"How to Write Flesh Fiction" by Greg Beatty
"Seed and Soil" by Josh Rountree
"Stealing Fire" by Shane Jiraiya Cummings
"Still Born" by Mikal Trimm
"Seed and Soil" by Josh Rountree
"Stealing Fire" by Shane Jiraiya Cummings
"Still Born" by Mikal Trimm
"The Reading" by Kurt Newton
If you like your coffee black without any sugar, Book of Shadows Vol. 1, edited by Angela Challis, is the anthology for you. Overall, I found the writing in the five stories I reviewed to be rich and well-crafted.
In "How to Write Flesh Fiction" by Greg Beatty, the protagonist is an insightful professor who is convincing as a short fiction writing instructor. The story itself seems as comfortable as an old leather desk chair. Readers are introduced to a potential student who may or may not be interested in the class. The premise of the story reminds me a bit of the old Mr. Magoo cartoons that show the central character failing to see what the viewers, or, in this case, the readers see. The ending is palatable for those with slightly twisted tastes.
"Seed and Soil" by Josh Rountree is a story about love and loss. A mother has lost the fruit of her loins, and she toils in a garden to re-grow what she lost. Blood, sweat, and tears are more than a metaphor as the grieving mother attempts to undo what her daughter has done. Readers will sit as silent witnesses to the mother’s desperate efforts to turn back time. Despite her diminished capacity, you cannot look away from the disturbing transformation that is occurring in the garden.
Shane Jiraiya Cummings evokes empathy in readers for a father who’s lost a child in "Stealing Fire." When fire stole one life in this story, it apparently burned the protagonist’s heart to a cinder. Now he is obsessed and wants revenge, but you’ll never guess how he gets it.
In "Still Born" by Mikal Trimm, in some parts of the world, midwives are the closest thing to doctors young mothers will ever see. Without a midwife, who knows how many children and their mothers would not survive birth? Now, imagine a midwife who can also read the path the newborn will follow for the rest of its days. "Still Born" raises poignant question about what happens to anyone with this much power. Would they use it for good, or would they abuse it?
"The Reading" by Kurt Newton is about a writer, his own biggest fan, reading his own material. We’re given a frightening glimpse into the heart of this man, and most people should be repelled by it. We see a side of him that few people know or would want to know. Even though I didn’t care for the content of "The Reading," I really liked the last line.
In "How to Write Flesh Fiction" by Greg Beatty, the protagonist is an insightful professor who is convincing as a short fiction writing instructor. The story itself seems as comfortable as an old leather desk chair. Readers are introduced to a potential student who may or may not be interested in the class. The premise of the story reminds me a bit of the old Mr. Magoo cartoons that show the central character failing to see what the viewers, or, in this case, the readers see. The ending is palatable for those with slightly twisted tastes.
"Seed and Soil" by Josh Rountree is a story about love and loss. A mother has lost the fruit of her loins, and she toils in a garden to re-grow what she lost. Blood, sweat, and tears are more than a metaphor as the grieving mother attempts to undo what her daughter has done. Readers will sit as silent witnesses to the mother’s desperate efforts to turn back time. Despite her diminished capacity, you cannot look away from the disturbing transformation that is occurring in the garden.
Shane Jiraiya Cummings evokes empathy in readers for a father who’s lost a child in "Stealing Fire." When fire stole one life in this story, it apparently burned the protagonist’s heart to a cinder. Now he is obsessed and wants revenge, but you’ll never guess how he gets it.
In "Still Born" by Mikal Trimm, in some parts of the world, midwives are the closest thing to doctors young mothers will ever see. Without a midwife, who knows how many children and their mothers would not survive birth? Now, imagine a midwife who can also read the path the newborn will follow for the rest of its days. "Still Born" raises poignant question about what happens to anyone with this much power. Would they use it for good, or would they abuse it?
"The Reading" by Kurt Newton is about a writer, his own biggest fan, reading his own material. We’re given a frightening glimpse into the heart of this man, and most people should be repelled by it. We see a side of him that few people know or would want to know. Even though I didn’t care for the content of "The Reading," I really liked the last line.
[Editor’s note: Book of Shadows Vol. 1 is the first of an annual anthology series containing reprints from the ezine, Shadowed Realms, as well as a selection of originals. This review examined only the previously unpublished stories in this anthology. Tangent‘s reviews of previous issues of Shadowed Realms can be found here.]