Strange Secrets by Mike Russell

Discover the mystery of the two-headed rose and many more Strange Secrets in this new collection of extraordinary stories by Mike Russell. ‘It can’t be real.’ ‘But it is.’ Strange Secrets invites you to discover the magical and the marvellous. Startlingly inventive and constantly entertaining, these unique, vital and vividly realised stories will take you to places you have never been before. Strange Secrets is Mike Russell’s third short-story collection.

Author Mike Russell was born in 1973. He grew up in the small village of Pulborough in the South of England. As a child, he enjoyed daydreaming, art, and writing strange stories. As an adult, he enjoys daydreaming, art, and writing strange stories. 

I'm not always the biggest fan of short stories - I always tend to find that they bring to life interesting characters and ideas, yet finish with them too quickly - leaving me for a longform explanation and lamenting the fact that I have to move onto another tale and meet another group of characters. Books like "Strange Secrets" though, have begun to change my mind over recent years - and Mike Russell's skill lies in crafting strange, surreal and transportive tales that work brilliantly as short stories - glimpses into worlds that provide the reader with fresh emotions and ideas every time. The ability to provoke a reader into examining their thoughts and feelings whilst also thrilling and entertaining them is a rare one - but one Mike Russell clearly has and utilises with great skill. I'm very excited to see what he does next....