Bang to Begin

By: Jethro Weyman

Narrated by: Alan Weyman

Reality is relative.

There is no such thing as universal truth. But lies are always lies.

From auctions to assassinations, from cosmos to subconscious mind, the roots feeding into these short stories start fine, but thicken and tangle as they grow deeper.

Follow these wayward souls through their darkest moments, each beginning with a bang and each trying desperately to avoid ending with the same.

A metaphysical, visionary exploration of the human psyche and all that it means to be real - discussed via an anthology with a difference.

©2020 Jethro Weyman (P)2020 Jethro Weyman

Thought Provoking - equal parts structure & chaos!

Jethro Weyman’s Bang to Begin is a puzzle of deliciously dark and intertwining short stories.

Each story, as told by a buffet first-person narrators, is charged enough to stand alone, but even as they come together, they keep you thinking.

Weyman’s style is fast paced, clever and sharp. His use of imagery and language are perfectly executed, and he offers the occasional hint of humor to lighten up some heavy themes.

The highs and lows of narrator Alan Weyman’s voice really brought this story to life for me!

Engaging story

As soon as it started, the story got me engaged, t was intriguing. The voice was nice and easy to listen to. I really enjoyed it

Exciting, Chilling, and Terrifying

An excellent collection of stories that flows from one to another very well. There were only small moments that I felt it was difficult to understand/stay connected because of audio/performance, but overall an excellent collection.

Intense and Unexpected

I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into when I read on Bang to Begin. That's probably for the best, because nothing I would have imagined would have prepared me for the reality.

The opening story started innocuous enough, though with an eerie atmosphere that left me supposing all was not well. Sure enough, everything soon became disjointed and frail at its seams, taking an intense and catastrophic turn in the story "After the End" that deftly clinched this title into its 'horror' genre. Each subsequent story a new terror, until about halfway through, the tells started to take shape. Like a slow revealed blueprint, a picture takes form that ties all the disparate tales together.

I'll be blunt: if you're squeamish, this is not the book for you. There's gore, disturbing images, kidnapping, murder, assassinations ... but an ending that oddly sets a tone that almost erases that which comes before. That said, in order to get to the end, you do have to get through a lot of darkness, so be prepared.

As far as the writing itself, it's quite a strange combination of sparse and detailed. It takes some getting used to in a few of the stories that are more disjointed. Because of that, as well as the plot, this isn't a set of stories that you can skim and be able to follow along. I'd dedicate some time to read this in small spurts rather than binging it.

Overall, if you're a fan of horror, dark fantasy, or science fiction with a twilight zone twist, I'd take a chance on this book.