Review: A Story with a Bit of a Kick to It
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 26, 2014
There have been a number of horror stories and movies in which dismembered hands come back to their owners, invariably with bad results for the unfortunate amputees. Adam Light has gone in the other direction, so to speak, and written Vengeance by the Foot, the first story I can recall in which a dismembered foot comes a calling. And, like many stories by the Light brothers, Adam and Evans, this tale mixes gruesome horror with a generous helping of dark humor.The story line is plain and simple, as befits a 15-page short story. Grant, the main character, is a diabetic whose foot is amputated. Later, the foot comes back, bearing a grudge against Grant, presumably for having it cut off. Within the space of those 15 pages, Light manages to describe Grant's depression and the disintegration of his marriage, along with the rather frightening confrontation between man and foot. Light plays this encounter completely straight, without any attempts at humor. It is only at the very end of the story that he adds a darkly comic twist ending that features a rather literal take on a common play on words.Vengeance by the Foot is entertaining with a wickedly effective ending and a reasonably effective encounter between man and foot. Light avoids the trap most writers of such material fall into... the story never descends to the level of silliness. However, this story is not quite as effective as some of his others because, frankly, it's a bit too short. Neither the psychological melodrama of a man falling into depression nor the frightening encounter with the foot are as effective as they could have been with a few extra pages to develop these themes. Instead, the story feels just a bit too perfunctory. Fortunately, any feelings of disappointment a reader may have will be alleviated by the ending. Let's just say the ending kicks one straight through the goal posts.My only other caveat with this story is the usual one I have when authors post short stories on Kindle... some people may not see the value in spending a dollar for a 15-page story, even an enjoyable one like this (I got the story for free so this was not an issue). Fortunately, Vengeance is also available as part of at least one collection by the Light brothers, so readers may be able to purchase it, along with some other entertaining horror and fantasy tales, for a price that's not much more than the price of this story by itself.