Review: Pretty Short Stories - Unsettling by Stevan Serban, Aleksa Serban, and Milica Serban

 

Genre: Short Story Collection

Description:

“The world is weird. Horror can be funny. You decide.

Great stories don’t always have to be long stories. Thrills and chills are not beholden to word counts. A tale that leaves you wanting more is the best kind of frustration.

Aliens, killers, and neighbors share their secrets, plots, and riddles in this unique collection of short stories. From the apocalypse to apathy, humor and horror go skipping hand-in-hand through the pages. If the fantastical can be comical, then the ordinary can be downright terrifying.

Unsettling is the first in the ‘Pretty Short Stories’ series.

Author:

Stevan Serban’s bio on Amazon is pretty good at telling you some of the qualities he doesn’t have. These all seem like the kind of cliched things some authors would put in their bio, so I guess we can assume he’s trying to tell us that he’s just a normal guy or at least not a typical author. He teamed up with two of his kids to write this book (they get credit in the Amazon book listing, even if they receive no mention on the cover).

Appraisal:

Have you ever read a book review that was longer than the book? I’m not sure how many words this review will end up being, but knowing my propensity to go on and on and on and … well, you get the idea, I think the odds of this review having a word count that exceeds the 623 words in the book (not counting front and back matter) is fairly good. It will be a new experience for both of us. But I’ll bet you’re wondering how a book could possibly be that short. Good question.

First, I should make it clear that we aren’t talking a children’s picture book here, aimed at a new reader with the pictures telling most of the story and the words being simple, straightforward, and there more to provide practice to the new reader. (I’ve reviewed a few of those with my granddaughter, but I don’t think the review has ever been more verbose than the book. Or maybe I’m wrong. However, I’m sure my reviews have never exceeded the word count of the book for a book aimed at adults or even the young adult or teen audience.) So how does a collection of short stories, 36 of them if I counted right, only amount to 623 words?  Well, if you grab a calculator, you’ll see that the way to do this is to make the average story roughly 17.3 words each. I’ve heard of flash fiction which is generally considered to be a story of 1,000 words or less, with different names for stories that are even shorter. I’ve even read and reviewed multiple books that were collections of drabbles, flash fiction stories of 100 words or less. But can you really tell a story in seventeen words?

Well, obviously I can’t. Everyone I know is getting a glazed look in their eyes and thinking to themselves that I can’t tell the most simple story in less than about seventeen minutes of droning. That story would include taking the tale off on several tangents that really have nothing to do with the main story (kind of like what I’m doing here). It would include giving many more details than the story really needs. (Yeah, I know. I’m doing that too. I can’t help myself. Plus, I have a specific word count to reach and being succinct isn’t going to get me there.)

But apparently other people can (Stevan Serban and his two kids, Aleksa and Milica for three examples). In fact, there is a tale that Ernest Hemingway was out at the bar with a group of friends one day and bet his friends that he could make them cry with a short story that was only six words long. These stories are almost three times that long. Whether the story told about Hemmingway is true is doubtful. There are multiple versions of the story out there, I believe some of them using different people as the alleged author, but the one consistent in all of the retellings I’ve seen are the short story the hero of the story came up with. Here it is for you to consider:

“For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn.”

Six words that pack a punch. Most stories, even novels that are tens of thousands of words long, let the reader fill in some of the gaps and this story certainly does that. At least it holds back on the details. But it sets things up for the reader to let their imagination run wild. These seventeen word stories aim to do the same thing and do a pretty decent job of setting the imagination off. Each story consists of a short title (usually a single word, but sometimes two or three words), followed by the text of the story which is three fairly short sentences. (Do the math. Seventeen minus one word for the title means five or six words per sentence. Not wordy at all.) Maybe I should have tried this approach in writing my review. This long rambling screed is already well over the length of the book. Maybe the book has something to teach me about minimalism or something. For those who think this is tl;dr, the alternative review is just below. (It’s only seventeen words, just like each of the stories.)

