Full disclosure – I was provided a copy of this book by the author but have voluntarily chosen to write a review. All opinions are my own.

A strange dystopian thought provoker

Strungballs is a short novella by author Mike Russell. In it, we follow a young boy by the name of Sydney as he undergoes a procedure to remove a square of flesh from his chest. After the procedure, his father presents him with a “strungball” which is a hard red ball on a string that is to be inserted into the newly created recess in his body. Upon receipt of his new prize Sydney is given the stern warning that once the strungball inserted, it can never be removed. In Sydney’s harsh utilitarian society his world is very ordered. All rooms in the city are the same dimensions, have the same color schemes and all look out…