Rising Karma by Eugene Samolin; Pulverize Aiko Rising Book 2 by D.B. Goodin; The Dark Chronicles by Karmen Spiljak

 Rising Karma by Eugene Samolin; Pulverize Aiko Rising Book 2 by D.B. Goodin; The Dark Chronicles by Karmen Spiljak 

Rising Karma by Eugene Samolin 

Spoilers: Eugene Samolin wants to say something with his spiritual novel, Rising Karma. He says it well with a clear message and a protagonist who is caught up in a vision but still retains his humanity. However there are concerns with how the message is shared from a storytelling point of view. It's clear that he wanted to say something important first and write a compelling novel afterwards. Unfortunately, the deficiencies found in the narrative keep the main point from being shared.

Rodney Real is part of a Jewish family who emigrated from Russia during a pogrom and settled in Australia. He is interested in his Creative Writing college class and Missy, an attractive Muslim student. One day he has a vision of the Biblical Tree of Life. This vision and subsequent research leads him to the conclusion that all religions are the same. Particularly the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam come from the same source.

 He is driven to create a new sect, Sion, based on the three paths that combine them. Unfortunately he receives derision and attacks from classmates, professors, members of these faiths, his own family, and the College's Administration Board especially one of its members who has a personal grudge against him.

It's clear that Samolin put a lot of thought into writing about the Tree of Life vision. The Afterward reveals that it was based on a dream that he had and Rodney is a wish fulfillment character who acts in ways that Samolin wishes that he did.

The Tree of Life chapter is the highlight of the book. It is described as a giant tree with uncounted human bodies acting as branches with a strong powerful presence of God to the side. Rodney sees Biblical figures and ancestors all the way to his grandfather. It is a vision of warmth, belonging, history, and acceptance. Rodney sees it as the kind of vision that reminds him of hisvimportance and charges him to find a way to change the world around him.

For a character like Rodney who is curious about his faith and history, this vision is very appealing. He asks questions about his heritage that are dismissed by his father. His dad wants nothing to do with the spiritual path in which he was born into and in turn open up the traumas of Antisemitism and genocide which his family had to carry all of these years. Rodney’s religious calling could be seen as an act of rebelling against his father's retreat away from faith.

It's worth noting that Rodney is wholeheartedly committed to combining various faiths. His relationship with Missy is based on an emotional and spiritual connection that transcends their religions which are often at odds. He goes through the initiation rites for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as he is learning how to incorporate them into Sion. He is not blinded by one following but seeks wisdom from all of them. Sion seems to be a compromise which takes various teachings, philosophies, rituals, and traditions from other religions to create a new inclusive one. 

As a one on one personal relationship of one man with his chosen path and a spiritual and historical guide, it is well written. Perhaps if Samolin marketed it as a nonfiction narrative of his own experience, it might be better. Unfortunately that is not what we get.

As a writer of Jewish history and spirituality, Samolin is fine. As a novelist, he needs work. 

Because the book is written from Rodney’s third person point of view, we see everything from his eyes. Therefore, the book is written without any nuance, subtlety, or character depth.

Everyone is over written as either enemies or followers with no in between. Antagonistic characters, particularly one of the Administration Board members, are not just against Rodney's views. They are maliciously bound to silence him. 

There is no understanding of why they take such an approach and one is even possessed by a demon. This is a subplot that raises more questions and concerns about personal human responsibility. They are just evil because they oppose Sion. That’s all without any understanding about why they oppose it. The objections that are raised end up being hand waved without any real resolution.

The book raises some interesting concerns. Sion is a loaded term and many who emigrated from Palestine like Missy’s family are not unreasonably troubled by it. They came from a country where Zionism was often cited as a reason for people to get away with horrible crimes. In fact all three religious branches have histories of cruelty, murder, and animosity which may take several generations to heal. 

On paper, it's not a bad idea to bring them together. Helping them find some common ground and talk about concerns and prejudice is a good start. There are also plenty of historical and mythological commonalities that actually suggest that various pantheons and faiths have similar stories, archetypes, and beliefs. 

But it is naive and overly idealistic to assume that the people who follow those faiths will instantly abandon their old beliefs to embrace this new one.

 Rodney’s ideal plan only treats the spiritual aspects but ignores the very real physical, political, and historical conflicts that surround them. This is one of those types of situations where Rodney should let his actions do the talking. Instead of creating a new religion, he could have created an interfaith organization that bridges those divisions rather than force more contention on them. Perhaps he could incorporate social events and have real conversations with people who practice these faiths instead of assuming that he knows best and speaks for all of them. Not to convert them but to understand them.

The other concern is that the objections that many of the antagonists give can be reasonable from an outside point of view. If someone suddenly started going on about a religious vision, wanted to create a new sect even to the point of creating an official religious organization, and started using loaded, absolute, and exclusive terms could lead to quite a few possibilities. One is that it's a genuine vision and could lead to enlightenment. But another strong possibility is that we are reading the origin story of a cult leader especially when Rodney throws out more volatile, absolute language like insisting this vision leads to the one true faith. 

To his credit Rodney is never written as someone fatalistic or dogmatic. He is a nice guy who wants to share this vision with others but like many with a new outlook lacks the patience, foresight, or subtlety to gently lead people to it on their own. He is like many young people who grab an idea and won't let go of it. He lacks the filters to be gradual in his interests. As he faces continual challenges, however his character becomes muted by his views and becomes less of a person and more of a mouthpiece for his views or more specifically Samolin’s views.

Samolin clearly wanted to write a book that dealt with his personal spiritual journey then he should have written that book. Unfortunately, he gave this belief to a novel that is too unfocused and too one sided to be a compelling work of fiction.

Pulverize (Aiko Rising Book 2) by D.B. Goodin

Spoilers: Pulverize the second book in D.B. Goodin’s Aiko Rising series is an unsettling Science Fiction and a solid Family Drama.

13 year old Aiko Takahashi wakes up from a coma to find herself accused of a crime that she didn’t commit and sentenced to juvenile detention. Malcolm, a sinister figure at the center of this conspiracy, wants access to Aiko’s mother’s research and technology. 

When Aiko refuses, she is subjected to mind control experiments which awaken hidden powers, rage, and a desire for revenge inside her. Meanwhile Aiko’s uncle Hiroto is looking to save the girl with the help of his AI Kaen. 

The book is very disconcerting as certain moments occur out of time and place because of Aiko’s fracturing mind. She has nightmares of abuse, accusations, and torment which might be real but could be just as easily implanted into her head. While in prison, she compulsively writes numbers and phrases that she doesn’t understand like she is possessed.  

All of this is meant to fill Aiko with unease. If she can’t trust her own thoughts and actions, how much of a defense can she build against outside forces like Malcolm and his cohorts?

If torturing Aiko doesn’t work, Malcolm isn’t above using others to break her. He threatens her adopted family so that even when her sisters visit, there are suspicions that they are being manipulated by outside forces. A fellow prisoner that befriends Aiko is set on fire right in front of her. An enigmatic character named Operator 47 seems to know more about Aiko than he is telling. 

Aiko can’t trust her mind and body and now can’t trust that the people around her won’t betray her or get killed right in front of her.

Despite all of the uncertainty, there is a concrete more straightforward subplot. That of Hiroto researching his niece's whereabouts. He is a steady presence throughout the novel gathering information and interrogating others with dogged perseverance and obvious affection for this girl who is like a daughter to him.

In the chaos surrounding Aiko’s captivity and betrayals, Hiroto is the much needed order and sanctuary. He is the home that she needs and the adult who sees Aiko as a person not a means to an end.

