From brief vignettes of paranormal scenes to longer stories that hit hard with shock value, there is no clear continuity in these tales aside from their grim and horrific style. “Mark of the Bruja” is one of the strongest stories, with visceral characters, a well-formed plot, and a unique cultural perspective on the supernatural that may be new to many readers. “Devil Reef” is another memorable piece, and […]
The three stories are unique in their own way, but fall in line with classic gangster narratives: untouchable tough guys with sharp comebacks and quick trigger fingers. These surprisingly complex, small-cast tales are driven by intense, multilayered dialogue – or other forms of communication, as in the case of the two mute assassins from “Driving in Silence,” one of the standouts in the collection. Perfectly polished for […]
Author Lance Ealey paints sincere portraits and tackles quiet struggles in The Knucklehead and Other Stories, an entertaining collection of memorable tales told with heart and humble grace. Deep lessons learned from unexpected places make these visceral vignettes worth a patient, savoring read.
The characters that populate these five short stories are snapshots of an America long past – grouchy and wolfish junkyard dealers, patient bartenders with open ears, mischievous young boys looking for adventure, and a general sense of down-home small-town safety, where outsiders are viewed with healthy suspicion. The wonder and curiosity of youth is something Ealey […]
Thea Verdak unleashes a swirling storm of a story in The Curs of Curzon County, a rapid-fire tale of acute dangers and chronic pain, growing up and leaving home, and all the obstacles along the way that can derail a young life. Richly layered with an original and unforgettable narrative voice, this gritty short story will leave your heart pounding.
All the crises and conditions of Lucretia’s young life distill themselves in this well-penned crucible; the ramshackle pound at the end of the airstrip is the closest thing she has to a home, yet it is also a source […]
Human history is peppered with periods of extreme darkness and abject evil, eras of injustice and cruelty that forced people to confront their own morality, and Ronnie Cassano taps into this grisly fodder for his new story collection, Kicked in the Head by a Horse.
These stories criss-cross the globe and leap between centuries, tied together by simmering conflict and characters exposed to crises of faith and times of trouble. From a foreigner battling his way through the brutal violence of Scandinavian culture to a beloved regular drinking away his sorrows and poverty, this is not a hopeful collection, […]
Set in different times and places, this collection moves at a quick pace, and each story is distinctly separate. Some stories tackle social issues from a more philosophical angle, such as “USA,” […]
Brimming with rustic energy and written in an authentically American voice, Holding On by Richard Snodgrass is a surprising collection of stories that capture the rise and imminent fall of Furnass, a small American town like so many others.
In the industrial boom of the 20th century, mill towns were enjoying their heyday, driving the great machine of the nation forward. Given the perspective of time, however, modern readers know that this would be a temporary golden age, one still gasping out its death rattles to this day. Within this framework of transient prosperity and bold hope for the […]
A Family Affair and Other Stories by Joseph Fleckenstein is an engaging collection of fictional and non-fictional stories that span the globe.
Many of these stories have been previously published in literary journals, which speaks to the quality of the writing throughout, which includes those that have not been published before. Written in bite-sized portions, with some stories only two pages long, this is a collection that you can breeze through quickly, in part because of the eclectic variety of Fleckenstein’s storytelling. The stories travel to Egypt, India, Germany, and more, acting as a kind of travel diary, as well […]