There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

These were odd tales. Dark humor, dry wit, unfortunate characters. A level of depressing irony, they often left me with an uncomfortable feeling as they pushed boundaries and made me wonder.

That's not to say they weren't absolutely entrancing. I read them in succession, mesmorized by each world, each character.

Deep and dark, they snuck into the private place in the back of my brain and took hold. I find myself still thinking of them.

This collection of short stories were bizarre! I was unprepared for how unusual the stories would be. They made me uncomfortable reading some of them but they did kept my interest and were amusing.

-a biologist gets naked with a gorilla
-babysitting a plastic doll
-water is currency
-boy becomes fascinated by taxidermy
-‘leech industry’
-animal costumes at hugging parties
-gender identity disorder
-disgruntled women on plane
-disgruntled post office worker
-roommates with a dolphin
-pubic hair that won’t stop growing

I thought the ‘unruly creatures’ would be the animals in the stories but you quickly learn it’s the humans.

This is a quick read and best if you appreciate dark humor.

For some weird reason, I tend to avoid short story collections, even though I end up loving them more often than not. I think that, somewhere deep inside, I don't think that I'll have enough time to really connect with the plot and characters. The truth is, though, that some of the short stories I've read have stayed with me more than some full-length books have (I'm definitely looking at you, Stephen King's "The Man in the Black Suit" and "1408")

I think it's become pretty clear by now that I ended up loving Unruly Creatures. The cover was the first thing that got me interested in it (as it usually happens), and then I couldn't stop reading it. All of the stories ended up being masterfully written, with the greatest pacing (pacing is very important when you only have a few pages to work with), lovely characters, and some of the most unique ideas I've read in a while. Most of the stories kept me guessing, and all of them dazzled me.

If I had to pick one as my favourite, that would probably be "Stuffed" (because I'm a macabre SOB), with the runner-up being "Unruly" But, to be honest with you, I could just put any two stories in those two spots and I'd still be pleased with myself for "choosing such a great story to put in the limelight".

Just read Unruly Creatures. You won't be disappointed. Also, Jennifer Caloyeras is absolutely lovely, I have first-hand experience of that after I reached out to her when I finished the book. I am very much looking forward to reading what she comes up with next.

I'm typically more of a novel fan than a short story fan, but I read an excerpt of the first story in this collection and ended up requesting it.

The stories in this collection all have a certain element of uncomfortable weirdness to them. Naked adventures with a gorilla, babysitting a doll, a world with a water shortage, and out of control pubic hair are just some examples of the stories that you'll find inside of this collection.

For some reason, this slight weirdness kept me hooked. I was intrigued by how so many characters were not very noble and yet I cared about where their story was going. The ones that were a bit more out there kept me reading just for the sheer curiosity of how Caloyeras would end the story.

I definitely recommend picking this one up.

These were just real creepy and I felt uncomfortable throughout most of them. The one with the gorilla was just fucking weird.

This collection of short stories features an array of strange characters that inhabit the world of each story. While I was disturbed by the first story and almost quit reading there I resisted that urge and read on to find a plethora of likeable and unlikeable characters who each try desperately to connect with others and feel some emotion.

I truly did not know what to expect from these stories, but that worked to my benefit. These were delightfully outrageous and unpredictable. This collection reminds me a little bit of Chuck Palahniuk in the "strange department" and I loved every second.

I'm all for unsettling stories, but unfortunately I really didn't like the subject matter or content of Unruly Creatures. The writing was fine, so others might like it but it was not for me.