In the Heart of the Fire (Nameless #1) by Dean Koontz

Synopsis

A bloodthirsty sheriff is terrorizing a small Texas town where justice has been buried with his victims. Until Nameless arrives—a vigilante whose past is a mystery and whose future is written in blood.

Anyone who crosses Sheriff Russell Soakes is dead, missing, or warned. One of them is a single mother trying to protect her children but bracing herself for the worst. Nameless fears the outcome. He’s seen it in his visions. Now it’s time to teach the depraved Soakes a lesson in fear. But in turning predators into prey, will Nameless unearth a few secrets of his own?

This read sure was . . . something. 

‘In the Heart of Fire’ is the first in a series of short stories about a character who is nameless and is sent on jobs to act as a vigilante of sorts. I am all about this. 

But . . .

The plot in this first story just made me feel ill. It’s about pedophilia, and some of the things the horrible people say made me want to throw up. 

Nameless is an intriguing character, and it was easy to read. I was certainly happy when I was done with this one though. I look forward to reading the rest of them and hope they are less vomit-inducing. 

4/5 Stars

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Now Available: 'Conspirators. . .' by Dan O'Brien

Synopsis: Have you ever wondered where your loose change went? The missing sock that disappears without a trace: where could it be? Robert has seen it all. He spends his days watching awful daytime television and taking extended naps on his plush couch. One day, a strange little man appears beneath his couch, a leprechaun named Colin. Together, they hatch a plan to reclaim Colin's lost fortune and defeat an army of lost socks and an evil gremlin. Carefully illustrated by the talented Steve Ferchaud, it reminds us that you’re never too old to have one more adventure. Loved by adults and children, this illustrated fairy tale is meant to be read aloud.

An excerpt from Conspirators of the Lost Sock Army and the Loose Change Collection Agency:

Robert heard the voice again, the thick Irish accent clear as the little man spoke. “That’d be like me calling ye human all the time, not very polite that’d be.”
He opened his eyes slowly and saw the little man, the leprechaun, perched on the couch. Reclined back against the armrest, a pipe snug between his teeth, he snapped his fingers.
The light of the overturned lamp flickered on and floated back to the now right-side-up table. Robert watched in disbelief, his mouth hanging open and a bewildered look plastered across his face.
Robert pointed shakily. “Not a leprechaun?” he asked, the confused expression deepening.
The leprechaun sighed and stepped off the edge of the couch and landed upon the air as if it were another floor. The smoke from his pipe followed the tiny sprite as he stopped close to the huddled man. He tipped his tam-o’-shanter and pulled the pipe from his lips.
“We haven’t the time for this, laddie. I require your help, Robert Pendleton, and I be afraid that I have little time for lengthy introductions. You can call me Colin.”
Robert’s face twisted in befuddlement.
“Colin, the leprechaun,” he repeated––a long pause before he breathed once more.
“Just Colin, less you want me to be calling ye Robert, the human, all the time,” chided the sprite as he blew a colossal bundle of smoke from his lips.
Robert opened his mouth and then snapped it shut. His mind spun. “What can I do for you, Colin?” he finally managed to say.
The leprechaun eyed him for a moment and then as quick as Robert could blink, the sprite rested comfortably on the couch once more. “That’s better, laddie. Though I imagine you be thinking of pinchin’ yerself to see if this be real. I can assure ye that this be no dream.”
Robert nodded numbly.
“I be from another world just outside the one you know. A place of magic and wonder,” began the leprechaun, ignoring the vacant look on Robert’s face as he continued. “And in this place, we sprites live quite happily. You’ve heard of a leprechaun’s pot-o-gold?”

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Dan O’Brien has over 50 publications to his name––including the bestselling Bitten, which was featured on Conversations Book Club’s Top 100 novels of 2012. Before starting Amalgam Consulting, he was the senior editor and marketing director for an international magazine. You can learn more about his literary and publishing consulting business by visiting his website at: www.amalgamconsulting.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AuthorDanOBrien.

A Poisoned Mind by Andre Gonzalez

Synopsis:

It started as a subtle whisper. It grew into a roaring, laughing maniac. The voice inside Jonathon Browne’s head grew so loud that it took him over, both mentally and physically. The worst part is he knows who the voice belongs to, but can do nothing to stop it. His mental intruder hijacks his body, takes it to his top-secret government office, and spills blood. With a looming battle within, Jonathon must get control and escape from his own team before they execute him. Will a life in exile be his only choice? Or worse?

Short stories are interesting because they have to move quickly in order for anything to happen. I used to read a lot of them, but I haven’t read one in awhile and I forgot how it was.

You always find yourself saying “how convenient. . .” when there is less conflict than in a full novel.

A Poisoned Mind is a short story spinoff from Andre’s full-length novel Followed Home. I didn’t know this, but I think it fits fine by itself as a stand-alone story.

If you are in to aliens and government agencies, pick it up. You can get it free or super cheap, so there is really no risk to it. It is free as an ebook on Amazon right now.

It is a quick-moving story that you can use to kill some time. It is well written and moves fast.

I am not the biggest fan of extraterrestrial stories, but it was a fun read.

3.5/5 Stars

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Snow by Áine Greaney

Synopsis:

Set in a one-street small town in the Irish midlands, "Snow" is an exquisitely crafted portrait of Dolores, a young expatriate Irish woman who is suddenly summoned home from America to take care of her estranged and sick father. In her childhood home, Dolores wrestles with the push and pull between her new American life and her past life in Ireland. As she nurses her father back to health, she is beset by memories and caught between family loyalties and her own desires.

In order for short stories to be appealing to me, I either have to connect to the main character, or they have to make me feel something.

This one accomplished neither.

I didn’t really understand what was going on most of the time. I spent more time confused than actually understanding what I was reading. It didn’t seem to flow together, and it never really grabbed me at any point.

This story could maybe have been effective as a longer book, but as a short story it missed the mark.

1/5 stars I feel like I am missing something since everyone else gave this a great review. 

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The Broken Bottle by Sally Wiener Grotta

Have you ever had some small even in your life change you forever?

That is what this short story documents.

One small even changes Joanne for the rest of her life.

When she and her husband were dining out at a Chinese restaurant, Joanne witnessed an act of violence against two men.

There were a group of men sitting around a table, and a man she calls Black Jacket. He breaks a bottle on one of the mens’ faces and throws another man out of the restaurant through the door.

Joanne is traumatized by this experience and it starts to enter her relationship. She does not have the same relationship that she had with her husband on that night.

She feels they are two completely different people because he did not witness the events like she did.

It just tells the story of how one small event can change your life forever. It doesn’t have to be a huge event; it can be small like witnessing something that doesn’t even involve you.

Other than the main take away from the story I mentioned above, there wasn’t much to it. It wasn’t very deep. There wasn’t very much character building.

It seemed more like the prelude to a longer story than just a stand-alone short story. I feel that this would be a solid starting point for a novel, but as a stand-alone, it seems a bit lacking.

3/5 Stars

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