Review: Leave your soul at the door...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 21, 2014
I occasionally like to pick a free collection at random that I think I like the look of, and today this one grabbed my attention. On the whole the stories did not disappoint. "The Devil" takes on many different forms in these stories but rarely (if ever) a stereotypical one. In the one story where He is portrayed as your typical suave tempter (The Devil, You Say) offering the impossible in exchange for your soul, we are still kept guessing as to when (or if) the horns and tail will make an appearance - this story was one of my favourites, but for me was just topped by "Mean Dick Skyler". A story which effortlessly takes us into a strange new world, where the usual rules don't apply - or exist. A clever story where the tables are turned and the owner of the last laugh is left open to debate. Others I enjoyed were "The Best of all Possible Worlds" - biggest sting in the tail, "Round and Round the Garden" - eeriest, and "The Devil Eats Here" - subtle but effective. The stories are -1) The Sacrifice (7/10) A woman is offered a stairway to Heaven, but must first cut all family ties.2) The Angel and the Jungle God (6/10) Sometimes heads have to roll in this particular village.3) The Best of all Possible Worlds (8/10) A man looking for a better existence finds that the grass is not always greener...4) Round and Round the Garden (9/10) The games get dark when two children go to play outside.5) Mean Dick Skyler (10/10) A man makes one last deal, in order to tie up some loose ends.6) The Devil, You Say (9/10) When a woman's job and weight are getting her down, she seizes the opportunity to turn it around.7) Devil Take It (7/10) When a blind man loses his luggage, it is replaced by a bag that even he can see is trouble.8) Rejection Letter (7/10) A mean publisher finds out that the roles are easily reversed.9) The Devil Eats Here (8/10) When a woman is thrown a curve ball, she must decide whether or not to run with it.Overall a good collection which has done what I assume was intended, and got me to look up some of the other books shown at the back - "Haunted" & "Scared" to be precise, both of which I think are 77p.