“Different”

This book is different. Lots of short three sentence stories. Kicks the imagination into high gear.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 600-700 words

Reprise Review: Scattered Souls by Erica Lucke Dean

 

Genre: Time Travel/Romance

Description:

“Ava Flynn is cursed. After barely surviving an epic battle between her warring soul mates, Ava is stranded in the past with Laith, while Maddox frantically searches across the decades. Laith will stop at nothing to prove his love to Ava, and a desperate Maddox must race against time to find her before his brother can win her heart.

Torn between the two brothers, and with her eternal soul at stake, Ava comes to the horrifying conclusion that only she can break the curse. But the cost may be more than she is willing to pay.”

Author:

“After walking away from her career as a business banker to pursue writing full-time, Erica moved from the hustle and bustle of the big city to a small tourist town in the North Georgia Mountains where she lives in a 90-year-old haunted farmhouse with her workaholic husband, her 180lb lap dog, and at least one ghost.

When she’s not busy writing or tending to her collection of crazy chickens, diabolical ducks, and a quintet of piglets, hell bent on having her for dinner, she’s either reading bad fan fiction or singing karaoke in the local pub. Much like the characters in her books, Erica is a magnet for disaster, and has been known to trip on air while walking across flat surfaces.

How she’s managed to survive this long is one of life’s great mysteries.”

To learn more about Ms. Dean, visit her website or stalk her on her Facebook page.

Appraisal:

Scattered Souls begins with a short jaunt into the past, and we learn how both Maddox and Laith acquired their time-jumping abilities. Ava is also given a small glimpse into Maddox’s, Laith’s, and Elizabeth’s history while falling through time. Timelines are little problem if you know the rules of the game. At least as long as you have possession of a magic stone. Learning those rules were trial and error for both Maddox and Laith. Both are in possession of their own stone.

After Laith rescues Ava from the cliff at the end of book one, Splintered Souls, he settles her in his Chicago home sometime in 1928. From there Laith begins his campaign to win Ava’s heart through a whirlwind series of jumps through time to fulfill her every heart’s desire. These were a thoroughly enjoyable distraction from the vital weightiness of the plot. This plan is working in Laith’s favor until Maddox catches up with them and all hell breaks loose.

Ava has a sharp learning curve and serious decisions to make concerning the curse that has plagued Maddox and Laith since they were born. Although Jane, apprentice witch of the old witch who placed the original curse, insists it was a blessing because her mentor didn’t dabble in the dark forces. Getting to know Jane was an enthralling bonus in this book. She was able to give Ava a lot to consider, and it seems as if Ava will have to be the one to put an end to the blessing/curse. But how can she manage that when she doesn’t wish pain or heartbreak to either brother?

This story is a true rollercoaster ride through history and emotions. The game changing ending will leave the reader reeling. I was totally beside myself. I need the next book NOW! Ms. Dean had better be writing her heart out…

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Scattered Souls is book two in the Flames of Time series. Adult situations and a few F-bombs.

Original review posted January 10, 2017.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant proofing issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Review: Ghosts of Sherwood by T S Maynard and W J McNally

 

Genre: Folklore mashup

Description:

This little book is not what I was expecting. The well known and loved characters from Sherwood Forest are present, sometimes in a book of stories about their deeds, sometimes as LRP gamers, sometimes in ways that are less easy to explain.

So mashed up is the book that I cannot even tell you with any confidence if it is meant for grownups or children. Suffice it to say that I – who am a grownup – enjoyed it, and I believe that children who enjoy stories about characters out of legend and fairy stories will find this well worth their time. The story gallops along: there is never a dull moment.

In short, it is an allegorical morality tale told in a twenty-first century way by using this borrowed genre.

Authors:

Maynard and NcNally have been friends since childhood. This short novel is a joint project between the two of them, with Maynard acting as publisher. Maynard has been writing stories for over 25 years and has recently begun adapting them into books and novellas with McNally. This is their first book.

