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Cages: A Short Story
Cages by Ed Gorman is a terrifying look into a possible future that might just be right around the corner. It's a bleak tale and should not be read by those with sensitive tastes.As the author notes, "I submitted it to an editor I really admire and she really liked it and battled for months with the publisher to let her run it. But he said, 'This story will cost us subscribers.' And you know, I think he was probably right."Cemetery Dance Publications is very pleased to make this gritty tale available again to the masses.
- GenresHorror
21 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 1995
1 person is currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Ed Gorman
469 books121 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 7, 2010
Rated NC-17
I'm not quite sure what to make of this very short work that I got cheap for my Kindle. Read it in just a few minutes. It's a dystopian novella that Gorman says in his introduction he was unable to sell (I can see why, from a content standpoint,)but says "it's a metaphor for how I've felt most of my life." If so, I do not envy Mr. Gorman.
Dreamdust is a highly addictive substance that causes all sorts of bizarre birth defects in children, violence among families, and poverty. The narrator, never identified, except for "he," despairs of the misery, "Mrs. Caruso's daughter letting all those men stick themselves up the slit between her legs. Mr. Feinmann smashing his wife's head in with a bottle because she wouldn't give him the tips from her waitress job. Little Betty Malloy being killed by a dreamduster who put a broomhandle up her backside and then cut her up with a butcher's knife."
The kid watches his parents fight all the time about money. He sees a commercial on the "vid" and after struggling his way through bully gangs and android cops, waiting in line for hours, manages to sell what's in the bag to "Smilin' Bob."
Not a nice story and that metaphor line haunts me.
I'm not quite sure what to make of this very short work that I got cheap for my Kindle. Read it in just a few minutes. It's a dystopian novella that Gorman says in his introduction he was unable to sell (I can see why, from a content standpoint,)but says "it's a metaphor for how I've felt most of my life." If so, I do not envy Mr. Gorman.
Dreamdust is a highly addictive substance that causes all sorts of bizarre birth defects in children, violence among families, and poverty. The narrator, never identified, except for "he," despairs of the misery, "Mrs. Caruso's daughter letting all those men stick themselves up the slit between her legs. Mr. Feinmann smashing his wife's head in with a bottle because she wouldn't give him the tips from her waitress job. Little Betty Malloy being killed by a dreamduster who put a broomhandle up her backside and then cut her up with a butcher's knife."
The kid watches his parents fight all the time about money. He sees a commercial on the "vid" and after struggling his way through bully gangs and android cops, waiting in line for hours, manages to sell what's in the bag to "Smilin' Bob."
Not a nice story and that metaphor line haunts me.
June 25, 2021
A great bunch of short stories. The variety of story types and the worlds Mr. Gorman creates are inpressive.
March 15, 2013
Ed Gorman is a new discovery for me. I just got his short story collection "CAGES" in the mail yesterday (hardcover with introduction by F. Paul Wilson, and autographed by both authors - thanks, used bookstore on Amazon!). This is the title story in the collection, and was a ferociously original read. Often when authors try to get experimental with the English language the results are less than thrilling to readers. Not so in this case. It just works, the whole thing. Reminded me a bit of some of the more adventurous works of Philip K. Dick with a bit more horror blended in. Looking forward to the rest of the stories in the collection.
March 7, 2013
An oddball little story not easily forgotten. A future world beset by a crazy drug, children born mutant, and a small boy that wanted to stop the constant fighting between mom and dad. He makes a choice he thinks is right.
I liked this one, something a bit different from Mr. Gorman. Even he admits that.
I liked this one, something a bit different from Mr. Gorman. Even he admits that.
February 15, 2012
Wow.
Sparsely written yet tightly wound. Shot from the hip yet hitting the mark neatly. This one seems like stream of conscious writing, yet reads fluidly. It gets you there and the ‘there’ is kinda frightening.
Thanks Ed, for thinking outside the box with this.
Sparsely written yet tightly wound. Shot from the hip yet hitting the mark neatly. This one seems like stream of conscious writing, yet reads fluidly. It gets you there and the ‘there’ is kinda frightening.
Thanks Ed, for thinking outside the box with this.
December 11, 2013
A disturbing story that asks the old question "What's in the box?".
The true stand out here is the way that Gorman tells the tale. Sentence fragments and stream of consciousness story telling are used here to perfection. Quick and powerful read.
The true stand out here is the way that Gorman tells the tale. Sentence fragments and stream of consciousness story telling are used here to perfection. Quick and powerful read.
March 18, 2013
Well, it was certainly a quick read, and actually quite interesting, and yet also disturbing. In some aspects, it could probably happen in a time/society not too unlike our own.
November 24, 2022
Nice short story. Weird enough, like I like my short stories to be. Not much to say not to spoil anything since it's so short, but, trust me, it's worth reading!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews