Melon Head Mayhem by Alex Ebenstein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Eerie and suspenseful.
The book cover is fantastic, and I thought it was creative that the author used VHS tapes as a tool to get the yarn going. The writing, editing, and formatting of this novella is top-notch; you can tell that the author put in a lot of effort to create this book. I liked the dark twist near the end; it increased the tension in the narrative. I do not want to say more than that to prevent spoiling it for other readers. That alone in itself warrants a read from any novella/short story enthusiasts thinking of sinking their teeth into this.
I hated Carson. He was a bit sheepish and unintelligent at times. I wish his Winnie the Pooh joke was omitted from this story.
Sofia is the true star of this chronicle. The level of profanity that erupted from her lips was realistic, especially when having to deal with Carson (who at times proved to be a burden, rather than being helpful). She was a delight to follow, and Carson is lucky to have her on his side.
The amount of blaspheming in this book hampered my reading experience (I am not talking about swearing, although blaspheming can be counted as such). It was irritating to see the Lord’s name used as a cuss word. I can see this part of this story not appealing to Christian bibliophiles. This ties into using the name “Isaac” as a supporting character, and the reference of non-heathens going to church on Sunday. At first glance, you may think that I am nit-picking, but if you read this story yourself, you’ll know what I mean (especially if you’re a bible-believing Christian).
This book would have benefited from illustrations, which would have heightened the scare. I wish the author would have included this in, which would have been a delight to see, given that the book cover is spectacular. I hope that the author goes back and gives his readers this.
To be clear, I did not give this book a five-star rating due to the amount of blaspheming in this novella, a lack of illustrations (which is a secret weapon in immersing readers into the story, mainly with a book like this), Carson’s off-putting behavior, the terrible Winnie the Pooh joke (which the author ironically states is a bad jest in the book), and the POV only being through Carson’s eyes. I wish the writer would have switched POV’s at some point in this book, so we could have seen it through Sofia’s eyes, which would have made this dark chronicle more irresistible.
The author is gifted in giving vivid details, realistic dialogue, and building the suspense. You can feel the anticipation intensify as the characters make a mistake or explore. I could sense the adventure aspect of this story, chiefly near the conclusion of this great novella. I liked how the story closed, and I am glad that the author shared his insights at the end of the anecdote with his book lovers.
Despite its flaws, I recommend this horror novella, and I can see it winning literary awards.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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Melon Head Mayhem by Alex Ebenstein
