Odd Jobs – Six Files from the Department of Inhuman Resources, Book Review by Lindsey Goddard

ODD JOBS – SIX FILES FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF INHUMAN RESOURCES is a brand new anthology just released from Undertaker Books. This collection features new work by Ai Jiang, Caleb Stephens, Carson Winter, Christi Nogle, Erik McHatton, and Ivy Grimes, with editing by TJ Price.

I had the pleasure of reading this new release, and I can honestly say, there’s something for everybody here, a mixed bag of genres and emotions with one common thread: the dread of the unwanted workday.

The opening story “Lips Sealed, Steeped in Oil, Pores Opening Like Mouths” explores the feeling that you can die inside while you’re still living, if you betray enough of your true self. The prose is beautiful and the story haunting, written by master wordsmith Ai Jiang (Ignyte Award winner, and Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Bram Stoker award finalist).

In the second story, “Rags to Riches”, by Ivy Grimes, climbing the corporate ladder feels more like a fantastical journey through life and death with Big Business as the divine force watching over us, controlling us… but you’ll experience that eerie sensation a lot in these pages. The feeling that someone up above is watching your every move…

Like in the third tale “These Little Tyrants”, by Erik McHatton, a harrowing story that proves you can’t escape the daily grind. No matter the horror. We all need to keep a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs, so you keep grinding away… no matter what….

Yeah, the workplace comes with all sorts of emotional ups and downs, doesn’t it? Like the guilty feeling of a sick day. We’ve all experienced it. Yet… probably not to the extent of Jacob from “In the Light of Their Bones”, an odd character who contracts a deadly virus on purpose in order to better understand it. Written by Carson Winter, this story describes a virus that is so unique, I must say, I’ve never read anything quite like it!

Then there’s “Investigation Into a Disappearance” by Bram-stoker winning author Christi Nogle. This one follows a college professor who takes a hallucinatory trip down memory lane in order to unravel the mystery of a fellow creative soul who’s gone missing.

All of the stories in this anthology read like a mystery, offering small clues at a time that eventually construct a bigger picture. The closing story, “Future Portraits of the Unhappy Dead”, by Caleb Stephens, drove home the Mystery vibe for me, as a nerdy Tech guy gets drawn into intense investigative work, almost like an old school detective, turning him into a bloodthirsty vigilante in the process.

Do I have your attention? Good! ODD JOBS is out now! I highly recommend checking it out!