like to experience such a situation. It is probably the closest I will ever get to being in the shoes of a mentally ill person. Aside from the novella, however, I have found that the other short stories within the book are also enjoyable, if not slightly unsettling. The short stories are different from similar titles within the genre because they were written during the early 1970s when modern writing norms were nonexistent. As a result, the plots manage to be unpredictable despite their short length. It also has this tendency to bait you with relatively mundane situations before pulling the rug from under you with increasingly insane events and actions that keep you hooked. These qualities make this quite possibly the best collection of short stories I have ever read.
Of course, it comes with its fair share of noticeable flaws. One of which is the unusual descriptions of the appearances of characters and environments. It tends to be very specific and painstakingly long, and they don't contribute much to the story overall. It only appears a lot during the prologues of the stories, but it still slows down the pacing. I also wished for the events within the different tales to connect, as they are within the same place and decade. However, these are but my gripes, and I think they do little to impede the quality overall.
So, I would rate this thing a 4 out of 4 stars. It manages to shatter your expectations after you finish reading the first story. It avoids becoming just another short story collection by coming at you full-force, with no hesitation. It doesn't linger around any deeper meaning or theme. It doesn't slow down at all. It's one of the few books I have ever read that goes "What? Do you want to know the message behind this story? Who cares? Here, watch this guy punch an ocelot". It's unapologetic, direct, and breaks the rules for the sake of giving you a reading experience that you will never forget. It is quite possibly David Done's magnum opus.
If you like unorthodox forms of storytelling, you should get this book. If you are tired of the predictable nature of the genre, you should get this book. If you want to read a story through the eyes of a mentally unstable pillhead, you should definitely get this book, I assure you, you will not regret it.
******
Tales of the Seventies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Tales of the Seventies is a collection of short stories set within the hellish nightmare dimension known as 1970s California. Here, we follow the adventures of numerous characters who call it their home. It often involves morally and ethically questionable actions that made me question whether or not I was reading the journals of deranged psychopaths. The stories seem to be arranged based on how absurd the plots are because it only gets more bizarre the further you read into it. Nonetheless, most of the stories are mostly grounded and easy to follow, with the sole exception being the last novella, which is from the perspective of a schizophrenic LSD addict.
The last novella is one of the highlights of the book. As instead of following linear series of events, it's just a collection of vaguely connected drug-induced schizophrenic episodes. The author does an excellent job of describing the delusions and hallucinations experienced by the protagonist. It also sets it apart from most publications as it doesn't hold back when it handles these sensitive topics. All the rather disturbing aspects of the subjects touched in the story are bluntly presented to the reader to give an honest portrayal of what it is genuinely like to experience such a situation. It is probably the closest I will ever get to being in the shoes of a mentally ill person. Aside from the novella, however, I have found that the other short stories within the book are also enjoyable, if not slightly unsettling. The short stories are different from similar titles within the genre because they were written during the early 1970s when modern writing norms were nonexistent. As a result, the plots manage to be unpredictable despite their short length. It also has this tendency to bait you with relatively mundane situations before pulling the rug from under you with increasingly insane events and actions that keep you hooked. These qualities make this quite possibly the best collection of short stories I have ever read.
Of course, it comes with its fair share of noticeable flaws. One of which is the unusual descriptions of the appearances of characters and environments. It tends to be very specific and painstakingly long, and they don't contribute much to the story overall. It only appears a lot during the prologues of the stories, but it still slows down the pacing. I also wished for the events within the different tales to connect, as they are within the same place and decade. However, these are but my gripes, and I think they do little to impede the quality overall.
So, I would rate this thing a 4 out of 4 stars. It manages to shatter your expectations after you finish reading the first story. It avoids becoming just another short story collection by coming at you full-force, with no hesitation. It doesn't linger around any deeper meaning or theme. It doesn't slow down at all. It's one of the few books I have ever read that goes "What? Do you want to know the message behind this story? Who cares? Here, watch this guy punch an ocelot". It's unapologetic, direct, and breaks the rules for the sake of giving you a reading experience that you will never forget. It is quite possibly David Done's magnum opus.
If you like unorthodox forms of storytelling, you should get this book. If you are tired of the predictable nature of the genre, you should get this book. If you want to read a story through the eyes of a mentally unstable pillhead, you should definitely get this book, I assure you, you will not regret it.
******
Tales of the Seventies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
