Review of Maniacs, Monsters and a Bump in the Night

[Rajiv Pal Singh Khurana]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Maniacs, Monsters and a Bump in the Night" by G. Richard Evans.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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REVIEW Rating: 3.0/5.0 : 3 out of 5
Maniacs, Monsters and a Bump in the Night (Dorrance Publishing Co, PA)

G. Richard Evans has dedicated this book to his late wife Judy. The dedication was definitely sweet but the experience of reading this book was bitter sweet. Every author has a unique writing style which is a prerogative, not up for a review but the content and its impact on the readers is certainly debatable.

There is profanity in a couple of stories but it seems unnecessary as it adds nothing, either to the characters or to the stories. This needless enforced sexual language makes the book age restricted and unsuitable for the younger readers. Evans set of stories are almost mostly missing the element of surprise or climax which would have added a zing to the ending. Four stories can be put inside the win column and this is where the author’s true talent lies. The story ‘Loser’ is the clear winner but ‘The Green Goblin’ (should have avoided the foul language to make it completely wholesome), ‘Ghost of a Chance’ and ‘You Bet your Wife’ were read worthy as well. The surprise element in three of them and the feel-good message in ‘Ghost of a Chance’ makes them better of the lot. The last four of the stories would have served their purpose better with some crispier editing. Although, even with a smaller canvas, the work and words would have still been just slightly above average. ‘Bump in the Night’, ‘Doodle’, ‘The Gift’ and ‘Covers’ were ordinarily acceptable. In the emotional gamut of darkness, horror, revenge, sacrifice and suffering presented by the author, the subtle humor in ‘Loser’ makes it victorious.

The supply of literature is far exceeding the demand for it. Passable reading is now mediocrity at best. The book is exactly one-third good, one-third above average and one-third average. Giving it more than 3.0 out of 5.0 rating will be a disservice to the author and his readers.

-Rajiv Pal Singh Khurana (Instagram: rajivranaludhianvi)

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Maniacs, Monsters and a Bump in the Night
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