Flesh Welder

By: Ronald Kelly

Narrated by: Wayne June

Length: 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Chaos reigns supreme. Social and economic upheaval, rampant terrorism, and nuclear annihilation have turned the earth into a vast wasteland. And, in Texas, the gates of Hell have been cracked open, unleashing its evil and fury upon the undeserving. The inhabitants of Ruin Town find themselves unwilling pawns, trapped between warring forces, desperately attempting to survive. Even when the bombing and gunfire cease, they can find no refuge, no relief, for afterwards, Satan himself descends mercilessly upon them… in the form of General Payne and his band of sadistic mercenaries. It is then that the suffering truly begins.

Murder, rape, racial intolerance, mutilation… all are heaped upon those who dwell in Ruin Town, if only to feed the General’s insatiable lust for power and sadistic pleasure. Afterward, the broken and dying seek out the only one who can deliver them from the horror that their world has become. The one who can miraculously meld flesh to flesh, and bone to bone. He is the healer supreme, the medico grande… the Flesh-Welder.

©2010 Ronald Kelly (P)2010 CrossRoad Press

A brilliant short story.

What H.P. Lovecraft was able to do with the theme of indescribable horrors, Ronald Kelly is able to do with the notion of humanity being it's own worst enemy. The Flesh Welder is a brilliant short story that outlines exactly how the dystopian future tale should be written in an age where we've seen the world be blown to bits by nuclear armaments a million times over. His amazing use of language is an alluring journey in itself. Kelly is able to convey in a single sentence or two what many authors take whole novels just to broach the surface of when it comes to emotion, style, and descriptive imagery. This is accentuated by Wayne June's amazing voice and awesome reading style. I truly enjoyed this, and I emphatically hope more of his works (with narration from Mr.June) is put up on Audible. (=

Memorable and Relevant

Story - 4.5 Stars
Narration - 4.0 Stars

Short, different, and relevant. This author doesn't mess around!

Recommended - very much so!

Well executed short perfect for the commute

I've had this short on my wish list for a couple of years. It looked intriguing, but I put it off. After listening to it I bought the other two Ronald Kelly compilations of short stories offered.

I bought these straight up, didn't use a credit, and I think that is what had me hold them in my wish list for so long. It's hard to burn a credit on a 5 buck book... Well worth the cash. I was able to listen to this short on the way into work and finished it just about the time I parked the car, though I sat for a few minutes to finish it.

At the end of the book I wanted to know more about the Doctor, his side kick nurse, and the little boy with the wagon full of people parts which is why I give it only 4 stars for story. I think it could have been a bit longer... yeah I know it was a short story, I just wanted more.

Good Stuff Mr. Kelly!

Creepy

Well written, well read, A-1 premise, kinda creepy, karma & short. 1st story I’ve read/listened to, by Ronald Kelly, will definitely read more. A breath of fresh air.

Great Read

This is a superbly written short story. One that will keep your interest from start to finish.

Imaginative, and priced well.

I enjoyed the Flesh Welder. It was very rough in parts, and could have used polish--particularly in the dialogue which sounds stilted and sometimes amateurish.

The post-apocalyptic world that Kelly creates is an intriguing one. Society lies in shambles as soldiers continue to fight even when there are no hostilities. Carnage becomes cheap when the Flesh Welder can fix all but the most mortal wounds.

The characters are not particularly well-drawn out. The good are good and the bad are despicably evil.

Still, the price of this story is less than many magazines, and entertained me for forty minutes or so.

Short but sweet, Great fun and interesting premise

What did you love best about Flesh Welder?

It did in a shirt story what a lot of books fail to do in a full length, It developed a tragic and scary world that was wholly believable. Would love to see the story continue beyond this short. Could easily be a series about the Dr.

What did you like best about this story?

the wealth of detail in such a brief story.

What about Wayne June’s performance did you like?

i enjoyed the voices and the depth he brought to the characters.