Appraisal:

The story keeps you on your toes as to where and when the action is currently taking place: are we in Sherwood Forest, somewhere in a bit of 21st century American wilderness, or are we now getting a lesson in work-life balance? The authors generate plenty of sympathy for the main characters, so caught up in work that their family breaks down. The myths and legends in the book have all turned to the dark side at the beginning through espousing the American way of business. However, the book doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the life lessons are delivered with plenty of humour. This is partly generated by mashing together multiple British myths and legends. Half the fun is in spotting these coming, so I will only mention a single example: Camelot Inc is a particularly noxious invention. Much amusement is also derived from juxtaposing ye olde horse-drawn, sword-wielding world of the legends with, eg, smart phones and not being able to get a signal wherever and in whatever century we’re currently stuck.

If your work-life balance is out of whack I recommend you read this with your neglected offspring. You will all enjoy it thoroughly and it will give them an opportunity to perform tutting, tooth sucking and head shaking at intervals, as the book has much wisdom within it, as well as a lot of laughs. You will come to see the error of your overworked ways.

If your work-life balance is tickety-boo, you can pity the poor saps at the beginning with the superiority of one who has all this down pat, worry about the sadly altered state of fairytale land in the middle and feel surprisingly good at the end when nearly everything comes out right.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Format/Typo Issues:

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

Review: Healing Walk by Melissa Bowersock

Genre: Paranormal/Mystery/Native American

Description:

“Medium Sam Firecloud and his investigative partner, Lacey Fitzpatrick, are used to being called in to rid homes of ghosts, but are surprised when they’re asked to investigate a haunting in a hospital. The case turns out to be more difficult than usual for two reasons: the ghost doesn’t actually understand what caused the death, and the administrator of the hospital does not want the paranormal pair and their unorthodox methods connected to his facility in any way. Sam and Lacey are determined to find out the information they need to release the ghost, but can they do it before the administrator makes good on his threats to have them thrown in jail?”

Author:

“Melissa Bowersock is an eclectic, award-winning author who writes in a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres: paranormal, biography, western, action, romance, fantasy, spiritual, and satire.”

For more visit Ms.Bowersock’s website and follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Based on my experience so far, I think the books in this series are fun, fast reads. They all involve Sam Firecloud, who has the ability to communicate with people who have died, but the spirits of these people remain trapped on this plane until some unfinished issue is resolved at which point they can move on in peace to whatever comes after this life. Sure, this basic premise and formula requires the reader to suspend disbelief, as would be required with any book that touches on the paranormal. But it isn’t that hard and then what you’re left with is an entertaining mystery that, because of the main thing Sam and his partner Lacey use to get clues, tends to take the story in different directions with more than a few unique twists and turns when compared with a typical mystery. It also opens up the possibilities as to the kinds of mysteries Sam and Lacey can tackle, sometimes solving mysteries and helping a spirit move on who has been trapped in between this life and the next for years or, as in this case, help someone who has been trapped for a relatively short time. The unique aspects of each story keep the reader guessing and engrossed in the story. This installment of the series has a few things that aren’t typical of the others, the biggest one being that some people in power obviously didn’t want the case resolved which complicated Sam and Lacey’s job. Overall, this was another fun, entertaining read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Although this is book 34 in the Lacey Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud mystery series each story stands alone.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Reprise Review: Silent Whispers by Christine Rains

Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Mystery/Adventure

Description:

“It’s not only the dead who whisper upon the wind.

An ancient totem pole has gone missing, and its pieces are scattered across Alaska. Restoring the seven totem tokens may be the only way to save every shifter in the world.

Kinley Dorn, a geeky architect with a heart of gold and a polar bear shifter, jumps at the opportunity to help her family find the lost pieces. Their idea of 'helping' involves staying indoors to research online. Work leads Kinley to sexy lynx shifter Ransom Averill. He coaxes her away from the safety behind her computer and into the path of a rampaging giant. Terrifying as the monster might be, she must brave its mountain because the owl totem is calling to her through silent whispers.”

Author:

“Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not reading or writing, she's going on adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of S.C.I.F.I. and Untethered Realms. She has one novel and several novellas and short stories published.”

