She’s seen him everyday since that fateful day on the rollercoaster. But now she wants to confront him.
Well, I didn’t see that twist at the end coming. It was brilliant. And made me smile happily. After all, I like to be surprised at the end of a story, and this one was actually a pleasant surprise.
I was completely expecting this to be a story that featured a grim reaper and a woman who couldn’t die. That most definitely wasn’t the case and I really like the direction that this story went in instead. The flick of perspectives at the very end and the different point of view that this flicking told was very well done.
Instead of being a bit of a terrifying ghost story, Front Row Rider was a much more positive and, well, cute story. I’m not entirely sure why I think that this is so cute, that, again, may say something weird about my psyche. But cute I found it.
Title: The Feeling From Over Here Author: Gabrielle Tozer In: Begin, End, Begin (Danielle Binks) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Australian authors, Contemporary, Young adult Dates read: 18th November 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: That night he’d drafted a text, scribbled a letter, started Facebook message, but he didn’t follow through with any of them.
Lucy Faris is stuck on a bus to Melbourne. Which would be bad enough, if it wasn’t for the fact that the boy she thought she liked, and then decided she hated didn’t just get on and sit down next to her…
This short story has an amazing pace to it. It’s not necessarily quick, and it’s most certainly not all that typical. But it worked. I love that each little segment was split into the time at which it happened. Sometimes large gaps of time, sometimes smaller. It was an absolute pleasure to proceed through this journey, one step at a time.
I love that Lucy is a completely kick ass year twelve. She has definitely got a bit of attitude, and plenty of gumption to herself. She’s fun and a little bit quirky. The messages that she is constantly sending to her friends just help to top off her great characterization. Then, flipping her point of view with Cam’s to show why he has acted in certain ways… well, it helped me to bond with both characters in a very short amount of time.
I imagine that a year from the ending of this story, Lucy and Cam totally got together. And had some kind of happily ever after. Because I’m a sap who totally believes in love stories.
Title: Forget Us Not Author: Nancy Kilpatrick In: The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women (Marie O’Regan) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Death, Ghosts Dates read: 18th November 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2012 5th sentence, 74th page: The back lanes of this city are full of strays and it breaks your heart that they live outdoors in such frigid weather.
You’ve just lost the man that you love and you’re struggling to move on with life. But, a chance encounter with a cat acts as a great reminder that you may never forget, but you should still live.
At first I found the first person point of view of this story to be a little clunky. Although, that may be partially because I didn’t want to be thrown into the point of view of someone who has lost their husband. That’s a pretty terrifying thought.
I was honestly waiting for a tragedy to occur right throughout this story. It didn’t, actually, ultimately this was kind of uplifting. In the end, rather than being about tragedy, this was a short story that was about what happens after a tragedy.
The end of this story was hopeful. It was a reminder that even after people have left our lives, we still need to live and experience our own happiness and bliss. And it’s also important to stop and mourn the loss of a loved one, or two. No matter how crappy that might feel.
Title: Days of Heaven Author: Rick Bass In: The Mammoth Book of Westerns (Jon E. Lewis) Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Westerns Dates read: 18th November 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2013 5th sentence, 74th page: By that time of day it would be too hot to do anything but take a nap, so that’s what I’d do, upstairs on the big bed with all the windows open, with a fly buzzing faintly in one of the other rooms, one of the many empty rooms.
He’s led an idyllic and happy life. That is, until two horrible men buy the property that he works on, and the days of heaven seem numbered…
I did really enjoy the nostalgia in this story. Particularly the reflection on the past and the desire to regain that sense of idyllic innocence and enjoyment. It made me think about my own childhood and the idyllic nature of it. Or at least, those moments that are coloured by rose-tinted glasses.
Although I think that nothing is “heaven”, it is obvious with the arrival of murder, mayhem and sinister plots that unfold. Yet, at the end of this story, it felt like maybe things weren’t quite as sinister as they seemed…
I did enjoy the rambling, reminiscing feeling of this story. It was nostalgic and not entirely expected. But also seriously enjoyable.
Title: The Golden Age Author: Walter Jon Williams In: Dead Man’s Hand (John Joseph Adams) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Superheroes, Weird western, Wild west Dates read: 17th November 2020 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Titan Books Year: 2014 5th sentence, 74th page: He whirred right over my head, and I felt the breeze from his cape on my face.
The days of the Gold Rush are over. And, somehow, they have been overrun by a bunch of completely insane superheroes and supervillains running around in capes on their own personal crusades.
I could not stop laughing all throughout this short story. It was quirky and weird. And filled with a great humour that left me grinning. After all, it’s ultimately about a bunch of superhero-type characters running around the wild west. Actually, it’s more supervillains… but the humour and entertainment is still the same.
I absolutely loved that this story focused on the Gold Rush and the lack of law in the land at the time. But, then to overlay this, there were mortal enemies, insanity and all sorts of questionable decisions. There was also a constant discussion of the fact that they are all mad. It’s just a special kind of madness, running around, donning a persona and just generally wreaking havoc and mayhem. A madness that I can 100% get behind by the way.
The Golden Age is a really funny, cute and light short story. It had me giggling and smiling throughout the entire story. There was great wit and entertainment to the shenanigans throughout this. I would most definitely read this again and again whenever I need a light pick me up.
