Reheated Cabbage: Tales of Chemical Degeneration

Killer couple of stories here. There's only 1 or 2 that are kind of abstract little tales with no solid conclusion-- but even those are good. If you're thinking about this as a first read-- i would suggest something different.Irvine Welsh is the greatest writer who ever lived. If you're interested in finding out why--- i suggest this order::: glue, trainspotting, porno, filth, crime, bedroom secrets----- and then check out the story collections.If you're familiar with Juice Terry & friends-- then just get this. you'll like it.

I am not going to elaborate about the five star review, if you are a Welsh fan you must read this. I truly believe that Welsh writes some of the best dialouge, it rings so true and with such humor. Great entertainment from a great writer.

Great read.

as above Short stories don't turn my wheel a hell of a lot. Up for interpretation to the individual .

I have read quite a few of Irvine Welsh's novels, and I have enjoyed every one that I've picked up. This collection of short stories is amazing. Quick read, each tale keeps you entertained. Good purchase for an avid Irvine Welsh reader.

Regret picking this book up. After reading other books by Irvine Welsh, very disappointed with this one. Give it a miss!

"Reheated Cabbage" gives us seven previously uncollected short stories and one never published novella by Irvine Welsh, international best selling author known as the master of "Scotsploitation." Welsh, author of ten previous works of fiction, including  Porno , Crime: A Novel , Glue , Filth , and the classic  Trainspotting  that was adapted into the 1996 international art house hit of the same name ( Trainspotting ), has culled the stories from out-of-print magazines. They are all set in Edinburgh, Scotland, but it sure isn't the tourists' Edinburgh: most of Welsh's characters appear to be out-of-work layabouts from the working class port area of Leith: one of them makes a crack about the working class origin bona fides of Edinburgh's current patron saint, Sir Sean Connery, who hails from the now-gentrifying area of the city known as Fountainbridge.Could Welsh be considered also a practitioner of the current Scottish school of tartan noir writing? I would say so: most of these stories are violent, bloody, grisly, and laced with profanity: yet they are scathingly funny, with the darkest of Scots humor. His characters, none of whom seem to be burdened with jobs, are still, somehow, getting lots and lots of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. The stories are largely written in dialect, for which the author has a pitch perfect ear: they are somewhat more difficult to read through than I, for one, would have liked, but, believe me, I haven't a drop of Scots blood, and I didn't find them that difficult. The author's imagination doesn't flag; stories rise to the heights of absurdity, and fall to the depths of depravity. The author's command of the ambiance of his home city is, of course, absolute.Fans of the author's previous work will find some familiar faces in this collection. The novella, "I Am Miami," which does seem to present an unexpected softer side of the author, reacquaints us with "Juice" Terry Lawson and now internationally famous DJ Carl Ewart, the main characters from the 2001 "Glue," as they meet up with, in Miami, their old enemy and schoolteacher Albert Black, now retired. The volatile drunk Francis Begbie, of "Trainspotting," is back, angry as ever, as star and narrator of "Elspeth's Boyfriend." In "State of the Party," two friends high on LSD drag the corpse of a recently overdosed young friend across town, and get into a fight with some heat-seeking soccer hooligans. In "Victor Spoils," Gavin and Victor fight over a young woman getting her teeth pulled, as the dentist is sexually aroused by her mouth. In "A Fault on the Line," a young husband whose wife is emergency-room bound after losing her legs to a train station accident, wants only to be dropped off at home so he can catch the day's big game, Hibs versus Herts. In "The Rosewell Incident," a venture into science fiction, we learn why the inter-galactic aliens think in and speak the Scots inflected English of these young men, and plan to put them in charge of the planet.Welsh's world isn't for everyone, what with one thing and another, but for those seeking the offbeat and the unexpected, here it is, and welcome to it. I don't think I'd personally want to meet any of these young men, but they sure are fun within the pages of a book.

So much to love about this collection of short stories from Irvine Welsh.Probably the highlight of this collection for me was the return of one of literatures truly 'nasty pieces of work', Frank Begbie. Reading 'Elspeth's Boyfriend,' I found myself laughing one minute and then filled with tension the next, wondering if 'Franko' was going to explode in a sickening act of violence - something this psychopath does quite often. Welsh is able to portray the Scottish Hard-Man in a genuinely comical way, but always with an undercurrent of extreme menace. Begbie is a truly disturbing character - but great fun to read about.Another highlight for me was 'Fault on the Line.' This story is short but sweet. I found it very reminiscent of that classic from the Acid House, 'Disnae Matter.' I love to read and it's very unusual of me to laugh out aloud, but I found myself fully cracking up during this story.If you enjoy science fiction, then it's a safe bet you've never read anything as original as 'The Rosewell Incident' before. How can you resist a story about a group of extra-terrestrial beings who are addicted to Embassy Regal. And a plot which consists of a group of football 'Casuals' who are installed as the new rulers of the planet earth. This one is proof of Irvine Welsh's truly devious imagination.Plenty more good stuff here which I won't go into now, just to say that it's all very strong material.If you're an Irvine Welsh fan then don't hesitate to go out and buy this book to add to your collection. If you're new to Welsh, then this is a great introduction to his work. (Most of the stories here were written in the early nineties at the beginning of his writing career.) Great job to Irvine Welsh and his publishers for gathering these stories together, because I would never have been able to enjoy them otherwise. Enjoy!

Bought this book as Irvine Welsh usually delivers. This time I was disappointed. Too be honest, I got bored with the last story and gave up. Will still try his other stuff.

Really enjoy the excellent language in this book but I don't enjoy reading about many of the themes covered. I also miss female protagonists and other Scottish marginalisations in this collection. This was a book club choice and it has certainly left me with plenty to discuss, but I would not reach for it again.

I find Irvine Welsh's short stories to be some of his best work. The characters are still strong and well-developed, and the plots always work. I have to say that with one or two of his longer books I felt he was stretching out a weak idea here or there, but the short stories don't fall into that trap.You also get a lot more variety here, from his stock-in-trade dregs of Leith types a la Trainspotting, to some of his more surreal ideas.If you like his novels, this is great, and it is also a good introduction to the uninitiated.

The one star is for the service received from Awesome Books. Avoid this company. No book arrived and no refund was offered despite me contacting them twice.The book itself I’m sure is marvellous.

Having read this book now means that I've read the entire Welsh collection and this is definitely the best of the short stories. Far more entertaining than the previous three books in the short story part of his collection. A great read and highly recommend.