I’m one of the authors, a minor player, a face hiding in the crowd in this collection of FREE short pieces. Poetry, humor, romance, science fiction and wondrous scares abound. But I put off reading this, didn’t want to have to write a review because… well, first, how do you review something that includes your own work, and second, how could I stand to be the first not to give a five-star rating? After all, I could hardly claim perfection for something that includes my own words.
But I am a very small bit-player here… what of the rest? So yes, it gets five stars in spite of me.
Twisted Shorties is free and would still be really good value if you had to pay for it. The pieces really are good—quick short reads filled with passion, plot, laugh-out-loud hilarity and haunting pain. They’re neatly collected so you can read by author or by theme (thank you A. F. Stewart!). They’re so varied everyone will find something to enjoy. They’re so well organized you’ll contentedly keep reading from beginning to end, and so short you’ll have no problem finishing something then stopping to go shopping or answer the phone.
The collection starts beautifully with Alice Grimes’ lovely poem, Salt Covenant. R. C. Larham trips over miracles. John Beck delights in metaphor. And the world suddenly turns with A. F. Stewart’s trademark swiftly drawn and fully imagined worlds. But there’s more… An upward moving elevator (Len Maxwell), entrancing exerpts from Patricia Gilliam’s Hannaria series, Ms. Lee P.’s Steampunk Grandma and Lord Gregory’s thought-provoking insanity. Then there’s Doug Westberg’s spoonerisms, magical children’s stories, Jax’s Practical Pig, Christmas, Terry McDermot’s wise animal capers, Greg Schiller’s biting social commentary told with his equally biting humor.
Indeed, there are too many authors to mention. Too many favorites to list. Does Hell have a “municipal code”? If so, perhaps I’ll violate its laws in rating this, but it’s going to get a five for all that I’m in it, simply because it deserves it. Just don’t go looking for my name—my pieces really are small fry in this wonderful pond.
Disclosure: It’s free. I bought it. I loved it. I read it so I reviewed it.
(review of free book)