Anomaly Flats

I was offered a free copy of the book to review but got impatient and so got it on Kindle Unlimited. I have never read any of Smith's work before but when I had seen it compared to one of my favorites, Christopher Moore, I couldn't resist giving it a try. I was unbelievably impressed. So we start with a woman running from her past (Mallory) and end up in some weird Midwestern town. The first thing I thought of as we toured the town and it's anomalies, was about Twin Peaks and Eureka, both fun and both worlds that might be fun in book form as well as on the small screen. The insanity continues with more ridiculous characters and Mallory, who doesn't disappoint, and never just accepts that this is totally all normal and okay. I very much enjoyed reading this, so much so that I haven't done any of the other things I am supposed to do in my free non-work time in two days to finish, and have been raving about it to my husband constantly. He has even agreed to read it, which is unusual with my book recommendations since we like such different books. I also really liked the final twist, which is really making me look forward to reading more by Mr. Smith. If you accept that science can be played with in a place full of anomalies and that main characters really should act like real people in odd situations you will like this book. It is funny and weird and keeps you interested from page one.

So much fun. Clayton Smith's work is imaginative, unique, and ridiculously entertaining. I didn't think anything could top Apocalypticon, but I was SO wrong.

Read 10/24/15 - 11/4/15
3 Stars - Recommended to readers who don't try to anticipate where a book will lead them
Pages: 238
Publisher: Dapper Press
Released: October 2015

Welcome to Anomaly Flats, a strange little town out in the middle of nowhere that's tough to find and even tougher to leave behind. From the all night diner that only serves waffles and clumpy coffee to the hypnotic night sky and corn fields of insanity, why would you ever want to leave?

Well, Mallory Jenkins can think of a million reasons. On her way to Canada with a Jansport bag filled with something worth running away for, she gets detoured down a back road and finds herself stranded in Anomaly Flats when her car dies as soon as she enters the town. Forced to hang out for a few days til the drooling, brain damaged mechanic can rebuild her alternator, Mallory quickly befriends Lewis, a nerdy scientist who's made the Flats his home after having been sent a letter from his future self.

Lewis exposes her to the things that make the town, well, an anomaly. Oddities like a working traffic light in the middle of the woods; a creek of flowing plasma that manipulates organic matter; two square feet of Mars just chilling out over the ridge. That's right. Part of the planet Mars, nestled quietly within the town's boundaries. Oh, and let's not forget about the horrors that live behind the canned goods in Aisle 8 of the Walmart.

During one of their outings, Mallory pulls a prank on Lewis that ends up having dire consequences and puts everyone in the Flats, and the rest of the planet, in imminent danger. Will Mallory quit being a self centered disbeliever long enough to help save the world from the evil she's unleashed? Or will she attempt to high tail it outta town and leave Lewis to clean up her mess?

One part Wayward Pines, and many parts Twilight Zone, Anomaly Flats is just about the creepiest town I've had the pleasure of reading about. From the secretive towns-folks to the constant and strange goings-on, readers are left with no choice but to keep turning the pages to figure out just what the heck is happening there.

And really, hats off to Clayton and his publishing company Dapper Press for coming up with one of the best promotional campaigns I have ever seen for a book. From the "Department of Tourism" travel posters and book trailer to the community updates via its twitter account and Review Lab exclusive giveaway, the hype was quite impressive. So impressive actually, that I worry the book doesn't quite hold up under it all.

I was an immediate fan of Clayton Smith after having read his zombie-novel Apocalypticon. And though I enjoyed Anomaly Flats, I felt it just wasn't in the same league. Sure, his characters were infused with similar witticisms and our protag Mallory wasn't without Smith's trademark sarcasm, but the story telling in Anomaly Flats just seemed.. rushed, for lack of a better word. I wish Clayton had spent more time delving into the uncanny mysteries and eerie anomalies of the town. This is a book that requires its location and setting to be as big of a character as those who actually populate it.

That aside, Anomaly Flats is fun, fast paced, and fabulously funny in its foreboding darkness.

Well written story with fun, quirky (but predictable) characters. The idea of the town (or area) of Anomaly Flats is neat and for the most part, well executed.

