Strungballs

Strungballs

by Mike Russell

2 out of 5

Synopsis
Strungballs is an extraordinary novella from Strange Books author Mike Russell. What are Strungballs? Ten-year-old Sydney is about to find out... but first he must have a cube of his flesh removed. Sydney will transgress everything he was taught to believe in when he embarks upon a journey that will reveal the astonishing secrets hidden by the red balls on white strings known only as... Strungballs. Inspiring, liberating, otherworldly, magical, surreal, bizarre, funny, disturbing, unique... all of these words have been used to describe the stories of Mike Russell. Remember: Once a Strungball is inserted it must never be removed.



Review
Young Sydney's world is turned upside when he starts to question their existence, the machines that take their flesh, and the strungballs that replace it.

 I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

 Well, this book is going to be marmite, you're either going to love it or hate it.
It's like Alice in Wonderland, except the colours are replaced with numbers; the crazy characters replaced with automatons.
Oh, and there's giant sex.

 This was seriously weird.
Don't read it if you need character depth/development, a tangible plot, or a firm ending.
This short book has none of the above.

 But it doesn't promote itself as such. You could describe it as something deep and existential, if that's your thing (it's not mine).
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not into pointless stories lacking logic (I actually can't stand Alice in Wonderland...), but I found this well-written, and it pulls you along like a nonsensical nursery rhyme (with giant sex).

 I'm not really sure what to say, as it's a very short book and I don't want to spoil the experience for anyone who likes these crazy stories.
Weird. Have at it.

 Goodreads link
Amazon UK

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