Shortlisted for the Most Underrated Book Award 2016


A Man Made Entirely of Bats is a collection of short stories and flash fiction by one of Australia’s newest voices. Comedic and absurd, these stories are an entertaining exploration of the concept of super heroes and of the super strange in our world.




‘These startling, often surreal and sometimes very funny microfictions seem at first glance to be no more than little jokes and deliberately whipped-up confections, but most have more to them on reflection. While some  do seem a little forced, they are mostly the sort of joyously crazy pieces that you’d expect from a book with a title such as this.’ – The Sydney Morning Herald


‘In this collection of short stories and flash fiction, Patrick Lenton careens wildly across genres and draws on elements of surrealism, horror, fairytale, stand-up comedy and pulp fiction to generate tiny worlds that are surprising, original and frequently hilarious…  the stories are propulsive and readable, buoyed by a sharp and generous wit. There are echoes of David Sedaris’ surreal animal fables Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk. Like Sedaris, Lenton is hugely entertaining, which renders occasional moments of emotional tenderness all the more poignant.’ – Bookseller + Publisher


 ‘Lenton’s writing is confident, witty and unashamedly fun, playing with genre tropes and narrative conventions… Like any comedian, some jokes land better than others, but the delight Lenton takes in wordplay and narrative experimentation is infectious, and there are frequent moments that are laugh-outloud hilarious. But there are moments of poignancy and melancholy too, and juxtaposed against the overall playfulness and strangeness of the collection, these moments, when they come, knock the wind out of you.’ – Readings Monthly.