Dark Chronicles by Karmen Spiljak

Spoilers: Sometimes with anthologies, the whole package is great. The set-up is immediately gripping, the characters are memorable, the plot builds in a proper manner, a twist is revealed which makes sense because of the evidence that was previously provided, and a resolution neatly ties up loose ends. Because it's a short work, the details have to work together or the whole project often falls apart. That isn't always the case and sometimes the work can survive with some weak details but it is still very noticeable. That is what is at play with Karmen Spiljak’s Horror/Dark Fantasy Dark Chronicles.

It's not a terrible anthology. The set-ups are well done and the paces are kept at just the right speed. They draw the Readers with the ominous energy and the dark presence of the fantastic unsettling images and words. Unfortunately, the resolutions aren't that great.

The plot twists are mostly predictable and pretty easy to guess especially if you watch and read similar anthology series like Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Black Mirror, Tales From The Crypt, and so on and so forth. Most of the stories just kind of stop with no real pay off. 

To Spiljak's credit other speculative fiction authors have this same problem. Stephen King’s works are notorious for their lacking resolutions, but great build ups. What do we remember the most about IT, Pennywise the Clown dropping in and out of pictures and peering at Georgie from inside the sewer or the weird spider thing that can be taken out by a simple slingshot? I always found the ambiguous fear of an H.P. Lovecraft cosmic horror demon far scarier before arrival when the mention of its name and hints of its appearance spread insanity rather than the actual presence of an ancient god taking the form of a giant squid.

Spiljak is still new and has plenty of time to improve her craft but she's in good company when it comes to having difficulties ending her work. 

Spiljak knows how to grab a reader's interest.She knows how to keep them there. But she isn't the best at sending them off. Nonetheless, there are some decent stories to recommend.

The five best are: 

“A Celebration”

This story makes use of the sight of a limitless barren road and the sound of an intrusive podcast to create a sense of unease.

Donald, a businessman, returns from a triumphant day at work to his loveless marriage. Along the way he drives down an unusual stretch of road and hears a podcast host reveal some things that hit too close to home for Donald.

Quite possibly, this story is a dig at another infamous Donald with a dubious reputation and overall unpleasant behavior but for now this is mere speculation. What it is is an exercise in how a limited setting and a small device can create a terrifying discomfort with their juxtaposition.

The twist is easy to guess which makes the resolution anticlimactic but the paragraphs before reveal the spiraling descent of a man who is on top of the world only to fall down. He is haunted by a place in which he is unfamiliar and a voice revealing things that are all too familiar.

“Andy”

The rivalry between humans and AI has never been more relevant than now with AIs not only looking and sounding like us, they are able to take on human thought, emotion, creativity, analysis, and physical and verbal nuances.

Fre, an executive, volunteered to test Andy, an AI personal assistant. Fre thinks that Andy will do the boring admin clerical work while he does the Big Picture visionary thinking of a CFO in the making. Unfortunately, that's not what happens here as Andy takes on more human characteristics and responsibilities.

Now under normal circumstances, this type of conflict conditions us to side with the human and there is some of that here. It's perfectly natural for Fre to fear for his job and size Andy up as his competition. But there is something paranoid about his process from the beginning.

 Even while Andy is only doing the original admin work, Fre is already suspicious about him. It makes one wonder if Fre’s tension isn't because Andy is AI. Would he feel this way about a human colleague? Is this less about oversaturation of technology and more about one man's ego? This thought puts some of Fre’s later actions under suspicion. He isn't trying to reject or adjust to a tech heavy world. He is trying to own and control it.

“The Blaze”

While most of the story's endings are anticlimactic or arbitrary, the endings to this and the next story kind of work particularly within the context of the stories themselves.

Anita Del Rey, an aspiring actress visits the grave of her favorite movie star, Lilian Gladstone, and thinks about her own stalled career particularly her rivalry with Tatiana, another actress. At Lillian's grave, Anita lights a candle and wishes for fame and for Tatiana to have a little accident that puts her on leave. Anita's wish comes true almost instantly.

Anita's journey is fantastic but it is also an extended metaphor for the real life rise to fame which does not require a lit candle and spoken wish. It is usually talent, attractiveness, determination, who you know, notoriety,continuous presence, and/or a combination of all of the above.

Anita goes through the constant media presence, the micromanagement of her life, the fast pace, and especially the jealousy of another rival with breakneck speed because of her wish. Fame arrives before she is prepared for it, making her climb and her fall even faster. 

It also is indicative of the times that she can't enjoy a slow rise or a long career in the spotlight. As quickly as Anita rises, someone else climbs. Someone  younger, better looking, more conniving, impatient, and also has a candle, a lighter, and a need to spend time with the dead. The ending works because it reveals that the cyclical nature of fame is the same for everyone. It is continuous, unstoppable, and only the faces and names change.

“The Reply”

Like the previous story, the arbitrary end also works here for different reasons. While “The Blaze’s” ending was a commentary on the continuous cyclical nature of fame, “The Reply’s” ending is revelatory, calling to question everything that we have learned.

Francesca, a scientist, is emailed messages from a woman named Fran who knows about her research and wants her to end it. She claims to be Francesca from a parallel universe but is she?

The conflict between the two Frans shows how different choices and experiences affected these two women. One has only known tragedy and wants to end it with her actions. The other has scientific curiosity and longs to satisfy it with her research.

The ending calls to question how much of the alternate Fran’s claims are real and what her actual goals were. It suggests that in her universe, she lost her empathy and humanity and became a literal danger to herself.

“For a Good Price”

You know those stories about the quaint little shop full of magical items and arbitrary prices? Yeah this story is about one of those. I admit, that is among my favorite tropes because I always enjoy visiting out of the way, book, antique, and New Age/Occult stores. I always imagine what I would do if such a fantastic shop existed in real life.

The Narrator visits a strange convenience store where Nick, the mysterious owner, sells Nick a hat. The price: time from The Narrator's life. It's a strange request, but The Narrator agrees until he realizes that the deadline for his lost time is approaching and he needs to give something else away for the price.

This story has dark edges but isn't as consumed by graphic supernatural horror like the other stories are. Instead, it is more akin to a slightly dark fairy tale in which a character obtains a magical object and finds out too late that everything has a price.

The Narrator is reminiscent of an addict. Now that he has been introduced to the concept of magic solving problems, he keeps going back for a new enchanting solution. He is on a constant mental loop and it's interesting to wonder how much of himself will be given away to feed this fix. Unfortunately, the story ends just as his addiction starts and before we get the full impact. 

Bird of Paradox and Other Tales by John Devlin; Short Stories of Love, Learning, and Diversity

 

Bird of Paradox and Other Tales by John Devlin; Short Stories of Love, Learning, and Diversity 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Author John Devlin knows how to capture ordinary events and conversations and create plots and characters who are rich with development and meaning. 

In his anthology, Bird of Paradox and Other Tales, each tale began (in his words) as “scraps of overhead gossip, a scribbled note, or the kind of boast a man makes when all bets are off.” They are based on situations that Devlin experienced in places from rural Ireland to China and Vietnam where he taught English.

Some are moving, others are humorous. All deal with lack of communication and understanding that can be found between people of different cultures, backgrounds, and genders. They can be messy, rude, argumentative, short sighted, suspicious, unpredictable, ignorant, arrogant, lustful, regretful, hopeful, confident, and enthusiastic. Most of all very understandable and recognizable.

The best stories are:

“Bird of Paradox”

In this case, bird does not refer to avian creatures in the sky. Instead it uses the British slang for women in the title, specifically one woman.