Please check out her Amazon author page for all of her books or stalk her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Silent Whispers is Kinley’s story. She is the nerdy middle sister of the Dorn clan. Kinley immerses herself in her work and research. She is also the designated caretaker of the family. Because of a failed relationship, five years ago, she is insecure and can’t imagine why any male could possibly be interested in her. Then she meets Ransom Averill, a personal assistant to her newest client, and sparks fly. Ransom is a handsome Lynx shifter who seems like a bit of a playboy: cocky, witty, and fiercely loyal. Kinley is a hot mess whenever he is around and I’m not sure why but Ransom’s cocksure attitude made him more adorable to me. Ms. Rains was able to develop Ransom’s character where his arrogance came across in a humble way. Not sure how she did that with a cat shifter, however, she did it quite well.

The plot moves along at a nice pace, and many of the twists were unexpected. Kenley has heard “whispers” from the ether practically her whole life, however, the whispers seem conflicting at times. Perplexed with the whispers she chooses to go with her gut instincts and/or personal desires. The mystery of the totems and the hunters grows deeper and more complex in this novella.

I’m looking forward to book three of the Totem series, Cloak of Snow, where I hope to learn more about the oldest Dorn sister, Saskia, and her relationship with Sedge. This is turning into an enthralling mystery quest series.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Silent Whispers is book two in the Totem series.

There are a few F-bombs dropped.

Original review posted January 12, 2017

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant proofing or formatting issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

Review: The Konar and the Apple by Babak Hodjat

 Genre: Memoir

Description:

“‘It’s all about the story.’

So begins Babak Hodjat’s collection of tales in The Konar and the Apple.

An eight-year-old boy assigned the task of throwing flowers during the Shah’s visit. A teenager in boot camp eager to catch episodes of a popular Japanese TV show. An adult coming to the Unites States, ready to make his mark in the tech world.

These are just some of the personal experiences shaping Hodjat’s intimate narrative of a boy growing up in post-revolutionary Iran. The stories paint a picture of a middle-class, westernized boy experiencing all the common—and uncommon—adventures of childhood and self-discovery.

Blending both humor and insight, The Konar and the Apple transcends culture to celebrate the fun, innocence, and anticipation of growing up that unite us all.”

Author:

“Babak Hodjat is an Iranian-American inventor and tech entrepreneur with a passion for storytelling, soccer, and Artificial Intelligence. Born in London, Babak went to kindergarten in Idaho, attended middle school in London, completed high school and undergraduate studies in Iran, and obtained his PhD in Japan. He has been living and working in California since the late nineties.”

Appraisal:

At least in my opinion, the appeal of a memoir depends on some specific qualities of the author and the reader. Some memoirs I enjoy specifically because the author and I have a lot in common. I can look at how they handled certain kinds of situations and compare it to my own thoughts and actions. But other memoirs have authors whose experiences are so different than my experience due to differences in when or where they happened, our age at the time, culture, or other factors that I can’t easily put myself in their place. But in many ways this kind of memoir is even better, because it gives me insight that helps me to better understand someone who, at least at first glance, is much different than me. This memoir definitely fits in that second category.

The Konar and the Apple is the author’s story of his time growing up in Iran. Although he spent some time in his younger years outside of Iran which get brief mentions, the stories in this book focus on his time in Iran. For various reasons, war being the biggest one, Babak and his family move around the country, so we get insight into what life was like for him in places ranging from remote backwaters to Iran’s capital city, Tehran. I said it was the author’s story, but in reality the better way to describe it, the way he describes it himself, is his stories.

Each chapter is a story about something specific. It reads something like a series of short stories with the obvious differences, that the stories are true and because they’re all about the author’s experiences they all tie together. Each story stands on its own. At times one story might repeat a fact or give some background needed to understand the story that was also included in another story, but I didn’t find this bothersome because it reminded me of something pertinent to the current story and I realized the positive of doing this, enabling each story to stand alone.

