Review: More favorite short stories
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 7, 2011
One Buck Horror Four: in short, well worth one buck for two five-star short stories.The intro story, "Hanal Pixan," by Erath Juarez is a story where five kids hear their grandpa telling them ghost stories in front of their bonfire and altar in preparation for the "Day of the Dead," festival. For an intro story, this was really disappointing. There were a couple frightening moments, but the style of a story being told to them drained the impact of the frightening parts. Also, the ending seemed more like a twist for the sake of having a twist than leaving me in a terrified state - which is what I'm used to from One Buck Horror. I'll give it 3 stars.The second story, "Theridia," by Mark Onspaugh, is about an older brother going to find out why his younger brother didn't go stake their claim at a silver mine like he said, but instead is staying in the town of Rusty Saw. He goes to find out why, and soon determines he needs to stay as well. Will he let his brother have what now draws them both to stay? This was a good story, 4 stars. Despite a first line I thought could have been cleared up a little, I'm glad I read on.Looks like an upward trend for the first three stories as the third is a 5 star tale. "Walter's Friends," by Nick A. Zaino III is a well rounded story with the right ending. To save from spoilers, I'll just say I was impressed with the writing, the world-building, the twist on the genre, and the character arc from beginning to end. I'll keep my eye on Nick for future stories.The fourth story, "Bayani's Promise," by M.R. Jordan, keeps the momentum with another 5 star tale. I particularly liked this one because it reminded me of my honeymoon in Cozumel, and how I sensed a whole other world beyond the tourist areas. This story captures what life would be like beyond the tourist centers when life is about pure survival. What awaits both in the dark and at home are some pretty horrifying revelations. This was well written and had enough twists and turns to keep me engaged and leave me satisfied.The last story, "In the Eye of the Beholder," by Kristine Ong Muslim, is a 4 star with an interesting twist that left me disturbed. Classic One Buck Horror. It's not a 5 star because some of the details didn't line up in my mind. Saying anything else would ruin the story.Total Score: 4.2 StarsTo be honest, I can see how the second and last story could be a 5 star for someone else. This would push it up to a 4.6