Review of Oddities and Entities 2 -Vessels by Roland Allnach
Reviewed by Cynthia Brian
If you are a fan of the TV series, WestWorld, you’ll definitely fall in love with Roland Allnach’s latest installment in his realm of the strange and surreal. With Vessels, Roland pushes the boundaries of most anyone’s comfort zone. The second book in his Oddities and Entities series, you’ll discover a landscape of nine stories spanning the speculative, the horrific, the supernatural, and the just plain over-the-top creepy.
His characters are well-developed, peculiar people that any sane person wouldn’t want to encounter, yet, his eloquent writing style keeps the reader glued to the page, anticipating the next sentence. Vessels ventures into the dark sensual nature of humanness where characters engage in disturbing, eerie relationships shaped by their pasts, presents, and potential futures. Allnach’s characters are alienated and isolated, although many appear to be walking in mainstream society. They look normal, they talk rationally, but what’s rattling around in their twisted brains is what builds the extreme foundation for Vessels.
The back story to the cover art for Vessels fascinated me. I had the pleasure of interviewing Allnach on my radio broadcast, StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® when he divulged how this was an art project from high school. Using watercolors, he had let the paint bleed onto the page by turning and tipping the paper. When he was satisfied with his drips and drops, he drew images in ink. Afterwards he decided that one day this would be the cover of a book he would write. The purple tones and the peculiar creatures are the perfect representation of the bizarre stories that abide inside the pages.
The Vessel’s narratives are mesmerizing and nightmarish. He pounces past boundaries, pushes the envelope, and makes us squirm. Obviously Allnach indulges his more eccentric, weird imagination in the style of Stephen King when writing his horror, strange, and surreal stories. He can then easily switch confidently and competently to writing other genres, such as his highly instructional practical guide for authors, The Writer’s Primer.
Articulate and thoroughly robust, Roland’s books are penned with perfection. Having won numerous, well-deserved writing awards, Roland Allnach is an author that commands attention. And you don’t have to turn on your TV to participate in his spine-chilling world!
Cynthia Brian is Producer/Host of StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® Radio and a New York Times best selling author.
Listen to an interview with Roland Allnach at : https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/95724/vessels-with-roland-allnach-pregnancy-futures-garden-wellnessRead review:
