Thursday, December 31, 2015

*Review* Short Shorts #2

Welcome to the 2nd edition of Short Shorts, where I take just a brief moment to review several short stories that I've recently read. Let's begin.

Photo credit: Goodreads
Title: The Time Being
Author: Antonia Honeywell
Genre: Dystopian
Published: February 12, 2015

Synopsis

At 11 Lalla should be enjoying her childhood in London. But this is not London as we know it. In a collapsed society, Lalla struggles to imagine her future. When a government announcement invites her to enjoy a new life in Regent’s Park, Lalla sees a glimmer of hope. But what is she willing to risk?

Review

This dystopian made me think of The Hunger Games for some reason and I don't know why because the two stories are not at all alike. I listened to the audiobook (which seems to be the only format it's available in) and really enjoyed both the narration and the story. 5 out of 5 stars. 


Photo credit: Goodreads
Title: The Trash Collector
Author: Monica Schaughnessy
Genre: Fiction
Published: October 5, 2014
Pages: 15

Synopsis

When objects begin to disappear from porches, Lydia Strichter suspects the neighborhood hoarder, Dale Kreplick. He's a strange man with an even stranger habit of digging through people's garbage. But when she sets out to prove the "Trash Collector" is behind these thefts, she discovers more than the culprit. She discovers some things can't easily be discarded. A heart-warming story of tolerance, grief, and the persistence of memory.

Review

I'm not particularly fond of stories with unsympathetic main characters. Finding myself in the head of a person whose attitude I find vile leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and that was absolutely the case with this story. It was a good story and even brought a couple of tears to my eyes at the end, but I hate Lydia. 5 out of 5 stars. 


Photo credit: Goodreads
Title: Into the Highlander's World
Author: Samantha Leal
Genre: Erotic Time Travel Romance
Published: November 22, 2015
Pages: 38

Synopsis

Gwen has hit bottom. She is beyond “down on her luck” after splitting from her boyfriend (who, of course was a cheating bastard) and thinks things can't possibly get any worse when, broke and bereft, she is forced to move into a crumbling basement apartment. She had given up everything to make things with her boyfriend work and he only threw it all back in her face. Now, out in the world alone and on her first night in her new place she comes across something that will change her life forever. There, beneath the floorboards she finds what at first just looks like some junk left behind by the last sloppy tenants. But soon she will find it is hardly junk. The ancient sword she has found will lead her into an unimaginable adventure, turning her life more upside down than she could have ever imagined. 

By some miraculous means far beyond her comprehension, she is transported back to ancient Scotland, where she meets the handsome Andrew Urquhart, a man determined to win back his people's lands and lead his clan to the victory they have so long deserved. What Gwen doesn't know is that her life has far more reach and significance in this long ago past than she would have ever thought possible. She is actually an integral part of his plan. But now that she is there, an in the face of the intense passions that have built between her and this almost mythical man, will she ever be able to return to her old world? Or is this strange place actually where she was always meant to be? 

Review

This story needed to be developed into a full book because it has far too much crammed into too few pages to seem anything other than completely absurd. I like the premise, but the development sucked. Also, there were too many spelling and grammar errors. 2 out of 5 stars.


Photo credit: Goodreads
Title: The Hospital
Author: Keith C. Blackmore
Genre: Horror/Zombies
Published: October 2, 2012
Pages: 28

Synopsis

"Mountain Man" Augustus Berry is a survivor in undead suburbia. He scavenges what he can from what's left over. He is very careful in what he does and where he goes, taking no chances, no unnecessary risks, and weighing every choice... until he decides to visit the hospital at the edge of town, and experiences terror the likes he's never encountered before. 

Review

Some good ol' edge of your seat zombie fun, with a twist that it took me a minute to see coming. I kind of want to know what happens with Gus, but I'm also kind of okay leaving him right where he is. Basically, I enjoyed the story, but I'm not invested in the character to the point that I need to continue the series. 4 out of 5 stars. 

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