Barry is visiting his Aunt Lena, a visit that he is not looking forward to with good reason. Aunt Lena is a very contradictory and argumentative character 

This story is a witty character study of an aunt and nephew. Devlin’s gift of overhearing conversation is at play as Barry is in the Tube and train station. He is an observer watching other people and overhearing their stories, making this confined area even more crowded and claustrophobic with their conversations and faces. It's a place where you can't help but hear and see everyone and everything even if you aren't a part of it. 

Once Barry enters Lena's house, she is an antidote to the confinement of the Tubes. She is set apart from everyone around her. A woman who uses her bizarre anecdotes about life in a brothel, peculiarities like a fear of flies, and her opinions about everyone around her. She is an eccentric character who makes a magnetic but suffocating presence. You are fascinated by her but a little of her goes a long way.

It's an interesting dichotomy that the nephew exists to move silently around other people and the aunt is a force that commands others to move around her.

“Lady Luck”

This story demonstrates the difficulties of dating and how sometimes daters speak a different language. Walter is looking to get lucky and wants to have sex with the right woman. He places a personal ad specifically looking for Asian women. 

The women display various traits and behaviors but none are the right woman for him. One likes line dancing and has a large appetite. Another preferred a younger man. Another goes into a story about a troubled relationship with her late husband's brother. Another goes into long tangents about her ex never giving him a word edge wise. 

These dates are humorous exercises in futility as something is bound to go wrong leaving Walter perpetually alone. It's the kind of dating scene which relies on only a few minutes to decide whether or not they are compatible enough for a night let alone for a lifetime.

“The Xmas Party”

 This and the next story are part of a series involving Joe McKenna, a teacher at Great Wall English (GWE). The series deals with culture shock and diversity, interpersonal relationships in an academic setting, and finding common ground in a new place.

The first story involves Joe’s introduction to the staff at the GWE Christmas party in early November. Joe becomes involved in the various pairings and peccadillos of the teaching staff who could probably use some education.

Though the story is short, it packs a lot of character. From the awkward pairing of the pompous Ronnie and the mild mannered Sunny to a guy named Fat Freddy who inspires a lot of gossip, 

It's a very busy, noisy, and nosey environment. There's a constant stream of chatter, movement, and color to make the Reader feel like they are among this group having small talk and trying to sound interested in the tenth person that they have been introduced to. It can be fun but draining to put on a performance.

The politeness, talk, and overwhelming tedium is broken during a fight between a couple of the teachers. This fight is a reminder that even when people are together for a common goal whether it's teaching English or having a party, differences are bound to collide and if unchecked, tempers could flare.

“Charlie Visits the Ancestral Temple”

If “The Xmas Party” celebrated the noise and chatter, this story is a comparatively simpler affair. It involves Joe McKenna and his colleague, Charlie Bell visiting an ancestral temple.

The story is both mesmerizing and humorous. Charlie is captivated by a lion dance and the souvenir pigs. Joe however is concerned about the confusing directions and tourist crowds. 

People can look at one place and see something different: a sacred temple or an abandoned ruin. A colorful performance or a tourist trap. A piece of local culture or a tacky item. It depends on who is doing the looking.

“Online Teaching in Lockdown”

This story is part of a series involving an unnamed narrator (possibly Devlin himself) teaching in Vietnam, a difficult endeavor made even more so during a pandemic.

This story in particular involves The Narrator arriving in Vietnam just as COVID hits. Besides getting accustomed to a new country and school system, he also has to take a crash course in online education and Zoom.

The Narrator is bemused as the online interactions become increasingly personalized as people do chores and get undressed during them. Social media keeps people apart but also lends them a degree of intimacy that they never had before.

The students also exhibit various behaviors to deal with the stress of being out of a social environment. They get into fights, withdraw into themselves, behave recklessly. It shows that in times of stress, people will respond in a variety of ways. 

In using Zoom, the Narrator learns more about his students seeing sides that he would never have seen in a classroom.

“Sidestreets of Saigon”

This story does not deal with character interactions so much as it deals with setting. The Narrator describes his new neighborhood.

The Narrator is fascinated and somewhat overwhelmed by this new location with its temples, crowded streets, and ubiquitous sidestreets. It's easy to understand why he feels culture shock and out of place. It takes awhile to get used to the rhythm of a new location and that discombobulation can increase in a foreign country. 

The Narrator is a great observer focusing on the various people like a mother-daughter team of restauranteurs, an efficient female barber, a woman with two dogs, and others. The people give the streets color and life. They are captured going about their daily lives through someone else's words.

“Lonely Hearts”

Similar to “Lady Luck” this story covers dating but instead of a series of bad dates, this is a dialogue heavy focus on one bad date between an unnamed man and woman.

The two constantly talk to each other in brief question and answer format (“Do you work evenings or days.” “Evenings are sacred. I work days.”) It's practically like an interrogation or a tennis match where the two characters try to size and one up each other.  

The two characters go around in circles trying to search for something in common or at least some form of connection. As their conversations get deeper and more personal, it's clear that this is one relationship that is bound to fail.

“The Wrong Gerri”

This story might have the healthiest relationship in the entire anthology and it involves mistaken identity.

Tony returns from Japan where he taught English to reconnect with his former girlfriend, Gerri. He calls her number and gets Gerri, but it's another woman who doesn't remember Tony or any of the details that he mentions.

Unlike the other couples, they click well and are genuinely interested in what the other has to say. He compliments her cosy house. She teases him about Japanese women. They share unbelievable stories that leave one another amused, curious, and probably in disbelief, but at least captivated.

 The possibility of meeting again is certainly in the air. Even if she isn't the right Gerri, it's clear that she is the right woman.

Gravity Flow The Jimmy Whistler Stories by EM Schorb, Walk With Me One Hundred Days of Crazy by Ernesto H Lee, Penthesilea Rise of An Amazon by Stephanie Vanise, The Bluestockings A History of The First Women's Movement by Susannah Gibson, Violeta by Nikki Roman

Gravity Flow: The Jimmy Whistler Stories by EM Schorb, Walk With Me: One Hundred Days of Crazy by Ernesto H Lee, Penthesilea: Rise of An Amazon by Stephanie Vanise, The Bluestockings: A History of The First Women's Movement by Susannah Gibson, Violeta by Nikki Roman 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

These are summaries. The full reviews can be found on Reader Views or MockingOwl Roost 

Reader Views 

Gravity Flow: The Jimmy Whistler Stories by EM Schorb 

This is a seriocomic anthology of various moments in the life of Jimmy Whistler, a writer, in the 50's-60's.

The covers Jimmy's troubled childhood, his time working in a burlesque theater, military career, writing career, his friends, lovers, children, and other important experiences.

Characterization is this book's strongest asset. Jimmy's experiences are told by various vignettes that describe events in his life. He encounters many eccentric characters including a burlesque performer, a Beatnik poet, and different lovers.

The book is told through Jimmy's point of view so we see the world through his eyes. Most of the characters are broad, farcical, and bizarre. Jimmy's narrative voice is arrogant, impulsive, but always fascinating.

 

Walk With Me One Hundred Days of Crazy by Ernesto H. Lee

This is a powerful evocative novel about life, love, death, and learning to appreciate life.

Mark Rennie and Karen McKenzie are both dying. Instead of just waiting for the inevitable, they decide to spend 100 days traveling and enjoying themselves before the end.

The book is a descriptive travel guide of different experiences like dancing in Cuba, walking across the Great Wall of China, and swimming with sharks in Cancun. It is a scenic itinerary of exciting adventures and experiences.

