Review: An Enjoyable Collection of Tales
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 23, 2012
I enjoyed this fifteen-story collection of tales by authors Sean Hayden and Jen Wylie. So much so that I completed it in one sitting. Initially, I was tempted to compare the authors' writing styles but quickly discarded that notion and let each story speak for itself.When reviewing anthologies, I like to give each story its own rating with a rating of five stars being ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT, 3 stars being Meh, It Was Okay and 1 star being Could Have Went Without Reading. My ratings for the stories included in Flashy Fiction are as follows:Zombies at the Meat Market - 4 (I would have liked to have read more about this particular story and since I felt a bit "cheated" at the end, I initially gave it a rating of 3. However, I am a zombie enthusiast and for this reason I gave it a 4. This short story would be a great beginning to a zombie novel.The Sweetest Vampire - A Sappy Story - 2 (A different kind of vampire. Unfortunately, this story didn't appeal to me very much)Every Time I Walk Into A Room - 4 (Good story with a slightly twisted ending)The Sweetest Vampire - Bitter Sweet Memories - 3 (Author seems to contradict certain aspects of her main character at times but this story is much better than the first)Why You Should Always Wear Clean Underwear - 4 (The main character of this sci fi short is not very likeable. In fact the author stated he always loved the main characters of his stories with the exception of this fellow. However, I liked him. Sure he had some troubling habits (driving while heavily intoxicated, attempting to leave the scene of amajor accident) but there was something wickedly endearing about him to me. The fate of this likeable protagonist was very fitting.Echoes of Darkness - 4 (Beautifully haunting beginning. I was very impressed with this story and would like to read more of the Immortal Echoes world this flash story is a part of).The Day I Got Caught - 2 (Disappointing ending that felt rushed and left me hanging)An Unexpected Echo - 4 (I really enjoyed this other installment featuring a character from the Immortal Echoes world and am looking forward to reading the series. Very intrigued by story of the featured male Echo)It's Too Friggin Hot For This - 3 (Cute story)The Smallest Maestro - 5 (The shortest story in the collection but by far the best! A narcissistic cricket? Genius! I loved it!The Headless Norseman - 3 (Predictable but worth the read)It Was A Dark And Stormy Night - 4 (Great tale of justice served)And You Think Your Job Sucks - 4 (If you think your job is bad, read this! I actually laughed out loud a couple of times)Forgettable the Beginning - 2 (The ending was a bit confusing to me. I didn't quite get what the author was trying to communicate in this story).The Punkin King - 4 (Chilling! My second favorite story in the collection)Sean Hayden has an amazing ability to create truer than life characters and his blend of sarcasm and humor - love it. Jen Wylie's writing at times is simply poetic. An enjoyable collection of tales that I would recommend to anyone looking for a quick yet satisfying read. (Originally reviewed for Risque Reviews)