I would like to thank Luke Smitherd for a copy of this e-book to review. Though I received this for free, that has no impact upon the honesty of my review.

Goodreads Teaser (Abbreviated): "COLLECTING THREE OF LUKE SMITHERD'S BOOKS; HOLD ON UNTIL YOUR FINGERS BREAK, THE MAN ON TABLE TEN, AND MY NAME IS MISTER GRIEF, PLUS EXCLUSIVE BONUS STORY THE CRASH, UNAVAILABLE ANYWHERE ELSE!

Luke Smitherd is bringing his unique brand of strange storytelling once again, delivered here in an omnibus edition that collects four of his weirdest and darkest tales:

MY NAME IS MISTER GRIEF: what if you could get rid of your pain immediately? What price would you be prepared to pay?

HOLD ON UNTIL YOUR FINGERS BREAK: a hangover, a forgotten night out, old men screaming in the street, and a mystery with a terrible, terrible answer ...

THE MAN ON TABLE TEN: he has a story to tell you. One that he has kept secret for decades. But now, the man on table ten can take no more, and the knowledge - as well as the burden - is now yours.

EXCLUSIVE story, THE CRASH: if you put a dent in someone's car, the consequences can be far greater - and more strange - than you expect."

I think the easiest way to do this review is story by story. So, let's take it from the top, beginning with My Name Is Mister Grief. This is a story about grief in its purest form. The very distilled essence of grief, a feeling we are all intimately familiar with, no matter how well we may hide it. But this isn't just about grief. It's also about paranormal abilities, shadowy organizations that train children with unusual talents, and the results of such training. What happens when those two worlds intersect; the world of the normal people and that of those who were trained to use extraordinary talents for the goals & gains of others? Robert, Jerry, Mister Grief, and John all meet at one point or another — what happens from the point of meeting is the crux of the story, or is it? This is a real mind tease, and will likely leave you thinking of the various ramifications for some time to come. So maybe sit back and simply be with the results of this story before stepping off the ledge and into the next one. You may be surprised by what you find if you sit long enough.

The Crash - what can I say about this story, other than that it's one hell of a mind-f*#k. Well, you know what I mean. This is one heck of a short, extremely twisted tale; yet like the story before it this one has legs that last well past the end of reading the story.

Hold on Until Your Fingers Break is a bleak examination of the future. Well at least a version of the future, or perhaps several versions and you simply need to pick the correct one, the one you want. Perhaps not. Tom and Terry are two college-aged kids, best friends from forever ago on. But now they face an uncertain future, and watching how they handle it, what lessons they learn - a whole world is revealed in those life lessons. Will you learn your lessons right along with them, or will you need more time? And how much time is to much?Maybe by the end Tom or Terry can let you know the answers you seek.

The Man on Table Ten — Hmmm, well what to say about this story. Think Stephen King as a manic depressive with a pen or laptop, but a version whose horror is a tad more subtle (than I recall at least). It's a sad, twisted story that you want to refute, yet it leaves this one niggling little question. Could it really happen? I mean really, why not? With much of the story told in first person, bouncing between the two main characters, we never even get to learn the name of the old man on table ten. Yet all else revolves around his story, wether we know it or not.

Smitherd has a real knack for spinning twisted psychological stories than leave you wondering long after you've read them. Stories that sit in the back of your mind slowly percolating, only to pop up at unexpected moments and bring those same questions back to the forefront. And sometimes those questions bring new, often queerly frightening, friends along with them. This is his gift, his ability to translate the twists and turns of his own mind onto paper in such a way that the reader gets sucked into that same labyrinth along with him. While he may dictate the direction the reader takes while in the story, upon completing it any and all new twists belong to the reader, even while they still pertain to Smitherd's stories. It certainly makes me extremely curious to know what he's like in person, what conversations are like, how much power he wields in face to face chats. Do his daily interactions look even remotely similar to those in his stories? If so, why isn't he institutionalized? Or is he no crazier than the rest of us, simply better at expressing his crazy? Anyone who can leave a reader with questions such as these has a seriously impressive skill, and I strongly urge you to get your hands on his work and discover what I'm talking about for yourself. What have you got to lose, other than your sanity? ( )