Writers of the Future {Book Review}

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Before I get to the review, I want to apologize. This post was supposed to come out two weeks ago, but due to illness, I've gotten quite behind on a number of projects (and school!) that I am working on. This is the reason that the contest at the bottom closes so soon.

When I got a copy of the Writer's of the Future book this year, I was a little excited, since I have heard good things about the stories in these collections, and also a little skeptical about the program and contest in general. In this post, I'm going to talk only about the individual stories and their particular merits, as well as the organization and readability of the collection as a whole.

I'm going to be honest: I don't really think I'd want to read this book in public, and a few things that I had read online about the contest did weird me out a little, but on the whole, the individual stories were quite good. I'll let you do your own research about the rest of it. In my review, I'm going to focus on a two of the stories (though there are many more great ones than that), and give more in depth reviews of them. I will also talk about how I thought the book was organized and the quality of the stories as a collection.

My Review
First of all, my review of the collection as a whole. I was impressed by the variety of stories and the quality of them. There are stories ranging all parts of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genres, and it is fun to read. The illustrations were also quite good, though there were times where the illustration almost didn't seem to fit with the story it accompanied. The book itself was very readable, and good quality. Now, I am going to briefly review two of the stories I read. I had a hard time choosing the stories to review, but in the end I chose the two which most stood out to me as I read them, for various reasons.

Another Range of Mountains by Megan E. O'Keefe is the first story I am reviewing. I enjoyed the story and plot, but there were moments where I felt a little overwhelmed by it. There was a lot of plot in those 25 pages, more, maybe, then made sense. I was intrigued by the premise, and I liked the ending, but it felt a little abrupt. I would have liked a little more backstory, and a much slower plot. I actually would love to read this same story in a novella format. I think that with maybe 150 pages to work within, this story would be really great.

The second story I'm reviewing is Giants at the End of the World by Leena Likitalo. I'm going start by saying that I loved this story. The plot was subtle, the writing was absolutely beautiful, and the ending was perfectly set up. This is the kind of story that makes me want to find everything this author has ever written. The short story is, in my reading and writing experience, a difficult medium to master, since you are limited in space, but still trying to tell a full story. The plot in the story was subtle: there wasn't a lot to it at first glance, but it was still substantial. I felt satisfied at the end, but also curious as what might happen next.

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 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Cutlass: Ten Tales of Pirates {Book Review}

Today I'm reviewing Cutlass: Ten Tales of Pirates , which is an anthology of short stories featuring pirates, written by various authors.

As a collection, I enjoyed this book, though I feel that the quality of the stories varied quite a bit. Many of these stories are quite enjoyable to read on their own, and are the perfect length to read quickly, but still be satisfying.

I particularly enjoyed the final three stories in the book. Broadsided by KJ Kiegan featured fantastic of characters, good back story, and strong emotional ties between characters. The Pensioner Pirates of Marine Parade by Jonathan Broughton had a unique premise, and a surprising ending. The Book of Adventures by Douglas Kolacki was my favorite of all the stories. It took the theme (pirates), and turned it on its head. It was unique, enjoyable, and well developed.

I do have one criticism that goes for many of the stories in this book (though not for the ones mentioned above). Many of them felt like longer stories shoved into a short story format. This was particularly true with Khalballo by Margo Lerwill, and with Diamonds and Bones by Kris Radcliffe. They both had a good idea, but they became confusing because there was so much back story left untold, and too much action for the shortness of the story.

Overall, I recommend this anthology to anyone who particularly enjoys pirate stories. There is a good variety of classic pirate stories, historical ones, and a few that break out of the genre completely. As a reader, I think that short stories are a great but challenging form for prose, and some of these authors did better with it then others.


 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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Morning Commute by Scott Zavoda {Short Story Review}

Today I am reviewing the short story Morning Commute by Scott Zavoda. It's short enough that I'm not going to use my typical review method, but instead I'm going to talk about some things I did and did not like about it.

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Want a fast-paced, breathtaking read that’ll tingle your nerves and make you laugh?

Go no further, because this is it!

Stifling heat, late for work, stuck in a heap of traffic. What can be worse?
The pervert driving next to you of course. The one staring creepily at you. For Mary Duvall, things get a lot worse. Her morning commute spirals rapidly out of control in this hilarious, tense, over-the-top, thrill- ride. Hang on and don’t let the suspense kill you on the way!

If another driver has ever cut you off, then you need to read Morning Commute!

First of all, there is a lot of swearing in it. Personally, I don't really have a problem with well places swear words, but this was definitely more the the story needed. That is something that turned me off of it a bit, but it might not bother other people.

The mood of the story I found rather interesting. It has the feeling of being somewhat dream like, in a nightmarish way. It worked well in this format, I think. I'm not sure if I would have wanted to read too much more in that style.

Mainly, what I have to say about it is that it started weird and got weirder. It was short, and took me only a few minutes to read from start to finish.  I know this isn't a long review, but it's not a long story.

My final verdict is that I would recommend this short story to people looking for something short, funny and a little strange to keep them busy on a rainy afternoon or on a train ride.


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.