Cranium - Lee Scarratt

Cranium - Lee Scarratt

Author:

Lee Scarratt

Published:

2013

Blurb on the Back:

Ever wondered what it’s like to be in someone else’s head? Dive into the deep depths of my adventurous dreams, vivid and sometimes frightening imagination and the unusual workings of my brain. 

Wander inquisitively through the first half of this book with short stories involving a curious silhouetted man drenched in rain, a malicious warlock that transforms a woodsman, and a mysterious vintage word processor with deadly consequences. Meanwhile, a ghostly house with a mysterious atmosphere gets shaken down to its very foundations….and exposes its hidden depth. 

Then prepare in the second half to be thrown head first into the whirlwind story where two strangers who are unaware but inexplicably linked try to beat the trepidation, overcome the terrifying truth and escape plunging into the abyss of insanity. The darkness is upon them, but are they willing to make that final decision, take that final step and walk into the unknown? 

Join me now and see where your imagination takes you.

Review:

This was read as part of my 2014 Goodreads.com reading challenge.

I also received this copy for free from the author,  in a Goodreads.com give-away and had promised a fair and honest review.

This book is rather different from anything I have read previously. Written in almost blog style, it is a series of short stories, poems and musings. Some are a lot darker than others. Personal favourites are "No Knowledge Needed" about a computer that changes the world around you depending on what you type into its word processor, "The Butterfly Complex" a short one page poem about a dream of being a butterfly and "The Ascension" the books outstanding short novel about two people intertwined in a dark tale of the afterlife.

I sat and read this book in one sitting. To be honest I had started it, stopped after 2 or 3 pages and headed up to my local library as I didn't want any distractions and it seemed the place I would get the most peace. It is a wonderful collection of different stories and I cannot recommend it enough.

It's not a book I would have normally picked up to read as my experience with short stories ended with the casebooks of Sherlock Holmes, however, since reading this I have been looking for more books with short stories. 

10 out of 10.