Saturday, November 23, 2024

Reprise Review: Interludes by Marc Twine


 Genre: Short Story Collection

Description:

“A collection of short stories designed for people on-the-go. Each tale offers respite for busy people in a hectic world. Every quick read is perfect for coffee breaks, lunch breaks—or just those moments when you simply need a break from the routine.”

Author:

Marc Twine describes himself as a “retired critical care nurse, history buff, and short story aficionado.”

Appraisal:

Twenty-three short stories that average a couple thousand words each. The perfect length for a quick read. When I got to the end and saw the author’s short bio that mentioned he is a history buff, it was no surprise, as many of the stories integrate history into them in some fashion. The author also mentions liking to travel which explains the reason why his stories often take place in very specific places from the hill country of Texas to Chicago and New York, to Australia and Europe. The unique qualities of the places figure into those stories.

All of that is good, but what really stood out for me reading these stories were two other things. One, that these stories felt complete. I never felt like I was left hanging, or that I needed to fill in too many of the gaps myself, which is almost to be expected in a collection with stories this size. Second, the author has a talent of ending a story on just the right note. So many of the stories I was rolling along, liking the story, when suddenly I hit the end. But the last paragraph, sentence, sometimes even the last word (onions was the word in one case) was exactly what was needed to tie everything up perfectly. I was impressed.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

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