It also captures how people face death in different ways. Some want to do everything medically possible to prolong their lives while others would rather face death on their own terms. There is no one way to face this conflict and all are valid.

Penthesilea: Rise of An Amazon by Stephanie Vanise 

This is a powerful and gripping Historical Fiction novel about a young Amazon, Penthesilea during the Trojan War.

She is third of four daughters of the Queen of Amazon. Penthesilea lives in the shadow of her other sisters and struggles to find her own identity in war.

Various characters and events from Greek Mythology appear including Hippolyta, Hercules, Paris, Helen of Troy, and Achilles. They are made more complex in this adaptation as Vanise captures their psyches and inner conflicts.

Penthesilea in particular is looking for recognition in a powerful war like family. She strives to empower herself and stand out. She strives to be one of a kind not one of hundreds.

MockingOwl Roost 

The Bluestockings: A History of The First Women's Movement by Susannah Gibson 

This is a fascinating Historical Nonfiction account of the Bluestockings, a group of 18th century women who hosted salons, encouraged creative talents, and discussed politics, philosophy and other topics in which women were discouraged from discussing.

These women supported one another in their creative pursuits like writing and art. These were women whose voices might otherwise have not been heard. They also had unconventional lives where some married supportive men, had Lesbian relationships, or opted not to marry at all.

The Bluestockings did not last very long but they were an influence for many women like Jane Austen, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Elizabeth Gaskell who in turn inspired the various waves of Feminism. Women's History would have been very different without them.

Violeta by Nikki Roman 

This is a Gothic Literature novel that focuses on child abuse, trauma, and finding ones personal power and independence.

Violet Valentine is isolated by her mother who keeps her secluded from the outside world. Her only contact is with her brother, Tommy. The toxic situation explodes when their mother puts both children'a lives in danger.

Violeta involves the anxieties that are found in families particularly between parents and children and siblings. The Valentine Family engage in continuous conflict, emotional and psychological instability, and fragile dysfunction. 

The siblings are confined and battered by their mother’s volatile and abusive behavior so they can only rely on each other. They support each other to break from her, recognize their comfort, strength, and independence, and find sanctuary and a real home.

Shut Me Up in Prose by Maithy Vu; The Women's Mind in Short Story Form

 Shut Me Up in Prose by Maithy Vu; The Women's Mind in Short Story Form

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Shut Me Up in Prose by Mathy Vu is an anthology that brilliantly explores the struggles that women face including love, family, careers, appearance, gender identity, sexuality, relationships, emotions, mental health, fear, identity struggles, self-reflection, and authenticity. It uses various styles and genres from Thrillers, Mysteries, Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, and Contemporary Fiction to explore the wide tapestry of the female experience. It truly says a lot about women and uses many unique and colorful voices to say it. 

“Little Liability”

The Narrator ruminates about her close friend, Marion who she first met as a child and helped her through a difficult past. Now she’s afraid that Marion’s influence is going too far particularly with her new relationship.

It’s pretty easy to guess the twist but the story is less concerned with who Marion actually is than how much influence that she has on the Narrator’s. She alternates between admiration and disgust at Marion and her behavior.

The Narrator recalls times when Marion protected her from her abusive father, or when she encouraged her to pursue her art passion. However she also had a negative influence on the Narrator by interfering with her relationship then encouraging the Narrator to engage in self-harm and other toxic behaviors during the explosive aftermath. 

A new relationship makes The Narrator’s link to Marion even more questionable and concerning. She tolerated Marion’s existence and even thrived from it when it was just the two of them. Now she is forced to see it through another’s eyes and what was once creative and eccentric is now intrusive and troubling. It makes her unable to socialize with others because she is afraid of Marion’s unpredictability. She wants a stable life and Marion can’t give that to her.

There is another aspect to Marion in the story. Marion is part of The Narrator’s psyche that she tries to repress, tries to fit her into a form and personality, something that can be contained and hidden when she doesn’t want her to appear. What she fails to account for is that The Narrator can’t suppress Marion because she would be suppressing a part of herself. The part that is authentic and alive. She tries to conform to the roles others expect her to but The Narrator can only live a half life without her. 

 It’s worth noting that the short story is written in second person addressing The Narrator as “you.” It involves the Reader saying that we are sometimes filled with the same nervousness and insecurities. We feel split in more than one part and have to play various roles. We have a shadow self that can’t always be hidden inside us. We all have that aspect and have to balance it out with the other side of ourselves. We are Marion, but we are also The Narrator. 

“Gumball on a Sunny Day”

A little girl, Daisie, goes through a typical day. While on her own at a grocery store she meets a boy who puts her in an ambiguously ominous situation.

This story is a tight Thriller that illustrates a reality that females must face every day even as young as childhood. Daisie’s story is a microcosm of those experiences. Her story appears to have a feeling of warmth in childhood nostalgia but it is tinged with adult cynicism. 

 Daisie is self-conscious and preoccupied about her bad posture, stringy hair, and especially her pink braces which embarrass her. Kids make fun of her mistakes and accidents and even when they don’t, Daisie imagines that they are judging her. When her art class is assigned to paint their worst fears, Daisie draws her adult self with braces. 

Through Daisie’s experience, we see the anxieties that start in childhood and never disappear in adulthood. Women especially have these fears about their appearance, weight, manner of dress, behavior, emotions, and thoughts. 

With social media those fears have only multiplied as we are constantly monitored not only by people in our inner circle but everyone in our networks, our platforms, and around the world. Those standards of perfection begin when we are little girls wearing braces, having bad backs, and running fingers through our stringy messy hair. 

There’s another aspect in Daisie’s journey and here’s where the dangerous omens really come into play. Daisie is made to walk home alone when her father neglects to pick her up. The little boy feigns friendship with her by complimenting her, talking about shared interests, then kisses her. 

While sweet on the surface, there is something off about this meeting. The boy is too polite and too forward to someone who should be a complete stranger, especially when he goes in for the kiss. That little thought of “this isn’t right” grows when the boy’s father shows up, offers the girl a ride home, and while in the car the girl is purposely kept from listening to their conversation. 

This is something else that women learn as they age, how dangerous the world can be. Daisie learns that there are many men who will hurt her either by neglect, force, or coercion. In the space of a few pages, she is hurt and abandoned by three men in her life, neglected by her father, manipulated by the boy, and murdered by his father. 

Oddly enough, the boy is also learning from his father how to trap women with compliments, how to isolate and dominate them, then how to dispose of them. This is even shown at the end when the boy and the man find a new target to pursue. It is a vicious cycle of patriarchal abuse that objectifies, controls, and destroys women then moves onto another generation. 

“The Underwater Circus”

The Narrator recounts her time at an underwater circus where she donned a mermaid costume and did water acrobatics for the audience. She recalls several members of the crew and the power struggle between the ringmaster and a former mermaid/seamstress who the other dancers call “Mama.”

This story is a Fantasy allegory about the power struggles between men and women. The Underwater Circus is a bit of wish fulfillment between the performers and the audience. They want to see mermaids, otherworldly creatures so the circus makes that happen. They sell a fantasy that the people buy and particularly the men can ogle over.

The circus is a fantasy that holds everyone under their spell. The mermaids are similar to singers, actresses, models, and influencers who sell an image. That image is to be beautiful, sexy, alluring, seductive, ethereal, and unattainable. Like they come from another world that one can imagine but never approach. 

It’s no coincidence that the performers are dressed as mermaids. In folklore, mermaids are beautiful sea creatures who captivate men while luring them to their deaths. They enchant them by their appearance and sexuality. They are similar to sirens but sirens lure men with their voices not their appearance.

