Review: Bunch o' Shorts

I read some short stories today that were too short to feel like I should dedicate a whole review, so I'm writing one review to include all three!


Title: Medusa V. Athena
Author: Alan Leddon
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "Based on the extant mythology, this short book written in the style of a legal brief covers the grievances of Medusa - once the most beautiful woman in all of Greece - against the Goddess Athena, whom Medusa alleges assaulted and mutilated her!"
Source: I purchased it on my own.


Review: This was the shortest of the three I read, only about eight pages on my e-reader, but given the legalese style, that's just fine! It was very quirky for those who know and enjoy mythology, and unique takes on them. I give it 4 Fireballs.

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Title: Faster than Light: The Fallen Goddess
Author: Malcolm Pierce
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "The first in a series of short stories about the I.S.S. Fenghuang, the last faster-than-light starship in the galaxy, and its crew of rebels determined to reunite humanity."
Source: I purchased it on my own.


Review: This one is a little harder to judge. I really liked the idea and concepts. I found that and elements of the story to be fascinating. I also liked the "weave-ins" (the italicized segments) in between chapters. But the story itself I struggled with because I didn't feel the characterization was done very well. I found Seth thoroughly unlikable, Caitlin tolerable, and everyone else to be a bit too flat to be engaged with. Details about the characters released too late in the story to hook onto, and not enough of it for any of them to have the "big" speeches and actions towards the end have the emotional hook they should have, with the exception of Sam. So, I'd like to score it higher for creativity, but it just didn't hook me. I don't know if my curiosity is enough to carry me to other books in the series, but it was intriguing, so I might. So, I give it a 2.5 Fireballs.

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Title: Firebird
Author: Drew Beatty
Available: Smashwords
Summary: "In space, Zombies still hunger for brains."
Source: I purchased it on my own.


Review: This one has the best summary. And I liked it. There was a casualness to the more brutal/gruesome scenes that made it rather horrific, and zombies in space is great. Mop of Death FTW. The beginning moved a little slow for me, took a bit too hook me in, and the perspective shifting was kind of odd... I still would have liked to have met the character we ended with at the beginning in some form. It also didn't feel like it had a climax. It just built, then ended. Still, it was a fun (such as zombie fiction is) short story. Another one that makes me want a 3.75 rating, but since I'm not sure I can say I really liked it, I have to go with a 3.5 Fireballs. But I think I may well be checking out more of Beatty's work.