I went back and re-listened to the chapter titled Volteeg; and I think it’s such a beautiful, standalone short story. It’s probably my favorite piece of fiction at the moment.
Every once in a while, Matt Dinniman does this thing where he pulls me in emotionally and completely. And this chapter feels like one of his best flexes as an author
Things Matt Dinniman does that I love in this chapter:
- The easy parallels from Volteeg to our main characters, make me feel instant empathy, and emotional connection
- How his life after the crawl illustrates the difference between “surviving” and “living”
- The horrible combo of joy and sadness at his death
He does it again a few chapters later with Milk, which also broke me.
Am I just a sucker for found family or is this actually pretty exceptional writing in these chapters here?