Review: Best story is the first story.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 13, 2013
*May contain spoilers.The first story, The Winter Beast, is set in the secluded forest of Siberia, which renders the story more mysterious (as I'm American and "somewhere else" is nice and vague). Its descriptive power almost overwhelms the senses. A lot of the mood is set by the weather and the smells. The story combines overlapping issues such as war and marriage; this makes it interesting and realistic. I liked the way the character came to terms with what happened and his feelings of serenity.After reading the first story, it's hard to believe that the author also wrote the last four stories because the quality mysteriously went downhill. If they weren't in the same book, I'd be convinced they were the work of a high schooler. It's a terrible shame.The God Stone feels a little rushed. If the same care of description for the first story had been taken for the second story, it would have really popped. However, the Native American shamanism bend makes it an interesting read. The surprise twist at the end is that somebody dies. At first, I thought Courtney had died but it wasn't until a few paragraphs later that I realized the mother had died. But when I figured that out, I really liked it and the last two lines are punchy.A Family Tradition keeps you guessing. I thought the man would shoot himself when he had the chance but no, something else happened. The man feels disheartened at the end and that's when you realize how appropriate the title of the story is.For the first story alone, the 99 cents is worth it. It'd be good to read in the deep of winter next to a fireplace.