Review by Samisah -- Illustrated Short Fiction of Willia...

Samisah · Post by **Samisah** » 12 Jul 2020, 08:57

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

4 out of 4 stars

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Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016 by William H. Coles is a collection of thirty short stories, two graphic novels, and a novella. Each story, irrespective of its length carried a unique and important message relevant to our society today. I decided to review this book despite the huge volume because of Mr Coles' writing acumen which I had enjoyed in a previous review. And I was not disappointed.

I like how the author weaved many beautiful stories with so many themes in one collection. Stories of love, crime and punishment, life’s dilemma, cruelty, family bonding and the pursuit of happiness were all included in this work. Whatever your taste or preferred genre, there is something here for you. The character development of each story is also unique. As a result, I was able to relate with them, understand them and at times, I hated them.

From the title, I was expecting a lot of illustrations to go along with the story, but I didn’t see as many as I would have liked to see. Most of the stories had just two illustrations which tried to depict the central message of the story. However, the two graphic works, Homunculus and Reddog were excellently illustrated. Homunculus is one of my favourite story in the collection. It is a lovely piece about how we go out searching for things that are probably right in front of us. All we needed to do, was just notice them. Unfortunately for our protagonist, Didi the dwarf, by the time she realized this, the opportunity was gone; Rudy had left. Sadly the majority of people go through this pain every time.

Mr Coles has developed a set of intriguing stories that permeate our very essence causing us to challenge our human nature, to be more compassionate, while at the same time allowing us to shape our own opinion of things. For example, in The Gift, the beautiful story of this very young teenage girl touched me. Her desire and tenacity to ensure her deformed child lives a life free of pity and human judgement, in spite of her mother's evil designs, moved me. This kind of story helps us as humans to want to be better, be more compassionate, and understand others a little more.

As stated in the beginning, the sheer size of this book nearly put me off. However, it turned out to be a great read. As was the case with Mr Coles' other book, McDowell, the editors of this work did a fantastic job because I didn't notice any spelling or grammatical error. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and learned a thing or two as well. I, therefore, rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Due to its mature content, I wouldn't approve it for teenagers. I would, however, recommend it to story lovers and adventure seekers.

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Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016
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Adanna Inya · Post by **Adanna Inya** » 13 Jul 2020, 03:28

I enjoyed reading the book too. Great review. Nicely written.

Tonika632 · Post by **Tonika632** » 13 Jul 2020, 06:05

I am in a middle of this book and I love it so far. Thanks for an honest review!

Samisah · Post by **Samisah** » 13 Jul 2020, 08:22

Adanna Inya wrote: ↑13 Jul 2020, 03:28 I enjoyed reading the book too. Great review. Nicely written.

Thank you for your kind words

Samisah · Post by **Samisah** » 13 Jul 2020, 08:23

Tonika632 wrote: ↑13 Jul 2020, 06:05 I am in a middle of this book and I love it so far. Thanks for an honest review!

I am sure you will love the remaining parts as well. And thank you for stopping by.

J_odoyo · Post by **J_odoyo** » 13 Jul 2020, 10:50

I have read some books by Mr. Cole's, and they are amazing. I love this author's Writing style. From your review I can tell this is just another great one. I'm not a fan of Short stories, but I think the book is worth reading. Thanks for this great review!

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda · 13 Jul 2020, 11:42

I've read other books

by the author and he has a unique and deep knowledge of human nature, so I'm sure these stories are fascinating. Thank you!

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 13 Jul 2020, 13:47

True. There is a story for everyone. I enjoyed The Amish Girl story and the novella. I'm glad you enjoyed reading the book. Good job in your review.

Samisah · Post by **Samisah** » 13 Jul 2020, 15:25

Nerea wrote: ↑13 Jul 2020, 13:47 True. There is a story for everyone. I enjoyed The Amish Girl story and the novella. I'm glad you enjoyed reading the book. Good job in your review.

Yes The Amish Girl is quite interesting as well. Thanks for your kind words.

Samisah · Post by **Samisah** » 13 Jul 2020, 15:39

Lunastella wrote: ↑13 Jul 2020, 11:42 I've read other books by the author and he has a unique and deep knowledge of human nature, so I'm sure these stories are fascinating. Thank you!

Me Coles is truly good. And the book is really nice. Thank you too for taking out time to read my review

Samisah · Post by **Samisah** » 13 Jul 2020, 15:44

J_odoyo wrote: ↑13 Jul 2020, 10:50 I have read some books by Mr. Cole's, and they are amazing. I love this author's Writing style. From your review I can tell this is just another great one. I'm not a fan of Short stories, but I think the book is worth reading. Thanks for this great review!

Thank you for your kind words. I am thankful.

Ronel_Steyn · Post by **Ronel_Steyn** » 14 Jul 2020, 02:22

Interesting review on a book I've been skipping so far. Thank you for your review.

Koltrast · Post by **Koltrast** » 14 Jul 2020, 03:14

I don't usually read short stories, but perhaps I should give it a try! It's certainly high praise to brave a brick of a book because you know - and love - the author. Great review!

Samisah · Post by **Samisah** » 14 Jul 2020, 05:03

Koltrast wrote: ↑14 Jul 2020, 03:14 I don't usually read short stories, but perhaps I should give it a try! It's certainly high praise to brave a brick of a book because you know - and love - the author. Great review!

Perhaps you should give it a try. You might enjoy it. Thanks alot