Breakers

I already told him but I repeat it here : Paul Cooley is a genius ! He does not just entertain us or scare the hell out of us, he makes us THINK. Wonderful story. Better moral. Just wow.

I’m a big fan of Paul’s. In a world where most fiction classified as “horror” involves an excess of gore/sex or sparkly undead, he’s a breath of fresh air. What fiction of his I’ve read uses a degree of subtlety that I appreciate. It’s also horrific in ways that truly exemplify the word.

At four thousand words it goes quickly and the price tag of “FREE” is perfect. A true “review” of this is difficult without going into too much detail. I find that’s always true with short stories. Here’s what I can say. He sets up a world in this story that could easily be the one we’re living in right now. That alone makes this frightening.

Check it out and if you like it, I think you’ll enjoy his other fiction. I give it four out of five scalpels.

I love that Paul Cooley is always willing to let us ride along with him when he descends into the darkness that is another human being's mind.

As a society, we seem to root for the anti-hero: the empowered individual who takes matters into their own hands, even though they may be operating outside the law. Paul Cooley gives us another type of anti-hero to root for in the form of the Breakers, a sinister manifestation of righteous retribution. It's hard not to cheer for the bad guy in this story. The lesson here is clear: How you treat others is a direct reflection of how you will be treated yourself. The idea isn't new, but this story packs more punch than seeing someone get their comeuppance usually does. Next time your cable service goes out, take a deep breath and count to ten before you pick up the phone.

Saying sick, twisted, shocking, shiver inducing, or anything along those lines get redundant. But yeah, this is another offering from Mr. Cooley. It definitely gives me a knew reason to have someone else with me when the cable guy is coming. It also is a fun conspiratorial look into the interesting 'other worlds' that I'm sure are all around us as we continually and willingly submit to the mind numbing machine that holds us captive.

Break free of the machine!