“Briskburner” by Jordan Lapp
"Sally and her Grandfathers – A Tale for Children (and Adults Who Aren’t Too Old Inside)" by John Kuhn
"Tyler McHenry, Middle-Aged Lover of Books" by Wade Ogletree
"Sally and her Grandfathers – A Tale for Children (and Adults Who Aren’t Too Old Inside)" by John Kuhn
"Tyler McHenry, Middle-Aged Lover of Books" by Wade Ogletree
“Briskburner” by Jordan Lapp is possibly the biggest sleeper I have read in a while. Another dragon tale, it starts out slow, creeping along with the typical tavern scene and a trusty sidekick who is the voice of reason for our hero. Halfway through the inevitable battle, something else takes hold. The pace quickens, the plot thickens, and the story takes an unexpected spin for the better. It’s life or death for one character, and heaven or hell for another. This was one story I read a second time just for the pure enjoyment of it.
Mr. Lapp does tend to overstate things. For example: “an unseen wind” and “old wound half healed over” stood out against some of the more skilled phrases.
At the end, that the dragon flew away with so little fight was disappointing. I wanted him to die as he left the cave, or have to be killed, or turn to stone, or something! Still, all in all a good read for us die-hard dragon literature fans.
John Kuhn uses kid-friendly narrative in his story “Sally and her Grandfathers.” It has all the things most children love—a circus, treats, a kindly grandfather, and an adventure away from home. Sally is the happiest girl in the world, yet she discovers an important life lesson about rules and those who claim to love her.
Sally has two grandfathers. One is kindly and charming with a sentimental picture of himself portrayed with poppy seeds in his beard. The other is mean and selfish, a typical villain collecting tax money with “mean soldiers at hand.” Things turn tragic with a murder and a kidnapping, and the story draws parallels to the story of Jesus. Sally discovers that people who let children run amuck do them no favors and begins to understand that those who truly love us are the ones who establish rules with which to structure our lives.
Wade Ogletree struck a chord of authenticity with “Tyler McHenry, Middle-Aged Lover of Books.” At a mere four hundred and sixty words, the story hauls you in, makes its point, and finishes.
Despite a couple typographical errors, the prose glides along, stopping only long enough to harvest the details, leaving the chaff by the roadside. The outcome was an auspicious nonpareil that caught me off guard. Mr. Ogletree’s text incorporates just enough science fiction technology to spur the reader forward and enough common sense language to make the story easy to read. It’s the type of work I like seeing in Dragons, Knights, & Angels: spiritual, yet not preachy. This gets a high recommendation from me.