This was a JOURNEY! One of those books where everything slots into place at the last minute, although still not completely clear - I think that is a reflection of me rather than the story though. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I am grateful for the opportunity to have allow to read advance copy of this book. I don't think this book is for more me. I got 43% into and I just couldn't get into it. Truth be told I was also a little confused as to what was going on. I think others might enough this book, but it just wasn't for me.

This book was a wild ride and is definitely one the strangest books I've ever read. I'll be thinking about this one for a while...

Edgy, surreal set of stories expected of a horror series. There were times I honestly didn’t know where I was going and had to go back but maybe that was part of the plan. I definitely would give this book another go because I respect the author and his method of madness.

The Madness by Jarale Phillips is a fantastic horror tale with great characteristics and superb plot lines.

Without giving too much away, this story was gripping. I was on the edge of my seat the whole ride and did not see the twists coming. Must read!

I have no idea what I just read but it was a great time. 4.5 rating rounded up to a 5.

From the beginning of this novella I was intrigued. A storyteller told by someone who had cut off their hands…leaving their cell roommate to be the scribe! WHAT?! Do tell me more.

The stories within are truly horrific and absolute madness. While I can’t tell you 100% I followed along and understood everything I read this was truly engaging and thought provoking.

I absolutely loved the writing and multiple POV, with well placed ‘interruptions’ from the narrator. The stories were engaging and thought provoking to say the least.

Thank you to Netgalley and Jarale Phillips for the digital ARC copy and my honest review.

I cannot coherently tell you what I just read. Which is why this book is exactly as it should be. Madness. You start by being introduced to your narrator, who lives in an insane asylum, and has cut off his hands. His cellmate is who puts the words to paper. From there? You’re on a WILD ride of madness. Buckle up.
(Please check trigger warnings as there is a few)

Great book. It's very interesting. A collection of short stories told by an unreliable narrator. I enjoyed this book very much.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book

I loved this book and it's so aptly titled. It's a collection of stories and vignettes told by an unreliable narrator, that sort of all tie in together. It was a fun read with many different styles of storytelling used. If you're a fan of epistolary books and unusual formats like House of Leaves, I would recommend this novella! Even though The Madness was short, it had elements that reminded me of so many things. It was like House of Leaves meets bits of Brom's Lost Gods and Dante's Inferno. It had some reader gotcha moments similar to Christopher Buehlman. The prose at times was similar to Victor Lavalle and David Diop, while still being very unique to this author. I absolutely would love to read more by Jarale Phillips. It was strange and trippy and such a good time.

The book is written in a way that will keep your mind busy and offers a wholistic view of crime/gothic horror. The balance between narrative and narrator's feelings is well-executed. However, the dialogue between characters can be redundant, which may be due to personal perspective. Despite this, the book is enjoyable and shows promise for the author's future ideas.

A book of surreal, wild, and unique short stories. Definitely an interesting read, and enjoyable in some parts.

My thanks to NetGalley and BDA Publishing for access to a digital ARC to review.

"...at its core, madness is absolute truth. And all truth awaits us who choose to embrace it."

I have no idea what I read, nor can I explain coherently what the book is about. And therein lies the madness.
I can tell you that the book begins by the narrator telling us that he’s been incarcerated in a madhouse; that he is dictating his thoughts to be written by an inmate, because he doesn’t have hands; that there’s a devil-worshipping cult in the prison and that he has been asked to join if he could offer a sacrifice of an animal’s heart.
The book is all over the place, but also alarmingly focused. It is seemingly a collection of unrelated short stories that on a deeper level are very much interconnected.
In a word, The Madness is dark, forbidding, depressing, funny, disturbing, sardonic and derisive.
Thanks to the author, the publishers and the Netgalley for my free copy of the book.

The story is about a narrator who lives in the Southern California State Asylum for the Criminally Insane. He has no hands and his cell-mate, who has two hands, acts as his scribe. The book includes diverse perspectives such as a prostitute, criminals, a child living in a crack-house, and even the devil. The book is complex, yet the author's clever writing keeps the reader engaged. The characters are authentic and vulnerable, yet some of the most compelling and strong-willed I have read recently. The author seamlessly swaps between perspectives, genres, voices, styles, and formats, making the book a truly engaging and unconventional read.

This was a wild ride. Which was expected
Given the introduction were the narrator discloses use of cpc.. so you know you are in for a Trip. I liked the comedic aspect to his narration and while it got confusing, I think it was the narrators intention to get us all in this feverish dream state and see how the narrators world is working while doing time. I loved the sense of granditude from the narrator. This won’t work for everybody but it’s an interesting read

This book is so much fun! It feels like madness. Swapping between perspectives, genres, voices, styles, formats... it's totally trippy. But guess what? IT WORKS! There's this underlying plot that connects everything - the short stories, verses, poems, flash fiction, and even the epistolary elements. It's like they're separate but also somehow all part of one big story. I've been racking my brain, trying to think of anything similar l've read, but no luck so far. Unique!

Each character presented throughout the stories felt real, raw, and vulnerable whilst also being some of the craziest, if not most, badass I've read in a while.

I strongly recommend everyone to grab this book and give it a shot, even if it's just to experience how the author puts these stories together.

Uniquely done with some fun twists. Definitely a possible recommendation although at times it got a bit strange. Thanks for the arc

The title of this book is very fitting. I can only describe the experience of reading this book as a segmented dream of sorts. You start of following one story confused and puzzled and then it jumps to the next flow of characters. You become invested in finishing the entirety of the book if only to help yourself get some peace. The emotions while reading the story were ones, I can only compare to that of watching a car accident. And I don't mean this in a bad way. I was sucked in, in a way that I needed to know my brain was in fact making sense of what was going on. It was indeed Madness

I enjoyed this book very much! It was a solid read.
The Madness was enthralling from start to finish, and if you know me, you know how hard it is for me to stay focused on a book. The vast amounts of stories that carry so much substance in this 160-page book were the highlight of my reading experience. Not to mention the breaks in story-telling for our narrator to spill some of his insanity onto us was such a fun and clever choice!
I cannot wait to see where Phillips takes his writing career, because this was a damn solid first book!
3.5-4/5

Did not know what to expect, and pleasantly surprised. An enjoyable read. A talented writer. It plunges the reader into the depths of depravity and insanity. Narrated by a captivating inmate, the collection weaves interconnected stories, poems, and vignettes into a tapestry of darkness and chaos. Phillips shifts perspectives, embodying a diverse cast of flawed characters. Both intelligent and unhinged, Would recommend.