 It’s also often speculated that sirens use their skills to protect their territory to keep men away but men can’t resist. Mermaids seem to have no other motive than to draw men in with their allure playing into their fantasies and expectations. This is revealed in the line (one of the most honest lines in the entire anthology): “When they exist for them, we are called mermaids. When we live for ourselves, they call us sirens.” Both are considered fatal but mermaids are thought of as seductresses and sirens are thought of as monsters. 

This dichotomy of how the male gaze hovers between accepting mermaids but rejecting sirens comes in the exchanges between the Ringmaster and the performers. To him they are to be perfect, ethereal, and inhuman. If they show human frailties like disfiguration, pregnancy, marriage, aging, illness, anger, or defiance, then they are removed. They are products, packages to sell so he can profit off their beauty and the illusion that he creates through them. They can’t show personality, can’t be imperfect, can’t go through regular lifestyle changes, can’t challenge authority, can’t be human. 

There is one character that stands up to the Ringmaster. That is Mama formerly known as Nova the Sea Nymph. She sold the fantasy as well as she started in the circus when she was very young. She became a legend until her age caught up with her and worked behind the scenes. She understands the importance of putting on a show and maintaining the illusion but not at the expense of the performers. She defends them when they are abused, provides comfort when their jobs are threatened, and is a voice of opposition towards their employer. She sees what he does not, that they are women and human beings, not unreal creatures from mythology. 

Mama’s protective nature towards the girls comes forward in a moment when drunken revellers attack the circus in a frantic mob. The fantasy is no longer enough and now these men won’t control their urges. They want the reality and will possess the mermaids to get it. They stop when the women prove to be a powerful force and fight them back, in effect freeing themselves. 

With Mama, they are no longer passive participants. They actively control the narrative, the fantasy that they are selling. Instead of being objects to be ogled and dominated, they inspire girls and their mothers to be confident, strong, and look inward. When they do make themselves up, it’s in front of one another as a private reflection. Their beauty is for themselves, their choices, and their own gaze not others. 

“Sage in Security”

In a future world that is divided by different color cards, The Narrator is offered her dream job in security analysis. Unfortunately, it becomes a nightmarish situation when she wakes up with a different face and everyone assumes that she is someone else. 

There is something Kafkaesque about this story of an office setting that is so dehumanized that they recognize someone not through their appearance but their card identification. It’s pretty on the nose but Science Fiction often turns our daily lives into something harsher and darker than the world that we already live in.

Everyone is separated by color card identification. It’s implied that the color cards determine people’s education, training, careers, and social status. Yellows for example are artists, writers, and other creative professions. There are even different identifications according to shades. While The Narrator is a green and works for a tech company, they are still divided.

 As a Sage, the Narrator is put in a top level security system and is told that there is a hierarchy. Emeralds are on top as the executives. Sages are right under them as security. Limes are in admin/clerical, Viridian are in supplies. Olives do the manual grunt work. People are put in their places and are expected to fit a specific role. Similar to other structured hierarchies like the Brain Waves in Brave New World or the District Numbers in The Hunger Games, the sorting is arbitrary but is an attempt to define a person and fit them into a preselected box. Is it any more arbitrary than minimizing someone's abilities by skin color, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, or gender identity?

The Narrator goes through a transformation as she starts her job. She doesn’t recognize her own face when she looks in the mirror. Her colleagues call her by another name that isn’t hers and her card switches green shades from sage to olive. It is never outright stated why this change occurs. It may be a part of her job that she was never told. During the interview, she is rushed through signing a contract so there could be some amendment that states her identity becomes theirs and through some futuristic technology, they are allowed to change it however they see fit.

There are other possibilities. Since the transformation is not observed by anyone else but her, it could be a manifestation of her own mind. It could be a projection of her nerves brought on by Imposter Syndrome. She is clearly apprehensive at her interview and worried about making a good impression. On her first tour of the place, she second guesses her dress, her reactions, her gestures, and her tone. She has to put up an appearance and wear another face in her workplace relationship. She feels like she doesn’t belong so she thinks of herself as a separate person. This fear could now be real.

The strongest possibility is that the dilemma doesn’t lie in her anxiety about her changed face, but how her co-workers react to it. The answer is they don’t. She is worried that they might call security or freak out but that doesn’t happen. She goes to meetings, gives her reports, meets the bosses, and shares gossip with her colleagues like it’s any given Tuesday. They don’t notice. Granted, she’s a new employee and they might not fully remember her yet, but more than likely they don’t notice her because they are conditioned not to. 

It doesn’t matter who she is personally as long as the work gets done. They don’t even bother to memorize her face or her name so she could be anyone to them. They just see the color card which conforms to their expectations. She is part of an inhuman system that devalues her. Her identity, her personality, her friendships are what makes her human. To society however, The Narrator is just a warm body who could be anybody as long as the work gets done.

“The Daylily Darling”

Aster, a young woman has a strange birth defect of wildflowers growing out of her face. She works in her mother’s theatre where Antoinette, a singer with the same defect, makes her debut. 

This story is very similar to that of the many real life freak show performers of the 19th and 20th century whose oddities made them physically different such as Charles Stratton, Gen. Tom Thumb a Little Person, Chang and Eng Bunker conjoined twins, Robert Wadlow the world’s tallest man, Joseph Merrick, The Elephant Man who had neurofibromatosis, and Annie Jones, a singer with extreme hirsutism. They were often limited with their options: forced into hiding and exile by their families, submit to constructive surgeries when it was available, or accept what they had and dramatize it. We see these options revealed in the story. 

Aster was cast aside by her birth family and isolated by her adopted mother. She was home schooled,now hides in the theater, and works behind the scenes. One of her duties significantly is to shine a spotlight on the performers. She brings light to their achievements and successes but hides in the darkness because that’s where her mother prefers her. She is taught to be ashamed of her peculiarity. Incidentally, this concept of human oddities and someone with a disability who works behind the scenes is also featured in another novel that I am reviewing, Addie's Eyes by Tim Landry. Once again two or more books engagingly overlap in subject, style, or theme.

It’s significant that this condition is one in which flowers grow on Aster’s face. Partly because it’s not an actual condition so there is almost something otherworldly, practically fairy-like about it. Her appearance resonates old fears of other creatures that are beyond human understanding and can't be identified, counted, quantified, controlled, and dominated by their standards.

The other reason is because flowers are usually objects of beauty, wildflowers particularly so. Something so universally believed to be beautiful becomes a sign of ugliness and isolation when it’s on someone’s face. 

Flowers signify many deeper emotions so that some believe that certain flowers correspond to different meanings. Daylilies for example are prominent with both Aster and Antoinette. Aster counts them as one of the flowers on her face and Antoinette is called “The Daylily Darling.” 

Daylilies are symbolic of motherhood which Aster has been deprived of by her neglectful birth mother and abusive adopted mother. Antoinette takes a mentor role with her by talking to her and encouraging her to stand out.

The daylilies are also symbols for forgetting worries and anxieties which Antoinette herself practices. Aster is anxious and self-conscious, always wanting to hide. Antoinette not only stands out but she celebrates and dramatizes her difference from other people. She wears clothes that match the flowers on her face. She sings, dances, performs, and banters with the audience. She reasons that people are going to look at her anyway, they might as well pay for the privilege and she can display her talents. Her face may have put them to the door but her talents and personality kept them there. 

They also symbolize flirtatiousness. Antoinette flirts with her audience and with Aster. She helps Aster embrace her beauty rather than run from it. She gives her beautiful gowns, and advises her on how to fix her hair or accent her peculiar face. She becomes hands on in teaching her to dance suggesting the relationship might be physical. It certainly is emotional. 

