I read these stories after Trevor's Song, the full-length novel which features the same characters. I'm so glad the author has collections of short stories available which feature the same cast, as it's like coming home to old friends. If you haven't read Trevor's Song, then the Demo Tapes anthologies are a great introduction. The characters in the stories are well drawn and complex - a good read. ( )

Susan Helene Gottfried‘s Shapeshifter: The Demo Tapes, Year 2 is another volume of outtakes, short stories, and character sketches related to her newly published novel, Trevor’s Song. The band Shapeshifter is like a wheel with its center, Trevor and Mitchell, and the spokes around that wheel. Once these guys are on the road, look out because it’s a wild ride.

What readers will enjoy most about this second slim volume is the comraderie between the characters, the outbursts they have, and the seemingly mundane yet fun conversations they have. For example, there’s a conversation between Mitchell and Trevor before they make it big as rock stars about why Mitchell should get an earring — sounds like a typical teenage disagreement/peer pressure situation.

read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2010/10/shapeshifter-the-demo-tapes-year-2.html ( )

This is Susan Helen Gottfried's second collection of short fiction 'outtakes' featuring the heavy-metal band ShapeShifter. The pieces were originally published on Susan's blog, West of Mars: The Meet and Greet, in no particular order; the books have allowed her to satisfy reader requests to place the stories in a timeline.

I reviewed the first collection, The Demo Tapes: Year 1, last year, and said then:

Susan launched her blog as a place for 'outtakes' - short scenes and sketches - involving the characters and situations in her not-yet-published novel about a rock band called ShapeShifter, Trevor's Song. While the outtakes make fairly random appearances on the blog, Susan has assembled them in chronological narrative order here, and has written additional introductory material for each sketch, giving more context about how it fits into the overall story of ShapeShifter. This is not a novel in itself - while the stories are placed in sequence, they don't have a plot thread tying them together - but if you haven't met the band before, it's a great way to do it.

There's overlap in the chronology between the Year 1 and Year 2 collections, and they don't have to be read in sequence. But Susan's outtakes continue to whet my appetite for a full-length novel (or two, or three!) about the band. I'm getting glimpses of the backstory, but I want to know more about how ShapeShifter came together and how other characters came into their circle, and I'd like to see it all in context. Also, Susan has tried not to overlap the time period and events in Trevor's Song with the shorter pieces, and I'm really getting curious about that portion of the story. Someone PLEASE find this woman a publisher!

As she did in the Year 1 collection, Susan has included an introduction to each outtake which provides a little more of the framework to the ShapeShifter story. The introductions also offer insight into her writing process and the inspirations for some of the pieces, and I found myself particularly intrigued by that this time around.

The Demo Tapes: Year 2 is a quick read - I finished it in a couple of hours. It would be an excellent choice for the TBR stacks of those participating in the next 24-Hour Read-a-thon (scheduled for April 10 - is it on your calendar yet?) - not just because it can be read quickly, but because hanging out with the band is a guaranteed good time. ( )