Review of Tales from the Gray Area
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Review of Tales from the Gray Area
[Following is a volunteer review of "Tales from the Gray Area" by Curtis Stephen Burdick.]
Tales from the Gray Area is Curtis Stephen Burdick’s collection of unique short stories, connected by mysterious, supernatural themes. The following are descriptions of each story.
"Reincarnated" centers on babies born around the world with the same, very specific birthmark. A diverse group of scientists tries to crack the code of the cryptic birthmarks to discover the message behind them.
In "Bottom Dwellers,” the crew of the Pacifica is attacked by monstrous, octopus/crab-like creatures. When poised to strike, their skin can expand to several times its original size, killing and eating everything in sight. Their most dangerous trait, however, is their ability to accelerate their evolutionary adaptation, making them almost impossible to destroy and putting the whole world in peril.
"Vacation from Hell" is set primarily in Hell, where the Original Fallen Angels decide to go on strike. They would like to take a "vacation from hell" to Earth by inhabiting the bodies of people who have already sold their souls to the devil. Lucifer reluctantly agrees to their demands, setting up three Original Angels with bodies: LeRoy is given the body of a Chicago Bulls star, Zeke is forced to live in the body of an aging movie actress, and Dwayne is transported into the body of a United States Senator.
Eighty-seven-year-old Ernie Bichowski, the protagonist of "Discoveries at River View," is dedicated to saving the old River View Bridge from demolition. Ernie and Brad, his young archeologist friend, devise a crazy plan to save the bridge and accidentally make a mysterious, scientifically impossible discovery. What they find changes the course of their lives and the future of the old River View Bridge.
"Sorceress" begins in a city called Coresque, whose citizens believe in ancient gifts of prophecy. Betina and her daughter Marika both possess these gifts, and Betina’s husband proclaims that one day, "My daughter’s daughter will be the greatest, most powerful female ever born." Betina, knowing her husband plans to capitalize on his future granddaughter’s powers, sends Marika safely out of the country to Canada. The setting then shifts to Chicago, with Beth Collins as a reporter for the Chicago Morning Times. Beth desperately wants to be a hard-hitting journalist, but her misogynistic editor insists that she write a fluff piece on fortune tellers because "women are into that crap." Beth doesn’t realize how significant this assignment will turn out to be.
"Alien Addiction" clearly falls into the science fiction category. Clatu, an alien emperor, has been infected with Insatu Crystal Dust and travels to Earth to recover, disguising himself as a drug addict. Within thirty days of Clatu's ship landing on Earth, another set of aliens lands to kidnap him. An hour later, a third ship lands, but this one is from a totally different galaxy. These brutal aliens plan to take over this galaxy by eliminating the emperor, Clatu. This is intergalactic intrigue at its best.
In "Sanctuary," Inuit hunters are terrified when they witness a glowing object from space land in the Yukon. The storyline then shifts to Joshua Watkins, an engineering graduate, who takes a job with the army during WWII. Joshua gets no respect from his white superiors because he’s black, and the black recruits scorn him because they think he’s acting too "white." Eventually, Joshua and his men are assigned to survey a path through a mountain pass in Alaska. They almost die in a blizzard but are rescued by Inuits who live in a secret, idyllic valley, tucked away from civilization. There, they meet the glowing Sacred Ones, who offer Josh and his men the chance to live in this paradise or return home.
I love these stories! Burdick has an incredible imagination and is a master storyteller. Although his stories are generally serious in nature, there are examples of humor sprinkled in, many of which have to do with clever wordplay. I also loved the quirky characters in each story. And, because all the stories have a sense of mystery, it’s fun to guess which details might be significant later.
I didn’t find any negatives in this book. Some readers might be perturbed by the abrupt endings of the stories, but I like it when aspects of stories are left to my imagination.
I give this book 4 out of 4 stars! Each story held my interest with spellbinding storylines, clever characters, and witty wordplay.
Because of some vulgar language, I think the intended audience is adults. Also, there are some racial slurs used in dialogue that might offend some readers.
