Friday 1 June 2012

The 500, Bomber and Issue 49 (Dark Shorts) by J D Hughes




It's been a while since I read any short stories, so picking up these three (available separately) made a refreshing change. As suggested these are three dark little stories, equivalent to between 11 and 17 pages.


THE 500In The 500 we meet Gemma who is about to take revenge on her cheating ex. This revenge backfires and mires her in guilt until she sees a way to redeem herself.


ISSUE 49Issue 49 introduces lonely Billy Bunter fan and comic collector Tobias. After past humiliations and years of loneliness he meets the woman of his dreams. However there is more to her than meets the eye.


BOMBERThe Bomber is about a young man who likes cars and girls but finds himself in the frame as a potential suicide bomber. He wants to prevent the planned attack but his fate has already been determined by others.


All three tales move at quite a pace but contain telling little details that give the characters some depth. However with The Bomber I felt that I had missed something key to understanding exactly who was meant to have done what, and felt it could have been explained a little more expansively as events unfolded at the end.


Overall I enjoyed this trio of dark, bordering on macabre, tales and was reminded why I have become a short story convert.


Format: Kindle, review copies
Publisher: Northwood e-Books
My Rating: 3*

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