Community Reviews
This collection is aptly named and the description that these five stories pack a punch is the truth. There was something about each of these stories that made an impact on me, leaving its memorable mark, each in its own way.
It's funny because my favorite story in this collection is the same type that was my favorite in his previous collection that I read - urban legend. In this collection, the first story, "Ignorance Is Bliss" is about two friends who travel to Vietnam to investigate an island where Bigfoot was supposedly filmed. Very atmospheric and absolutely mind-blowing with what transpires in that jungle. Just perfection.
"Dataism" was a story that was a different type of horror - the kind I could actually see coming true in our future. A society where every single aspect of life is recorded and uploaded to the world wide web - failure to do so results in severe punishment.
"Gene Slave" was one that I thought was not going to be my style - but I decided to hang in a bit and trust the author. I'm so glad I did because again, the author did something quite spectacular here with its theme exploration. Think of an event in your life that was unforeseen, yet utterly and irrevocably lifechanging. Did you lose your grip on sanity for a bit? Find yourself unable to fully process and contemplating all manner of ludicrous options? This story really delved into this and I found it fascinating.
"From Riches to Rags" Carlson saved and saved and saved. He was excessively frugal and he just kept cutting things out of his life in order to save money. He retired early from working, but then spent his days managing his wealth: moving investments around, purchasing stock and monitoring his different accounts. Then the epiphany comes - why hadn't he thought of it before? I thought he'd officially lost his last marble. By the end of the story, I did a complete 180.
"The Dutiful Hit" This one will hit differently depending on your personal beliefs regarding choice and free will. I was overwhelmed with compassion and sadness. There was beauty in the message this story carries and I hope readers see that too.
Another solid collection by James Flynn. His stories always make me feel such compassion for his characters, understanding for their choices and situations and you just can't ask for more than that!
It's funny because my favorite story in this collection is the same type that was my favorite in his previous collection that I read - urban legend. In this collection, the first story, "Ignorance Is Bliss" is about two friends who travel to Vietnam to investigate an island where Bigfoot was supposedly filmed. Very atmospheric and absolutely mind-blowing with what transpires in that jungle. Just perfection.
"Dataism" was a story that was a different type of horror - the kind I could actually see coming true in our future. A society where every single aspect of life is recorded and uploaded to the world wide web - failure to do so results in severe punishment.
"Gene Slave" was one that I thought was not going to be my style - but I decided to hang in a bit and trust the author. I'm so glad I did because again, the author did something quite spectacular here with its theme exploration. Think of an event in your life that was unforeseen, yet utterly and irrevocably lifechanging. Did you lose your grip on sanity for a bit? Find yourself unable to fully process and contemplating all manner of ludicrous options? This story really delved into this and I found it fascinating.
"From Riches to Rags" Carlson saved and saved and saved. He was excessively frugal and he just kept cutting things out of his life in order to save money. He retired early from working, but then spent his days managing his wealth: moving investments around, purchasing stock and monitoring his different accounts. Then the epiphany comes - why hadn't he thought of it before? I thought he'd officially lost his last marble. By the end of the story, I did a complete 180.
"The Dutiful Hit" This one will hit differently depending on your personal beliefs regarding choice and free will. I was overwhelmed with compassion and sadness. There was beauty in the message this story carries and I hope readers see that too.
Another solid collection by James Flynn. His stories always make me feel such compassion for his characters, understanding for their choices and situations and you just can't ask for more than that!
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.