Review by m1n -- Illustrated Short Fiction of William H....
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m1n
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Review by m1n -- Illustrated Short Fiction of William H....
[Following is a volunteer review of "Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016" by William H. Coles.]
In the Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016, William H. Coles offers his readers a large selection of compact stories illustrated by different artists, a couple of graphic novels and a novella. It’s a brilliant composite of creative fiction accompanied by artwork for each of the stories. The art used is by different artists and adds an enjoyable, extra element.
I found the collection very interesting because of the way the stories cover all kinds of scenarios from different viewpoints. However, some of the subjects are potentially upsetting, like the ones that discuss death. For example, one story questions how well a character really knows someone when they die, and the character has been asked to do a speech about the dead person. Was the person nice, smart, kind? Or possibly the complete opposite? It’s a difficult decision for them to know what to say and the reader can only sympathise. That goes with many of the other stories where a character has a complicated decision to make and thereby pulls the reader into the emotions of that character, whether it be a sense of worry, confusion, anger, sadness, or guilt.
Disability is a subject that is not often used in short stories, but it does feature in stories here. Which appears to me to sum up the remit Coles had given himself: create stories that encompass all human life, the good and the bad and everything in-between. I find this wonderful as you don’t feel the writer is just banging the same drum for each story, each story has its own self-contained universe.
Similarly, as there is no running order to the stories, they are all complete short works of their own. For this reason, it is great to be able to pick any story and then jump on to another later. For sheer variety, it definitely has got a chocolate selection box side to it!
All the short stories are well written with vivid descriptions and real emotional punch. There is also a novella about two people from different backgrounds and ethnic backgrounds. The graphic novel stories are also interesting, and an enjoyable and unusual extra to a short story collection.
As this is literary fiction, the reader should expect multi-layered, complex, and thought-provoking stories, and they won’t be disappointed. Also, be aware some of these tales might surprise you, or even upset you. I would recommend it to anyone who likes literary fiction and would rate it 3 out of 4 stars.
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Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
In the Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016, William H. Coles offers his readers a large selection of compact stories illustrated by different artists, a couple of graphic novels and a novella. It’s a brilliant composite of creative fiction accompanied by artwork for each of the stories. The art used is by different artists and adds an enjoyable, extra element.
I found the collection very interesting because of the way the stories cover all kinds of scenarios from different viewpoints. However, some of the subjects are potentially upsetting, like the ones that discuss death. For example, one story questions how well a character really knows someone when they die, and the character has been asked to do a speech about the dead person. Was the person nice, smart, kind? Or possibly the complete opposite? It’s a difficult decision for them to know what to say and the reader can only sympathise. That goes with many of the other stories where a character has a complicated decision to make and thereby pulls the reader into the emotions of that character, whether it be a sense of worry, confusion, anger, sadness, or guilt.
Disability is a subject that is not often used in short stories, but it does feature in stories here. Which appears to me to sum up the remit Coles had given himself: create stories that encompass all human life, the good and the bad and everything in-between. I find this wonderful as you don’t feel the writer is just banging the same drum for each story, each story has its own self-contained universe.
Similarly, as there is no running order to the stories, they are all complete short works of their own. For this reason, it is great to be able to pick any story and then jump on to another later. For sheer variety, it definitely has got a chocolate selection box side to it!
All the short stories are well written with vivid descriptions and real emotional punch. There is also a novella about two people from different backgrounds and ethnic backgrounds. The graphic novel stories are also interesting, and an enjoyable and unusual extra to a short story collection.
As this is literary fiction, the reader should expect multi-layered, complex, and thought-provoking stories, and they won’t be disappointed. Also, be aware some of these tales might surprise you, or even upset you. I would recommend it to anyone who likes literary fiction and would rate it 3 out of 4 stars.
******
Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: The Dark Web Murders by Brian O'Hare