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable and enlightening read. I think it gave me a better sense of how Iran changed over the period in question. It drove home how much different living there is than my own life. But I also saw some things, some trivial, but others not so much, that drove home that as humans we still have a lot in common, even if there are massive differences in the various cultures and places that we live in.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No Significant Issues

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words

Review: Distant Relations by Rebecca Forster

 Genre: Crime Fiction/Thriller/Suspense

Description:

“A private plane explodes killing Finn's estranged uncle and his childhood love. Coming to grips with the tragedy, Finn O'Brien puts the accident behind him until a misdirected insurance settlement, a federal investigation, and an arrogant ATF agent pique his curiosity and provoke his anger. The explosion was no accident, the people on board had histories, and Finn O’Brien’s assistance in the investigation is not wanted. Unable to find justice, Finn goes rogue, incurring the ire of everyone while his investigation leads him through a deadly labyrinth created by big business and personal passions. In the end Finn discovers that his life, and the lives of those he loves, are in the hands of a distant and deadly relation.”

Author:

“Rebecca Forster will try anything once, but when she was dared to write a book she found her passion. Now a USA Today and Amazon best selling author with over 40 books to her name, Rebecca is known for her keen ear for dialogue, three dimensional characters, an eye for detail, twisted plots and unexpected endings.”

Appraisal:

As the fifth book in Rebecca Forster’s Finn O’Brien series there are a few things that every book has in common. Finn O’ Brien, his partner Cori Anderson, and an entertaining story that is never what you expect, with each one going somewhere totally unexpected. This one starts with a bang (quite literally), and involves Finn stepping on a few toes, digging into something that isn’t his job to investigate. Wondering who (if anyone) was responsible for the bad things that set Finn off and whether Finn or anyone else will be able to figure out who this was and bring them to justice kept me engaged and guessing to the very end.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Although the fifth book in the Finn O’ Brien series, each book stands alone well enough that reading of the prior books isn’t needed to understand the story in this volume.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on a pre-release ARC (advanced reader copy), so I can’t gauge the final product in this area.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words

Review: Deacon Blues by Karl G. Trautman

 Genre: Political fiction/Coming of Age

Description:

“Jolted by an arrested adolescence, Manfred Schmidt is a lonely teenager who craves for belonging and respect. His unconscious rage and forming identity are fused together at a time when a new leader is offering hope to a troubled, post-Watergate nation. He takes on Jimmy Carter as his hero, offering hope to his evolving self.”

Author:

“Trautman was born in Madison, Wisconsin and has lived in Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Kansas and Michigan. He has also lived in Afghanistan and Ireland. He currently resides in Maine.”

Appraisal:

Things protagonist Manfred Schmidt did:

   1.   Experienced angst when his parents divorced.

   2.   Went to some baseball games and museums.

   3.   Dropped out of college without ever having kissed a girl.

   4.   Did volunteer work for Jimmy Carter’s reelection.

   5.   Watched Carter’s defeat on TV.

The end.

I realize that as a sarcasm one of the world’s great novels could be reduced to “Old man catches huge fish. Shark eats fish.” However, that two-line synopsis implies great struggle, victory, and defeat. Does it imply that struggle is useless or that struggle itself conquers defeat, irrespective of the inevitable?

There are no such implications or questions in Deacon Blues. The struggles run to trying to gin up courage to ask the Carter campaign for a paying job and to invite a girl to a movie. The narrative focuses on Schmidt as a socially inhibited young man; one who is devoid of charm. He is no Holden Caufield snarkily thumbing his nose at imperfections of society.

It would be unduly generous to attribute Schmidt’s devotion to Carter as a metaphor for selfless devotion to good against overpowering evil. Even though Schmidt seems to see things that way, it’s ultimately just politics.

Readers who, for whatever reason, finish the novel will have waded through a morass of excruciatingly banal details.

“The laundry room was pretty basic, with industrial size washers, huge dryers, a few long tables for folding and some metal chairs for sitting.”

Ah, so that’s what chairs are for.

As a positive, Trautman’s writing style is clean, readable and error free.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Nothing to note

Format/Typo Issues:

None

Rating: Three stars

Reviewed by: Sam Waite

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words