Review by Nonny2208 -- Illustrated Short Fiction of Will...

[Menace Crypto]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016" by William H. Coles.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Are you looking for a way to pass time, or looking for something that intrigues you? Well, I’ve got just what you need. Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016 is a compilation of 33 short stories, 2 graphic novels, and a novella. The book contains 403 pages.

The compilation begins with a short story, The Gift. Catherine is given a gift as I’d like to call it in the form of a beautiful handicapped daughter. Before the birth of her daughter, she was scolded and sent away by her mom to give the child up for adoption. Catherine tries her best to give her daughter the normal life she deserves from the moment she was born. The Thirteen Nudes of Ernest Goings talks about the obsession of an artist with an underage model while painting her nude. The girl in question, Hester Cummings, thinks of the relationship as love, but the wife and daughter of the artist see nothing but his lust and damage to his career. Suchin’s Escape tells the story of a girl who tries to escape from a life of forced prostitution. Dilemma is a story of a doctor who struggles to make a choice between letting his son live or die. It finally ends with a novella, Sister Carrie, which tells the story of two sisters and decisions made pertaining to love and family.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The author showed great talent in writing all the stories contained within. I can’t talk about all the stories in the book, but I’ll just pick the few I enjoyed the most. I loved what happened to Heinrick in The Wreck of the Amtrak’s Silver Service. I loved how Jessie felt the need to protect her sister, Carrie, in Sister Carrie. Even though most of her doubts came from stereotyping or religious profiling, I felt like her heart was in the right place. She was like a mother to Carrie after she took her in. I was also satisfied with the decision the doctor in Dilemma finally made. The two graphic novels were also fun. The illustrations used in the book were fabulous. The artists that made them showed great talent. My favorite illustration was the illustration made by Betty Harper for Speaking Of The Dead. The book contained several themes which include: Dedication, Love, Anger, Betrayal etc. In speaking of The Dead, we see John battle with several emotions like anger and betrayal. In Nemesis, love is expressed.

What I found flawed in the book was the inability to present appropriate closure for most stories. Most of the stories were without an appropriate ending. I didn’t get to understand some of the stories. They just ended before I could even begin to understand them. The stories I failed to understand were: Homunculus, Clouds, and The Indelible Myth. However, the book had excellent characterization. The characters in the book were well-developed. The scenes were also equally well-developed. My favorite story in the book was Sister Carrie. I loved how Jessie’s life turned out at last. My favorite character in the book was Jessie from the novella, Sister Carrie. I loved how protective she was of her sister. The book also contained sexual content that was not too explicit and minor profanity.

I found a few errors which were not distracting. The book contained suspense and an element of surprise. Emotions were also present in the book and they were clearly expressed by the characters. The book’s structuring was excellent, and the author’s writing style was unique. Each story had a unique plot that was captivating, so I’m rating this book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book to people who love reading short stories.

******
Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords