Learning To Fly

I devoured this very interesting, compelling written work within three hours (I reference my article on book-eating). Penn tells a series of unrelated stories with a single fascinating, but horrifying theme: death. I tend to back away from a detailed synopsis on book to avoid spoilers, but this book draws the reader into many ways people experience death; from knowing it’s coming soon by another’s hand, by accident, and from the standpoint of another witnessing the death of another.

Anyone that likes a short, deep, compelling read should definitely check this work out. It’s not comedy, and isn’t meant to be. What it does is expose the inner fears we all carry about the end of our lives, and the affect the loss of life has on others. Congratulations, five out of five stars!

(no rating)
This is a great book.

This book needs a lot of work before it could be considered done.

On the physical level, a decent table of contents with hyperlinks would have made moving from one story to another easier.

Artistically, the book needs a lot of work. The author uses passive voice throughout, lessening the impact of the characters' actions. Those characters, however, needed more work. Most are insubstantial and don't ring true. Often times, the characters don't react in a believable way. For example, the guy who doesn't try to escape when he knows his life is nearing its end or the old man who can't figure out why he's turned on by a beautiful young woman.

Furthermore, there is too much telling rather than showing, which goes hand-in-hand with the passive voice. If the author showed the characters doing things instead of telling the reading about the character's actions, the stories would have had more punch.

Numerous basic grammar errors abound. These serve to distract the reader from what's on the page because he has to stop and figure out what the author is trying to say.

The most disappointing aspect of the book is that the stories show promise. Under the bad grammar, cardboard characters, and stilted dialogue, there are good ideas. Serious polishing of the work would have turned this collection into a winner.

This is an awesome collection of make-you-think short stories. I really enjoyed "Peek!" I think it was my favorite. Really felt for the characters. I also liked the bonus chapter of your upcoming novel- I can't wait to read the whole thing!

These are great short stories. I have only gotten to read 2 of them. But "The Gift" I really liked the ending made my eyes tear up. All good of course. :-) I recommend reading these short stories- 2 Thumbs up!! Looking forward to reading more stories from you.

What a great collection of short stories. "Peek" was by far my favorite. Thought I knew what was happening and then BING didn't see that coming. This is a must read. Can't wait too see more in the store....well done.