2 out of 4 stars
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Wandering the Field by Alice Brady is a collection of three short stories in the Fiction genre. The stories each contain a female protagonist, although the subject matter is varied. In “Power of the Moon,” Miakoda is born with a mark on her shoulder and displays exceptional abilities beyond her years. Eventually, her grandmother passes down to her a special artifact as a sacred rite of passage. Gracie in “Watching” is held captive by a stalker who is her roommate’s friend. In “Ringing,” a scientist/military contractor experiences a strange ringing in her ear and chunks of time she can’t remember. When seemingly random characters are introduced later in the story, the plot takes an interesting turn.
At approximately 45 pages, this compilation is a quick, although uninspiring, read. The writing style is clunky at times, although easy to understand. “Power of the Moon” reads almost like a children’s story. Although it was enjoyable to read, you blink twice and it’s over. The main character is vividly described, yet I found the story simplistic in its presentation.
“Watching” starts off in a compelling way, with Gracie’s sense that creepy Steven is watching her. The problem I found was that there was a lack of tension that you would expect from a story about a woman held captive. Although Gracie is clearly in danger, I never felt a sense of urgency. I think this is due to the sparse descriptions and rushed feel of the story. “Ringing” rounds out this collection. It’s also the meatiest one, so much so that I wondered if the author wrote the first two stories at an earlier point in her writing career. The main character, Alexis, is well drawn with a detailed backstory. The description of her job and its effect on her long-term relationship with her boyfriend makes her very relatable.
The stories share a common theme of a mystical or supernatural element. I was most intrigued by the main character in “Ringing.” I could feel her confusion and panic regarding the missing blocks of times and the ringing in her ear. The story is generally well paced. However, the ending is abrupt and not fully explained.
Glaring technical errors abound in this book. Multiple errors appear on almost every page, including missing commas and apostrophes, spelling errors, run-on sentences, and missing/incorrect words. In many instances, I had to read sentences twice in order to determine what the author meant to say. A particular problem is the frequent use of the wrong word with respect to homophones (words that sound alike, but have different meanings and spellings). In the future, it would be beneficial for the author to enlist the help of a good editor.
This book has earned a rating of 2 out of 4 stars. The basic premise of each story shows promise, although the execution is disappointing. Judging from “Ringing” alone, there is much potential here and I applaud the author for her creative ideas.
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Wandering The Field
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