Review: Absolutely Loved the Bonus Short Story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 18, 2013
I first read the Shadow Spinner series in its multiple parts and am so happy to see them collected, for the first time, in a volume. Aside from making the story much more affordable, there is also more to read, and the bonus story "Like an Axe Through Bone", by Bryan Pedas, was absolutely amazing.Review for TIBERIUS: (4 stars)I picked up Shadow Spinner for the pure novelty of a serialized story, but I was really impressed by the way Andrew Leon uses his words to make the story jump off the page. 'Tib', as the author affectionately refers to him, feels very genuine. Leon nails the voice of a scared teenager and I found myself pulled into and sympathizing with all of Tiberius's childhood fears.However, the collected arc of stories does not have any sort of driving plot or conclusion of an arc. Rather, you can think of the first volume as a primer--perhaps an introduction to the characters of the universe. The writing is very crisp and the characters are fleshed out reasonably.The Author's Note in the original version of this story explained that an (I think) important scene in Part Three was skipped because the information is actually available in the prequel 'The Evil That Men Do'. Due to this, there might be confusion for new readers to the series.I'm curious about Tib and his willful ignorance to the happenings he is observing but not recognizing in his life, and feel for the mother who he is ostracizing.Review for LIKE AN AXE THROUGH BONE (5 Stars)I absolutely loved this short story, though it didn't feel so short (it takes up 62% of the file). Bryan Pedas' story was moving and concise. I was able to instantly connect with the main character and even the satellite characters felt real. I loved the concept and execution of the tale as well. There was literally nothing I found at fault with it. "Like an Axe Through Bone" gave "Shadow Spinner: Tiberius" a lot more meat as a collection, and is definitely worth a read. I also love the idea of having bonus stories from other authors at the end of the book. I will be sure to check out Pedas's work!