Laissez Faire by Morgan Bell


Laissez Faire
Title : Laissez Faire
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : -
Language : English
Format Type : Kindle Edition
Number of Pages : 68
Publication : Published September 8, 2017

The follow up to Sniggerless Boundulations, this collection of fifteen stories continues the journey into short weird fiction. With all the markers of contemporary Australia - beer, cigarettes, footy on TV - and some more exotic locations, a world of excruciating awkwardness and overthinking comes alive. A stranger in the dark; A dating ritual with goldfish and kumquats; A tramp on the outskirts of the eco-dales; The plague of Yellow Death; A fantastic machine in the junk room of a hospital; Squids, pelicans, knives, and scars, make up these deliciously surreal flashes of gritty speculation.

Contains the

1.Sit Down
2.No Small Thing
3.The Glass of Water
4.Sharpening The Knives
5.Saxon Vance
6.Don’t Pay The Ferryman
7.The Gamekeeper
8.The Chaperone
9.Juniper Bean
10.The Permanence of Ceramics
11.Dark Field Illumination
12.Cassilda Ambrose
13.The Switch
14.A Deer In The Shunting Yard
15.The Lost Art of Transportation
Bonus track - Yawning Bill of Fare

Laissez Faire Reviews

  • Amy Proebstel<span class=

    Well-Written & Thought-Provoking

    Laissez Faire is appropriately named as it seems to follow a myriad of different ideas flitting through the mind of the author. These short stories are well-written and thought-provoking. Some are entirely too short, which left me wanting more. I’d be interested to know if any of these shorts will be made into full-length novels or even novellas.

  • M.G. Ryan<span class=

    An intriguing collection of short stories that will have you thinking. Some stories I was captivated by, others left me wanting more. An enjoyable and interesting read overall.

  • M.R. Cullen<span class=

    Laissez Faire is Morgan Bell's second collection of short stories and micro fiction. I found this book to be engaging and thoroughly entertaining. I'm yet to figure out how Morgan can create such memorable and developed characters in so few words. The collection contains 15 shorts. It was while I was reading Cassilda Ambrose - the 12th short - that I realised how much the stories reminded me of the anthology tv series so popular today. Cassilda Ambrose and The Deer in the Shunting Yard, in particular, were favourites of mine and I could easily see both being converted to a short movie or TV episode.

    Laissez Faire is a quick read but don't let that confuse you. The stories are visually compelling and contain depth and development that I've seen long-form writing unable to achieve. If you are after a quick, entertaining and thought-provoking read go for either of Morgan Bell's stand-alone collections.

  • Beverley Streater

    What a fascinating read! Morgan has compiled a series of vignettes that range from fantastical, futuristic, dystopian essays ('A Deer in the shunting Yard') to dark fables ('Cassilda Ambrose', 'The Switch') . The stories have intrigue, featuring dubious characters behaving in unexpected and sometimes confronting ways. Her writing features some great description, such as her apt metaphor for kittens, 'They were energetic little mung bean sprouts'. She has a keen eye for detail, 'The haze of lime green boundary lights found fractures in the [carpark] asphalt'. Morgan unabashedly uses Australianisms including references to Tooheys New, tinnies, Commodore wagons, buffalo lawn.

    I was intrigued by the variety of stories and characters. I did hope for some links between the vignettes and hope that Morgan's future work re-introduces some of these personalities.

  • Samuel<span class=

    I didn't know what to expect when I picked up Ms Bell's Laissez Faire, anthology yes but the range of different types of stories was staggering. I enjoyed reading this book, there were some stories like love over others, like the Switch (a very interesting, had to read twice good), Sit Down (grand opening), No Small Thing (wow, dark) and The Lost Art of Transportation (did not see that story coming).

    This anthology shows creativity, intelligence, imagination and the passion for writing them. Hats off to Ms Bell's marvellous book. If you like flash fiction and short reads that are not the norm, this book is for you.

  • D.D. Scarlet<span class=

    What a great collection of short stories! I personally had a preference for those that resembled dark fairy-tales. My very favourite was Juniper Bean and my next standout was Cassilda Ambrose (which was I guess a bit of a horror). However, it was also great to read stories which were truly ocker!

  • Kathryn Berryman<span class=

    Laissez Faire is my first dip into 'short weird fiction.' Some great descriptive writing and surrealistic plot-lines, Morgan Bell's style kept me captivated and wanting more! A Deer in the Shunting Yard was the stand out for me. An enjoyable read.

  • Bernadette Rowley<span class=

    A riveting collection of short stories with dark themes. I don't usually read short stories but I wanted to know more about all the characters introduced in these pages. They really got under my skin. I would read more from Morgan Bell

  • KStar

    A Varying collection of short stories varying across multiple genres and affecting many different emotions with each one, some of them i could read more of and remain curious as to what would happen next, and some of them were strangely perfect. Something for everyone with enough information to have you seeming to be dragged though and forced to turn the page in each short story in order to find out what happens next, and curious to see what the next one will reveal.