However.

I found myself supremely disappointed by the end of the story. It's almost as if the author ran out of ideas and said, "Ah, screw it. I'll just use this hackneyed, half-baked idea that my author buddy came up with and bang out a two-page wrap-up" instead of actually coming up with a conclusion to the story.

There's nothing like getting to the end of a story - especially one that is well written - and feeling like you wasted your time. Anomaly Flats does exactly that. At this level of disappointment, I have to say I'm glad I got the e-book for free.

Another great story by Clayton Smith. This fictional journey is creative, funny, and a joy to read.

This is some of the most imaginative and eloquent story telling from author Clayton Smith. I was entertained and enjoyed the story from start to finish...and then some ;)

The novel follows Mallory, a woman on the run, who finds herself stuck in the town of Anomaly Flats. However, this town is anything but normal. From the diner to the aisles in the large grocery store, things want to transmute, eat, or otherwise kill you.

Smith does a fantastic job of telling his tale while weaving in his sense of humor, playful dialogue, and a bit of the things that go bump in the night.
A fun filled read.

Anomaly Flats had my interest from the first pages! It was like The Twilight Zone made out with its weird cousin and this is what resulted. Hilarious, surprising, and made me gasp and laugh out loud. I couldn't put it down!

I was so excited to preorder this book and it did not disappoint. I actually finished the book a few days ago but I had to take a break and let it all soak in. It’s one of those books you read and then it has to stew in your brain on simmer so you can grasp the sweet, wonderful and creative creation that Smith has brought to life.

I’ve read Apocalypticon and Mable Gray and now Anomaly Flats, so I guess I’m becoming a fan of Clayton Smith’s works. Now, Apocalypticon is still my favorite but Anomaly Flats is no slouch. It is chock-full of extra crazy and colorful characters as all of Mr. Smith’s works tend to have but Anomaly Flats has a wonderful and demented town to boot. There’s the drooling mechanic who comes with extra drool, a working stoplight in the middle of a forest, something with tentacles living in the plumbing of the local B&B, and a local diner that did really make me hungry for waffles. I would also recommend never going into the local Walmart and if you do NEVER go down isle 8. (I have lived in the Midwest all my life and I don’t think Smith even made the Walmart part up…I’m pretty sure there is an evil in every Walmart.)

The book follows Malory as she stumbles into the town of Anomaly Flats and meets up with the local scientist, Lewis and there is this whole will they/won’t they aspect…I’m just kidding there’s none of that. But, Malory does tag along with Lewis as he does some “experiments” if you will, and of course craziness ensues. Now you don’t need me to rehash the whole book for you because the description does a fine job. What you should know that this book is a page turner if not to meet the next wild local then to try and figure out what is in the backpack Malory is desperately clinging to!!! This story is part Twilight Zone meets X-Files with a sampling of Northern Exposure and just a pinch of Hitchcock movies. So, if you like any of that, then this is absolutely the book for you.

As I stated before, I loved reading this book as I do any of Smith’s works. It’s funny, imaginative, suspenseful and oh so crazy and I can’t wait to read it again.

Clayton Smith has a delightfully bizarre sense of humor, and it's on full display in Anomaly Flats. In fact, it often seems as if the novel were primarily an excuse to jam as many weird, mind-bending, hilarious scenes, asides, and plot twists as possible into a single work ... which is not at all a bad thing when it's done in such a charming and skillful way. It doesn't have quite the same flair as Apocalypticon or its sequel, and some may find the Twilight Zone-esque ending a bit unsatisfying, but it's still a tremendously fun read.

There are quite a few curiosities that I enjoyed included in this novel. The protagonist is despicable; unpalatable from the beginnng. A supporting, more sympathetic, character should have been the protagonist. Perhaps the author will figure out how to "rearrange" this misstep in a sequel. I pretty well had the story arc figured before the halfway point, but read on, hoping I was wrong. Had I been wrong, I would have given the book more than two stars. Creative curiosities earn two stars; pleasure in how the story unfolds and resolves earns five. I really wanted to enjoy this more. Phooey!