short story – Catharsis of the Bogue

Hey folks. If you have seen some of my reviews on here, they seem to have a lean towards my friend Becca J Campbell. Click on her name to go to her blog.

It is no secret that I am a fan of her fiction. She writes very interesting characters who don’t kill everyone like most of my characters seem to do. She has some stories that push the limits of reality like Foreign Identity. (That link goes to my review). Her current story is no different, it pushes reality in a cool almost-the-future-but-not-quite, human-interest, love-story, adventure way.

I wrote a review of her last short story Not the Norm (again click for the link), and said that it needed more to the story and more to the world.

Well, now there is. Unmasked Alloy is the next installment is what I am perceiving as a serial fiction series. Much in the “feel” of old time radio, this story gives you a sense of a self contained episode in the greater overall story.

Now, before I go any further, I have to pacify the governmental types, I received an advanced copy of this book to review, at no charge. I am sure that she would prefer a positive review (it is) but it will be honest at any rate.

So, Unmasked Alloy is a story set in the world created in Not the Norm. It is months later, and leaves me wondering not only what is going to happen moving forward, but what has happened to this point.

There are new characters who can play with fire and another who really could be part cyborg, think Terminator 2. This story, while not long, does not want for lack of action. It hits right off and keeps going until the end when you want to say, “What?!?! That’s it??!?!” Yes, I was not excited to get to the “Tweet that you finished this book” page on my kindle.

So, in conclusion, do yourself a favor and get in on this series. Not the Norm is at Amazon and Goodreads, with those links, and the new one, Unmasked Alloy, is on Amazon and Goodreads with those links.

Ok so I am not turning this site into a literary review site but my friend Becca Campbell had another story sitting around and she let me read it. I have to think somewhere in my head that it is her way of trying to get me to finish some of my stuff and get it out there. I do have Death With A Vengeance on Amazon.

Anyway I sat down knowing that “Not the Norm” was a short story but I didn’t expect to finish it in one sitting. That said, I was disappointed that it was that short. I liked the story, the initial set up was intriguing and then act one ended. Act two had a really good action scene that ended satisfactorily but then the story was over!

Now I like short fiction. I like to write short stories. I felt that this story was a bit too short. There is so much more in this world that Becca has imagined that this story seemed like the trailer to the blockbuster coming next summer. I would like to know more about the backgrounds of the society where this is set, and then what happens afterward; they can’t just go quietly into the night, they just can’t.

So now comes the part where you decide to go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble or Goodreads (Links coming as they go live) and buy this book. Go and buy it. It is a good little read that gives you a good taste of Becca’s mind and storytelling ability. I really like how she handles the interpersonal relationships in her stories and makes the people seem so real. Most of my stories only have the hero and the dead guys. Even when I have a person relationship they die rather quickly. Becca is really good at keeping people alive and together.

Check out my review of her book Foreign Identity(link is below) for more and go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble to buy it!