Chaotic Ninja

Boston Metaphysical Society: PRELUDE is a collection of short stories that have very important links to the Boston Metaphysical Society web comics. Written by Madeleine Holly-Rosing , Prelude is a cross between an origin story and a supplementary reading that makes the Boston Metaphysical Society universe far more intriguing. The alternate history of Boston Metaphysical Society is every bit entertaining. Ghosts, demons, supernatural beings and prominent Families that vie for ultimate economic and political control – what’s not to like? It's a rarity to like every story in a collection, but  I love them all - all seven of them. While  it’s not really a requirement to read the web comics series, I would have to say that the impact of the short stories would be more pronounced if the reader has read the Boston Metaphysical Society comics. The secrets and revelations in the stories have a greater impact if one is familiar with the alternate world so cleverly creat...

Because memory fails.  Situation rectified. SAFE by Kate Hanney This is a “please-sit-down-let’s-talk-about-this” kind of book. It’s something that you’d want to discuss with people who’ve read it. Or perhaps beg people to read it just so you can talk about it. Danny Watson is a fascinating character. Tough. Hardened by life. A kid forced to become an adult because of circumstances.  What could possibly go wrong, yeah? Just. About. Everything. This a gritty portrayal of a life on the fringe. It’s a very dangerous place (and situation) to be in and author Kate Hanney takes the reader to that dark place. It deals with hard issues that no young adult should ever deal with. This is a brilliant book with a “controversial” ending.   ★★★ ★ ★  5/5   GARDEN by Jane Yates It takes an utterly imaginative mind to come up with a story that puts together elements of steampunk, sci-fi and fantasy and not overwhelm the reader (‘til...

Reviewing a collection of short stories is always tricky; more so if they are written by different authors. The chance of liking all the stories is slim, though not impossible. There’s probably 2 to 3 remarkable stories and a few mediocre ones, and the rest, forgettable. I believe this one was done right. Nonlocal Science Fiction Issue #1 is a 10-story strong collection that’s perhaps the closest you’ll get to having that “dream” sci-fi short story anthology. It’s evident that it had gone through a stringent selection process. The stories are a wonderful mix of hardcore sci-fi, old-school, offbeat, edgy, and weirdly good speculative fiction. Though my personal favorite is Shoot The Devil by Nicholas Rossis, I enjoyed reading the other stories. It’s one of those collections where the good stories outnumber the not-so-good ones. It’s a fantastic start with a lot of  sci-fi promise.  ★★★ ★  4/5   # In January 2015, I had a conversation ov...