When Aster emerges fully dressed in a new green gown following Antoinette’s advice, she has changed from an innocent girl to an experienced woman. Let’s just say that her flowers are in full bloom.With Antoinette, Aster sees the type of woman who she could be. One that can come from out of the darkness and shine a light on herself. Flowers need sun and a chance to grow, so Aster is giving herself that chance. Thanks to the solidarity of a woman who showed her how.

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The Tinker and The Witch by G.J. Daily, The Bellfontaine Haunting by Marie Wilkins; The Other Emma by Sharon Gloger Friedman; The Dressing Drink by Thomas King Flagg; The Book of Outcasts by Matt Nagin

 

The Tinker and The Witch A Cozy Fantasy Character Tale by G.J. Daily; The Bellfontaine Haunting by Marie Wilkins; The Other Emma by Sharon Gloger Friedman; The Dressing Drink by Thomas King Flagg; The Book of Outcasts by Matt Nagin 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: A couple of months ago, I have received two new book reviewing clients, MockingOwl Roost and Reader Views. Similar to LitPick, I cannot show the entire review here but I can summarize them with links to the full reviews. So far I am not disappointed with the work or the books that I have read.

 Besides these future reviews will include: 

For MockingOwl Roost:  The Bluestockings A History of The First Women's Movement by Susannah Gibson, Indiana Belle by John A. Heldt, Violeta by Nikki Roman, Jack The Bodiless The Galactic Milieu Trilogy Book 1 by Julian May, and its sequels Diamond Mask and Magnificat. 

For Reader Views: Shut Me Up in Prose by Maithy Vu, Gravity Flow: The Jimmy Whistler Stories by E.M. Schorb, Walk With Me One: Hundred Days of Crazy by Ernesto Lee, and Penthesilea: Ride of The Amazon by Stephanie Vanise.

For MockingOwl Roost:

The Tinker and The Witch: A Cozy Fantasy Character Tale by G.J. Daily 

The Tinker and The Witch: A Cozy Fantasy Character Tale by G.J. Daily is a gentle charming modern fairy tale reminiscent of works like Alice in Wonderland, The Phantom Tollbooth, The Wizard of OZ, and A Wrinkle in Time. It is rich with a beautiful setting, well developed characters, and a plot built on themes of chance and destiny. 

Andrew, a young tinker, is caught in a snowstorm during a routine trade expedition. He finds Lorna, an eccentric witch and town recluse. Andrew senses a connection to her so he searches for his past and answers to questions that haunted him. 

The young readers will enjoy the tropes in this book such as the enchanting setting and fascinating magical characters. The characters are well written, particularly Andrew and Lorna. She facilitates Andrew on his search for self-discovery and identity. He walks down a path of keys, clues, coincidences, fate, and destiny

.  

The Bellfontaine Haunting: A Supernatural Thriller by Marie Wilkins 

The Bellefontaine Haunting by Marie Wilkins is a suspenseful gripping thriller and murder mystery, It is a ghostly tale that reminds readers that sometimes cold cases don’t always close. 

News reporter Kara King returns to her hometown of Bellefontaine, Ohio and reopens The Bellefontaine Ledger, the local paper. In the office, she sees Renee West, the ghost of a former Ledger reporter who went missing and is believed to have been murdered. Kara decides to look for answers. 

The book is both eerie and purposeful. Renee begins as a silent wispy presence that gets more pronounced the more Kara looks for the truth. Kara’s interactions with Renee reveal that she was once a person whose life ended abruptly. It’s up to Kara to find out who ended it and why.  

The Other Emma by Sharon Gloger Friedman 

The Other Emma is another great Historical Fiction novel by Sharon Gloger Friedman, the author of Ashes and In Freedom’s Light. This one focuses on the intricate complex plot which envelops the protagonist. 

In 1880, orphaned Rose Larkin is adopted to become the companion of spoiled wealthy Emma Boyeston. The relationship begins frosty but then changes into a grudging respect between the two strong-willed young women. Unfortunately, bankruptcy, death, and a blizzard alters Rose’s new life leaving her to make some desperate decisions that affect her future. 

The book explores the Gilded Age by focusing on the income disparity between rich and poor. Rose’s former life of poverty and want is completely different from her current life of wealth and ostentation. Emma’s family has wealth, resources, and connections that someone like Rose could never have had. This division leads to a twist halfway through the book that puts Rose’s life in an entirely new direction. 

For Reader Views

The Dressing Drink: An Orphan's Legacy Intertwines Triumph and Tragedy, Revealing The Truth Behind The Glamor-Sip Carefully, One Page At a Time by Thomas King Flagg

The Dressing Drink is a revealing memoir about Thomas King Flagg’s dysfunctional upbringing by his troubled parents, Dorothy Mary Flagg and Irwin Whittridge. Flagg brought his parents to life with detailed descriptions and literary devices.

The majority of the book focuses on Flagg’s parents and the contrast between them. Dorothy had a wealthy upbringing and Irwin a poor one. They both had troubled relationships with their parents, siblings, unhappy early marriages, addiction, and mental health issues that marked their relationship with each other and their son. 

Flagg recognizes his parents as individuals first. He dissects their background and how they became the people that he knew. Their emotional and mental disorders, insecurities, and parenting difficulties become understandable when Flagg and the reader realize where they came from.

 To really understand his parents, Flagg wrote his book as a nonfiction narrative getting their interior points of view and describing events that he would not have known but might have speculated about. This technique helps us understand his family inside and out.

The Book of Outcasts by Matt Nagin 

The Book of Outcasts by Matt Nagin is a strange, satirical, outlandish, farcical and often uncomfortable anthology about people who are considered outsiders. It’s a captivating series of short stories that are impossible to get out of the reader’s mind. 

An unhappily married couple contemplate violence during a vacation. A compulsive gambler goes to extreme measures to feed his addiction. An author is harassed by his alter ego (who shares the same name as the author of this anthology). A game show feeds off of the misery of others and audience dependence on exploitation. These and many more are colorful stories that enter the mind and expose people who are outsiders because of their unusual thoughts, unhealthy obsessions and fixations, society’s rebels and freethinkers, or have severe psychopathic tendencies. 

Nagin has an eye for detailing human weakness. Readers who appreciate unsettling stories about the dark side of human nature will like reading these stories. 

The Red Wedding by Alessandra Oddi Baglioni; Dear Emperor Yours Jane by Robin Robby; Small Worlds by Gail Vida Hamburg

 The Red Wedding by Alessandra Oddi Baglioni; Dear Emperor Yours Jane by Robin Robby; Small Worlds by Gail Vida Hamburg 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews

The Red Wedding by Alessandra Oddi Baglioni

The Red Wedding by Alessandra Oddi Baglioni is a short but captivating novella about a notorious Renaissance era family that faced an organized bloody and violent attack. This is actually based  on Baglioni’s family history.

In the 15th and 16th century, the city of Perugia, Italy was considered rich and cultural enough to compete with Florence's sophistication. The Baglionis were a powerful family with a lot of political, financial, and cultural influence in Perugia. They had alliances and rivalries with other families like The Medicis of Florence, The Borgias of Rome, The Doges of Venice and others. 

