Catawampus Tales
Fast Food for the Mind
Catawampus Tales run the gambit from science fiction, The Incendiary Man, to horror, Zombie Fight Song, satire, Supermale’s Gone and Left Us, and everything in between. Each story is somewhat askew or catawampus—a mixed bag of fast food for the mind.
What if there really was such a thing as a superhero? What problems might he or she face? Supermale's Gone and Left Us, a tongue-in-cheek satire, provides some humorous answers.
A horny bachelor goes looking for a streetwalker and inadvertently gets into a shoving match with a gangbanger. The gang’s revenge and a bizarre ending anchor the action in When Push Comes to Shove.
A nerd wakes up in Sugar and the Bikers in a room in which he did not fall asleep. A peevish individual who is having lunch in the apartment informs him that he left the nerd’s pretty wife downtown with a couple of bikers. What is the nerd’s plan of action?
Steve, a college student, fights over a girl and cold conks his adversary. The next evening they battle again. As often as Steve levels the creep, he rises and shuffles at him like one of the living dead. Zombie Fight Song delivers the perfect cure for a womanizer.
The workplace makes for strange bedfellows in Oh, That Catherine the Great! An insecure young man at lunch with his boss and two other male co-workers encounters some strange conversation.
Trials of a Vampire Hunter begins where most vampire tales end. A vampire hunter is apprehended by the police just after he drives a stake through his quarry’s heart. His defense attempts to prove that vampires exist and the slaying was a justifiable homicide.
A shy, little man is miserable because he lacks the ability to make Small Talk. How does he overcome his social ineptitude?
In The Incendiary Man, a group of people are on the run from a fiery monster. Funny thing is, nobody seems to be aware of this menace but them. What does the story mean, and what does the Incendiary Man represent?
Idle hands are the devil’s workshop in Unemployment Benefits. An immature, out-of-work daydreamer buys a Saturday night special and plots a murder. After, to his surprise, there is no mention of any such crime in the press. Did he really kill someone or was it all just a pipe dream?
Entertaining Collection
“Bob Frey's "Catawampus Tales" are... catawampus. Frey continues his satirical style that readers have come to love in his past works with this eclectic collection of stories, comprised of every genre imaginable, from science fiction to horror to paranormal to fantasy, with characters ranging from nerds to vampires and everything in between. Frey showcases his prowess for various genres through his stories that exhibit equal skill in all types of stories, keeping readers completely riveted through his continually shifting types of stories. If you enjoyed "The Bashful Vampire Murder & Comic Book Murders" or are simply looking for an entertaining read that is a departure from the ordinary, "Catawampus Tales" is certain to become a favorite collection of stories.”
—jwbatlarge, five stars Amazon customer review
Unexpectedly fun and prescient sci-fi read
“Bob Frey's "Catawampus Tales" is an engaging series of short stories, part science fiction, a lot humorous, and also a deconstruction of the super hero and his fit in today's society. It's a very interesting idea and clever. I'm not a huge sci-fi reader, but the humor accompanied with the layers of the stories - from human-like zombies to a superhero who is cuffed by immigration - are great. It's fun, absurd, and real all at the same time. Well worth a fun, quick, and uniquely enjoyable read.”
—Kathy, four stars Amazon customer review
Creative and Downright Entertaining!
“Catawampus, meaning askew or awry, was exactly what Bob Frey intended this book to be. Comprised of short stories that are both creative and downright entertaining, Frey commands the reader's attention with Catawampus Tales.
“How would the world really react to a superhero? What does it take to fight a zombie? How real can the imagination seem to some? All these questions, and more, are answered throughout the nine short stories that comprise this book.
“With humor and imagination, Catawampus Tales is an excellent read. With a writing style that is fully captivating, Bob Frey provides his readers with a book that will be talked about for a long time.”
—Kalie Lyn, five stars Amazon customer review
Imaginative and Unpredictable
“Catawampus Tales is very entertaining, and includes a nice variety of genres. Reading through some of the stories, I thought to myself on several occasions, "This is so ridiculous I could definitely see it happening in real life." Stories are great when they're so fantastically impossible you wish they could happen and when you can totally relate them to life. You get both here. Bob Frey's tales are imaginative and unpredictable, but at the same time completely reflect the status of the world today.”
—MizBanks, five stars Amazon customer review
