Mikey Campling

This was a quick read. I do love short stories but I am not a big fan of "flash fiction" and at barely over a page long several of these would fall into that category. I'm not even going to pretend that I understood the stories that were that short. However if you like flash fiction this may be the book for you. There were a few gems mixed in with the bunch, that were longer and that I did find enjoyable. Among those were "Listen" which is a modern version of the Tell Tale Heart, "Focus" about a blogger who is too wrapped up in himself to notice life passing him by, and "Christmas Comes But Once, about a man who has lost the holiday spirit but may have found himself. Or at least that is my interpretation. I could very well be wrong. If you read it let me know what you think.
I received a complimentary copy for review.… (mehr)

Mikey Campling might just be my new favorite author.

This is a story spanning 5000 years, in three different times. A hermit guards a precious stone slab that seems to have an entire world within. A young boy discovers the stone and grows mesmerized by it enough to risk running into the local gang of bullies, repeatedly. Even after being attacked. An old man remembers an old friend and a frightening experience at that very stone.

The driving theme is deliciously simple yet powerful. This is literary craftsmanship, not just storytelling.

When you see it... well you know.… (mehr)