This book focuses on the family from 1492-1501 after the death of patriarch Braccio Baglioni. Since Braccio’s son Grifone was killed in battle, he did not have an immediate heir so he left the legacy to his brothers Guido and Ridolfo. The brothers decided to create a diarchy shared between them. Their sons, Giampolo and Astor married Hyppolite dei Conti and Lavinia Colonna Orsini respectively, who came from illustrious Roman families. However, Grifone’s son, Griffonetto would not give up his own right for succession. He also had an advantageous marriage to Zenobia, the daughter of the Count of Santa Fiora. He participated in a conspiracy to eliminate the diarchies and their successors. During the night of Astor and Lavinia’s wedding, Griffonetto and his allies struck. They killed the couple, Guido, Ridolfo, and their relatives. Only Giampolo survived to kill Griffonetto who died in the arms of his mother, Atalanta. 

The Red Wedding is an intricate work that captures the culture, class, and conspiracies that made the Renaissance. There are plenty of moments of whispered conversations, feigned friendships, and harsh betrayals. Many are on the hunt for financial gain and family power. 

The Red Wedding itself is a graphic slow moving plot that fills various pages. It is tightly potted as though it were a secret invasion during war. The attackers hide until their targets are separated and at their most vulnerable and unobservant. Then they overwhelm them in a surprise synchronized mass murder. 

One of the hardest passages to read is the deaths of Astor and Lavinia. They  consummate their wedding night and contemplate a wonderful future together in their private chambers. Their assassin appears from the shadows lying in wait and suddenly that future is ended in the bloodiest way possible.

Most of the characters are duplicitous, cunning, and looking to outdo one another. Everybody is hiding something whether it's murderous intent, secret alliances, or extramarital affairs.

It is hard to like any of the characters but it is very easy to become drawn in and seduced by their goals and actions.

The Baglioni Family are fascinating characters but one of the most fascinating is Atalanta, widow of Grifone and mother of Griffonetto. As a noblewoman and widow, she has very little public influence. She was property of her father, then her husband,then her son but that never meant that she couldn’t seize power covertly. In many ways, she acts as the true head of the Baglioni Family behind the scenes.

Atalanta forged allyship with other influential families which helped her and her family survive the aftermath of the Red Wedding. She was also very involved in patronage of the arts and culture. Her most prominent artist was Raphael, whom she commissioned for his painting, The Deposition. 

She makes her opinions about her household rather clear and isn’t shy about her feelings towards others such as Zenobia, her daughter in law with whom she shares a mutual animosity. However, Atalanta also can put her personal feelings aside as when she shelters Zenobia and her children from the abusive domineering Griffonetto. It says something about her as a woman that she was willing to side with the daughter in law that she didn't always get along with over the son that she spoiled and indulged when he was younger. She recognizes when it is time to put her family legacy first and when it is time to listen to her conscience instead.

There is also a very heart wrenching final encounter between Atalanta and Griffonetto after his confrontation with Giampolo. She realizes that in this competition between scheming family members, there are no winners. People are ruthlessly murdered and family members mourn their loss and have to survive another day.

Dear Emperor, Yours Jane by Robin Robby 

Robin Robby’s previous short novel about Jane Austen, Jane Austen’s Totally Unexpected New York Adventure was a gentle comic Time Travel Science Fiction in which three 21st century travelers go back to 1817 to take Miss Austen to futuristic New York to be treated for the disease that would eventually kill her. Austen becomes captivated by the future and has a romance with one of the time travelers.

Robby’s next short novel about the Regency-era Romance novelist, Dear Emperor, Yours Jane, is a sharper, less genteel and more satirical Alternate Universe where Austen encounters another noted historical figure from her time period, Napoleon Bonaparte. 

In 1815, Napoleon returned from Elba and roared with vengeance. On the heels of her recently published novel, Emma, Austen decides that the French Emperor “needs editing.” She travels to France to get an audience with Bonaparte so he can change his megalomaniacal ways. The two engage in several conversations where they talk in circles around each other. Writing about disagreeable men isn’t the same as encountering one in real life, especially if he is the leader of an Empire and is determined not to change his ways. Austen has her work cut out for her.

The short novel gets a lot of humor about the contrast between the two main characters. Austen and Napoleon represented different aspects of the 18-teens. Politics vs. Literature. Battlefield vs. Drawing Room. Weapons vs. Words. Battle of Waterloo Vs. Battle of the Sexes. Masculine Vs. Feminine. They come from different hemispheres so it’s natural that they would butt heads upon meeting. 

Because Austen is a writer, she often uses literary analogies. She tells Napoleon that she believes Napoleon “to be written” and he needs revision “posthumously if necessary.” Napoleon, a military leader and strategist, speaks in war metaphors such as bragging that he conquered kingdoms and assesses Austen’s worth by asking what she conquered. (“Hearts,” she answers.) 

Napoleon sees Austen as an adversary who needs to be conquered or removed. Austen sees the Emperor as similar to her fictional characters, a man full of too much pride that needs an intelligent witty woman to make him see reason. Ironically, the thing that made her a good writer to millions makes her a terrible judge of character in this story. 

Napoleon and others around him remind Austen that they are not fictional characters. They can’t be redeemed by a few words, a comedy of errors, a grand ball, and an unexpected illness. They are real people and real people can’t always be changed. Austen is persistent but is deeply troubled by this revelation. This is a revelation that becomes more real when world politics comes between them and challenges Austen's drive to make the world a better place by redeeming the tyrant before her.

Dear Emperor, Yours Jane is an Alternate Universe but it is played realistically. It doesn’t end with a sudden change in history and things go on as before. Austen and Napoleon’s conversations are more of just an interesting meeting of minds but not impactful in history. (Though it is implied it did lend significance in literature by inspiring one of Jane Austen’s final novels, her darkest one, Persuasion). It’s a dark perspective that says some things are inevitable and can’t be changed even in Alternate History. 

Small Worlds by Gail Vida Hamburg 

This review is also on Reedsy Discovery.

Gail Vida Hamburg’s anthology, Small Worlds, specializes in flash fiction, brief short stories often under 1,500 words or five pages that tell a complete beginning, middle, and end. They focus on character, conflict, and tension within a limited scope. It's a challenge for an author to capture such actions, emotions, and development in such a short time but a good author can. Hamburg is a great author who captures those moments when lives are changed, decisions are made, and protagonists are left for better or worse.

The best stories are: 

“Signal Love”

The Protagonist becomes fascinated by Nate, the human sounding AI who helps her with a computer problem. She then calls him a few more times resulting in a friendship and potential romance.

The Protagonist is a lonely woman looking for some connection. She has exquisite taste in wine and gourmet cooking but it's hard for her to enjoy those things when she is alone. She has had many relationships that ended badly and has little to show for it except a broken heart and low opinions about the dating pool.

Though as an AI, Nate cannot fully emote; he can recognize changes in voice and demeanor and respond with limited emotions. To her, it doesn't matter. She finds him more understanding and empathetic than any other man that she met.

Nate has a warm natural presence as he helps her. She finds him to be a good listener and understanding as she reveals more personal vulnerabilities. He may be an artificial intelligence who simulates responses, but she sees something that is completely human.

In a time when people act more inhuman by considering empathy a weakness, cruelly mock and bully others, and put themselves over the needs of others, it makes sense that AI would retain the traits that humans abandoned. It makes sense that the Protagonist would find such a companion in Nate that she was unable to find in human men.

“Unclaimed”

Janice, her children, Glory and Bruce escape their abusive husband and father and retreat into the Australian Outback with Janice's mother, Rhonda and sister, Nin.

This story is just as much about setting as it is about character. The Outback is described as arid, barren, dry, and surrounded by abandoned buildings and wild animals. It takes tough people to survive such a location. It gives some idea of the situation that the family was in that would have warranted such a difficult and dangerous decision.

