Review by NetMassimo -- Spellbound - The Workings of Dru...

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 16 Jun 2020, 06:44

[Following is a volunteer review of "Spellbound - The Workings of Drugtech" by Marcel Sahade.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Spellbound - The Workings of Drugtech by Marcel Sahade offers a collection of short stories that end with a twist. Initially, they seem very diverse, but after a while, a bigger story starts getting revealed. Drugtech, a pharmaceutical company involved in some very secretive research, becomes more and more central in the book slowly showing new connections with the short stories and their characters.

After reading some of this book's short stories, I started having the impression of reading something like Alfred Hitchcock Presents with bits of The Twilight Zone in literary form. The author seems to have picked the most diverse protagonists and situations to start this book, so the only thing they had in common was a twist at the end. Those twists are also diverse, so they don't become predictable. However, if there's one thing I didn't like in the book is that occasionally the twist was weak. Luckily, that was a rare case.

Only continuing with the short stories, I started realizing that they were like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Slowly a bigger picture was becoming visible, with Drugtech at its center. At that point, I started seeing Marcel Sahade's clever job in writing what appeared as separate stories while he was creating connections among them. It's a fascinating discovery that enhanced my enjoyment of this book.

Another great characteristic of this book is in its important characters. It's not easy to offer a good depiction of a person in just a few pages, but Marcel Sahade does it on several occasions with a skillful use of details. Together with the situations they're living, those details enable the readers to easily understand those characters. Some of them appear on more than one short story, and in those cases, the author gives them even greater depth.

This collection is mostly a thriller, with characters behaving with motives that are common and easy to understand. Often, those motives are part of humanity's dark side. The main example is in Drugtech's managers, who base their decisions about the company's policies only on profit. Sometimes, the stories include elements of science fiction, and they can be associated with the darkest human characteristics.

The book contains no profanities, but describes sexual acts. The author didn't go into detail, but what happens is mentioned explicitly, so it's more suitable for adults. It contains a few errors that don't detract from the enjoyment, and overall the editing is good.

Spellbound - The Workings of Drugtech is a book I found intriguing for its twists and its intertwined stories. That means that you can read it once to enjoy its twists, then again to appreciate all the details that connect its stories. For these reasons, my rating is 4 out of 4 stars. If you're interested in a journey into human nature that shows our dark sides as individuals and as a society, I recommend this book.

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Spellbound - The Workings of Drugtech
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daphne_asir · Post by **daphne_asir** » 17 Jun 2020, 04:13

I've never read short stories before, never understood the appeal but this review makes me want to try out the book. Sounds like an interesting read! Great review.

Post by **Melisa Jane** » 17 Jun 2020, 04:15

I'm very unlucky. I've only read one book which is a collection of short stories. I hope this will be the second one. Nice review

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 17 Jun 2020, 05:05

daphne_asir wrote: ↑17 Jun 2020, 04:13 I've never read short stories before, never understood the appeal but this review makes me want to try out the book. Sounds like an interesting read! Great review.

It depends on personal taste. However, in this case the stories are intertwined. Thank you for your appreciation!

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 17 Jun 2020, 05:06

JM Reviews wrote: ↑17 Jun 2020, 04:15 I'm very unlucky. I've only read one book which is a collection of short stories. I hope this will be the second one. Nice review

Have fun, and thank you for the appreciation!

Kanda_theGreat · Post by **Kanda_theGreat** » 18 Jun 2020, 02:21

I really love books whose authors focus on character development because that helps me to connect with each character. For a collection of short stories, the author did a great job.
Thank you for your thorough anaysis of the book.

Adanna Inya · Post by **Adanna Inya** » 18 Jun 2020, 03:55

I get scared about reading short stories with a common core because often times, the author fails to make a through blend in connecting them. I'm glad that this author was able to do that to your satisfaction. Beautiful review.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 18 Jun 2020, 06:42

Kanda_theGreat wrote: ↑18 Jun 2020, 02:21 I really love books whose authors focus on character development because that helps me to connect with each character. For a collection of short stories, the author did a great job.
Thank you for your thorough anaysis of the book.

Yes, the author did a great job in developing the characters through the short stories. Thank you for your appreciation!

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 18 Jun 2020, 06:43

Adanna Inya wrote: ↑18 Jun 2020, 03:55 I get scared about reading short stories with a common core because often times, the author fails to make a through blend in connecting them. I'm glad that this author was able to do that to your satisfaction. Beautiful review.

This case is indeed a success in creating a big picture from the various short stories. Thank you for your appreciation!

DEEPA PUJARI · Post by **DEEPA PUJARI** » 18 Jun 2020, 08:57

This sounds like a unique book. I like short stories but I have never read a book where all the stories are connected. It would be fun to read this book and connect the stories like a jigsaw puzzle. Lovely review.

Ballbender · Post by **Ballbender** » 18 Jun 2020, 10:02

I like books that end in twists. This book is not Far from such. The book consists of short stories, and the characters were developed was good. It's an enjoyable review, and I did get the writer's aim.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 18 Jun 2020, 10:12

DEEPA PUJARI wrote: ↑18 Jun 2020, 08:57 This sounds like a unique book. I like short stories but I have never read a book where all the stories are connected. It would be fun to read this book and connect the stories like a jigsaw puzzle. Lovely review.

Surely there are other writers who did something like that, but this one turned out really well. Thank you for your appreciation!

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 18 Jun 2020, 10:13

Ballbender wrote: ↑18 Jun 2020, 10:02 I like books that end in twists. This book is not Far from such. The book consists of short stories, and the characters were developed was good. It's an enjoyable review, and I did get the writer's aim.

Well, this book contains a number of twist, so you should be happy with it. Thank you for commenting!