******
Tales from the Gray Area
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Tales from the Gray Area is Curtis Stephen Burdick’s collection of unique short stories, connected by mysterious, supernatural themes. The following are descriptions of each story.
"Reincarnated" centers on babies born around the world with the same, very specific birthmark. A diverse group of scientists tries to crack the code of the cryptic birthmarks to discover the message behind them.
In "Bottom Dwellers,” the crew of the Pacifica is attacked by monstrous, octopus/crab-like creatures. When poised to strike, their skin can expand to several times its original size, killing and eating everything in sight. Their most dangerous trait, however, is their ability to accelerate their evolutionary adaptation, making them almost impossible to destroy and putting the whole world in peril.
"Vacation from Hell" is set primarily in Hell, where the Original Fallen Angels decide to go on strike. They would like to take a "vacation from hell" to Earth by inhabiting the bodies of people who have already sold their souls to the devil. Lucifer reluctantly agrees to their demands, setting up three Original Angels with bodies: LeRoy is given the body of a Chicago Bulls star, Zeke is forced to live in the body of an aging movie actress, and Dwayne is transported into the body of a United States Senator.
Eighty-seven-year-old Ernie Bichowski, the protagonist of "Discoveries at River View," is dedicated to saving the old River View Bridge from demolition. Ernie and Brad, his young archeologist friend, devise a crazy plan to save the bridge and accidentally make a mysterious, scientifically impossible discovery. What they find changes the course of their lives and the future of the old River View Bridge.
"Sorceress" begins in a city called Coresque, whose citizens believe in ancient gifts of prophecy. Betina and her daughter Marika both possess these gifts, and Betina’s husband proclaims that one day, "My daughter’s daughter will be the greatest, most powerful female ever born." Betina, knowing her husband plans to capitalize on his future granddaughter’s powers, sends Marika safely out of the country to Canada. The setting then shifts to Chicago, with Beth Collins as a reporter for the Chicago Morning Times. Beth desperately wants to be a hard-hitting journalist, but her misogynistic editor insists that she write a fluff piece on fortune tellers because "women are into that crap." Beth doesn’t realize how significant this assignment will turn out to be.
"Alien Addiction" clearly falls into the science fiction category. Clatu, an alien emperor, has been infected with Insatu Crystal Dust and travels to Earth to recover, disguising himself as a drug addict. Within thirty days of Clatu's ship landing on Earth, another set of aliens lands to kidnap him. An hour later, a third ship lands, but this one is from a totally different galaxy. These brutal aliens plan to take over this galaxy by eliminating the emperor, Clatu. This is intergalactic intrigue at its best.
In "Sanctuary," Inuit hunters are terrified when they witness a glowing object from space land in the Yukon. The storyline then shifts to Joshua Watkins, an engineering graduate, who takes a job with the army during WWII. Joshua gets no respect from his white superiors because he’s black, and the black recruits scorn him because they think he’s acting too "white." Eventually, Joshua and his men are assigned to survey a path through a mountain pass in Alaska. They almost die in a blizzard but are rescued by Inuits who live in a secret, idyllic valley, tucked away from civilization. There, they meet the glowing Sacred Ones, who offer Josh and his men the chance to live in this paradise or return home.
I love these stories! Burdick has an incredible imagination and is a master storyteller. Although his stories are generally serious in nature, there are examples of humor sprinkled in, many of which have to do with clever wordplay. I also loved the quirky characters in each story. And, because all the stories have a sense of mystery, it’s fun to guess which details might be significant later.
I didn’t find any negatives in this book. Some readers might be perturbed by the abrupt endings of the stories, but I like it when aspects of stories are left to my imagination.
I give this book 4 out of 4 stars! Each story held my interest with spellbinding storylines, clever characters, and witty wordplay.
Because of some vulgar language, I think the intended audience is adults. Also, there are some racial slurs used in dialogue that might offend some readers.
******
Tales from the Gray Area
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Justified Means by Cher Smith