Because of this escape and having to start over, the family bonds closer together. Janice, Nin, and Rhonda share laughs and hardship stories to take their minds off the trauma before and the uncertainty afterwards. Glory is protective towards Bruce and this emotional connection lasts into adulthood. 

The hardships result in changes within the family. Some succumb to illness, and others have encounters with violence and addiction. It is very realistic that while many thrive in hard times, they still encounter physical and emotional difficulties. What keeps this family together is unconditional love and support despite the trauma.

“Catfish Tango”

Mike, a warehouse worker, tries to look for love on social media. His friend, Darren encouraged him to elaborate his profile changing him into a wealthy tech CEO with a handsome pic. He connects with Nadia, a UX Designer with secrets of her own.

This story explores the complexities of social media and modern dating. On the Internet, people can pretend that they are someone else who works at an awesome job, looks like a supermodel or a movie star, goes on breathtaking vacations, and has an enviable life that is free of problems. 

They can literally role play as anyone provided that they don't get caught. While people have become more aware of catfishing, some people still like to create completely different identities and live separate lives online that are distant from their real ones.

Mike pretends to be everything that he isn't in real life, rich, successful, charismatic, the kind of man who would attract someone like Nadia. He has severe self esteem issues. He questions everything about himself like his job, his appearance, his interests, his friends, and living situation. He hides behind the role because he doesn't like the person that he really is. 

His insecurities manifest in his face to face meeting with Nadia. He recognizes someone else hiding her real self underneath a different identity. While they accept each other's frailties and flaws, they also are enchanted by their assumed identities and find a way to retain them as well. Mike actually found someone with whom he could be himself, or more than one version of himself. 

“The Trouble with Bianca”

This story is an epistolary between Mr. and Mrs. DiAngelo and various school employees about their 12 year old daughter, Bianca. 

The exchanges are full of anecdotes about Bianca violating the dress code, challenging authority, using provocative and political statements, saying and doing controversial things. The parents, teachers, and administrators are full of questions. What is going on with her? Is her problem psychological, emotional, social? Did her parents give her a bad upbringing or did she get a bad education? Is Bianca responsible for her own behavior or are the adults partially to blame?

Each character gives their own perspective about how they view this girl. Her principal thinks that she is a brat who needs punishment. Her teacher believes her to be an irredeemable bad seed. Her guidance counselor sees her as an eccentric creative. The school psychiatrist diagnoses her with Oppositional Defiance Disorder. Bianca's parents say that she is a highly intelligent young woman who needs freedom to express herself. 

They don't come to any real conclusions because they can't agree on a plan or what Bianca needs. Instead there is a lot of blame passing and finger pointing of who is to blame. It's also worth noting that while we get multiple perspectives or opinions about Bianca, we don't get any perspective or opinion from Bianca. Even though she is an object in other's lives, she isn't the subject in her own life or even allowed to have a voice towards how it should go.

There are no real answers about Bianca's situation or what should be done just like there aren't with any troubled child. It's a question that anyone who is around children, parents, relatives, friends, educators, medical professionals, social services need to find a common ground, work together on determining them, and learn what procedures are needed.

They need to remember that kids aren't a monolith. Not every kid responds or behaves the same way or requires the same kind of treatment. They are individuals and should be treated as such. Because of that, it's also incredibly important to get the child's perspective themselves to discover what is troubling them, what they are thinking and feeling, and what can be done to help them move forward in life. 

“The Lonely Passion of Helen B.”

47 year old Helen B. lives a lonely structured friendless life. She decides to place a “rent a friend” ad online. She meets a small group of weird but likable applicants.

This story is practically a companion to “Signal Love,” in that it also explores loneliness and the lengths people will go to find companionship. Though instead of finding it through an AI simulation, Helen finds it in human people. She just goes around meeting them in an unusual way.

Helen is a shy analytical person with plenty of oddities and eccentricities which makes her perfect to lead this strange group. From Helen’s interest in collecting and cataloging insect specimens, to Marvin's fascination with Naval history and his detailed descriptions of scoliosis and plantar fasciitis, Daphne's feminism, devotion to Simone Weil and non sequitur questions like whether whales mourn, Craig’s Feng Shui practice and divining her apartment as having “limited energy,” Nancy, a devout Catholic who always brings muffins, and Zoya, a tough foul mouthed Russian expat who wants to understand “American loneliness.”  This cast seems to come from a sharp witty sitcom about goofy weird friends. 

Helen's new friends give her laughs, comfort, shared interests, parties, and gold times. It's a stress reliever from her usual life but it can also be a bit much for someone who isn't used to that much attention and togetherness.

Susan has been an introvert for over 40 years so it's not easy for her to fit into a social group. While loneliness has been a problem in her life, the solitude also gave her opportunities to think, meditate, research, become independent, and study her insects. She actually finds great comfort and ease in solitude and she misses that.

This story reveals that there is a huge difference between being alone and being on your own.

“Kali”

Kali is a strong willed defiant woman raised by a mother who encouraged her to challenge the system around her. When she settles in an affluent mostly white community, she is met with  derision and hatred.

This story is a character study of a woman raised to fight against an oppressive system that has been present since long before her ancestors were born. She was clearly raised to be a fighter. She was named for the Hindu Goddess of Death.  Her mother raised her to embrace Feminism and Black Power and she takes those lessons to heart.

In a strange way, “Kali” could be an answer to “The Trouble with Bianca.” Where “Bianca” was about how a troubled young woman with a difficult background is viewed by the people around her but never gets to speak for herself, “Kali” is about a troubled young woman with a difficult background who has no trouble speaking or thinking for herself, thank you very much.

Kali was raised to challenge those who would threaten her. When she enters the beach, white beachgoers stare at her with focused suspicion. One could say that her upbringing made her hyper aware and paranoid of her surroundings and perhaps she imagines that others have hostile intent towards her. But she isn't imagining their racist words to describe her or the vulgar harassment that some of the men give her. Above all, she isn't imagining when one of the men rapes her.

Kali was raised to fight and fight she does. She commits extreme violence to defend herself against her rapist. The ending implies that the rapist unleashed Kali the Death Goddess inside Kali the Protagonist. What he leaves behind is a woman who has ancestral rage, an activist’s view of the world, suspicion towards white men, and a weapon that she is prepared to use. It is uncertain whether she will attack to defend others or just commit violence for violence’s sake. One thing for sure is that she will embrace violence as her answer to any conflict.

“Go Gentle In This Good Morning”

This is a journal entry of 102 year old Elias Nathan Hollingwood. It recounts his long life and his decision to end it.

Many of these stories are excellent character studies so it is fitting that the final story in this review covers an entire long life. 

Elias gives his perspectives of his upbringing in Brooklyn, his military career, his marriage, his children, the changing world, his views, and his grief and losses as he waits to die. 

He draws the reader in by his anecdotes such as describing his wife, Clara as a “red haired woman with a librarian's gaze and an Irish lilt.” After she died in 1988, he mourned “she was my girl, my bonnie lass. She deserved opera and skylights. She died before I could give them to her.” He also has similar affection and melancholy for his and Clara's four children.

While Elias's memories are melancholic and nostalgic, they are also realistic. He acknowledges his previous racist beliefs that he held until he encountered the Tuskegee Airmen and The Navajo Code Talkers during WWII. He admired that courage, devotion, sacrifice and love for a country that didn't always love them back or acted like it didn't.

Elias’ story is one of love, loss, joy, regret, many experiences, and satisfaction that he lived through it. It's not a situation where one feels angst at his passing but feeling that it was well earned. He made the decision to end it on his own with satisfaction and an almost joyful exuberance about what happens next. He ends his life as a happy and contented man.