Review: Some Decent Short Stories in this Collection
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 23, 2013
This is a collection of spooky short stories by eight authors.  The first story is "Empty Vessel" by M. Edward McNally.  It is a short story about a ship stumbling upon a ghost ship and what happens afterwards.  It was a well written plot, but not really my cup of tea.  That doesn't make it a bad story.The second story is "The Smell of Death" by Tara West.  This story revolves around a little girl with a special gift.  Because of this gift, her and her mother have trouble finding a permanent home.  The story starts with the mother meeting a potential employee and continues with events happening in the house at that time.  My only complaint with this book is the story could really evolve into a novella or even a novel.  While the short story has its beginning, climax, and end, I would have really loved to see this in a much longer version.  All in all, it's still a well written story and enjoyable read.Next is "Safe" by Emma Jameson.  This is another one that really wasn't my cup of tea, but others would probably find it enjoyable.  It centers around a young boy who makes his living robbing graves.  Like the previous two stories, it is well written and has a beginning, climax, and ending.What follows is "Cupcake Goddess:  Soulfully Sweet" by Shea MacLeod.  It is a short story about the Goddess Brandwen and her constant stalking by a ghost.  Even though it is a short story, I enjoyed it."May I go Play?" by Heather Marie Adkins is next.  As with the previous short stories, it is well written with a well thought out plot.  This is another one I can see as a novella or full novel.  Another enjoyable read."Blehdward, the Vampire Who Couldn't Sparkle" by P.J. Jones, is a tongue-in-cheek stab at the sparkly vampires of "Twilight" fame.  The main character doesn't sparkle and is an outcast from the ones who do.  At the end of the story, we learn what is behind the sparkle.  A cute read."Franscesca" by Alan Nayes is a short story set in Brazil in 1928.  It revolves around a female witch doctor.  She fall in love with a sculptor who cheats on her.  What follows is Franscesca's revenge along with tying her soul to a block of blue granite stone.  This short story gives a little background into the novel "Girl Blue" by the same author.  This short story has me interested in reading the novel.The last story in this collection is "Souleaters" by RG Porter.  While out shopping, Kaitlyn is sucked into another dimension through a fountain.  She connects with other humans in this dimension and they look to find a way out.  The ending had a surprise twist which I loved.All in all, this was a nice little collection of short stories that has introduced me to new authors I will consider following.  What I loved the most about this collection were the little blurbs about the authors at the end of each short story.  They were wacky and funny.  If nothing else, this book is worth the read, just for those!