Georgia hasn’t seen her college roommate, Georgia in a long time. But out of the blue, she shows up and gives her a pendant. Then the ghosts start to appear and things start to get… bloody.
I really liked this story. After all, it featured two friends getting revenge on an evil ex-husband. Alright, the friendship is a bit damaged and horrible. But it’s still about a friendship and people who care about one another. I also like that Georgia accepts that the past was not all lovely, but still recognises it as her own. Her own memories and her own desires.
Moira is that friend that I think everyone has at one point in life. The friend that is glamorous and the centre of attention, but isn’t able to stop and think about how her actions actually affect anyone else. That takes advantage of you, but, for some reason you still want in your life. I honestly think that everyone has had that experience. And it’s a difficult one that you don’t know to keep or walk away from. I like that Georgia also felt this way about Moira.
The open-ended, full of possibilities nature of the end of this story was wonderful. It was fun and I really enjoyed reading this. It was definitely the kind of short story that I would enjoy reading again.
Title: The Waterfowl Tree Author: William Kittredge In: The Mammoth Book of Westerns (Jon E. Lewis) Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Westerns Dates read: 15th November 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 1966 5th sentence, 74th page: “Just lay quiet.”
This is a slightly tragic and bittersweet Western short story.
This is yet another slightly tragic short story. I’m kind of getting used to that in most of the westerns that I’ve been reading…
Although I didn’t get super pulled into the storyline, it felt like a tale about missed chances and lost loves. Which is a wonderful kind of story. I love tales about missed chances and lost loves – they’re so bittersweet and lonely.
Like this short story. Cute, lonely and bittersweet.
Tim is on a farewell tour to remember his late wife. When he overhears people in the room next door to him, he realises how thin the walls truly are. And his wish to honour his wife is truly tested.
I figured that this short story would have something to do with succubus, or some paranormal element of that character. After all, it starts with a man alone in a hotel room, with a woody, listening to others have sex. And it’s in a collection of paranormal fantasy stories. It wasn’t exactly a big leap. But, it did end in a way that I wasn’t completely expecting. And I did appreciate quite a bit.
I really don’t love the idea of people ever being able to overhear me and my SO in a hotel room. It’s pretty ick. And I really don’t like the idea of overhearing somebody else. Luckily, at this point in life, it hasn’t actually happened to me. But this storyline… and what happens when Tim overhears certain things… yeah, it added an extra layer of ick to the whole storyline.
Aside from the many ick factors throughout this story, I did love that ultimately, the “vacation” is a farewell tour for a lost wife. It was incredibly sweet and cute. Something that I can imagine doing if I lost my SO… touring all of the places that were important to us and just… remembering.
Title: Another One in from the Cold Author: Marion Arnott In: The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women (Marie O’Regan) Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this) My Bookshelves:Ghosts, War Dates read: 15th November 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2012 5th sentence, 74th page: But the smiling boy in the stiff new uniform was a composition in shades of shadow; even the tartan trews and diced cap, which she knew to be bright colours, were grey and greyish and darker grey.
It doesn’t matter how many generations go by, it’s important to bring in loved ones from the cold. Particularly in this short story that focuses on those lost in the period of the World Wars.
This story is very true to its title – bringing in loved ones from the cold. It’s about returning lost ones from the World Wars to family. Even if its almost 100 years after they were lost. It’s about loved ones and the people that we have lost and making sure that they return to the fold, eventually.
I know next to nothing about my ancestors, so having a story that has psychics focusing on ancestors and general returning of the loved and lost made me feel a little nostalgic. And honestly lonely. After all, I have very few ties to ancestors and can’t imagine the strength of these connections. It helped to add to the sense of tragedy that this story left in me.
Another One in from the Cold is a reminder that it is important to return, even if it is generations after death. After all, family is still family.
When you were a kid did you long to put on your cowboy boots, belt on your guns, saddle up, and ride off to find adventures? Did you sit glued to the TV watching The Lone Ranger, Marverick, bonanza, The Wild Wild West, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. and Firefly, to name just a few of the many series that have been popular over the last sixty years? And were you caught up in movies like Outlands, Time Bandits, Serenity, or Back to the Future Part III? If so, Westward Weird is the book for you.
The thirteen original stories included here ride a very broad range between science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal – and all of htem are told from a Wild West perspective. So get ready for some good old-fashioned adventure as:
The Old Gods cross paths in the Old West
Two thieves are given a job they can’t refuse, but no one told them they’d encounter aliens along the way
A mining family never expected their claim to be jumped from parallel universes
A Mars colony may be about to find out exactly how the West was won
Cowboys will be hard-pressed to ride herd on the living dead
This was a fantastic collection that introduced me to a genre that I never really knew existed – Weird westerns. I absolutely loved it. Whilst I haven’t really been getting into Westerns all that much, I most definitely love the science fiction and fantasy spin to the topic. Now I have a whole new genre to read and things to fill my shelves with… that wish list just keeps on growing.
Now that I’ve read this collection, I need to find a few weird western full-length novels. After all, it’s a genre that I’ve most definitely fallen in love with and want even more of. I can’t wait to read more and more weird westerns and fill my brain with all sorts of cyborg wild west stories. Tales of werewolves and vampires. And just…. Fun.
This is a fantastic collection that not only fits great into my shelf of books that I already own, but it also introduced me to a great new sub-genre, authors and just… fun. Now I need to save up some money to get some of the books that this has left on my wishlist…
Earth and Skye 